ROME DAY 19: Altar v. Altar, Heart, Food Play

In Rome the Sunrise was at 7:27.  Sunset will be at 18:22.  Ave Maria at 18:30, this time.  See?

For the Sunday, the pastor at Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini asked me if I would be celebrant for the principle Mass.  I was very pleased to say yes.  Moreover, it happened that I was able to take my own intention, and so I celebrated Mass for the CRACK EXPERT TIGER TEAM who had moved the blog during the previous night.

The Mass had lovely music and the place was very full.  It was wonderful once again to hear booming back hundreds of voices.  I was reminded of those great Masses at St. Agnes.  Those many years ago.

I got to start Mass by throwing stuff at people.  It’s their turn after all.

Meanwhile, back in the USA, they used a new set of vestments which I just had made for the TMSM.  The vocation director for the Diocese celebrated the Missa Cantata.

I think he has someone in his sights.

For those of you whose diocesan vocations director doesn’t celebrate for you the Traditional Mass, all I can say is … neener neener neener.  That and… get to work!  Be inviting.  Work on it!

Meanwhile, back in Rome.

Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, back in Rome.  I had a much better painting over my altar.   BTW… I celebrated my third Mass here.

Meanwhile, decked out with the new gear… not too bad.

The high point.

After Mass people commented that it seemed to them that I had done this before.

Yes, I have done this before.

The properly trained priest of the Roman Rite, knows his Rite.  We had men from three countries as sacred ministers.  Even if I had not been able to speak the languages of the ministers and servers, it wouldn’t have made a difference.  We had Latin.  The congregation in the chuch was as diverse as you will find anywhere on Earth.  MORE, I imagine.  In so many places, parishioners are fragemented from each other, by languages in the Novus Ordo, or between the TLM and the Novus Ordo.

Please, Lord, this time of division needs unity like never before.  Open the hearts and minds of pastors and bishops to embrace the full riches available in the Latin tradition of our Latin Church.  Your faithful who want this unity across borders, cultures and countless waves of our forebears are now the most marginalized people in the Church.  If they will open their hands and hearts also in works of mercy, there is nothing this creative minority cannot achieve in the revitalization of the Church, if it is Your will that she endure beyond the present generation.  Warm them to put aside all that divides them from each other.  I now also ask the Saints of the Roman Canon to intercede and to ask the High Priest Victim for inspiration and courage for priests not to be afraid to put out into the deep, to be willing to work and to learn and to make mistakes with cordial daring.  Please, O Mary, Queen of the Clergy, put your mantle over my petition and make it your own, and deploy the Holy Angels, over whom you are also Queen, to charge in and dispel all that might come from doubt or fear or reserve due to any smallness of spirit or from the Enemy of the soul who will rave in terror at this my petition.  Joseph, Terror of Demons, protect us and help us to build what is good, true and beautiful.  Michael, defend us.  I ask all this through the Holy Name.  Amen.

There was, as usual, a coffee hour after the Roman Mass.  There may have been something stronger on a sideboard.   The parish was grateful for the help we – YOU READERS – gave in bringing the fundraising for the baptismal font to completion.  They thanked me with the gift of a vestment, so that in the USA I would think of the parish.  As if I wouldn’t.  Sniff.

Almost to be used as new Superman cape.

After the reception, to local restaurant for lunch with The Great Roman™.  His youngest son was with us.  A great kid.  He had questions about how I and his father met and when.  So, we told some stories.

We three started with coratella, heart, lung, liver, etc.  Roman and more Roman.  This will put Roman heart into you!  It is amazing when stir fried with artichokes (more coming soon but not quite back in season).

Rabbit, rolled, stuffed with sausage and herbs.  It melted in the mouth.  The sauce was of carrot and parsley.

After, some chocolate cake and a sweet Cannellino.

Sunday was a lovely and memorable day, a great relaxation as we move into a new and extremely busy week.

I am so grateful to you readers, to benefactors who send support, to the community here.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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5 Comments

  1. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Rabbit with carrot sauce! Ha!

    I loved the sauce art, too. That one, even I could do! I’ll remember it.

  2. Argument Clinician says:

    Regarding the petition for the unity of Latin language in the Latin Church: I once heard a priest at daily Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica urge the congregation to pray the Our Father, even if they didn’t know Italian. “Pray in your own language, but just pray!” He’s right to urge the faithful not to let the language of the rite prevent them from praying, but how silly to give the instruction in Italian! Father, everyone who understands you can pray the Padre Nostro in Italian, and everyone who doesn’t know the Padre Nostro can’t understand you instruct them to pray in their own language. You’ve got the right idea, but why don’t we all just use Latin, especially in a church full of pilgrims from everywhere in the world?!

    I’ve been to Mass in sixteen different languages, and how much I would love to pray with Lithuanians and Icelanders and Basques in our common and mother tongue.

  3. CasaSanBruno says:

    My last parish used to have Masses in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. A 12 year old Vietnamese girl (after a very long and linguistically jumbled prayers of the faithful at Easter Vigil) asked the obvious question: “Wouldn’t it be easier if the Church just had one language for her rites?” Ex ore infantium.

  4. veritas vincit says:

    When I was stationed in Europe I heard NO Masses in several languages. I didn’t know enough of any language other than English, but I could follow along in the liturgy. And the people around me understood.

    I fear that for most Latin Rite Catholic congregations almost anywhere in the world, a Latin Mass will be understood by no one. Maybe that should not be the case, but it is. I’m not sure that having a “common language” is the best reason for Latin in the modern world — at least not unless Catholic schools and catechical programs teach Latin.

  5. mo7 says:

    We attended TLM in Montreal. It was fascinating how you couldn’t tell the English speakers from the French in the congregation until afterwards when we were out on the sidewalk. The sermon was in French, so I reread the lesson and gospel. It was a great experience of big ‘C’s’ Catholic Church for me and my children.

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