What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

At the Sabine Farm some things are going on.

First, I got bags of lemons and avocados on sale.  They make an interesting still.



It is very much winter here.









Off to the mail box in the evening.



In the mail some interesting things arrived today.

First, my new copy of the Ordo for the Vatican Basilica.  Sometimes useful.



Then, Mr. UPS came with a box full of some Say the Black Do the Red items I will give as Christmas presents.

I got some coffee mugs, little buttons, and a T-shirt for myself to see the quality and use it for workouts.

Here is how they are packaged.



And unfurled.

I had an interesting, but depressing message from a seminarian at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.

I have edited this and added my emphases and comments.

On the 23 October the bishops and vocations directors of dioceses represented at Mt. Angel Seminary met in an annual meeting to discuss the state of the seminary.

On the 10 November the Interim-President Rector, Fr. Paschal Cheline, O.S.B., gave the seminarians a summary of the bishops meeting.

Of topic was the recent Motu Proprio of Benedict XVI Summorum Pontificum.

We were informed that the bishops agreed that Mt. Angel need not worry or focus on training seminarians for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. The bishops agreed that they would take care of this in his own diocese as need be. [In other words, when someone stands up at an ordination to attest that the seminarian was properly trained in the Latin Rite, etc., he will keep his fingers crossed behind his back?]  We were told that the bishops would have parishes for the TLM if need be so that not all priests need bother about training. Then we were informed that the seminary would offer ONE TLM Mass in the spring semester since there was interest.

I don’t think the norms of the Motu Proprio is being brought to fruition.
 
Also, we had a FSSP priest celebrate a Missa Cantata for the Immaculate Conception at St. Louis Catholic Church in St. Louis, Oregon which is near the seminary with gracious permission given by the pastor Fr. John Cihak. The seminary and the local community were invited. About 30 seminarians attended as well as an overwhelming number of laity. The church was over crowded and people were standing.
 
There appears to be a need in the local community not being met.

The seminarians seem not to have rights as a community even though there is an established group, which prays Compline in the Extraordinary Form every Sunday.
 
This is what is happening at Mt. Angel Seminary in Oregon.

Over at Meeting Christ In The Liturgy there are some new images of the Solemn TLM celebrated at Mount St. Mary Seminary on 8 December.

Here is a sample:



Solemn TLM’s in American seminaries…. who’d have thought it possible…

Do you remember the discussion we had when a reader inquired about a Christmas gift for a priest?  This generated some discussion in the combox and some very good suggestions.

I was just alerted to this the the Catholic Examiner.

My emphases and comments:

Christmas gifts for priests

December 10, 8:46 AM
by Eric Wilson, DC Catholic Examiner

At the church in Tennessee where I converted to Catholicism, our pastor Father Mark seemed to be engaged in a revolving door exchange of casserole dishes: he would return a clean, empty one and, in return, he’d get one full of something else.  This was my first introduction to the idea that we are responsible for taking care of our priests.

Indeed, we take care of them by contributing to our parishes and other projects of the Church, like missionary societies throughout the year, but it is a common desire to give our priests a gift during Christmastime.  After all, we tip the mailman or do an office collection for the maintenance staff’s bonus, shouldn’t we give special recognition to our priests?

Of course, if you ask him, any good priest will say he doesn’t expect anything or would just like to see you play a more active role in the parish—in fact, if your pastor is a member of a religious order that takes a vow of poverty, he won’t ever let on that he needs something.  Still, it’s always a welcome gesture to show someone you care about them, since searching for gifts for priests on the web yields little help, here are some suggestions about what to get the priest in your life for Christmas.

First and foremost, I would refer you to my earlier list of Catholic-made gifts here; Especially appropriate are gifts of food which are appreciated by everyone, and priests are people too.  Buying your gifts from monks and nuns who depend on the income from sales is like a double gift. [This was the point of a discussion here as well.] Not only are you doing something nice for a priest, you’re assisting in the good works of a religious order.  You can also go homemade and bake cookies, cakes, or pies for your priest, who may be spending Christmas away from his own family.

Priests have interests and hobbies just like us, [as a matter of fact, it is almost as if they were real people!] so take this into account when getting your priest a gift.  For example, I know that my pastor likes documentaries and movies, so I would probably be safe getting him a DVD of a newly released movie he might like.  A key here is that you need not be limited to religious gifts, but you should always be tasteful and remember the vows your priest has made.    Getting a thoughtful, appropriate gift for him will also require you to learn about your priest—a benefit for you that will last as long as you know him.

Books are always a great gift for anyone, especially priests, many of whom had an earlier career and have enjoyed years of learning.  Maybe father is a music listener so you get him a recording of the National Shrine’s choir, [The article originated in Washington DC] or if he’s of the iPod generation, gift him some iTunes music.

Don’t be afraid to give your priest a gift card.  It’s not as forward as simply giving cash and it still preserves the gesture of a gift.  Fr. Z, a blogging priest, echoes this sentiment, calling this the "age of the gift card."  Also, I know all priests would be honored to have a charitable donation made in their honor either to a particular project of your church or to an organization he supports.

Lastly, while gifts are great at Christmas, we must remember to pray for and stand up for our priests throughout the year.  The relationship between priest and people is symbiotic and in order to draw from the hearts of this holy men, we must also fill them up.

As always, if there’s a gift I left out, leave me a note in the comments.

This issue of taking care of priests is today a sore spot for me, and I am very glad the writer led with this.

I just read a story in the Italian press about a tragic death of a priest in Rome.  An African priest, 30 years old from Zimbabwe, died alone in his room and he was not found until three days later.  No one had bothered to check or find out why he hadn’t been to meals or where he was. 

Dead alone in a house full of priests.

This does not surprise me in the least.

Once in Rome I was stuck in my room for days, feverish and completely unable, too weak, to get out of bed, probably with pneumonia.  I was terribly ill.  There was no phone in the room and that was before cellphones were omnipresent.  Not a single person checked on me, even though I lived in a clerical house.  Not.  A.  Soul.

There are a lot of priests who bear a profound sense of isolation.  Of course many are extremely active and social and sought after by their own families and others, but many have little or no family.  They effectively have no one.  Even other priests.

So I say this not just for Christmastime, but for the whole year:

Don’t forget your priests. 

Even small gestures toward them can make a difference.

In the meantime… for discussion of gifts for priests for Christmas, I refer you all back to the earlier entry.

From a faithful reader HE:

Given your late interest in the KC Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles—you might be interested to know that they made the purple chasuble Fr. Orr is wearing in these pictures.

This is principally how they make their living. Their vestments are not the cheapest, but show the best workmanship available in the U.S. (so far as I know). Nor are they fast, but this is good, because with each stitch the nun working on your order sends up a prayer for the priest who will wear it in the service of the sacred liturgy.

HE

I was alerted to this sad news.

For Immediate Release, November 12, 2008
Contact: Betsey Guest, 914-941-7636×2219

Statement regarding Father Roy Bourgeois

The Maryknoll Society did receive a confidential communiqué from the Congregation for the
Doctrine of Faith, and forwarded the contents of that communiqué to Father Bourgeois. The
Society continues to respect the confidentiality of the communications between the Congregation
of the Doctrine of the Faith and Father Bourgeois.

The Society will abide by the decision of the Congregation. At the same time, we have an
obligation to ensure the canonical rights of our members, and we will fulfill that obligation.

Fr. Bourgeois has been excommunicated

A reader sent me this:

Dear Ms. ,

As stated in an earlier communiqué from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome, Father Bourgeois was given 30 days to recant his actions regarding the ordination of women as priests, or endure the penalty of excommunication.  Since he has said he cannot recant those actions, he has been excommunicated by the CDF.

Betsey Guest

UPDATE 19:31 GMT:

I was sent this:

I just talked with Betsey Guest. She indicated that the expectation is that Father Roy has been excommunicated as of the 30-day deadline. But they are awaiting official word from Rome. It may be awhile because the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Levada, is recovering from back surgery in San Francisco.

From the National Catholic Register:

 Maryknoll: ‘Excommunicated’

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 2:09 PM

Tom Hoopes here. I just got off the phone with Betsey Guest, spokeswoman for the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in New York, to ask about the reported excommunication of one of their priests for participating in an attempt to ordain women. Here’s the raw interview:

Does Maryknoll consider Father Roy Bourgeois to be excommunicated?

“We believe that he has been excommunicated. This was done by the CDF, not by us.”  [Well of course not by them! For pity’s sake.  They can’t excommunicate anyone.]

As of today, Dec. 10?
“Yes.”

Have you heard from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about it?
“There has been no direct communication from the CDF regarding that.”

Then why do you consider him excommunicated?
“Because he was given 30 days to recant his actions, and he had responded saying that he could not recant those actions, he has been excommunicated at the end of that” period of time.

Is there usually a communication like these?
She said she had no idea, but reiterated that Maryknoll leaders “have not received any formal notification to that effect and are in fact awaiting a response from the CDF to Father Bourgeois’s letter sent Nov. 13”

Is he still a Maryknoll?
“He’s still a member, but possibly open to possible further penalty. We don’t know whether that will take place or not. We have not had official word.”

So, any further penalty would be in the hands of the CDF and not the Maryknolls?
“We are awaiting their response.”

He can be excommunicated and still be a Maryknoll?
“He is still a Catholic.” Many people misunderstand what excommunication means, she said. “He is just prohibited from receiving or administering the sacraments.

Does the order regret the stance Father Bourgeois took on women’s ordination?
“We’re very saddened. The fathers and brothers are very saddened by the course of the events that have taken. He’s been a member of the family for 63 years. They give him their love and pastoral response.”

Yes, but does the order regret his stance on women’s ordination.
“We are saddened by the whole circumstance.”  [So are we all… but "circumstance"?]

Does Maryknoll have a stance on women’s ordination?
“Maryknoll has no official stance by the order”  [?]

Either for or against?
“We have no official stance. The order follows the rules and regulations of the Catholic Church.”  [And the teaching?]

How is Father Bourgeois taking the news?
“He does not live here at headquarters. His work is quite separate.”

Have you spoken to him personally?
“I have not.”

Where is he now?
“He lives outside Fort Benning, Ga. The School of the Americas Watch is his ministry. Peace and Justice work is his ministry. He speaks around the country on many issues of peace.” 

How will this affect that work?
“It remains to be seen. This is all so new.”  [Well… brewing for a long time, I think.]

— Tom Hoopes

Another shot… thanks to His Hermeneuticalness!

Cardinal Cañizares Llovera

Notice the fellow all tricked out in the front, with his little shoes, carrying the Cardinal’s hat.

Ah the good old days!

Right?

Recent PODCAzTs…

076 08-12-07 An Advent hymn dissected "Verbum supernum prodiens", with digressions
075 08-12-04 An Advent hymn dissected "Conditor alme siderum"; Fr. Z digresses far afield
074 08-11-26 A hymn to Christ the King dissected – before and after Vatican II; a proclamation; "Sieze the Day" in Scots
073 08-11-16 Augustine on Ps. 95(96) and Fr. Z on how to avoid going to Hell

I might be behind the curve on this, but I was recently directed to this:

A notable event for parishes and communities who want to celebrate the modern Liturgy of the Hours in Latin : the complete edition of all the Gregorian melodies for the texts of the day hours of the Liturgia Horarum.

An immense and complex undertaking, with a practical design

Until now, there has been nothing like this anywhere : it is officially a veritable Latin-French [What a boon it would be to have this in Latin-English] antiphonary, containing everything you need for the Office of the day in three volumes (two temporal, one sanctoral). It will offer a convenient way to sing the Office in the Ordinary Form in Latin.

Les Heures Grégoriennes are a collaborate effort between the Community of Saint Martin, (conception, research, editing), the paleography workshop of the abbey of St. Pierre de Solesmes (the critical edition of the Antiphonale Romanum), and the abbey of St. Joseph de Clairval–Flavigny (the long hours of tedious layout design).

1. Latin Psalter of the Liturgia Horarum (2000 edition)
2. Gregorian notations edited by Saint Pierre de Solesmes Abbey
3. Liturgia Horarum compliant antiphons
4. Polychromatic liturgical edition
5. French translation for liturgical use

A very attractive pricing

The four volumes of the roman Liturgia Horarum currently cost 61€ each (US$98) in the economy (vinyl) edition. In addition, one must purchase various chant books for the melodies.
The total price for a set of these three volumes will be 195€ (US$310). There is a reduced rate of 165€ (US$262) if you subscribe before 31 May 2008.

Rediscovering the musical heritage of the Roman Rite…

This book is simply the implementation of the requests of the Holy Father and the directives of Vatican II. The Council, in the liturgy constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, ‘canonized’ a musical repertoire as the proper chant of the Roman Rite for the first time in its history. The Council went on to order the books of Gregorian Chant be revised and new editions prepared. This is exactly what the Community of Saint Martin has done in the midst of our Holy Father Benedict XVI’s encouragement of the blossoming of a ‘new liturgical movement.’ We should mention that those responsible for this project have requested approval (editio “iuxta typicam”) from the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, and the Prefect of the Congregation, Francis Cardinal Arinze, has given his very enthusiastic endorsement with a wish that everyone will make good use of this work.

About the Community of Saint Martin…

Launching a new edition of the Gregorian melodies for the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is a bet for the Community of Saint Martin. By way of background, this community of priests, founded by Monseigneur Guérin in 1976, has had a profound intuition : to live in community as diocesan priests and deacons at the guidance of bishops, while serving in pastoral ministry. And in this community life, most often in a parish, the liturgy has a central place whether in Latin or in French, but always in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Purchases – Patrons

The three volumes of Les Heures Grégoriennes will be published in November 2008 and will be shipped upon publication. There are three ways to acquire your copy.

 Regular purchase : After 31 May 2008, the normal price for the three volumes will be a very competitive 195 € (US$310).

 Patron purchase : For those who are able to make an additional gift of support for the Community of Saint Martin in this endeavour, we would appreciate patron purchase of 220 € (US$350) for the three volumes.

Postage will be 20 € (US$30) outside of France.

On this link, you can now subscribe and pay online, using PayPal.

From a  reader:

I am going to attend my first TLM this Friday at St. Bernadette’s in Silver Spring, MD (7:30pm by the way if anyone is interested). I have researched until I am almost numb and have found conflicting ideas. What am I supposed to wear? Do I need to go out and find a chaple veil? This was not exactly covered in RCIA or other instruction I have recieved over the years.

I am shocked!  Shocked! that RCIA did not cover what to wear to the TLM!   o{];¬)

Yes… this is something not covered in Summorum Pontificum.

Don’t fret about this.  My suggestion is to to wear your "Sunday best", as people used to say.   I think you will find that people are not over-dressed, either.  Many/most men will have a jacket and probably a tie and many of the women will be in modest dresses and have chapel veils.   You are not obliged to wear a head covering, but it is a wonderful custom which I bet you would get used to quickly and really like once you did.  

It is good of you to be concerned about this.  The way you dress shows respect also to the other people present.

But, again, don’t fret about this.