I have had notes from reader about good things going on.
First, I call your attention to a good initiative in the Diocese of Burlington (Vermont). A new group has been established called the St. Philip Neri Latin Mass Chaplaincy. I am very much in favor of St. Philip Neri. Included in the email was this:
There will be a special High Mass in the Extraordinary Form on
Tuesday, August 1, 2017, at 6pm, for the feast day of Saint Peter in Chains, followed by veneration of the relic of the chain of Saint Peter. The Diocese of Burlington is the only diocese outside of Rome to possess a link of the chain of Saint Peter. It was brought to Vermont by the first bishop of the diocese, Bishop Louis de Goesbriand (served 1853 to 1899), given to him by Blessed Pius IX. The chain link is stored in the diocesan archives and is only taken out for special occasions, so this is a rare opportunity to see and venerate the relic. The Mass will be celebrated in the basement chapel of the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph, 20 Allen Street, Burlington, Vt., by Father Brian O’Donnell, the chaplain of the Saint Philip Neri Latin Mass Chaplaincy, recently erected by Bishop Christopher J. Coyne. Father O’Donnell celebrates the Extraordinary Form six days a week there.Facebook event: HERE
In other news, my friend Fr. Dave Ireland wrote with news about the Solemn Mass celebrated there by His Eminence Francis Card. Arinze (Card. Bp of my diocese!) at their parish in S. Euclid, OH. PHOTOS
Moreover, in Philadelphia there has revitalized a community of Carmelite women, who have now a chaplain from the FSSP.
From the Office for Clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
Dear Brother Priests and Deacons,
On behalf of Bishop Fitzgerald, who works closely with the many religious communities serving our local Church as part of his pastoral and administrative responsibilities, I write to share joyful news.
Today, six nuns from the Carmelite Monastery of Valpraiso, Nebraska, and four nuns from the Carmelite Monastery of Elysburg, Pennsylvania, transferred to the Carmelite Monastery of Saint Joseph and Saint Anne in Philadelphia. As a result of these transfers, there is now a community of twelve nuns in the Philadelphia Carmel, which was founded in 1902. Since that time it has been home to generations of Discalced Carmelite nuns who have dedicated themselves to a cloistered life of contemplation and prayer for the good of us all.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 26th, the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, all are invited to a Solemn High Mass at the Carmel and are welcome to greet the new sisters in the “speakroom” of the convent following the liturgy. Details are below.
Philadelphia Carmel
1400 66th Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19126
Concert of Sacred Music at 6:15 p.m.
Solemn High Mass at 7:00 p.m.
Celebrant: Rev. William Allen, FSSP, Chaplain for the Philadelphia Carmel
Homilist: Most Reverend Michael J. FitzgeraldN.B. Clergy in attendance are requested to wear choir dress.
For additional information on the Philadelphia Carmel, please visit http://www.discalcedcarmelitesphila.org/. Kindly consider sharing this invitation broadly with others and join in praying for the Carmelite community in Philadelphia. Thank you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Msgr. Daniel J. Sullivan
Vicar for Clergy
In the balance this is great news.
Good things are happening. The riches of the Church’s treasury have been opened up and put to good use again. The ripple effects will be manifold. It takes a while to build a beautiful thing, and so we must be patient and we must – above all – persevere in our efforts.
Never allow yourselves to be discouraged. Go forward. Get organized. “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”, with rumors – probably designed to make the trad community go bananas, react sharply and without filters. Then they can point and say, “See how awful they are? The old Mass needs to be suppressed!” Think about it.
¡Hagan lío!
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In that picture of Solemn Mass, is the thurifer leading the way out? with lit incense?
Deo Gratias- let a Non Nobis and Te Deum be sung!
The story of the Carmels of Jesus, Mary and Joseph continues to be remarkable. Cristo Rey (a Carmelite convent founded from Guadalajara in the 1920’s)in San Francsico sent out a foundation to Las Vegas some years ago, but the city was expanding and they needed some place more conducive to Carmelite life. So they moved the foundation, the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to Valparasio NE (Lincoln Diocese, be it noted) in 2001 with something like 13 nuns. Our daughter entered in 2007 when they had already grown to 26 nuns.
Valparaiso made its first foundation in 2009, sending nine nuns to Elysburg, PA. In these eight years Elysburg has grown to twenty-nine nuns. Valparaiso made another foundation in Berkeley (Kensington), Ca 2012, and it presently has six nuns. Just this February Valparaiso made another foundation of six nuns in Post Falls, Idaho, near Coeur d’Alene. And a few days ago, July 22nd , they sent the six nuns to the Philadelphia Carmel to re-found it, with four from Elysburg. Valparaiso is also sent an additional three nuns to Post Falls this July 22nd.
So just this year Valparaiso will have sent out fifteen nuns on foundations, but here is the stupefying part: After having sent out all these nuns, they still have 36 nuns in that convent! Yet, unless they are planning on making a foundation, they are only supposed to have 21 nuns. And though a spacious and beautiful convent, it is only built for 21 nuns. So with the current population and the continual influx of vocations, there is a real necessity to continue making foundations. Sr. Lucia tells me this kind of growth is without precedent in the order. Mother Teresa, I know, attributes this growth to the Latin Mass and Office, and to living the Carmelite life as close to the way St Teresa of Avila lived it as possible.
Father, Does this not seems a partial fulfillment of Dr. Eric de Saventhem’s quote ( in your earlier post today): “A renaissance will come: asceticism and adoration as the main- spring of direct total dedication to Christ will return. . . . Religious will regroup themselves into houses of strict observance.” In reality, though, this is not a regrouping, for these vocations are all new to religious life, young women eager to live a life of asceticism and prayer, a Carmelite springtime.
Nudius tertius, reversus sum domum de monasterio Visitationis in Alabama, ubi celebravimus sic dictum Cenaculum, sive conventum Catholicorum linguae Latinae faventium. Una hebdomada conati sumus nullam aliam adhibuisse linguam praeter linguam Latinam: ne in colloquiis quidem nostris mutuis. Aderant plurimi sacerdotes, Sancta celebrabatur Missa singulis diebus mane, horis statutis cecinimus liturgiam horarum in capella, auscultavimus acroases latinas in aula, lusimus pila post prandium in horto et vespere fructi sumus colloquiis latinis diversis de rebus ad Ecclesiam necnon ad studium sermonis romani pertinentibus. Agitur tamen potius de re Catholica quam de re scholastica, nam bona pars participantium erant adulescentuli, tirones qui nuper coeperunt linguam discere latinam. Omnes refocillati sumus hoc eventu spirituali quo homines diversis e regionibus (non tantummodo Americae Septentrionalis) convenire solent. Si cuique placeat plura de his rebus nosse perquisitio facienda est de Familia Sancti Hieronymi. Multo plus valet hujuscemodi participare eventu quam amaro animo totius plangere orbis impietatem.
I am pretty sure that the Philadelphia Carmel was instrumental in promoting the canonization
of St. Therese of Lisieux back in the day. As a result, they were entrusted with some very important relics of and pertaining to her.
This infusion of new blood that is both young and faithful is a wonderful thing for the Carmelites and for the Church.
Do the Carmelite sisters have a traditional third order attached to them? I have been searching for third order Carmelites who use the older books and the Latin Mass.
@chantgirl
The Sister themselves don’t directly have third orders ; instead usually the third orders are administered by the Friars. There are two true Carmelite third order groups: the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites- OCDS (for the Discalced) and the Third order Carmelites- TOC (For the O.Carms/ Carmelites of the Ancient Observance.
I am a Carmelite Friar and I know that our third order members are required to pray the Divine Office in full, and I can’t think of anything that would preclude you using the Latin Breviary. I do not know if the Discalced have this requirement. However, you’re more likely to find a Tridentine Mass at a Discalced Monastery of Nuns, though very few use it on a regular basis.
Not sure if any of that information was actually helpful. :)
Thanks, Father Z for these reminders. I especially liked your “I don’t think it would make a lot of difference (i.e. if Pope Francis overturns SP): this thing is going to continue one way or another,” in your other post. I believe that and I accept my responsibility as a priest to insure that. I’m convinced that the Usus Antiquior, alive and well in the Church, is vital to the Church’s living its vocation to holiness and its call to mission today and in the future. Hagamos lio!
I’d also like to add that as of yesterday, Burlington is also the home of the newest chapter of Juventutem (in N. America, at least)
https://www.facebook.com/JuventutemBurlington/
A fun, Cardinal Arinze-inspired anecdote from years past…when His Eminence came to my small, Catholic, liberal arts college in Florida many years ago (3 guesses), there was so much incense used during the Mass that it set the fire alarms off in our interim chapel space. Considering that we were probably at about 200% legal capacity for the fire code at that time, it certainly did make for a memorable celebration of the Sacrament! Afterwards, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with H.E. and chat for a few brief moments. I came away with a sense of his humility and great love for our Church that has remained with me to this day!
Domnall says:
… you’re more likely to find a Tridentine Mass at a Discalced Monastery of Nuns, though very few use it on a regular basis.
I can think of 4 offhand:
Agnew, Nebraska;
Elysburg Pennsylvania;
Kensington, California;
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The last three are all recent daughterhouses of the first,
The Solemn Pontifical High Mass said by Cardinal Arinze was truly a beautiful thing. The church seats about 600-650 people. I can attest to the fact that every seat was full and there were probably another 50-75 people standing in the back during the liturgy. Afterwards the Cardinal gave a very well attended talk where he answered questions from audience members about a variety of topics.
I was privileged to participate in the K of C honor guard for what could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
They also have relics from her parents. :)
And now Philadelphia :)
The NE Carmel and it’s foundations are obviously flourishing. No doubt Pope Francis is saddened because rigidity is spreading exponentially.