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

Your Sunday sermon observations

Posted on 27 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Since it was the 1st Sunday of Lent, I have no doubt but that you heard a spiffing good sermon during Holy Mass.

Tell us some good point!

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Sunday sermons
40 Comments

QUAERITUR: Should I write to the bishop about this hunch I have?

Posted on 26 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

meerkats From a reader:

Tonight the cantor (instead of the priest) sung the part between the our father and the doxology. Is that something I should be writing the bishop about, since I have a hunch it happens every week at this parish?

It may be that Father doesn’t sing very well, but that’s too bad. It may be that Father had laryngitis that day, but that’s too bad.

That part is the priest’s part and no one else’s. The priest says it or sings it, not the cantor or deacon or mob of meerkats.

But a “hunch” isn’t enough. You need facts, not hunches.

In matters like these, don’t write to authorities about specific priests or events if you don’t have facts.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged liturgical abuse
14 Comments

Reader Feedback: To priests who hear confessions.

Posted on 25 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

Reverend and dear Father:

I would like to thank you and all priests.

Because of your blog and other priests’ blogs on the net I have gone to a full and complete confession for the first time in years.

It is really nice to get notes like this.

I, too, thank priests who talking up the Sacrament of Penance.

Posted in Just Too Cool, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged confession, feedback, reconciliation, sacrament of penance
10 Comments

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:

[…]

(This video is no longer available.)

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 abortion, can. 915, HHS, Pres. Obama, religious liberty, Rep Hochul
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 1st Amendment, abortion, contraception, HHS, Pres. Obama, religion, religious liberty
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.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged vespers
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 ad orientem, Marshall Plan, Matthew Warner, Pope Benedict, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
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.

For 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:

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 Graduale Romanum, Latin, liturgy, Mass, Novus Ordo, Ordinary Form, religion, worship
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 absolution, confession, religion, sacrament of penance
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?

You 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.