I have a comparatively short trip to Rome coming up. First, a couple days with a priest friend in Brooklyn, which breaks up the journey and puts a buffer into the flights. A couple weeks in Rome. The same coming home. To this purpose, I asked for some donations for my expenses and some of you jumped right in. NB: I will have to do another fund drive later for April and May (Holy Week, etc.) in case some of you might want to wait. That will be a heavier load to lift, due to high season, etc.
So far my airfare is covered. I could use a bit more for per diem and my rent (which I pay in 3 month blocks).
Thanks, so far this time, to:
JL, SAS, JL, JK, MH, GF, KM, VD, DLS, HL, TB, DvdH, LD, KK, AC, GW, DM, T&MLG.
Today:
DH (designated for flowers for the apartment!)
Meanwhile,
Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links. US HERE – UK HERE WHY? This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc.. At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.
In churchy news….
This is ironic. Bishops in these USA seem to have genuinely desired to promote greater faith in and reverence for the Eucharist. However, when people want to show greater faith in and reverence for the Eucharist – by kneeling – some bishops (or their controlling apparatchiks) rush to stifle the groundswell of devotion.
For example, we all saw the scrambled message of the prelate of the Windy City, who argued – I am not making this up: Kneeling in a procession interferes with the procession (never mind that processions can stop at stations for prayer, etc.). The movement at Mass of the congregation to receive Communion is a procession. Thus, kneeling to receive Communion is contrary to the Communion procession. BUT… there’s more… since processions are a tradition, and because kneeling is against processions, therefore kneeling to receive Communion is against tradition.
In normal circumstances, most people would not even imagine trying to concoct this.
QUAERITUR: Could this be a liturgical application of “walking together”?
Now we read that the Archdiocese of the Five Boroughs, sent out a note that pastors should not be putting altar rails into their churches because “there is no need” for them.
According to the memo, more and more people want communion rails. The writer doesn’t know why… or said… she? doesn’t know why, which is more likely. I’m going with “she” for the pronoun. It works either way.
Priests would not be trying to put in rails this unless, a) they saw the need and b) people wanted them enough to pay for them. But, no, ignore story after story, articles and videos one after another, about young people who want a more traditional and muscular expression of their Faith, about converts multiplying where Tradition is offered. Really! You are obliged by their will to accept this claim on the authority of the memo-writers: “there is no need”.
WHY is there “no need”, you ask?
Because the rules says so, you ignorant backwardist!
This from those who ignore the rules (canon law, procedure) when it suits their ends.
(Were altar girls against the rules? Just asking.)
There is no need for Communion rails because the RULES says so!
What are those rules? The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Novus Ordo) says that the reception posture is standing. Therefore, no kneeling. Therefore, no rails are needed. See? SEE?!?
Never mind that Redemptionis Sacramentum specifically guarantees that people may kneel and receive upon the tongue. Also, never mind that, as their memo states, this is “picking up steam”. But NO! People mustn’t have what they desire if it is against the RULES (that is, the rules we controlling libs like). After all, there has been an effort over the last year or so to promote Eucharist devotion and there is nothing that undermines devotion for the Eucharist like – QUOD DEUS AVERTAT! – kneeling to receive Communion!
My red.
In chessy news… HERE
Black to move and gain material for a win. This is nuts. You’ll be tempted at the obvious, but follow the forcing moves for a hilarious conclusion six moves later.
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WHITE to move and gain material for a win. This is nuts. You’ll be tempted at the obvious, but follow the forcing moves for a hilarious conclusion six moves later.
1. Qxf7+ Kh6 2. Qxh7+ Kxg5 3. h4 Kf4 4. Qh6+ Ke4 5. Qxe3+ Kd5 6. f3+ Ke6 7. Qxb7
[NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.]
Otherwise, Vladimir Fedoseev emerged from the play-in for the upcoming Fischer Random (“Freestyle” – 9LX) tournament coming up in Weissenhaus, Germany. 12 players were invited into the 16-player knockout, and two of the four players fought through 250-player, 9-round Swiss tournament to make it to the final. Fedoseev now gets to play against Magnus, Fabi, Hikaru, Gukesh, Nodirbek, Vincent, Levon, “Puer”, and Vishy!
Yesterday at OTB I played two games that were, in themselves, not interesting. I won handily. They were interesting because one of my opponents was a fellow in his late 70’s who is “just learning” and the other was a 9-year old boy who is “just learning”. The kid had strong points. Also, at our OTB last Saturday, we had half a dozen kids under 12. It is fun to see them sitting across from the guys with the gray hair.
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Nice people! Great service![/caption]
Give a kid chess and you have given a lifetime gift. Chess should be in every home. Every kids should have a chance to learn and play. It sharpens the mind, teaches patience, fosters interpersonal and intergenerational interaction.
You can get chess stuff at Chess House. Really nice people, great buys.
You can sign up online to learn and practice at Chess.com. I have an affiliate with them.
Meanwhile a fun video HERE from the St. Louis Chess Club when a bunch of top players had a team match. Look at who’s there! That would be a blast.
Let’s have a revival by doing the same.
My kids start chess classes in two weeks, can’t wait, they will teach me and it will be good for our family.
I’ve prayed to become an American, perhaps I will be annexed. I say this because it reminds me of the spirit of the age and the altar rail thing. Watch everything collapse and then shutdown and get annoyed with solutions.
Eventually the altar rails will make it and Canada will join the USA.
Canada, like the Church, in many ways is ageing out. Trudeau resigns, DO THE SAME. Church declines, DO THE SAME.
I recently attended an ordinariate Mass where it was the practice to receive communion at the altar rail, kneeling. The whole liturgy was magificent and superbly reverent.
It got me wondering if Pope Benedict wasn’t somehow prescient and foresaw the day when, after he was gone, the Vetus Ordo would be suppressed, and so enabled another avenue by which reverent liturgy could be brought back into the church via the Ordinariate, an avenue that wouldn’t be susceptible to suppression in quite the same way as the Vetus Ordo, one that provides another refuge for those seeking a reverent liturgy, creates more pressure to bring reverence back into the church and provides a practical model whereby the Novus Ordo could be reformed in such a way as to bring it more into line with tradition.
That’s just speculation on my part and probably wrong – but I can’t help wondering.
I am old enough to remember when they replaced the TLM with the NO; they didn’t listen to the people then, so why would they listen to the people now? This too will pass; the Church is ultimately led by the Holy Spirit. I believe that the young people’s desire for traditional things is guided by that same Spirit.
Much to the consternation of our pastor – who lives in fear of our bishop – my husband and I and our son kneel for communion. This without an altar rail. There have been a few small pressures against us doing this, but we just remind our pastor and our bishop that we have the right to do this, and, so far, we have not been impeded.
Let’s replace walking togetherness with kneeling. Make reception of the Eucharist reverent again!
Why is it that all current rules requiring consultation with the liturgy office seem to oppose tradition? Where were these regulations when churches were being stripped of altar rails, high altars, and other sacred elements? It appears to be the agenda of elite progressives, and no one dares to challenge them without facing consequences.
We all know their talkjabout “listening to the Sprit” is just argle bargle.
Just a random thought, if a pastor is required to notify the relevant ecclesial soviet, I beg your pardon, the liturgy office when he wants to make changes to the sanctuary (e.g. the (re)installation of an altar rail), would that requirement also apply when he wants to install that rail somewhat outside the sanctuary?
On the chess problem, the solution was instantaneous. White threatens Qxf7+, so “Black to move and gain material for a win?” What’s better than winning a pawn and the game at the same time? Black plays 1. . . . Qxg2++.
In an undisclosed parish church somewhere in the Northeastern US we are currently i/p of replacing a starkly utilitarian 1960’s Communion Rail (resembles a fence) with a glorious creation of agate, bronze, and marble of the same vintage as our 125 y.o. church… perhaps I can send along some photos when it is complete. Our former incumbent approved it, but we are currently sede vacante… the thought has crossed a few minds that his successor could be a McCupelroy-type who’d actually forbid its use… stay tuned!
That “procession” wheeze doesn’t even make sense on its own terms.
Assume a line going up the center aisle for Holy Communion. No one kneels, no one genuflects, no one bows and/or makes the Sign of the Cross. When the communicant gets to the top he still has to, well, stop. And say “Amen”, receive and only then move on. I.e., procession interrupted.
Or am I wrong? In Cupichland do they not stop? Do they just whiz on by, snatch the Sacred Host out of the priest’s hand, um, I mean “Extraordinary Minister’s” hand, and shout an “Amen” over the shoulder? Rather like mail trains used to do in the old days. You know, travel through little towns, grabbing the mail bag with a hook, and speeding on without stopping. No hanging about in Cupichland; makes one quite breathless.
A.S. Haley: Of course this is my fault. It was WHITE to play, not black, as is clear from the orientation of the board. Yes, Black threatens mate in 1. However, it is WHITE’s move, not black in the puzzle.
Try reworking the puzzle with white and see what happens.
Thanks, Father. This is what I come up with.
1. Qxf7+ Kh6 (If Kh8, Qxh7 is mate.)
2. Qxh7+ KxN
3. h2h4+ Kf4 (If Kg4, f2f3+, Kf4, Qh6 is mate.)
4. Qh6+ Ke4
5. QxN+ Kd5
6. Qf3+ wins Black’s Queen (and two pawns, with more to fall).
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Some Orthodox and Greek Catholics process on their knees
Archdiocese of the Five Boroughs?
Archdiocese of Three Boroughs and a couple of counties heading north, maybe… it being a city of three dioceses.
[You are, of course, correct. On the other hand, I got my point across. Also, simply by association, Archd of NYC… NYC = 5 boroughs…]
I am truly amazed that “Soupy” Cupich even bothered to make a stab at pretending there was a “reason” in all that nonsense, as to why receiving Communion kneeling is wrong. Any (properly trained) high school sophomore would know that his sophomoric “logic” is mere equivocation and spurious nonsense. All he did was highlight how ridiculous the practice of priests being tyrants about this really is.
(Of course, given the state of HIS “catholic” schools, maybe there a 10th grader couldn’t figure that out.)
Three dioceses? What’s the third? Rockville Center starts at the Nassau/Queens border with D. Brooklyn.