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I am back in Rome.  Where are you?

Here is a snapshot of locations of people using the blog a couple minutes ago.

Maybe you can see your location!

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Unknown Country
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From Fr. Welzbacher’s Pastor’s Page, which I have cited before.

Pastor’s Page
By Fr. George Welzbacher
  
Apri 29, 2007 
  
To cite an aria from Puccini’s Tosea in the context of a distinguished prelate’s death will seem to those who know the opera’s plot a little startling, to say the least. But I must confess that when I heard the sad news of the death of my friend Monsignor Richard Schuler what flashed into my mind, unbidden and yes! unreproved, was a passage from the aria, one of the most dramatic in all of opera, sung by Tosca at the end of Act Two: "Vissi d’arte! Vissi d’amore! I have lived for art! I have lived for love!"
   Needless to say, some fundamental distinctions are in order here. The art to which Monsignor Schuler devoted his formidable talent and an astonishing outlay of energy and time was not the art-for-art’s sake fetish worshipped by the secular humanist.       Rather the art to which Monsignor Schuler devoted so much of his life was the art of sacred music, cherished as a means of glorifying God and of stirring God’s people to a more exalted sense of God’s grandeur and awesome holiness. And the love that inspired and sustained his life-long dedication to sacred music, to its serious study and its glorious performance, was no earth-bound, merely human love but a love that responded to God’s love for us, a love definitively made manifest in the sufferings and death of God’s only-begotten Son, Who paid the price for our redemption in His blood. Thus understood, those words of Tosea describe quite well the are of Monsignor Schuler’s life.
   His love for the Lord Christ was a faithful love, an obedient love, one that accordingly would prompt him to the vigorous defense of the immensely rich repertoire of music that glorified Christ. But it was also a love that would brook no compromise with those who would "trim" Christ’s teachings to suit the mood of the hour or to follow the latest divagations of "I’ll do it my way" theologians. Both in the classroom and in the pulpit Father Schuler-the title he always used for himself- was the antithesis of the "Cafeteria Catholic" for whom the revelation of the Supreme and Eternal Logos is subject to review at the court of the human mind. The saving words of’ Christ, to be transmitted by His Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit until the end of time without loss and without corruption-that was the bedrock on which Father Schuler’s faith stood, and it was the sole and singular foundation on which he would base his preaching to those whom God entrusted to his care.
   And there you have the secret of his phenomenal success in fostering vocations to the priesthood. Combining beauty, dignity, reverence and often splendor in the liturgy with, in his preaching, an unswerving loyalty to the revelation of Christ, with no suppression or evasion of its more difficult demands – or its deeper mysteries, Monsignor Schuler offered idealistic young men, eager to commit their lives to a noble cause, the attractive mission of leading others to Christ through a coherent expounding of the purpose of human life and of the means guaranteed by Christ for the achievement of that purpose, a presentation clothed in sacred ceremonies that conveyed, as far as anything earthly can, the reality of a higher world. Energizing this whole program in a vitally important way were the prayers for vocations offered daily at all of the public Masses celebrated at the Church of St. Agnes throughout Monsignor’s third of a century pastorate, a policy maintained by his successors. (On the human level Monsignor’s legendary hospitality is worthy of mention, too.) All of this helps to explain the unbroken succession of First Solemn Masses that have been offered at the magnificent high altar of the Church of St. Agnes year after year, within a physical setting that was itself much enhanced by Father Schuler’s good taste to provide a more splendid environment for worship in accord with the aesthetic of the European Baroque.
   Widely known and respected in the world of sacred music at both the national and the international level thanks to his many years of service as an official of the Consociatio of Catholic Church Musicians and as sole editor of the journal Sacred Music, Father Schuler offered his own parishioners a rich and diverse musical program. Founder in 1956 of the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale and until very recently remaining its director- Professor Robert Peterson is now his very able successor-he presented on many Sundays of the year the great orchestral Masses of the Classical and Romantic Eras, with instrumental accompaniment provided by musicians of the Minnesota Symphony, and with Paul Levoir’s Schola Cantorum singing in Gregorian Chant the Proper of the Mass and, on those Sundays when the Chorale did not sing, the Common of the Mass as well. Regularly at the Saturday evening Mass Donna (Mrs. James) May’s Renaissance Chorale presented (and continues to present) great masterworks of polyphony. And high praise is due to Mary LeVoir, one of the Twin Cities’ most brilliant organists, who effectively exploits the resources of St. Agnes Church’s wonderfully versatile instrument.
   Richard Joseph Schuler, as a Fulbright Scholar and a musicologist with a master’s degree from Rochester’s Eastman School of Music and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in the History of Music, was frequently invited to give lectures on sacred music at various colleges and universities, and he was a frequent participant in national and international conferences focused on that topic. And throughout the dismal years of the Great Cultural Demolition that thrust itself forward in the mid-1960’s he resolutely stood in the breach, a kind of Horatio-at-the-Bridge, resisting the onslaught of vulgar banality and self-celebration that came to prevail in all too many parishes, presenting itself falsely as in accord with the Second Vatican Council’s mandate for liturgical reform. Fortunately he lived long enough to see a counterrevolution set in, a program for the restoration of a distinctive Catholic culture that enjoys the blessing of the man (whom Monsignor came to know quite well) who reigns now as Pope Benedict XVI.
   Monsignor Schuler was fond of saying that our liturgies here on earth should seek, as best they can, to provide at least an intimation of the heavenly liturgy. Let us keep this great priest in our grateful prayers, asking Our Lord to welcome him now to the glorious and transformative worship of the Beauty that springs eternal in a life that never ends.

Cordial biretta tip to Shouts in the Piazza:  o{]:¬)

Since I installed Site Meter, we have now passed 500,000 visits and 1,000,000 pages loads.

In 2005 I wrote a piece in the Catholic Online Forum on the 2nd miracle through the intercession of new St. Gianna Molla.  I reproduce it here, somewhat edited, on her feast day.  The account of this miracle gave me shivers.  I had to share it.

Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:47 am    Post subject: IN DEPTH: 2nd miracle through St. Gianna Beretta Molla
Since I have just recently finished over 100 hours of training at the Congregation for Causes of Saints concerning the history, theology and juridial dimensions of causes of beatification and canonization (investigatiing the life, heroic virtues, martyrdom, reputation of holiness, reputation of martydom, miracles, etc.), I figured I should put some of that training to use and occasionally produce some of it here with some comments that might be of use to others. After all, what training I get isn’t just for me: it has to be for the whole Church or it is worth only the cost of the printing and parchment. We had the chance to learn from and question the officials of the Congregation, the experts who collaborate with it, and the physicians and historicals who are experts consultants. We had lectures from the Prefect, Secretary and Under-Secretary, the Promotor of the Faith (so-called "Devil’s Advocate" is a mis-nomer, really) and the Relator General. We had tours of the archives and attended the proceedings of the opening of a cause in the Roman phase. Abundant materials were provided and we were, naturally, allowed then to be thoroughly tested on them. Going into the course I was not sure what to expect, but I brought a certain measure of sceptism about some things I had heard (mostly due to faulty and insufficient information, I see now). I heard stories of lives and of miracles which left me nearly with my jaw on the table as I listened and saw the documentation. This was a privilege which for the rest of my priesthood will affect how I can help other people understand things about the life of grace in a way I could not before. Ad ramos... Concerning the second of the two miracles worked by God through St. Gianna: In mid November 1999 a Brasilian woman named Elisabete Comparini Arcolino discovered she was pregnant for the fourth time. An echogram on 30 Nov. showed that the developing child was within a small sac only .8 cm in length and 2.3 cm in diameter. The doctor said that it was doubtful that with such a beginning for the gestation that child would come to term. On 9 December a echo showed the embryo a 1.0 cm in length but also a huge increase in coagulation of blood (blood loss), measuring 5.2×3.5 cm. On 19 Dec they found the beating heart of the child, but also a deterioration of the placenta in the lower region of the uterus. A pessimistic prognosis was given. The doctor following the case, Dr. Nadia Bicego Vieitez de Almeida, who had handled Elisabete’s previous pregnancies, said that with the great loss of blood Elisebete would probably spontaneously abort or they would have to do the procedure sooner or later. Contrary to expectations, the child’s heart kept beating and the pregnancy continued. On 11 February 2000 Elisabete realized there was a serious problem and went to the hospital. The echo showed that the gestational sack’s membrane had broken at 16 weeks of gestation and, while the fetus was alive, there was now a total absence of amniotic fluid. The radiologist testified that there was no amniotic liquid to protect the child from exposure to the outside world and from the external pressure of the uterus itself. This meant that both the child and mother were in serious danger of infection, etc. Dr. Bicego recommended termination of the pregnancy. Elisabete was put on a regime of super hydration, 4 l. of phleboclysis (intravenous injection of an isotonic solution of dextrose or other substances) per day. On 15 Feb a new echo showed that there was no significant increase in the volume of amniotic fluid and the volume was insufficient to bring the pregnancy to term. At this point, 15 Feb, the prognosis for the child was precisely zero. Two studies, one in Sao Paolo and one in San Francisco had looked at viability of pregnancies with a ruptured membrane at between 22-26 weeks, many more weeks after the case of Elisabete and her child. In the studies in every case examined every fetus was spontaneously aborted within 60 days of the rupture. In virtually all cases, a fetus of 16 weeks would abort with a few days. Dr. Bicega and other doctors told Elisabete that they had to do an abortion to save her life, and gave her some time to make the decision. But Elisabete, as she testified, knew in her heart that she could not do that and that she must try to bring the child to term. When the doctor came for the decision, Elisabete’s husband Carlos Cesar requested that a priest come. He called the parish priest of San Sebastiano, Fr. Ovidio José Alves di Andrade. Dr. Bicega said she would return again in 15 minutes with the documents for their signature approving the abortion. Present at the time Dr. Bicega came was a friend of Elisabete, named Isabel, who heard the exchange about the abortion. Isabel went to the hospital chapel to pray to Mary to help bring some clarity to the situation. There Isabel spent some time in prayer. When she was finshed and got up to leave, she saw pass by the door the diocesan Bishop Diogenes Silva Matthes who had come to the hospital to visit another person. Bp. Silva had been celebrant of the wedding of Elisabete and Carlos Cesar at San Sebastiano where they worked as catechists. Isabel told the bishop what was going on and he went to Elisabete’s room and there learned the whole story. The bishop said, “Betinha, we will pray and God will help us” and he asked Dr. Bicega to wait a while longer. Then the bishop left. Shortly after the bishop left Fr. Ovidio arrived. He began to give Elisabete the sacrament of anointing. At that point the bishop returned. He had brought with him a biography of Bl. Gianna Beretta Molla. He said to Elisabete: “Do what Blessed Gianna did, and, if necessary, give your life for the child. I was praying at home and I said to the Blessed in prayer, ‘Now has arrived the opportunity for you to be canonized. Intercede before the Lord for the grace of a miracle and save the life of this little child.” Elisabete had known about Bl. Gianna and how she died and how the first miracle for her cause was for a woman who had terrible complications from a caesarian section. After knowing about Bl. Gianna, Elisabete herself, in her third pregnancy and after two previous caesarian sections, had decided to give birth normally despite the problems that entailed. At that time the same Bishop Silva had given her a holy card of Bl. Gianna. Elisabete was terribly afraid but she asked Bl. Gianna for help and gave birth to a child weighing over 5kg. Therefore, this time, reinforced by past experience and the help of Bl. Gianna and the same bishop, Elisabete told Dr. Bicega she would try to carry the child to term, so long at the child’s heart continued to beat. Various doctors at the hospital expressed their opinion that this was madness. However, Dr. Bicega later testified about that time: “But I, I don’t know if it was by intuition, through my own lack of courage, or if I was drawn by Elisabete’s faith which seemed to have no limit, decided to wait and see what happened.” Elisabete would later testify that for her: “Jesus’ greatest miracle was to change the doctor’s heart. She had been unmovable in her determination to perform abortions, but one day she said to me, ‘Your faith had made me think a great deal. Even I have faith now and so let’s wait for the death of the fetus”. Elisabete left the hospital and went to the home of Carlos Cesar’s aunt, Janete Arcolino, who was a nurse. Dr. Bicego lent them the sonar machine so that they could monitor the heart beat of the child and told them to check her temperature and blood pressure every six hours. They continued the super hydration treatments and eventually began a cortisone treatment to prevent problems with the child’s lungs. In the meantime, Fr. Ovidio testified later, the whole community was continuing to invoke Bl. Gianna, continuously asking for a miracle. The parish had been very pro-life and every month there was special blessing for women who were with child. Also involved in the prayers to Bl. Gianna was a community of Carmelite sisters who in turn had communicated the request to other convents in Brasil. For her part, Elisabete had a very hard time of things. Despite her faith in God and her past experience, there were times when she was terribly afraid she was going to die with her child. She felt herself sometimes quite abandoned by God and alone. She was worried about what would happen with her other three children if she died. Dr. Bicega followed the pregnancy closely and noted that during the whole time there was no accumulation of amniotic fluid. If Elisabete gained any, as soon as she would move to get up to go to the bathroom, she would again lose it all. When they had reached the 32nd week and when the baby weighed 1.80k, they decided for a caesarian section delivery, effected on 31 May 2000. The newborn daughter, Gianna, was in good shape with the exception of the left foot which was twisted, probably because of compression with the uterus. The problems did not cease there. They found that Elisabete had a wound within a uterine muscle to which the placenta had adhered, thus remaining in place. She had a serious hemorrhage and her lungs collapsed and wound up in intensive care for three days. As part of her treatment Dr. Bicega wanted to interdict her cycle with a kind of false menopause, which would result also in Elisabete not being able to lactate, but Elisabete said she did want to do that. The newborn was sent home on 17 June weighing 1.960kg. Later a surgical operation and therapy corrected the twisted foot. In July 2001 a pediatrician Dr. Maria Engracia Ribeiro examined the child completely and found her to be perfectly normal and healthy, intelligent and lively, with the strong personality. Another check on 17 January 2002 found no problems in any of the child’s development, with no immune or respiratory problems and was, for her age, in perfect health. The case of the asserted miracle was studied by the “Consulta Medica” of the Congregation for Causes of Saints on 10 April 2003 who determined that despite the severe prognosis for the fetus and the mother as the result of the total loss of amniotic fluid at the 16th week, and despite medical treatment inadequate for such a grave situation, the positive outcome of the pregnancy and health of mother and child were unexplainable in medical terms. The decree super miraculo was promulgated by the Congregation in the presence of Pope John Paul II on 20 December 2003. Since Gianna Beretta Molla had been beatified on 24 April 1994, her canonization was celebrated on 16 May 2004. I would put to you several points to consider. Any of which might serve as a starting point for comments. 1) Saints are presented to us by Holy Mother Church for “the two I’s”: imitation and intercession. 2) As all Christians are called to imitate Christ, we also must experience self-emptying and the Cross, abandonment to providence and self-donation. We must be willing to lose everything. 3) We are not alone: the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant are closely knit, interwoven in charity. We on earth must intercede for each other and believe and ask for the intercession of the saints. 4) God makes use of the weak to demonstrate His might and love. 5) If we do not believe in miracles, we do not ask for them. If we do not ask for them, they will not be granted. 6)Our life of faith is noticed by non-believers and they are not unaffected. 7)What a difference a bishop can make. 8)How often do you invoke the help of the saints and holy angels? 9)God ways are not our ways. 10)No one is too small to not be an occasion of grace for others.

Reports are coming in about the sales of Pope Benedict’s new book, Jesus of Nazareth.  In some 10 days after its release, 510 thousand copies have been sold in Italy, 480 thousand in Germany and in Poland 100 thousand.

The Greek edition comes with a letter by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who expresses "great and burning interest" for the work.  He sees it as being a help to ecumenical dialogue.

Since I returned to the USA for the funeral of Msgr. Richard Schuler, I brought back an extra copy in German as a gift to a priest friend, Fr. George Welzbacher.  In addition to being one of the smartest people I know, his German is very strong.  He told me that Pope Benedict’s style is clear and elegant, easy to follow.  This does not surprise me in the least.  I haven’t started into the German edition, but I am well along in the Italian. 

You will want this book.  Click here to pre-order it at a discount.  It should be released in mid May.

 

In an entry yesterday I opined that as the date for the Motu Proprio becomes more concrete (or at least seems to become concrete) some journalists would go start freaking out. 

Here is a piece from that bastion of conservative thought, the BBC.  Notice that they play the anti-Jewish card, so commonly used against the Church.  They play on fear rather than deal with the issues substantively.  At the end a tiny hand full of dirt is thrown in the direction of those who want the older form of Mass.  Emphases and comments are mine.

Concerns over Pope’s Latin Mass move
By Kathryn Westcott
BBC News

Pope Benedict’s plans to revive the Latin Mass, which includes prayers for the conversion of Jews, is causing concern among Catholic and Jewish groups about relations between their faiths.  [Look at the card she leads with.]

...

The old wording [of the Tridentine Mass] has none of the Vatican Council thinking that reversed long-standing anti-Jewish views in the Church.   [This is completely rubbish, of course.] Vatican II brought about a revolution in Catholic thinking, highlighting the ancient Jewish roots of Christianity and affirming God’s love for the Jews. 

Concern is now focused on traditional mass’s Good Friday liturgy which contains a prayer "For the conversion of the Jews". The prayer reads:

"Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ."

It refers to their "blindness" and prays for them to be "delivered from their darkness."  [Something which could be said about any of us, I’m afraid.]

John L Allen, a commentator for the influential US-based weekly magazine The National Catholic Reporter says this is the Pope’s "personal call". He has promised to reach out to Christians separated from Rome.

"His basic motive is pastoral. He is a classic doctrinal conservative and he feels there are people out there who are attached to this mass and there is nothing wrong with it, so why not let them have it."

The Vatican has said that the Pope wants to heal a rift with ultra-traditionalists who rebelled against Second Vatican Council changes towards an understanding of non-Christian religions. [And that’s bad?  Healing?]

Their leader, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, now dead, was excommunicated by the late Pope John Paul II and he and his followers broke away from Rome during the 1970s.

The followers of Archbishop Lefebvre – known as the Society of St Pius X – are said to have been seeking reconciliation with the new pope. The group claims to have roughly one million adherents worldwide.

‘Little uptake’

Many religious experts acknowledge that in real terms, the revival of the Mass may not be widespread. [Others say that it might be, but they don’t get interviewed by the BBC, do they.]

"We’re more than 40 years away from the Vatican Council and frankly most priests today don’t know how to do it," says Mr Allen. "Of course they can learn but they are stretched and won’t see it as a priority. I don’t really believe there is that much demand for it.

"Those Catholics who are already interested in the Latin Mass can usually find somewhere where it is celebrated."

But for some Catholic and Jewish groups this is not the point and they have approached the Vatican about their concerns.  [And now we turn back to a sideshow, no longer interested in the main issue…]

Rabbi David Rosen president of IJCIC, the International Jewish Committee that represents World Jewry in its relations with other world religions, says: "Any liturgy that presents Jews as being doomed in their faith doesn’t present a very healthy attitude towards Judaism and the Jewish people."  [If the Church believes her claims about who She is, and if the Church accepts the great commission laid upon her by the Lord at His ascension, then the Church ought to be willing to speak clearly about how one is to be saved.  Say you go to a doctor because you know something is seriously wrong, but the doctor refuses either to tell you or present a clear diagnosis of the problem.  Has he done you a service or an injury?]

"Relations have undergone a profound transformation [since Vatican II]. I don’t think there is any danger of backsliding in terms of the Church indulging in anti-Semitism or anything like that," he told the BBC News website from Jerusalem. [Thus, David Rosen.]

But he says the move comes within the context of "a certain revival of what might be called conservative theology within the Church."  [OOOOooooooo!]

"Conservative theology itself is not necessarily bad for relations with the Jewish people and even if Catholics believe their path is the absolute truth, that shouldn’t contradict the ability to respect the integrity of others’ identity and choice," he says.  [Right!]

‘Disturbing trend’

Christian groups argue that the issue has become all the more sensitive because the move comes against a backdrop of a perceived drift in Church policy.
   
"I remember the Latin Mass as a child, and very beautiful it was too – but I hadn’t a clue [about] the importance of what was being said "Teresa Adams BBC News website reader, Kenilworth, UK [That was not the fault of the Church or the Mass.  It might have been the fault of Teresa’s parents or teachers.  It might have been Teresa’s fault if she was a lazy child.  It might be that Teresa wasn’t very bright.  However, the fact that Teresa didn’t get it, doesn’t a) other people didn’t or b) it should be changed.  Do not miss, however, that she said it was "very beautiful".  I guess she understood something all along.]

"This is only part of what some of us see as a fairly disturbing trend within the Church," Professor John T Pawlikowski, president of the International Council of Christians and Jews told the BBC News Website. "It has been elevated to a higher level than it might otherwise have been."

He cited recent sermons by the main Vatican preacher, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, which revived old charges about Jewish blame for the death of Christ without provoking a reaction from Benedict or his aides.

"And, certainly in America, you have certain voices in the Catholic Church, calling for the conversion of Jews on television," said Mr Pawlikowski, professor of Social Ethics at the Catholic Theological Union in Illinois. [Huh?]

There is also concern that in America bishops are cutting back on personnel who are involved in Catholic and Jewish dialogue. [This is a canard: they are cutting back every department.  They don’t have money like they did in the past.]

Professor Pawlikowski questions why the Pope needs to issue further authorisation for the Mass, given that there are priests who already have permission to celebrate it.

‘God-centred worship’

"It’s almost like some people in the Vatican want to give it greater validation – almost encourage it," he says.  [Well… dud!]

Traditionalists not aligned to the Lefebvre movement have welcomed the proposed moves.
   
"This will give a much-needed emphasis on the sacrificial character of the Mass" – Father Brian Harrison
"I think it will help to swing the balance in favour a return to more reverent, God-centred, dignified worship," says Father Brian Harrison, associate professor of theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. [At the end, a few words from a well-informed person favorable toward the older Mass.  That’s balanced, right?  Diligent?]

Commentators say the change is unlikely to go far enough to win back the "hardcore" followers of Archbishop Lefebvre.

But they say the Pope is hoping that if the Church is seen to be meeting the Lefebvreites half way, more and more may choose to return to the Church over time. 

 

 

In the blog of Damian Thompson on Telegraph.co.uk:

May 5, the feast day of Pope St Pius V. That is apparently the date Pope Benedict has chosen for his announcement of the lifting of restrictions on the celebration of the beautiful Latin Tridentine Mass, introduced by St Pius in 1570.

What I find interesting are the various ways some are trying to muddy the waters or delay the release of the Motu Proprio.  

Watch for some journalists in the next week to start freaking out. 

For a rigid backward looking conservative, Pope Benedict XVI sure does some progressive things.

The most recent surpise from His Holiness is a change to the Synod of Bishops.

Originally the Synod, called to meet occasionally to discuss questions put to them by the Pope, could before only offer observations and statements.  Pope Benedict has now given them deliberative power concerning certain precise questions. 

The new edition of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis indicates the changes in new statutes for the Synod.

The Synod will be able to vote on issues, but the vote must be ratified by the Pope.  Thus, in certain specific questions, it seems the Synod will become a kind of micro-Council. 

This move brings the Synod perhaps more in line with the way ancient Synods worked.  It also resonates with the way the Orthodox bishops deliberate, though clearly they don’t have the Petrine dimension excercized by the Pope.

So, this Pope seems to be bent on loosening the vice clamping around some dimensions of the Church’s life since Pope Paul VI.  He is exploiting the provisions in Canon Law about the Synod and relaxing artifical and harmful restrictions imposed on the Church’s liturgical life.

 

 

 

In today’s La Reppublica there is an article from Marco Politi confirming two things which we already know.

First, the Motu Proprio is coming.  Second, Mr. Politi doesn’t understand what he is talking about on this matter.

Keep in mind that there was a dustup a week or so ago about a Jewish group which raised concerns about the language in the pre-Conciliar Missale Romanum.  People just don’t seem to grasp that changes were made to the Missal after  its release in 1570.  Really!

Here is the relevant bit in Politi’s article.  Try not to laugh.  (My translation and emphases)

 

Great expectation surrounds also the imminent publication of the papal Motu Proprio which will fully authorize traditionalist Catholic community to celebrate Mass in Latin according to the rite of Pius V.  Pope Ratzinger will explain in the document the rules to follow, but the text of the Missal is already ready and new copies are already on sale in bookstores.  The Missal turns out to have been emended in respect to the original of Pius V, following decisions made in the Vatican in 1962 and even before by John XXIII. [Yah… this news is only 45 years old.]

Obviously the mention of the "perfidious Jews" has disappeared, but also gone are the deprecationes, the curses against "schismatics and heretics", namely, the orthodox and protestants, just as also passages which ring as anti-Muslim.  What is striking in the reading of the old rite is the total abolition of the active role of the faithful, [He grasps nothing about the true meaning of "active participation".] relegated once again to the function of a flock which follows the one officiating.  Curiously – for the followers of absolute necessity to preserve the traditional text and to celebrate Mass in Latin – the Missals have the text in Italian on the facing page.  [Probably because these are "hand missals" to be used by the faithful iduring Mass to facilitate their full, conscious and active participation.]

Repubblica, 27 April 2007

This was a tag to the greater issue of what the Pope did in regard to the Synod of Bishops.

The key to understanding where Mr. Politi goes wrong here is that he doesn’t understand what "active participation" means.  It seems that he thinks "active" necessarily means that people must be constantly talking or singing or clapping or carrying stuff around.  That is a facile understanding of participation.

It may be that some time in the future, His Holiness will travel to the USA.  The terms are still quite vague, however:

POPE ACCEPTS INVITATION TO VISIT U.N. HEADQUARTERS

 

VATICAN CITY, APR 27, 2007 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon, Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. announced that Benedict XVI has accepted the invitation presented recently by Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations, to visit the headquarters of that organization in New York.

 

  "The Pope," said Fr. Lombardi, "has accepted the invitation in general terms, and has expressed his willingness to visit the U.N. headquarters, although as yet there is no date or program for the trip."

 

  Servant of God John Paul II visited the U.N. headquarters in 1979, and again in 1995 for the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the organization.

Tonight as the sun set I began my supper prep.

Black Angus bone-in rib eye grilled in lemon and first press olive oil.

Sweet corn from Florida.

Mixed greens with homemade Green Godess dressing.

2002 Tobias Zinfandel.

"An all new episode of Smallville." 

Followed by… Aliens.

Life is good at the Sabine Farm.

The steak was rare and like butter.

The corn was as sweet as candy.

The greens and dressing worthy of the Garden.

The Zin – gooey rasberry jam and leather.

Smallville is getting better and darker with every episode.

Aliens… well… makes me hungry again.

Life is good.

Fighting exhaustion, I needed a day to rest.

Nothing’s wrong.  Just tired.

Back at the Sabine Farm for a couple days before returning to Rome.

Ahhhhhhhh….

There is an nterview available through UCANews.  Gerard O’Connell interviews H.E. Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith speaking about the post-Synodal Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis of His Holiness.

It concerns especially the Exhortation and Asia.  There is a mention of the now famously correction par. 62 Sacramentum caritatis.  The inteview is an education about the use of Latin and its place in the whole world, not just in Asia.  He speaks about Gregorian chant.

Most interesting are his comments about inculturation.

Here are some high points.   My emphases.

UCA NEWS: How has the liturgical renewal initiated by Vatican Council II been carried out in Asia? What are its positive achievements and negative results?

ARCHBISHOP RANJITH: Generally, there have been many changes in the way liturgy was celebrated in Asia since the Council. Some of us who were brought up in childhood under the liturgical orientations of pre-conciliar times know what these new changes were and how they affected our life as Catholics.

As your question indicates, there has been a mixed bag of results. Among the positive changes, I see the use of vernacular languages in the Liturgy, which helped to lead the faithful to better understand the Word of God, the rubrics of the Liturgy itself, and a more responsive and shared participation in the celebration of the sacred mysteries.

Adaptations to local cultural practices have also been tried, though not always with good results. The use of the vernacular has at times helped in generating a theological vocabulary in the local idiom that eventually could be helpful to evangelization and the presentation of the message of the Gospel to those of non-Christian religious traditions, which constitute the overwhelming majority of the people of Asia.

Some negative aspects have been the quasi total abandonment of the Latin language, tradition and chant; a far too facile interpretation of what could be absorbed from local cultures into the Liturgy; a sense of misunderstanding of the true nature, content and meaning of the Roman rite and its norms and rubrics, which led to an attitude of free experimentation; a certain anti-Roman "feeling," and an uncritical acceptance of all kinds of "novelties" resulting from a secularizing and humanistic theological and liturgical mindset overtaking the West.

These novelties were often introduced, perhaps unknowingly, by some foreign missionaries who brought them from their own mother countries or by locals who had been to those countries on visits or for studies and had let themselves be uncritically absorbed into a kind of "free spirit" that some circles had created around the Council.

The abandonment of the spheres of the Sacred, the Mystical and the Spiritual, and their replacement by a kind of empiricist horizontalism was most harmful to the spirit of what truly constituted Liturgy.


How is the new exhortation on the Eucharist relevant for the Church in Asia?

Seen as a whole, the document is for me something that re-echoes in the true sense of the word the reform of the Liturgy as it was understood and desired by the Council. I mean not a rejection of positive developments of liturgical reform in force today but the expression of the need to be truly faithful to what was meant by Sacrosantum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Second Vatican Council, promulgated by Pope Paul VI on Dec. 4, 1963).

One could, in a certain sense, state that documents such as Ecclesia de Eucharistia ("The Church [draws her life] from the Eucharist," encyclical "On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church," Pope John Paul II, April 17, 2003), Liturgiam Authenticam ("Authentic Liturgy", instruction "On the Use of Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy," Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, May 7, 2001), and Redemptionis Sacramentum ("Sacrament of Redemption," instruction "On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist," Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, April 23, 2004) already started the needed adjustments reflective of the indications of the Council.

Sacramentum Caritatis crowns it all with a truly profound, mystical and yet so very easily understandable catechesis on the Eucharist that brings out best the fuller meaning of this most Holy Sacrament. Pope Benedict wants us to understand, celebrate and live the fullness of the Eucharist.

I feel that in the context of Asia such a call should naturally be appreciated, valued and lived. The basic orientations of Sacramentum Caritatis do reflect Asian values like the love of silence and contemplation, acceptance of a deeper life beyond that which is tangible, respect of the sacred and the mystical, and the search for happiness in a life of sanctity and renouncement.

The stress laid on these aspects makes Sacramentum Caritatis a valuable and important contribution towards making the Catholics in our continent live the Eucharist in a truly Asian way.


Which aspects of the document are most important for Asia’s bishops, priests and Catholic faithful?

From a general point of view, the call to consider the Holy Eucharist as an invitation to become Christ himself, drawn and absorbed unto him in a profound communion of love, thus making His own glorious splendor shine out in us, is truly in line with the search for spiritual mysticism in the Asian continent.

As I mentioned, Asia is deeply mystical and conscious of the value of the Sacred in human life, moving a human being to look for the deeper mysteries of religion and spirituality. The tendency to banalise the celebration of the Eucharist through a somewhat horizontal orientation, often visible in modern times. is not consonant with that search. Hence, the general orientation of the document is good for Asia.

Going into details, I would say that its seriousness, the tendency to always accent the deeply spiritual and transcendental nature of the Eucharist, its Christo-centric outlook, faithful adherence to rubrics and norms [nos.39-40], interest in sobriety [no. 40], proper and dignified sense of celebration, use of appropriate art and architecture, chant and music, and avoidance of improvisation and disorder are all reflective of the Asian way of worship and spirituality. People in Asia are a worshipping people, with worship forms that are centuries old and not inventions of any single individual.

Adherence to rubrics in the other religious traditions in Asia is strict. Besides, their rubrics are profoundly reflective of the special role of the Sacred. Thus, the seriousness recommended by the Supreme Pontiff is very much in consonance with Asian ways of worship.


Following the Second Vatican Council, there has been much talk, including among Asian bishops, of the need for inculturation of the liturgy. How has this developed in the Asian Churches? What remains to be done, or is it an open process without a concluding date?

As the Pope himself states in Sacramentum Caritatis, the principle of inculturation "must be upheld in accordance with the real needs of the Church as she lives and celebrates the one mystery of Christ in a variety of cultural situations" [Sacr. Carit. 54]. We know that it is a need emerging from both the call to evangelization or the incarnation of the Gospel message in various cultures, and the requirement of a real and conscious participation of the faithful in what they celebrate.

Yet, already Sacrosanctum Concilium indicated clear parameters within which the adaptations of the liturgy to local cultural patterns are to be carried out. It spoke of admitting into the Liturgy elements that "harmonize with its true and authentic spirit" [SC 37], ensuring the "substantial unity of the Roman rite is preserved" [SC 38], provided such is decided by the competent ecclesiastical authority, meaning the Holy See and, where legally allowed, the bishops [cf 22: 1-2]. It also called for prudence, in the choice of adaptations to be introduced into the Liturgy [SC 40: 1], the need to submit such to the Apostolic See for its consent, if needed, a period of limited experimentation [SC 40: 2] before final approval and consultation of experts in the matter [SC 40: 3].

Sacramentum Caritatis follows the same line, that adaptations of Liturgy to local cultural traditions be handled according to the stipulations of the various directives of the Church and in keeping with a proper sense of balance "between the criteria and directives already issued and new adaptations" [no. 54], and these too "always in accord with the Apostolic See" [ibid. 54]. In short, inculturation through adaptations, yes, but always within clear parameters that ensure nobility and orthodoxy.

As for what has been carried out up to now, one cannot be altogether satisfied. Some positive developments are visible, like the large scale use of vernacular languages in liturgy, making the sacraments better understood and to that extent better participated, and the use of art, music and Asian gestures at worship. But a lot of arbitrariness and inconsistency can also be noted, arbitrariness through the permitting of all kinds of experiments and officialisation of such practices without proper study or critical evaluation.

I once was listening to a radio talk given by a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka who ridiculed Christians for allowing local drum beating in their churches without knowing that those beats in fact were chants of praise for the Buddha. This could be just one instance of unstudied absorption of local traditions that are per se incompatible with what we celebrate.

By inconsistency I mean practices we introduce as adaptations but per se are incompatible with our culture, like just a bow instead of genuflection or prostration before the Holy Eucharist, or communion in the hand received standing, which is far below levels of consideration given to the Sacred in Asia. In some countries, instead of introducing liturgical vestments or utensils reflective of local values, their use has been reduced to a minimum, or even abandoned. I was at times shocked to see priests and even bishops celebrating or concelebrating without the proper liturgical attire. This is not inculturation but de-culturation, if such a word exists.

Inculturation means deciding on liturgical attire that is dignified and full of respect for the Sacred realities celebrated, not abandoning them. I feel that the Episcopal Commissions on Liturgy in Asia at continental, regional or national levels should, with the help of experts, study these issues carefully and seek ways and means to enhance the meaning, dignity and sacredness of the divine mysteries celebrated through solid adaptations that are critically selected and proposed to the Holy See for due approval.

A closer spirit of cooperation with the Holy See in this matter would be needed. There is too much drifting in the matter and even an attitude of "who cares?" that leaves everything to free interpretation and the creativity of single persons. Besides, I wonder if there is a sufficient awareness of what the Council itself mentioned on the matter and the guidelines given in Varietates Legitimae ("Legitimate Differences," instruction, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Jan. 25, 1994) and no. 22 of Ecclesia in Asia ("Church in Asia," apostolic exhortation on the Church in Asia, Pope John Paul II, November 6, 1999).


In No. 54 of Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict advocates "continued inculturation of the Eucharist" and calls for "adaptations appropriate to different contexts and cultures." What does this mean in Asia?

Asia is generally considered to be the continent of contemplation, mysticism and a deep seated spiritual outlook on life. These orientations may have resulted from or even led to the origins of most world religions in this continent. Any attempts at inculturation of the Liturgy or of Christian life cannot bypass these profoundly mystical orientations typical of Asia.

As Christians, we ought to show that Christianity is Asian in origin and it has an even profounder sense of mysticism within it that it can and wishes to share with others. It would be a pity if we strive to project our faith as an appendix of a secular and globalizing culture that endorses secular values and seeks to represent these in Asia. Unfortunately, sometimes in our way of doing things, we do project such an image. This makes us "foreigners" in our own continent.

Take, for example, the large scale abandonment of the cassock or religious garb by many priests and religious in Asia, even missionaries. They hardly understood that in Asian culture, persons dedicated to God or religion are always visible in his or her own garb, like the Buddhist monk or the Hindu sannyasi (holy man). This shows we do not understand what inculturation truly means. Often enough, it is limited to a dance or two during the Holy Mass or sprinkling of flowers, the arathi (closing prayer song) or beating a drum.

In mind and heart, however, we follow secular ways and values. If we are truly Asian, we should focus more attention on the mysticism of Jesus, His message of salvation, the great value of prayer, contemplation, detachment, simplicity of life, devoutness and reflection and the value of silence, and forms of liturgical celebration that focus great attention on the Sacred and the Transcendent. We Asians cannot be secularists who do not see anything beyond the visible and the tangible.

So too in Liturgy, instead of concentrating on just a few exterior gestures of cosmetic value, we should focus on the accentuation of the mystical and the spiritual riches conveyed to us, and highlight these more and more even in our dress and behavior. The Universal Church would gain from a Church in Asia that becomes a tangible expression of Christian mysticism in an Asian way.

 

 

...

Can you give a concrete example of what "maintaining a proper balance between criteria and directives and new adaptations" means?

By "proper balance," the Holy Father means, on one side, faithfulness to the Universal and Catholic Tradition of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, enshrined in the Roman rite itself, and, on the other, the space provided in Sacrosanctum Concilium and Varietates Legitimae for adaptations. As No. 21 of Sacrosanctum Concilium indicates, there are "unchangeable elements divinely instituted" and "elements subject to change" in the Liturgy. Only the latter may be changed, and even that is to be done on the basis of norms that the Council itself laid out in the third chapter of the same document.

In the case of the Eucharist, it is the same approach. The Eucharist is not what the Church made but what has been the Lord’s own gift to us, a treasure to be guarded. Hence, even though exigencies of Evangelization and of the Inculturation of the Gospel message in various situations demands a certain amount of diversity, this is not to be left to the whims and fancies of the individual celebrant. The areas open to diversity are limited and pertain to language, music and singing, gestures and postures, art and processions [SC 39]. In these areas, adaptation is possible and should be undertaken after proper study, due approval of the bishops and then the consent of the Apostolic See [SC: Ch. III].

Thus, the sense of balance between safeguarding the essentials and seeking to integrate local cultural elements is very much needed if the Church is to profit spiritually. At the same time, I would hold more essential not only adaptations of that type but the noble and dignified celebration of every liturgical act, making it reflect the mysticism of the East. It would be more helpful than just a series of external adaptations, even those introduced following established procedures.

Besides, the love of silence, a contemplative atmosphere, chant and singing reflective of the divine mystery celebrated on the altar, sober and decorous attire, and art and architecture reflective of the nobility of the Sacred places and objects, are all Asian values often reflected in places of worship of other religions and more expressive of a truly Asian outlook on Liturgy.

 

 

...

 

 

In no. 62 of the exhortatios, the pope suggests that celebration of Mass in Latin and use of Gregorian chant could be done on some occasions and in parts of the liturgy. What do you think Catholics in Asia feel about this? Have you detected a desire for the Mass in Latin among Catholics in Asia?

Sacrosanctum Concilium never advocated total abandonment of Latin or of Gregorian chant. It stated that "the use of the Latin language, except when a particular law prescribed otherwise, is to be preserved in the Latin rites… But since the use of the vernacular … may frequently be of great advantage to the people a wider use may be made of it especially in readings, directives and in some prayers and chants" [SC 36: 1-2]. Besides, it wished that "a suitable place may be allotted to the vernacular in Masses which are celebrated with the people, especially in the readings and ‘the common prayer’, and also as local conditions may warrant, in those parts which pertain to the people" [SC 54].

In the same passage, the Council wished that care be taken to "ensure that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them" [ibid.].

The point is that the vernacular is not the normal language of the Liturgy for Sacrosanctum Concilium but Latin, with permission being granted for the vernacular to be used in specific areas such as the readings, some prayers and chants and parts that pertain to the people. What is remarkable is that it advocates the use of Latin even in "those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them" [SC 54].

Unfortunately, a quasi total abandonment of Latin took place almost everywhere soon after the Council, so only the older generation of Catholics in Asia has an idea of the use of Latin in the liturgy and of Gregorian chant. With a strong vernacularisation of the Liturgy and of seminary formation, the use of Latin did almost completely disappear from most of Asia.

This is rather unfortunate. I am not sure if there is a marked yearning for a return of Latin in the Liturgy in Asia. I hope it would be so. Some Catholics who are aware of the beauty of Latin do express such a desire. They have seen or come to experience Liturgies celebrated in Latin in Rome or elsewhere and are fascinated by it. Others are fascinated by the old Latin rite, the Pius V Mass now being celebrated in some places of Asia.

But the larger portion of Asian Catholics is still unaware of the value of Latin in the Holy Mass. I wonder what they would say if some form of Latin is reintroduced. They might like it and, knowing the spirit of devotion that Asian Catholics carry within themselves, it would certainly help deepen their faith even further. Our people know that not all divine realities are within the reach of human understanding and that there should be room for some sense of spiritual mystery in worship.

Besides, it would be good for the Church in Asia not to remain cut off from new trends emerging universally, one of which is a fresh appreciation of the Church’s bi-millennial Latin heritage. This is not to say we ought to abandon the vernacular and embrace Latin in toto. A sound and sober use of Latin as well as the vernacular, on the lines of Sacrosanctum Concilium, would be a gain for all. Besides, in Asia some other religions have preserved an official "liturgical" language, like Sanskrit for Hinduism and Pali for Buddhism. These are not spoken languages but are used only in worship. Are they not teaching us a lesson that a "liturgical language" which is not in common use can better express an inner mysticism of the "Sacred" in worship?


The Pope wants "future priests" to learn Latin in seminaries, so as to read Latin texts and sing Gregorian chant. How do you think young Asians studying for the priesthood regard that call? Will Asia’s seminaries welcome it?

There is no question of a welcoming. I think it is a need, and rather than falling into a well of isolationist narrow mindedness or a purely empiricist approach to faith that, by the way, is not Asian and does not leave room for an understanding of that which is transcendent, our priests and seminarians should be encouraged to open out to the wider reality of their faith, which is Catholic and Universal, its bi-millennial roots and development and its mystical and sacred dimensions. And since Latin has been at the very root of much of the developments in Theology, Liturgy, and ecclesial discipline all along, seminarians and priests should be encouraged to learn and use it.

This would help the Church in Asia not only to grasp better the content of the depositum fidei (deposit of faith) and its development, but also discover a theological language of its own, capable of presenting the faith to the peoples of Asia convincingly [cfr. Ecclesia in Asia 20]. Learning Latin is in no way a going backward but, on the contrary, going forward. Only thus could a truly profound process of inculturation take place. Any so-called theology not rooted in the fonts of Sacred Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church, prayed on one’s knees and illumined by the light of a holy life is but empty noise-making and would lead only to disorder and confusion.

The same is true of Liturgy. Latin is the ordinary liturgical language of the Church. In the origin and development of the Roman rite, it had a major role to play. Thus, a sufficient knowledge of this language would facilitate a better understanding and appreciation of the beauty of what is celebrated. As the Holy Father stated, "the beauty of the liturgy is part of this mystery; it is a sublime expression of God’s glory and, in a certain sense, a glimpse of heaven on earth" [Sacr. Carit. 35].

Celebrating in Latin thus would help build a sense of awe and respect as well as a profound spiritual link with what the Lord himself inspired the Church to assume as its form of worship. This openness to Latin would also help the students appreciate better the role of Gregorian chant in the Church. The Holy Father wishes that it "be suitably esteemed and employed" as it is the "chant proper to the Roman liturgy" [Sacr. Carit. 42]. Learning the simplicity and beauty of this great body of chant would also help musically talented priests and seminarians in Asia to be inspired by it and be able to compose dignified and prayerful chant forms that can harmonize better with the local culture. It would be presumptuous to assume that using Gregorian chant would harm inculturation of the liturgy. It could actually be beneficial.


Is there anything else you wish to tell Churches in Asia about the exhortation and how they should implement it?

A careful look at Sacramentum Caritatis convinces me more and more that it is not only a treasure trove of information, inspiration and a truly pastoral yet deeply theological reflection on the Eucharist but, more so, a document that seeks to bring to completion that which was truly desired by the Second Vatican Council and its document on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. The post-conciliar reform of the Liturgy, though laudable in some aspects, had not been all that faithful to the spirit of the Council.

As Cardinal Ferdinando Antonelli, a member of the Commission that worked on the reform then, attested: "I am not happy about the spirit. There is a spirit of criticism and impatience towards the Holy See which would not augur well. And then, everything is a study on the rationality of the liturgy and no concern for true piety. I am afraid that one day one would say of all this reform what was said about the reform of the hymns at the time of Urban VIII: accepit liturgia recessit pietas (as liturgy progresses, piety goes backward); and here accepit liturgia recessit devotio (as liturgy progresses, devotion goes backward). I hope I am wrong" [from the diaries of Cardinal Antonelli, April 30, 1965].

We have seen a lot of banalisation and obscuring of the mystical and sacred aspects of the Liturgy in many areas of the Church in the name of a so-called "Konzilsgeist" (Council spirit).

In the last 20 years or so, the Church has sought to set the course of liturgical reform straight and in line with the indications of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Documents such as Liturgiam Authenticam, Varietates legitimae, Redemptionis Sacramentum and Ecclesia de Eucharistia are part of that attempt, and Sacramentum Caritatis, which is a collegial document in that it collects the propositions of the Bishops’ Synod on the Holy Eucharist, is the culminating moment, I would say, of that course of "setting things right." It truly is a correction of course and should be welcomed, appreciated, studied and put into practice.

The cultural heritage of Asia is deeply religious and conscious of the value of the Sacred and Mystical in human life. So the Church in Asia should welcome this document and its orientations, which are directed very much towards a restoration of the profound values of spirituality and faith into Liturgy most wholeheartedly and take necessary steps to implement its indications as zealously and as faithfully as possible.

This is my wish for the Church in Asia, the continent of mysticism.

About inculturation. 

For years when I have written about inculturation I have made some distinctions similar to what H.E. mentioned above about "proper balance" and "faithfulness to the Universal and Catholic Tradition of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, enshrined in the Roman rite itself, and, on the other, the space provided" by official documents. 

How do we know the "proper balance"?   I believe we seek for this balance in the logical priority we must give to what the Church has to give.  In the dynamic process of inculturation which is authentic, there is a constant give and take going on between what Church as to give (imbued with divine revelation) and what the world has to offer.   Each culture in every time also has its own genius.  They intertwine.  However, if the process of inculturation is to be authentic, what the Church has to give to the world must always have priority to what the world has to give to the Church.  When the world receives and is thereby transformed, it then has something to offer back to the Church: music, art, architecture, etc. 

What the Church has to give always must have logical priority in this dynamic interchange, this commercium.  I wonder if the paradigm of the Incarnation is not the best way to seeing this problem.

 

 

"The…....hills are aliiiiiiive…..  "

After "beeka Amerikana brekafasta" I tore off another sheet of my Vatican curial calendar (yes, the Sabine Farm has that too), to find that today is the feast of the Myrophorae. 

Thus, I flipped open my 2004 Martyrologium Romanum (yes… that too) and found…

 

2. Hierosolymae, commemoratio sanctarum mulierum Mariae Cleophae et Salome, quae cum Maria Magdalena bene mane Paschatis ad sepulchrum Domini venerunt, ut corpus eius ungerent, et primae nuntium resurrectionis eius audiverunt. ... At Jerusalem, the commemoration of the holy women Mary of Cleopas and Salome, who with Mary Magdalen came at first dawn of Easter to the tomb of the Lord, in order to annoint His Body, and were the first who heard the annoucement of the resurrection.

They are called the "myrophorae" because they "carried – myrrh" with them.  They are especially important in Eastern liturgy.

 

Other "Myrrhbearers" are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.   

 

 

John Clayton Niestedt, who was Bishop in New Ulm, is the new Coadjutor Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. 

NOMINA DELL’ARCIVESCOVO COADIUTORE DI SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS (U.S.A.)

Il Papa ha nominato Arcivescovo Coadiutore di Saint Paul and Minneapolis (U.S.A.) S.E. Mons. John Clayton Nienstedt, finora Vescovo di New Ulm.

 S.E. Mons. John Clayton Nienstedt

S.E. Mons. John Clayton Nienstedt è nato il 18 marzo 1947 a Detroit (Michigan). Ha frequentato il Sacred Heart Seminary a Detroit per gli studi di filosofia e, per la teologia, la Pontificia Università Gregoriana, quale alunno del Pontificio Collegio Americano del Nord a Roma. Successivamente, si è laureato in Teologia morale presso l’Accademia Alfonsiana.

È stato ordinato sacerdote il 27 luglio 1974 per l’arcidiocesi di Detroit.

Dal 1974 al 1976 è stato vice-parroco nella Guardian Angels Parish a Clawson. Dal 1976 al 1977 è stato studente a Roma e, dal 1977 al 1980, Segretario del Cardinale Arcivescovo di Detroit. Dal 1980 al 1986 è stato Officiale presso la Segreteria di Stato. Nel 1986 è stato nominato vice-parroco nella Saint Regis Parish a Birmingham e contemporaneamente insegnante presso il Seminario SS. Cyril and Methodius a Orchard Lake. Dal 1986 al 1987 è stato Parroco della Saint Patrick’s Parish a Union Lake. Dal 1987 al 1988 è stato chiamato a riorganizzare il Seminario Sacred Heart a Detroit e, dal 1988 al 1994, ne è stato Rettore. Nel 1994 è stato nominato Parroco del Shrine of the Little Flower a Royal Oak.

Nominato Vescovo titolare di Alton ed Ausiliare dell’Arcivescovo di Detroit il 12 giugno 1996, ha ricevuto la consacrazione episcopale il 9 luglio successivo.

È stato trasferito alla diocesi di New Ulm il 12 giugno 2001.

In seno alla Conferenza Episcopale, ha ricoperto diversi incarichi: Membro del Comitato Amministrativo; Presidente della Commissione per la formazione permanente dei sacerdoti; membro dell’Ad hoc Committee on Catholic Health Care Issues; membro del Committee on Science and Human Values; membro dell’Ad hoc Committee Special Assembly 2007.

 

... The Sabine Farm!

I just flew in from Rome and… boy, are my arms tired!

Tomorrow, chores include an oil change for the car, sorting several months of mail, and a haircut before driving to St. Paul for the funeral of Msgr. Schuler.