Monthly Archives: April 2011

A monastery with falling numbers trying to find more men

Today’s number of the New York Times in the Media and Advertising section there is a story about the Benedictine Abbey at Portsmouth, RI, which is, essentially, aging to death.   I have a sincere hope they can turn the place … Read More

Posted in Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , , , , ,
32 Comments

Civil War Daily Gazette

I think for a while I will be following the day by day developments of the American Civil War via the Civil War Daily Gazette. 150 year after the fact, this site has a blog/magazine format and covers the events … Read More

Posted in Just Too Cool |
4 Comments

L’Osservatore Romano: criticizing the questioners

If you haven’t yet seen this, you will want to hop over and have a look at Sandro Magister‘s always useful place. In this case, Magister presents the back-to-back responses in the Vatican’s semi-official daily L’Osservatore Romano to two theologians … Read More

Posted in Biased Media Coverage, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , , , , , , , ,
9 Comments

Brick by brick in Wyoming

I like Wyoming.  I spent time there as a kid.  My mother grew up there. Carmelites in Wyoming will send you great coffee.  Wyoming Catholic College, which I have visited, has the Extraordinary Form of Mass and Eastern Divine Liturgy, … Read More

Posted in Brick by Brick, Just Too Cool | Tagged
25 Comments

Your Good News

Do you have any recent good news for us all?

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
55 Comments

QUAERITUR: Inserting a ditty into the reading of the Passion

UPDATE:  A reader in a comment below shows that I was wrong about my answer.  But I am going to claim that I am also right, depending on which country you are in.  It was inconceivable to me as I … Read More

Posted in ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , ,
45 Comments

When agendas trump logic

One of the worst pieces of reasoning I have seen in a while…. almost as bad as that recent stupid piece in TIME about the new translation . Get a load of this, from the Telegraph. First homosexual caveman found … Read More

Posted in Throwing a Nutty | Tagged ,
46 Comments

Benedict XVI’s Palm Sunday Sermon

With my emphases and comments: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Dear young people! [Pueri, indeed.  Palm Sunday has associations with World Youth Day, I believe.] It is a moving experience each year on Palm Sunday as we go up the mountain … Read More

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged , ,
6 Comments

Confessions during the Triduum

Each year one sees confusion about the Sacrament of Penance during the Triduum. Some priests, liturgical experts, and even diocesan liturgy offices wrongly claim the rubrics of the Missal or “Sacramentary” forbid the sacrament of Penance. However, this claim is … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Brick by Brick | Tagged , ,
19 Comments

Getting ready for Palm Sunday

We are getting ready for Palm Sunday.

Posted in Brick by Brick, Just Too Cool, Our Catholic Identity, SESSIUNCULA, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged ,
10 Comments

YOUR Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Give us a description of Palm Sunday at your parish as well as what is going on during Holy Week before the Triduum begins. For my part, I will be involved with the Palm Sunday in the Extraordinary Form at … Read More

Posted in Brick by Brick | Tagged ,
56 Comments

Cincinnati: Extraordinary Form Triduum

I had a note from St. Mark’s Chaplaincy and Una Voce Cincinnati that the Triduum including Tenebrae will be celebrated in the Extraordinary Form. For further information about any of these services, please call (513) 393 9872.

Posted in Brick by Brick | Tagged
Comments Off on Cincinnati: Extraordinary Form Triduum

QUAERITUR: Holy Thursday altar of repose in the basement where coffee is usually taken

From a reader: Is there any guidance about where the Altar of Repose on Holy Thursday should be located? For many years at my parish, it was located at one of the side altars in the Church (we have five … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged ,
11 Comments

WDTPRS – Palm Sunday: an example so perfect that it has the power to transform us

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.  The Sacred Triduum (triduum from tres dies – “three day space”) were once days of obligation when people were freed from servile work so that they could attend the liturgies, once celebrated … Read More

Posted in LENT, SESSIUNCULA, WDTPRS | Tagged , ,
9 Comments

Baby pronounced dead at birth starts to breathe

Doctors pronounced this baby dead, but after 2 hours of the mother holding him in her arms, he started breathing again. Watch. [wp_youtube]hMAzOjExKMw[/wp_youtube]

Posted in Emanations from Penumbras, Just Too Cool | Tagged ,
16 Comments

A Universal Church should have universal Missal. Duh.

From the blog St. Louis Catholic comes a good note about an article in the New York Times the other day which I started working on for an entry here, but finally shrugged and gave it up as dumb, much … Read More

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
12 Comments

Cradle Catholic – 30 years old – first confession

From a reader: Due to your blog you singlehandedly managed to get me to my first confession ever (just before this lent, actually); my first, while I’m 30 years old and a cradle catholic. Obviously, that was quite a bit … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes | Tagged , ,
23 Comments

QUAERITUR: I haven’t been to confession for 10 years! I don’t know what to do!

Here is a question from a reader I answered some time ago. But it is now Saturday of Passiontide.  Sure there are parishes this evening where you can find a priest hearing confessions. Go. To. Confession. From a reader: I … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box | Tagged , , , , , ,
12 Comments

To priests in difficult circumstances

A note from Fulton J. Sheen to priests in difficult circumstances: When nothing makes sense, when one is certain that “things can no longer go on like this,” one immediately is brought face to face with the most thwarted and … Read More

Posted in Our Catholic Identity, Wherein Fr. Z Rants | Tagged ,
2 Comments

Happy Birthday Holy Father!

Say a prayer today for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, whose birthday it is today. The Holy Father is 84 years old. A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, in a spirit of filial devotion, devoutly recite … Read More

Posted in Pope of Christian Unity | Tagged ,
11 Comments