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Here is a nice story from the website of the Diocese of Venice. 

My emphases and comments.

Tridentine Mass Enriches Catholic Culture at St. Martha Church in Sarasota

Although Pope Benedict XVI just authorized a wider use of the old Latin Mass in the Catholic Church this weekend, tradition-minded parishioners of St. Martha Church in Sarasota have been celebrating Mass in Latin for well over a decade.

Coincidently this weekend, the Diocese of Venice also welcomed a new priest, Father James Fryar, who is trained in the celebration of Mass in Latin. Father Fryar will be in residence at St. Martha Parish.

“That’s just something that happened to coincide,” says Bishop Frank J. Dewane. “We didn’t know when the Holy Father was going to be releasing the ‘motu proprio.’ It had been rumored for some time that it was going to happen.”

Because of growing interest in the Latin Mass, Bishop Dewane approached the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an order established by Pope John Paul II in 1998 to promote ecclesial unity and traditional Roman rites, and asked for a priest who would celebrate the Latin Mass and minister to the growing number of families in the diocese who prefer the old rites.

In the Tridentine Mass a priest faces away from the congregation and whispers prayers in Latin, a language unfamiliar to most Catholics. [A couple of the usual chestnuts.] The current vernacular Mass was approved as the standard in 1970 [Well… not really.] after the Second Vatican Council, and many Catholics were unhappy with the modernization of an ancient ceremony.

“You hear “Latin Mass” and everybody goes…old style, old ways,” observes Bishop Frank J. Dewane, “but it’s tradition, and tradition is not always bad. Tradition can be a very positive thing.” Bishop Dewane points out the artistry of Gregorian chant which is currently part of the Tridentine Mass at St. Martha every Sunday. “Some of the tones that the priests sing in various parts of the Mass are certainly beautiful, very melodic,” he says. “It was a whole art…a very expressive part of the Church’s tradition in music was in Latin and in chant.”  [Well said!]

“I’m delighted as we all are,” says Stan Valerga Chairman of Ecclesia Dei Society www.ecclesiadei-sarasota.org. “I think the Pope brought it to a level even we didn’t expect and it’s a positive,” [This is a very positive statement!] he adds. The Ecclesia Dei Society organized informally in Sarasota in 1994 to bring back the old Latin Mass in the Diocese of Venice. With approval from then-Bishop John J. Nevins, the first Tridentine Mass was celebrated at St. Martha on January 22, 1995.

Parishioners from across the diocese attend the Tridentine Mass in Sarasota. Valerga estimates between 25 to 30% are younger families who have discovered the Latin Mass.

“The interesting thing is, many of them are young people who did not grow up with the Latin Mass, and some would say they harken back to what they don’t know,” says Bishop Dewane. “I think very much it is a movement of the spirit and we have to be open to that…alert to that within the church, where you have young men and women raising their families, and they want their children to experience this Latin Mass and bring them up in the tradition of the Church.”

Currently St. Martha Church in Sarasota is the only parish in the diocese that celebrates Tridentine Mass, but Bishop Dewane says a second Latin Mass will be scheduled at another parish in the southern part of the Diocese of Venice.

St. Martha Catholic Church is located at the corner of Fruitville Road and Orange Avenue in downtown Sarasota. Mass is celebrated in Latin every Sunday at 1:30 pm, every first Friday of the month at 12:45 pm and every first Saturday of the month at 9:15 am. For more information on the Tridentine Mass contact St. Martha Catholic Church at (941)366-4210, or e-mail psec@mycomcast.com.

For more information on the Diocese of Venice contact Communications Director Adela Gonzales White at 941-486-4702, or e-mail agwhite@dioceseofvenice.org.

Here is a bishop who says that the Motu Proprio was better than he had hoped it would be!

Excellent, Excellency!

His Excellency Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu will be giving a catechetical series in the diocesan newspaper, the Hawaii Catholic Herald.  Let’s take a look, shall we?

Remember, just because this began after the release of Summorum Pontificum that does not mean that it was started because of the Motu Proprio.  That would be the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.  Right?

My emphases and comments.

Bishop Larry Silva’s

CATECHESIS ON THE LITURGY

Dear People of the Diocese of Honolulu:

The peace of the risen Christ be with you! Over the next year or two, [WOW.  Long time for the series!] our diocese will be embarking on a period of catechesis and renewal regarding the liturgy, particularly the celebration of the Eucharist. On May 31-June 1, the priests and deacons were invited to a workshop on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM).  [And… ?] This is the document issued by the Vatican that governs our celebration of the Mass in all the Catholic churches of the Roman Rite. (There are Eastern Rite Catholics, fully in communion with the Pope, who celebrate the liturgy with a different rite.) The third edition of the GIRM was published in 2002.

It is my responsibility as the Pastor and Chief Liturgist of the diocese [This has been a common point of reference for bishops when writing about the Motu Proprio.] to assure that the liturgy is celebrated according to the proper form and with lively faith. As I visit the parishes, I am impressed that the vast majority celebrate the liturgy quite well. For most, this study and implementation of the liturgy will mean some fine-tuning and a few minor changes in the way liturgy is celebrated. For a few parishes, however, more extensive changes will be required. For all of us, the most important fruits of this catechesis should be our deeper understanding of the beauty of the liturgy and a renewal of the spirit in which we worship our Lord, especially in the Eucharist.

Each month we will take one aspect of the liturgy and ask everyone to study it and reflect upon it. There will be articles in the Hawaii Catholic Herald and postings on our diocesan website (www.catholichawaii.org). Two months before the topic is covered in the Herald, the priests and deacons will be referred to sections of the GIRM that will be the focus of the catechesis, and they will receive materials that can be copied as bulletin inserts or used in parish presentations. The two-month lead time will not only give them time to prepare for catechesis on the local level, but will also afford them the opportunity to discuss the issues in greater depth with their staffs, liturgy committees, and liturgical ministers. At the same time, any changes that need to be made to fully implement the GIRM can be suitably planned and executed.

Topics will include the following: General Norms; Liturgical Ministers and the Gathered Assembly; Sites and Symbols; Participation, gestures and postures; Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; Communion Rite; Concluding Rites; Review and overview of the Mass; Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; Order of Christian Funerals; Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum; Rite of Penance, Form I; Rite of Penance, Form II; [NB: No Form III.] The Book of Blessings; Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside the Mass.

I should mention that the bishops of the English-speaking world are currently working on an updated English translation of the prayers and responses of the Mass. None of these is ready for implementation, but by the time we finish this planned catechesis, the translation should be ready. By then we will be accustomed to learning about the liturgy, so instructions on the new translations should flow nicely from our present endeavors.  [Good thinking.]

I encourage all in the diocese to study the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. It is available through Pauline Books & Media (1143 Bishop Street, Honolulu, HI 96813; Oahu phone 521-2731; Neighbor Islands, toll free phone 1-866-521-2731; webpage www.pauline.org); or through the Publishing Office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org).

As we embark on this catechesis and renewal, I do want to emphasize some very important points.

The liturgy is a living encounter in which we worship the Father, through his Son Jesus, our risen Lord, in the Holy Spirit. It is the source and summit of our entire Christian life. It should therefore be celebrated well and according to the rites given to us by the universal community of the Church to which we belong. The rubrics, gestures, postures and words are extremely important. But what is most important is the attitude with which we approach the liturgy. We are God’s creatures, not creators. The structure is given to us to help us encounter the deeper spiritual reality of God-with-us. We can “perform” the liturgy flawlessly, following all the directives beautifully, and still have a very dead liturgy, if we do not remember that the liturgy is primarily prayer. While it has elements of drama that engage us and our deepest emotions, it is never simply a performance. We must put our hearts and souls into the celebration of the liturgy. Most of all, we must open our hearts to the incredible power of the Holy Spirit that works on us and in us in the liturgy.  [This paragraph is a promising hint that he gets the real meaning of "active participation".]

Anyone who has worked on planning the liturgy knows that it is never as simple as it seems. It involves human beings with human limitations, so it is seldom, if ever, celebrated perfectly. While it is important that we better understand the reasons behind what we do, it is more important that we avoid the temptation to become “liturgical police,” criticizing anyone and anything that does not conform to the rules. Sometimes the temptation is only played out in the silence of our hearts as we privately criticize the unfolding of the liturgy rather than enter into the worship with praise and thanksgiving. It is true that we are in the process of critiquing our liturgies for the sake of improving them, but Satan can easily lead us to turn legitimate critique into resentment toward our brothers and sisters, thus undermining the real purpose of liturgy.  [WOW!   A bishop who talks about the Enemy!  Great!]

I also urge that we be very careful when we find ourselves saying, “We have always done it this way. We like it.” or “That is not supposed to be done.” On the one hand, we sometimes fall into bad habits. The fact that they are habits is not an excuse for holding on to them if they are not correct. On the other hand, I myself have occasionally said, “That is not supposed to be done,” and after double checking, I found that what I judged incorrect was actually quite permissible. We need to approach the liturgy with great humility, because it is in fact our way of approaching intimacy with the Lord himself, before whom we can only be humble.

Let us all pray that this renewal of our liturgy will help us all to be more on fire with the love of Christ, so that we can truly be his Body in the world, to bring his light, healing and love to all.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

            Most Rev. Larry Silva
            Bishop of Honolulu

 

Okay!  This is pretty promising!   I like this idea of diocesan wide review and study of the liturgy.  For years I have called for liturgical catechesis.

Alas, what follows the Bishop’s letter is a rather squishy piece from "Give Thanks and Praise" written in 1987 and published by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions.   There is not a single use of the word "sacrifice" in this squishy mess, while "meal" is common.  I had a bit of a problem with this, for example,

Today, however, we speak of the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist as being the two key sections of the celebration. One might assume that these are two completely distinct and separate parts of the Mass.

Not so! [?] Very early in the Christian experience the celebration of word and meal were seen as inseparable as wife and husband. One goes with the other. Both are liturgy. Each is of equal importance. [?] Listening to God speak to us through the scripture readings is just as important as sharing at the table of the Lord.  [?] The conversation before the meal is as essential as the meal itself. [?] Speech and meal. Word and Eucharist. One liturgy. One prayer of the church,  [sic… yes it ends with a comma!]

In any event, I applaud Bishop Silva for this initiative!

Can you chime in here right away with news about celebrations of the older form of Mass scheduled for 14 September?

Thanks!

I understand that the Bishop of Dallas has issued a statement on the Motu Proprio.  So far all I have been able to see is an edited version. 

Does anyone out there have the unedited version?

Kindly email me.

Il Giornale has an interseting article.  Apparently in Milan, Italy, the Ambrosian Rite trumps use of the older form of the Roman Rite.

My emphases and comments.

The Motu Proprio on the Traditional Mass? In Milan they say no

On 14 September the Motu Proprio of Pope Benedict XVI that derestricts the old preconciliar Missal will come into force, but in Milan, and in all areas where the Ambrosian Rite is used, it will not be applied. Monsignor Luigi Manganini, Archpriest of the Cathedral and Vicepresident of the Congregation for the Ambrosian Rite communicated this in the last few days to the Deans of the diocese.   This decision is in itself unimpeachable, given that the papal document only talks of the "Roman Rite". Certainly, however, in the same Motu Proprio we can find an suggestion of openness and the Pontiff extending his hand to traditionalists, which could have justified a wider interpretation even in the Ambrosian region.

"In those territories of the Diocese of Milan which follow the Roman Rite" [for example in Monza], Msgr. Manganini clarified for Il Giornale, "the Motu Proprio will be applied, even if we have never had any complaints or special requests of traditionalists. However, concerning parishes of the Ambrosian Rite, which is an autonomous with its own head in the person of the Archbishop of Milan, since in these years we have not encountered any particular requests, we do not deem it necessary that they come under the provisions of the Motu Proprio. [So… this fellow gets to decide where a PAPAL document for the Universal Church will be applied.  I see.] In Milan, since 1988, there is a church at the Gentilino where every Sunday the old liturgy is celebrated. That will continue." "In the Pope’s document", Manganini concludes, "there is mention of the necessity that there be a stable group which truly follows the spirituality [No, that is not what the Motu Proprio says.] that is connected with the old rite. The faithful at the Gentilino really do not appear to me to be any such group."  [Again, this guy doesn’t get to decide these things.  Pastors of parishes can, but not him.]

Nicola De Grandi, one of the most faithful attendees of the Sunday Mass at the Gentilino, does not agree: "Monsignor Manganini does not plan to implement the conditions established by the Motu Proprio because, he claims, there is so far no stable group. So he wants to make sure that no stable group forms so as to avoid applying the conditions of the Motu Proprio"   [That’s what it looks like to me, too.]  

Degrandi also notes that the "stable group" of faithful that is required in the Motu Proprio "concerns the regular Masses scheduled in the Parishes".

"However, the Papal text shows clearly that the priests are also free to celebrate outside these schedules even if faithful are present without asking for any permission"

As some will remember, a month ago it was Carlo Maria Card. Martini, Archbishop Emeritus of Milan, who distanced himself in a way from the papal decision in the pages of Sole 24 Ore, making it clear that he would not celebrate in the old style and that "the bishop cannot multiply celebrations".

When St. Pope Pius V issued the editio princeps of the Missale Romanum he said in his document of promulgation Quo primum that even in those regions where an old local rite could be retained (such as remains the case even today in Milan), no priest could be denied the use of the Missale Romanum if he wished to use it. 

Thus, this fellow’s view strikes me as being far more rigid, harsher, than St. Pius V ever was. 

I wonder if today it is the case that priests of Milan can chose if they wish to use the Missale Romanum or if they are constrained to use only the Missale Ambrosianum.  I bet they are free to use the Roman Rite if they want.  If that is the case, since there are two uses of one Roman Right, and priests of the Latin Church (which includes Milan) can use either use, therefore, priests in the Ambrosian region ought to be able to choose to make use of either the older or newer Roman Missal.

The Roanoke Times has an article about the Motu Proprio and older form of Mass.

Do you remember The Party Line?  "There is no interest here.  Priests can’t do this.  We’ve already done enough for these people.  I’m in charge!"

My emphases and comments.

Area priests see little demand for Latin Mass
Church leaders likely would need special training to perform the old-style ceremony.

By Pamela J. Podger

Several [Doesn’t sound like very many.] Roman Catholic priests in Southwest Virginia are thankful demand for the old-style Latin Mass hasn’t [!] emerged here because they are already stretched thin trying to serve rural parishes.

This summer Pope Benedict XVI allowed freer use of the traditional Latin liturgy. Some regard his July 7 apostolic letter as a way of healing a rift with Catholic traditionalists.  [Sigh… do we have to go through this again?   This was not the only group of people the Motu Proprio concerns!]

Although Latin is woven occasionally into regular services, [It’s NOT about the language, Pamela.] the pope’s action means that priests no longer need special permission from bishops to perform the old-style Latin Mass. The 16th century Tridentine Mass had been commonly celebrated [There’s an understatement for you.] for 1,500 years but was modernized during the Second Vatican Council in 1962.

In Virginia, just two churches in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond ["]practice["!] the Tridentine Mass; St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Richmond and St. Benedict Chapel in Chesapeake. The Richmond diocese encompasses an area that includes all of Southwestern and southern Virginia.  [So… two places in that whole region.  Not very many.]

In the Arlington diocese that covers Northern Virginia, the Tridentine Mass is celebrated in two parishes, [Again, not very many.] St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church in Alexandria and St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Front Royal. At this time, the diocese is aware of at least two other parishes considering it, according to diocesan spokesman Soren Johnson.

In Southwest Virginia, refresher training would be needed before local priests would be able to do the old-style Latin rite with ease. Monsignor Thomas Miller at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Roanoke recalls the Tridentine rite when he was a youth altar server at a Winchester church.

"I’ve been a priest 36 years, and I’ve never celebrated a Latin Mass and haven’t had any language training for over 40 years," Miller said. "We already do four weekend services. The thought of adding an additional service and having to learn an entirely different way of conducting it is not an attractive process."  [A valid issue for a busy priest.]

Catherine Combier-Donovan, director of the diocese’s office of worship, said demand for the Latin liturgy was less than expected. [!]

"We thought we would get a lot of calls, but it has not been very much," she said.  [!]

Where it would be offered depends on the interest from parishioners.

"It is not done just for the sake of nostalgia, but to respond to the spiritual needs of the community," she said.

The diocese isn’t offering training [Perhaps it should?] in the Tridentine rite, so priests who want specific training would have to contact seminaries and universities.

"The difficulty is very few priests would know how to celebrate it or have the proficiency in Latin that is necessary," she said. "Some might have further interest in pursuing further education."  [They make this sound like learning Quantum Mechanics.]

The shortage of priests means they travel to several churches to perform Masses.  [Well… "practice" is needed before a performance, I guess.] The number of Catholics is growing more rapidly than the vocations to the priesthood.

There are 118 active priests for 152 parishes in the Richmond diocese. [That, friends, is a problem.] And Southwest Virginia has fewer priests to serve more parishes than elsewhere in the diocese.

In July, priests received assignments that added new parishes to their duties. For example, the Rev. Rene Castillo now has three churches that he serves, including St. Gerard’s Catholic Church in Roanoke, St. John the Evangelist in New Castle and Church of the Transfiguration in Fincastle.

The Rev. Joseph Lehman and one other priest from Our Lady of Nazareth in Roanoke take turns doing services at Resurrection Catholic Church in Moneta, celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments. They also serve Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Rocky Mount.

Lehman said there may not be a need for every parish to offer this rite. He envisions a regional site where people could travel for the Tridentine Mass.  [One?]

Recalling that his Latin study was 38 years ago in high school, Lehman said he would need more training. Still, there hasn’t been much call for the traditional Latin Mass in his parishes.

"I probably would not be able to pray in Latin," he joked. "I have a hard enough time praying publicly in English."  [!]

Chris Barrett, pastoral coordinator at Resurrection Church in Moneta, said he grew up with the Latin Mass. As a pastoral coordinator, he is charged by the bishop to provide pastoral care, management and coordination of ministries.

"I grew up with the Latin Mass, and I have fond memories of it," Barrett said. "I treasure in my heart some of the Latin responses, but I have no desire to pray in that fashion any more."

He said the priests typically weave Greek or Latin into special services during the holy season of Lent.

"One of the things people like about the Latin is that it accentuates the mystique," he said. "There is plenty of celebration of the sacred mysteries in any language."

Demands for the old-style Latin Mass would burden priests in this region, he said.

"The priests are overwhelmed with duties and responsibilities," Barrett said. "There is really no good reason to add this to their responsibilities." 

For heaven’s sake!  What a pessimistic article!  

Did the reporter not have any interest in any of the positive things she could have dug up with a few phone calls?

I am reminded of the character in the Little Abner cartoon who always had a little dark cloud hovering over his head everywhere he went.

A reader wrote with a question:

I have been reading your posts of individual Bishops who have responded publicly to the Motu Proprio. Is there anyway of knowing the Bishops/Dioceses that have chosen not to respond publicly to date?

Shall we help this fellow?

Perhaps we should limit this to brief statements rather than discussion. 

Biretta tip to HE o{]:¬) for the following article from The Times about Archbishop Vincent Nichols as the frontrunner for the Archdiocese of Westminster, and therefore a red hat.   

My emphases and comments.

From The Times September 4, 2007
Church traditionalist and papal favourite tipped as new Archbishop of Westminster
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor as Archbishop of Westminster, according to sources in London and Rome.

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, [You remember him.  I wrote about him the other day.] who was the first English bishop to receive a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI after the Cardinal, is said to have impressed the hierarchy in Rome with a sermon he gave in Oxford last week on traditionalism in the Church.  [I am not sure that describes it, but okay.]

The Archbishop is on the Church’s conservative wing and is known to be an enthusiastic supporter of the Pope’s campaign for liturgical renewal. He also made the headlines when he stopped a satirical cartoon series about the Vatican from appearing on the BBC. If successful, he will replace [What an unfortunate way to put it.] Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor this time next year, when the cardinal is expected to stand down.

Archbishop Nichols was among the most enthusiastic English bishops to welcome Pope Benedict’s election. According to the editor of The Catholic Herald, he is the only bishop in England and Wales to have enthusiastically taken up the Pope’s recent Apostolic Letter on celebrating the Tridentine rite, or extraordinary Mass.  [Wow.   Is this really true?]

In his speech to the Latin Mass Society in Oxford, Archbishop Nichols said: “Please remember that what you study here is not a relic, not a reverting to the past, but part of the living tradition of the Church. It is, therefore, to be understood and entered into in the light of that living tradition today.”

The Pope believes that the answer to Church growth lies in liturgical renewal [I am not so sure that "growth" should be the point.  I think it is "identity".] and he wants his senior bishops to embrace his reforms. Those in Rome think that the Archbishop has raised the profile of his Birmingham archdiocese, overtaking Liverpool to become the second-most-important archdioceses in the country. [Again, an unfortunate way of putting it.] Christopher Gillibrand, the conservative Catholic blogger, said: “He’s been playing all his cards right. His chances are good.”

Damian Thompson, editor-in-chief of The Catholic Herald, said: “On the whole, the bishops of England and Wales have failed to respond to the Pope’s deeply inspiring Apostolic Letter, which liberated the ancient liturgy and offered it as a resource for the whole Church. The only bishop who appears to understand the Pope’s programme of liturgical reform and seems prepared to respond to it is the Archbishop of Birmingham.”

The biggest mark against Archbishop Nichols is that he is perceived as ambitious, although his supporters insist that he is ambitious for the Church and for God, not for himself.

Dr Thompson said: “We need someone to close the gap between the real signs of vigorous life in many parishes and the leadership of the Pope. At the moment there is nothing in between.”

Peter Jennings, spokesman for Archbishop Nichols, said of the speculation: “It is the Holy See and not journalists or bookmakers who appoint archbishops. [Exactly.] Archbishop Nichols does not discuss the matter of the appointment of a new Archbishop of Westminster with me, nor would I expect him to do so.”

Archbishop Nichols, 61, impressed Rome [?] with his campaigns to improve the way Catholicism is covered by the media. He forced the BBC to withdraw the cartoon series Popetown and the Government to abandon its plans for a nonfaith quota of pupils for faith schools. In Oxford last week, he chose to use the 1970 “ordinary” rite introduced by Pope Paul VI for the Latin Mass. In Rome this will be interpreted as Archbishop Nichols being true to the Pope’s view that there is really just “one rite” for the Mass, whether in “ordinary” or “extraordinary” form.

A new Archbishop of Westminster on the extreme conservative wing of the Church would be accepted with reluctance by most priests and bishops. [At the end, they couldn’t help but add a stupid shot at the right.] But by using the “ordinary” Mass in Latin at the meeting of the Latin Mass Society, Archbishop Nichols showed himself to be sympathetic to traditionalists while at the same time not being their prisoner. Although regarded as a conservative in the context of the English Church, in Rome he would be seen as more of a church diplomat.  [A meaningless way to end this article.]

 
 

Does anyone really doubt that the way Beijing has been dealing with the Vatican is somehow entangled with the upcoming Olympics?

BEIJING (AP)—Beijing Games organizers say they plan to build a multi-faith worship center in the Olympic Village, a striking move in a country that heavily restricts all religious activity.

"All will be arranged in accordance with the practices … adopted by other Olympic host cities," Liu Bainian, vice president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said in the official China Daily newspaper.

Liu said Chinese Catholics were preparing to welcome visitors to churches in Beijing and the six other host cities with multi-lingual priests.

The Communist Party-controlled association governs China’s Catholic churches, while other state-controlled bodies keep watch over the country’s Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, and Protestants.

Worship in non-state recognized churches and temples is illegal and other religions have no official recognition.

Here is how China Daily puts it.

Church to be built in Olympic village
By Wu Jiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-04 07:19

 

A temporary church will be set up in the Olympic Village during the 2008 Games for Catholic athletes, and all churches in Beijing will be open to Catholic tourists, a senior official has said.

The Beijing diocese is training priests fluent in foreign languages to celebrate Mass during the upcoming Games, said Liu Bainian, vice-president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

"All will be arranged in accordance with the practices adopted by other Olympics host cities," he said.

According to Games organizers, a religious service center will be set up in the Olympic Village with professional religious personnel providing services to meet the needs of athletes from various religious convictions.

Athletes and those who accompany them can enjoy different dishes specially made in accordance with their religious beliefs, the organizers said.

Religious services and information will be available in Beijing as well as the six other co-host cities.

A total of 60 volunteers from the five major religions in China – Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and Catholicism – recently attended a three-day training session organized by the Beijing municipal administration of religious affairs for providing religious services during the Games.

My state in life as a writer:

Why, we yawn if we read for over an hour; we rub our foreheads and vainly try to suppress our languor. And then, after this great feat, we plunge for relief into worldly business once more.  Jerome, ep. 43, 2 (ad Marcellam)