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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: ““the progressive spectacularization of Vatican liturgies that has occurred over the past three pontificates” Really? One of the very few…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “I praise God, even in the midst of these persecutions, for the TLM, the priests who say it, the bishops…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “Dad of Six – True. Check out the plummeting of baptisms and marriages over the last several decades. Which means…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: ““Sure but …. The Faith is growing in Africa ! “ And thank God for their priests who are sent…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “I think that the loss of Mass attendance is partially related to the post-Vatican II era of “feelings”. I remember…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “Besides the obvious hemorrhaging of attendance and religious, the other thing that comes to mind is what figures are they…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “I have heard for years that the Province of Quebec in Canada has many beautiful churches and was once a…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “Yes, following the Attorney General of Maryland’s detailed report on the extensive sexual predation and cover-up by the Archdiocese, Bill…”
- on 15 April 2019 – Notre-Dame de Paris: “@ Anita Moore, O.P.(lay): The Tour Montparnasse’s only redeeming quality is the view from its top, but wishing to trade…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “If the FSSP owns some of the churches that they staff, it may be wise to figure out a different…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “What I find most irksome is Catholics who see all this happening and then say, “it’s time of renewal”. No,…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “Is it simply a coincidence that church attendance began to decline just after the introduction of the Novus Ordo? It…”
- on Card. Sarah: “Many Western prelates are tetanized… the dream of being loved by the world”: “Oh, yes. My hearty AMEN! We are very privileged to still have brave, vocal, devoted, and blessed shepherds such as…”
- on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 2nd Sunday after Easter (N.O. 3rd of Easter) 2024: “I’ll note (in case people question) I had the Eucharist in one of the masses (not both as they were…”
- on Card. Sarah: “Many Western prelates are tetanized… the dream of being loved by the world”: “Spot on I’d say.”
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Got sent to the hospital last week due to severe abdominal pain. They were worried my pancreatic cancer was back. After two days of scoping (yeah, both ends) and an MRI all serious causes were ruled out. No cancer. No ulcers.
So, I have pain killers and no cancer. That’s a double-check in my book….
Got back to a TLM this past Sunday. Made my entire week. I’m in a liturgical wasteland for school, and it’s only an hour away. :-)
We were afraid at first that the irregularly-scheduled Extraordinary Form Masses at our parish would fall by the wayside, but they haven’t. We’re having Mass this Friday night and the choir will be singing excerpts from a Haydn Missa Brevis, and a motet by Michael Haydn. The next one is December 8th, and there will be motets by Dunstable and medieval English ordinaries.
We’re gearing up for our annual nine nights of Vespers leading up to Christmas, and we got the go-ahead from our pastor to invite the choir from the local TAC parish to sing with us one of those nights (we’ve also invited some Byzantine Catholic monks another night). Their priest is excited about the possibility. I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it happen, but it would be awesome if it did.
I just got back from the post office and mailing the rest of my application to go back to school.
I am overflowing with joy that someday I will be able to take my children to the Mass I was raised with (traditional high-Church Anglican) and receive communion!
Made a good confession Saturday. I’ve found good priests at a nice church in a fun neighborhood at a convenient time. It’s a real blessing to have found comfortable convenient access to the sacrament. My last place was often a near occasion of sin for me, with failures to show and penitents regularly taking over half an hour in the box. What are they doing in there? I never know what they’re doing. Hey Ma! The meatloaf!
Yesterday I was priveledged to have been at St. Martin of Tours in Louisville where the Archbishop was attending in choir and gave the sermon. His Grace used three terms I have never heard an American bishop utter, The Church Militant, The Church Suffering in Purgatory, and The Church Triumphant in Heaven. Along with His Graces’ wonderful sermon, I saw a Pax Brede used for the first time in my life, and His grace helped distribute Communion. Did I mention that this was at the High Mass in the Extraordinary Form for Christ the King. My thanks to the Archbishop from this refugee from “across the river”.
Enjoyed this weekend’s back-to-back High Masses celebrated by Canon Jean-Marie Moreau (ICRSS) at the Mission San Rafael (San Rafael, CA) last Saturday, and of course, the Feast of Christ the King yesterday. :)
I am getting married in November to a wonderful Catholic and we are planning to accept as many children from the Lord as He deems to send our way and raise them to be saints.
Please pray for us.
Married for two weeks. Too many Graces to count.
Or how about Bishop Choby. He’s just doin’ right down here. Yeah,the situation is wretched, but he’s shepherding like an ace!
I am teaching 51 9th graders Religion this year at a private Catholic school in MD. All boys. They are good kids, normal, some very devout. Reading Rowland’s book on Benedict XVI recently, I was pleasantly surprised at how much he has influenced how I teach the Faith. We are finishing the sections on the Ten Commandments; they are, I have told my kids, the path to life, echoing Benedict–and the Psalms!
They are slowly, I believe, and hope, getting the point. We also have Mass every day. Our teachers cantor in the choir loft. Lots of chant, in Latin. Really solid stuff.
The Lord is good!
I’m seeing the UK FSSP priests this week, and taking my first few steps in vocation to the priesthood.
My Daughter was dating a man highly unworthy of her.
I specifically prayed for a break-up of the relationship and last Sunday she ditched the dope.
Last night at Mass I had that joy in my heart and love for the Church that I had not felt in a long time. God certainly grants graces when we need them the most. Praise Him for that.
Also, next Friday my youngest son will be marrying a wonderful girl, wearing his Marine dress blues and a big smile – she’s over 5’11” and he’s 5’4″ on a tall day!
I’m getting married in two weeks. :) Also, after a summer of awful heat and drought in central Texas, we’ve been finally getting some rain.
Allan S – delighted for your wonderful news.
One other good thing. Fr. Z, you have made a tremendous difference in my spiritual life. Your blog is so full of true Catholicity and it is a blessing to me every day. (And you’re a right fine DJ!)
On November 7th my third child will be baptized in the Extraordinary Form!
Tonight there will be 25 college age men meeting with my Bishop at my campus Newman Center to hear about the joys of priestly life.
St. John Vianney, pray for us!
Allan S., that is really good news, God bless you. This is minor in comparison to life and death issues: last week the Lord heard my cries for mercy (said extra chaplets of mercy) and a really unjust ticket was dismissed after I contested it. It was the principle of the thing most of all – possibly spoiling a perfect driving record and knowing that I was right, more than the money.
The more we thank our Dear Lord, recognizing His gifts, the more he blesses us!
Yesterday was the first Solumn High Mass at Mission San Juan Bautista, California in almost 40 years (28 days short of that). God continues to greatly bless our beautiful Mission…
http://www.monterey-tlm.blogspot.com/
My biopsy came back negative. Special thanks to Sts. Therese and Peregrine, Bl. Celine Borzecka and Bl. Alice, CR.
My friend just gave birth to her first child on Friday. I’m waiting to hear when they will have him baptized.
Ygnacia,
Beautiful mission church!
I caught a typo in your prayer for Bishop Garcia in Latin. It says: “qui tecum vivit et regnam…”, and the “regnam” should be “regnat”.
I think it’s a great idea to have that prayer for your bishop on the blog.
I was feeling kind of “flat” and a little discouraged for awhile… but this weekend I got a few votes of confidence from people whose opinion is important to me, (the most important of these to me were compliments on “Catholic” stuff I do.) Then, after what I thought was a pretty dismal two week period academically, I got back one of my midterms and got an A where I thought I had done significantly worse, and it had some nice comments on it, too. I probably did as badly as I thought on the other stuff, but I’m not so upset about it, now.
While it’s far from everything, a little encouragement can sometimes be pretty nice. :)
Spent a wonderful w/e at the Catholic Medical Assn. meeting in Springfield,IL. Bp. Vasa is a great man and the White Mass was ineffable! St. Francis of Assisi Church at the motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I’m recharged!
Snow in October!!! I love it.
Thanks to Summorum Pontifum I was able to attend a TLM when I traveled to Michigan this past weekend. It was an hour and a half drive, but was worth every minute of rain and traffic to avoid the painful liturgy at MSU or the just plain uninspiring other Novus Ordo’s that I’ve tried there previously. I know that as long as the Mass is valid that we should participate with joy and thanksgiving, but I just found it difficult to do so. However, now I know whenever I travel there, I’ll have a second home to go to. Yeah!
Posted it as a comment on your Christ the King post, but our sermon this past Sunday was incredible.
Also, it’s mine and my fiance’s two-year anniversary today (27/10)!
I’m breathing. I survived the weekend. No major injuries.
As a plus, for my Mariology class I finished reading Madonna: Mary in the Catholic Tradition by Fredrick Jelly, O.P. Decent book. Gearing up for a term paper. (making no assumptions – yuk yuk…)
In a little more than a week, I will be installed to the Ministry of Reader here at the seminary. Since we do things “backwards,” this is my second canonical ministry. Only candidacy will stand between me and Holy Orders in June 2011 and June 2012.
Bishop Matthew Clark has less than 1,000 days until he turns in his resignation. Oh Happy Day!
After attending the TLM weekly for about the last six months, my three year old, while playing at home, out of nowhere pipes up “et cum spiritu tuo!”
Congratulations, Allan S.
AngelineOH — A Marine doesn’t have to be tall. He stands tall. :)
As for my happy news, my lil’ cousin just flew out from college to Kansas to meet his college girlfriend’s parents and to ask her to marry him. She’s a really nice girl, and I’m very pleased for them both.
Er… I forgot to say that she accepted his proposal. Kinda crucial!
My best friend, a lifelong agnostic, now calls himself “Pre-Chestertonian.” It makes me tear up just writing this note. Please pray for him.
(Sidebar: Can anyone recommend a suitable book(s) for him? He is an engineer by training.)
Thanks to St Therese for the opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence last week. I feel so clean.
I found a few treasures packed away in our church sacristy.
http://happy-catholic.blogspot.com/2009/10/treasure-in-sacristy.html
The fact that they are still there and did not get tossed out gives me hope.
Dave
Today I found out I was accepted into Omicron Delta Kappa, an honors society so exclusive that 0.1% of the university is admitted each year. In the past 74 years, they have admitted less than 2500 students and faculty at Virginia Tech. This year alone there are 26,000 students on campus.
I am both shocked and honored that I was tapped for this honor!
I got great news from my doctor today: weight’s going down, blood pressure is blissfully normal, everything that should be there, still is (except for hair, but really, hair just gets in the way. My Dad always used to say, “Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street”).
My dear friend told me today that she went to confession this past weekend. She’d been away for over 40 years. Made my year!
I just got home from singing for the Red Mass at Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. Bishop Brandt of the diocese of Greenburg, Pa gave the homily. Honestly, it was the best homily I have heard in years. He spoke forcefully on relativism, secularism, and tyranny, and how he fears for what is happening in our nation, as well as the European nations.
I live in Marin County, California, one of the most secularized, de-churched areas of the country. As far as the Church is concerned, it is certainly “mission terriftory.” However, there are many positive signs here. jbalza007 has already mentioned the EF High Masses that have been said here at St. Rafael’s Church, San Rafael. And, you already know about the well-attended regular EF Masses every Sunday at Holy Rosary Chapel at St. Vincent’s School for Boys. Once a month these Masses are followed by very solid lectures in Catholic moral teaching.
I can add that the local Catholic high school has really turned its religious education program around. It is now staffed by very qualified and orthodox people who enthusiastically present the Faith to the students in a comprehensive and challenging way. One of the teachers told me that he had persuaded almost his entire class to move from pro-choice to pro-life. The administration has told me that they are working to replace the non-practicing Catholics and Protestants among the rest of the faculty with faithful, practicing Cathoics in order to provide their students with a truly Catholic atmostphere / culture. This is an institution which is definitely heading in the right direction.
The confirmation program I teach in is very solid and well done. It includes not only intellectual content, but at every session the students are introduced to another part of the Church’s rich tradition of prayer and they practice it in the last 20 minutes of the class before the Blessed Sacratment. At the yearly retreat, other parishes are very struck by the fact that our students have no problem praying quietly for an hour or more where other kids squirm, look around, etc. We have one or two non-Catholic kids who attend on their own, without the pressure or interest of their parents. God is working in people’s lives.
There are other positive signs. As you say, Fr. Z, “brick by brick.”
Installed as Worthy Council Lecturer, awarded Shining Armor Award and Knight of the Year Award! Huzzah! Vivat Jesus!
Installed as Worthy Council Lecturer, awarded Shining Armor Award and Knight of the Year Award! Huzzah! Vivat Jesus!
And our council was awarded a Double Star Council by the KofC Supreme Council!
Got a scholarship for the rest of my 1716.50 tuition so now I don’t owe the university any more money.
Teaching my 3rd Grade Catechism Class Chant! They are really getting it, and I think a few really like it.
I teach Church history to high students. This week is Red Ribbon week, a week that we teach drug abuse prevention and awareness. I decided to let Jesus, the Teacher, help them understand their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit through Eucharistic Adoration. I have been taking them before the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist for some months now. We sing some hymns of the Church and pray the Rosary, and it is apparent that reverence for the Corpus Domini is slowly teaching them reverence for their own bodies, respect, and a certain dignified way of being a teenager that the world does not nor cannot teach. May the Eucharistic Lord continue to teach us that which no one can. Ave Verum Corpus natum de Maria Virgine!
oops! I realize that first sentence should read high school students. Pardon me – a sorry mistake in red ribbon week.
Dear Fr. Z., You and the work that you do here are good news and Grace to so many, to me in particular. I read recently here about Priesthood Sunday. Passing along the info to the right person, we were able to have special prayer cards printed up which included the names of our priests on them and a special prayer. The cards were distributed at all the weekend masses and we included the occasion in our announcements which gave our parishioners the opportunity to acknowledge and personally thank our priests for all they do and for the gift that they are to us and to the Church. So, thank you Fr. Z., keep fighting the good fight.
Fr. Medley….your mistake really made me laugh out loud. Thanks, although I know you didn’t do it on purpose.
Father Z, you asked about a grace. Well, something about the Feast of Christ the King triggered in me an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the wonderful priests God has provided in my lifetime, and continues to bless us with. My mind has been flooded with memories of their teaching and correction and just plain loving kindness that allows me to enjoy the faith today. Even the troubled priests I now see as blessings. More reasons to fast and pray. God is so good!
On a personal note, at present my family and I are going through a difficult period as we are dealing with an aged father who is hospitalized in great pain with no diagnosis as yet. It is an anxious and sad time in many ways and yet I do feel sustained. I have felt the happiness of seeing my family come together to work lovingly and harmoniously to help my father. That has been a wonderful experience. Friends have come forward to sit with me as I sat with my drugged, confused and frightened father for hours. After a long day at the hospital, friends have called me out of nowhere. One friend I hadn’t seen in months showed up and we had a wonderful lunch together. I have felt that support was given me. In these and other ways God has provided me with abundant consolations. It has been a graced time.
In addition, Fr. Z, I would like to say how much I’ve appreciated your Podcasts. I’ve learned a lot from them. Yesterday, I discovered the recording of your beautiful singing of the Exsultet and have listened to it three or four times already. Very wonderful. Thanks for all your work.
Good news?
This past weekend, I was able to attend most of an excellent three-night Revival preached by Father Maurice Nutt, C.Ss.R, under the general theme of Trouble Don’t Last Always. In addition to the preaching, the Revival included Scripture, prayer, extra opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, fellowship, and music from five choirs (3 parish choirs, 1 independent, 1 archdiocesan).
Most of the waking hours this past weekend that I didn’t spend at the Revival were spent completing a financial report and preparing for a departmental record-keeping audit at work. The audit was Monday and went quite satisfactorily.
When I wasn’t doing either of those things, I was at my own parish on Sunday morning, hearing from our still-new pastor on the next steps of revitalizing our parish. One step is re-forming the parish councils, and he’s not taking the “Is there anyone who wants to sit on this ‘committee’?” approach – he is initiating a process of discernment for those who might want to serve each other (tied it in nicely to the recent readings). The other step is going to be evangelization.
St T of L at Westminster Cathedral and 40 Hours at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen in consecutive weeks and I’ve just been lent a Liber from the back of Brenda (organist)’s cupboard.
I LOVE reading these posts and comments! One of the truly awful things about being seriously ill (at least for me) is that it does something terrible to your character: it makes you self-centered.
You become focused on YOUR pain, YOUR agony, YOUR death; totally the opposite of what we admire so much in the martyrs and saints. I mean, how can I ever hope to enter eternity with such cowardice in my heart?
To make up for it, I like to read these comments and pray for the people here, for the intentions of every person who is in physical agony RIGHT NOW, for everyone dealing with the fear or diagnosis of cancer, for everyone who is literally too terrified to even pray.
Anyway, I jusy saying…I think these threads are objectively useful and important. FWIW.
Today (Oct. 27) is the 26 month anniversary of my abandonment of sexual sin and return to the Church – how’s that for good news? :)
On Sunday I was invited to attend the special Mass and celebrations for six Missionary Priests and Brothers who have dedicated their lives to serving the poor particularly in Africa. They were all celebrating either their 25th or 50th anniversaries in their Mother House in Paris.
It was very humbling to be there to share in the joy. The Priest next to me at table regaled me with stories of the Congo and of eating elephant and monkey which happily were not on the menu at the celebratory meal!
I have found talking to the Missionary priests who have experienced so much hardship among people who have so little materially makes our own petty problems seem insignificant. A most uplifting day.
God Bless you Allan S. In my pain I am reminded by Mother Theresa, “It is not important that we are successful, only faithful”. My prayers are with you today.
Just found out one of my friends wants to become a priest in one of the traditional orders!
A devout young priest said the TLM in our chapel for the first time on Saturday. We set the altar against the tabernacle, placed the crucifix on the axis rather than to the side, and made other various adjustments. As we were resetting for the usual versus populum (?) afterwards, the rector of the chapel – who has been a priest 30+ years and exclusively celebrates the Novus Ordo – said, “Leave it like it is. 40 years of nonsense is enough.” And he has been celebrating ad orientem since then. Praise be to God!
Last Sunday, after the TLM on the Feast of Christ the King, I saw again a former high school classmate outside the chapel! When he saw me and said my name, I didn’t quite know who he was at first, but when he said his name, I joyfully went down the steps to greet him! I first saw him in May at a convent of traditional Sisters in the Catskills-after an absence of thirty-eight years! He lives in Kansas with his wife and children, and drives a truck for a living. His mother still lives in Upstate New York, so when he’s in the Northeast, he stops by to see her. He has in-laws who live in the Catskills.
And on a more mundane level-I got my laptop computer upgraded yesterday, and so now I can watch more videos [the good stuff, of course], as well as TV and radio feeds! And that includes the ‘Z-Cam’, Father! Woo hoo [doing a little dance for joy]!
I know this is a bit late, but this past weekend one of our professed Augustinian friars was ordained to the priesthood. It was my first ever ordination, and it was magnificent. What made this ordination particularly special is the tremendous physical challenges that Fr. Mike has had to overcome, suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis since birth, which has severely stunted his growth and been a source of tremendous physical pain. He is a truly amazing young man, filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and a wonderful gift to the Church. I’ve written about the ordination here, if anyone would like to know more.