TERRIFIC! School Choir accomplished, back to back, Solemn Roman and Eastern liturgy!

This is impressive by anyone’s standards.

The wonderful Lyceum school in Cleveland, has a great choir.  They sang for a Pontifical Mass with Card. Burke and then a Divine Liturgy with Bp.Milan Lach.

Read about it HERE.

I want to offer official Fr. Z kudos.

First, Roman….

Then they got on buses and went to an Eastern church for this!

Firstly, this is serious breathing with both lungs!

Secondly, this is what we are talking about when it comes to proper worship of God.    In this afternoon, it would have been possible to see and to hear and smell the height the Roman Rite, Pontifical Mass at the Throne and then see how it lines up with and is different from (in details, but not so much in spirit) the Divine Liturgy of the East.   Each have their apophatic dimension, that comes through in the hard elements.  Each have their inner genius and orientation.

Impressive.

And I send my greetings to my friend Fr. DI who was involved.  Good on you guys!

What a great story.

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, "How To..." - Practical Notes, Both Lungs, Brick by Brick, Fr. Z KUDOS, Hard-Identity Catholicism, Just Too Cool, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization | Tagged , ,
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NYC Day 1: Of Borscht and Buttons

Anyway, the way I figured, I could sit on my duff in my apartment or I could say, “Screw you, Paris, and all motorcycles!”, and get up and around. There are no scenarios right now where I don’t have some pain, so I may as well have some pain and some fun.

Fun was had last night, at the supper wherein my friend Fr. Murray was appropriately honored.   It was also a great fundraiser for a good pro-life group founded by Fr. Benedict Groeschel.   I knew lots of people and lots of people knew me.  It was a pleasure to catch up and to hear new names and stories.

This morning I decided, “Heck yeah! I’m going for some Borscht!”, and so I did.   The Uber network was a little wonky, so it took a while to take, but I got downtown to Veselka, a favorite stop of mine for the aforesaid…

I started with a bowl of the usual.

Then had a cup of the seasonal Christmas Borscht and half a sandwich with a little piece of kielbasa to boot.

Uber’s network was completely down by the end of lunch.   You could get nothing on their map, couldn’t set locations, could see cars.   So, good ol’ two finger whistle and a cane wave  to a yellow got me home just fine.   I checked out the Uber network map: down.

There’s a new app for cabs that can function a bit like Uber, with calling cabs, on the phone pay, etc.

Back to the rectory to rest.   I was picked up by friends for supper.

Which drink is mine?

I was impressed by the simple butter lettuce with vinaigrette.    The leaves were stacked large to small and dressed along the way.  When cut it gave a nice “wedge” like appearance, but so not like iceberg.   Nicely done. I’ll file that away.

At some point in the last 36 hours, someone gave me one of these buttons.  I won’t say where or when.   It’s missing the final Ò but the intent is clear.

So far so good.   While I won’t be able to do all the things I would like, with careful pacing and prudent use of transportation I can do some of the things that I would like.  We mustn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

And there’s always next time.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged ,
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“If only women were in leadership positions…”

Sometimes you hear the facile repeat: “If only women were in leadership positions, this sort of thing wouldn’t happen!”

Is that so?

Here’s a case to consider…

At Crux:

Church says nuns embezzled from school to cover Vegas trips

LOS ANGELES, California – Two nuns who worked for decades at a Catholic school in California embezzled a “substantial” amount of money from tuition and other funds and used it to pay for gambling trips to Las Vegas, church officials said Monday.

The embezzlement from Saint James Catholic School in Torrance appears to have gone on for as long as 10 years, Archdiocese of Los Angeles media relations director Adrian Alarcon said.

During that time Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper was the school’s principal and Sister Lana Chang taught eighth grade students. Both retired earlier this year. Neither has been charged with a crime.

The amount taken from tuition payments and other funds is still being tabulated, Alarcon said, adding she couldn’t confirm some reports that it was as much as $500,000.

[…]

These gals are exactly the new type of women religious, in habits and who pray, whom the Vatican seems intent to stamp out.  No no.  These are pants-suited LCWR types, St Joseph Sisters of Carondelet.  The CSJs in my native place are pure nuts.

Posted in Women Religious | Tagged ,
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Anglicans to mock baptism with transgender ceremony

UPDATE 14 Dec:

Rod Dreher put it well HERE.

At this rate, by 2030, they’ll be ordaining sexbots to preach to empty cathedrals.

____

Originally Published on: Dec 11, 2018

This is what happens when churches … rather… ecclesial communities… hitch their wagons to the state and/or trends.

From a nauseous piece at The Telegraph:

Church of England to offer baptism-style services to transgender people to celebrate their new identity for first time

The Church of England has encouraged its clergy to create baptism-style ceremonies for transgender people to welcome them into the Anglican faith.

New pastoral guidance, published on Tuesday, advises clergy to refer to transgender people by their new name, though it stops short of being a baptism.

The guidance, which was approved by the House of Bishops on Monday night, also details how elements including water and oil can be incorporated into the service.

It also advises that as part of a special service, they can be presented with gifts such as a Bible inscribed in their chosen name, or a certificate.

[…]

Read the rest there, if you would. You may feel nauseated by the details.

I think it was the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus who quipped that the purpose of the Anglican Church was to make irony redundant.

They are going to make a mockery baptism.

Posted in Liberals, You must be joking! | Tagged , , ,
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A priest’s thought after going ‘ad orientem’

From an old friend of mine in my native place, Fr Tom Dufner, a great priest.

 

We’ve been doing ad orientem at daily Mass on and off for a few months. We’ve put several articles in the bulletin to prepare the way. This Sunday we preached on ad orientem at all the Masses and celebrated facing the liturgical east at all Masses! It was well received.

I was so moved during the evening mass I almost wept bowing low for the priest’s Communion prayers. I found myself using a different voice. At the gospel I use a proclamation voice, and when facing the people I use something similar during the Eucharistic Prayer, though directed to the Father. But now I found myself using a quieter voice, almost intimate, though overheard by everyone because of the microphone. It became more personal. I could feel the gaze of the congregation upon me, but they were with me in a new way. They weren’t just watching. They were praying.

The ad orientem direction tends to move the Mass from an informal communal meal, (worse still, a celebration of ourselves), to the realm of a sacrificial banquet.  The sacrificial aspect is definitely more pronounced. The prayers are directed to God the Father of all and the Real Presence of Christ seems to emerge. We are drawn into an “I-Thou” relationship.

It seems to require a wider and more beautiful altar than our postage stamp, but that is for another day.

That’s terrific news. I am so pleased.

Fathers, take note!

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Mail from priests, Turn Towards The Lord | Tagged
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Priests and Latin. Wherein Fr. Z rants.

Since I posted on the issue of the Latin text of Benedict’s resignation and brought up, again, the issue of poor to zero Latin preparation of seminarians and priests, I have to make a few observations.

Fathers.  If you belong to the Latin Church, if you are priests of the Latin Rite, there is no excuse for you not to know – and to able to pronounce properly – at least sacramental forms in Latin, together with some other basics that belong in our priestly toolbox.  Some of you might say, “But we were never taught!”

Fine.  The burden is now on you.

Today I had a note from someone who observed that, during a baptism in Latin the priest mispronounced the Latin to the point that the writer didn’t know if the form was valid or not.   As it turns out, if I understood correctly, it wasn’t so bad that it invalidated the sacrament.

However, there should never be a question in people’s minds about the validly of sacraments!   This is not rocket science, friends.  Sacraments have matter and form.  It is necessary that the priest be sure that both are in order.  The last thing there should ever be is a doubt about whether or not a sacrament was administered.

If we were to look into the basics of other professions and found that their practitioners didn’t know or couldn’t even pronounce the fundamental terms of formulae of their field, we would hold them in contempt.

Imagine someone teaching French lit who couldn’t even pronounce French names or terms.   How about a pharmacist who has no idea how drugs interact (or who can’t pronounce their names)?

Let’s get serious.

Our Catholic identity has undergone a series of devastating blows from the 60’s onward.  One of them was the systematic and purposeful elimination of Latin from curricula and its denial to seminarians and priests.   With the elimination of Latin, priestly identity was horribly affected.  That, in turn, had its own knock on effect among the people of God. The same goes for the systematic destruction of Latin liturgy, with the subsequent slamming and locking of the treasury of the Church’s music, so important in worship.

Devastation.

There is something seriously wrong in the identity of the Church if its priests have no idea of the language of their Rite.

And consider that the Code of Canon Law requires that seminarians be “very well trained” in Latin before ordination.   At ordinations, some official has to stand up and attest before the Church and God that the ordinands were properly formed.  But if they were not given Latin, were they?!?  Deacons and priests of the Latin Church who can’t even pronounce three words together without making a hash of it?

Look.  Some people have better language acquisition aptitudes than others.  And we know that with age, language learning abilities don’t usually improve.  But, I still hold that that those are not adequate excuses not to try, to try really hard, if necessary.

Fathers, for the love of God, learn at least how to pronounce Latin.

You can do it.  Get those ears and pathways open.

I’ll do what I can to help.  I had already started, long ago, on series of podcasts called “What Does The Prayer Really Sound Like” or “PRAYERCAzTs”.  They are still available on this blog, just search at the bottom menus.   I can do more if they would be helpful.

 

 

 

Posted in Latin, Wherein Fr. Z Rants | Tagged
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My View For Awhile: ”Festina Lente” Edition

I made the decision to go to NYC last night.

My ribs are still sore but now much less. My shoulder is still pesky. My foot keeps me moving quite slowly. I am determined to be patient, ask for help (harder than you might think), and – this time – use cabs and Uber rather than my usual charging around and subways.

I am not if this will be an official visit, without seeing at least one subway rat.

My trip to the airport at oh-dark-thirty was facilitated by prepositioning everything the night before in even greater detail. I’ll get more painkillers on board once they give us something to eat on the plane. Happily it is non-stop and I was upgraded.

So, a new way of visiting NYC begins. However, this is worth the inconvenience. My good friend Fr Murray will receive an award tonight; there should also be quite a few people of my acquaintance.

I may need a warmer sock.

UPDATE

MECHANICAL PROBLEM has driven us off the plane.

I’m trying to get something to eat.

UPDATE

They are now talking in terms of HOURS of delay.

UPDATE

I must admit to being rather low in spirits at the moment.  Right now, there is a time for the flight that could get me into Manhattan in time for the event tonight.  However, if there are any more delays, I would miss a major reason for my trip.  Yes, I have friends to see as well, but this is just …. grim.

UPDATE

They are now promising a plane, en route, from Des Moines. If all goes perfectly now, I will probably make my event.

UPDATE

We are now boarded. LET’S GO!

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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Your Sunday Sermon Notes

Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard during your Mass to fulfill your Sunday Obligation?

Let us know.

I made three points.

One was about asking for miracles, while explaining the miracle for the cause of St. Juan Diego, whose feast it is/

Another, about John the Baptist and making acts of faith.

Another, about how the Lord praised certain people, as points of reflection for how we use or misuse praise.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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Of getting Latin wrong, corrections, and of priests and their Latin or lack thereof

I have notes from people asking about something that my friend Ann Barnhardt wrote about the Latin text of the address Benedict XVI gave when he announced that he was going to abdicate.  Ann contended that the Latin, as written and pronounced, indicated that Benedict did not truly resign.  She took a subjunctive vacet to to be potential and to mean that the See of Peter “might/could” be vacant, not that it “will/shall” be vacant.  What she didn’t know to account for was a pesky ut indicated the result of the action of resigning and, hence, the subjunctive was needed, vacet. In English, it has to sound future.  Blah blah.  She got out too far over her Latin skiis with this one but, to her credit, she posted an update HERE.

In her original post, she made some comments about priests not knowing Latin.

Yes, friends, this is a problem.  I think that Latin Rite priests – in their copious free time – would do well to work on Latin, the language of their Rite.  Makes sense, no?  Would it be hard?  Damn straight.  I am, however, encouraged by the story of the converted Ignatius of Loyola, sitting with children in Latin class, catching up.  And I am not unsympathetic.  I work on languages for the interest and to keep my mind active.  I suspect that for most priests Latin is to them what Japanese is to me: hard.

There are all sorts of funny stories out there about clerics and their lack of Latin.  My favorite is about the simple country priest who walked down the road to meet the bishop who was riding out on the appointed day for a parish visitation.  As the parish priest drew close to the bishop and the rest of his retinue, to the astonishment of all, Father, after greeting the bishop bowed low to the bishop’s horse.   “Why, Father,” quoth the bishop, are you bowing to my horse?”  The priest, momentarily flummoxed, responded “Your Grace, do we not say every day during Holy Mass, ‘equum et salutare‘?”

brrrrDMP

Yes, folks, be sure to tip your waitresses.  I’m at HaHa’s in Manhattan next week.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Latin, Lighter fare | Tagged
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A conflicted Fishwrap v. Francis on homosexuals in seminary and priesthood

It took a while.  They probably needed to get the ringing in their ears to stop after being gobsmacked.

The National Sodomitical Reporter (aka Fishwrap) hardly loses any opportunity to defend that which is contrary to nature.

However, Fishwrap is also mired in the incontinent papalotry which has seized the Left.

So, Francis states clearly that homosexuals are not to be admitted to the priesthood.  What on earth are they to do?!?

In this case, their allegiance to sodomy has trumped their other loyalties.

Case in point at Fishwrap, the meanderings of their lesbian authoress Jamie Manson, wholly committed to the cause, to the point that she takes it to Francis.

So, what are ‘deep-seated homosexual tendencies’ anyway?

The pope who once famously said about gay priests, “Who am I to judge?”, is judging again.

In a newly published, book-length interview, Pope Francis has reasserted his worries about the presence of gay men in the clergy and of gays and lesbians in consecrated life.

His statement is a response to this question, posed by the interviewer, Claretian Fr. Fernando Prado: “It is not a secret that in consecrated life and in the clergy there are also people with homosexual tendencies. What can you say about that?”

Francis offers a response that is rather meandering, and even muddled in some parts. He claims that homosexuality is “fashionable” in some societies and that this “mentality also influences the life of the Church.”

[…]

What is really interesting, is that she doesn’t cut Francis any slack.  And she even takes it to fellow lefties for trying to reinterpret what he said until it doesn’t mean what it meant (a common tactic on that side).

“For this reason,” Francis says, “the Church recommends that people with this deep-seated tendency not be accepted into ministry or into consecrated life. Their place is not in ministry or in consecrated life.”

A number of progressive Catholics have rushed to Francis’ defense. Some argue that he is only opposed to priests and religious who break their vows of celibacy. Others insist that he did not include heterosexuals in his condemnation of celibacy-breakers because the interviewer’s question was specifically about gay priests and gay and lesbian religious.

But to apologize for Francis in these ways is to deny what he has said previously about homosexuality and about admitting gay men to the priesthood.

An example, is found also at Fishwrap.  Jesuit Thomas Reese with ultra-liberal RNS said… get this…

Others interpreted “deep-seated” as something akin to “uncontrollable” and therefore incapable of observing celibacy. In this interpretation, “deep-seated heterosexuality” would also be a problem. If the tendency was not “deep-seated,” if he could live a celibate life, then the man could enter the seminary and become a priest.

I guess you can be… what?… too heterosexual?  Yes, ladies and gentleman, Jesuits!

Back to task at hand.  Jamie goes on to deconstruct the phrase “deep-seated homosexual tendencies”, which the CCE’s 2005 used in their document on the homosexuals in seminaries and the priesthood (hint = no!).   She slides deeper and deeper into word salad.

In the end, she turns on Francis.

Regardless of his motivations, Francis’ characterizations of gays and lesbians and his notion of “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” will only foster the toxic homophobic attitudes that are already so prevalent in seminaries and religious communities, as well as in the wider church. In his attempt to discuss “the strength of a vocation,” he has only weakened what little hope LGBTQ Catholics still have for his pontificate.

In general, with Fishwrap and their papalotrous allies, there is hardly anything that Francis could cook up that they wouldn’t obstinately applaud.  Were Francis to stand at the beach and command that the tide not roll in, they would alternate between begging him to keep trying and attestations that the spiritually, at least, tide had ceased its progress at his behest.  They might out-Mottram Mottram.

Poor Fishwrap.

Francis said, in his interview book, “the Church recommends that people with this deep-seated tendency not be accepted into ministry or into consecrated life. Their place is not in ministry or in consecrated life.”  Back in May he told Italian bishops, “If you have even the slightest doubt, it is better not to let them in.”

Poor, poor readers of Fishwrap.

Here is a does of clarity.

As the late Bp. Morlino explained, if a man is attracted to men rather than women, then he is not attracted to marriage.  If he is not attracted to marriage, then giving up marriage  isn’t a sacrifice.  If he is celibate, unmarried, even if there is abstinence in body, the homosexual’s attitude of mind and heart cannot be, “I’m sacrificing marriage and it hurts!”  Moreover, I’ll add, the spousal relationship of the priest and the Church is deeply compromised when the man has these disordered attractions.

There.

Posted in Liberals, Sin That Cries To Heaven | Tagged , , , ,
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