From AJC.com:
By Julie Zauzmer - The Washington Post
Cady Mansell has always had a strong sense of fashion. At 9 years old, she likes trying on makeup and painting her nails. She likes shopping trips to Chicago with her fashion-conscious mother. And since she asked for her first bow tie during one of those trips to the mall when she was just 4 years old, Cady has had a thing for snazzy suits.
When it came time for her First Communion, a major event for Cady, she naturally started thinking early about what she wanted to wear on the big day. She settled on a brand-new all-white suit.
"It kind of sparkles in the sunlight," she enthused when she tried it on.
But then word got out at her Catholic school about Cady's planned attire. School officials told Cady's parents that she couldn't participate in First Communion with the rest of her class unless she wore a skirt or dress. And when the Mansells dug in their heels, insisting that their daughter should wear the outfit she had picked out for her special day, the argument escalated quickly — to the point that the Mansells pulled their daughters out of the school and the church altogether...
The Rev. Sammie Maletta, the priest at St. John the Evangelist, told the Mansells that a deacon at the church could administer Cady's First Communion privately, but that she couldn't attend the ceremony with the rest of her classmates unless she wore a dress or skirt. Cady was upset by that; she wanted to sit with her friends...
In Chris' telling, Maletta said: "You're raising your daughter wrong. You're setting bad examples for her. She doesn't have the brain development and maturity to decide if she wants to wear a suit. It's your job as a parent to say, 'You're not wearing a suit. You're wearing a dress.' If you won't do this, you're raising your daughter wrong..."
Link:
Showing posts with label Mass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mass. Show all posts
Friday, October 13, 2017
Friday, November 18, 2016
Pope criticises ‘legalism’ after cardinals’ request for clarification
By Staff Reporter
(Catholic Herald) The debate over Amoris Laetitia has intensified, after Pope Francis suggested that some responses do not understand the document.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Avvenire, partially translated by La Stampa, the Pope criticised “a certain legalism.” He said that responses to Amoris Laetitia exemplified this, and that some people thought issues were “black and white, even though it is in the course of life that we are called to discern”.
The Pope added: “The Council told us this, but historians say that a century needs to pass before a Council is properly assimilated into the body of the Church… we are half way.”
It comes after four senior cardinals asked the Pope to clarify Amoris Laetitia. In a letter to the Pope, Cardinals Raymond Burke, Carlo Caffarra, Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner submitted five “dubia” – a traditional way of asking for clarification.
The cardinals asked the Pope whether certain Church teachings about Communion and the moral law, which Amoris Laetitia discusses ambiguously, are still valid.
These included the doctrine that the divorced and remarried cannot receive Communion unless living as brother and sister, and the doctrine that some acts are intrinsically wrong.
The submission of “dubia” invites a yes-or-no answer. In this case, it was a question of whether the Pope thought some teachings, especially Catholic doctrine on the moral law, should still be regarded as true.
The letter was sent in September, but the Pope has not replied. The cardinals said they took this as an invitation to publish the letter and let the debate continue in public.
In an interview with the Vatican journalist Edward Pentin, Cardinal Burke said that if the Pope remained silent, it might be necessary to issue a “formal act of correction of a serious error”.
Pentin told EWTN yesterday: “I do understand, from sources within [the Pope’s residence] Santa Marta, that the Pope is not happy at all, that he’s quite at his…boiling with rage.” Fr Antonio Spadaro, an associate of the Pope, has dismissed these reports...
Meanwhile, two American archbishops have clashed over implementation of Amoris Laetitia.
Archbishop Charles Chaput has issued guidelines for his own archdiocese of Philadelphia, in which he says that the divorced and remarried should be treated with mercy. He also restates the Church’s teaching that they may not receive Communion unless they endeavour to live as brother and sister.
In an interview with Catholic News Service, Cardinal-designate Kevin Farrell criticised the guidelines, saying: “I don’t share the view of what Archbishop Chaput did, no...” (continued)
Link:
Related:
(Catholic Herald) The debate over Amoris Laetitia has intensified, after Pope Francis suggested that some responses do not understand the document.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Avvenire, partially translated by La Stampa, the Pope criticised “a certain legalism.” He said that responses to Amoris Laetitia exemplified this, and that some people thought issues were “black and white, even though it is in the course of life that we are called to discern”.
The Pope added: “The Council told us this, but historians say that a century needs to pass before a Council is properly assimilated into the body of the Church… we are half way.”
It comes after four senior cardinals asked the Pope to clarify Amoris Laetitia. In a letter to the Pope, Cardinals Raymond Burke, Carlo Caffarra, Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner submitted five “dubia” – a traditional way of asking for clarification.
The cardinals asked the Pope whether certain Church teachings about Communion and the moral law, which Amoris Laetitia discusses ambiguously, are still valid.
These included the doctrine that the divorced and remarried cannot receive Communion unless living as brother and sister, and the doctrine that some acts are intrinsically wrong.
The submission of “dubia” invites a yes-or-no answer. In this case, it was a question of whether the Pope thought some teachings, especially Catholic doctrine on the moral law, should still be regarded as true.
The letter was sent in September, but the Pope has not replied. The cardinals said they took this as an invitation to publish the letter and let the debate continue in public.
In an interview with the Vatican journalist Edward Pentin, Cardinal Burke said that if the Pope remained silent, it might be necessary to issue a “formal act of correction of a serious error”.
Pentin told EWTN yesterday: “I do understand, from sources within [the Pope’s residence] Santa Marta, that the Pope is not happy at all, that he’s quite at his…boiling with rage.” Fr Antonio Spadaro, an associate of the Pope, has dismissed these reports...
Meanwhile, two American archbishops have clashed over implementation of Amoris Laetitia.
Archbishop Charles Chaput has issued guidelines for his own archdiocese of Philadelphia, in which he says that the divorced and remarried should be treated with mercy. He also restates the Church’s teaching that they may not receive Communion unless they endeavour to live as brother and sister.
In an interview with Catholic News Service, Cardinal-designate Kevin Farrell criticised the guidelines, saying: “I don’t share the view of what Archbishop Chaput did, no...” (continued)
Link:
Related:
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Pope Francis declines to answer four cardinals’ Amoris appeal
The cardinals have taken the unusual step of publicly requesting clarification on Communion and the moral law
By Dan Hitchens
(Catholic Herald) Pope Francis has declined to answer an official appeal from four cardinals to clarify his recent apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
Cardinals Raymond Burke, Carlo Caffarra, Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner sent a request for clarification to the Pope in September. They received an acknowledgment but no reply, which they said they have taken as “an invitation to continue … the discussion, calmly, and with respect”, by making the appeal public. It is highly unusual for cardinals to take such a step.
The letter takes the traditional form of asking theological “dubia” – questions to the Holy See which ask for a yes/no ruling on doctrinal matters. The cardinals’ dubia relate to the sacraments, and to absolute moral norms.
The first of the dubia asks whether “it has now become possible to grant absolution in the Sacrament of Penance and thus to admit to Holy Communion a person who, while bound by a valid marital bond, lives together with a different person more uxorio [as husband and wife] without fulfilling the conditions provided for by Familiaris Consortio”.
In Familiaris Consortio St John Paul II reaffirmed the Church’s practice of not admitting the remarried to Communion if they are still in a sexual relationship with their new partner.
The other four dubia relate to actions which Catholic teaching considers “intrinsically evil”. The cardinals ask whether there are still “absolute moral norms that prohibit intrinsically evil acts and that are binding without exceptions”, and whether those who habitually commit these acts are “in an objective situation of grave habitual sin”.
It also asks whether St John Paul II’s teaching in the encyclical Veritatis Splendor is still valid: that, in the words of the encyclical, “circumstances or intentions can never transform an act intrinsically evil by virtue of its object into an act ‘subjectively’ good or defensible as a choice”.
Finally, the cardinals ask whether Catholics should still follow Veritatis Splendor’s teaching on conscience: that, as the cardinals paraphrase it, “conscience can never be authorised to legitimate exceptions to absolute moral norms that prohibit intrinsically evil acts by virtue of their object”.
The cardinals say that the letter should not be seen as a “conservative” attack on “progressives”. They say they are motivated by their concern for “the true good of souls” and their “deep collegial affection that unites us to the Pope”.
The cardinals refer to “grave disorientation and great confusion” among Catholics, including bishops, about “extremely important matters”... (continued)
Link:
By Dan Hitchens
(Catholic Herald) Pope Francis has declined to answer an official appeal from four cardinals to clarify his recent apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
Cardinals Raymond Burke, Carlo Caffarra, Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner sent a request for clarification to the Pope in September. They received an acknowledgment but no reply, which they said they have taken as “an invitation to continue … the discussion, calmly, and with respect”, by making the appeal public. It is highly unusual for cardinals to take such a step.
The letter takes the traditional form of asking theological “dubia” – questions to the Holy See which ask for a yes/no ruling on doctrinal matters. The cardinals’ dubia relate to the sacraments, and to absolute moral norms.
The first of the dubia asks whether “it has now become possible to grant absolution in the Sacrament of Penance and thus to admit to Holy Communion a person who, while bound by a valid marital bond, lives together with a different person more uxorio [as husband and wife] without fulfilling the conditions provided for by Familiaris Consortio”.
In Familiaris Consortio St John Paul II reaffirmed the Church’s practice of not admitting the remarried to Communion if they are still in a sexual relationship with their new partner.
The other four dubia relate to actions which Catholic teaching considers “intrinsically evil”. The cardinals ask whether there are still “absolute moral norms that prohibit intrinsically evil acts and that are binding without exceptions”, and whether those who habitually commit these acts are “in an objective situation of grave habitual sin”.
It also asks whether St John Paul II’s teaching in the encyclical Veritatis Splendor is still valid: that, in the words of the encyclical, “circumstances or intentions can never transform an act intrinsically evil by virtue of its object into an act ‘subjectively’ good or defensible as a choice”.
Finally, the cardinals ask whether Catholics should still follow Veritatis Splendor’s teaching on conscience: that, as the cardinals paraphrase it, “conscience can never be authorised to legitimate exceptions to absolute moral norms that prohibit intrinsically evil acts by virtue of their object”.
The cardinals say that the letter should not be seen as a “conservative” attack on “progressives”. They say they are motivated by their concern for “the true good of souls” and their “deep collegial affection that unites us to the Pope”.
The cardinals refer to “grave disorientation and great confusion” among Catholics, including bishops, about “extremely important matters”... (continued)
Link:
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Vatican Radio confirms Pope’s leaked letter on Amoris Laetitia as authentic
By John-Henry Westen
September 12, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – On Friday LifeSiteNews published leaked documents showing for the first time the Pope’s own opinion on the matter of Holy Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics who do not qualify for annulment. The letter set off an explosion of comments since many held that the Pope did not agree with the thesis of Cardinal Walter Kasper which was that in certain cases Holy Communion could be administered for such couples. Many comments suggested that the letter could not be authentic.
Now, however, Vatican Radio has itself reported the letter as authentic, including specifically in its most controversial aspects – that of allowing communion to divorced and remarried Catholics in some cases and that there is “no other interpretation” other than that.
Says the Vatican Radio report: “Pope Francis has written a letter to the bishops of the Buenos Aires region of Argentina, praising them for their document which spells out ways in which priests should apply the teachings of his apostolic exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia’.”
The Vatican Radio report relates, as LifeSite reported Friday, that in the letter Pope Francis responded “to a document by the bishops entitled ‘Basic criteria for the application of chapter 8 of ‘Amoris Laetitia.’”
“That chapter focuses on the need to support and integrate divorcees into the life of the Church, specifying that ‘in certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments,’” says the Vatican Radio report. “Expressing his appreciation for the ‘pastoral charity’ contained in the bishops’ document, Pope Francis insists 'there are no other interpretations' of the apostolic exhortation which he wrote at the conclusion of the two synods on the family in 2014 and 2015.”
Link:
September 12, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – On Friday LifeSiteNews published leaked documents showing for the first time the Pope’s own opinion on the matter of Holy Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics who do not qualify for annulment. The letter set off an explosion of comments since many held that the Pope did not agree with the thesis of Cardinal Walter Kasper which was that in certain cases Holy Communion could be administered for such couples. Many comments suggested that the letter could not be authentic.
Now, however, Vatican Radio has itself reported the letter as authentic, including specifically in its most controversial aspects – that of allowing communion to divorced and remarried Catholics in some cases and that there is “no other interpretation” other than that.
Says the Vatican Radio report: “Pope Francis has written a letter to the bishops of the Buenos Aires region of Argentina, praising them for their document which spells out ways in which priests should apply the teachings of his apostolic exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia’.”
The Vatican Radio report relates, as LifeSite reported Friday, that in the letter Pope Francis responded “to a document by the bishops entitled ‘Basic criteria for the application of chapter 8 of ‘Amoris Laetitia.’”
“That chapter focuses on the need to support and integrate divorcees into the life of the Church, specifying that ‘in certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments,’” says the Vatican Radio report. “Expressing his appreciation for the ‘pastoral charity’ contained in the bishops’ document, Pope Francis insists 'there are no other interpretations' of the apostolic exhortation which he wrote at the conclusion of the two synods on the family in 2014 and 2015.”
Link:
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Bill Donohue vs. Michael Voris
From Bill Donohue at the Catholic League followed by Michael Voris' response:
Bill Donohue addresses recent attacks on Cardinal Donald Wuerl:
The crazies on the Catholic right have set their sights on Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. Why? Because he is close to Pope Francis, and they hate the pope. The attacks are coming from The Church Militant, a loose gang of angry right-wingers who specialize in character assassination, and American Spectator hater George Neumayr.
Three recent hit pieces by Church Militant author Christine Niles set the agenda. She says “today’s archbishop of Washington owns a penthouse in a complex valued at $43 million.” That is a lie. He owns not a centimeter of his third-floor “penthouse,” an apartment that sits atop Our Lady Queen of the Americas parish. Like bishops all over the world, he resides in a spot that was specifically designed for the local Ordinary. There is nothing scandalous about this Church patrimony.
Church Militant head Michael Voris says his unidentified sources claim that when Wuerl was the Bishop of Pittsburgh his gay-friendly approach earned him the nickname “Donna the Girl.” I taught at a Pittsburgh Catholic college during Wuerl’s years and never once did I hear anyone tag him as such. Voris also says that Wuerl stole a “Catechism work composed by Fr. John Hardon by simply putting his name to it.” That’s another lie. I guess Wuerl was channeling Hardon when he gave his TV series of lectures on the subject.
Neumayr is so far gone that he accuses Wuerl of being a Communist because someone spotted a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book in his office in the 1970s. That would make me Chairman of the Politburo: I have a copy of Das Kapital in my office right now.
These crazies are mad at Wuerl because he doesn’t believe in using the Eucharist as a weapon to smack liberal Catholic politicians. Wuerl has said that the refusal of Holy Communion “should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences.” Exactly. Wuerl is a great gift to the Catholic Church. These critics are as ignorant as they are malicious.
Link:
And from ChurchMilitant.com:
There's a saying that goes: "If you start getting flak for what you are saying, know that your bombs have hit their target."
Such is the case with a couple of stories that ChurchMilitant.com released a few days back about establishment kingpin Washington, D.C. Cardinal-Archbishop Donald Wuerl. His Eminence has moved to the front of the quiet assault against orthodox Catholicism in the United States and is joined by various allies both in the clergy and certain Catholic media circles in that assault.
To show the behind-the-scenes influence Cdl. Wuerl exhibits, shortly after our reports ran, Catholic-Establishment attack dog Bill Donohue of the self-described Catholic League came out calling us here at ChurchMilitant.com "right-wing nut jobs" (nice Catholic language, by the way, Catholic League man).
He took umbrage at our reports, enough to actually issue a press release where he accused us of "attacking" (by the way, it's called reporting) Cdl. Wuerl because he is a friend of the Pope, and (he claims) we "hate the Pope."
What a stupid charge revealing the stupidity and lack of research on the part of whoever wrote it. ChurchMilitant.com is the one faithful Catholic organization that has been pilloried by other Catholic organizations for not calling the Pope a heretic, possessed, evil and every other name under the sun. We have, in fact, done the exact opposite of what Donohue portrays. We have been the voice of reason in the Catholic media saying that the Holy Father must be given every benefit of a doubt, and if something needs to be addressed, it needs to be in the most charitable, respectful terms possible.
But Donohue, in his excitement to be seen as Supreme Guardian of the Establishment and always being the attack dog so he can continue to curry favor and rub elbows, totally disregards facts and just bullies whomever he wants. Cardinal Wuerl has a disgraceful record as cardinal archbishop, and it needs to be talked about, regardless of what Bill Donohue deems worthy of reporting. Who set up Bill Donohue as overlord of what is newsworthy and what is not?
Donohue, you will recall, was out front and center defending Cdl. Timothy Dolan's pitiful example of cheering active homosexuals who work for NBC to be permitted to march openly in the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade. True to form, when Catholics outside the well-cocooned establishment saw this as a bad move, Donohue went on the attack, even calling us and others names and hurling insults around at anyone who would even dare to think that a cardinal could err. He even came out and personally supported the move, throwing the weight of his one-man operation Catholic League behind the gay propaganda offensive.
He had to; Dolan had supported and cheered it, so the very non-independent Donohue had to get in lock step and do the same. His official excuse: He had been promised that since sodomites could openly march in the parade, then so could pro-life groups. Riiiiight. Sure they could!
Then suddenly, in a move that anyone with a quarter-brian could see coming, the pro-sodomite parade committee changed their minds and said no to pro-life groups. That sent Donohue into a frenzied tizzy as he voiced his opposition to such a double-dealing, back-stabbing action on the part of the parade committee.
Well, Bill, what do you expect? You and your establishment wine-and-cheese crowd have always misjudged the depth of the evil. You sleep with dogs and you're gonna' get fleas. Or more precisely, play with the devil and you're gonna get burned. That Donohue could have so badly misjudged, so pathetically thought that this crowd could be appealed to for fairness disqualifies him from any further consideration by serious Catholics. What a colossal lapse in judgment.
And the proof is even further demonstrated at the immaturity and lack of clear thinking on the part of Donohue and the other establishment crowd when we now see that the St. Patrick's Parade committee — the very ones that Donohue had initially applauded — now want to remove St. Patrick himself from the parade and remove the existing requirement that Catholics be on the committee.
In a couple of years, the former St Patrick's Day parade up 5th Avenue will be nothing more than a polyglot of sexual deviants and a celebration of multicultural, pluralistic-society idiocy — and it would have been accomplished because men like Cdl. Dolan and most especially Bill Donohue co-operated with the first stage because their own pride and hubris got in the way and they did not sufficiently stand up for Our Blessed Lord.
And why? Because they were having too much fun and spending too much time making sport of serious Catholics who saw the hand-writing on the wall and who were put off by the scandal of a prince of the Church leading a parade with active, proud sodomites all under the banner of the very saint who helped bring about an end to homosexuality in Ireland.
So you will excuse us and everyone else if we simply dismiss Bill Donohue and wish him a good retirement. He has proven that his allegiance is with the establishment, right or wrong. He has conflated in his mind that an individual cardinal or bishop equals the Church. They do not. As St. John Chrysostom so aptly warned, the floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of such.
We need to pray for the bishops as we are constantly stating and re-inforcing here at ChurchMilitant.com. We need to uplift and praise the faithful ones who are bold in declaring the truths of the Church. But the sorry, conniving, double-dealing ones with their own agenda of changing the Church need to be exposed because they are wicked.
Donald Wuerl has consistently said that canon law 915 needs to be ignored because it does not apply to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. It does, and he is wrong.
He was one of the major agitators in Rome at the Synod for sacrilegious reception of Holy Communion by adulterers.
He is the point man on tarring any Catholic who disagrees with him and his "New Church" garbage as an enemy of the Pope, a line of thought picked up and run with by Donahue with regard to us.
He plays his connections with the liberal media to smear other good cardinals who oppose him, such as he did in the case of The Tablet's "story" that Cdl. Burke lives in palatial surroundings in Rome. So does Cardinal Wuerl In Washington, D.C. What's good for the goose is good for gander.
Sources through the North American College in Rome have told us that Wuerl is constantly bad-mouthing Cardinal Burke and pillories him every chance he gets.
When bishop of Pittsburgh, in addition to living in luxurious accommodations, Wuerl had extremely friendly relations with the homosexual crowd in the Church and various sources say those connections also exist in Rome.
For Bill Donohue to go on the attack to defend this prelate reveals an awful lot. Why didn't he go on the attack against The Tablet for their insinuation that Burke lives in luxury? Because he knows that the establishment doesn't like Burke, so he felt no need to defend him. But when the darling of the "New Church" crowd, the wine-tasters and party-throwers and friends of the political crowd and the antique collectors get rightfully pointed out as hypocrites, his misguided fury knows no bounds.
In case you missed the memo, Mr. Donahue, things have changed. There are simply too many Catholics in the rank and file, we peasant Catholics, who will no longer keep quiet about your business-as-usual, status-quo approach to the Church. Holy Mother Church is in crisis, and you and your cronies — including various prelates — have helped to bring it about. Bluster all you want, but none of us is going away.
You can stop the class warfare in the Church, Bill. We aren't the ones living in multi-million dollar houses and jetting around the world on the nickles of widows who throw their money in the plate each week.
Pray that Mr. Donahue comes around to his senses.
Link:
Bill Donohue addresses recent attacks on Cardinal Donald Wuerl:
The crazies on the Catholic right have set their sights on Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. Why? Because he is close to Pope Francis, and they hate the pope. The attacks are coming from The Church Militant, a loose gang of angry right-wingers who specialize in character assassination, and American Spectator hater George Neumayr.
Three recent hit pieces by Church Militant author Christine Niles set the agenda. She says “today’s archbishop of Washington owns a penthouse in a complex valued at $43 million.” That is a lie. He owns not a centimeter of his third-floor “penthouse,” an apartment that sits atop Our Lady Queen of the Americas parish. Like bishops all over the world, he resides in a spot that was specifically designed for the local Ordinary. There is nothing scandalous about this Church patrimony.
Church Militant head Michael Voris says his unidentified sources claim that when Wuerl was the Bishop of Pittsburgh his gay-friendly approach earned him the nickname “Donna the Girl.” I taught at a Pittsburgh Catholic college during Wuerl’s years and never once did I hear anyone tag him as such. Voris also says that Wuerl stole a “Catechism work composed by Fr. John Hardon by simply putting his name to it.” That’s another lie. I guess Wuerl was channeling Hardon when he gave his TV series of lectures on the subject.
Neumayr is so far gone that he accuses Wuerl of being a Communist because someone spotted a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book in his office in the 1970s. That would make me Chairman of the Politburo: I have a copy of Das Kapital in my office right now.
These crazies are mad at Wuerl because he doesn’t believe in using the Eucharist as a weapon to smack liberal Catholic politicians. Wuerl has said that the refusal of Holy Communion “should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences.” Exactly. Wuerl is a great gift to the Catholic Church. These critics are as ignorant as they are malicious.
Link:
And from ChurchMilitant.com:
The Empire Strikes Back
Say the truth about the evil in the Church and wait for the fireworks.
There's a saying that goes: "If you start getting flak for what you are saying, know that your bombs have hit their target."
Such is the case with a couple of stories that ChurchMilitant.com released a few days back about establishment kingpin Washington, D.C. Cardinal-Archbishop Donald Wuerl. His Eminence has moved to the front of the quiet assault against orthodox Catholicism in the United States and is joined by various allies both in the clergy and certain Catholic media circles in that assault.
To show the behind-the-scenes influence Cdl. Wuerl exhibits, shortly after our reports ran, Catholic-Establishment attack dog Bill Donohue of the self-described Catholic League came out calling us here at ChurchMilitant.com "right-wing nut jobs" (nice Catholic language, by the way, Catholic League man).
He took umbrage at our reports, enough to actually issue a press release where he accused us of "attacking" (by the way, it's called reporting) Cdl. Wuerl because he is a friend of the Pope, and (he claims) we "hate the Pope."
What a stupid charge revealing the stupidity and lack of research on the part of whoever wrote it. ChurchMilitant.com is the one faithful Catholic organization that has been pilloried by other Catholic organizations for not calling the Pope a heretic, possessed, evil and every other name under the sun. We have, in fact, done the exact opposite of what Donohue portrays. We have been the voice of reason in the Catholic media saying that the Holy Father must be given every benefit of a doubt, and if something needs to be addressed, it needs to be in the most charitable, respectful terms possible.
But Donohue, in his excitement to be seen as Supreme Guardian of the Establishment and always being the attack dog so he can continue to curry favor and rub elbows, totally disregards facts and just bullies whomever he wants. Cardinal Wuerl has a disgraceful record as cardinal archbishop, and it needs to be talked about, regardless of what Bill Donohue deems worthy of reporting. Who set up Bill Donohue as overlord of what is newsworthy and what is not?
Donohue, you will recall, was out front and center defending Cdl. Timothy Dolan's pitiful example of cheering active homosexuals who work for NBC to be permitted to march openly in the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade. True to form, when Catholics outside the well-cocooned establishment saw this as a bad move, Donohue went on the attack, even calling us and others names and hurling insults around at anyone who would even dare to think that a cardinal could err. He even came out and personally supported the move, throwing the weight of his one-man operation Catholic League behind the gay propaganda offensive.
He had to; Dolan had supported and cheered it, so the very non-independent Donohue had to get in lock step and do the same. His official excuse: He had been promised that since sodomites could openly march in the parade, then so could pro-life groups. Riiiiight. Sure they could!
Then suddenly, in a move that anyone with a quarter-brian could see coming, the pro-sodomite parade committee changed their minds and said no to pro-life groups. That sent Donohue into a frenzied tizzy as he voiced his opposition to such a double-dealing, back-stabbing action on the part of the parade committee.
Well, Bill, what do you expect? You and your establishment wine-and-cheese crowd have always misjudged the depth of the evil. You sleep with dogs and you're gonna' get fleas. Or more precisely, play with the devil and you're gonna get burned. That Donohue could have so badly misjudged, so pathetically thought that this crowd could be appealed to for fairness disqualifies him from any further consideration by serious Catholics. What a colossal lapse in judgment.
And the proof is even further demonstrated at the immaturity and lack of clear thinking on the part of Donohue and the other establishment crowd when we now see that the St. Patrick's Parade committee — the very ones that Donohue had initially applauded — now want to remove St. Patrick himself from the parade and remove the existing requirement that Catholics be on the committee.
In a couple of years, the former St Patrick's Day parade up 5th Avenue will be nothing more than a polyglot of sexual deviants and a celebration of multicultural, pluralistic-society idiocy — and it would have been accomplished because men like Cdl. Dolan and most especially Bill Donohue co-operated with the first stage because their own pride and hubris got in the way and they did not sufficiently stand up for Our Blessed Lord.
And why? Because they were having too much fun and spending too much time making sport of serious Catholics who saw the hand-writing on the wall and who were put off by the scandal of a prince of the Church leading a parade with active, proud sodomites all under the banner of the very saint who helped bring about an end to homosexuality in Ireland.
So you will excuse us and everyone else if we simply dismiss Bill Donohue and wish him a good retirement. He has proven that his allegiance is with the establishment, right or wrong. He has conflated in his mind that an individual cardinal or bishop equals the Church. They do not. As St. John Chrysostom so aptly warned, the floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of such.
We need to pray for the bishops as we are constantly stating and re-inforcing here at ChurchMilitant.com. We need to uplift and praise the faithful ones who are bold in declaring the truths of the Church. But the sorry, conniving, double-dealing ones with their own agenda of changing the Church need to be exposed because they are wicked.
Donald Wuerl has consistently said that canon law 915 needs to be ignored because it does not apply to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. It does, and he is wrong.
He was one of the major agitators in Rome at the Synod for sacrilegious reception of Holy Communion by adulterers.
He is the point man on tarring any Catholic who disagrees with him and his "New Church" garbage as an enemy of the Pope, a line of thought picked up and run with by Donahue with regard to us.
He plays his connections with the liberal media to smear other good cardinals who oppose him, such as he did in the case of The Tablet's "story" that Cdl. Burke lives in palatial surroundings in Rome. So does Cardinal Wuerl In Washington, D.C. What's good for the goose is good for gander.
Sources through the North American College in Rome have told us that Wuerl is constantly bad-mouthing Cardinal Burke and pillories him every chance he gets.
When bishop of Pittsburgh, in addition to living in luxurious accommodations, Wuerl had extremely friendly relations with the homosexual crowd in the Church and various sources say those connections also exist in Rome.
For Bill Donohue to go on the attack to defend this prelate reveals an awful lot. Why didn't he go on the attack against The Tablet for their insinuation that Burke lives in luxury? Because he knows that the establishment doesn't like Burke, so he felt no need to defend him. But when the darling of the "New Church" crowd, the wine-tasters and party-throwers and friends of the political crowd and the antique collectors get rightfully pointed out as hypocrites, his misguided fury knows no bounds.
In case you missed the memo, Mr. Donahue, things have changed. There are simply too many Catholics in the rank and file, we peasant Catholics, who will no longer keep quiet about your business-as-usual, status-quo approach to the Church. Holy Mother Church is in crisis, and you and your cronies — including various prelates — have helped to bring it about. Bluster all you want, but none of us is going away.
You can stop the class warfare in the Church, Bill. We aren't the ones living in multi-million dollar houses and jetting around the world on the nickles of widows who throw their money in the plate each week.
Pray that Mr. Donahue comes around to his senses.
Link:
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
What Did The Pope Really Say… about Lutherans and Communion?
From Father Z:
Link:
"There is the tone with which he speaks and there are the words with which he speaks. We are left to untangle the knot.
That said, for this issue the Pope made a clear statement:
“I wouldn’t ever dare to allow this, because it’s not my competence.”
Before anyone gets out onto the ledge outside the window, read that again and repeat it to yourself. The Pope is not saying that Lutherans can go to Communion... "
Link:
Monday, November 9, 2015
What have we come to?
By Fr. Ray Blake
What have we come to? I had a letter recently from a parishioner telling me he had fallen in love with another man and therefore wasn't going to be coming to Mass anymore!
The Gospel yesterday in the Old Rite was the wheat harvest sown with
zizzania (translated as cockle), the owner tells the servants that
rather than weeding out the weeds, to leave them until harvest time,
'lest the wheat also is lost'. The Second Vatican Council spoke about a
'universal call to holiness', what we seem to have difficulty with is
coping with the fact that not everyone wants 'holiness', or at least
wants to delay it until the last moment, or simply feels they are
incapable of it.. (continued)
Link:
Friday, April 24, 2015
Archbishop Blase Cupich allows non-Catholic Governor to receive Holy Communion
By Michael Voris
CHICAGO, April 24, 2015 (ChurchMilitant.com)—Eyewitness reports as well as television footage clearly prove that Illinois governor Bruce Rauner received Holy Communion at Cardinal George's funeral Mass at Holy Name Cathedral on Thursday, April 23.
Therefore, what appears to be a grave violation of Canon 844 has been committed. Present at the Mass was Chicago's new archbishop Blase Cupich.
In addition to the violation of canon law, the question is being asked: Was a sacrilege committed on the new archbishop's watch?
According to canon law, since the governor is a non-Catholic, he is unable to be given Holy Communion unless a number of conditions are all met:
- Foremost, there must be a grave and urgent need, usually understood to mean danger of death.
- The governor must demonstrate Catholic faith in the Real Presence.
- He must be duly disposed, and not conscious of any grave sin.
Did the archdiocese of Chicago, while extending an invitation to the governor to attend the funeral, perform its minimal duty to prevent any sacrilege by informing the governor's office that Holy Communion is reserved for Catholics in the state of grace?
Was political favor shown to the governor in the dismissing of canon law?
The USCCB has issued a clear directive on the matter of non-Catholics receiving Holy Communion. The directive states in part, "Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion" (emphasis added).
So the question remains: Is Archbishop Cupich disregarding the directives of his brother bishops?
In November 2014, newly appointed Archbishop Cupich created a controversy in the Catholic world when he was interviewed by CBS's Face the Nation. Cupich was asked point blank if he would give Holy Communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. He ducked the question by saying he didn't want the issue to come up at the communion rail.
(Answer at 3:30)
Cupich's appointment was disappointing to many faithful Catholics owing to his more politically progressive stands on issues like illegal immigration and global warming. In a move that stunned many faithful Catholics in Spokane, Washington, he forbade any of his priests from participating in pro-life prayer rallies, especially those in front of abortion chambers.
This newest scandal of not properly safeguarding the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege is only heightening the concern of faithful Catholics.
Link:
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Latin Mass to be offered to mark reinterment of Richard III
(Catholic Herald) A Requiem Mass in the traditional Latin form is to be offered at a
Catholic church in Lancashire to mark the reinterment of King Richard
III, which will take place on the same day at Leicester’s Anglican
cathedral.
The mortal remains of Richard III, who died in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, before the Reformation, will be reinterred in the cathedral on March 26, in the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and an invited congregation.
The Requiem Mass for the repose of Richard III’s soul will be held on the same day St Catherine’s Church, in Leyland, Lancashire, at 7.30pm. It will be a Sung High Latin Mass with singers from the Laeta Cantoribus Choir, “in the style and manner of (Richard III’s) day”.
“The idea is that it will be closer to what he might have experienced in his own lifetime, as a pre-reformation Catholic,” said parish priest Fr Simon Henry.
After the service, refreshments will be served, also in keeping with what King Richard might have expected in his lifetime.
“The food afterwards will make at least a nod in the direction of the 15th century, or at least to his Yorkshire connections,” said Fr Henry. “Though wild boar sausages are a little difficult to come by!”
The skeleton of Richard III was found under a car park in Leicester in 2012. In the days before the reinterment service at Leicester Cathedral, the coffin will be taken to Leicester University and Bosworth Field, where the king was was killed in battle.
Following the Leicester Cathedral service, Richard III’s body will lie “in repose” for three days before being reinterred.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster will be part of the week-long run of events to mark the reinterment.
The cardinal will preach at a service of compline on the day the king’s remains are received into the cathedral and will celebrate a Requiem Mass the next day at a nearby Catholic parish.
Dominican friars will also sing vespers at the cathedral in the run-up to the reinterment and Fr David Rocks OP, parish priest, will preach at a lunchtime Eucharist.
Link:
The mortal remains of Richard III, who died in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, before the Reformation, will be reinterred in the cathedral on March 26, in the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and an invited congregation.
The Requiem Mass for the repose of Richard III’s soul will be held on the same day St Catherine’s Church, in Leyland, Lancashire, at 7.30pm. It will be a Sung High Latin Mass with singers from the Laeta Cantoribus Choir, “in the style and manner of (Richard III’s) day”.
“The idea is that it will be closer to what he might have experienced in his own lifetime, as a pre-reformation Catholic,” said parish priest Fr Simon Henry.
After the service, refreshments will be served, also in keeping with what King Richard might have expected in his lifetime.
“The food afterwards will make at least a nod in the direction of the 15th century, or at least to his Yorkshire connections,” said Fr Henry. “Though wild boar sausages are a little difficult to come by!”
The skeleton of Richard III was found under a car park in Leicester in 2012. In the days before the reinterment service at Leicester Cathedral, the coffin will be taken to Leicester University and Bosworth Field, where the king was was killed in battle.
Following the Leicester Cathedral service, Richard III’s body will lie “in repose” for three days before being reinterred.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster will be part of the week-long run of events to mark the reinterment.
The cardinal will preach at a service of compline on the day the king’s remains are received into the cathedral and will celebrate a Requiem Mass the next day at a nearby Catholic parish.
Dominican friars will also sing vespers at the cathedral in the run-up to the reinterment and Fr David Rocks OP, parish priest, will preach at a lunchtime Eucharist.
Link:
Friday, February 20, 2015
Cardinal Ratzinger told Cardinal Bergoglio “something very important was missing in the ars celebrandi"
By Carol Glatz
(Catholic Herald) The liturgy should help the faithful enter into God’s mystery and to experience the wonder of encountering Christ, Pope Francis has told priests of the Diocese of Rome.
People should feel the wonder and allure “that the apostles felt when they were called, invited. It attracts – wonder attracts – and it lets you reflect”, the Pope said during an annual Lenten meeting with Rome pastors in the Paul VI audience hall...
Pope Francis told the priests that “the homily is a challenge for priests” and he said he, too, had his own shortcomings – pointed out in a reflection he prepared for a plenary meeting of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments on “ars celebrandi” in 2005.
As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was a cardinal-member of the congregation. After he presented the reflection, he said, Cardinal Joachim Meisner “reprimanded me a bit strongly over some things”, as well as then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who “told me that something very important was missing in the ‘ars celebrandi,’ which was the feeling of being before God. And he was right, I had not spoken about this,” he said, adding that both cardinals had given him good advice... (continued)
Link:
Thursday, January 29, 2015
"I Will Follow" by Ascension Press
From The Digital Hairshirt:
Hat tip to the erudite Fr. David Carter for posting this.
Even if you are not Catholic, this is some mighty fine videography. I especially like the drone shots. Ascension Press did a great job with this and I am looking forward to checking out more of their videos.
Do me a favor - someone go tell Fr. John Moneypenny to post this to the OC Vocations page/FB wall.
Link:
Hat tip to the erudite Fr. David Carter for posting this.
Even if you are not Catholic, this is some mighty fine videography. I especially like the drone shots. Ascension Press did a great job with this and I am looking forward to checking out more of their videos.
Do me a favor - someone go tell Fr. John Moneypenny to post this to the OC Vocations page/FB wall.
Link:
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Peeved Parishioners Leaving SF Catholic Church Over Ban On Girls As Altar Servers
By Da Lin
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A Bay Area church is now under fire over a controversial new policy saying only boys can be altar servers.
The new practice is making waves at the century old church Star of the Sea. Since the ’70s, they’ve used altar girls during masses.
The well-known Richmond District church also has a school serving about 230 kids. When the new priest banned girls from being altar servers, it generated outrage among parents and parishioners alike. The priest admits some parishioners even left the church.
“It’s disturbing,” said churchgoer Connie Porciuncula.
Star of the Sea School parent Tara Widmer agrees. “They’re definitely taking a step in the wrong direction,” she said.
Father Joseph Illo took over five months ago and decided to train only boys to be altar servers.
He said he has no choice but to exclude girls because the future of the church is at stake.
“The specifics of serving at the altar is a priestly function,” Illo said. “And the Catholic church does not ordain women...” (continued)
Link:
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A Bay Area church is now under fire over a controversial new policy saying only boys can be altar servers.
The new practice is making waves at the century old church Star of the Sea. Since the ’70s, they’ve used altar girls during masses.
The well-known Richmond District church also has a school serving about 230 kids. When the new priest banned girls from being altar servers, it generated outrage among parents and parishioners alike. The priest admits some parishioners even left the church.
“It’s disturbing,” said churchgoer Connie Porciuncula.
Star of the Sea School parent Tara Widmer agrees. “They’re definitely taking a step in the wrong direction,” she said.
Father Joseph Illo took over five months ago and decided to train only boys to be altar servers.
He said he has no choice but to exclude girls because the future of the church is at stake.
“The specifics of serving at the altar is a priestly function,” Illo said. “And the Catholic church does not ordain women...” (continued)
Link:
Monday, December 8, 2014
Mass with Fr. Z in Rome
From J. P. Sonnen:
It was a proud moment to serve Fr. Z's Low Mass in the crypt chapel of the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. During our Mass we could hear the chants of the Church from a sung Mass being celebrated above at the main altar. For over 20 years I have been serving Mass for Fr. Z.
Fr. Z was first in Rome in 1981. His second Mass was celebrated at the main altar of this Basilica, after his ordination by Pope St. John Paul II. Having Mass at the tomb of St. Cecilia has a bit of an enchanting feel like having Holy Mass in the catacombs. A very special place to visit, especially at dusk. I saw it on my first trip to Rome and return every time.
The Art Nouveau era mosaics were completed in the year 1900 under Cardinal Rampolla, who at age 43 in 1887 had been named Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia. Always nice to visit here on her feast day, November 22. She is the patron saint of musicians. A saint of the Roman Canon and Roman martyr - one of eight female saints mentioned in the Canon... (continued)
Link:
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Pope Benedict’s private secretary speaks on Synod, divorce, same-sex relations
By
In the interview published in the print edition of Chi magazine last week, Archbishop Georg Gänswein said, "The Church has always declared, based on the Scriptures and tradition, that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” The acts, he said, “are contrary to natural law, because they prevent the gift of life, the purpose of the sexual act.”
Gänswein went on to acknowledge that for people experiencing same-sex attraction the inclination can be a trial. “These people,” he said, “are called to live the will of God in their life and if they are Christians, to unite their sacrifice to the cross of the Lord, with the difficulties they meet because of their condition.”
The remarks echo the language of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was published in 1992, when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger headed the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). They also bear marked similarity to the language of the 1986 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, published by the CDF and signed by Cardinal Ratzinger.
“Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,’” says the Catechism. “They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life.”
In the 1986 letter on the pastoral care of homosexuals, Cardinal Ratzinger had written, “What, then, are homosexual persons to do who seek to follow the Lord? Fundamentally, they are called to enact the will of God in their life by joining whatever sufferings and difficulties they experience in virtue of their condition to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross.”
While Archbishop Gänswein did not directly address Cardinal Walter Kasper’s much-discussed proposal to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive communion in some circumstances, he left a clear impression that he opposed it. Even if a married couple separates, he said, "starting a new union contradicts what the Lord has indicated."
When asked directly if Catholics who have been divorced and subsequently entered a second marriage should be permitted to receive Holy Communion, Archbishop Ganswein said, "This is a very delicate question. According to Catholic doctrine, the sacrament of marriage is indissoluble, just like God's love for man.”
"The Church doesn't close Her eyes to the difficulties of the Faithful who live in delicate and thorny situations," Ganswein added. "Nevertheless, the Church must offer sincere answers which directs, not towards the spirit of the times, but to the Gospel, to the word of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.
"The evangelical message takes much effort but it is worthwhile to live it," he said. "God welcomes, forgives, this is true, but it is also true He asks for conversion."
Vatican watchers told LifeSiteNews this would not be the first time that Pope Emeritus Benedict's private secretary has hinted at Benedict's own thoughts. Most notably, in an interview on German television in March of this year, Archbishop Ganswein revealed that Pope Benedict had written a 4-page critique of Pope Francis’ controversial interview with a Jesuit magazine wherein the pope had said the Church, “cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods.”
The release of the interview with Archbishop Georg Gänswein came on the heels of the surprise publication of an interview with Pope Francis, which was unknown to the Vatican press office prior to its release, by the Argentine newspaper La Nacion on the opening day of the Synod.
In the interview, published October 5, Pope Francis was asked about the cardinals who have criticized Cardinal Kasper’s proposal to allow Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics. In response, he indicated that he is not in agreement with the “very conservative” bishops, but said he still enjoys “debating” them as long as they are “intellectually well-formed.”
The pope also said that the Church must not “stigmatize” and “impugn” those who are living together in what the Church calls “irregular” situations outside of marriage.
“We have to approach social conflicts, new and old, and try to give a hand of comfort, not to stigmatize and not to just impugn,” Pope Francis said.
“So many young people prefer to live together without marrying,” he added. “What should the Church do? Expel them from its breast? Or, instead, approach them, embrace them and try to bring them the word of God? I’m with the latter position.”
Link:
Friday, October 10, 2014
VIDEO: Card. Burke’s clear, articulate, blunt answers about divorce, remarriage, Card. Kasper
From Father Z:
Link:
Related:
His Eminence Raymond L. Burke gave an interview to Raymond Arroyo of EWTN.
You don’t want to miss this. Arroyo does not lob softballs. He starts out with a question about Pope Francis praise of Card. Kasper!
This is refreshing and it gets better and better as it goes along.
It is about, in part, the “Five Cardinals Book”.
Related:
Monday, July 21, 2014
No Mass said in Mosul for first time in 1,600 years, says Archbishop
(Christian Today) The Chaldean Catholic Church's Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, in
Kurdish-governed northern Iraq, is reported as saying that for the first
time in 1,600 years there was no Mass said in Mosul on Sunday June 15.
This is the city taken over days before by ISIS forces.
Reports say the estimated 3,000 or so Christians still there - from about 35,000 in 2003 - all fled ahead of the militias' takeover of control, although some families were reported to have returned. They cited lack of job prospects and shelter once they'd become internally displaced, or refugees in Kurdish Iraq.... (continued)
Link:
Reports say the estimated 3,000 or so Christians still there - from about 35,000 in 2003 - all fled ahead of the militias' takeover of control, although some families were reported to have returned. They cited lack of job prospects and shelter once they'd become internally displaced, or refugees in Kurdish Iraq.... (continued)
Link:
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Pope Francis 'phones divorced woman' to say she can receive Communion. This is potentially a huge story
By Damian Thompson
(The Telegraph) Pope Francis has phoned a divorced and remarried Catholic woman in Argentina to tell her that she could "safely receive Communion", according to an extraordinary report in La Stampa.
The woman's husband, writing on Facebook, claims that the Pope – introducing himself as "Father Bergoglio" – spoke to his wife, who'd been divorced before marrying him and told her that men or women who were divorced and received Communion weren't doing anything wrong. He apparently added that this matter is under discussion at the Vatican. (Quick health warning: given the complexity of this subject, we need much more clarity on what Francis reportedly said. I find it hard to believe that he would make such an unqualified statement...) - continued..
Link:
Related:
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Mass mobs fill pews, lift prayers at NY churches
By CAROLYN THOMPSON
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- You've heard of flash mobs? Behold the Mass mob.
Playing off the idea of using social media to summon crowds for parties or mischief, mobs of Buffalo-area Roman Catholics have been filling pews and lifting spirits at some of the city's original, now often sparsely attended, churches.
It works this way: On a given Sunday, participants attend Mass en masse at a church they've picked in an online vote and promoted through Facebook and Twitter. Visitors experience the architecture, heritage and spirit of the aging houses of worship and the churches once again see the numbers they were built for, along with a helpful bump in donations when the collection baskets are passed.
"I call these churches faith enhancers. You can't help but walk in and feel closer to a higher power," said Christopher Byrd, who hatched the idea in Buffalo last fall and has organized two Mass mobs so far, both of which drew hundreds. He's heard from other cities about starting their own.
The aim, he said, is to reignite interest, support and perhaps even membership in older churches that "kind of fall off the radar screen of people."
One such church is Our Lady of Perpetual Help in a neighborhood settled by Irish immigrants along the Buffalo River. The church once brimmed with 800 families when it was dedicated in 1900. Today, fewer than 50 worshippers typically amble into the Gothic-style sanctuary for Sunday Mass.
It's a familiar story among city churches that were built for waves of Polish, German, Irish and Italian immigrants but whose congregations have dwindled with the city's population decline and suburban sprawl. Buffalo's population is less than half what it was in 1950, when it peaked at 580,000.
"We're still here," said the Rev. Donald Lutz, who welcomed a crowd of more than 300 on a recent Sunday after Our Lady of Perpetual Help, known to locals as "Pets," was selected for the Mass mob.
Organizers sought nominations from the public for churches on the Mass mob website and put the top three up for a vote. Online voting begins this week for the next mob, planned for March 23.
"It's wonderful," said Lutz, who learned his church had been chosen two weeks before. "It just shows that we are not just one parish, that it's the whole family of the diocese. We take care of each other.
"And," he added, "if it helps us pay a few more bills ..."
With every pew occupied, later-arriving worshippers stood against the back wall, reminding 88-year-old parishioner Elizabeth Barrett of the way it used to be in the church she has attended since birth, a block from her lifelong home.
"You had to get here very early when I was young, it was so crowded," she said. "And now there are just a handful. It's hard to accept, but you have to."
During the sign of peace, Lutz spent several minutes breezing up and down aisles, smiling and shaking hands. He invited all to a nearby community center for a pastry and coffee after the service.
Several visitors arrived at the church with cameras, aiming them at brilliant stained-glass windows imported from Austria, the church's pride and joy, and the ornate marble altar, the likes of which are seldom seen in the more modern suburban churches built today.
"It's wonderful to see the old churches. They're beautiful," said Barbara Mocarski, who came from nearby Lackawanna to be part of the mob. While the sanctuary is largely well-preserved, areas of cracking plaster and water stains show a need for costly maintenance.
"Seeing the community together and caring about them, I was really happy to hear about it," Mocarski said.
Karen Huber of the suburb of West Seneca hoped the Mass mob idea would bring more young people back to church so that crowds would again be the rule, not the exception.
The eight-county Diocese of Buffalo, in a restructuring, has closed nearly 100 churches in recent years as attendance and financial support has declined and priests have retired. Days after the Mass mob came an announcement that 10 suburban Catholic schools would close after this school year.
Byrd, 46, plans about six Buffalo Mass mobs a year. Chris Clemens and Luke Myer made the 90-minute trip from Rochester and are already promoting the idea in their city, where they blog about upstate New York's religious and spiritual history and sites.
Byrd, an activist in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood where he grew up, said there has been interest from other cities, too, and he hopes the flash mob social media hook will resonate with a younger generation for whom the pull of family tradition has relaxed.
Said Byrd, "They may think it's cool."
Link:
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- You've heard of flash mobs? Behold the Mass mob.
Playing off the idea of using social media to summon crowds for parties or mischief, mobs of Buffalo-area Roman Catholics have been filling pews and lifting spirits at some of the city's original, now often sparsely attended, churches.
It works this way: On a given Sunday, participants attend Mass en masse at a church they've picked in an online vote and promoted through Facebook and Twitter. Visitors experience the architecture, heritage and spirit of the aging houses of worship and the churches once again see the numbers they were built for, along with a helpful bump in donations when the collection baskets are passed.
"I call these churches faith enhancers. You can't help but walk in and feel closer to a higher power," said Christopher Byrd, who hatched the idea in Buffalo last fall and has organized two Mass mobs so far, both of which drew hundreds. He's heard from other cities about starting their own.
The aim, he said, is to reignite interest, support and perhaps even membership in older churches that "kind of fall off the radar screen of people."
One such church is Our Lady of Perpetual Help in a neighborhood settled by Irish immigrants along the Buffalo River. The church once brimmed with 800 families when it was dedicated in 1900. Today, fewer than 50 worshippers typically amble into the Gothic-style sanctuary for Sunday Mass.
It's a familiar story among city churches that were built for waves of Polish, German, Irish and Italian immigrants but whose congregations have dwindled with the city's population decline and suburban sprawl. Buffalo's population is less than half what it was in 1950, when it peaked at 580,000.
"We're still here," said the Rev. Donald Lutz, who welcomed a crowd of more than 300 on a recent Sunday after Our Lady of Perpetual Help, known to locals as "Pets," was selected for the Mass mob.
Organizers sought nominations from the public for churches on the Mass mob website and put the top three up for a vote. Online voting begins this week for the next mob, planned for March 23.
"It's wonderful," said Lutz, who learned his church had been chosen two weeks before. "It just shows that we are not just one parish, that it's the whole family of the diocese. We take care of each other.
"And," he added, "if it helps us pay a few more bills ..."
With every pew occupied, later-arriving worshippers stood against the back wall, reminding 88-year-old parishioner Elizabeth Barrett of the way it used to be in the church she has attended since birth, a block from her lifelong home.
"You had to get here very early when I was young, it was so crowded," she said. "And now there are just a handful. It's hard to accept, but you have to."
During the sign of peace, Lutz spent several minutes breezing up and down aisles, smiling and shaking hands. He invited all to a nearby community center for a pastry and coffee after the service.
Several visitors arrived at the church with cameras, aiming them at brilliant stained-glass windows imported from Austria, the church's pride and joy, and the ornate marble altar, the likes of which are seldom seen in the more modern suburban churches built today.
"It's wonderful to see the old churches. They're beautiful," said Barbara Mocarski, who came from nearby Lackawanna to be part of the mob. While the sanctuary is largely well-preserved, areas of cracking plaster and water stains show a need for costly maintenance.
"Seeing the community together and caring about them, I was really happy to hear about it," Mocarski said.
Karen Huber of the suburb of West Seneca hoped the Mass mob idea would bring more young people back to church so that crowds would again be the rule, not the exception.
The eight-county Diocese of Buffalo, in a restructuring, has closed nearly 100 churches in recent years as attendance and financial support has declined and priests have retired. Days after the Mass mob came an announcement that 10 suburban Catholic schools would close after this school year.
Byrd, 46, plans about six Buffalo Mass mobs a year. Chris Clemens and Luke Myer made the 90-minute trip from Rochester and are already promoting the idea in their city, where they blog about upstate New York's religious and spiritual history and sites.
Byrd, an activist in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood where he grew up, said there has been interest from other cities, too, and he hopes the flash mob social media hook will resonate with a younger generation for whom the pull of family tradition has relaxed.
Said Byrd, "They may think it's cool."
Link:
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Blinded by the Light
"You know, it is hard to say Mass with 'Blinded by the Light' running in your head as an earworm." - Father Richtsteig
Monday, March 18, 2013
Father Z: I am thinking about those red shoes
By Father John Zuhlsdorf
I am thinking about the infamous red shoes. I am thinking about the
non-wearing of the mozzetta. I am thinking about the growing
juxtaposition in some conversations of simple liturgy versus lofty
liturgy.
Some people are saying, “O how wonderful it is to get rid of all the symbols of office and power and be humble like the poor.”
When I first learned to say the older form of the Mass of the Roman Rite, that is to say, when I first learned how to say Mass, because there has never been a single of day of my priesthood when I couldn’t say it, I admit that I was deeply uncomfortable with some of the gestures prescribed by the rubrics. I even resisted them. For example, the kissing of the objects to be given to the priest, and the priest and the kissing of the priest’s hands… that gave me the willies.
I resisted those solita oscula because I had fallen into the trap of thinking that they made me look too important.
The fact is that none of those gestures were about me at all. They are about the priest insofar as he is alter Christus, not insofar as he is “John”. For “John” all of that would be ridiculous. For Father, alter Christus, saying Mass, it is barely enough.
When you see the deacon and subdeacon in the older form of Holy Mass holding, for example, the edges of the priest’s cope when they are in procession, or when you see them kissing the priest’s hand, or bowing to him, or waiting on him or deferring to him or – what in non-Catholic eyes appears to be something like adoration or emperor worship – you are actually seeing them preparing the priest for his sacrificial slaughter on the altar of Golgotha.
It is the most natural thing in the human experience to treat with loving reverence the sacrifice to be offered to God. The sacrificial lambs were pampered and given the very best care, right up to the moment when the knife sliced their necks.
The Catholic priest is simultaneously the victim offered on the altar. All the older, traditional ceremonies of the Roman Rite underscore this foundational dimension of the Mass. If we don’t see that relationship of priest, altar, and victim in every Holy Mass, then the way Mass has been celebrated has failed. If we don’t look for that relationship, then we are not really Catholic. Mass is Calvary... (continued)
Link:
I am thinking about the infamous red shoes. I am thinking about the
non-wearing of the mozzetta. I am thinking about the growing
juxtaposition in some conversations of simple liturgy versus lofty
liturgy.Some people are saying, “O how wonderful it is to get rid of all the symbols of office and power and be humble like the poor.”
When I first learned to say the older form of the Mass of the Roman Rite, that is to say, when I first learned how to say Mass, because there has never been a single of day of my priesthood when I couldn’t say it, I admit that I was deeply uncomfortable with some of the gestures prescribed by the rubrics. I even resisted them. For example, the kissing of the objects to be given to the priest, and the priest and the kissing of the priest’s hands… that gave me the willies.
I resisted those solita oscula because I had fallen into the trap of thinking that they made me look too important.
The fact is that none of those gestures were about me at all. They are about the priest insofar as he is alter Christus, not insofar as he is “John”. For “John” all of that would be ridiculous. For Father, alter Christus, saying Mass, it is barely enough.
When you see the deacon and subdeacon in the older form of Holy Mass holding, for example, the edges of the priest’s cope when they are in procession, or when you see them kissing the priest’s hand, or bowing to him, or waiting on him or deferring to him or – what in non-Catholic eyes appears to be something like adoration or emperor worship – you are actually seeing them preparing the priest for his sacrificial slaughter on the altar of Golgotha.
It is the most natural thing in the human experience to treat with loving reverence the sacrifice to be offered to God. The sacrificial lambs were pampered and given the very best care, right up to the moment when the knife sliced their necks.
The Catholic priest is simultaneously the victim offered on the altar. All the older, traditional ceremonies of the Roman Rite underscore this foundational dimension of the Mass. If we don’t see that relationship of priest, altar, and victim in every Holy Mass, then the way Mass has been celebrated has failed. If we don’t look for that relationship, then we are not really Catholic. Mass is Calvary... (continued)
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