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About this blog…
“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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651-447-6265YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: “All things aside, I can’t help but wonder what place is depicted in the painting. Is it a Roman basilica?…”
on 17 September 1621 – St. Robert Bellarmine – Doctor and Pot Scrubber of the Church – 400th anniversary of his death: “When visiting Rome several years ago, discerning a possible vocation to the Society of Jesus, a good friend of mine,…”
on 17 September 1621 – St. Robert Bellarmine – Doctor and Pot Scrubber of the Church – 400th anniversary of his death: “Everybody wants a translation. So disappointing. Isn’t there one person – at least one – who might want to read…”
on 17 September 1621 – St. Robert Bellarmine – Doctor and Pot Scrubber of the Church – 400th anniversary of his death: “Thank you for this! Wondering what – if any – audiobooks of works of Doctor St. Robert there are, I…”
on 17 September 1621 – St. Robert Bellarmine – Doctor and Pot Scrubber of the Church – 400th anniversary of his death: “If you live in Cincinnati, the blasted shame is that when you hear the name “Bellarmine” you instinctively think of…”
on 17 September 1621 – St. Robert Bellarmine – Doctor and Pot Scrubber of the Church – 400th anniversary of his death: “In case some do not know, you can buy Kindle books and then use the Amazon app to read them…”
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: “The SSPX has an amazing podcast series (Crisis in the Church). The podcast dedicated a couple hours to this question.”
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: “That painting looks like the Map Room scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/indianajones/images/2/29/Staff_of_Ra.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070623021844”
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: “The “spirit of V-2” is the modernist attempt to weaponize the Council via the hermeneutic of rupture. One could wonder…”
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: “I think it goes back to a correct understanding of the operation of the Holy Spirit on the Church, or…”
on Biden, Abortion and Can. 915: “KateD: Good point, thanks. “There’s a new restaurant on the moon, Buzz Aldrin’s BBQ Shack. Great food, no atmosphere.””
on Benedict XVI breaks silence: intro to new volume in an anthology series – includes thoughts on “same-sex unions”: “The La Nuova Bussola piece really puts it well concerning the present pontificate.”
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: ““My point is that just because an authority does something authoritative, that makes what he did good.“ You meant to…”
on ASK FATHER: Is it sinful to make or use fake papers, vaccine passports, or false documents?: “To Sportsfan: Check out Amateur Scholastic and Man o’ words. :) :) And there are always ways to mislead without…”
on Can Ecumenical Councils ever be failures?: “A very important distinction: The Church and her personnel. Not everything that the personnel do, that a churchman does, is…”
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My son was accepted to both Seton Hall and Rutgers. Still waiting to hear from Stevens Institute and Montclair State.
While there is not a ton of good church news….this morning I saw the plans for the new church my pastor plans to build and it will be gorgeous! It is to be modeled on the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi and as a Third Order Franciscan I am very pleased about that.
Father, given that even some limitedly and moderately good news is still good …
This evening I came across some bottles of the American Trappist Spencer Pale Ale that you have referred to at least once in your blog, and it is as amazingly delicious as you promised.
Unusually among Trappist beers, it is simultaneously an industrial lager 100% (technically), and an artisan craft beer 100%, because the monks at St Joseph’s in Massachusetts provide all of the craft and industry themselves, and clearly use only the finest and purest ingredients and recipes.
And crikes, it is tasty !!!
Unquestionably the best beer I’ve ever come across from North of the Mexican border (personal tastes might conceivably diverge concerning beers from south of that border), and it is an instant addition to my top 5 favourite beers (two of which now only exist in diminished ersatz form, unless you can actually get to stay in the Monastery in question).
Thank you Father for recommending it, and may I second the recommendation ? Spencer Trappist Indian Pale Ale is amazingly good — I’ve little doubt that their other ales are equally impressive.
After a 10 day hiatus (mom’s doctoring: 88 & daily rosary warrior & my own).. Returned to the Monastery of Bethlehem Livingston manor ny & the sisters are still praying for the Church & the world!
Ooooo, I’ve been waiting for a ‘good news’ post!
On December 12th, St. John the Evangelist parish in Townsend MA celebrated (what I believe is) the first Traditional Latin Mass since the new building was erected. Built as a NO, there is no ‘real’ altar, but Fr. Jason Worthley turned ‘ad orientum
Oops, didn’t finish…
…and did a fine job. Please pray for him & the parish, that this effort may continue.
My mother had a minor heart attack just after Christmas and she is recovering really well.
I snagged a certain priest for my parish Lenten Mission.
Due to a mysterious health problem last year, we racked up thousands of dollars in medical bills. The local hospital, where procedures were done, offers financial assistance, and after only 2 weeks, I got notice that we qualify for 100% financial assistance. The entire balance, $999, was covered!
Another bit of good news: Although we got more than a foot of snow yesterday, as of now all the streets in my neighborhood are plowed, and none of our cars broke down!
Chesterton Academy will soon visit the Byzantine Church of St John.
Our parish in the Archdiocese of Washington has 90 altar boys, which means 5 altar boys per mass. They are well schooled and so reverent in their actions at mass. No sloppiness here. At Holy Thursday Mass, we have a special ceremony where the priest bestows on the new altar boys their altar robes. Last year there were 20 young boys who participated. The altar boys are thriving at our church which is very traditional and that is due to our wonderful priest.
Do I have good news for elevation and edification? – well, maybe not anything that would impress anyone much, unless they are very considerate of the small joys we lesser Christians sometimes are blessed with – but, this Christmas season, all (not many, not most, all) of the old people I know well seemed closer to the Lord than they had the Christmas before. What I mean to say is, I am someone who looks to my fellow Christians, whether they like me or not, with the hope that they will pray – pray effectively – for me — and for some reason that I cannot explain (similar, in its modest way, maybe, to those small miracles of healing that the Blesseds like to provide, even though they are not actual verified miracles and never will be – but who cares?, they made someone happy – I am fairly certain that someone like Solanus Casey has done this, not hundreds of times, not thousands of times, but hundreds of thousands of times), anyway, for some reason I can’t explain, whenever I tried to pray for some of my older friends this Christmas season, I had a feeling of comfort I have never had in any previous Christmas season – a feeling that one or more of the old people I was praying for did not really need my prayers at all, and were in fact praying for me at that exact same time (and I need their prayers!). That being said, at the church I go to, every single sermon was preached with Christian enthusiasm and love, from the first Sunday of Advent on, so maybe all I am relating is the good effect I profited from, due to the prayerful and kind efforts of the priests in my parish. Well I missed one sermon due to the flu, and I wish I hadn’t.
Sorry if this seems like a sloppy and possibly not accurate piece of good news. I would not have written this comment last year, or the year before, or the year before that. So, sloppy or not, it was, to that extent, accurate and heart-felt.
My FSSP parish at home is preparing to build a much-needed larger church, and here at college I have found many more students who are open to or prefer the TLM than I expected, even just in my freshman class.
Our 24 year old daughter has returned to our Catholic faith. She was an atheist and a feminist and we never thought we would see the day that she would return home . She hated the Church.
Thank you Lord. Words can not explain the joy in our hearts. Never give up praying. I consecrated her to Our Blessed Mother and also have a special devotion to The Infant of Prague. I attend daily mass and offered many many masses for her.
Witnessing a conversion is a powerful experience, when it is your child though the joy is almost too much to bear.
Never cease praying especially all of you Mothers . Mothers prayers are special
Into the 2nd round of interviews for a job, please pray people.
Our first child is due on the 10th February, and so far it’s all looking good. Our local(ish) priest is very happy to baptise him/her in the traditional rite, and we’ve got the godparents sorted.
On a very different tack, after reading Patrick O’Brian I’ve got an urge to start drinking sherry, and it seems sherry is underpriced because it’s so unfashionable. Bibulous bargains beckon!
My photo of the confessional at Santo Stefano in Assisi is going to be published in a forthcoming book on church architecture by one of the priest-professors at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. It’s in the galley proofs. I can’t tell you too much about the book itself, as it’s in Spanish, but as Fr Z always says (and I say frequently in my homilies) …
Go to confession.
It really is such a beautiful gift we’ve received.
Transition to forced retirement proceeding well. Schedule of LOTH, daily Mass, lectio divina, Adoration, rosary, going to the gym when it isn’t crowded, what’s not to like?
A family member was diagnosed with ALS early last year. He’s a lapsed RC, and has steadfastly been resisting efforts for spiritual and medical care. He’s down now 60 pounds and has difficulty with all of his normal bodily functions.
The family RC prayer warriors have been storming heaven for months. Finally, two days ago he agreed to see an ALS MD and get palliative care. Hallelujah! Thank you Blessed Virgin, Saint Joseph, Saint Rita and you Guardian Angels! We continue to pray for his reconversion.
I went on the March for Life with the Institute of Christ the King and had a WONDERFUL time! I was so proud to be there!
I have been hired as a full time employee at the company I have been temping at!!! This after 7 years of unemployment/ temp work when I could get it.
The baby I asked for prayers here a year ago because he has a rare chromosomal anomaly and was supposed to die with in a week of birth is almost 14 months old
I had a cancer test last week and everything is clear.
Over the last couple of years, since we welcomed our current pastor, and then when we unexpectedly were granted a parochial vicar as well, the use of Latin at Mass has been steadily moving forward! The last 2 Advents and Lents, we have been singing Latin(/Greek) chant Ordinaries, and starting this past 1st Sunday of Advent, we began singing the “Salve Regina” at the end of every Mass, which is printed in our new Pew Missals in neumes! We sing it just before the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, which our Pastor started almost as soon as he got here! We had a High Latin Mass for the Feast of St. Raphael, which we also did last year. Every First Friday evening is a low EF Mass, and on Wednesdays at 5:30 is what Father calls a “Latin/English” Mass, which is probably the Novus Ordo done partly in Latin. It might not seem like much to those of you who are used to it, but as Fr. Z says, “Brick by brick …!”
frjim4321: Praise be to God, Father.