ASK FATHER: Was it right to leave a “Mass” with a string of serious abuses?

Posted on 11 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

ASK FATHER: Was it right to leave a "Mass" with a string of serious abuses?From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Thank you for your Priesthood!

I have a question about the validity of a Mass. My mother was in town for Mother’s Day and we went to Mass on Sunday (Novus Ordo). I am far from a “radical traditionalist”.

I prefer the old rite and am a member of an FSSP parish, however, I often attend daily Mass and receive the Sacraments in the Novus Ordo.

That said, I have a question regarding the validity of a Mass, or when it is illicit and/or invalid.

We attended a Mass on Sunday where the Priest began the Mass speaking to the congregation and saying that he wanted do to something different.. and not to tell Father (the Pastor of the Parish).

He skipped all of the introductory Rites. No reverencing of the alter, no Sign of the Cross, no Penitential Act. No Gloria. No Collect.

Instead, Father invited some family of his up and introduced them. A grand niece and her husband, a Navy Seal, and their two children, one an infant who he had just baptized several days prior. He then invited them into the sanctuary. He then proceeded to take the newborn into his arms and sit to read the Gospel. He told all to remain seated during his reading of the Gospel. This was the start of the Mass.

Afterwards, he had the first reading read by a lector. No responsorial psalm, no Gospel Acclamation.

We stood up and left at this point, to find another Mass. I have great respect for young families and anyone who serves/has served in the military. However, in Church, I worship God and God alone.

Question is: was the Mass valid? or illicit? Did we do the right thing in leaving?

Wow.  That was weird.  In my opinion, you didn’t do anything wrong by leaving early from … whatever that was.  It was at least a travesty.

Whatever that … mess was, it was illicit.

First, I would let the pastor of that parish know what happened and that you left.  The coward even told people not to say anything?  Say something.

Next, you didn’t mention anything about the two-fold consecration.   I suspect you left before that.  So, I can’t say anything about validity.

That priest needs a serious talking to.

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How about a Masters in RATZINGER STUDIES? – UPDATE

Posted on 11 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

How about a Masters in RATZINGER STUDIES? - UPDATELast November I posted HERE about getting a Masters in Ratzinger Studies at the Augustinianum in Rome.  They do the program in both Italian and English and it has been a huge success.  HERE

Now saw on Crux 2.0 an interview with a friend of mine in Rome, Msgr. Florian Kolfhaus about this program.

UPDATE:  Apparently, the original story was at CNA in German.  Then Crux picked it up and beat CNA to it in English.

Now CNA has an English translation.  I therefore am making substitutions.

A sample…

Love Pope Benedict’s theology? Try a master’s degree

[…]

For whom is this program intended? Who would enjoy it, or benefit from it?

The program is pertinent to anyone interested in studying theology – regardless of which author someone especially admires. It’s not a “Ratzinger Fan Club,” but rather about joy in the “sacred discipline” that makes an offer to the mind to better understand the faith. Just as there are many spiritualities, so too are there many theologies. Insofar as they don’t contradict doctrine, they are legitimate. The theological “menu” should be abundant, and Joseph Ratzinger can’t be missing from it. The master’s program has proven to be popular among European and American students, but unfortunately there are no German students.

[…]

ow is the response thus far? Is the offer catching on?

The offer has been so well received that the lecture hall is filled to the last seat. There are actually two programs – one in English and another in Italian. Both are, so to say, “booked up.” The students want good theology, and “hunger” for texts that offer more than an information-rich, historical-critical analysis. So there is a true “Ratzinger renaissance,” still in the lifetime of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Only a few years after his resignation, not only are important topics being discussed but also theological methods – like the allegorical or typological interpretation of Sacred Scripture – are being enthusiastically rediscovered. I am sure that this master’s program has a future and I would hope that other universities would adopt this program’s curriculum.

For someone who does not want to start a master’s now, but is interested in studying the most important works of Joseph Ratzinger, what works would you recommend?

As a Mariologist, I would of course recommend Daughter Zion. This short work is about the mother of Jesus, but at the same time it is also about the Church. In Mary, the Church can view herself – like looking in a mirror – in order to understand more deeply who she is. The Church is the important theme of Ratzinger, and he always shows that this mystery leads in turn to Christ, whose body is His people on earth. Ratzinger shows in all of his works that no mystery of the faith is isolated from another. Everything forms a harmonious unity, a nexus mysteriorum. Whoever pulls a book with his works off the shelf finds his way from page to page deeper and deeper into the manifold mysterium of the one faith. I also want to recommend the many lectures of Ratzinger, which are relatively short yet all the more dense, as an introduction to the reading.

What meaning does Joseph Ratzinger have for the interpretation of the Second Vatican Council?

Pope Benedict XVI coined the term “hermeneutic of continuity,” which has since been essential for the interpretation of Vatican II. He himself took part in the Council as a theological advisor and knows not only the texts but also their history of development. In his speech to the Chilean bishops in 1988, which is not yet published in the Opera Omnia, he already said that the last council is no “superdogma” that placed everything preceding it in the shadows. How different is the widespread characterization of the council documents as milestones of a “Copernican Revolution.” For decades, an interpretation of the Council as a fraction in the Church has reigned in many places, which has allowed a new chronology beginning with the Council to come into existence. It is one of Ratzinger’s great merits for this to not be followed in the mainstream. That also earned him – as we know – not only friends, but also enemies.

[…]

Read the rest there.

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ASK FATHER: Blessing of olive oil and incense

Posted on 11 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

olive-oilFrom a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Hello Father, I would like to start occasionally using incense at home for my private devotions as well as lighting a couple oil vigil lamps by icons hanging on my walls. Do you have any blessings for these two items (incense and olive oil) that I can print off and bring to my Priest to use to bless these items for me?

We Catholics bless all sorts of things for our daily use.

Or we used to.

You can check out the traditional Rituale Romanum for many blessings of even quite ordinary things.  The nice folks at St. John Cantius put the Rituale on line so you can (and you could have) look things up on your own.

That said, I do like the prayers for the blessing of oil.   As in the case of water and salt… such basic elements… the priest first addressed the oil personally, with the “you” form in the second person.  He exorcises it, thus tearing it away from the foul clutches of the prince of this world and his evil cohorts, if they’ve gotten their clutches on it – the agents of the Devil are known even to curse foods in the production, transport and sales stages … yes… it’s true – say your prayers before eating.  Then he blesses it, transferring it to the King of all things.

Let’s have a look.  This, friends, is a super Catholic prayer!

8. BLESSING OF OIL

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

God’s creature, oil, I cast out the demon from you by God the Father + almighty, who made heaven and earth and sea, and all that they contain. Let the adversary’s power, the devil’s legions, and all Satan’s attacks and machinations be dispelled and driven afar from this creature, oil. Let it bring health in body and mind to all who use it, in the name of God + the Father almighty, and of our Lord Jesus + Christ, His Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, as well as in the love of the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.

All: Amen.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord God almighty, before whom the hosts of angels stand in awe, and whose heavenly service we acknowledge; may it please you to regard favorably and to bless + and hallow + this creature, oil, which by your power has been pressed from the juice of olives. You have ordained it for anointing the sick, so that, when they are made well, they may give thanks to you, the living and true God. Grant, we pray, that those who will use this oil, which we are blessing + in your name, may be delivered from all suffering, all infirmity, and all wiles of the enemy. Let it be a means of averting any kind of adversity from man, made in your image and redeemed by the precious blood of your Son, so that he may never again suffer the sting of the ancient serpent; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

I almost always use Latin when I bless things, because the Devil hates it.  Also, I always use only the older Rituale Romanum.

For incense, there is the one on Epiphany for Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, but the priest can always use the

29. BLESSING OF ANYTHING

This form may be used by any priest for the blessing of anything that does not have its own special blessing in the Roman Ritual.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, whose word suffices to make all things holy, pour out your blessing + on this object (these objects); and grant that anyone who uses it (them) with grateful heart and in keeping with your law and will, may receive from you, its (their) Maker, health in body and protection of soul by calling on your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

It (they) is (are) sprinkled with holy water.

ASK FATHER: Blessing of olive oil and incense

Click

Pastors of parishes (and lay people too) would do well to get a calendar for a year or more and write down dates which have special blessings for things.  For example, wine on the Feast of St. John the Apostle, candles on St. Blaise along with bread, wine, water and fruit,  bonfires on the Vigil of the Nativity of John the Baptist, herbs on Assumption, seeds and seedlings on Nativity of Mary.  We have blessings for places and machines and people, especially in important moments such as when women are pregnant or after they have had a baby (alive or stillborn).   There are special blessings for infants and small children, when alone or in groups, when healthy or ill. Pilgrims can receive a special blessing before they set out.   There are even deprecatory prayers against things such as pests (rats and bugs, not liberals) and storms and diseases and floods.

On the flood point, I once mentioned here that a bishop go to bless a river about to break dikes in a flood stage and to use older Rituale.  I was later told that he did and the river subsided.  I myself once was watching TV coverage of a terrible storm with tornadoes tracking directly at my house.  I got out the Ritual and went through the Litany with the prayers against a storm and then watched on the TV at the storm split and went around north and south of where I lived as the weather man said how strange it was.

Holy Church gives us these things so that they will be used when we need them.

We should have a greater awareness of sacramentals and blessings and priests should talk about them more.  You all can help be asking for things to be blessed.  It may be that Father doesn’t know how to do things like this, so make it easy for him.  Get him books, for example.

NB: ORDINATION SEASON is upon us.

Are you looking for a gift for a new priest (or an older priest)?

Get him a set of Weller’s translation (with the Latin) of the traditional Roman Ritual.

US HERE  UK HERE

If you want your priests to do things, make sure they have the tools, such as books or fine vestments, etc.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box | Tagged ,
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Fr. Z’s Voice Mail: The 3 Year-old Prayer Warrior Edition!

Posted on 11 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z’s Voice Mail: The 3 Year-old Prayer Warrior Edition!I very much enjoy most of the voice mail I receive through my US and UK phone numbers and directly through Skype.

First, to the lady in Cleveland who wants me to write something that she can “un-apologetically rip off” for a speech she has to give.

Well… okay.

Next, don’t let anyone tell you that memorizing prayers, even long ones, is too hard for children.

This, by the way, hits 11 on the 1-10 Cute Scale.

Now THAT was a treat.

And if any of you Latin Church types are wondering why a 3 year-old is receiving Holy Communion, keep in mind that in the Eastern Churches infants are given Confirmation and Eucharist along with Baptism.

I have given very little Eastern Church children Communion a few times which, as a Latin priest is a little strange for me, but… hey!  We “breathe with both lungs”!

Please leave me voice mail. I don’t call back, but I listen to it. You have three options:

Fr. Z’s Voice Mail: The 3 Year-old Prayer Warrior Edition! WDTPRS

Fr. Z’s Voice Mail: The 3 Year-old Prayer Warrior Edition! 020 8133 4535

Fr. Z’s Voice Mail: The 3 Year-old Prayer Warrior Edition! 651-447-6265

TIPS for leaving voice mail.

  1. Don’t shout!  If you shout, your voice will be distorted and I won’t be able to understand you.
  2. Come to your point right away.
  3. Let me know at the onset if I can use it on the blog.  I may be able to anonymize it a little by editing if need be.
Posted in Both Lungs, Just Too Cool, Voice Mail | Tagged
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Card. Müller’s remarks on ‘Amoris laetitia’ – some analysis

Posted on 11 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

We must deal soberly with the ramifications of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia.   Despite some of its advantages, the document has problems.

A friend sent an email with some interesting analysis, which I am reworking and posting hereunder.

Sandro Magister has just now published the background report of Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s talk in Madrid from last week along with key excerpts of it in English.  HERE  Italian HERE  The original Spanish of Card. Mller’s address HERE

The English excerpts contain all his important statements about the issue of Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried.

I know this is getting tedious, but this is important.

Why?

Card. Müller, former bishop of Regensburg and the editor of Joseph Ratzinger’s Opera Omnia, is still the Prefect of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  It is still his right and obligation, and that of his Congregation, to clarify the meaning of papal documents.

Unless and until Pope Francis changes by a published decree the force and intent of the apostolic constitution, Pastor Bonus, the Roman Curia remains constituted as it was before this pontificate. If Pope Francis wants to change this, he knows how to do so.

The upshot of Mueller’s intervention in Spain is that Amoris laetitia does NOT change the teaching of the Church as it is expressed in Familiaris Consortio 84.

Here is a quote from Cardinal Müller’s the English translation of Spanish address with my emphases:

“Some have affirmed that “Amoris Laetitia” has eliminated this discipline and has permitted, at least in some cases, the divorced and remarried to receive the Eucharist without the need to change their way of life according to what is indicated in FC 84, which means abandoning the new union or living in it as brother and sister. To this it must be replied that if “Amoris Laetitia” had wanted to eliminate such a deeply rooted and significant discipline, it would have said so clearly and presented supporting reasons. There is however no affirmation in this sense; nor does the pope bring into question, at any time, the arguments presented by his predecessors, which are not based on the subjective culpability of our brothers, but rather on their visible, objective way of life, contrary to the words of Christ.

“But isn’t this change of course found – some object – in a footnote that says that in some cases the Church could offer the help of the sacraments to those who are living in an objective situation of sin (no. 351)? Without entering into a detailed analysis, suffice it to say that this footnote refers to objective situations of sin in general, without citing the specific case of the divorced in new civil unions. The situation of these latter, effectively, has particular characteristics that distinguish it from other situations. These divorced persons are living in contrast with the sacrament of marriage, and therefore with the economy of the sacraments, the center of which is the Eucharist. This is, in fact, the reason recalled by the previous magisterium to justify the Eucharistic discipline of FC 84; an argument that is not present in the footnote or in its context. That which footnotes 351 affirms, therefore, does not touch the previous discipline: the norm of FC 84 and of SC [= Sacramentum Caritatis] 29 is still valid, and its application in every case.“

Thus, Card. Müller.

The importance of these observations by Müller is manifold.

First, they support the interpretation of Card. Burke who, only days after the publication of Amoris laetitia, issued a statement publish by the National Catholic Register saying that Amoris laetitia was not magisterial teaching and that it did not change the longstanding teachings of the Church on holy matrimony and Holy Communion. Burke’s interpretation was challenged by Card. Wuerl, Card. Lehmann and others.  However, Card. Müller has essentially supported Card. Burke.

Secondly, Card. Müller’s statement, even more than Card. Burke’s, throws down the gauntlet and challenges Pope Francis to deny what Müller claimed. If the Pope remains silent, but one of his surrogates does contradict Müller, then we will be one step closer to such a division between senior prelates over the authentic interpretation of Amoris laetitia that a public clarification could be called for.

On the other hand if Pope Francis wants to say that his Prefect of the CDF has Amoris laetitia wrong, then let him do that.

Finally, Archbishop Bruno Forte will be remembered by many as Pope Francis’ aide-de-camp during the 2014 Synod.  He was responsible for introducing into the Interim Report the language calling for the welcoming of homosexual couples into the Church. No one understood really what “welcome” meant. However, on account of that maneuver and the furor that it caused among Synod Fathers, Forte pretty much disappeared from view.

Now Forte has committed a second gaffe, apparently stating to an interviewer that the Pope told him to keep the language concerning Communion for divorced and civilly remarried ambivalent so that conservatives wouldn’t be able to get too upset about it. Forte went on to comment how “Jesuitical” that was of the Pope. HERE

 

The thick plot thickeneth more.

Posted in Francis, One Man & One Woman, The Drill | Tagged , ,
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NB US CLERICS: Confraternity of Catholic Clergy meeting

Posted on 10 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

NB US CLERICS: Confraternity of Catholic Clergy meetingThe US version of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy will be holding its meeting 12-15 July in Philadelphia, PA.

Click on over there and have a look.

The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy is an association of 600 Roman Catholic Priests and Deacons pledged to the pursuit of personal holiness, loyalty to the Roman Pontiff, commitment to theological study and strict adherence to the authentic teachings of the Magisterium.

Founded in 1975, the Confraternity seeks to implement the call of Vatican II (Presbyterorum Ordinis #8, Code of Canon Law #278, Pastores Dabo Vobis #81, and the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests #29) for ongoing intellectual, spiritual and pastoral formation of the local clergy.

The Confraternity achieves this in three ways:

a) Annual Convocation where theological scholars and experts give lectures and hold discussions with members;
b) Networking of members and access to Magisterial and Papal documents using social media (internet webpage, Face Book, Twitter);
c) Local chapter meetings where afternoons of recollection take place, including time for theological reading/discussion, common prayer (Vespers), Eucharistic Holy Hour, Rosary, confessions and time for fraternity.

WE ENDORSE PRO-LIFE EFFORTS, SUCH AS PRIESTS FOR LIFE AND HUMAN LIFE INTERNATIONAL, IN THEIR APOSTOLATE TO DEFEND AND PROTECT THE MOST INNOCENT AND MOST VULNERABLE OF OUR SOCIETY, THE UNBORN AND THE TERMINALLY ILL.

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10 May: St. Job

Posted on 10 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Many of the figures in the Old Testament are commemorated by Holy Church as saints.

Here is the entry in the 2005 Martyrologium Romanum:

1. Commemoratio sancti Iob, admirandae patientiae viri in terra Hus.

We could talk about Job all day and into next week or next year.

 

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“The Latin Mass of years gone by is becoming more popular again”

Posted on 10 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I think we have to pretty much give up on correct terminology now.  It seems that the bifurcation is nearly complete.  Latin has been isolated from the Novus Ordo, partly because those on the traditional side of thing perpetually called the Extraordinary Form, or whatever we are calling it, “the Latin Mass”, thus creating a conceptual ghetto.

That said…

I saw this at Fox News, though it seems to be from Laura Ingraham’s site,  A lot of the piece is a review of the situation as it stands now, which could be helpful for people who are not as familiar with the state of affairs as regular readers of this blog probably are by now.   But… do have a look…

Celebrating the Latin Mass

Veiled women, incense, Gregorian chants, kneeling, standing, kneeling again, long periods of silence — think all of this is a scene from a Catholic Mass in 1950?

It was then, to be sure — but it is now also happening every Sunday, and in some places every day, in churches all over the United States. The Latin Mass of years gone by is becoming more popular again.

 

[…]Alfonso DiGirolamo, a lifelong Catholic, started a website, GetTLM.org, to help parishioners bring the Traditional Latin Mass to their own parish. The website includes videos that explain what to expect when attending the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, and it shares resources to help formally introduce parishes to the TLM.

DiGirolamo has been attending the TLM in Philadelphia for more than four years. He learned how to serve as a master of ceremonies for it, which means he’s the adult male altar server who responds in Latin on behalf of the congregation during the Mass and helps direct the altar boys. He explained, “Between the reverence, the prayers, and the adoring respect for the Holy Eucharist, it has become an essential part of my and our prayer life, which is just not available, even in the most reverent, in the Ordinary Form.”

His wife, Brenda, also a lifelong practicing Catholic, started attending the TLM with her husband just two years ago. “To be honest, I wasn’t a fan at first, but now I love it,” she told LifeZette. “There is a reverence shown toward the Mass, but most especially toward the Holy Eucharist. Also, it helps me to remain focused and pay attention to the prayers so I don’t get lost.”

A dear friend of mine, Catherine Adair, and her family attend Mass at St. Benedict Center in Still River, Massachusetts. “The first time we attended the Tridentine Liturgy [the TLM], we felt like we were as close to heaven as we could get on Earth,” she shared. “We felt, as a family, so connected to our faith and to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that we just felt this is where God truly wanted us to be.”

 

[…]

Read the rest there, and check out the comments.  Some of them reveal some serious spiritual voids, as is usual in the interwebs.  But people are talking.

Finally, again, I contend that no initiative of renewal in the Church will succeed unless there is first and foremost, an ongoing revitalization of our sacred liturgical worship of God.  That is why Summorum Pontificum was such a great gift.  The impact is going to grown.

Posted in Brick by Brick, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged , ,
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PODCAzT 146: Spinello: Does Amoris Laetitia Retreat from Absolute Moral Norms?

Posted on 10 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
16_05_10_Crisis_Spinello

Click!

I direct the readership’s attention to a piece at Crisis about Amoris laetitia, the controversial and ambiguous Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation… that is, if any of you still care to read about it.

Or listen to it!  Hopefully busy priests and seminarians will benefit from being able to hear it as well as read it.

 

Richard A. Spinello, Associate Research Professor at Boston College and a member of the adjunct faculty at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. asks: Does Amoris Laetitia Retreat from Absolute Moral Norms?

He sets the stage:

We can begin to better appreciate the potential problems with Amoris Laetitia if we recall why Pope John Paul II felt it necessary to devote a whole encyclical [Veritatis splendor – which is not cited in AL] to the theme of moral theology and natural law. Many encyclicals written by John Paul II’s predecessors dealt with specific moral issues, but John Paul II was more concerned about the proper foundation of moral theology. After Vatican II,  dissent on moral issues was rampant in the Catholic Church. [After what?  After Vatican II?  I’m shocked.] Moral theologians proposed novel theories such as the “fundamental option,” which claimed that a single evil act need not reverse one’s “option” for God and therefore could not be classified as a mortal sin. They promoted proportionalism—making moral choices based on whatever option yields the optimal proportion of benefits to harms. Reflecting the postmodern flight from truth and certitude, they discarded the doctrine of specific moral absolutes in favor of formal norms such as “Love your neighbor.” [All you need is love, love… love is all you need!] John Paul II witnessed the confusion spread by the revisionists and decided to intervene by writing this encyclical in 1993. The philosopher-pope dissected the shallow arguments underlying these new theories with exquisite care.

Most U.S. Catholic seminaries have been faithful to the traditional doctrines reinforced by Veritatis Splendor. Of course, there has been residual discord at a number of Catholic universities. Some moral theologians continued to teach and defend these revisionist creeds such as the fundamental option.

That helps to put AL in a context.   Going on…

[QUAERITUR…] But what will happen to moral theology in the wake of Amoris Laetitia, which seems to disregard and perhaps even oppose the highly principled reasoning of Veritatis Splendor? Will more moral theologians and clergy come to see that encyclical as an irrelevant relic of the John Paul II papacy? [I think that it was part of the agenda of the managers of the last two Synods to frame John Paul’s magisterium as something that belongs to the past and as no longer relevant.]

Supporters of Pope Francis’s approach to moral theology might contend that Amoris Laetitia does not rebuke the work of his predecessor. This may be true, but the language of this exhortation, especially in Chapter Eight, seems to suggest that Pope Francis is distancing himself from St. John Paul II.  It seems likely that some theologians will perceive Francis’s exhortation as a vindication of the revisionist moral theologyVeritatis Splendor sought to dismantle. In an article called “In Good Conscience,” one moral theologian has already proclaimed that Pope Francis “clearly believes there are few, if any, ‘one-size-fits-all’ concrete absolute norms.” He also applauds the expansive role for conscience presented in the exhortation.  [It’s in Jesuit-run Amerika Magazine.  Are you surprised?]

The writer goes on to show how the use of Aquinas in AL doesn’t hold up very well.

Be sure to tune your ears for his explanation of the fundamental  option (which is wrong), proportionalism (which is wrong). Also, listen for his explanation of absolute moral norms. Finally, follow carefully his own exposition of Thomas Aquinas which show the flaw in how Aquinas is employed in AL.

Amoris Laetitia fails to point out the critical distinction between different types of moral norms.

I hope this might be of use especially to busy priests and seminarians  who may be able to listen to it on their way to class or while running  or driving somewhere.

Gentlemen, we need to know this stuff inside and out.

Posted in PODCAzT, The Coming Storm, The Drill | Tagged , , , , , , ,
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New Oratory of St. Philip Neri to form

Posted on 9 May 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I received today a press release from the Diocese of Portsmouth, England, which says that the great Bishop Philip Egan has “has invited Fr Dominic Jacob CO (co-founder of the Oxford Oratory) and Fr Peter Edwards and Fr David Hutton, generously released by the Archbishop of Southwark for this project in his Province, to begin an Oratorian Community of St Philip Neri as part of a major evangelisation drive.”

That is wonderful news.

It seems that Oratories are springing up all over the place.

I wonder…

… if there are traditionally-minded priests out there who might be having a tough go of it in their respective liberally-minded dioceses who have thought about banding together to form an Oratory.

I wonder….

Posted in Mail from priests, Priests and Priesthood | Tagged , ,
20 Comments