Recently in Ministry Category

June 29:
The last Masses were offered Sunday morning at Holy Trinity Church, and the administrator read the decree from Cdl. O'Malley ordering the suppression of the parish at noon on June 30.

The decree includes provisions that the nearby Cathedral parish receive the goods and obligations of Holy Trinity, and assume responsibility for the special liturgies and music ministry Holy Trinity provided.

That last part is probably intended to refer to the traditional Latin Mass, to observances of German-American heritage in the parish, and to the parish's sacred music concert series.

Accordingly, the incoming Cathedral rector "with the encouragement of Cardinal Sean" is starting a Gregorian-rite Mass next Sunday at 11 AM. The outgoing Cathedral rector also invited the congregation of the ordinary-form Mass to join the Cathedral's principal English Mass at 11:30 AM. The overlapping times will let the two congregations meet together after Mass.

The 11 AM EF Mass will use the lower church. In my opinion this is OK, as the lower church, while not perfect, is more attractive and traditional in appearance than the upper church, whose sanctuary is badly in need of a restoration.

Update: I was wrong. On visiting the cathedral today (Saturday, July 5), I found that the upper church, while not ideal, is looking better than I remembered it; the main altar is not obstructed by the bishop's chair, and is attractively maintained.

The lower church, on the other hand, is looking worse. There is even some construction disarray: Some of the back pews were removed from the lower church in some maintenance or refurb effort, but it was aborted when asbestos was found in the flooring under them; the budget for the project wasn't enough to cover the expense of removing that.

But there are ample pews, and the altar is accessible with one step up - a plus for priests with knee troubles, such as Fr. Shea, the celebrant this Sunday.

Congratulations to Fr. Dismas Sayre, O.P., and his confreres who were ordained Saturday (photos) by Oakland's Bishop Allen Vigueron at a beautiful church in San Francisco. Ad multos annos!

HT: Thanks to Eleen Kamas and family for the photos!

In Poland, "fashion show" of religious habits promotes vowed life

If I remember right, the Rev. William Lowe has long been friendly with Catholic thought and as rector of an Episcopalian parish, welcomed Catholic speakers there (e.g., Peter Kreeft). Now he has entered into full communion with the Church and has been ordained by Cdl. Mahony for service in the Los Angeles archdiocese. God grant him many happy years!

It must be tough to survive in the religious marketplace out there, competing with other progressive chapels for the gay Catholic demographic; and especially so when you don't have any other clientele. The Jesuits in Boston have announced the planned closure of their city church in the South End neighborhood, the Jesuit Urban Center.

Besides a general decline in the gay-Catholic market segment, credit for the Jesuits' downtown defeat probably has to go to the Franciscans of Holy Name Province. St. Anthony Shrine moved into the gay-friendly market a few years ago, making for a three-way competition against the Jesuits and the Paulists who have catered to dissenting Catholics downtown for over 30 years. The Shrine's broad-based weekday Mass attendance, heavily trafficked location, and extensive service hours probably give it a stronger position than either of its two competitors, so St. Anthony's is probably best situated to endure for years to come. In contrast, the JUC had only one Mass per week, with a congregation of 150-200 confused souls.

From the Pope's homily at the Chrism Mass:

Dear brothers and sisters,

the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy tells in a little story about a severe ruler who asked his priests and wise men to show God to him, so that he could see him. The wise men could not satisfy this desire at all. Then a shepherd, who had just come from the fields, offered to take on the task of the priests and sages. He told the king that his eyes were unable to see God. But then, the king wanted to know at least what things God does. "In order to answer your question," said the shepherd to the sovereign, "we will have to exchange clothes." With hesitation, but intrigued with curiosity, the sovereign agreed; he turned over his regal vestments to the shepherd and dressed himself in the simple clothing of a poor man. And then came the answer: "This is what God does." In fact, the Son of God - very God of very God - left behind his divine splendor: "...he emptied himself, taking on the condition of a slave; being born in the likeness of man, he humbled himself... even to death on a cross." (cf. Phil 2:6ff). God has -- as the Fathers say -- completed the sacrum commercium, the holy exchange: he has taken on that which was ours, in order that we may receive what was his, to become similar to God.

Bravo to Fr. David Barnes of Star of the Sea Church in Beverly, MA: he's inspired a general recovery in a once-struggling parish. With a praiseworthy sense of liturgical dignity, he graciously invites us chanteurs to sing in his church once a month, which we are only too happy to do. It's especially gratifying to see students from the nearby Evangelical college attending Mass there.

A look at Boston's Tridentine Mass community, likely to be moved to Newton soon, and at the Korean Catholic community, also likely to be relocated from its church.

What on earth is going on with the new administrator of Holy Trinity Parish in Boston?

Twice in a month, he's replaced the Tridentine Mass Sunday at noon -- the only such Mass in the Boston archdiocese -- with an English Mass in the new rite, due to "scheduling errors".

In the first case, the priest scheduled to celebrate the Sunday Mass did not arrive at the church at the appointed time, and a call to his rectory brought back the report that he was out of town. The administrator apologized and had a substitute offer Mass according to the new rite. But he (lacking any understanding of traditionalist issues) did so entirely in English, using the free-standing altar, facing versus populum, not using the Roman Canon. What a missed opportunity.

This past Sunday, the administrator knew a day in advance that he had a scheduling problem. Word reached parishioners, and half the congregation went to Mass elsewhere: that is, those who went at all.

If people have a choice between driving an hour for a reliable old-rite Mass in the next diocese and driving an hour for an unreliable one, they will choose the reliable one.

For over fifteen years, Holy Trinity parish has fulfilled its role of bringing about the reconciliation of disaffected traditionalist Catholics. Provoking the faithful of that parish to mistrust their pastor and - dare I say - their bishop gravely harms that mission.

Furthermore, there are now even more illicit Latin Mass groups operating in the city of Boston than there were fifteen years ago -- some of them openly sedevacantist schismatics. This is not a time to fall down on the Archdiocese's commitments to the Latin Mass community in Boston.

When hostile parishioners drive out their pastor, what's a bishop to do?

9 Then he proceeded to tell the people this parable. "(A) man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and then went on a journey for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenant farmers to receive some of the produce of the vineyard. But they beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. 11 So he proceeded to send another servant, but him also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. 12 Then he proceeded to send a third, but this one too they wounded and threw out. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I shall send my beloved son; maybe they will respect him.' 14 But when the tenant farmers saw him they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him that the inheritance may become ours.'

When the Son comes, will they respect Him?