Rome – Days 4 & 5: Jesuits and snakes – GOFUNDME for Pontifical Vestments

The other day I mentioned that I was upset enough by what I had heard about the Synod shenanigans that I walked for a few hours. One of the places I wound up was P.za di Spagna and the great column in honor of the Blessed Virgin and the definition the Immaculate Conception.  The moon was nice and bright so I took advantage.

Where else can you find an ATM and an ancient statue.

Inside the grand church of the once grand Society of Jesus.  The Jesuits are nuts now, for the most part, but this church is mostly still splendid.  The Gesù.

The arm of St. Francis Xavier, who baptized so many.

A little side chapel with the painting of the Sacred Heart which has been copied and copied and copied.  Sorry… it’s a little dark.   But I said some prayers in there for a lot of people I know.

The tomb of St. Ignatius Loyola.  I wonder what he would say about the doings of his conferes today.  I think he’d be horrified by them.   But who am I to judge?   Am I a Jesuit?  No sirree.  I am not.

To the right of the altar … by the way these dopey modernists removed the Communion rail while leaving the decorative metalwork… is a marble group depiction of Truth beating the stuffing out of Heresy.

The little angel is tearing up a bad book.   The ugly heretical bad guys shrink from the Cross and the light that Truth holds.

Under the lower heretic, there is a book with a visible spine that says MARTIN LUTHER.  There used to be bronze letters which were quite legible, but the Jesuits, who now probably idolize Luther, took them out.  For shame.  You have to know they are there to make out the letters now.  Calvin is in another spot.

No, this is not a rendering of a one of the Cardinals from the Synod whom I shan’t name.  But it is a good image to remember when thinking of heresy.

After Mass yesterday, on my way out of church, I stopped to admire the concelebration that was going on at individual side altars.   There was a priest at one altar on the Gospel side of the nave….

Two more at altars on the Epistle side.

This is what concelebration should look like.  The other kind should be safe, legal and rare.

BTW… a cool thing in the sacristy.

Since people have been good to me for this trip with donations, I got myself an early (by a couple days) birthday present.  I intend to leave it in the sacristy at the church where I am on weekends.   The selection of green sets, used for so many Sundays, is less than interesting.  This might provide some variety.   Thank you, readers, for helping to give Holy Mass some fitting ornamentation.

I am staying near Campo de’ Fiori.  Here is a Latin inscription which some of you can work on.  Warning: it’s poetry.  Give it a shot.

QUAE MODO PUTRIS ERAS ET OLENTI SORDIDA COENO
PLENAQUE DEFORMI MARTIA TERRA SITU
EXUIS HANC TURPEM XYSTO SUB PRINCIPE FORMAM
OMNIA SUNT NITIDIS CONSPICIENDA LOCIS
DIGNA SALUTIFERO DEBENTUR PREMIA XYSTO
QUANTUM EST SUMMO DEBILITA ROMA DUCI
*VIA FLOREA*
BAPTISTA ARCHIONIUS ET LUDOVICUS MARGANIUS
CURATOR VIAR
ANNO SALUTIS MCCCCLXXXIII

Alas, there is less in the Roman style in the windows these days, and more of the dreadful stuff.  I especially abominate the rainbow stripes on the Year of Mercy thing in the middle.

Blech.

On to Gammarelli, where I am having a new Pontifical Mass set in purple made for the Tridentine Mass Society of Madison.

I have set up a GOFUNDME drive to raise money for this project.  You can make TAX DEDUCTIBLE donations through this.  The TMSM is a 501(c)(3) organization.   >>HERE<<

Calculating expense of fabric and trim for the altar frontal or antependium.

The set will have:

• Chasuble in the “Philip Neri” Roman style with stole, maniple, burse, veil
• Four dalmatics with 1 stole and 2 maniples.  They might squeeze a couple stoles extra from the fabric
• Humeral veil
• Cope and stole
• Antependium
• Gremial
• Fabric for tabernacle veil should be sent.

They have to order more of the purple, because this kind of set requires quite a bit.  I hope they may have it finished and sent by Advent.  I’d like to have Solemn and, hopefully, Pontifical Masses during the Year of Mercy.

In any event, since I have a short let apartment for this stay, I am cooking in rather than eating out all the time.  I am a stone’s throw from Campo de’ Fiori and the daily open market.  There is a great bakery on the corner and, nearby, a super cheese shop and butcher.   Today’s lunch was simplicity itself.  Un’insalata caprese.