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

Latin is not, as some claim, tooo haaard for parishes.

From a priest reader:

I’ve been thinking about the new translation of the Novus Ordo.  Suddenly, all of the old music will be out, of no use.  I wondered what to do about it, when it struck me that this is the time to teach the parish Gregorian Chant.  We will begin with the Sanctus this Lent and continue slowly making additions until the new translation comes; we’ll be prepared.  They won’t be adjusting to everything all at once; and in some sense will be very well prepared to accept the new translation!
 
I shared this with the chair of the diocesan liturgical commission, and he thought it was a wonderful idea.

Here is a video from gloria.tv about a Mass in Germany for Fasching (the lead up to Lent called "Carnival" – historically a time of excess in various spheres).

I know that Fasching has deep cultural roots… but… in church?

Infra dignitatem.



Folks… charitably resist as you can stupid things scheduled to be done in your parishes churches.

Biretta tip to Prodigal Daughter.    o{]:¬)

I continue to muse about Latin in parish worship.  I just isn’t that hard.  People can and will take to it and Latin can facilitate a deeper kind of active participation.

I had a note from a reader who has to do with the Latin Liturgy Association in the area of Philadelphia, PA.

Weekly Compline at Mater Ecclesiae, Berlin, NJ, Beginning Tuesday, Feb.9, 2010 at 8:05 PM
Sodales:
I am very pleased to bring to your attention the notice below from LLA member John Rotundi  about weekly Compline starting up at Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church at 261 Cross Keys Road in Berlin, NJ.  For directions to the church please go to the website at www.materecclesiae.org. As you know, Mater Ecclesiae is “totally traditional” with all Masses and ceremonies in the traditional Latin form of the Roman Rite.

[...]

We will have an Orientation meeting on Sunday, February 7 following the 11:00 am Mass. This meeting will cover the general purposes and goals of this group as well as address any particular questions you may have about how to pray the Office or questions pertaining to any particular version of the Office vs. another, etc.

Also, on Tuesday, February 9 @ 8:05 pm, we will pray Compline in the Mater Ecclesiae chapel in Latin either in recitation or full chant (if we get a practice in with those interested). This will continue on every Tuesday night afterwards following my Latin classes for HFA. I shall work on compiling a Compline service booklet (a quick copy and paste job) to send out soon; however, the "Divinum Officium" book sold in the bookstore would perfectly suffice if you want something nicer and more permanent to use.

Compline for Tuesday, February 9 will utilize the regular Tuesday antiphon and psalms, Hymn "Te lucis" in the Ordinary Tone, and the Simple Tone of the Marian antiphon "Ave regina caelorum" if you would like to take a look at the text ahead of time.

I am slated to by at Mater Ecclesiae for a time just after this inauguration of Compline.  I will give some reports if I get any.

Perhaps there will be a change for a Philly blognic. 

From Vatican Radio:

Christians Attacked in India


(27 Jan 10 – RV) The Indian State of Karnataka has been the scene of new anti-Christian attacks within the past week leaving two churches damaged.

The Archbishop of Bangalore in Karnataka, Bernard Moras, says the attacks are being carried out by Hindu fundamentalists…

Team Rubicon is a self-financed and self-deployed group of former Marines, soldiers firefighters, Jesuits, health care professionals currently providing emergency relief in Haiti.  They provide their own security and deal with whatever they find.

UPDATE 28 Jan:

St. Ignatius’ Prayer for Generosity

Br. Jim Boynton SJ leads the team every morning and evening in prayer

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.

Take a look also at the report of a new novice who has arrived.

Also, Br. Boynton tends to toss wild rabbits into the tents of the late-sleeping team members.

Listen to an interview by Hugh Hewitt with one of the Team, Will McNulty.  Click  HERE.   Mr. Hewitt also linked to WDTPRS yesterday!

As a follow up to the dynamic discussion HERE, I thought it a good idea to repost my tips for making a good confession so that you can have them in hand, before Lent begins and you can make a plan about your Lenten practices.

Fr. Z’s 20 Tips For Making A Good Confession   o{]:¬)

We should…

  1) ...examine our consciences regularly and thoroughly;
  2) ...wait our turn in line patiently;
  3) ...come at the time confessions are scheduled, not a few minutes before they are to end;
  4) ...speak distinctly but never so loudly that we might be overheard;
  5) ...state our sins clearly and briefly without rambling;
  6) ...confess all mortal sins in number and kind;
  7) ...listen carefully to the advice the priest gives;
  8) ...confess our own sins and not someone else’s;
  9) ...carefully listen to and remember the penance and be sure to understand it;
10) ...use a regular formula for confession so that it is familiar and comfortable;
11) ...never be afraid to say something "embarrassing"... just say it;
12) ...never worry that the priest thinks we are jerks…. he is usually impressed by our courage;
13) ...never fear that the priest will not keep our confession secret… he is bound by the Seal;
14) ...don’t confess "tendencies" or "struggles"... just sins;
15) ...don’t leave the confessional before the priest has finished giving absolution;
16) ...memorize an Act of Contrition;
17) ...answer the priest’s questions briefly if he asks for a clarification;
18) ...ask questions if we can’t understand what he means when he tells us something;
19) ...keep in mind that priests can have bad days just like we do;
20) ...remember that priests go to confession too … they know what we are going through.

I have in the past written (HERE and HERE) about how the cruise line, Celebrity Cruises has for some reason booted priest/chaplains from their ships.  I have suggested that perhaps you find other cruise lines if that is the sort of thing you like to do.

It seems that Celebrity Cruises, rather than defend its policy and stick to its guns, is pretty much fibbing about why they did what they did.

I find this on the site of the Catholic League with my emphases and comments:

CELEBRITY CRUISES IS A SINKING SHIP

January 26, 2010

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responds to comments made in defense of Celebrity Cruises’ decision to discontinue its policy of having priests celebrate daily Mass:

On January 14, we criticized Celebrity Cruises for effectively stiffing Catholic priests and laypersons who were counting on daily Mass being celebrated on board this year. Since then, some have defended the new policy by [NB:] distorting the truth of what actually occurred.

To be specific, it is a slight of hand to say, as Celebrity spokeswoman Liz Jakeway did, that the new policy is “built around our guests’ feedback and their suggestion that we ‘level the playing field.’” There was feedback alright, but it was hardly amicable. Quite the opposite: Celebrity acknowledged in its initial memo of December 14, 2009 that the new policy was written in response to “a great deal of negative feedback” pertaining to Catholic services. In the same memo, it says “We know that from time to time, there have been some negative comments from non-Catholic passengers, as Celebrity mentions in their note.” In other words, [Here it is:] Celebrity let bigotry—not parity—drive its new policy.

Similarly, one would never know the truth of what happened by reading Cathy Lynn Grossman’s column in USA Today. She makes it sound as if Catholics had been cut a deal by Celebrity at the expense of others. She reports that some “were annoyed that Catholic clergy had ever been favored over other faiths that have daily or weekly prayers.” But there was no favoritism: there is a profound difference between non-Catholic clergy not requesting daily religious services and their being denied by Celebrity.

If Celebrity and its cheering section can’t defend the new policy on principle, then it should at least not play fast and loose with the facts. We understand the need for corporate damage control, but we have no tolerance for dishonesty.

Contact: captainsclub@celebritycruises.com 

If Celebrity Cruises wants to fib about this issue, what else – concerning their services – might they fib about?