Some things that caught my eye.
Firstly, about the present atmosphere around the Vetus Ordo, His Eminence Gerhard Ludwig Card. Müller ordained priests for the traditional Institute of the Good Shepherd in Courtalain, France. This is a good group. I had lunch with a whole bunch of them after one of the Summorum Pontificum events. The Cardinal preached, obviously. He commented on the antagonism of the Rome toward the Vetus Ordo.
English of the sermon is HERE.
Card. Müller remarked that, after his participation the massive Chartres Pentecost Pilgrimage he had discussion with “a senior representative of the Roman Dicastery for Divine Worship.” My emphasis:
I was still moved by the fidelity of the 20,000 young Catholics with whom I was able to celebrate Holy Mass in the marvelous Cathedral of Chartres on Whit Monday, when he objected that this was by no means a cause for joy, because Holy Mass was celebrated according to the old Extraordinary Latin rite. Indeed, some see the old rite of Holy Mass as a greater danger to the unity of the Church than the reinterpretation of the Creed, or even the absence of Holy Mass. They interpret the preference for the ancient rite as the expression of a sterile traditionalism, more interested in the theatricality of the liturgy than in the living communion with God that it conveys.
What B as in B, S as in S. As I keep repeating, they don’t just dislike the Vetus Ordo, they dislike those who want it. They fear it. They fear you. They perceive it and you as obstacles to their agenda, which over the years is becoming clearer.
They see you as – no, rather, they label you as having psychological problems.
Next, I’ve emerged from a frustrating battle with the “back end” of the blog. I find the timing interesting.
The problem revved up precisely at the time when I was about to start a new Days In Rome campaign for October and precisely when I beginning to offer a chain of Masses for the intention of the preservation of the Vetus Ordo and the spiritual protection of those who desire it.
At the offertory, when I put the drops of water into the chalice, I attach to those drops my intention, asking God to transform them into what we truly need for our good even as the water is transformed into the wine which will become the Most Precious Blood.
BAM. Blog problems. My gratitude to the guys at Federated Computer for the help.
On top of that, after a long hiatus, I started receiving obscene hate mail from “gays” again. It’s pathetic.
It’s pathetic but it’s all of a piece…the repression of the Vetus, the sideways attacks, the verbal abuse from a specific direction…. It’s all of a piece.
On that point: HERE
More items which have caught my eye.
Regarding what I just mentioned, I read at the National Catholic Register, that a Paulist priest – these guys dying out fast and good riddance if this is their thing – celebrated a homosexual-themed Mass at the infamous “Stonewall Inn” in Manhattan. The priest is from the Paulist parish in the area. They had an art exhibit “God is Trans”. Under pressure, the exhibit was renamed to some less stupidly blasphemous. The Archdiocese of New York was, it seems, as unaware of this Mass as it was with that sacrilegious Mass in St. Patrick’s. They should read their email and look at parish bulletins. Also, in DC there was a similar Mass. Lot’s of protest, but the locum tenens refused to deal with it.
LifeSite reports that a certain homosexualist Jesuit was at a conference near Dayton, Ohio.
Delivering his speech in a church on the grounds of the Marianists’ property, Martin stood at a pulpit adorned with a banner that appeared to show Mary holding a transgender flag.
The banner showed a woman wearing a Muslim-style burqa, while clutching onto the transgender “progress” flag. Forming the background on the banner was another “progress” flag.
In an image posted by Martin himself, the Jesuit appeared with the conference organizers, proudly displaying a conference t-shirt that mixed images of Christ and Mary with the rainbow flag. Another participant wore a t-shirt with an image of Our Lady wearing the LGBT flag around her.
Also attending the conference alongside Martin was the controversial transgender-identified “diocesan hermit” – “Brother Christian Cole Matson,” who, though born as Nicole Matson, now presents herself as a man.
Also at LifeSite, there is an op-ed piece by the great Joseph Card. Zen. Zen was recently attacked by a one of those nihil habentes with a webcam, Michael Lofton, for criticizing Fiducia supplicans (the document from Fernandez urging the blessing of “same-sex couples”).
Card. Zen was straight forward in his remarks… a sample:
I must confess that I have often wasted my time following the program “Reason and Theology” of Michael Lofton, this big man with a little beard (who would do well to hide his tattoo when he speaks like a theologian). I have been driven by curiosity to hear the hilarious nonsense he says. This time, however, I saw that he was criticizing me. With great seriousness, he is scandalized that I, who insist so much on the hermeneutics of continuity, now dare to criticize Fiducia supplicans (26-06-2024).
[…]
The rest is blistering and fully merited.
Lastly, if you have some time, EWTN put a video interview on YouTube with the fellow who was the appointed general auditor for Vatican finances. HERE
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“preservation of the Vetus Ordo and the SPIRITUAL PROTECTION of those who desire it”
Amen and thank you for this. The struggle is real. The temptation to wrath and despair can be almost overwhelming at times. The disgust with the ignorance, bile, and cowardice coming from those in the Church leadership who hate us and want to hurt us and those who are charged to protect us and provide for us but continue to abandon us . . . and the apathy – the overwhelming apathy from so many fellow Catholics, priests and laity alike! My personality has never been one where meekness came easy. But apart from write another letter for my bishop to ignore, there isn’t much else I can do except continue to pray and make sacrifices and wait to be crushed.
Reverend Father, I have been your long-term enthusiastic reader, and I don’t understand the tone of your article against M. Lofton. Of course, his views can be criticized and debated with solid arguments (or simply ignored) but attacks ad hominen like Card. Zen has done or your nihil habentes are unworthy of your ranks and dignity.
I have been praying for you with the Sisters, but I thought it was for your health or a difficult situation: this time, I will change my intention for a conversion to charity (art. 2478 CCC). In Cordibus Christi & Mariæ, Luca
[I’m happy for whatever prayers you are willing to offer. In the meantime, I suggest you not watch the fellow in question. I stand with Card. Zen on this one.]
“more interested in the theatricality of the liturgy than in the living communion with God that it conveys.”
The irony here being that I don’t know a single “traditionalist” who doesn’t take their moral and spiritual life seriously.
Maybe next time I forget to do something for my wife, I’ll tell her it was because I’m more into the “living communion” of doing whatever I feel like rather than “theatricality.”
If those in Rome, who are against the Extraordinary Form, cannot see the intrinsic good in the EF, it makes me truly wonder how much they believe in the Mass itself. If they properly understood the Ordinary Form and the needed reverence, focus on the sacrifice, etc etc, they could not possibly go against the EF. Their problem is not with the EF but is reflective of their own loss of faith.
One of the sad ironies is that on our side something like the stunning success of the Chartres pilgrimage is pointed at with joy (even non-trad NYT columnist Ross Douthat gave it a shout-out in a column a few weeks ago), but at the Vatican it’s viewed with horror… it’s gasoline on the fire… all the more reason to triple-down on harassing us.
Oh, no, not at Bergamo! How disgusting.
What it is: It’s a hill surrounded by farmland, between Beavercreek and Kettering. It used to be a retreat and teaching area for the Marianists, and a lot of Marianists were stationed there between postings. There’s a big cemetery full of missionary Marianists there, and a very nice outdoor Stations of the Cross, and a meeting hall, and a museum with art and a workshop, and a church where one of the Korean Catholic “not quite a parish yet” has their home.
But every so often, the church or the hall is also rented out by “interesting” groups.
So yeah, that’s what Martin’s group was doing there. Bah.
I have faithful priest relatives and relations buried there. There are brave confessors buried there. Maybe having been in the vicinity of the faithful dead will soften these foolish people’s heart.
The sad thing is that, if they really were having a conference about the dignity of people suffering from same-sex attraction, they’d have invited an entirely different group of speakers, and everyone involved would be being canceled.
“L’eglise c’est moi!” – Pere Francois
Father, I am still experiencing trouble with viewing your blog on my smartphone. I have no trouble viewing it on my laptop. If the issues are still being worked out, then I will be patient. Otherwise, I am not certain what to do.
Disregard! The blog is now accessible on my phone.
Thank you, Father, for your kind advice. I watch all sorts of YouTubers (but mostly read books) and try to get the best out of each. I’m not too fond of this climate of defiance and calumny or even slander: I’d rather see unity among us. Proverbs 6 states that God has in abomination those who sow discord among the faithful. If done charitably, I could also listen to Protestants to understand their arguments and get trained in apologetics: as long as it is not offensive.
Joannes_Picus says: You do very well to stick to books. I warmly recommend Kristen Lavransdatter. Also, I just started
Codename Nemo: The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and the Elusive Enigma Machine
@Joannes_Picus, I hope I don’t sound blunt, but I think your remark to Fr. Z is not charitable. Perhaps you didn’t intend it that way. I have no idea who Michael Lofton is, but if he criticized Cardinal Zen for his comments on FS, then Michael Lofton does not know his place and should reconsider. Cardinal Zen has had to endure great suffering for his people as a direct result of the Vatican’s doing, as well as other injustices, and he speaks plainly but actually shows great restraint, considering what he sees in China and in Rome. Michael Lofton is committing a great injustice, if he has criticized Cdl. Zen for being one of our very few faithful Cardinals willing to put himself on the line for the faith and his people. Would that we in America had a Cardinal Zen.
It is relentlessly confounding, and how often we see it, that very good Catholics, obviously sincere, will see weakness and “politeness” as Christian virtues, and when the actual evildoers are called out, they are the first to want to chastise the ones who call them out. This is probably under an imagined ideal of civility or “obedience” as being key virtues. We’ve become afraid to speak plainly and even emasculated. Our church and world suffer from lack of testosterone and too much estrogen. Evil has taken over. The climate in the church is one of oppression. Let’s not add to it.
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