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

What’s on your reading/listening list right now?

Posted on 16 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Slated for reading on my Kindle right now:

I think he might have not quite understood St. Thomas More’s notion of Utopia, but he is exceptionally good.

More Mitch Rapp from my homey, Vince Flynn. Prequel.

Hoping it will be a tenth as good as Patrick O’Brian.

Slated for listening on my iPhone/iPod:

It is good to review. I got this from Audible. I don’t know if the link will work.

I learned about this composer from the great Fr. Perrone.

Wonderful motets. Every one of them.

On my desk slated for reading:

The definitive book on the matter. I read it years ago, but need to review. Lots of nutty ideas going around these days about this issue.

Another view of the Roman Canon, and that is all I use.

Could there have been a better title? It is polemical in spots. Gosh! Who knew?

I am also getting some things together for Lent.

Posted in What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged books, iPhone, iPod, Kindle, LENT, reading
92 Comments

What does the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” do?

Posted on 16 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Does the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” do anything?

I received a note from a reader together with an image of a letter he received back from the PCED concerning the fact that, on the Vatican’s website, the text of Summorum Pontificum is still available only in Latin and Hungarian.

What did the PCED respond? It is the Secretariat of State’s sphere of concern.

You can click for a larger version.

Notice that this is just a form letter, probably not written by an English speaker, signed by nobody, given no protocol number, but at least with the stamp of the Commission.

QUAERITUR [bis]:

Msgr. Guido Pozzo
Secretary of the
Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”
Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio
00120 Vatican City

Reverend and Dear Monsignor,

The Instruction Universae Ecclesiae states in par. 8 that “the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum constitutes an important expression of the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff and of his munus of regulating and ordering the Church’s Sacred Liturgy.”

Why, in this digital age, is Summorum Pontificum, released in 2007, available only in Latin and Hungarian on the Holy See’s website?

Please, Monsignor, urge that translations of Summorum Pontificum be made available on the Holy See’s website in the major modern languages generally recognized and used in the Roman Curia when important documents of the Holy Father’s Magisterium are released.

With gratitude for the work of the Pontifical Commission and with a promise of prayers for you and your collaborators, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ.

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
wdtprs.com

Posted in SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM |
35 Comments

Barney and Beazley and Bush and Barack and Bo

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

During this week of the fun Westminster Dog Show, and during this week of disgusting attacks on the 1st Amendment from the White House, while watching the Scottish Terrier I was reminded of the fun page on the White House site under Pres. Bush about Barney and Mrs. Beazley. You get a sense that the Pres. and Mrs. Bush really liked their dogs.

There is nothing fun on the Obama WH page. Nope. Only Maoist propaganda photos.

Nothing about Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog. A cynic (get the pun? get it? huh?) would wonder if he really likes his dog. I’m just sayin’… ’cause it’s an easy cheap shot. But… still…

Liberals aren’t fun. Liberals have no sense of humor. There is nothing funny about attacks on the Catholic Church by the President of the United States either.

I wonder what Barney is up to these days. Anyone know?

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
29 Comments

BAJAWA NGURA!

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Wyoming Carmelites have released their new special Coffee of the Month.

With a name like “Flores Organic Bajawa Ngura“: sounds sort of like something an animated African rat monkey would sing. You’ve gotta try it, right?

“But Father! But Father!”, some of you are saying, “That’s not African! That’s Indonesian”.

And then there are the Chocolate Covered Cherries.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged coffee, Wyoming
7 Comments

Spirit spotted on Mars

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The intreprid little Mars rover Spirit, which began its mission in 2004 died, mired in sand, in 2009. It couldn’t capture enough sunlight to power up.

Spirit’s twin Opportunity is still going strong!

The orbiting Phoenix, circling Mars since 2006, recently caught sight of Spirit.

Poor little Spirit.

Posted in Just Too Cool, Look! Up in the sky! | Tagged Mars, Mars Rover, Opportunity, Phoenix, Spirit
6 Comments

QUAERITUR: School principal orders girl not to wear a chapel veil during Mass

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

My daughter attending Catholic school at our novus parish determined after reading 1 Corinthians that she should be wearing a chapel veil at Mass. She began wearing it at Sunday Mass two months ago. However, when she tried to wear it at Friday daily Mass during school, the principal made her remove it, referring to the dress code. I argued with the principal that a sacramental is not subject to the dress code. She referred the subject to the priest (self-proclaimed child of VII) who backed the school rather than the Bible.
Do you see any point in pushing this further? Note: we don’t attend the novus anymore as there is now a latin Mass nearby.

You would think they would be pleased to see that a girl was serious about her faith and trying to be reverent at Mass. But nooooo…. liberal ideology trumps common sense once again.

You have every right to pursue this matter with the diocese. A reasonable priest and principal would make a reasonable accommodation to their dress code, but, it seems, we’re no longer living in reasonable times.

HOWEVER… I suggest NOT pursuing this with the diocese right now, mostly for the girl’s sake. You would probably end up in a nasty battle.

It rarely pays to argue with the obtuse.

This could be a good opportunity chat with your daughter about respect for authority, even when they are wrong.

When faced with an order that’s just plain wrong, we have to use our God-given reason to discern whether obeying the authority (unless the order is against divine or natural law) could be the better course for growth in holiness.

But… wouldn’t it be great if all of a sudden all the girls showed up wearing chapel veils?

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged chapel veil, mantilla
73 Comments

Lent begins in one week! Have you made your plan.

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Updated:

Lent begins in a week, 22 February this year.

It is time to make your plans for Lent.

You should start thinking about one or more mortifications (and consider something other than chocolate) as well as some corporal and/or spiritual work of mercy to pursue during Lent.

Before Lent starts make a plan for your meals and for your participation at Mass and the Sacrament of Penance.

Don’t let this go until Thursday after Ash Wednesday.

Write some ideas down and stick them to your refrigerator door or on the bathroom mirror. Talk about this with your spouses. Revisit the ideas for the next two Sundays to see if they need some realistic tweaking or refinement.

Perhaps parents could make some suggestions for a family observance of Lent, including pointers for children, so as to make it meaningful but not overly burdensome on those who are not bound to do heavy penances.

Also, for some reading during Lent you might consider our Holy Father’s two volumes about our Lord.

Volume One focuses on our Lord from His Baptism in the Jordan to His Transfiguration, themes explored during our liturgical worship in Lent.

(UK readers click HERE.)

Volume Two focuses on Holy Week, from the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem to His Resurrection.

(UK readers click HERE.)

They are both available on Kindle.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, GO TO CONFESSION, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged LENT, mortification, penance, sacrament of penance, works of mercy
61 Comments

Sr. Keehan backtracks?

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Sr. Keehan! GIVE BACK THAT PEN!

It seems that Sr. Keehan’s Catholic Health Association, which in abandoning unity with the bishops gave cover to catholic dems so they could vote for Obamacare and get us now into the mess that has arisen, has done a little back-tracking.

This is from the site of the CHA with my emphases and comments.

Catholic Health World
February 15, 2012 Volume 28, Number 3 [Feb 15!]
Something has to be fixed
By SR. CAROL KEEHAN, DC
CHA president and chief executive officer

CHA and its members were profoundly disappointed to learn that the definition of a religious employer was not going to be broadened in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ rules for preventive services for women.

The impact of being told we do not fit the new definition of a religious employer and therefore cannot operate our ministries following our consciences has jolted us. [Well well well… isn’t that interesting. NOW something has to be fixed! When you lie down with dogs, Sister, you rise us with fleas… and that beautiful pen you received when you sold out the bishops.] The contributions of Catholic health care, education and social services to this country’s development are legion. [Aren’t they just sooo special? Interesting choice of words, “legion”.] They have responded to the needs of all, not just Catholics. They have been delivered by many who do not share our faith, but share our commitment.

From President Thomas Jefferson [Not the other two guys?] to President Barack Obama, we have been promised a respect for appropriate religious freedom. [Note the qualifier.] The first amendment to our Constitution affirms it. We are a pluralistic country, and it takes respectful dialogue to sort this out fairly. This decision was a missed opportunity.

CHA has expressed concern and disappointment about this on behalf of the ministry. [You mean after going all weak-kneed at the White House seeking you out as a weapon against the bishops? Those phone calls from the White House could make smart people a little stupid.] We have said the problem is not resolved, and we must have a national conversation on this. CHA is working closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, [Is that so?] Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and others to look at options to resolve this. We will be discussing it at the CHA board meeting on Feb. 8. [Note that the date of the release of this, at the top, is 15 February. What’s up with that? Or is that supposed to be 18 Feb?]

I assure you that we will use the time to pursue a correction during the one-year extension. We will give this issue priority and consult with members and experts as we evaluate options to deal with this. Any suggestions, comments or questions are welcome. [Start by giving back that PEN!] I promise to keep the membership informed as we move along in this effort. Please keep this important effort in your prayers as well.

I’ll bet that what happened here is that the BOARD of the CHA thinks Sr. Keehan is too far out in weeds. Sr. Keehan had her hand slapped by the board.

There is division in the CHA. Not everyone is with Sr. Keehan.

Don’t imagine that the people who have reined Keehan back are actually on the side of the bishops. It is more likely that people who run hospitals, and not hospital associations, are making calls and pointing out how how much trouble they are really in over this HSS mandate.

If you didn’t see it when I posted it before, here it is again.

From Richard III. Buckingham starts to learn what it means to support the wrong guy.

[ENTER, Sr. Keehan with members of the CHA. Barack walks in loggia saying his prayers.]

(This video is no longer available.)

Richard Elected King

UPDATE: On the site of the National Catholic Register (that’s the good paper), you find this:

“If the CHA board hasn’t authorized this, if she has no mandate from the USCCB, and if there are no legally binding documents, she is operating without any legal, governance or regulatory basis. That is a hell of a situation for a Roman Catholic nun that heads the Catholic Health Association to be in.”

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, Emanations from Penumbras, Linking Back, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice |
71 Comments

G. Weigel gets it about the Magisterium of Nuns and

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

On the site of National Review George Weigel has a piece about the bishops and Pres. Obama’s attack on the Catholic Church and the 1st Amendment rights of all Americans.

Among other things he wrote:

[…]

In his appearance on Fox News Sunday on February 12, White House chief of staff Jack Lew discussed with host Chris Wallace what the administration was determined to sell as an “accommodation” to Catholic concerns, an “accommodation” that tweaked an HHS mandate requiring that all health insurance provide no-co-pay abortifacients, sterilizations, and contraceptives. Lew tried, unsuccessfully, to shore up the administration’s pretense that something in the moral calculus of the original mandate had changed with the administration’s “accommodation” — which, of course, it hadn’t. What was truly striking about the administration spin, however, was Lew’s suggestion that the Catholic Health Association (whose president, Sister Carol Keehan, had quickly and publicly applauded the administration’s “accommodation”) trumped the bishops’ conference when it came to who-speaks-for-the-Catholic-Church-in-America.

[…]

Mr. Weigel is right, of course, in his analysis… which points to what I have been saying for years about the Magisterum of Nuns. I pointed this out in regard to Mr. Lew with Mr. Wallace last Sunday. More people are noticing this, which is a good thing.

Weigel went on to say:

[…]

In the administration’s view, then, primacy in the Catholic Church is not conferred by the pope, but by the White House. Thus Sister Carol Keehan could be recognized by the president’s chief of staff as primate of the Catholic Church in the United States, because she headed an organization that “knows a fair amount about . . . health care in this country” — unlike, for example, those mulish bishops who had failed to be taken in by the administration’s shell game.

[…]

Yes, and WDTPRS has also made this point in the past several times, but in starker terms. We have described what Pres. Obama and his familiars want: an American Catholic Patriotic Association. The latest explication of this same was on 9 Feb HERE. If he had his way, the President would probably like to be able to make the ecclesial appointments… and he wouldn’t even have to wait for non-recess “recesses” of Congress to make them. But it is good to know that someone else is noticing.

You might check out Weigel’s piece, which has some other good points for your consideration.

Posted in Linking Back, Our Catholic Identity, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged 1st Amendment, American Patriot Catholic Association, George Weigel, HHS, magisterium of nuns, Obama, Pres
8 Comments

“In order to avoid conflicts, they let the poison spread.”

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

“[I]t is true that the Church may never simply align itself with the “Zeitgeist” [spirit of the times]. The Church must address the vices and perils of the time; she must appeal to the consciences of the powerful and of the intellectuals, not to mention of those who want to live narrow-minded, comfortable lives while ignoring the needs of the time, and so forth. As a bishop [of Munich] I felt obliged to face this task. Moreover, the deficits were too obvious: exhaustion of the faith, decline in vocations, lowering of moral standards even among men of the Church, an increasing tendency towards violence, and much else. The words of the Bible and of the Church Fathers rang in my ears, those sharp condemnations of shepherds who are like mute dogs; in order to avoid conflicts, they let the poison spread. Peace is not the first civic duty, and a bishop whose only concern is not to have any problems and to gloss over as many conflicts as possible is an image I find repulsive.“