Fr. Z's Blog | Catholic commentary by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Rome – Day 2: DOC and berries

Posted on 25 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Busy day. Today I got my basic shopping done for some clerical things and a couple books. We met for lunch a priest who teaches in one of the Roman schools.

The owner of the restaurant is from Amatrice. On the menu it says Spaghetti all’Amatriciana DOC. It was.

This was as good as any I have had in years.

Then I dashed to the Porta Sant’Anna and the barracks for a meeting with the Commandant of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

This was a disappointing moment in my favorite bookstore near the Vatican. But next to Gronchi? What a sad joke.

I found a new place for trims and fringe and pompoms suitable for liturgical things. I have to get an order in tomorrow for the “fiocchi” which will go on the dalmatics of the pontifical vestment sets.

I had the parish Mass at St. Trinità in the evening and then it was off to supper.

In Rome the height of strawberry seasons is the Feast of St. Philip Neri! These “fragoline” were melt in your mouth perfect, dressed with a little lemon.

Tomorrow… my anniversary. And it looks to be a hectic day.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to |
3 Comments

Rome – Day 1: Not quite out of the way Churches

Posted on 25 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The usual breakfast. The Roman cornetto (roll) is not duplicated anywhere else.

Click the wavy flag to help me buy breakfast tomorrow, too! (And many thanks to those who have donated. Mass on Friday for my benefactors.)

We went to see three churches my travel friends hadn’t seen.

First, San Francesco a Ripa, in Trastevere.

It is a nice little church in the clutches of Franciscans.

Here you find the tomb of Bl. Ludovica Albertoni, with a sculpture by Bernini. It is reminiscent of the more famous marble of St. Teresa in ecstasy on the other side of town.

And a pic from my camera, rather than from my phone. I’m try to learn this new camera. It is small and has a 40x optical zoom. The format of the photos is huge, however, and it takes a couple steps to get them into the blog, so I’ll have to figure out a good method to make the transfer. But this, in relatively low light and from a distance is a pretty good image.

Bernini… incomparable. If you are looking for a fascinating read… or if you are in Rome or are coming to Rome, you must dig into The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome. It’s riveting and it will change the way you view and visit Rome.

Again, every priest needs a pulpit like this.

And that is how you get into it!

Off to nearby Santa Maria dell’Orto. This was/is a “university” church. Various “colleges” (of tradesmen) got together to build the church where a chapel had been, set up around a miraculous image of Mary that was in the garden of …. a gardener, I think. Memory is fuzzy. Anyway, this was doubtlessly one of the wealthiest churches in Rome in its heyday.

Here is the chapel of my favorite among the guilds represented.

The “Vermicellari” or the “Pasta Makers”!

Then to tiny and ancient San Benedetto in Piscinula.

This was built where the house of the ancient Patrician family the “Anicii” were: St. Benedict’s family. It was here, probably, that he sensed his vocation.

The church is mostly 13th c., but there are parts that go back to the 8th c.

And unusual depiction of Benedict as a young man.

One of the oldest of the ccsmatesque floors in Rome.

I’m not sure why they put mushrooms on my Saltimbocca, but it wasn’t bad.

A manhole cover that still shows the symbol of the fascist era. I hear that it may become the new logo of the Dems if Hillary is elected. Perhaps that’s just a rumor.

Er Belli!

The street where the main door of my seminary was is where Caesar was killed. There is an inscription.

And just around the corner, on the side of the building attached to the church Sant’Andrea della Valle is scratched graffiti from the time of the Sack of Rome. The dopes who did a cleaning of the facade sandblasted most of it off. At one point you could read dates. Very cool. Alas, hardly anything is visible.

And tucked away in the corner is one of the Talking Statues. This is Abbate Luigi. He has lost his head several times, but it usually returns.

On the facade of a nearby building some Latin in dactylic hexameter. Who can work it out?

Speaking of my seminary, my window was the open on to the right.

And, settling in for supper. We definitely did our 10K step today!

Griccia.

~~Scottditto~~…. (stoopid iPhone) … scottadito.

So far so good.

In the coming day I have Mass in the evening at St. Trinità, a meeting with the Commandant of the Swiss Guard, and some clerical shopping.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to |
16 Comments

ASK FATHER: Should I say “Amen” if the priest is making up prayers?

Posted on 24 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

When I attend Mass in the Ordinary Form, the priest sometimes illicitly modifies the texts or even makes up his own prayers. Is it sinful for me to silently pray along with the priest or to answer “amen”? Does this count as forbidden cooperation with the priest’s sin? Does it depend on whether the made-up prayers are heretical or otherwise intrinsically bad?

Allow me to preface this with a story about a faithful priest.

On March 3, 1796, Father Pierre-Rene Rogue was led from the prison where he had been held aintsince the previous Christmas Eve, having been arrested for the crime of bringing Holy Viaticum to a sick man in Vannes, France. The Revolutionaries had tried at length to get him to go along with the spirit of the times, and adhere to the rites of worship that had been adopted by the revolutionary authorities, but kindly Father Rogue (he was only four foot ten and known as “le petit prete” by the locals) held fast to his faith. Before he was executed, his Roman collar was cut, his head shaved so he had no sign of tonsure, and his arms were tied behind his back. On the way to the scaffold, he sang a song of praise he had written in prison, and managed to give his watch to the man who had betrayed him. His mother was present at his trial, where she was horribly abused by the Revolutionaries who screamed at her, “You reared a monster!” She was likewise present at his execution, performed by one of his former pupils. He was beatified by Pius XI on May 10, 1934.

Fathers, it’s not that difficult to read the black and do the red. Your liturgical “creativity,” rather than making people holier, is causing confusion and crises.

Stop it. Stop it now.

I realize that I’m preaching mostly to the choir, but I get so fed up with the brethren who decide, upon their own initiative, to change things around. A word here or there, or a slip because of old habits… that’s one thing, but wholesale making stuff up because you know better is entirely another.

Perhaps it’s not entirely their fault. First, they might simply be a little dumb, but not malicious or vain. Otherwise, they may have had poor formation in the seminary. Combined with poor leadership in their diocese or order… results vary.

At the same time, they are adults, privileged by the grace of God to stand at the altar and offer the most august sacrifice, so they presumably have enough sense in their heads to know what they are doing.

When attending a Mass at which liturgical abuse is taking place, one should certainly pray for the priest (or whomever is inflicting the abuse upon the faithful). If the priest, say, is making up his own Collect, one would probably not sin by saying “Amen” at the end of it, but neither would one sin by reading the appropriate Collect out of one’s hand missal quietly. Don’t, by doing that, attempt to usurp the priest’s role. Intend, rather, to pray together with the entire Church, even though Father is rowing against the tide.

Depending on how well you know the priest, and having considered what sort of a man he is, it might be worthwhile to take him out to lunch some day. Explain to him how conflicted you are by his choice to mess with the Mass.

In an ideal world, speaking to the bishop about him might have some effect, but I fear we live in less than an ideal world.

Pray for him, and all those like him.

Bl. Pierre-Rene, intercede for all priests, and give to them a portion of your courage to remain faithful to the faith, their priesthood, and the liturgy.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Saints: Stories & Symbols | Tagged Bl. Pierre-Rene Rogue, liturgical abuse
23 Comments

ROME – Day 0.5: Et In Arcadia Ego

Posted on 24 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Once back in the City, a switch is thrown in my head and it is as if I never left.

I made a run to Gammarelli to do some vestment business, but my guy wasn’t there. I’ll have to go back. Meanwhile, some stuff in the window.

If I am not mistaken, the buckles were still prescribed in 1962. I suspect that was honored more in the breach than in the observance.

In addition to making diminutive birettas, now too miters.

I had to go to the Vodafone store for something… that was waste of time… but it is never a waste of time to visit San Lorenzo in Lucina.

The Crucifixion is by Guido Reni.

Here you find also the tomb of the painter Poussin. Chateaubriand caused his monument to be made and carved with an image of one of Poussin’s better known works.

You can try your hand at the Latin.

On the image are carved the words “Et In Arcadia Ego”.

Some of you might be familiar with this phrase from your readings of Brideshead Revisited. It is a kind of “memento mori” trope. The idea is this. “Arcadia” is an iconic place of beauty and pleasure. You the reader, standing there reading the inscription, hear the inscription (and the person in the tomb) saying, “I, too, was in Arcadia”. That is to say, “I, too, was once in the land of the living… but before long you, pal, are going to be here with me.”

Every priest needs a pulpit like this.

A quick stop in Sant’Andrea della Valle to visit Pius II.

And St. Giuseppe Maria Tomassi di Lampedusa. An interesting guy, ahead of his time. In a way, I am glad that he failed in his endeavors.

Look at this risible set up. Good grief.

Stopping for an aperitif before supper.

Which drink is mine?

Rigatoni all Norcina.

Orata.

On the way to some rack time.

The Roman sojourn has begun.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged Et in Arcadio ego, Poussin
6 Comments

Your Good News

Posted on 24 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Do you have some good news to share with the readership?

For my part… I’m in Rome.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
10 Comments

My View For Awhile: Silver Edition

Posted on 22 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I’m off! It is nice to have visual verification that your bag is going with you.

I was in a bit of a hurry at the end of packing. I had carefully put out everything that had to go, except my laptop charger… which as you can imagine was a bad thing to leave behind.

Happily, in the airport on my layover, there was a shop with what I needed. I am charged it. (See what I did there?)

My view for a while from the lounge.

UPDATE

A nice old fella next to me is traveling with his daughters to cross some thing off of his bucket list. Bless him, his wife just passed away before they could go together.

Meanwhile, lots of planes going to lots of places.

And they are now replacing a generator in an engine. Sigh.

At least my duty-free bag made the flight!

UPDATE

They pushed back our departure 30 min – grrr – maybe they’ll make up some time.

DELTA … Comfort Redefined™

Since we are entombed, they started the inflight screen, which has been upgraded to a better touch screen.

But I ask – in the audio section – which of these doesn’t belong?

And then there’s this…

No thanks.

UPDATE:

This was scheduled to auto-post, but for some reason it didn’t. Oh well… here it is now.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged Rome
1 Comment

Beware of scams and fraud

Posted on 22 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This morning I had several calls from someone (clearly from India) purporting to be from “technical support”, who started asked stupidly invasive questions.

Friends, legitimate tech support for your products does NOT call you out of the blue and tell you to do things.

NEVER NEVER NEVER do what these people ask or offer.

See my

Fr. Z’s Litany for the Conversion of Internet Thugs (2.0)

Also, please know that this blog is under constant attack. I will need some real help real soon to correct some things.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box |
27 Comments

ASK FATHER: Is divorce never an option?

Posted on 22 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I hope you are doing well! First, I want to thank you for your blog. Your writings have been very educational and inspirational. I’m hoping you might share your thoughts on an example that came up during a discussion with fellow Catholics on irregular marriages.

(Please forgive my errors in grammar. I have a disability and my errors were “excused” and never corrected in school. I’m working through some textbooks trying to improve.)

Several Catholics insisted divorce was not a “real” option for a
couple, with children, in an invalid marriage. If both adults do not agree to live as brother and sister, it would be preferable for them to continue to have relations and stay together rather than raise their children in divorced homes.

They insisted it was better to not partake in Confession and
Communion. They insisted the Church would never be in the business of breaking up families. They really weren’t open to discussion on this.

I was taught trying to keep sin at bay without the sacraments is a fool’s errand. While divorce is less than ideal, it is not necessarily sinful. Once sin takes root, it grows. Alcoholism, drug addiction, anger issues, and abusive attitudes do not spring up out of nothing. Children are vulnerable targets.

This idea seems terrifying to me. It seems somewhat arrogant. The idea that “good” Catholics cannot fall. That we can limit and conquer sin without obeying God’s law. I will confess it angers me this idea is promoted for the sake of the children who will be the ones who pay the price if this all goes south.

It is possible my opinion is being colored far too much by my own experiences, but would the Church really insist it is better to stay in sin and away from the sacraments rather than put children through a divorce?

Discussing situations like these in the abstract is fraught with difficulties, because people want to go from the particular situation to the general principles, and then back to another particular, which may be entirely dissimilar to the original situation discussed.

Divorce is bad.

The effects of divorce upon society are bad. The effects of divorce upon the couple are bad. The effects of divorce upon children, other family members, neighbors, friends and coworkers are bad.

Worse than divorces are invalid marriages.

A couple who remain in a marriage which they know to be invalid, and continue to live as husband and wife, to engage in all that activity that should be exclusively shared by a husband and wife, are act perilously.

By the way… “knowing” that one is in an invalid marriage is a delicate proposition. The people involved are not the judges of these things. The Church reserves to Herself, to Her tribunal system, the right to determine whether a marriage has been proven to be invalid. The opinions of the parties are not wholly probative (can. 1536, 2).

If one has doubts about the validity of one’s marriage, that person should immediately seek the counsel of a trusted priest.

There are situations and circumstances where I could envision advising someone to remain in the conjugal home, particularly if there are children involved who would be unduly harmed by their parents’ separation and divorce. I would not advise someone in such a situation to stay away from the sacraments. Hence, that means not engage in intimacies with his or her purported spouse.

The Church is definitely not in favor of breaking up families. But neither is the Church in favor of the pretense of marriage when it is clearly false.

In some cases, I could see myself advising the couple to separate, preferably by utilizing the Church’s process for separation while the bond remains (canon. 1151-1155 & 1692-1696, which allows the party to separate from bed and board on his or her own volition, can. 1153). Cases of abuse, situations where the children’s safety or well-being are in doubt, situations where the common life has deteriorated to such a degree that no one, least of all the children (who tend to be very perceptive) is fooled by the pretense of normalcy, … all these situations could warrant a legitimate separation and even permit the parties to turn to the civil courts and pursue a divorce.

Since this is delicate, comment moderation is ON and I may be slow to review the queue.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Canon Law, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged canonical separation, divorce, matrimony
14 Comments

ASK FATHER: Q&A instead of homily

Posted on 22 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Father, Is it permissible for a priest to instead of giving a homily at a Sunday Mass, “Open up that time to the congregation for a Q&A on any topics they would like to discuss?” I am pretty sure this is not ok but wanted to double check that this is in fact not permitted, as our priest informed us. he will be doing this next Sunday. Thank you!

No.

It’s not okay, and frankly, it’s rather silly.

I would recommend going. Ask the question: