6 years ago… where were you?

Posted on 19 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Six years ago today, Joseph Card. Ratzinger was elected as Bishop of Rome and he took the name Benedict, sixteenth of that name.

Where were you? What were your thoughts at the time?

I was in Rome on an uncomfortable chair with an earpiece in my ear and extremely bright lights in my eyes in front of cameras for Fox News, covering the election with Chris Wallace and Greg Burke.

When the Cardinal Deacon said “Josephum”, I almost wrenched Greg Burke’s arm out of its socket.

Here is a photo of the TV screen someone shot and sent me at the time… it is really unflattering (my hairline is receding, but hasn’t been quite that routed yet… not that that matters much), but… well… it’s what I have and the smile was real.

6 years ago... where were you?

Posted in Linking Back | Tagged , , , ,
102 Comments

Royal Wedding preview

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Do you remember the dancing wedding … entrance… ummm… procession?

[wp_youtube]4-94JhLEiN0[/wp_youtube]

Here is a rehearsal for the entrance procession for the upcoming royal wedding.

[wp_youtube]Kav0FEhtLug[/wp_youtube]

Yes… we need Summorum Pontificum.

o{];¬)

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged
45 Comments

QUAERITUR: Eucharistic Prayer for Masses with Kiddies

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

Masses at our local Catholic grade school use Eucharistic Prayer II
for Masses with Children, in which many congregational responses are added, even during the Institution Narrative! Please tell us these are going away with the new translation.

Okay.

They are going away.

There.  I said it.

Apropos that link, above, fear not.

Just as those who don’t want to use the new translations should register their displeasure but refusing to use, and just use Latin instead, so too those who will miss the Children’s Mass things in the new book should protest vehemently by the same means: just use Latin.

QUAERITUR: Eucharistic Prayer for Masses with KiddiesAnd kids, they’re so cute when they’re small, take to new things so easily!

C’mon.  It’ll be great!

(Slightly edited to remove extraneous frivolity from the original):

Father (vested in Roman planeta) Dóminus vobíscum.
Kiddies (sitting on the carpet in front of the altar) Et cum spíritu tuo.
Father (big smile and dramatic sweep of the hands) Sursum corda.
Kiddies (chorus-like, and with a similar sweeping movement prompted by the teacher over on the side) Habémus ad Dóminum.
Father (has to check the text for this sentence, so looses eye-contact) Grátias agámus Dómino Deo nostro.
Kiddies (loudly because they can remember this bit) Dignum et iustum est.
Father then launches into the prayer, pronouncing his Latin very slowly:
Vere, amantíssime Pater, hoc gáudium nobis praebétur, ut tibi grátias agámus et una cum Iesu Christo in Ecclésia tua exsultémus. Sic nos dilexísti, ut pro nobis cónderes hunc mundum imménsum et pulchrum.
Kiddies ( firmly convinced of the immensity and pulchritudinicity of the world) Glória tibi, Dómine, qui nos hómines amas.
Father: Sic nos díligis, ut nobis des Iesum Fílium tuum, qui ad te nos addúcat.
Kiddies (a little uncertain as to who Des is) Glória tibi, Dómine, qui nos hómines amas.
Father: Sic nos díligis, ut in Christo nos cóngreges, et per Spíritum adoptiónis uníus famíliae fílios nos fácias.
Kiddies (losing interest now that it’s the third repetition) Glória tibi, Dómine, qui nos hómines amas.
Father (putting a bit more animation into his delivery) Pro tanti amóris dono tibi grátias ágimus cum Angelis et Sanctis, qui te adórant, canéntes:
Kiddies (using “Orbis factor”, which they rather prefer to “Cunctipotens genitor Deus”, even though it is the feast of an apostle) Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis. Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.
Father (continuing) Vere benedíctus sit Iesus, missus a te, amícus parvulórum et páuperum. Ipse venit, ut nos docéret, te, Pater noster, et nosmet ipsos ad ínvicem dilígere. Ipse venit, ut a córdibus hóminum peccátum et malum auférret, quod amicítiam ímpedit, et ódium, quod non sinit esse felíces. Ipse promísit Spíritum Sanctum cunctis diébus nobis adfutúrum, ut de tua vita tamquam fílii viverémus.
Kiddies (again with “Orbis factor”) Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.
Father (checking his place) Te Deum, Patrem nostrum, rogámus mitte Spíritum tuum, ut haec dona panis et vini Corpus et Sanguis fiant Iesu Christi, Dómini nostri. Qui prídie quam paterétur infinítum tuum manifestávit amórem, in cena enim cum discípulis discúmbens, accépit panem, grátias egit, fregit dedítque eis dicens:ACCÍPITE ET MANDUCÁTE EX HOC OMNES: HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM, QUOD PRO VOBIS TRADÉTUR.
Kiddies (unsure of whether to look at the Host or the words on the screen) Iesus Christus pro nobis tráditus. (At this point one of the kiddies gives the large sanctuary gong a good whack)
Father: Item accépit cálicem vino replétum, orávit tibi, grátias agens, et porréxit eis cálicem, dicens: ACCÍPITE ET BÍBITE EX EO OMNES: HIC EST ENIM CALIX SÁNGUINIS MEI NOVI ET AETÉRNI TESTAMÉNTI, QUI PRO VOBIS ET PRO MULTIS EFFUNDÉTUR IN REMISSIÓNEM PECCATÓRUM.
Kiddies (more confidently this time): Iesus Christus pro nobis tráditus.

(One of the kiddies raises the striker to ring the gong again, but her brighter neighbor hisses “WAIT!!” as Father continues)

Deínde dixit ad eos: Hoc fácite in meam commemoratiónem.

(Asserting her authority the gong-girl now bashes it so hard that her neighbour glares disapprovingly)

Et cetera.

Hey… it’s all about the future and our choices.

Make your choice now.

Just. Use. Latin.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, The future and our choices |
14 Comments

A monastery with falling numbers trying to find more men

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today’s number of the New York Times in the Media and Advertising section there is a story about the Benedictine Abbey at Portsmouth, RI, which is, essentially, aging to death.   I have a sincere hope they can turn the place around.

They are few and they are old and they have no vocations.

12 monks. 5 over 80. The youngest, 50.

They are working on strategies to bring some attention and interest to the abbey.

The article focuses on the gimmicky things, such as a mention of having “taken to the Internet with an elaborate ad campaign featuring videos, a blog and even a Gregorian chant ringtone.”  Of course the NYT is going to focus on the techniques more than the content, as if the “medium is the message”.

Great.  That is interesting.  But it is not the essential thing that will bring in young people.

How about this for an idea.

Of course a new generation of men will use the new tools out there.

Switch back to Latin worship and the Extraordinary Form and then start admitting postulants to train in the old style of Benedictine monastic life.

The monasteries which do this have more vocations than they have room.

Give young men something more than the mere challenge of having to live without a car, or to go along to get along.

And to any young men out there.  Form a group and apply to be novices.  The monks there are not young.

You’ll have the whole shooting match in no time.

I sincerely hope the monks at Portsmouth can turn the numbers around.  We don’t know everything they are doing from that one article.  But I suspect they are not going to accomplish their goals with the same ol’ same ol.  Let it be the real ol, the new ol’, the tested and true ol’.

Posted in Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , , , , ,
32 Comments

Civil War Daily Gazette

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I think for a while I will be following the day by day developments of the American Civil War via the Civil War Daily Gazette.

150 year after the fact, this site has a blog/magazine format and covers the events of the war.

Retro-new media.

Posted in Just Too Cool |
4 Comments

L’Osservatore Romano: criticizing the questioners

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

If you haven’t yet seen this, you will want to hop over and have a look at Sandro Magister‘s always useful place.

In this case, Magister presents the back-to-back responses in the Vatican’s semi-official daily L’Osservatore Romano to two theologians in the more traditional camp who have called for a reexamination of the Second Vatican Council.   Inos Biffi and (Archbp.) Agostino Marchetto responded to the books of Msgr. Brunero Gherardini and Prof. Roberto de Mattei.

These books have been out for a while but only now is L’Osservatore Romano getting around to talking about them.

You might be saying, “But Father! But Father!  What do you think of the timing of these articles in L’Osservatore?”

I think that the beatification of Pope John Paul II is right around the corner and that the media spotlight is turning to Rome, and questions being raised about the beatification and about the present state of the Church.

In any event, check out Magister’s site.

The Disappointed Have Spoken. The Vatican responds

Inos Biffi and Agostino Marchetto reply in “L’Osservatore Romano” to the traditionalists Brunero Gherardini and Roberto de Mattei, who criticize the current pope for not having corrected the “errors” of Vatican Council II

by Sandro Magister

ROME, April 18, 2011 – Two of the “greats disappointed by Pope Benedict” on whom www.chiesa reported in a recent article have been the special focus of “L’Osservatore Romano,” with two consecutive and authoritative reviews of their latest books.

The “disappointed greats” are those traditionalist thinkers who had initially placed hopes in the pontificate of Joseph Ratzinger and in his restorative action, but then saw their expectations betrayed. And now they are making their discontent public.

Their disappointment comes above all from the way in which the current pope interprets and applies Vatican Council II.

Because it is there, in this Council, that is found the root of the evils present in the Church, in the view of these thinkers.

In particular, this is what has been written and argued in the latest books by Professor Roberto de Mattei and Canon Brunero Gherardini, the one from the historical point of view and the other from the theological point of view.

The aforementioned article from www.chiesa provides a concise summary of their theses:

[…]

Read the rest there.

Posted in Biased Media Coverage, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , , , , , , , ,
9 Comments

Brick by brick in Wyoming

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I like Wyoming.  I spent time there as a kid.  My mother grew up there. Carmelites in Wyoming will send you great coffee.  Wyoming Catholic College, which I have visited, has the Extraordinary Form of Mass and Eastern Divine Liturgy, teaches the Trivium and Quadrivium, horsemanship and how to shoot guns. The air is as clean as is the spirit there and their goals are as high as the mountains they get to ride in a hike through.

Speaking of Wyoming Catholic College, check this out.

[wp_youtube]wiriitr8i8E[/wp_youtube]

Brick by brick.

Posted in Brick by Brick, Just Too Cool | Tagged
25 Comments

Your Good News

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Do you have any recent good news for us all?

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
55 Comments

QUAERITUR: Inserting a ditty into the reading of the Passion

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

QUAERITUR: Inserting a ditty into the reading of the PassionUPDATE:  A reader in a comment below shows that I was wrong about my answer.  But I am going to claim that I am also right, depending on which country you are in.  It was inconceivable to me as I was answering this that such a thing could be permitted, so I didn’t double check the Novus Ordo rubrics in different countries, through my bad, my bad, my – like – totally bad.

I think this is a really BAD idea to have this as an option anywhere, but… they didn’t ask me.

That said, and with my mistake in mind:

_____

From a reader:

During the reading of the Passion today, the choir jumped in at random moments to sing part of “What Wondrous Love Is This”. That feels wrong; is it?

What part of Say The Black – Do The Red don’t they understand?

I was unaware that the text of the song “What Wondrous Love Is This” was in the Gospel.

This strikes me as well-intentioned, but ultimately condescending to the congregation.

It is as if the people and priest who organized this had such a dim view of the intelligence of the congregation that they thought they had to spiff-up the Gospel.

The Gospel narrative wasn’t enough on its own.

Furthermore, it reveals an attitude of superiority in regard to the Church’s liturgical worship: we can do anything we want to it.

I recommend you send the priests and “liturgy committee”, Say The Black – Do The Red mugs.

Posted in ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , ,
45 Comments

When agendas trump logic

Posted on 18 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

One of the worst pieces of reasoning I have seen in a while…. almost as bad as that recent stupid piece in TIME about the new translation .

Get a load of this, from the Telegraph.

First homosexual caveman found

Archaeologists have unearthed the 5,000-year-old remains of what they believe may have been the world’s oldest known gay caveman.

The male body – said to date back to between 2900-2500BC – was discovered buried in a way normally reserved only for women of the Corded Ware culture in the Copper Age.

The skeleton was found in a Prague suburb in the Czech Republic with its head pointing eastwards and surrounded by domestic jugs, rituals only previously seen in female graves.

“From history and ethnology, we know that people from this period took funeral rites very seriously so it is highly unlikely that this positioning was a mistake,” said lead archaeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova.

“Far more likely is that he was a man with a different sexual orientation, homosexual or transsexual,” she added.

[…]

Good grief.

A male body is found in a grave pit with females, and doesn’t have the usual man stuff around him, therefore he has to have been a homosexual.   The noble enlightened primitives respected Glak’s wishes and buried him as a female.

There’s good archeology for ya.

I have other explanations.

  • There were lots of deaths at the time and Glak’s tribe did, in fact, make a mistake.
  • They were hiding the true location of Glak’s burial for some reason.
  • They hated Glak and wanted to humiliate him in the eternal Mammoth Hunting Ground.
Posted in Throwing a Nutty | Tagged ,
46 Comments