"The great Father Zed, Archiblogopoios"
-
Fr. John Hunwicke
"Some 2 bit novus ordo cleric"
- Anonymous
"Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a traditionalist blogger who has never shied from picking fights with priests, bishops or cardinals when liturgical abuses are concerned."
- Kractivism
"Father John Zuhlsdorf is a crank"
"Father Zuhlsdorf drives me crazy"
"the hate-filled Father John Zuhlsford" [sic]
"Father John Zuhlsdorf, the right wing priest who has a penchant for referring to NCR as the 'fishwrap'"
"Zuhlsdorf is an eccentric with no real consequences" -
HERE
- Michael Sean Winters
"Fr Z is a true phenomenon of the information age: a power blogger and a priest."
- Anna Arco
“Given that Rorate Coeli and Shea are mad at Fr. Z, I think it proves Fr. Z knows what he is doing and he is right.”
- Comment
"Let me be clear. Fr. Z is a shock jock, mostly. His readership is vast and touchy. They like to be provoked and react with speed and fury."
- Sam Rocha
"Father Z’s Blog is a bright star on a cloudy night."
- Comment
"A cross between Kung Fu Panda and Wolverine."
- Anonymous
Fr. Z is officially a hybrid of Gandalf and Obi-Wan XD
- Comment
Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a scrappy blogger popular with the Catholic right.
- America Magazine
RC integralist who prays like an evangelical fundamentalist.
-Austen Ivereigh on
Twitter
[T]he even more mainline Catholic Fr. Z. blog.
-
Deus Ex Machina
“For me the saddest thing about Father Z’s blog is how cruel it is.... It’s astonishing to me that a priest could traffic in such cruelty and hatred.”
- Jesuit homosexualist James Martin to BuzzFeed
"Fr. Z's is one of the more cheerful blogs out there and he is careful about keeping the crazies out of his commboxes"
- Paul in comment at
1 Peter 5
"I am a Roman Catholic, in no small part, because of your blog.
I am a TLM-going Catholic, in no small part, because of your blog.
And I am in a state of grace today, in no small part, because of your blog."
- Tom in
comment
"Thank you for the delightful and edifying omnibus that is your blog."-
Reader comment.
"Fr. Z disgraces his priesthood as a grifter, a liar, and a bully. -
- Mark Shea
Chances are, there’s also an E.F. at St. Leo’s in Pawtucket. The pastor, Fr. Fisette, is formerly the pastor of Holy Name in Providence (the old Eccelsia Dei indult parish). So that makes 4 Trids.
There was only 1 a year ago. Brick by brick.
Fr. Woolley
Good for you on learning AND SINGING the TLM!
See, Barbarians do the TLM too!
Fr. Dan J
The Woonsocket Call recently noted that St. Joseph Church in that city would soon be offering the old Latin Mass for worshippers who treasure fondly the solemnity of that ritual. Father Michael Woolley, the pastor, observed that the older liturgy manifested “more intimate worship.” He also suggested that “the traditional Latin language and unyielding structure offer an environment that is more conducive to worshipping.” Father is in good company of course. In 1988 Cardinal Ratzinger, addressing the bishops of Chile, South America, offered this comment: “”Even though there are numerous motives that could have brought a great number of faithful to find refuge in the traditional liturgy, the most important is that they find preserved there the dignity of the sacred.” Brazilian Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan recently spoke in a similar tone. He exalted the Tridentine Mass “…because of its richness, beauty, elevation, nobility and ceremonial solemnity, because of its sense of the sacred and reverential, because of its sense of mystery, its greater precision and rigor.”
The Brazilian bishop also noted that Cardinal Ratzinger elsewhere lamented that the new liturgy has sometimes degenerated into “a show,” which attempts to make religion interesting with the help of stylish elements with only momentary success. Like others, and like The Quiet Corner itself, the bishop and the cardinal regret the coffee table liturgies where stoles replace chasubles while baskets and pottery replace linen and gold. Father Woolley is correct in highlighting the air of mystery and the advantage of structure that the Mass of our youth possessed. The Brazilian bishop also suggested interestingly that priests who did not choose to celebrate Mass according to the older rite but who have experienced that rite can actually celebrate the new rite better. Having experienced richness, beauty, nobility and solemnity in one rite, it should be easier to discover and reveal those elements in another rite. A recent experience proves his point.
A few weeks ago, I was honored to participate in the Confirmation celebration at St. Augustine Church in Providence. The full church, still arrayed in its Easter splendor, with dignified cherry-wood furnishings, restrained stained glass windows, and polished marble floor, was the perfect environment for worship. The sanctuary was well equipped with flashing tapers, polished metals, crisp linens, plush carpets, and a legion of altar servers. The characteristic pace of the Mass was maintained even with readers being led to the pulpit by a server, incense being offered at appropriate times, and an honor guard of candle bearers flanking out along the still-extent altar rail during the Eucharistic prayer. Splendid music echoed in sound the same milieu that delighted the eye.
The Word of God was proclaimed in turn by laity and pastor with deliberate (and audible) phrases. Graced with the episcopal presence, the gathered clergy respectfully invoked the blessing of God on the sacred species and the attentive laity replied with their affirming “Amen,” which they further ratified by a ceaseless Communion line. The Mass indeed followed the Novus Ordo required by post-Vatican II regulations, but the celebration was one of timeless Catholic authenticity combining dignity, décor and dispatch – the enduring framework of all good liturgy.
Now I am not writing this just to insure that I will get invited back to dinner. Rather, on this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, I am proposing that respectful, prayerful, engaging worship can be celebrated within the guidelines of the present day Church. One cannot argue with the splendor that was Romanesque or the glory that was Gothic. But one does not have to go back to the “old days” for good worship, for mystery, or structure, or liturgical brilliance. In any era, good liturgy relies more on attentiveness than on nostalgia.
Dear Fr. JAK,
Point well taken–St. Augustine’s has always run a very tight ship since the days when Msgr. [now Bishop] Matano was in residence there. So how can we best promote reverence and beauty within the framework of the Novus Ordo at all parishes? RI priests I’ve talked with seem more likely to introduce the EF rather than introduce Latin or Ad Orientem into the OF. How have you proceeded at your own parish?