ROME 25/10 – Day 18: reconstruction of the face of a world changing saint

Posted on 15 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

7:21

18:31

18:45

By now… you know.

Today is the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila (+4 Oct 1582).

Last year I posted – HERE – that the tomb of St. Teresa was opened for examination and her body was found to be incorrupt.  More on that below.

St. Teresa is important for the calendar we now use, the Gregorian Calendar.

In 1582, the ancient Julian calendar (organized by, yes, Julius Caesar and still observed by many Orthodox Christians) officially was terminated on Thursday 4 October by the command of Gregory XIII (1572–1585, Ugo Boncompagni) via the papal bull Inter gravissimas.

At midnight of 3-4 October the calendar skipped automatically to a day named Friday 15 October.

The famed Jesuit mathematician Christopher Clavius (+1612) worked out the calculations for this change.  He chose October for the moment of the jump because it had the fewest feast days.

He also did his calculations without the use of the decimal point!

St. Teresa of Avila died on the very night on which His Holiness had commanded that the calendar shift from 4 October to 15 October, which is why her feast is celebrated on the 15th rather than the 3rd or 4th.

Moreover, St Teresa bumped St. Hedwig from the 15th to the 16th.  I’m sure St. Hedwig didn’t mind, given the circumstances.

St. Teresa is know, of course, for being a reformer of the Carmelites.   Perhaps it is even more important that she is the Patroness of Chess Players… oh yeah… and she’s a Doctor of the Church, which is why she is often depicted with the doctoral biretta.

Welcome Registrant:

OKC Catholic Dad

This month, clergy shirts – 50% off – that includes Clergy Guayabera shirts!

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

Black to move and mate in…?  It’s there!

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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Study sheds light on generational divide among US priests – interesting stats, some not surprising but remain revelatory

Posted on 15 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Pillar occasionally posts good things of interest, depending on the writer. In this case, Luke Coppen, my former (excellent) editor at the UK’s Catholic Herald posts about priests. Some excerpts with some emphases and comments.

Study sheds light on generational divide among US priests
The National Study of Catholic Priests found younger clergy more likely to be theologically orthodox and politically moderate

[…]

The 2025 National Study of Catholic Priests, the results of which were released Oct. 14, found that younger clergy were more likely to describe themselves as theologically orthodox and politically moderate, to think access to the Traditional Latin Mass should be a priority, to feel lonely, and to believe they are expected to do too many things beyond their priestly calling.  [Fr. McTeigue… paging Fr. McTeigue… please pick up a white Hospitality Phone…]

Younger priests were also less likely to think that synodality should be prioritized and less concerned about the question of women’s influence in the Church than their older peers, according to the study.  [Not sure what that means.  Perhaps they will spin it out.]

The 2025 report follows the groundbreaking 2022 National Study of Catholic Priests, the largest study of U.S. priests for more than 50 years, which concluded that clergy were largely flourishing, despite a deep mistrust of bishops and fears of being falsely accused of abuse.  [Serious and real, given the massive evidence of how bishops have mistreated priests by not following procedures laid down in canon law and in many other ways.  Priests are justified.]

Further analysis of the results in 2023 found that the share of new U.S. Catholic priests identifying as theologically “progressive” had declined dramatically compared with preceding generations.  [There’s hope.  This probably means also that the newer men are smarter.]

[…]

Some interesting stats between these chunks.

[…]

Only 11% of priests ordained before 1980 said access to the Traditional Latin Mass should be a priority, compared with 20% among those ordained between 1980 and 1999, and 39% among those ordained in the 21st century.  [Factors.  They didn’t grow up in the halcyon days of Vatican II’s “spirit” hurricaning through the Church.  Now they have to remodel sanctuaries which were wreckovated.  They grew up with good sense from and virility from John Paul II and theological and liturgical depth from Benedict.  Vatican II was a long time ago for them.]

….

Younger priests were also more likely to cite Eucharistic devotion as a priority and less likely than older clergy to emphasize climate change, immigration, the LGBT community, poverty, racism, and social justice.

[…]

After this there are stats about “walking together” and about loneliness, and about what priests are called upon to do in view of possible burn out.

 

Posted in Cancelled Priests, Priests and Priesthood, SESSIUNCULA, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices |
7 Comments

ROME 25/10 – Day 17: fishing

Posted on 14 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The time of the rising of the sun today was 7:19.

The sun sets at 18:32.

Ave Maria Bell?  18:45

Welcome Registrant:

WmC.Ramsey

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Meanwhile, remind you of anything?

We were out to eat tonight in a fairly large group of mostly priests and a few laymen, including our gracious host, a member of the Archconfraternity from Canada who comes to Rome occasionally to take a part.   The supper was very chatty, very much indeed, especially of the incredibly, unprofessionally slow service even for Rome, but the company was exquisite.  Eventually we did order and the food, when it came, was quite good.  A few shots.

You get the idea here.

More of the idea.

Even more of the idea.  From Britany.  #2 I think.

Butter, anchovy and truffle.

Frankly, I could do that one better at home.  But it was good.

My neighbor’s.

I’m not going to bother posting a shot of the fish, which was divided up into pretty small portions and dressed with a touch of olive oil.  Was it good?  Okay, it was good.  It wasn’t that good.

There were at the end a long list of dessert possibilities.  But even as people chose things, they also brought these for everyone, which was more than enough.   The homemade panetone with zabaglione looked GREAT.

They served people ice-cream with one of these:  this is NOT an ice-cream spoon, even though it is mistakenly called that by the ignorant.

 

In chessy news: Wesley So Takes Sole US Championship Lead

There is a lot of chess yet to be played, but that headline pleases me. I was up late to review the coverage. *yawn* Coffee….

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Black to move and mate in 4.

Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
14 Comments

“Keep ranting Father Z!”

Posted on 14 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

On the First Friday in August, my godson and I went to confession. We then went camping for a week.

We found a lovely church to attend Mass on Sunday. Thursday we came home.

Friday my beloved 43 year old godson dropped dead. There was no possibility for last rites.

I was with him 24 hours a day from our confessions until his death and believe, as much as anyone can know, that he was still in a state of grace when he died.

For that mercy, I am exceedingly grateful.

Keep ranting Father Z!

We never know.

We simply don’t know.

It could be unforeseen.  It could be soon.

Say it with me?

GO TO CONFESSION!

Posted in GO TO CONFESSION, Reader Feedback | Tagged
3 Comments

ROME 25/10 – Day 16: Christopher Columbus etc.

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

On this anniversary of the final apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, the sun rose upon Rome at 7:18.

On this Feast of St. Edward the sunset at 18:34.

As you know, the Ave Maria Bell should have rung for the Curia at 18:45.  At The Parish™ it follows solar time… but it rings!

Welcome registrant:

VM

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Please, Blessed Mother, intercede.

But not after the vile activists that gayly processed there from the Jesuit church. No, not after that.

Over the last two days there has been a lot of posts about Christopher Columbus, a great man indeed as Robert Royal describes over at The Catholic Thing today.  For my part,

I am reminded of when I was at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and went to the place where Columbus landed on one of his voyages.

This where Columbus landed on his 2nd voyage in 1494.

Tonight I met up with a priest friend of the SSPX and with a hero lawyer who defends priests from their bishops and chanceries, which have penchant for not following canonical procedure and running rough-shod over priests and their rights.  We just had a sip and then went our ways.  However there were nibbles.

And later… no, I am not back in the States.

The place is noisy.  The burger was good.  The waitress or the cook might not have been the brightest bulbs in God’s chandelier since they goofed up my order.  It was still good.  High quality beef was obvious.   They make their own beers, etc.  A question or two confirmed my suspicion about the waitress, who could be of the sullen age.  Hence, I just got their signature Belgian style.  Not bad!

The company was excellent, as usual.

In St. Louis, the US Chess Championship is on.  As of yesterday via chess.com:

I’m rooting for my guy Wesley So.  Levon Aronian got revenge for losing to 15-year-old Andy Woodward almost exactly a month ago in the FIDE Grand Swiss.  Best quote of the day: “He probably thought this guy is totally senile and I can do whatever I want!”

And we can’t get enough of this:

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

White to move and mate in 4.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
5 Comments

GREAT NEWS!

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Rorate had it…

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
1 Comment

More of this B as in B as as in S?

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A major piece in the legacy of Francis.

But THIS.

It seems to have been scrubbed from the Vatican website. I can’t find the reflection for the 28th Sunday. But who can find ANYTHING on vatican.va one of the most baffling and inept sites for a global organization in world.

Can you find it? Don’t waste too much time.

Posted in What are they REALLY saying?, You must be joking! |
2 Comments

D. Knoxville – The Pogrom Continues

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This paragraph is in the letter that a pastor of a parish in the Diocese of Knoxville where the TLM is shortly to be suppressed as part of the ongoing pogrom.

The final Mass in the Extraordinary Form to be offered at our parish will be on December 28, 2025. Until that date, the Extraordinary Form will continue to be offered every Sunday, with three exceptions. [Well… maybe not every Sunday.] In order for us to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King as one parish family, the Ordinary Form will be offered on October 26th (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time) and November 23rd (Christ the King). In addition, December 14th (3rd Sunday of Advent) will also be offered in the Ordinary Form. [Yeah… Merry Christmas.]

One might compare the prayers for the Feast of Christ the King in the Novus Ordo and the Vetus Ordo.

As a matter of that, that’s been done.  HERE

Sometimes people who run down the Traditional Latin Mass will say that the tone of the orations is too “negative”, since there is a regular emphasis on sin, guilt, propitiation, etc., and no stress on the goal, the eschatological joy of Heaven.

Mind you, I am not saying that the pastor who wrote that letter (above) is running down the TLM.*

Going on, the Novus Ordo orations were edited to remove most of the “negative” references. They now stress eschatological happiness. The problem is that the prayers of the Novus Ordo don’t clearly help us understand how to attain that heavenly joy.

The prayers of the Traditional Latin Mass do.

To obtain the happiness of Heaven, we must deal with sin, guilt, penance, propitiation, etc.

Life isn’t daisies and cuddly kittens, wrapped up in affirmations and auto-canonizations.

*They have a decent confession schedule at that parish, Wednesday: 6 pm – Saturday:
9 am, 4:30pm – Sunday: 1/2 before each Mass on Sunday.  That’s often a good indicator.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged
15 Comments

13 October – Please, Blessed Mother, intercede.

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please, Blessed Mother, intercede. Ask for graces from Our High Priest, Your Son, to open the hearts of bishops who are suppressing the faithful who desire traditional worship.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
18 Comments

More savage repression of people: Knoxville

Posted on 12 October 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
18 Comments