A strong recommendation from Fr. Z

Posted on 12 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Dear readers, I warmly recommend the content of the blog of Fr. Ermatinger from “soup to nuts”.  He has amazing talks, great sermons, and salutary messages.

Just Go!   HERE

(PS: Right now he is talking about angelology.

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“Oaf For A Day!”

Posted on 11 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It might be time to revive the old label “Oaf For A Day!” It hasn’t been used for a while.

The increasingly useful Ad Vaticanum has it.

So the Vatican says “No” but Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz says “Yes” to lay (=women) preaching.

But the SSPX is disobedient. 

This is the Vatican ruling. HERE In effect… the current discipline cannot be dispensed from by means of an indult, since the reservation of the homily to a priest or deacon is not a merely disciplinary norm but derives from the very nature of the liturgy.   The homily, as it is conceived in the Novus Ordo, forms an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word. It is intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel [thus the almost universal rule in the Novus Ordo that sermons about the readings] and constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

I don’t know what is incoherent about that, unless you are a Lutheran who thinks that every man is his own priest, indeed his own Pope.  Unless your understanding of Orders has nothing to do with the ontological ordering of the man to his work and perceived Orders are merely a ratification of someone to do a job.   Unless you are, in effect, a Protestant.

Our Oaf For A Day goes on: “In practice, however, it has become customary for lay people to preach,” Bishop Kohlgraf said. “If I learn of this, I will not intervene disciplinarily or impose canonical sanctions.”

So. if people are disobedient and have lay (=women) preaching, he has announced openly that he won’t exercise his role as bishop.

I think he should go elsewhere than Mainz.  Who better than he, with his pastoral sensitivity and adherence to custom, to mediate between the IRGC Islamists in Iran (those who are left) and the people in the street?

But remember!   The people who want the TLM must be suppressed.

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Pò sì jiù | Tagged
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Daily Rome Shot 1679

Posted on 11 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Welcome Registrant:

Catherine Larker

I can’t not post this:

White to move and mate in 2.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

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This has me concerned because personnel is policy.

Posted on 10 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This has me concerned.

Now we read this.

Why does it have me concerned?

Because “personnel is policy”.

An institution’s formal policies matter less if the people charged with implementing them disagree with their substance or priorities. Consequently, appointments are themselves policy decisions.

Who is Sister Patricia Murray?

From the LCWR site we start collecting the pieces. Lots of pieces, ’cause they do specialize in logorrhea at LCWR.  Here’s the cliffnotes version:

Education: Undertook extensive studies at:
University College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin
Catholic Theological Union, Chicago   [The Smoking Gun, perhaps.  MA in 2005 and DMin in 2011]
Particular study in areas concerning justice and interculturality.
Secondary school teacher
Secondary school principal
Peace Education Officer for the whole of Ireland
Director of the Loreto Education Office
University lecturer
Frequent conference speaker
Member of the General Council of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto Sisters) for eight years, exercising leadership in a congregation with ministries in more than 20 countries.
Executive Director of Solidarity with South Sudan, an intercongregational initiative involving women and men religious working together in South Sudan.
Executive Secretary of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) [the organization of women religious who in general don’t wear habits], beginning in 2014. In this position she fostered international networking among women religious and expanded UISG programs and services.
Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Culture, appointed by Pope Francis in 2019.
The profile also associates her UISG leadership with the development or expansion of Talitha Kum (anti-trafficking), the Sicily Project (migration), the Laudato Si’/Sowing Hope for the Planet project, global canon-law services for religious, and Catholic Care for Children International.

CTU looms large here.  CTU was, and is, one of the worst schools in these USA.

Why is CTU important for understanding this pontificate?

Robert Prevost attended CTU where he obtained the coveted MDiv (Master in Divinity) in 1982.  It is his highest theological degree.  Otherwise he studied Mathematics and then Canon Law.

So, what was/is CTU like?

Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago has long had a distinctly progressive reputation. That reputation has substantial historical basis. In the 1970s and 1980s CTU [when Leo was there] became associated with advocacy for women’s ordination, and conservative Catholic writers later criticized faculty such as Kathleen Hughes and Carolyn Osiek [taught at CTU for 26 years and head’s up “Women Preach” and promotes ordination of women] for arguments challenging the Church’s restriction of priestly ordination to men.   Prevost/Leo’s wiki entry says that when he was in seminary he chose Sr. Osiek as his spiritual director.  Catholic World Report noted that current faculty member C. Vanessa White publicly supported LGBTQ-related initiatives at odds with positions defended by the U.S. bishops. CTU’s own programming strongly emphasizes intercultural theology, social justice, feminism, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and questions concerning women’s ministry.

You get the picture.

Personnel is policy.

Posted in Leo XIV, The Coming Storm, The Drill |
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Daily Rome Shot 1678 – scorn

Posted on 10 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance, utilities, groceries, and now also my late mother’s place.  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.  

More of this guy, please?

Less of this guy, pretty please?

DISGUSTING.

I’m not sure I fully understand this cartoon from 2009 which someone sent to me, but I twig that it aims scorn at obtuse bishops, so it’s okay by me.

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Look! Up in the sky!

Posted on 10 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Not only is 12 August the height of the Tears of St. Lawrence…

Posted in Look! Up in the sky!, SESSIUNCULA |
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The trip so far… Chicago… conference… etc.

Posted on 10 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

UPDATED 10 Aug – way down at the bottom

Originally Published on: Aug 8, 2026

UPDATE HERE about laptop  FIRST post with travel woes – include TWO mis-landings and hours of delays and missed flight HERE

After the horrible beginning, here is an update on the trip so far. We’ve had a good conference. Now I am moving again. Meanwhile, back in Chicago before driving to La Crosse!

This wound up being sausage and peppers.  I learned that double sausage is a thing here.

The next day we had to go to SUPERDAWG!

In La Crosse, the night before the conference, I had a great supper with friends of many years.  It is such a pleasure to know people like these.

Up at Shrine, this is the progress of the building of the pilgrim’s residence.  Last year it was a big hole.

St. Gianna… Miguel… Therese.

Oh MY!!!!   Subsersive!

I have a reproduction of this in my residence to remind me of what we might face.

The conference was on the Seal of Confession.

Tour buses parked at the hotel seem to be… WHAT?

When I grew up these were all over the place.  What a memory.

Within are votive candles.  The great MSGR George Welzbacher referred to the internal candle situation as a “Zoroastrian Fire Tower”.

The kitchen at the Shrine is MASSIVELY IMPROVED!   I told the new cook chef and staff several times.   Sincerely.  Breakfast biscuits and three different gravies, two types of eggs.  Yesterday, French toast and blue berries.

Up in the conference space, these chocolate chip cookies were very similar to my mother’s, who made the best in the world.  These are …. right there… but just a little sweeter than mom’s.  They brought back memories.   Yup… the food at the Shrine is much better.

Dear Cardinal Burke made a video for us.  I am working on an old and weak laptop, so it will be posted when I can handle it.   He was in good spirits, but I sense his patience is running a little thin.  I’ve known the Cardinal since the late 80’s.

Card. Burke’s Mass at the Shrine.

The grounds are so beautiful.  All taken care of by volunteers.

Lungh at the end of the conference.  Bp. Paprocki joined us.

In Madison, I stopped at a super high quality bottle shop looking for Chartreuse because of dear friend likes it and I can’t get it where I live.  They had some yellow and green.  I was looking for green.

We had spring rolls with peanut sauce before, but this was supper at a TERRIFIC viet place on the West side of Madison.

Tomorrow, I meet with TMSM peeps in Madison.  I then drive to Milwaukee to stay with a priest friend.

UPDATE 10 Aug

After a day of errands in Madison, I headed to Milwaukee to stay over with a priest friend.   We were invited to a family’s home for supper and there was strawberry shortcake for dessert.  I don’t usually eat sweets, but this was good, with homemade whipped cream and mulberry syrup.

After Sunday Masses we went for Greek.

Alas, my pic of the spanakopita didn’t come through for some reason, but the stuffed grape leaves, dolmades with tzatziki were tasty.

At the end the proprietress brought – sua sponte – loukoumades which had honey and cinnamon.  The hovering fork is that of the greedy priest across from me.  I am sure that he, selfish, was trying to his before I could get mine.   As I learned in Rome, take yours before the selfish brothers take theirs!

That’s the food roundup, other than to say that more is to come.  I have another day in Chicago now and something will come up.

HOWEVER… on the LAPTOP front!   

You will recall if you have followed this trip (as I am sure you all have with great attention and anticipation of more) my laptop, a beast, was massively overheating and shutting down.   A friend here in the Windy City rescued me with an old laptop upon which I tap at the time of this writing.  It get’s the job done, though I can’t multitask anything demanding.  I’m grateful to have it!    That said, I shipped my laptop to my local repair guys (GREAT TEAM!).  Today I received phone call.  Sure enough, from the last time they worked on it (stuck power button after some jackass slammed his suitcase like an obnoxious rube into my backpack on the plane), the tech found that he had not quite snapped into place one of the connectors in my laptops guts and that was causing the overheat.  Problem resolved.   I’ll pick it up when I pick up my desktop which has been i the computer spa getting a massive C: drive clone/upgrade.

I knew that you would want to know.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to |
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Daily NOT-Rome Shot 1677

Posted on 9 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From The World’s Best Sacristan™.

Welcome Registrant:

Neto

White to move and mate in 4.

Some of the tune you are not likely to have heard…

Not my place in Rome, but it’s pretty close!

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 11th Sunday after Pentecost (N.O.: 19th Ordinary)

Posted on 9 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Mass of obligation for this 11th Sunday after Pentecost in the Vetus Ordo (19th Ordinary Sunday in the Novus Ordo)?

Tell us about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

A taste of what I offered at 1 Peter 5 this week.  I wrote about the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost but related it to the great feasts nearby.

[…]

There is encouragement for the sinner who looks back on wasted years. Saul became Paul. The persecutor became an instrument by which Christ’s name reached the nations. “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor 15:10). While life remains, grace can open what has been closed and make former failures material for humility, vigilance, gratitude, and apostolic zeal. Paul remembers that he persecuted the Church. Memories can be purified.  Our memory can focus and drive labor. “Abundantius illis omnibus laboravi … I labored more abundantly than all of them.” Under grace, the past becomes fuel for fidelity rather than paralysis.

[…]

 

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A bishop starts a new TLM, another takes one well-settled one away

Posted on 8 August 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Leo signaled to the French bishops that he wants them to be good to people who desire the Traditional Latin Mass.

The Bishop of San Angelo, Texas, starts a new TLM “motivated by the salvation of souls”.

And now we read that the Bishop of Pittsburgh, motivated by who knows what, has cancelled a long-standing Mass.

Motivated by what? Watch for the buzz-word in the first sentence of his letter:

Throughout my ministry as your bishop, I have sought to encourage the unity of our local Church and to help all of us grow ever more deeply in our love for the Eucharist and the sacred liturgy.

Did you spot it?

It might be understandable were to imagine that he could be currying favor.

Could one not curry favor be doing what he asked the French bishops to do?

BTW… they have not done what Leo asked.

Remember: It’s not about the Rites, it’s about the people who want those Rites.  They don’t just dislike the Rites, which make them squeamish, they don’t like the people who want them.

The Bishop of Pitt didn’t ask for an extension.  He could have.  He didn’t.   He says  made this choice after “consultation with experts on the matter, and with much time spent in prayer and discernment”.  Much time in prayer?  Over this matter?    I wonder if this bishop has ever celebrated the older, traditional Mass.

 

Posted in The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice |
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