Austria… poor Austria: scrub priests rebel

Posted on 13 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From CWN.  My emphases and comments.

Over 300 Austrian priests join ‘Call to Disobedience’

Catholic World News
July 13, 2011

Over 300 of Austria’s 4,200 priests have pledged to take part in Aufruf zum Ungehorsam (Call to Disobedience), an initiative launched in June.

The Call to Disobedience document cites “the Roman refusal of a long-overdue Church reform and the inaction of bishops.” Priests who support the document pledge

•to pray for Church reform at every liturgy, since “in the presence of God there is freedom of speech” [liturgy = freedom of speech?]
•not to deny the Holy Eucharist to “believers of good will,” including non-Catholic Christians and those who have remarried outside the Church [So, effectively, no criteria at all for the meaning of “Communion”.]
•to avoid offering Mass more than once on Sundays and holy days and to avoid making use of visiting priests–instead holding a “self-designed” Liturgy of the Word [Because they are at heart really Protestants.]
•to describe such a Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Holy Communion as a “priestless Eucharistic celebration”; “thus we fulfill the Sunday obligation in a time of priest shortage” [Every man his own priest, after all… though that’s sexist, isn’t it…]
•to “ignore” canonical norms that restrict the preaching of the homily to clergy [Freedom of speech… remember?]
•to oppose parish mergers, insisting instead that each parish have its own individual leader, “whether man or woman” [To hell with the Christ-founded hierarchy.]
•to “use every opportunity to speak out openly in favor of the admission of the married and of women to the priesthood” [Heretics.]

“The open call to disobedience shocked me,” Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said in a July 7 letter, [REALLY, Your Eminence? Really?] noting that many professionals would have “long since lost their jobs” if they had called for disobedience. [So… Your Eminence… do something about it.] Reminding priests that they had freely promised obedience to their bishop at ordination, he asked, “Can I rely on you?”

“Christian obedience is a school of freedom,” the cardinal added. “It is about the concrete translation into life of what we pray in every Our Father, when we ask the Father that His will be done in heaven and on earth … This willingness is made concrete in religious obedience to the Pope and bishops.”

Those who truly in conscience believe that they must disobey the hierarchy, and that “‘Rome’ is on the wrong track [and] gravely contradicts the will of God,” ought in consequence to “travel the way no more with the Roman Catholic Church. I believe and hope, however, that this extreme case does not occur here.” [Otherwise….. what?]

“The one who gives up the principle of obedience dissolves unity,” the cardinal continued, as he pledged to meet with the initiative’s leaders and point out its “inconsistencies,” such as “priestless Eucharist.”

The new initiative’s web site is registered in the name of Father Hans Bensdorp, until 2010 the parish priest of the Church of the Rosary in Hetzendorf in the Archdiocese of Vienna. [Isn’t Card. Schoenborn the Archbishop of Vienna?] A YouTube video, [See below.] uploaded in 2009, shows an excerpt from the Mass commemorating the 35th anniversary of Father Bensdorp’s priestly ordination, according to the video’s description.

Tensions between the papacy and segments of the Church in Austria are not novel, as witnessed by the advent of Josephinism in the 18th centry, the fin-de-siècle Los von Rom (Free from Rome) movement, and disagreements between the Vatican and Vienna Cardinal Theodor Innitzer in the face of the Nazi Anschluss.

Scrubs.

Two words for them:

GET. OUT.

FWIW: Fr. Bensdorp’s celebration.

[wp_youtube]NPVpqoM2vLw[/wp_youtube]

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Sometimes I like the blogosphere

Posted on 13 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I noticed over at the blog Sober Inebriation – a great phrase with deep spiritual implications – that the undersigned was mentioned in a post about cooking.

I did some memorable fishing as a kid.  I shot this photo of this photo with my phone, but here’s the undersigned a loooong time ago.

20110713-080615.jpg

I had blonde hair then.

Therefore, it was a real pleasure to see this fellows photo with his son.  The kid’s grin and that fish are what summer should be about.

Quintillian, the 2nd century teacher of rhetoric, said that if, during the summer children are healthy, they have learned enough.  Kids are over scheduled and over managed, when they are not parked in front a video game.  I digress.

But at the end of his entry, he wrote over there:

I am hoping that Father Z will run a Salmon recipe on his blog.
If he lived closer I certainly would provide the fish for him.

“Aha!”, quoth I.  “I have posted about salmon at least once.  Here.

A shots from that entry.

Sometimes I really like the blogosphere.

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Being overly touchy

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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QUAERITUR: Can EMHCs purify sacred vessels after Holy Communion?

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I moved to a new parish about month ago, and while I didn’t register (I usually move every few months for work), I do contribute monetarily. I’m unsure if I’m even in a position to raise a concern.

This parish has reverent Masses, but there is an odd practice I’m not used to seeing- the EMHC’s purifying the Sacred Vessels after Mass and consuming the remaining Precious Blood.

I didn’t think it was my business to meddle into how the priest runs his parish, but the last couple of weeks have made me re-think that.

Two weeks ago I was praying after Mass had ended, and I was startled by a loud metal crashing sound coming from the side table below the Sanctuary steps. I looked up, and one of the EMHC’s had dropped either the priest’s chalice, or one of the common chalices. I was bothered by it, but didn’t do anything.

Then this weekend, I was sitting in the pews somewhat close to the table praying after Mass, but I got distracted by all the EMHC’s. They were huddled around the table, and while they were consuming the remainder of the Precious Blood, they were visiting with each other.

When you are not formally a member of a parish, it is harder to intervene in these matters.

However, I think it is within your rights to express your concerns, kindly and respectfully, to the pastor.

In Redemptionis Sacramentum we read:

6. Complaints Regarding Abuses in Liturgical Matters

[183.] In an altogether particular manner, let everyone do all that is in their power to ensure that the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist will be protected from any and every irreverence or distortion and that all abuses be thoroughly corrected. This is a most serious duty incumbent upon each and every one, and all are bound to carry it out without any favouritism.

[184.] Any Catholic, whether Priest or Deacon or lay member of Christ’s faithful, has the right to lodge a complaint regarding a liturgical abuse to the diocesan Bishop or the competent Ordinary equivalent to him in law, or to the Apostolic See on account of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff. It is fitting, however, insofar as possible, that the report or complaint be submitted first to the diocesan Bishop. This is naturally to be done in truth and charity.

While this says “the diocesan bishop”, I would start with the pastor.  Very calmly express your observations and concerns.

Redemptionis Sacramentum 119 points out that, after the priest and deacon, the duly instituted acolyte purifies vessels, not someone who substitutes for the acolyte.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion do not… not… have permission in the USA to purify sacred vessels.  This permission was explicitly denied by the Holy See.  It had earlier been permitted, but the permission was not renewed. NB: The Pope himself got involved with this one.

It is therefore a serious liturgical abuse for EMCH’s to purify.  It may be that the pastor of the parish is not aware of this.

Here is the text of the letter from the Holy See explanation the situation to the USCCB:

CONGREGATIO CULTO DIVINO ET DISCIPLINA SACRAMENTORUM

Prot. n. 468/05/L Rome, 12 October 2006

Your Excellency,

I refer to your letters of 9 March 2005 and 7 March 2006, in which, in the name of the Conference of Bishops of which you are President, you requested a renewal of the indult for extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to purify the sacred vessels after Mass, where there are not enough priests or deacons to purify a large number of chalices that might be used at Mass.

I have put the whole matter before the Holy Father in an audience which he granted me on 9 June 2006, and received instructions to reply as follows:

1. There is no doubt that “the sign of Communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 281; Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 390).

2. Sometimes, however, the high number of communicants may render it inadvisable for everyone to drink from the chalice (cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 102). Intinction with reception on the tongue always and everywhere remains a legitimate option, by virtue of the general liturgical law of the Roman Rite.

3. Catechesis of the people is important regarding the teaching of the Council of Trent that Christ is fully present under each of the species. Communion under the species of the bread alone, as a consequence, makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace (cf. Denzinger-Schönmetzer, no. 1729; General Instruction of the Roman Missal, nos. 11, 282). “For pastoral reasons”, therefore, “this manner of receiving Communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1390).

4. Paragraph 279 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal directs that the sacred vessels are to be purified by the priest, the deacon or an instituted acolyte. The status of this text as legislation has recently been clarified by the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. It does not seem feasible, therefore, for the Congregation to grant the requested indult from this directive in the general law of the Latin Church.

5. This letter is therefore a request to the members of the Bishops’ Conference of the United Status of America to prepare the necessary explanations and catechetical materials for your clergy and people so that henceforth the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 279, as found in the editio typicatia of the Roman Missal, will be observed throughout its territories.

With the expression of my esteem and fraternal greetings, I remain, Your Excellency,
Devotedly yours in Christ,

+ Francis Cardinal Arinze
Prefect

Monsignor Mario Marini
Under-Secretary

So, in the parish, the only vessels that EMCH’s who are not actually instituted acolytes should be purifying are their mugs during in the parish hall when they have finished their…

[CUE MUSIC]

Mystic Monk Coffee!

That’s right, when all those pants suits charge the altar and all those unconsecrated hands start smearing the remains of lipstick around on those sacred vessels, just remember that in a little while you too will be able to unclench with the help of those traditional Carmelites in Wyoming and their Mystic Monk Coffee!

And since it is warm during the summer, and cool drinks are needed to cool off your anger, perhaps you should try something I just noticed in their mystical monkish inventory.

Iced Coffee Blend!

Iced Coffee is sooo refreshing, isn’t it?   And you can have some and support the Carmelites as they build their monastery.

Does it get better than that?  No!  Of course not.

Refresh your coffee supply today by clicking HERE.

And don’t forget their great TEA.

Mystic Monk!

It’s swell!

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QUAERITUR: Extraordinary Form “vigil” Mass on Saturday afternoon or evening?

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

Is it permissible to have a Extraordinary Form Vigil Mass on a Saturday evening?

Yes, I believe it is.  I believe so… again… I believe so.

Permission to say Holy Mass in the evening was granted before the 1962 Missale Romanum was issued.  The older Code of Canon Law, of 1917, said that Mass could not begin more than one hour after noon (without distinction of solar time or civil time).  But that was not something of the rubrics found in the Missale Romanum.  The time of Mass, other than in the case of the Vigil of Easter and, perhaps, the Masses of Christmas, isn’t given much attention in the Missale Romanum.

Also, one fulfills one’s obligation by attending Mass on the day of precept itself or on its vigil.

Therefore, were one to attend Holy Mass on a, say, Saturday afternoon, that would fulfill the obligation regardless of the texts used for Mass.  If the Mass was of the Saturday, one’s Sunday obligation would nevertheless be fulfilled.

That brings up the thornier question – and I think this is probably what you were really asking – of whether the Sunday texts can be used Saturday afternoon.

While I am unaware that the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” has yet ruled on this, I suspect… suspect, mind you, that – with the permission of the Commission – it would be permissible to use the Sunday texts on a Saturday afternoon, since the liturgical day can be reckoned to begin on the afternoon before the feast or Sunday.  I wouldn’t do it on my own.

I have little doubt that all sorts of people are ready to jump in now.

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QUAERITUR: Priest complains about people not receiving from EMHC

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

We have a priest celebrating a NO mass in Latin (for a month now). Two weeks ago he was agitated and asked that people receive also from the extraordinary minister (who’s line was much shorter). This week he distributed the blood, not the body (which was distributed by emhcs.)

No one doubts that one doesn’t receive “more Jesus” when receiving from a priest, or deacon, rather than a lay person.  The Eucharist is the Eucharist is the Eucharist.

That said, the priest’s hands are consecrated to handle the Eucharist.  The lay person’s are not.

Furthermore, it strikes me that people have the right to get into whichever line it pleases them to get into.

Moreover, perhaps the priest ought to take the hint and stop employing EMHC‘s at Mass.  A significant number of people seem troubled by their presence.

I have no thoughts about the priest distributing the Precious Blood instead of Hosts other than to wonder if he is trying to make sure that no “mistakes” happen.  In that case there is some risk of profanation and it probably shouldn’t be done at all.

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Chinese bishops siezed in advance of another illicit consecration

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A reader clued me into a story about another potential ecclesial train-wreck in poor China.  From Sino Daily we read this, which originated with AFP:

Chinese bishops ‘taken away’ by police: report

(AFP) – 1 day ago

VATICAN CITY — Four bishops loyal to the Vatican have been “taken away” by Chinese police in recent days to take part in a state-sanctioned ordination, the Catholic news agency AsiaNews said on Monday.

“Nobody knows where the four pastors are being held,” the report said, adding that local sources had told AsiaNews that one of the bishops “was sobbing last night as he was dragged away by government representatives.”

The Vatican and China have been locked in a bitter struggle in recent months over control of the Catholic Church in China, with the Vatican saying that ordinations being carried out by the official church are illegitimate.

AsiaNews said three bishops were taken away yesterday: Liang Jiansen of Jiangmen, Liao Hongqing of Meizhou and Paul Su Yongda of Zhanjiang.  [May I suggest that you pray for them?]

Bishop Joseph Junqi of Guangzhou has been missing for days.

It said four other bishops loyal to Pope Benedict XVI were due to take part in the ordination of Father Huang Bingzhang on July 14 in Shantou.

It said one bishop, Paul Pei Junmin, who has been designated as the principal celebrant at the ordination, is being protected by his priests in the cathedral of Shenyang in order not to participate in the ceremony.

AsiaNews said that uniformed and plainclothes police officers were outside the cathedral, and said the priests were holding non-stop prayers inside.  [Remember the story of St. Ambrose and his flock shut up in their church when the Arian-Imperial officials wanted to confiscate it for their use?]

Long-running tensions between the Vatican and Beijing frayed earlier this month after the Holy See excommunicated an “illegitimate” Chinese bishop and China’s state-run Church threatened to continue defying the pope.

China’s 5.7 million Catholics are increasingly caught between showing allegiance to the officially sanctioned Patriotic Catholic Association or to the pope as part of an “underground” Church not recognised by the authorities.

The Vatican had hoped that China would guarantee religious freedom while opening up its economy in recent years. Beijing had initially agreed to postpone new bishop ordinations but its attitude hardened again in 2010.

Tensions rose after a bishop was ordained without official permission from the Roman Catholic Church in Chengde in northern China last November.

In May, the pope called on all bishops to “refuse to take the path of separation,” in spite of “pressure” from the communist authorities.

But the Patriotic Catholic Association ignored these appeals and announced last month that it hoped to ordain 40 bishops “without delay”.

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QUAERITUR: Participation in the sins of other people

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Yesterday I posted about the entry at the blog of the USCCB about the benefits of confession.  In that post the subject of “structural sin” came up.  “Structural sin” is something liberals use to mask the reality of personal responsibility for sins committed by individuals.  All “structural sin” has its roots in the commission of personal sins.

However, sin affects more than the sinner.  It affects everyone.  We are all in this together.  When one member of the Body of Christ sins, we all suffer.  Some people are more directly affected, but all of us are weakened.  Therefore, when we seek reconciliation with God, we must also be reconciled with the whole of the Church, and not just with the person or persons we may have immediately harmed.  So, there is a “social” dimension to sin.

There is also a “social” dimension, as it were in how we can sin. We can sin not only be our own direct actions, but indirectly through participation in the sins directly committed by others.

How does one participate in the sin of another person?  We sin through another person’s actions by …

  1. counsel
  2. command
  3. consent
  4. provocation
  5. praise or flattery
  6. concealment
  7. partaking
  8. silence
  9. the defense of the ill done

1. Counsel: If you tell or advise another person to do something sinful, so that they do it, you have sinned by participation in that person’s sin.

2. Command: If you have authority over another, and you forced that person to commit something which is sinful, while that person might have mitigated guilt, you don’t.

3. Consent: If you are asked if you think a sin is good thing to do, and have some power over the situation, and if you permit or approve or yield to the commission of the sin, you’ve sinned.

4. Provocation: You badger or drive or dare a person to do something such that he does it.

5. Praise of flattery: Pretty clear.  This is another way of prompting a person.

6. Concealment: A person commits a sin and then you help that person conceal the evidence or the action.

7. Partaking: Another person is the principal person involved, but you are right there helping the actual sinful deed.  For example, a person helping a doctor commit an abortion, a politician helping an aggressive governor or president or speaker of the house drive through recognition of contrary-to-nature “marriage” by providing a vote.

8. Silence: There is an old adage that “silent implies consent”.  If a person with great authority or moral authority is in a position to stop a sin from happening, and yet stays silent and doesn’t get involved, then that may constitute participation in the sin committed.  This is trickier to figure out, but it isn’t rocket science.  There may be attendant mitigating circumstances, such as the probable invasion of Vatican City, the capture of the Roman Pontiff and destruction of the Church in many places.  In the meanwhile one could work quietly.  One cannot, however, do nothing.  Another point must be considered: the rules governing fraternal correction.  It may not be your place to correct another person, depending on the circumstances.

9. Defense: Pretty clear.  You defend or justify or give an apology in favor of the sin committed.  This is not the same as what a defense lawyer does in the case of a person who is guilty.

It is good to review this list once in a while with a view to your own examination of conscience.

We all wind up in morally ambiguous or difficult situations in which we are challenged to chose between goods or between greater and lesser evils.   So that we don’t wind up like Buridan’s Ass, we make choices.  We have to keep track of ourselves and are interactions with others so that a) we do not endanger our souls by participation in their sins and b) we do not endanger other people’s souls by involving them in our sins.

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Seminarians learning to cook

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have often opined that seminarians should be given workshops concerning some basic skills, such as some fundamental sewing, accounting, laundry, and most importantly… cooking. Many priests must live alone and the days of the old-fashioned housekeeper may be gone forever.

I noted with interest this story from UCANews:

New cooking class prepares priests to provide other types of nourishment
Tokyo Japan
July 11, 2011

It is a Sunday morning and five apron-clad seminarians are gathered in the kitchen at the Tokyo Campus of the Japan Catholic Seminary.  They are about to take part in a recent and rather unusual addition to their  curriculum: a cooking workshop. But they cannot start just yet; the teacher has noticed something is missing.

“Where’s the mustard spinach?” she asks. “I’ll go buy some!” says one eager student and scurries from the room.

These students  have only just started seminary life. As part of their focus on “communal life and service” in their first term, they are required to attend cooking workshops like this one.

Their instructor is Ms. Akiko Kojima, a registered dietician and parishioner of Seijo Church in Tokyo. Sister Kazumi Ozaki of the Society of Helpers, who has been tasked with the formation of these students, is also here to lend a hand. Today’s menu is Chinese sweet and sour pork, a Korean disk of seasoned vegetables called namul, soup and dessert.

The seminarians set to work, occasionally asking questions and helping each other out when needed. After nearly two hours of diligent work, the food is done. As Ms. Kojima turns off the burners on the stove, the students  give a cheer.

One of them, Munihiro Noguchi from Tokyo archdiocese, says, “It was pretty difficult, but in the end it’s for our own good. For my pastor at the church I belong to, breakfast is always just toast, and lunch is always just noodles.”

Kazuki Shimohara of Nagasaki archdiocese gives an embarrassed laugh as he admits that his cooking prowess is “just about limited to single-serving instant ramen. The stuff today is great!”

Japanese cooking has some quite distinctive regional variations. Perhaps that is what leads Takanori Toyoda, from Osaka, to say as he eats, “This food seems like it has a Tokyo flavor.”

Sulpician Father Mitsuru Shirahama, who is in charge of the first-year students, says the workshop got started three years ago after someone suggested that the seminarians themselves prepare food at the weekend, when the kitchen staff have a day off.

“It’s good practice,” he adds, “because when they are serving at parishes they may sometimes be asked to cook.”

Ms. Kojima uses her knowledge as a dietician to encourage the young men and help them choose a healthy diet. “When you’re living alone, it can be hard to get enough vegetables. But if you do it once, you’ll be able to do it again when the time comes.”

In the second semester, the seminarians will move on to dividing the workload, choosing menus and making the food themselves. “Their cooking skills are still iffy,” Father Shirahama says, “but still, I’m looking forward to it.”

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How the Office begins

Posted on 12 July 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For those who may never have seen it, this is how one starts to pray the Office in the older form. There are variations, but today’s is typical.

With the help of the iBreviary app and in English… a nice way to start any day. “Ant.” is the Antiphon.

Start
V. O Lord ? open thou my lips
R. And my mouth shall declare thy praise.
V. O God ? come to my assistance;
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Alleluia

Invitatory {Antiphona for the Common or Feast}
Ant. The Lord, He is the King of the Confessors. * let us worship Him.
Ant. The Lord, He is the King of the Confessors. * let us worship Him.
Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
Ant. The Lord, He is the King of the Confessors. * let us worship Him.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. For in his hand are all the ends of the earth: and the heights of the mountains are his.
Ant. let us worship Him.
For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. (genuflect) Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us: For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Ant. The Lord, He is the King of the Confessors. * let us worship Him.
Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts: As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.
Ant. let us worship Him.
Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart. And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
Ant. The Lord, He is the King of the Confessors. * let us worship Him.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Ant. let us worship Him.
Ant. The Lord, He is the King of the Confessors. * let us worship Him.

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