QUAERITUR: Priest changes “many” to “all” in the consecration.

From a priest:

I was concelebrating a Mass last week (N.O., in English) and the principal celebrant substituted the word ‘all’ for ‘many’ at the consecration. I gather he does this at every Mass he offers. Does that change render the Mass invalid and/or illicit?

See how annoying concelebration can be? Concelebration should be safe, legal and rare.

Ad rem: No, his illicit and abusive changing of the words of consecration did not in this case invalidate the consecration.  Furthermore, it was a concelebration.

However, if the priest does this all the time, his pastor (if he is an assistant) and the local bishop should be informed. It could be useful to send a copy to the Congregation for Divine Worship.

The issue of pro multis was and still is very controversial. If a priest were during the Gloria to make a substitution and say “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to MEN of good will” instead of the dopey choice made by ICEL and the Holy See for “on earth peace to PEOPLE of good will”, that would be wrong, but it wouldn’t be as bad as changing the words of consecration. BTW… my objection to “people of good will” is that the two-syllable word destroys the flow of the sentence. They really needed a one syllable word, but I digress.

Priests are bound to stick to the texts in the books.

However, it is still possible that, even after a few months, a priest will slip and use the obsolete ICEL texts from memory. We shouldn’t be worried about a slip here and there.   But if a priest is regularly changing the words of consecration – especially after all the controversy over that very point – he has stepped over the line. He must stop what he is doing or be stopped by proper authority.

Finally, may I suggest that you send Father a gift of one of my Say The Black Do The Red “New Translation” edition coffee mugs?  Maybe he needs a reminder that there is now a new translation. Perhaps with some Mystic Monk Coffee?

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

The webcam pointed at St. Peter’s Square in Rome shows something I only saw a couple times in all my years in Rome.

San Pietro

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged ,
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Catholic Military Archdiocese and Chaplains interfered with last Sunday by Pres. Obama’s Administration

Pres. Obama is at war with the Catholic Church.

On NRO, I read this:

Army Silenced Chaplains Last Sunday
By Kathryn Jean Lopez
February 3, 2012 4:58 P.M.

In Catholic churches across the country, parishioners were read letters from the pulpit this weekend from bishops in their diocese about the mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services giving Catholics a year before they’ll be required to start violating their consciences on insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. But not in the Army.

A statement released this afternoon — which happens to be the 67th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Dorchester, on which four chaplains lost their lives – from the Archdiocese for Military Services explains:

On Thursday, January 26, Archbishop Broglio emailed a pastoral letter to Catholic military chaplains with instructions that it be read from the pulpit at Sunday Masses the following weekend in all military chapels. The letter calls on Catholics to resist the policy initiative, recently affirmed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for federally mandated health insurance covering sterilization, abortifacients and contraception, because it represents a violation of the freedom of religion recognized by the U.S. Constitution.

The Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains subsequently sent an email to senior chaplains advising them that the Archbishop’s letter was not coordinated with that office and asked that it not be read from the pulpit. The Chief’s office directed that the letter was to be mentioned in the Mass announcements and distributed in printed form in the back of the chapel.

Archbishop Broglio and the Archdiocese stand firm in the belief, based on legal precedent, that such a directive from the Army constituted a violation of his Constitutionally-protected right of free speech and the free exercise of religion, as well as those same rights of all military chaplains and their congregants.

Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop’s letter. Additionally, the line: “We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law” was removed by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.

The AMS did not receive any objections to the reading of Archbishop Broglio’s statement from the other branches of service. [Just the Army.]

So not only were chaplains told not to read the letter, but an Obama administration official edited a pastoral letter . . . with church buy-in?

Didn’t people flee across an ocean-sized pond to be free of this kind of thing?

Lopez also had an update:

An update on the silencing of the chaplains post from earlier: A spokesman for the Army tells National Review Online:

the Army became aware of the Archbishop’s letter last Friday (Jan. 27) and was concerned that the letter contained language that might be misunderstood in a military setting. The Army asked that the letter not be read from the pulpit. Instead, the letter would have been referenced in announcements and made available in the back of the chapel for the faithful, if they wished, as they departed after the Mass. The Army greatly appreciates the Archbishop’s consideration of the military’s perspective and is satisfied with the resolution upon which they agreed.

I’ll grant that a call to disobedience in the military is not good.

However, why just the Army?

What is there about the Army’s culture that is different?

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, Priests and Priesthood, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged , , , , , ,
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Hugh Hewitt interviewed Sen. Santorum about Pres. Obama’s attack on the Church. Santorum scores big.

I like radio guy Hugh Hewitt (whom I listen to on 1280 AM “The Patriot”).  On Wednesday I heard him interview Rick Santorum.  The issue of Pres. Obama’s attack on the Catholic Church and 1st Amendment came up and Santorum hit a home run.

Mr. Hewitt has a transcript.  Please go there to read the whole thing and spike his stats.  And tell him Fr. Z sent you. (I really would appreciate it if you would, too.  He links to WDTPRS on his side bar under the “Friends and Allies of Rome” rubric! Fun!)

Here is an excerpt from the transcript:

[…]

RS: I talked about it in every speech I’ve given today. And here’s what I said, though, Hugh. I said that I took issue with the Catholic Bishops Conference, because Hugh, you may remember, they embraced Obamacare.

HH: Yes.

RS: They embraced it and said…here’s what I said to them. Be careful when you have government saying that they can give you rights, that you have a right to health care, and government’s going to give you something, because once you are now dependant on government, they, not only can they take that right away, they can tell you how to exercise that right, and you can either like it or not. And that’s the problem. That’s what the Catholic Bishops Conference didn’t get, that there’s no free lunch here, folks. If you’re going to give people secular power, then they’re going to use it in a secular fashion. And that’s why, you know, I hate to say it, but you know, you had it coming. And it’s time to wake up and realize that government isn’t the answer to the social ills. It’s people of faith, and it’s families, and it’s communities, and it’s charities that need to do this as it has in America so successfully for so long.

HH: Rick Santorum, what do you advise Catholic hospitals, Catholic colleges, Catholic…the centers of poverty assistance, the adoption agencies? What do you advise them to do in the face of, as Archbishop Olmstead said, we cannot comply with this unjust law?

RS: Civil disobedience. This will not stand. There’s no way they can make this stand. The Supreme Court, eventually, this thing’s going to get to the Supreme Court just like the ministerial hiring issue that was just decided by the Supreme Court the other day. And it was a 9-0 decision that said the Obama administration can’t roll over people of faith when it comes to hiring. Yet in the face of that decision, this radical, secular government of Barack Obama continues to have faith be the least important of the 1st Amendment. And I just think they fight. They fight in the courts, and they fight by civil disobedience, and go to war with the federal government over this one.
[…]

Posted in Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged , , ,
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Pres. Obama “breakfast theologian”

Pres. Obama says he is a Christian.  Okay.  He spent a long time listening to Black Liberation Theology.  I think everyone should be familiar with Black Liberation Theology.  It might help you understand the President.

In any event, Pres. Obama spoke at the annual National Prayer Breakfast.  The transcript and video.  HERE.

The President’s desire to redistribute your money is so strong that he tried to make a theological argument based on a citation of Scripture.  He said:

But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that “for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.” It mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.

He quoted Luke 12:48, which is in the Lord’s followup to His parable about the faithful, vigilant servant who is ready when the master comes home. I am so glad that he did not have the temerity to quote the next line: “I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?” (And speaking of Kindle…. HERE.)

POTUS wants to make this into an argument for higher taxes.

What the President seems not to have grasped is that the one doing the giving and the requiring is GOD. The context is the Second Coming of the Lord at the end of the world or our own death when we meet the Judge.

May I suggest you take a moment to read all of …

Luke 12:

And when great multitudes stood about him, so that they trod one upon another, he began to say to his disciples: Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: nor hidden, that shall not be known. For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness, shall be published in the light: and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers, shall be preached on the housetops.

And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will shew you whom you shall fear: fear ye him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.

And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but to him that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. And when they shall bring you into the synagogues, and to magistrates and powers, be not solicitous how or what you shall answer, or what you shall say; For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you must say.

And one of the multitude said to him: Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him: Man, who hath appointed me judge, or divider, over you? And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.

And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. And he said to his disciples: Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat; nor for your body, what you shall put on. The life is more than the meat, and the body is more than the raiment. Consider the ravens, for they sow not, neither do they reap, neither have they storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much are you more valuable than they? And which of you, by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? If then ye be not able to do so much as the least thing, why are you solicitous for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. Now if God clothe in this manner the grass that is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more you, O ye of little faith? And seek not you what you shall eat, or what you shall drink: and be not lifted up on high. For all these things do the nations of the world seek. But your Father knoweth that you have need of these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom. Sell what you possess and give alms. Make to yourselves bags which grow not old, a treasure in heaven which faileth not: where no thief approacheth, nor moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands. And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.

And Peter said to him: Lord, dost thou speak this parable to us, or likewise to all?

And the Lord said: Who (thinkest thou) is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord setteth over his family, to give them their measure of wheat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing. Verily I say to you, he will set him over all that he possesseth. But if that servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming; and shall begin to strike the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and to drink and be drunk: The lord of that servant will come in the day that he hopeth not, and at the hour that he knoweth not, and shall separate him, and shall appoint him his portion with unbelievers. And that servant who knew the will of his lord, and prepared not himself, and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more. I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled? And I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized: and how am I straitened until it be accomplished? Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation. For there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided: three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against his father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And he said also to the multitudes: When you see a cloud rising from the west, presently you say: A shower is coming: and so it happeneth: And when ye see the south wind blow, you say: There will be heat: and it cometh to pass. You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this time? And why even of yourselves, do you not judge that which is just? And when thou goest with thy adversary to the prince, whilst thou art in the way, endeavour to be delivered from him: lest perhaps he draw thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the exacter, and the exacter cast thee into prison. I say to thee, thou shalt not go out thence, until thou pay the very last mite.

The next parable the Lord tells is about the wise and foolish virgins.

Posted in The Drill | Tagged , , ,
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“Keep your Ovaries off my Rosaries”

I just received this by email.  I wish I had thought of it, but I’ll be happy to share some of the credit for spreading it around:

Doubtless you have heard the distasteful, yet pithy and memorable slogan of the pro-abortion crowd, which they use to dismiss religiously-based arguments against abortion and contraception: “Keep your Rosaries off my Ovaries.”

It seems to me that now the upper hand is on the other foot, to quote Lloyd Bridges.

Now those who loudly decry any impositions upon their consciences are trying with every fiber of their being to impose upon the consciences of others.

Mightn’t we loudly shout in reply:

“Keep your Ovaries off my Rosaries”?

It might be a stretch to shout this at President Obama, but there are plenty of other catholic pols who could benefit from such a phrase.

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged ,
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WDTPRS POLL: 3 February St. Blaise Day Blessing of Throats

Our liturgical calendar is packed with wonderful opportunties for spiritual benefits.

Today there is a special blessing for candles (not just yesterday!) in honor of St. Blaise and then a blessing of throats.

I once stood for hours in the church in Rome dedicated to St. Blaise and blessed people with a relic of the saint.

Please chose your best response and leave a comment in the combox!

St. Blaise Blessing of Throats

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Specially blessed candles held in the form of an X or a relic of St. Blaise is placed at the throat and the blessing is spoken by a priest or deacon:

Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii, episcopi et martyris,
liberet te Deus a malo gutturis, et a quolibet alio malo.
In nomine Patris, et Filii +, et Spiritus Sancti.  Amen.

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr,
may God free you from illness of the throat and from any other sort of ill.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

The blessing for the candles in the older Rituale Romanum is wonderful:

O God most powerful and most kind, Who didst create all the different things in the world by the Word alone, and Whose will it was that this Word by Which all things were made should become incarnate for the remaking of mankind; Thou Who art great and limitless, worthy of reverence and praise, the worker of wonders; for Whose sake the glorious Martyr and Bishop, St. Blaise, joyfully gained the palm of martyrdom, never shrinking from any kind of torture in confessing his faith in Thee; Thou Who didst give to him, amongst other gifts, the prerogative of curing by Thy power every ailment of men’s throats; humbly we beg Thee in Thy majesty not to look upon our guilt, but, pleased by his merits and prayers, in Thine awe-inspiring kindness, to bless+this wax created by Thee and to sanc+tify it, pouring into it Thy grace; so that all who in good faith shall have their throats touched by this wax may be freed from every ailment of their throats through the merit of his suffering, and, in good health and spirits, may give thanks to Thee in Thy holy Church and praise Thy glorious name, which is blessed for ever and ever.  Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee lives and reigns, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.  R. Amen.

Grand, ain’t it?

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, POLLS | Tagged , , ,
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Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the merchants of death at Planned Parenthood

About a zillion people were pushing me to post about the news item that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation stopped giving money to the merchants of death at Planned Parenthood (originally set up to kill of black people).

Something about that story bothered me and I was also super busy and didn’t get to it.  Now I see that “Komen” has reveresed its decision and will, in fact, give money to the merchants of death at Planned Parenthood.

“Komen” apparently was on the receiving end of a mighty whipping.  Private institutions are no longer permitted by death merchants and their familiars to dispose of their money as they please.

At this point, I want to quote Ed Peters from over at his fine blog In The Light Of The Law:

I feel sorry for Komen, they seem like a nice bunch of people pursuing a worthy goal. But now Komen stands as an object lesson for other non-profits: run with the likes of Planned Parenthood for a spell, and just see what happens when you try to go your own way.

Qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent.

At the same time, Nancy Brinker who runs “Komen” worked for and with Planned Parenthood.  No?  And because of the controversy, donations to both are up, right?

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, Emanations from Penumbras | Tagged , ,
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Bp. Slattery’s statement about Pres. Obama’s attack on religious liberty

His Excellency Most Rev. Edward Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa, has issued his statement about Pres. Obama’s attack on the 1st Amendment, on religious liberty, and on the Catholic Church.

He provides also a video.

He calls the mandate “evil”.

I was delighted that His Excellency quoted from Leo XIII’s encyclical Diuturnum illud which I posted about the other day (here):

“…if the will of rulers is opposed to the will and the laws of God, then those rulers exceed the bounds of their own power and pervert justice. Nor can their authority be valid, since authority without justice is null.”

[wp_youtube]buR3yfqezaI[/wp_youtube]

WDTPRS kudos to Bp. Slattery!

Posted in Fr. Z KUDOS, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged , , , ,
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NYC: First Friday spiritual opportunity TONIGHT, 3 Feb at Holy Innocents in Manhattan!

On First Fridays at Holy Innocents in Manhattan (on 37th btn Broadway & 7th) there is an all night vigil.

It begins tonight with a Solemn Mass at 6 PM (followed tonight by the Blessing of Throats for St. Blaise Day).

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins after Stations of the Cross at 7:30 PM.

There are Solemn Vespers and Compline Coram Sanctissimo at 9:00 PM.

During the course of the Vigil, the Rosary as well as all six of the litanies approved by the Church for public use are sung or recited.

The Divine Mercy chaplet is sung at 3 AM.

The all night vigil concludes on Saturday morning with Low Mass at 5 AM.

It is a great opportunity!

New Yorkers: pray for our country and all your spiritual needs (and for me).

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes | Tagged
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