QUAERITUR: Use of the beretta at Mass, revisited

Posted on 18 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I just received an email request from a priest for instructions about the appropriate use of the beretta during Mass.

Beretta?

I hereby re-post what I already offered here.

From a reader:

Can a beretta be used in the OF? When would it be used?

Yes, without question! But make sure that it is clean and in good working order so that it doesn’t misfire.

I would use the beretta primarily when there are too many extraordinary ministers charging the altar. Another possible moment would be when the choir sings On Eagles Wings or another ditty of that sort.

The best way to use the beretta is to rise… first removing your biretta – which is perfectly correct to use in celebrations of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite – and, taking aim, go for head shots.

I have learned through hard won and tough experience that you should immediately reload!

To save you and everyone else that embarrassing hitching up of the alb and digging in the pocket for a magazine, have one … or more … ready on a silver salver covered with a linen cloth about the size of a corporal. The altar boy, or if it is a more solemn occasion, deacon, can bring you magazines as you should need them.

The beretta should be cleaned after the purification of the chalice and before the final prayer and dismissal.

The congregation will be quite patient and will not leave before that final blessing, believe me.

[No actual extraordinary ministers of Communion or pop-combo members were hurt in the making of this blog entry.]

Thus endeth the lesson.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Lighter fare | Tagged ,
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I weep.

Posted on 18 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Over at The Crescat I read an interesting and consoling entry.

a tribute medley…

… dedicated to those who have a special place in their hearts for the Gather Hymnal.

You see…

“With the new Mass translations coming out this year, the “Gather” hymnal will sadly become obsolete. With that in mind, I composed a tribute medley to some of the best songs contained therein….”

The video:

[wp_youtube]uwFJv-kmaCc[/wp_youtube]

Posted in Picture Me In My Grief | Tagged
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Oregon – 25-26 Feb Men’s Conference. Card. Burke, Bp. Vasa, choir of Wyoming Catholic College

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For those of you in the area:

The Northwest Catholic Men’s Conference will take place in Pendleton, Oregon, on February 25 and 26, featuring His Eminence Cardinal Raymond L. Burke as principal celebrant of Masses on both days.  The Cardinal will also lead Stations of the Cross on Friday evening.  Other speakers include Bishop Robert Vasa, Fr. Bailey Clemens of St. Mary’s in Pendleton, and Doug Barry, Founder of Radix and Co-host on EWTN.  Opportunities for Confession and Adoration will be available throughout the weekend.  Music for the liturgies and stations will be provided by the Wyoming Catholic College Choir under the direction of Dr. Peter Kwasniewski.  There are still openings for men who wish to participate in this spiritually galvanizing event!

For more information or to register, visit gowestcatholicmen.com

Sounds like a great conference!

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Peruvian Archbp. during presidential elections: voting for abortion supporter is a mortal sin

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

ArequipaFrom CNA with my emphases and comments:

CNA STAFF, Feb 17, 2011 / 03:54 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Javier del Rio Alba of Arequipa, Peru recently clarified that “voting for a candidate who supports abortion is a mortal sin.” [Not much nuance there.]

“As Catholics, we can never support a candidate that [who?] proposes the killing of defenseless children and who attacks the common good of society by attacking the institution of marriage,” the archbishop said in a Feb. 16 interview with CNA. [So this is not just about abortion, but also about the sanctity of marriage.  Attack these two foundations of society and you tear society apart at the roots.]

He explained that while voting for a pro-abortion candidate is a grave offense, it does not incur the automatic excommunication that participating in an abortion does.

“We bishops do not get involved in politics,” the archbishop continued, “but the doctrine of the Church does require we teach on matters of faith and morals.”  [Do I hear an “Amen!”?]

Archbishop Rio Alba has been the target of criticism since his Feb. 13 homily in which he said, “Catholics can never cast their vote for a candidate who by word or deed says he will support abortion.” Critics charged he was referring to presidential candidate Alejandro Toledo, who has brought the issue of legalized abortion into the presidential campaign.

The archbishop said that last Sunday’s Gospel was explicit about the commandment not to kill, and that therefore it was important to address this “very relevant” issue.

In his interview, Archbishop Rio Alba exhorted Catholics to think through their votes and study both the “concrete proposals and the character” of those running for office. Only after considering all of these factors together should Catholics decide how to vote. [But our identity as Catholic must figure in making that decision.]

In recent days presidential candidate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski underscored that his political party “does not believe in abortion, period.”

Alejandro Toledo, who currently leads in the polls, said he was open to the legalization of abortion.  “Nobody should allow a human being to be born under forced circumstances,” he said.

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, said she does not support abortion. “I am a woman and a mother,” she said, adding that she does support “therapeutic” abortion.

Luis Castaneda, currently third in the polls, said he does not support abortion, “except for therapeutic reasons.”

Sounds much like our next Presidential election cycle is going to sound.

Can. 915.

Posted in Emanations from Penumbras | Tagged , ,
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WDTPRS ACTION ITEM ALERT! (for USA citizens)

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I picked this up from Tom Peter’s page:

Two important pro-life votes are expected this evening. Please call your Representative today and urge them to support the Pence amendment and the Fleming amendment to the Continuing Resolution.

The Pence amendment would eliminate taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood for the rest of this fiscal year. The Fleming amendment would block the HHS from gutting important conscience protections for health care workers.

You can contact the Capitol Hill switchboard by calling (202) 224-3121. If you get through, simply ask for the office of your Representative. Be polite, but firm.

If you can’t get through or if you’re not sure who your representative is, you can look them up here with your zip code here:

http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html

In some congressional districts YOUR call may be more important than in others.  But the people who get involved have the influence.

Posted in Emanations from Penumbras |
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Another spin! Hijinx with water!

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

VOTE FOR WDTPRSSomeone sent me a link to a video on Youtube with a trick you can do with water!

I think every child over the age of 6 should see this video.

Great fun!  Especially when mom isn’t at home.

Repetita iuvant!

[wp_youtube]7ctaA2mERzI[/wp_youtube]

Yes … you moms out there. You don’t have to thank me. I know. I know.

Posted in Just Too Cool, Lighter fare |
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Following the Church sometimes requires a measure of folly, at least as the world sees it

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Recently in Kansas City, Kansas, a “white Mass” was celebrated (for medical professionals) and H.E. Most Rev. Robert Vasa, now of Santa Rosa in California, preached a fine sermon.

Bp. Vasa has impressed WDTPRS for some time now.

The blog of diocesan paper of Kansas City, MO – St. Joseph, the Catholic Key has the story and the whole text.  I recommend you look at it.

Bp. Vasa’s sermon revolves in part around the Gospel account of the wedding at Cana, when Our Blessed Mother instructed them: “Do whatever He tells you!”

The stewards were probably thinking that they should get more wine.  Reasonable, right?  Instead, they are told to do something which, on the face of it, seems foolish.  Get water.   Don’t do the sensible thing in the way the world thinks.  Do something that doesn’t make sense in worldly terms.

It takes courage, in the medical profession, and in many walks of life, to go against the common herd or prevailing view in favor of something which comes from above, or from within but which has been obscured and blotted out.

Take a look at Bp. Vasa’s sermon. It will pay some dividends for your time.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged , ,
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Unreconstructed Ossified Manualists unite!

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Adolphe TanquerayI was recently chatting with a priest friend and the issue of “manual theology” came up.

For a long time much of the theological formation of priests came from “manuals” for dogmatic theology and moral theology.  Among the famous manual compilers were Fr. Hieronymus Noldin, SJ (+1922), a professor at the University of Innsbruck, and Adolphe Tanqueray, SS (+1932), who taught at St. Mary’s in Baltimore.  In addition to his famous manuals, which influenced generations of American priests, Fr. Tanqueray wrote the classic The Spiritual Life: a treatise on ascetical and mystical theology.

These old theological manuals are mostly in Latin.  I know that Tanqueray’s Dogmatic Theology was translated into English.  The Latin, however, meant to be understood by seminarians and taught in classrooms, is easy and clear, presenting no special challenges.

Manuals are still useful for priests or lay people, who can make a thorough review of questions they have about points of dogma or about moral issues.  Every priest of the Latin Church ought to know Latin, and he ought to scrounge up a set of some manuals as references, always keeping in mind subsequent clarifications and definitive teachings of the Church’s magisterium.  For example, these old manuals would not cover some precise questions arising in bio-ethics.  But, if you dig, you can find the correct principles are right there in those old books.

VOTE FOR WDTPRSThe manual approach to theology came to be sneered at by liberals and it went out of style, effectively banned from any seminary training after the Second Vatican Council.  Study from manuals came to be associated with “rigidity” or perhaps “not being open to the spirit”.   The old books were exacting and precise when we should be free and unrepressed.

Some of the best priests I know made good use of their old manual education.  Older priests, some of them now passed to their reward, who would have had to study these volumes, were solid and clear preachers and good confessors.  Of course some of the older guys were nuts too.  They probably didn’t study very hard in school, I guess.  Younger priests of my acquaintance will also refer to manuals as well as other sources.  They are great tools and no one need apologize for using them.

To that end, I hereby unveil the newest WDTPRS coffee mug into which you can pour your piping hot Mystic Monk Coffee!

Behold the “Unreconstructed Ossified Manualist” mug, sure to bolster solid priests and annoy liberals everywhere.

Unreconstructed Ossified Manualists are sure that answers in keeping with the Church’s teaching can be found and our forbearers probably did the heavy lifting for us a long time ago.

Two views of the large coffee mug.

The other side has a spiffy shot of some books from my shelf, fancy bound volumes, slightly worn – but in a good way –  of the aforementioned Fr. Tanqueray’s volumes of moral theology.

The color of that red isn’t quite right on my screen.  It is more vibrant than that.

Unreconstructed Ossified Manualist

Just a little homage to those who don’t think we should jettison our useful tools of the past.

Continuity!

To buy them CLICK HERE.

There are also magnets.


I may add more things later.

UPDATE:

His Hermeneuticalness has a post about this mug, and the Newman “Deep In History” mug
(may he and his tribe thrive) and he makes some great comments about theology manuals.

Be sure to admire the new look of his blog!

Posted in Our Catholic Identity | Tagged
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Septuagesima is upon us

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

SeptuagesimaThis coming Sunday is Septuagesima in the traditional Roman calendar  It comes late this year because of the vagaries of the moon.

In the pre-Conciliar calendar this period before Ash Wednesday is called the Season of Epiphany.   Part of it is also called Time of Septuagesima in some reckonings.  The time after Epiphany and the time after Pentecost are both called the tempus per annum, “the time through the year”.  That terminology remained in the Novus Ordo to describe the two parts of “Ordinary Time”.

The Sunday is called Septuagesima from the  Latin for “seventieth”, as in 70 days before Easter.  This is more symbolic than perfectly arithmetical.  The Sundays which follow are Sexagesima (“sixtieth”) and Quinquagesima (“fiftieth”) before Ash Wednesday brings in Lent, called in Latin Quadragesima, “Fortieth”.

These pre-Lenten Sundays prepare us for the discipline of Lent, which once was far stricter in its requirements for fasting.  Eastern Church retain a deeper discipline in this regard.

VOTE FOR WDTPRSSeptuagesima gives us a more solemn attitude for Holy Mass.  Purple is worn on Sunday and weekdays without feasts rather than the green of the time after Epiphany.  These Sundays have Roman stations.  Alleluia is sung for the last time at First Vespers of Septuagesima and is then excluded until Holy Saturday.  There was once a tradition of “burying” the Alleluia, with a depositio ceremony, like a little funeral.  A hymn of farewell was sung.  There was a procession with crosses, tapers, holy water, and a coffin containing a banner with Alleluia.  The coffin was sprinkled, incensed, and buried. In some places, such as Paris, a straw figure bearing an Alleluia of gold letters was burned in the churchyard.  Somehow that seems very French to me.

The prayers and readings for the Masses of these pre-Lenten Sundays were compiled by St. Gregory the Great (+604), Pope in a time of great turmoil and suffering.  Pre-Lent is particularly a time for preaching about missions and missionary work, the evangelization of peoples.

In the Novus Ordo of Paul VI there is no more pre-Lent.  A terrible loss.

We are grateful that with Summorum Pontificum the pre-Lent Sundays have regained something of their ancient status.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged
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About PODCAzT 116 on Pius XI’s ‘Mortalium animos’

Posted on 17 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A couple people asked me to re-post the last PODCAzT (116) about Pius IX’s encyclical about unity and ecumenism called Mortalium animos.  Rather than re-post, here is the link back to the original post.

Mortalium animos may be an eye-opener for some younger Catholics.

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