Brick by Brick in Minneapolis

From a reader comes this news…

Father,

Here are a few photos from last nights beautiful Confirmation and Mass in our Archdiocese. Last night it was very encouraging to see so much effort put forward by so many for the traditional liturgy.
Confirmations in the Traditional Rite followed by a Pontifical High Mass at the Faldstool took place June 7th, 2017, at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, MN celebrated by the Most Reverend Andrew Cozzens. The music, featuring Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli, was provided by the Chorus Omnium Sanctorum. Confirmands from five area parishes participated and nearly 700 were in attendance.

The photos he sent.  Brick by brick.

 

 

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About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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25 Comments

  1. mepoindexter says:

    Wow.

  2. Legisperitus says:

    The vestments almost look rosacea. Must be the exposure.

  3. YellowRoses says:

    I love that the Confirmandi are wearing proper (aka enough) clothes…they look like First Communicants again…or all dressed up for a Wedding.

  4. PostCatholic says:

    I thought pink was only for Advent and Lent? Are there other events where it’s used? [First, it’s not “pink”. Next, why would it be used for a confirmation?]

  5. Roy Hobbes says:

    So nice to see things such as this in my old church. Was a member at the Basilica for more than 15 years before deciding I couldn’t take the liturgical abuses anymore. However, my wife and I went there for a Saturday afternoon mass two months ago as part of my Five First Saturday’s devotions (as my wife and I could not attend our usual morning mass that day). To be honest, I was not sure if I was attending a Catholic mass or pagan ritual. It was that bad.

    I have another anecdote along the same lines. My mother-in-law and her sister have been visiting us the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, after attending a TLM mass, my wife and I wanted to show auntie the church we got married in, as she had not seen the Basilica before. It was about 1pm on a Sunday when we got there. The place itself was bustling. Some special event was taking place, as there we volunteers wearing different colored t-shirts and people coming in with bicycles, walking the bicycles everywhere in the church. There was also a small group congregated on the altar, singing some weird songs with weird instruments. I don’t know if these two groups had any connections, nor did I ask.

    There was also a lady giving a tour of the building to a small group of people. As we were walking around inside the church (with my wife, mother-in-law and aunt all wearing veils… which got looks from the more ‘liberated’ women wearing t-shirts), we happened through the tour group. Inside the Basilica there are 8 (yes eight!) confessionals. I happened to overhear the lady who was leading the tour group say that when the Basilica was built and consecrated back in 1914, there were eight priests, “…but we have only one now, BUT he is such a GREAT one.” (I just shook my head when I heard that one as I knew who she was talking and, to put it nicely, I disagreed with her assessment). She then said that these “cute” confessionals were no longer needed, because “…in 1963, the Church changed the way they do confessions with Vatican II.” (Her words, not mine). She then went on to point out that each of the confessionals has, in latin, a saying engraved therein. “Be careful, though, as they start out very harsh at one end. But they do get more ‘merciful’.” I again just shook my head. I then observed each of the sayings on the confessionals (which are now used as closets), and every single one of them, in Latin, was a verse from the Bible (mostly New Testament, IIRC). I was tempted to go up to the lady and ask her if the ‘harsh’ penance sayings over the confessional taken from the Bible were simply incorrect, but I knew that would get me nowhere.

    We stayed in the Basilica for about 15 minutes. It was loud, bustling, and only a single person praying. Standing back and taking it all in, I just thought to myself what a mockery it has all become. A complete mockery.

    So good to see that the Basilica was recently use for the purpose it was intended.

  6. samwise says:

    Bishop Andrew Cozzens belongs to a thriving order of priests called the Companions of Christ http://www.companionsofchrist.org/. It is awesome to see their range of influence in the Archdiocese, especially liturgically, from TLM to Novus Ordo (English, Spanish and American Sign Language [yes, Mass for the deaf!]). Bishop Cozzens is himself fluent in Spanish and is a great gift to our local Latino population as well!

  7. samwise says:

    Correction on the above: Companions of Christ isn’t an order. Rather, they are Diocesan priests: “We are diocesan priests in every way: we have promised obedience to the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis (our “ordinary”); we are given our parish or other assignments by him; we are paid by the archdiocese; we will live and die here. We believe however that some of the spiritual benefits of the Religious Life can be lived in the diocesan priesthood, namely fraternity and the evangelical counsels. For this spiritual purpose of allowing these tools to help us grow in holiness we have become an association of clerics. This means that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has made a formal agreement with The Companions of Christ that the Archbishop will do his best to let us live our communal way of life”

  8. Matt R says:

    The basilica is beautiful and clearly made for the traditional liturgy.

    His Excellency is one of the youngest American bishops, and he is the first NET Ministries alumnus to be consecrated a bishop. That he has come to celebrate the TLM publicly at least three times is exciting. When the FSSP first asked for Confirmations, Bishop Cozzens was scheduled to sit in choir but decided to learn the Mass and sing it himself. He was so enthused that a month later he went to the FSSP apostolate in Dayton to celebrate Pontifical Low Mass.

  9. Nan says:

    I believe that upon becoming a bishop that No Coxzens was no longer a member. He isn’tlisted anymore.

    My spiritual director is a companion and is a lovely priest. My friends pastor is a member and I believe is the young priest my friend thinks is a saint.

    Someone once described the Cathedral of St Paul to me as a cold, soulless cavern, which is exactly my opinion of the Basilica.

    A family friend, who is the rainbow easiest of the rainbow sash crew, acted
    as sponsor in RCIA a couple of years ago and asked why the archdiocese doesn’t have a standard curriculum. He was upset that they didnt cover the rosary, praying through the intercession of the saints, holy days of obligation…

  10. PostCatholic says:

    That was my question: why (sorry) rose if it’s not one of two particular Sundays of the year?

  11. Nan says:

    I think it’s red, embellished.

  12. Cavaliere says:

    The colors were actually red. Whether it’s because they were for Confirmation or because it was in the octave of Pentecost, or both I don’t know. But they were red.

  13. sibnao says:

    I had two children confirmed at this Mass. The reverence was awe-inspiring. During the Mass, I was singing in the choir, and let me tell you, there is nothing like the sound of Palestrina sung in a space it was written for. We are by no means a professional choir, but the space amplifies the simple beauty.

    By the way, the vestments were a bright red — almost a cherry red, to my eye.

  14. hwriggles4 says:

    My nephew lives in the Twin Cities, and my brother had him go through a two year confirmation program, which was pretty good. I attended his confirmation (flew in for it) and his confirmation was at the Basilica. One thing I liked was at least eight parishes had their confirmations at the same time on a Saturday morning (there was also another group scheduled that afternoon). This made it easier for auxiliary bishop Cozzens to be present, and he gave a homily that was about his youth – and it seemed that the youth present listened.

    Instead of going to Sunday Mass at my brothers parish, I went to 9 am Mass at the Basilica. It was worth the drive, but I think the priest ad libbed portions of Eucharistic Prayer III. I thanked him for the Mass, told him I was from the South (and a revert), and politely asked him about the Eucharistic Prayer. He said there were a few other variations. I didn’t quite buy that, but I do know certain Masses on certain days (like the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) the priest used a different Eucharistic Prayer.

  15. Nan says:

    Hwriggles, I can suggest many options near the Basilica without any ad libs.

  16. hwriggles4 says:

    Nan:

    I would have gone to St. Agnes for the morning Mass, but I didn’t know if I could make my flight home. There is also a parish close to St. Paul where a good solid pastor is prior enlisted Air Force and after ordination now serves as a Chaplain for the Minnesota ANG. As a former EMT/FF and a Catholic revert, I look for a “manly” priest like Fr. Z.

    Another parish I would like to check out in the Twin Cities is Holy Family in St. Louis Park. My brother attends a parish close to Hopkins, and it’s OK, but I prefer something else. Getting around the Twin Cities isn’t too hard either.

    [A good friend is pastor there and another priest friend of decades is the weekend fireman. By all means, check it out.]

  17. Kathleen10 says:

    Really lovely photos. Do people realize this is not the common experience for many Catholics? I myself have never attended a Pontifical Mass or even a High Mass. We don’t have them in our liberal hell-hole, oops, area.
    Roy Hobbes, I feel your pain.

  18. Nan says:

    Hwriggles, I’m familiar with the parishes you mention. The former Cathedral rector is now at Holy Family. St Louis, King of France in St Paul is also very good.

  19. ASPM Sem says:

    Roy Hobbes, the real reason the confessionals at the basilica are no longer used is they are terribly soundproofed and incredibly hot/uncomfortable for priests. That’s what I heard anyways.

    St. Raphael’s in Crystal is also a good parish. Fr. Michael Rudolph, the pastor, is very liturgically minded and Fr. Robert Altier is the associate.

    I was present, sitting in choir with my Fr. Z Biretta Project biretta. The vestments were red, the incense and white decoration just makes them seem rose in the photos.

  20. ASPM Sem says:

    Also, my avatar picture is Bishop Cozzens from the confirmation two years ago at the Cathedral.

  21. discipulus says:

    On related note, I mark 10th anniversary of my own confirmation this fall.

  22. Pingback: SATVRDAY CATHOLICA EDITION | Big Pulpit

  23. Nan says:

    ASPM SEM, aren’tyou from St Raphael?

  24. hilltop says:

    Oh Happy Day! Oh beautiful Mass! Oh beautiful Basilica pining for, and deserving, rich liturgical celebration and finally getting it!
    This should account for more than one brick!

  25. David Meyer says:

    My 2 oldest daughters were confirmed at this mass. Very beautiful mass. I had never been to the Basilica, and wow… what a beautiful church. The bishops homily was also well said. Kudos to the very hard work put in by the many who made it possible. It was a 3 hour mass by my count, and the altar servers from All Saints deserve medals for their endurance. I couldn’t help daydreaming during the mass that this incredible church might some day be the home of its own FSSP parish. Such a perfect fit liturgically, and to be honest, in the very liberal area this church is located, a traditional mass might actually be something that would draw people in, as the traditional mass makes the architecture “make sense” if that makes sense ;-). We will see, brick by brick as Father Z says.

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