Some shots from the Pontifical Mass at the Throne the other day, 22 August, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart (Extraordinary Form). His Excellency Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino is the celebrant as well as the Extraordinary Ordinary.
The next Pontifical Mass will be on 14 September for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a special Mass also for the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher.
The city is beautiful right now, clear blue skies and mild temperatures. Couldn’t be better.
Yesterday, after settling in, I ran to the Morgan Library. There are exhibits now on Henry David Thoreau. It seems that the Morgan has just about everything of his.
Here is his desk. He never locked his house, but he locked his desk where his journals were kept.
There is also a spiffy exhibit about Henry James. Here is his famous portrait by in incomparable John Singer Sargent.
The exhibit features interesting portraits and portrait artists. Think about it: in a ten year span, James penned three novels with the word “protrait” in the title.
In the library “vault” section, I saw the manuscript of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Rather cool.
Lunch. Corned beef on rye.
My friend on the NYPD has told me of an even better place for pastrami. Gotta try it.
Also, I dashed up to the precinct and delivered my challenge coins, as promised. We are going to try to get Combat Rosaries for the cops. A great project. Perhaps some of you would like to donate to cover expenses. We can work on that.
So, my errands continue.
Meanwhile, which drink is mine?
Continuation….
As I was saying, Day 2 continues with a fast coffee in a place that makes their own breads, etc.
I marvel at those who bake. Everything I attempt winds up useful as a boat anchor, or tire block for a dump truck.
Off to the Strand.
When you go to this place, you are deep in the belly of the liberal beast. This place makes even Madison seem conservative.
However, where else can you find racks of old pulp fiction?
When I come to NYC, I like to stop in early at the Strand and pick up something thematic for my reading. I opt for used books which, if I desire, I can abandon with a note to the next picker-upper to give them a read. This time, for obvious reasons I opted for small, easily digested bits of Henry James and, because her birthday was just the other day (22 August), Dorothy Parker.
Dorothy Parker was a real rake and, in many ways, a tragic character. But she sure had a flare for language and a way with words.
Did you know that William James was Henry James’ brother?
Close to the Strand is an antique shop which is almost as fun as a museum.
The whole place is like this. And it’s big. Amazing.
Here’s a glorious bronze of St. Joan of Arc… famous Confederate General, if recent vandals are to be believed.
She is trampling an Englishman. Viewed from the other side you can see her ponytail streaming from beneath her helmet. Nice touch.
Lunch… the best lemonade I’ve had for a while.
Nibbles for the whole table.
I’m am usually strongly disinclined to go to Italian restaurants in these USA. 9/10 times am not only disappointed but contemptuous. Today, however, my carbonara (tough to make) was good.
Now I get to do some ironing in preparation for this evening and then read what I’m lead to understand is a possibly dreadful new statement on liturgy from His Holiness of Our Lord. At least my messages boxes are filling with panic and confusion… which is par for the course these days.
Meanwhile, I am determined to have a good time.
I’m off to deliver a challenge coin to the guys who pushed me over the edge finally to have mine made.
I’m tardy in the exchange but it’ll happen in the next couple of days.
Meanwhile my bag my been loaded on my flight. So far so good.
UPDATE
The circumlocution “at this time” in place of “now” gets a bit tedious.
Meanwhile,
UPDATE
Flight was perfection this time. Bag was on belt by the time I got there. Walked out and into a taxi. So far so good.
The driver is playing Big Band music and the Expressway is moving – for now.
UPDATE
Stuck in traffic right where all the alien invasions and other dire things seem to strike.
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
At Mass on the Assumption, the lady carrying the hosts for the offertory was unable to carry the container level (appeared to have Parkinson’s and was shaking) and dropped several on the floor. The deacon noticed, and picked up the dropped hosts (unconsecrated) and consumed them. Did this not break his fast?
First, if her hands shook to that extent, it might have been kinder not to make her carry something. Getting people involved often involves a lot of sentimentality. But that’s not the primary point here.
If, at the offertory, the deacon consumed unconsecrated hosts that had fallen, then, YES, he broke his Eucharistic fast.
It might have been a simple, thoughtless reflex action. See host on floor. Pick up. Consume!
Of course it should have been obvious that they weren’t yet consecrated.
Also, remember that the law requires a fast of one hour before Communion. I doubt that an hour would then pass between that moment and the time of Communion. It might have seemed like an hour, depending on what they did in that church. But if an hour did pass, then he was alright to receive at that Mass.
Perhaps the deacon then did not receive Communion at that Mass. But he probably did. It seems these days that there is a kind of maniacal need to receive Communion at every Mass, such that people who know they shouldn’t go, go to Communion anyway. However, sadly for many in many places, Communion time has become that moment when they put the white thing in your hand and then you sing the song. But I digress.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law says in can 919 §1:
“One who is to receive the most Holy Eucharist is to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception only of water and medicine, for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion”
Moreover, §3 says that elderly people, those who are ill, and their caretakers are excused from the Eucharistic fast. Of course, in the case of danger of death, the fast obviously doesn’t apply.
However, those don’t apply to this deacon.
Additionally, can. 89 says that priests and deacons cannot dispense someone’s obligation for the Eucharistic fast unless the bishop has expressly granted them to do so. Of course even if they did have that faculty, they can’t dispense themselves.
Yes, he broke his Eucharistic fast.
Be sure to read this at the UK’s best Catholic weekly, the Catholic Herald.
The five-year-old who testified to the Knock apparition
Today [21 August 2017] is the 138th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin, along with St Joseph, St John the Evangelist and a lamb, in the village of Knock, County Mayo.?
Over fifty years after those events in rural west of Ireland, the Mother Superior of a home run by The Little Sisters of the Poor on East 70th Street, New York, was reading an article about the apparition. She turned to an Irishman? living in the home, who also served on the altar there, and asked whether he knew where Knock was. He said yes.
Mother Henri (who was also Irish) then asked whether he knew one of the visionaries? who, like him, was called John Curry. He said yes again.
And then he added: “He is the John Curry that serves Mass for you in this home every morning.” Up until that moment, the Mother Superior had had no idea that a visionary from Knock was living under her roof.
[…]
About about what happened to him over there. It’s great.
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
When leaving Church I noticed a deacon (not the deacon of the Mass) giving the Eucharist to the organist after the Mass had ended (up in the choir loft). There is singing or playing any time the priest or a lector is not talking. I find it hard to believe that putting music before the Eucharist in importance is allowed. Is it?
Not a lot of silence, eh?
It was common back in the day, and it is still done now, to distribute Communion to choir members or musicians who were in the choir loft during Mass.
It seems better to do this after Mass, reverently, at the Communion rail than send someone traipsing about with the ciborium, up and down stairs, and then having an awkward space in which to distribute.
There was and is a standard rite for doing this: HERE
You will note that this also describes the manner in which Communion is distributed during Mass. Indeed, in the older, traditional Missal, distribution of Communion is not described.
I can’t post everything people send me. However, I really like St. Philip Neri.
From a reader…
A few months ago, I began publishing the Daily Sayings of St. Philip Neri through an email list (and also via Facebook and Twitter). Would you be interested in publicizing this to your readers? Thanks for your consideration.
Background: St. Philip Neri encouraged his spiritual children to meditate on a spiritual maxim or saying throughout each day. St. Philip Neri had so many of these sayings that, eventually, his followers organized them so there’s one for every day of the year.
In these days of short attention spans, [hmmm… were we just… nahhh….] where too many are distracted and spend too little time in silence and meditation, I thought St. Philip’s sayings–which are themselves short and easily absorbed into the mind–could become an excellent spiritual practice for today’s Catholics.
If you’re inclined to assist in publicizing this project, please share the following link with your readers:
www.sacredartseries.com/philipneri. It only takes a few seconds to sign up. Simply enter your email address and follow the prompts. It’s also equally easy to be removed from the list.
FWIW
From a reader…
This past weekend I attended a TLM, let’s just say in New England, where a a couple odd things occurred.
1) The priest came out to the lecturn and read the standard NO “Prayers of the People”. I was scratching my head as Mass started right after this with the procession. I have to add that I’m not a fan of the Prayers of the People where so many of the requests are banal or progressive sounding. “Pray for vacationers…”, etc. Um, there are so many bigger fish to fry that never get mentioned. Anyway…
2) Mass went on as usual. As this was a Palestrina Mass, I could not hear the priest over the music, and the long pauses as he waited for the music at times threw off my understanding of exactly where we were in Mass. I also could not tell what he sang for the Gospel. When he started his homily he referenced both the ’62 and ’70 missal Gospel readings and did his best to combine them into a cohesive thought, but it seems oddly disjointed.
Why would a priest in a TLM parish, in the context of a high Latin Mass, attempt to staple a few NO bits and bobs onto the TLM? I haven’t seen this before and wondered what you thought might be behind this kind of arrangement.
You are asking me why he would do those things. I must respond that your planet’s recently moon eclipsed yellow star doesn’t give me that particular super power. Mind reading is more of a Martian Manhunter thing.
It seems to me, from what you described, that the priest is attempting a kind of “mutual enrichment” of the two forms. This “mutual enrichment” was specially desired by Benedict XVI. However, Benedict also legislated that the two forms were to remain separate. That means that only over time will such an enrichment take place, in an organic and natural way.
Also, in general, the priest doesn’t generally wait for the music in the TLM, except perhaps before the beginning of the Preface or before the Postcommunion. Part of the genius of the Roman Rite is that more than one thing can take place at the same time. If a priest has limited experience of this, he may not quite understand the ethos of the TLM and, therefore, his ars celebrandi could be a little awkward or out of step with the rite. So many priests are conditioned by the Novus Ordo and having everything center on themselves or about being heard, etc. The ars celebrandi of the older, traditional form requires a different view.
Referring to the Gospel readings for both the NO and the TLM… well okay. I don’t see a problem with that for a couple reasons. First, some priests have to say both forms and they’ve worked on the NO Gospel. Also, in the modern rite, the NO, the priest is strongly urged to preach from the readings. In the traditional rite, the TLM, the priest has greater freedom. Given that the Word of God from one Gospel passage is going to be consistent with the Word of God from another Gospel passage, it should be possible with some thought and creativity to harmonize them in a sermon and make a good point. If a priest is not truly deft in the pulpit, he would be prudent to avoid trying to do that.
Finally, based on your note, I doubt very much that the priest was trying to screw around with the traditional form out of some kind of malice or distaste for it. He was probably well-intentioned. Perhaps with the help of some kind, constructive and instructive feedback, he’ll learn how to adjust his ars celebrandi so that it is more appropriate for the TLM.
UPDATE 30 August 2017:
From a reader…
On August 22nd, a visitor attending the Latin Mass in our parish offered some very distorted critiques of what he thought he thought he saw. I am a parishioner in that parish. [The parish was not indicated.] I attended Mass on August 22nd. What visitor described simply did not happen. [Maybe. The parish was not indicated.] It is troubling that something so distorted can appear on a public forum.
What boggles my mind as to how he or she could confuse the parish announcements for the Novus Ordo Prayers for the Faithful! Bans of Marriage? The date of the parish picnic? Funeral announcements? How could anyone confuse these for the Prayers of the Faithful! [If, indeed, that was the same Mass, then, yes, it is really hard to see how they could be confused.]
Our pastor gives these announcements before the Mass begins so as not to interrupt the prayerful flow of worship. Always, after the announcements he leads the congregation in an Our Father, Hail Mary and prayers for the deceased. Again, no resemblance to the prayers of the Faithful. [True, if that was the same Mass.]
Regarding the homily that drew on two tests from the gospels … It does not always happen that the Gospel readings of each rite compliment each other. In this case they did, and Father’s homily brought the two texts together into a homily that was well prepared and insightful. I was glad of this since, even though our parish celebrates two different rites, we are one parish. Such a homily is a good way through the sacred Word to remind us of that unity.
Parishioners appreciate the sincerity and holiness of our pastor. We appreciate his consistent efforts to celebrate Mass in both rites, preserving in each due reverence. We appreciate also the fact that he is always accessible for the Sacrament of Penance. [HURRAY! Fr. Z kudos.]
The many young men and boys (often two dozen), in cassock and surplice, who serve at the altar, benefit from his priestly example.
They appreciate his disciplined training. (He is a former Navy chaplain.) [Fr. Z kudos.]
I have no doubt that Father is the main reason why this parish is so rich in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. It is no surprise that deacons in training request that this parish to be the locus for their field work.
Given the slanted and false information given by your correspondent’s letter, you did your best to offer some insight concerning rubrics, but you were not well served by such a letter. It saddens me that such a letter could be written in the first place. [That’s the way things go. You should see the rest of my email.]
As always, I am grateful to you for you good ministry. These is difficult times and I am glad that along with our good pastor, we have the benefit of good work. I pray that God bless you.
Over at NLM there is a post with photos of Holy Masses for the Feast of the Assumption. There are some stunners, of course.
One set caught my eye. They are of Pontifical Vespers celebrated by the abbot at Heiligenkreutz.
Note the blue vestments.
Lovely blue cope.
We of the Tridentine Mass Society of the Diocese of Madison have been raising funds for more Pontifical Vestments, including folded chasubles, a set in black, a set in rose and also a set in blue. There are whiners out there about the blue. We don’t care. They won’t be used in Advent, for that would be really wrong. But for Assumption? Yep. This is, after all the pontificate of mercy. In our consciences we have determined that we want a blue pontifical set and that we will use it and that, in mercy, you have to “accompany” us.
Send a generous donation now!
>>HERE<<
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
If a lay person is presented with the option to attend either a Novus Ordo Mass or a Traditional Latin Mass, and, in turn,
(a) believes that the TLM is more substantively and consistently reverent to God, and
(b) faces no restraints to attend either (e.g. is not burdened with long driving distances to attend one or the other, is not burdened with family politics), does said person have a moral obligation to attend the TLM?
Or, stated negatively, is it a sin in this situation for said person to attend the Novus Ordo Mass?
Stated more abstractly, if a person is faced with two possible means of worshiping God – one great at expressing reverence and the other poor [poor? not “less ‘great'”?] – is it sinful to choose the lesser option if the person knows which one is greater and is not restrained to perform the greater option?
(Note: I fully recognize and affirm that the Novus Ordo Mass is licit and valid).
Let’s also say that both the Masses are also at one’s territorial parish church and the schedule is convenient for either Mass. Thus, one is also attending one’s proper parish.
All things being equal (distance, schedule, etc.) is it a sin to attend the Novus Ordo if you are utterly convinced that the older, traditional form is superior?
There are so many factors to weigh in these scenarios. There cannot be a one size fits all answer to this theoretical scenario.
However, all things truly being equal (leaving aside the people whom you would meet, etc.), it seems to me that a person would be want to attend that which he thought was the superior opportunity for spiritual benefit. He would want to worship God in sacred liturgy in the best available manner.
If he truly believes that he derives greater spiritual benefit from one form, he, out of desire for that greater benefit, should not be satisfied with what he thinks is merely “okay”.
It seems to me that when it comes to the worship of Almighty God and our benefit in that worship, we should desire the greater rather than the lesser.
Could, then, one sin in choosing the just “okay” when it would be just as easy to choose the “better”?
Yes, I suppose it is possible that one could sin in that choice.
But so much depends on that individual’s state in life and spiritual advancement and all the attendant circumstances that go with daily life that I sense that it is unlikely that one would sin gravely in such a choice. As a matter of fact, I suspect that one might not sin venially in that choice, either.
“Bless me Father, I have sinned. It has been a week since my last confession. These are my sins… I went to the Novus Ordo intentionally, specifically because it is an inferior way to worship God liturgically and because I did not want to derive from the experience all that I might have at the TLM.”
As a confessor, I would have to ask a few questions about that unlikely confession.
“Bless me Father, I have sinned. It has been a week since my last confession. These are my sins… I went to the Novus Ordo, which I think is inferior, but my practice is simply to flip a coin…”
As a confessor, I would suggest that that is a rather cavalier approach to something so important… flippant even.
I know that there are people out there who are trying sincerely to make a determination about which form to attend.
As you consider all the factors, do your best not to pit the forms against each other. Keep your head clear. Also, do not fall into the trap of pitting the people whom you find at one form against the others, or the priests. That road leads to the trap our Lord describes in the parable of the Pharisee and the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke 18.
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
A Daily Prayer for Priests
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful. Zelle and Wise are better, but PayPal is convenient.
A monthly subscription donation means I have steady income I can plan on. I put you my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I often say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Visits tracked by Statcounter
since Sat., 25 Nov. 2006:
