Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland

Shawn Tribe gets a second link today ! He reports on the NLM that the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny has organized a Solemn High Mass at the Church of Our Saviour in New York with a talk by Dr. Alcuin Reid to follow. The date is set for March 30th at 5 PM with the talk to follow. See his blog for details .

Shawn Tribe reports that the Latin Mass Society will hold its second training session on the Usus Antiquior this summer in Oxford, England . The Society can accommodate as many as 60 priests and seminarians. Go to his blog for full details .

Fr. John Trigilio posts an interview by Bruno Volpe of Petrus with Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship concerning Communion in the hand . He also adds some fascinating comments of his own: Fr. Zuhlsdorf has consistently spoken of a gravitational pull between the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite, with which I totally and unequivocally agree. Many of us believe Pope B16 intends that both the TLM and the Novus Ordo mutually enhance one another insofar as the future of Catholic sacred worship is concerned. Since Divine Liturgy is integral to Catholic dogma (lex orandi, lex credendi), it is obvious that in this post Vatican II (and post JP2) era, a liturgical renaissance is unfolding. While still in the advent of such an epic moment, the most important element of contemporary worship is the decline in REVERENCE. Just as Communion in the Hand was banned in the Middle Ages after abuses became prolific, it may very well need to be ...

Gregor Kollmorgen continues with his wonderful photo essay as to how the local newspaper, the Traunsteiner Wochenblatt , reported the occasion of the "Primiz" of Fr. Berger on July 1st, 1951, the Feast of the Precious Blood . The "Reverend brothers" are again featured prominently!

Maine will have the TLM beginning in July says Fr. Zuhlsdorf .

The Ignatius Insight Scoop blog has a marvelous article by Carl Olson on the decision by Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Illinois to block the appearance of a Bible scholar, Professor Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory University at a Catholic Newman Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. There is no way I can do this justice--even in summary--so I urge you to check out this article by Olson. Olson really "nails it . "

The Catholic Review , the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, carries a story on Maryland Senate Bill 690, and House of Delegates Bill 1146 . These bills have been introduced into the Maryland State Legislature. The article was written by George P. Matysek, Jr. and was posted yesterday in the online version. Here is a snippet from the article: [...] The legislation seems to have been sparked by a recent “investigation” by the NARAL Pro-choice Maryland asserting that crisis pregnancy centers give out inaccurate or misleading information to clients. The study was based on the reports of NARAL volunteers who posed as pregnant women and visited 11 crisis pregnancy centers. They claimed that crisis pregnancy center volunteers gave them medically inaccurate information and tried to pressure them not to have abortions. Nancy Paltell, associate director for the respect for life office of the Maryland Catholic Conference, said the report is part of a coordinated smear campa...

New Catholic posts a beautiful article by Michael Sternbeck of the Saint Bede Studio New South Wales, Australia on the chasuble . It is beautiful article entitled " Styles and Tradition in the chasuble of the Roman Rite ." Please don't miss it!

The New Liturgical Movement has a beautiful photo essay by Gregor Kollmorgen concerning a Tridentine Mass in 1951. Don't miss it! The Subdeacon is familiar!

Ignatius Insight Scoop has a post by Carl Olson that summarizes a fascinating and yet sobering article by Jeff Ziegler on religious vocations in the United States . The post is a summary of an article from Catholic World Report which is very in-depth. In culling through the article, one paragraph jumps out and it was mentioned by several commentators on the Insight Scoop blog: Echoing the comments of other bishops and vocation directors, Paterson's Bishop Serratelli tells CWR , "God has been good to us. In the last three years, we have earnestly begged him for an increase of vocations. We instituted a pastoral initiative in all the parishes on all vocations, with a special emphasis on priesthood and the consecrated life… We have encouraged prayer by everyone, especially prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Where Jesus is loved and adored in the Eucharist, vocations follow ." That sort of makes sense, doesn't it? If we all kneel before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist a...

CNA carries a story on a statement released by a coalition of organizations asking Catholic Colleges to boycott asking any politician with pro-abortion views from speaking on their campuses . The statement calling for a boycott of politicians in conflict with the Church was organized by the Cardinal Newman Society , a group dedicated to the renewal and strengthening of Catholic identity in higher education. Signatories included the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights , the Fellowship of Catholic University Students , Catholics United for the Faith , the Catholic Medical Association and the Society of Catholic Social Scientists . Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick J. Reilly summarized the need for the statement, saying, “Like any Catholic institution, a Catholic college or university has a distinct and unique responsibility to provide an environment that supports and upholds Catholic values.” To read the full story, click here .

Father Zuhlsdorf reports on a new District Superior for the F.S.S.P.

Great news linked to the blog Summorum Pontificum ! Laus Deo! Go Irish!

Jeff Miller who writes the blog, The Curt Jester , has written an unsolicited review of the book, Questions and Answers by Pope Benedict XVI (Our Sunday Visitor). Here is a short take on his thoughts: I just finished Questions and Answers by Pope Benedict XVI put out by Our Sunday Visitor which is a collection of various question and answer sessions from various audiences that includes sessions with children, youth, and clergy at multiple locations. This is a very worthwhile collection and with the amount of these type sessions I am sure we will see more of these books in the future. Pope Benedict XVI really opens himself up to these types of sessions which I think for the most part is quite unique in the history of the Church. The questions themselves are interesting, but it is the way the pope answers these questions in his own style that is quite remarkable. Reading through his sometimes lengthy answers you would think he had days to work on responses to questions put before him a...

Dr. Phil Blosser has posted an interesting analysis of Summorum Pontificum by Michael P. Foley on his blog, " Pertinacious Papist ." The piece he posts consists of excerpts from a much longer article from his blog, Scripture and Tradition . The article is well worth reading! Note too that I have added Pertinacious Papist to my Blogroll!

Edward N. Peters, JD, JCD , has a marvelous blog called " In the Light of the Law " that deals with issues of Canon Law. It seems that in Dr. Peters' view, National Catholic Reporter correspondent, Joe Feuerherd , has gotten himself into "big" trouble with some published comments. Read the story and reasons why here ....

A detailed new study reported by CNS and conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has revealed that the United States is on the verge of becoming a "minority Protestant country." Here is a brief snippet from the study: Though the Catholic proportion of the population has held steady at one fourth of the U.S. population, approximately one-third of the survey respondents who were raised Catholic no longer describe themselves as Catholic. According to the Pew Forum report, this means around ten percent of all Americans are former Catholics. Though converts have offset some of the numbers of Catholics who have left the Church, the disproportionately high number of Catholics among immigrants is most responsible for keeping the Catholic population stable. Latinos now account for 45 percent of American Catholics aged 18-29. Read the full story here .

Shawn Tribe posts a beautiful story concerning St. Albertus Church in Detroit . The TLM is the first celebrated there since Vatican II. The photos are marvelous!

The latest newsletter from Human Life International President Father Thomas J. Euteneuer dated February 25th pulls no punches : We are just five months away from the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical on birth control, entitled Humanae Vitae , and I am writing to ask your assistance in a project that I hope will impact thousands of men responsible for this marvelous teaching—our priests and seminarians. The project is simple: to send to as many priests and seminarians as possible a new email newsletter that is dedicated to educating them on the teaching of this encyclical. In a moment, I will tell you how you can help me in this project, but first let me explain why this is important. There are two complaints that I have heard in literally every one of the 50+ countries I have visited. Complaint one is that priests don't preach enough about abortion. That is painfully...

Joseph Bottum of the Catholic Magazine, First Things , reminds us that he will be in Washington, D.C. on March 17th, 2008 : [...] On Monday, March 17, at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Called “Living with the Dead: Why Cities Need Cemeteries and Nations Need Memorials,” it’s at 7:00 pm in the ICC auditorium . Cosponsored by the Tocqueville Forum at Georgetown and National Civic Art Society , the lecture is a specific application to civil architecture and urban design of the work I did in “ Death & Politics ,” the long essay on the centrality of grief to political theory that appeared this summer in First Things . The respondents will be National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia, the New Criterion ’s Roger Kimball, and the architectural historian Denis McNamara. A reception will follow the lecture, I’m told. The events is open to the public, and no RSVP is needed, although you might drop them an email to say you’re coming, so they can get a rough count for t...

The Catholic News Agency reports that the Holy Father today reaffirmed the Church's stance against euthanasia : Pope Benedict received participants in an international congress entitled: "Close by the Incurable Sick Person and the Dying: Scientific and Ethical Aspects" today and reiterated that the Church is against all forms of euthanasia . The event which brought the specialists to the Vatican is being promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life as part of their general assembly. The gathering will take place in the Vatican over the coming days. [...] Benedict XVI also spoke of the larger societal dimension of respecting those who are ill or dying. All society "is called to respect the life and dignity of the seriously ill and the dying", he said. "Though aware of the fact that 'it is not science that redeems man', all society, and in particular the sectors associated with medical science, are duty bound to express the solidarity of love, and t...

Shawn Tribe posts a nice story from Le Forum Catholique on the congratulations sent by President Sarkozy of France to the four Catholic Traditionalist Deacons ordained Saturday .

Searching for a job? Sacred Heart Media, LLC , has an amazing treasure called " CatholicJobs.com ." The site allows someone to select a geographical area or a job position, and to see what kind of job is out there. I know for a fact that entities within the Archdiocese of Baltimore and Washington both use this service. Note also the myCatholic.com webpage hyperlink . This amazing service allows someone to have a Catholic home page and to select the "content feed" on the page. I have used it for several years. You can select not only the content but the "layout" as well. It is great for loading religious and secular news, Mass readings, selections from the Catechism, sports, favorite blogs, finance and so on. It is a treasure of a web portal for all things Catholic!

New Catholic reports that Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith , Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, debunks a story appearing in " La Stampa ." The Italian story purports that a " Reform of the Reform " is about to be handed down. Other news outlets are carrying similar stories; Fr. Z. of WDTPRS has a good deal of commentary on this.

Gregor Killmorgen of the New Liturgical Movement has a great story about the Rev. Dr. Guido Rodheudt and his experiences in introducing the TLM at St. Gertrude-Herzogenrath Parish in the diocese of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), Germany . It is a must read . Note also the Network of Parish Priests of which Fr. Rodheudt is a member.

LifeNews.com carries a story on February 21st by editor Steven Ertelt that the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas has asked parishes and schools within its jurisdiction to break their ties with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure because of its involvement with abortion. Read more on the full details of this development here .

It is clear that for most things dealing with the TLM, the blog by Father John Zuhlsdorf, "What Does the Prayer Really Say?" , is one of the benchmarks for much of the information, updates and commentary on the Traditional Mass. In fact, the name given to this blog, Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland , evolved from a poll on Fr. John's blog asking what the most normative name might be for the "Extraordinary Form," "Tridentine Mass," "Usus Antiquior", and so on. The designation TLM --short for Traditional Latin Mass--won by a landslide. And so, I used this name when this blog was launched in December. It is clear that it is very wise to check Fr. Z's blog first each day for info worldwide since he is in Rome, is a priest and has connections within the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei . Also, a great many priests and seminarians check his blog daily. As such, I initially placed a link to his blog on my Blogroll and Favorite websit...

New Catholic on the blog, Rorate Caeli , carries links to photos by J.P.Sonnen of Orbis Catholicus of the Diaconal Ordinations of Seminarians of the Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP) . The ordinations took place yesterday, February 23rd, at the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior in Rome. The photos are well worth seeing . Hat tip to New Catholic for this find!

Sandro Magister in Chiesa.com r eports on the meeting "behind closed doors" with heads of Religious Orders on February 18t h. The article documents the situation with respect to the Jesuits and Dominicans that has been reported widely, but also documents some startling rebirths : As for the blossoming of "new experiences of consecrated life" faithful to doctrine and rich in spirituality in vocations, here also Benedict XVI did not cite any specific cases. But there are many of these. Some, although not very well known, are astonishing. One of these, for example, is the Institute of the Incarnate Word. Founded by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela in 1984 in Argentina, in the city of San Rafael in the province of Mendoza, after just a quarter century it counts today, in its men's branch, 302 priests, 21 deacons, 195 seminarians studying philosophy and theology, 51 novices, and 95 students in the minor seminary. Its generalate house and its center of formation are in...

Sober Inebriation carries another marvelous interview. This time it is with Monsignor Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Adam Raha does his usual sterling job. Go here .

Father John Zuhlsdorf of What Does the Prayer Really Say carries two excellent posts that use material from the Catholic Herald and which deal with the training of seminarians in the TLM in seminaries. One is an article and the other is an editorial. Catholic Herald: All seminaries must teach the old Latin Mass, says Vatican Catholic Herald: editorial on seminaries training for the TLM As usual, these are MUST reads just to get Fr. John's take on the articles/editorial.

George P. Matysek Jr. reports in The Catholic Review Online that the Maryland March for Life will be March 13th . Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien will kick off the March by celebrating Mass at St. Mary's in Annapolis at 6:00 PM. "Pro-life supporters from across the state plan to use the upcoming March 13 Maryland March for Life in Annapolis to build support for crisis pregnancy centers and defeat a bill they say would hinder outreach to expectant mothers. Their efforts will be focused on Senate Bill 690/House Bill 1146, a measure that would require crisis pregnancy centers to tell women they are not required to provide factually accurate information to clients. The measure is designed to raise suspicions about pregnancy centers, according to Deacon Richard “Monti” Montalto, co-chair of the Maryland March for Life and coordinator of “Pro-Life Initiative Baltimore.” For more information, read the article or visit the website Maryland March for Life .

Shawn Tribe of the New Liturgical Movement is reporting that the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Chicago will offer training to interested priests and seminarians in the Usus Antiquior from May 19th through May 23rd. Go here for more information .

Several links have been added to the Blogroll and Websites : The Office of Readings from Universalis is now linked; The Magnificat , the daily devotional available by subscription is now linked; Mystic Monk Coffee site is now linked.

Fr. John reveals a full clarification by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) on the participation of permanent deacons in the TLM. Read his full story here .

Don Clemmer of Catholic News Service (CNS) reported on a seminar for Bishops held February 11th-13th on the relationship of Doctrine and Scripture in Catholic teaching with an emphasis on homilies. Here is a snippet: Preaching his homily on the final afternoon of the seminar, Cardinal Levada recalled how God called upon Jonah to save the people of Nineveh by preaching his word. "If Jonah could be eloquent under those circumstances," said Cardinal Levada of the reluctant prophet, "how much more eloquent, brother bishops, can you and I be? An eloquence not from our own skills, but from the Spirit teaching us." He continued, "Only Jesus can lead us in the Spirit and make us sharers in the Holy Trinity. It's not what we say or do, but the person of the risen Christ, present in the word and the sacrament. This is how we are drawn into communion with God." Read the entire story here .

"Today, the Latin-rite liturgy celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St Peter. This is a very ancient tradition, proven to have existed in Rome since the fourth century. On it we give thanks to God for the mission he entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors. "Cathedra" literally means the established seat of the Bishop, placed in the mother church of a diocese which for this reason is known as a "cathedral"; it is the symbol of the Bishop's authority and in particular, of his "magisterium", that is, the evangelical teaching which, as a successor of the Apostles, he is called to safeguard and to transmit to the Christian Community. When a Bishop takes possession of the particular Church that has been entrusted to him, wearing his mitre and holding the pastoral staff, he sits on the cathedra. From this seat, as teacher and pastor, he will guide the journey of the faithful in faith, hope and charity. So what was the "Chair" of St ...

Indignus of the blog, Scriptorium , asks a question that keeps many of us up at nights worrying. To wit: what is Latin for "blog?" Here are some of his thoughts: So, if there’s as yet no one-word Latin term for ‘blog’, why not just use blogis (blogis, blogis) , with a hard ‘g’ at the middle (as in ‘giraffe’)? I suppose blog ( blog, blogis ), blogum ( blogum, blogi ), and blogus ( blogus, blogi ) would do just as well, but I’m thinking blogis sounds nicer, whereas blogum and blogus sound like ‘bubblegum’ and ‘bogus’. As for blog (blog, blogis), I think blogis would have a better plural genitive, blogium , while blog ( blog, blogis ) would have blogum , which brings us back to bubblegum . Hence blogis , which would decline like this: Nom. blogis bloges Gen. blogis blogium Dat. blogi blogibus Accus. blogem bloges Voc. blogis bloges Abl. bloge blogibus As to the verb ‘to blog’, well, what if we apply the same principles and-instead o...

There is a fascinating story carried by CNA and by many Catholic news outlets. The story concerns Pope Benedict XVI addressing the Jesuits about their vow of obedience to the Pope . Here is part of what he said: "In the attempt to build bridges of understanding and dialogue with those who do not belong to the Church or who have difficulty in accepting its positions and messages, you must loyally take charge of the Church's fundamental right to remain faithful to its mandate and adhere completely to the Word of God as well as to the Magisterium's charge of conserving the truth and unity of Catholic doctrine in its entirety ." [emphasis mine] Pope Benedict said that this fidelity to the Church's doctrine is "a particularly sensitive point" for many Jesuits, especially theologians and those involved in inter-religious dialogue. "Precisely for this reason I have invited you [here] and I invite you to reflect on how to find the fullest sense of your...

Peter Jeffrey of Princeton University's Music Department has assembled a wonderful Gregorian Chant Home Page . He provides just about all you could ask for in his well designed list of links of every sort. While you are perusing his webpage, you can listen to Chant online on Radio Set . Note that the files are largely in MP3 format and that Windows Media Player is required.

Matthew posts a beautiful photo essay he calls " Another Barometer of the Benedictine Reform ." It must be seen to be understood and appreciated fully. Shawn Tribe posts a summary from the blog, Sober Inebriation , which has an interview with Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. on the ancient and modern liturgy. Shawn's summary can be found here . His interpretation is quite interesting. Please read the entire interview if you can. It was posted by Adam Raha .

Fr. Christopher G. Phillips who writes the blog Atonement Online has this announcement to make : His Eminence, Franc Cardinal Rodé, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has communicated permission to establish a monastery for the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration here in San Antonio. The great beauty of this announcement is accentuated by reading the blog's sidebar : Fr. Phillips is the founding pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church, the first Anglican Use parish, established on August 15, 1983. Read here for more. The Sisters will arrive from Hanceville, AL ...

Thomas Peters, son of Canonist Edward Peters, is studying for his Master's in Theology in Washington, D.C. He writes an interesting blog called American Papist: Not Your Average Catholic . Last night, he attended a "Theology on Tap" at which Archbishop Donald Wuerl was guest speaker. Please read on her e . Note, Tom said "the fire marshall would not have been pleased." My translation: HUGE CROWD.

Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review , has a marvelous editorial in the February, 2008 edition . Here is just a snippet of this editorial: [...] Perfection for the Christian, no matter which group he belongs to—priest, religious or lay—consists in the imitation of Christ. Jesus Christ is the model. He was and is perfect in every virtue and it is virtue that makes a man good. He tells us, “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29). Is perfection attainable for weak human beings? The answer is yes, but only with the grace of God, universal charity, the practice of the Beatitudes and letting the Holy Spirit work in us through his Seven Gifts. As the Christian striving for perfection gets closer to the goal, he or she is filled with love for God and man and radiates the joy that is manifested in the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit. We are all called to strive for perfection and it is impor...

Fath er John Trigilio posts a story on " The Black Biretta " from ANSA covering comments by Cardinal Franc Rode' on a drift toward bourgeois values and relativism in priests. Here is a snippet of the Cardinal's remarks: [...] Priests are disobedient because they were TAUGHT to be so, either in the seminary or in the diocese. All too often, theological dissent and liturgical abuse are tolerated if not endorsed in certain seminaries. Disobedience to the Magisterium and disregard for liturgical rubrics as found in the Roman Missal only leads to disobedience in other areas. Why should we expect clergy to obey their bishops and respect their pastors when they were trained by dissident theologians? A posteriori learning, obviously. When your superiors show contempt and disdain for their superiors and openly defy their rules and regulations, you learn and imitate that same behavior . Many of us were persecuted for wearing a cassock, in the seminay and then in the rectory. ...

Yesterday, New Catholic of The New Liturgical Movement asked if anyone knew where to find the prayers used for the consecration of a paten and chalice with chrism using the Pontificale Romanum Latin formulation? The ever accommodating Fr. Zuhlsdorf was quick to respond . It is a story you MUST read! Go here !

An Order of Carmelite Monks, the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary , is trying to build an Abbey that will last for centuries in Wyoming. As their website says: In a solitary monastery under the Rocky Mountains in northern Wyoming, the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming seek to perpetuate the charism of the Blessed Virgin Mary, living the Marian life as prescribed by the primitive Carmelite Rule and the ancient monastic observance. This new monastery of contemplative monks lives a life of faithful orthodoxy to the Magisterium, where joy and peace abound in a manly, agrarian way of life. The Carmelite Monks wear the Holy Habit faithfully, which includes the brown Carmelite scapular and white mantle of our Lady of Mount Carmel. These young Roman Catholic monks live a full, reverent, and traditional Carmelite liturgical life, with the Divine Office and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being prayed in Latin with Gregorian Chant. Desiring to become great saints, this community of s...

In a marvelous story on CNA, the Sisters of the Cross of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrated 100 years of uninterrupted Eucharistic Adoration for the holiness of priests . [...] The charism of the sisters of the Cross of the Sacred Heart is to pray for the holiness of priests and for priestly vocations, a practice recently requested by the prefect for the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, The sisters carry on the tradition of spiritually “adopting” a specific group of priests for whom they not only pray before the Blessed Sacrament but also offer their daily activities and sacrifices. The order’s foundress was Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (1862-1937), a Mexican mother. Read more here .

There are two great stories today that are really "must" reads . The first is posted by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf on " What Does The Prayer Really Say ?" and pertains to outdoor Papal Masses . The second is posted by New Catholic on " Rorate Caeli " and brings great news on what seems to be a "permanent solution" to the TLM in "EWTN-land" as he calls it. Run, don't walk to these sites!

Zenit carries a story on the thanks extended by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Cardinal Vanhoye for the Lenten Spiritual Exercises the Cardinal prepared for the Roman Curia: [...] In his address Saturday, the Pope thanked the Jesuit cardinal, who had just offered the retreat's last meditation on the relationship between the ministerial priesthood and the priestly heart of Christ. At the beginning of his remarks, the Bishop of Rome used the image of Christ's washing of the feet to condense in a visual way Cardinal Vanhoye's reflections on the new elements of Christ's priesthood. "Through his meditations, this image spoke to me," the Pope said. "I saw that precisely here, in this conduct, in this act of extreme humility, the new priesthood of Jesus is realized. "And it is realized precisely in the act of solidarity with us, with our weaknesses, our sufferings, our trials, even death. The full story is here .

This is linked from Catholic World News and is from AFP . Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon arrived in Rome Friday to take up her post. She will present her credentials to His Holiness Pope Benedict in the coming days.

Father James V. Schall, S.J. posts an incredible essay on Ignatius Insight dated February 18th. Here is just a snippet: [...] For a long time, even into early modernity, it was considered that "human nature" would itself be the criterion for establishing the "limits" of science. It was understood that what man is from nature cannot and ought not to be experimented with or radically altered. If from Hume on there is a doubt about whether a nature, human or otherwise, exists or can be known, such a limit disappears. Nothing now prevented the elimination of a given human nature as a norm of human worth. Once man himself became an object of his own scientific studies, however, the very structure of man was called into question. Science becomes not so much a study of what is as of what "ought to be"—as if what man actually was had no prior meaning. We only want to know "What we can do." Man himself becomes an object of "scientific" im...

Patrick Archbold at Summorum Pontificum found a great news story . The National Catholic Register has a story by Valerie Schmalz entitled, "Ite, Missa Est . Interest in ‘Extraordinary Form’ of the Mass Growing on Campus." Here is just a bit: [...] “The Mass is the Mass, but the traditional Latin Mass seems more sacred,” said Leah Turner, a junior at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. “It seems to capture the tradition of the Church more.” Notre Dame, Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., and St. Vincent College are among the colleges that began to offer the Mass of Blessed John XXIII shortly after the Summorum Pontificum’s effective date of Sep. 14. Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla., plans to offer it soon and Franciscan University of Steubenville will offer its first such Mass on March 30. Summorum Pontificum, which the Pope issued on his own initiative or motu proprio, said that the Mass according to the Missal of ...

NB : A kind poster on WDTPRS pointed out that I had "shortchanged" the Archbishop "one" seminary; he was actually Rector of two seminaries . My comment below should have reflected that. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf deals with an email he received from someone in the Western part of Maryland concerning the TLM in the Archdiocese of Baltimore . The email reports in part (bold and red were added by Fr. Z. for emphasis): [...] I live in western Maryland (Hagerstown) and we have been trying to get a TLM in this area since the MP was released. At my own church, we presented the pastor with a 40 signature petition, but without success. I have written the Archdiocese of Baltimore twice and never received a response. Because my pastor really had little interest, I joined a larger group in the next county. It is well organized with almost 100 people. They found two priests and church willing to offer the TLM to us but they refused to do so without the OK of the Archdio...

Lifesite.net reports that Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, NC has removed certain employee benefits that are at odds with a Roman Catholic institution of higher education. Here is a snippet: [...] President William Thierfelder said, "As a Roman Catholic institution, Belmont Abbey College is not able to and will not offer nor subsidize medical services that contradict the clear teaching of the Catholic Church. There was no other course of action possible if we were to operate in fidelity to our mission and to our identity as a Catholic college." In a letter to staff and faculty, Thierfeder answered the question: Were any faculty, staff or committees consulted on this change? He said, "No. The teaching of the Catholic Church on this moral issue is clear. The responsibility of the College as a Catholic College sponsored by the monks of Belmont Abbey to follow Church teaching is equally clear. There was no other course of action possible if we were to operate in fi...

Gregor Kollmorgen of the New Liturgical Movement has a fascinating piece on the subtle shift taking place in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel year by year. The link is "photo dense." His text reads, in part: [...] While the pictures may not be optimal for this purpose, we can still see that a further step has been taken: the Cross, which had remained off-centre last year, has now returned to its traditional place in the centre of the altar.While this is admittedly not ground-shattering news, and this ad orientem setup of the Redemptoris Mater chapel has, as far as I can see, not (yet) been used for Mass celebrated there that we know of, it may still serve, as the headline, which is Shawn's original headline of last year's post, suggests, as an indicator of the slow but steady and long-term reorientation of the liturgy which the Holy Father is bringing about... One must see the progression of photos to see the point being raised by Killmorgen: namely, that there is a t...

Patrick Archbold of Summorum Pontificum expands a great deal on Fr. Z's post below on the letter from the PCED to a seminarian. His entry too is a must read . Patrick also provides a link to Damian Thompson of Telegraph.co.UK which is marvelous. The title of his article? What else? Revolution in the seminaries .

This could be BIG ! Fr. John Zuhlsdorf of What Does the Prayer Really Say was sent a jpeg copy of a letter sent to a seminarian who received the letter as a response from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED). In part, it states ( Fr. Z's comments here ): First, the Commission says that seminarians "have the right" to be instructed also in the older form of Mass. Second, those responsible for formation of seminarians "should provide for the instruction in both forms of the Roman Rite." Please go to his blogsite to see the jpeg file of the letter that was sent . Wow!

Archbishop Edwin O'Brien posts an article on Confession in The Catholic Review online for this week, February 15th . [...] Through the centuries, the form in which the Church exercised this commission of the Lord has evolved, as has the practice of the faithful in celebrating this unique gift from Christ; older generations will recall the day that individuals would receive Holy Communion on Sunday only if he or she had gone to confession the Saturday before. How the pendulum has swung! It comes as news to no one that there has been a serious decline in individuals going to confession. Is there little urgency to confess, because there is confusion or even denial in some quarters on the very existence of mortal sin as well as the existence of hell? Unfortunately, yes. The Catechism is so very valuable in clarifying Church teaching in matters such as this and should be studied at home, taught in schools and preached from our pulpits. All the faithful who are aware of serious sins com...

If you are visiting Maryland or nearby Washington, D.C., there are some places you just MUST visit. The first is the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C. When I want to get into a serene atmosphere and meditate before going to Confession, here is the place to be. The Monastery has frequent Confessions as you can see, and the interior is just gorgeous. The Monastery is a haven of solitude in the middle of one of the busiest cities on this earth. The website has some of its treasures demonstrated here in Flash format. T he address is: FRANCISCAN MONASTERY OF THE HOLY LAND, 1400 Quincy St., N.E., Washington, DC 20017. The website has a map for your convenience . Another is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary , in Baltimore, Maryland. The Basilica is the first Cathedral built in the U.S. and was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. It is an architectural masterpiece that has been restored to its full beauty. The website shows...

The New Liturgical Movement reports that Sancta Missa now has "A Study of the Roman Breviary" by Rev. E.J. Quigley online . Once again, Sancta Missa adds a beautiful resource for all to have.

In the blogroll to this opus, you will notice a reference to Resources for the Traditional Latin Mass on EWTN . The marvelous repository and gem of all things Catholic--EWTN-- has a link to a trove of things useful for understanding the Traditional Latin Mass. Among these are: the TLM Mass texts in PDF format (book and scrollable format) the full video (2 hours) of the Mass of December 15, 2007 the homily for this Mass in MP3 format archives to past TLM performances on EWTN a listing of Magisterial documents on the TLM The website, Sancta Missa, which is the work of the St. John Cantius Society, also has tremendous resources and that too is listed in the blogroll. For those interested in viewing a TLM Mass in Real Video format, please go to the EWTN library . It is a great resource.

New Catholic of the blog Rorate Caeli reports on the first TLM Mass in Mississippi in 8 years ! On Saturday, February 9, 2008, at 6 P.M. Father John Noone celebrated the Mass according to the extraordinary form at Annunciation Catholic Church in Kiln, Mississippi. This was the first public Tridentine Mass in the entire state of Mississippi for about the last 8 years. A little over 100 people were in attendance with some driving well over an hour to attend. Please check the blog to read this great story .

Patrick Archbold of the great blog, Summorum Pontificum , has an important comment on a post by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf regarding the document expected out soon to clarify the Motu Proprio . Run, don't walk, to check it out!

The Baltimore Examiner reports that vandalism occurred 3:00 AM Sunday, February 11, 2008 at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes . The two men apprehended threw a bronze crucifix into a nearby creek. A special Mass celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was to be celebrated at the very popular Marian Shrine on Monday. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis!

In response to a column in the Telegraph.co.UK by Damian Thompson on the 28th of November, 2007, Father John Zuhlsdorf decided to respond. Here is a post he wrote on writing to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" (PCED) . He also makes suggestions on tips for writing and what to include and what not to include. This subject was brought up today when Fr. John learned that a TLM Mass was cancelled in California by a religious Order . The emailer wanted to know from Fr. Z. what remedy was available to the TLM group that had attended this Low Mass regularly? Be sure to read his post today before acting on the remedy that he suggested in the post on the PCED. Clearly, this is a case-by-case specific solution to an issue. It is not a blanket invitation to one and all!

The Sitemeter indicates that some visitors are wondering who the Archbishop of Baltimore might be? The Archbishop was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on July 12, 2007 and was installed as Archbishop on October 1, 2007. The Archbishop had previously been Archbishop of the United States of America Military Archdiocese. The marvelous website, Catholic Hierarchy, has the full details on his links to the Apostolic Succession and includes his Consecrator (John Joseph Cardinal O'Connor) and Co-Consecrators as Bishop in the Archdiocese of New York in 1996. www.Catholic-Hierarchy.org

Ignatius Insight cites a nice find on Purgatory in the blog, Pontifications, by Father Alvin Kimel . The essay is excellent : [...] Suffering is both the instrument and consequence of our sanctification. Just as the addict must experience, and indeed embrace, terrible pain in the process of withdrawing himself from his drugs, so the sinner suffers pain and distress as he detaches himself from bondage to worldly goods. When viewed from the perspective of God and his justice, how else can this suffering be understood except as “punishment.” But the punishment is not primarily or exclusively retributive: its purpose is the sanctification and perfection of the sinner. The punitive dimension of purgatorial suffering must be interpreted through its medicinal purpose. The person is truly being “punished” for his own good—to heal the disorder of his heart and liberate him completely from the power of sin. The language of “punishment” in this context should therefore be recognized as a form ...

File this in the "just in case you missed it" file. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf of WDTPRS does the commentary; Bishop Burbidge of Raleigh, NC does the text or letter. I'll let you read the results here . It is quite interesting....

Insight Scoop has a Q & A session posted by Carl Olson that is a give and take between His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, and priests and seminarians in his Diocese that is originally from Chiesa: I wanted in part to speak precisely of the last, universal judgment, and in this context also of purgatory, hell, and paradise. I think that we are all still affected by the objection of the Marxists, according to which Christians spoke only of the beyond, and overlooked the earth. So we want to show that we are truly concerned about earthly things, and are not people who speak of faraway realities, who do not help the world. Now, although it is right to demonstrate that Christians work on behalf of the world – and we are all clearly called to work so that this world that may truly be a city for God and of God – we must not forget the other dimension. Without keeping this in mind, we do not work well on behalf of the world. Demonstrating this was one of my fundamental aims in writing t...

Yesterday, I posted that TLM groups were forming in certain parts of Maryland and asked for feedback to assist those groups. I received a marvelous email from good friend, M.S., who writes: Dear TLM in Maryland, I'm a parishioner at St. James Catholic Church in Charles Town, WV (about 25 minutes from Frederick, MD). I would like to let you and your bloggers know that there is a strong group planning the TLM in our Parish . For the last few months we have had the Extraordinary Form of the Mass offered only once a month. We are hoping to have the Mass offered weekly soon . The next two Masses scheduled are: - Traditional Latin Mass on Passion Sunday (March 16) at 4 pm - High Mass on Easter Sunday (March 23) at 4 pm. St. James Catholic Church 60 Crosswinds Dr. Charles Town, WV 25414 All for Jesus through Mary, MS Saint James the Greater Roman Catholic Church has a website . Rumors on the internet also suggest that the local Ordinary is favorably disposed to the TLM....

A good friend sent this email out today: There are several groups in Maryland seeking to obtain a Traditional Latin Mass in their locales: Frederick, Westminster/Manchester, Catonsville, and on the Eastern Shore. The group on the Eastern Shore has organized and just launched a website. Not much on this site (yet), but they are just getting formed. Please pray for all of these groups: so far, not much progress has been made, but we have not reached the Archbishop yet, who is reported to be favorable to the Traditional Latin Mass. Web address of new group on Eastern Shore: http://tlmsocietylowereasternshore.org/ The Eastern Shore Website has a link to a form to assess interest. If anyone contacts me via email from the groups forming in Catonsville, Westminster, Manchester and Frederick, I'll be happy to post their contact information on this blog and act as a conduit for information.