I occasionally receive questions about or photos of boys “playing Mass”.
I received a photo from a reader of a lad being helped by a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. (NB: She is neither serving nor is she trying to shove junior out of the way).
His grave expression reveals a better ars celebrandi than is found in many suburban parishes.
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (NO – 3rd Ordinary) 2021Our pastor had a timely message. He stated he noticed an increase in a malaise that was endangering people’s spiritual...
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (NO – 3rd Ordinary) 2021today was good. serious exhortations to increase the priority of prayer and Scripture and to leave behind those things that...
on “Here is a link to a Newsreel from 1949 that seems as if it is from another planet.”In his 1949 Inaugural Address Pres. Truman used the word "democracy" or "democratic" 12 times. The usage of "democracy" rather...
on Daily Rome Shot 58Aha! If I am not mistaken, this is the passageway that leads from the Campo de' Fiori through the semicircle...
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (NO – 3rd Ordinary) 2021Fr. Tornes, a retired priest raised in my parish who has come back to help out the priest with the...
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (NO – 3rd Ordinary) 2021I think this clip of Orson Welles as Father Mapple giving his great sermon in the 1958 movie "Moby Dick"...
on Of Benedictines, Books and BeerLast night, my wife and I had dinner at an authentically Italian restaurant in Venice, Florida. They were out of...
on The pub that survived the Great Plague is shut down by Covid-1984It is about destroying businesses, not about health. That has to first be acknowledged. 
on The pub that survived the Great Plague is shut down by Covid-1984To Anita M: given the location in centre of Oxford its got to be worth at least a couple of... on The pub that survived the Great Plague is shut down by Covid-1984To Anita M: given the location in centre of Oxford its got to be worth at least a couple of... on Of Benedictines, Books and BeerStill not shipping to the UK unfortunately. I have been looking forward to sampling their beers for a while 
on The pub that survived the Great Plague is shut down by Covid-1984Have they checked if the ravens are still at the Tower? 
on ASK FATHER: Coming late to Mass and reception of Holy CommunionThe question of whether one may receive if late to a Mass is a distinct question from whether one has...
on The pub that survived the Great Plague is shut down by Covid-1984Why don’t the locals do something about this? If they won’t, maybe they deserve to lose it. on Daily Rome Shot 58@ThePapalCount...sadly, now that Trastevere has become the hot new boho scene in Rome, with marijuana dispensaries dotted here and there,... on The pub that survived the Great Plague is shut down by Covid-1984Now I'm cheesed off. After an afternoon punting on the Thames there's nothing for it but a pint with fish...
on The Popes’ guts, martyrdom and YOUThe last six months or so, our family has been asking the North American Martyrs and the Martyrs of Compiegne...
on ASK FATHER: Coming late to Mass and reception of Holy CommunionI have a family history about this question. I grew up in a somewhat odd milieu: my people had been...
on ASK FATHER: Coming late to Mass and reception of Holy CommunionFor those who believe one absolutely must receive communion at every Mass (a very 20th century concept, even if one...
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc.
Loading ...If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
Loading ...
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Wow Look at that fiddle back chasuable ! Good to see a young man “Practicing” !!!
Sia Lodatto Gesu Christo! :)
and, might I add? that chausible is more that what you see in many parishes
The grave expression is, indeed, rather striking.
I also remember a short video posted here some time ago where the little guy was giving the “Ecce Agnus Dei” but was becoming confused, spinning around and around, between versus populum and versus apsidum.
Here we see a perfect reflection of the ideal solemnity required for offering the sacrifice. Pretty cool.
I used to “play Mass” as a child, but I was more focused on being the budding “choirmaster” :) but I cannot claim to have had the right ideas of solemnity and sacrality like the boy in the picture seems to have.
Of course if he was playing ad orientum we wouldn’t be commenting on his grave expression at all!
Wonderful.
What is the woman in the photo wearing? I have some faint memory somewhere of having seen it before somewhere maybe but I can’t remember what it was called.
Certainly the altar is set-up like a table, therefore they think it’s the ‘table’ of our communal meal, they must not even believe in the real presence! o{];-)
@TopSully–that is the Habit of a Dominican Nun God bless her. Every time I see a Nun in a Habit or a Priest in his Clerical it directs my mind like a laser to the transcendent. I am instantly reminded that this is not all there is and my day is brighter for it. These days, at least where I live, you’d be more likely to spot Bigfoot then a Priest in Clericals or a Nun in a habit. Sad :(
Indulgentiam, I think TopSully’s tongue was firmly planted in cheek.
At least I got a chuckle from the comment.
–Guy
Oh! They are the most wonderful nuns!! They came to our parish two years ago, and I have pictures of my girls with that very sister. They also have a children’s program that runs on EWTN during the afternoon hours (or at least they used to). We’ve been privileged to receive visits from the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist as well as the Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, both full habit-wearing, Magesterium-following orders. Fr. does what he can to foster vocations, and my own daughters have been able to see firsthand the beauty and worthiness of how real nuns should conduct themselves. It’s always an honor to have them visit.
On a slight side note, I noticed on Holy Thursday at our parish that the girl altar servers were dressed in different new robes than the boys – they looked appropriately feminine (like the top of the Dominican habit with a sash around the waist; kind of well, girly), and their role was minimal – more so than I’ve ever noticed before. The boys’ robes are more like scaled-down versions of a priest’s vestments. On Good Friday, it was males only, and what a sight to behold!! It brought tears to my eyes to see so many of our young men serving, and I can only pray that we will soon see more than a few of them open to the calling. Fr. is making subtle changes for the better here and there – brick by brick; may his efforts bring great fruit!
This does not seem to me to be play, but some rather serious instruction about the Mass, no doubt for the benefit of a larger group of students. The term “Heavenly Banquet” on the chalkboard looks to be the right-most of a longer list.
Children being taught about the Mass in all seriousness by a sister who wears a habit, and a young one, at that. What fortunate students those are!!
Pingback: What Difference Does Heaven Make - Big Pulpit
God bless those Dominicans, and our own Nashville Dominicans! Their distinctive habits-and their holy, faithful lives- do my heart good every day. Any child taught by them will be taught the Faith well and accurately.
Ah! It makes me wish the retreat in May were already here. :)
Turn around kid,lol. awesome!
Pingback: Jouer à la Messe, c’est sérieux ! | Riposte-catholique