NY Dem pro-abortion “catholic” Congresswoman booed for supporting HHS attack

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A parish priest helped organize some feedback for a NY congresswoman Kathy Hochul (D-NY 26 – Buffalo) running for re-election, a catholic who supports abortion and Pres. Obama’s attack on the Catholic Church and on the 1st Amendment.

Rep. Hochul is a candidate denial of Holy Communion under Can. 915.

Rep. Hochul, catholic, is a dedicated pro-abortion feminist, committed to raising money for pro-abortion organizations and firmly supported by NARAL.

From HotAir.com:

Rep. Kathy Hochul expected to get some questions on the economy and on gas prices when she met with constituents in New York’s 26th Congressional district last night. Instead, the freshman Democrat got booed by a crowded room over her support for the HHS mandate on contraception and abortifacients, and spent the evening getting an earful from angry voters:

[…]

WDTPRS kudos to Fr. Leon Biernat of Our Lady of Pompeii Church and also to 101.7 Catholic Radio.

Any readers in Buffalo?

How about sending some Can. 915 swag to Father and to the people at the Radio Station… and perhaps to Rep. Hochul, with a very kind gift also of assurances of prayers.

Posted in 1983 CIC can. 915, Dogs and Fleas, Emanations from Penumbras, Religious Liberty, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged , , , , ,
22 Comments

Pres. Obama and apologies

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This puts it in perspective:

Posted in Religious Liberty, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged , , , , , ,
10 Comments

1st Vespers in Latin from the Breviarium Romanum with a single frill

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Since it is the 1st Vespers of the 1st Sunday Lent I sing the famous hymn.

I made a PODCAzT about the hymn.  Didn’t I?  No?  Hmmm… I guess I may have to make one.

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Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged
1 Comment

A writer’s first experience of Mass “ad orientem”

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Matthew Warner has a piece in which he descibes participating at Mass ad orientem for the first time.

My emphases and comments.

[…]

Not too long ago, however, I attended an Ordinary Form of the Mass where the priest was facing away from the congregation during the consecration. Of course, that was the normal practice prior to Vatican II. [And after, too, according to the rubrics which have been ignored.] But I had never experienced it. In the Ordinary Form of the Mass today, the priest faces the congregation the whole time.

I know there are theological reasons to support both practices. [Iuxta modum.] And my point here is not to argue them or to say that either is objectively “better.” [We know the answer already.] All I want to say is that when the priest held up the bread and wine and offered them up to the Father as the Body and Blood of His Son, I experienced Mass in a different way than ever before. [There it is, friends.  And this is also the experience of the priest during Mass.  And the way the priest says Mass is going to have an effect on the congregation.]

[…]

But when the priest was facing away from me this time, I got a very different impression. It really hit home to me more than ever that in that moment I was participating in something, not just observing. [Do I hear an “Amen!”?] That I wasn’t just being shown something, but that we were the ones offering the something together — through the priest. All because the priest was facing the other way. The position of his body just seemed to resonate more with what we were doing. That’s all. [That’s enough!]

[…]

Imagine, not ever having experienced this, even though it is really the norm according to the rubrics.

This brings me back to my incessant cry that, in order to have a revitalization of our Catholic identity, we have to have a revitalization of our liturgical worship.

This is why Summorum Pontificum was so important.

Let Pope Benedict’s Marshall Plan be implemented.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Brick by Brick, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, The future and our choices | Tagged , , , ,
40 Comments

QUAERITUR: Books for singing the Novus Ordo Mass in Latin

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I know that the Liber Usualis and the Graduale are the two main places to find the appropriate chants for any given feast day in the Extraordinary form of the Mass, but I was wondering where one is to find the chants for the Novus Ordo and the New Calendar? Is there a special book for this, along the lines of the Liber Usualis? Thanks and God bless during this Lent!

I’m glad you asked.

The entire Mass according to the Novus Ordo can be sung entirely in Latin in Gregorian chant using the proper texts for each and every day.

Graduale RomanumFor the Novus Ordo (Ordinary Form) the useful book (literally “Liber Usualis”) is the Graduale Romanum published by the Benedictine monks at Solesmes in France. This book has all the ordinary and proper chants for Mass for the whole year. It is approved by the Holy See.

You will find even that there are graduals which would be used in place of the responsorial psalms.

A group of signers, schola cantorum, armed with this book can do it all, from soup to nuts for all Masses in the Ordinary Form.

I have been deeply concerned that the use of Latin will be relegated to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.  We need to have the Ordinary Form in Latin as often as possible as well.

For the priest at the altar, there is not only the 3rd edition of the Missale Romanum, which has musical notation for the parts that can be sung, there is another book by the monks at Solesmes called the Ordo Missae in cantu, which provides all the chants the priests needs.

Another useful little book would be the Cantus Selecti which has “selected chants” such as antiphons and other texts for communion time, etc. If you get more ambitious and have a good budget, the monks at solesmes also have a Kyriale, which has the ordinary chants for Mass that the congregation can use to sing all those parts that pertain to them.

For example, there are alternate chants for familiar seasonal texts:

20120225-105043.jpg

There are also lots of online resources.  Check out Chant Cafe, for example.  My friend Jeffrey Tucker has good stuff available.  There are workshops for people who want to learn to sing Holy Mass in Latin.

But that is a start.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Brick by Brick, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged , , , , , , ,
32 Comments

Saturday confession reminder

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It is Saturday during Lent.

Please think about going to confession.

You might consider offering to give a ride to someone who is shut-in or without transportation.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, GO TO CONFESSION, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , , ,
15 Comments

Pres. Obama owes you and me an apology!

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Mr. President, you owe me and millions of American Catholics an apology.

You apologized to Islamic extremists and other Muslims abroad and in the United States for something done against the Islamic faith by mistake.

What you are doing to the consciences of Catholics and indeed all American, contrary to the 1st Amendment, you persist in doing on purpose.

As President you have offended me.  You have offended millions of Catholic and all American citizens who enjoy religious liberty under the 1st Amendment and who, as human beings, do not deserve to be so demeaned.

You think American military personal should be held accountable for their mistake.  Why should you, Mr. President, not now be accountable for what you are doing deliberately?

apologyYou owe us an apology for demeaning our Catholic Faith.

You apologized to foreign extremists, including terrorists who want to kill us.  Apologize now to mainstream fellow Americans.

American soldiers burned copies of the Koran, which contains instruction and guidance for their faith, by accident.  You then went out of your way to beg forgiveness.

I am not asking you to grovel.  I would be satisfied – on this point – if you simply stopped attacking me and others who hold our rights and human dignity to be granted us, not by your Administration, but by God.

Pressing forward your anti-Catholic HHS mandate is tantamount to a purposeful public burning not only of the 1st Amendment, but also Catechism of the Catholic Church, which reaffirms that Catholics cannot, in good conscience, bend to your unconstitutional and irreligious impositions on our faith and freedom.

For a change, apologize to us.

Posted in Emanations from Penumbras, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice, Wherein Fr. Z Rants | Tagged , , , , , ,
21 Comments

“America Magazine ran away, bravely ran away, away!”

Posted on 24 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I saw this by Matthew Archbold on the site of the Cardinal Newman Society about America Magazine‘s role in defending the Church against Pres. Obama’s attack on the 1st Amendment:

ARCHBOLD: America Mag Bails on the Fight for Religious Liberty

Run away! Run away!  The brave editors of America Magazine stood for a while with the bishops in their struggle for religious liberty.

But no more.

The editors of the Jesuit magazine have sounded the trumpets of retreat and are bravely galloping away to watch from the sidelines.

In an editorial piece called “Policy, Not Liberty,” the editors of America Magazine did not only announce that they were abandoning the bishops in their continued quest to end the HHS mandate, but they also chided the bishops, saying they “press the religious liberty campaign too far.” As you might know, America‘s editors are the world-renowned arbiters of “gone too far.”

The editors advise the bishops to go back to talking about nuclear war and the economy. People prefer that, the editors say.

The bishops have been most effective in influencing public policy when they have acted as pastors, trying to build consensus in [C]hurch and society, as they did in their pastorals on nuclear war and the economy. The American public is uncomfortable with an overt exercise of political muscle by the hierarchy. Catholics, too, have proved more responsive to pastoral approaches. They expect [C]hurch leaders to appeal to Gospel values, conscience and right reason. They hope bishops will accept honorable accommodations and, even when provoked, not stir up hostility. In the continuing dialogue with government, a conciliatory style that keeps Catholics united and cools the national distemper would benefit the whole [C]hurch.

Cooling the national distemper? Seriously. Is that what Jesus died on the cross for? You know, things got a little heated in Jerusalem around 33 A.D., so Jesus got right up on that cross in an effort to “cool the national distemper.”

[…]

Cooling.  That’s what we need.

Let’s be tepid.

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Posted in Dogs and Fleas, Emanations from Penumbras, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The Drill | Tagged , , , ,
29 Comments

QUAERITUR: No Stations observed on Fridays of Lent because that’s against Vatican II?

Posted on 24 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I am searching for a Church near me to pray the Stations of the Cross
this Lent. A few do not have the Stations during Lent until a week
before Holy Week. Another stated that while the Stations use to be
prayed every Friday during Lent, because of Vatican II (Sacrosanctum
Consilium #13) they are no longer in line with the liturgy and that we
should not focus during this time on Jesus’s Passion. I am really
confused here. I have never heard this before. What do you say
Father?

In brief, I say that that is one of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time.

There is NO time of the year when we should not focus on Jesus’ Passion and Death. Some feasts and times ask for greater focus on some other mystery of our salvation but … NOT to focus on the Passion of the Lord during Lent is just plain goofy.

I wonder what the local bishop thinks about that. Perhaps he hasn’t seen the parish bulletin wherein the priest explains this.

I can understand a priest not having Stations at one parish if he has five parishes and no assistants. Even then, he could allow people to have Stations anyway.

But not to have Stations because of something in Sacrosanctum Concilium? I wonder what even the most liberal of the Council Father’s would have thought of that.

How long, O Lord?

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , , ,
51 Comments

QUAERITUR: Color of vestments for Stations of the Cross. WDTPRS POLL

Posted on 24 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a priest reader:

Father, any chance of a discussion and/or priests’ poll about the color of cope (or any cope at all) used for Stations of the Cross? When I speak to priests about this, there seems to be a great deal of variety.

Gee. I’ve always thought purple worked pretty well, given that it is Lent.

I suppose one could use black, because of the color of vestments traditionally used for Good Friday.

However, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross needs red.

We could use some discussion of this.

Also, let’s have a poll.

What do you usually see at your parish or chapel for Stations of the Cross.

PS: This means you have to go to Stations! Right?

What color cope/stole do you see for Stations of the Cross?

View Results

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Mail from priests | Tagged , , , , ,
32 Comments