For the anniversary of the announcement of Summorum Pontificum, we sang the Oremus pro Pontifice.
In this case, the e-mail responses sent to the writer were actually more interesting than the original article!
I hope the Archdiocese will make it clear that normal ecumenical relations among the Christian denominations and the Church are damaged by an event like this, and will remain damaged until there is an apology and a promise to reform. That is because this service is not being held in some neutral civic building, but in the house of a particular Protestant assembly in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, called "The Church of the Covenant". It is not so much a religious service, really, as a demonstration, openly fomenting heresy and rebellion against the Catholic Church; it is an attack on the Church, an open attempt to divide the Church, and thus a breach of normal respect.
In this case the Protestant house of worship has two denominational affiliations: United Church of Christ and Presbyterian Church USA. I think the Archdiocese of Boston should cut off normal ecumenical contacts with those two denominations until they deliver some expression of regret for the offense their member group has so thoughtlessly given.
In the DIOCESE OF NORTHERN INDIANA, Bishop Edward Little and his Roman Catholic counterpart, Bishop John D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend, jointly sponsored an event, titled "An Introduction to the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue." During the evening event, which began with prayer in the church, both bishops underscored the need for closer ties and better understanding of one another's churches. The Anglican presentation focuses on the importance of local clergy and laity beginning to receive and study the work of the 40-year-old Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue and relationship. "It is time to break down the very big theological agreements into stages of reception, so that these agreements can become part of the daily life in the churches. Embittered relations have surely run their course, especially in today's world of ever more intricate networks."
Much as I appreciate Bp. D'Arcy, isn't he wasting his time? It would be more realistic to say that the official Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue has run its course. It produced various common declarations, each of them fruitless.
In contrast, the new and less structured dialogue between conservative Anglicans and the Catholic Church may actually result in some Christians moving into visible unity.
Grant this, O Lord.
]]>In 1976, Doherty received her adopted country's highest honor: she was made a member of the Order of Canada, in recognition of a lifetime of dedication to social justice and to the poor. This year, though, the Order is being debased, as the Governor General has decided to confer it upon a person antithetical to the most fundamental element of justice, the right to life. Namely, it is being conferred upon a notorious illegal abortionist.
This morning representatives of Madonna House made an act of witness: they visited Ottawa and returned Doherty's award citation and medal to the Governor General's office at Rideau Hall.
God bless them: I'm convinced that this is exactly the way Catherine Doherty would have proceeded in the face of such a negation of values.
For the anniversary of the announcement of Summorum Pontificum, we sang the Oremus pro Pontifice.
The singer Laka dances in poses that remind us of the development of man and apes, but according to his lyric, evolution isn't all that important: Man didn't come from the monkeys or out of the sea, he came from love:
The musical style is stadium pop, sort of an homage to Springsteen.
The news that another group of Traditional Catholics have reconciled with the Church!
CWNews.com has the scoop:
TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS RECONCILED WITH HOLY SEERome, Jul. 2 (CWNews.com) - The Transalpine Redemptorists, a small traditionalist community on the island of Orkney, has been reconciled with the Holy See, the Rorate Caeli blog has revealed. Father Michael Mary, the vicar general of the Transalpine Redemptorists, announced on the group's own blog that the community had been informed that the suspension of its priests has been lifed by the Vatican. "All canonical censures have been lifted," he said, and the group has been welcomed into "undisputed communion" with the Holy See. The traditionalist leader said that he had "humbly petitioned" the Vatican for a restoration of communion, in a June 18 meeting with Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the president of the Ecclesia Dei commission. The Vatican replied positively on June 26, he reported. Father Michael Mary expressed his gratitude, and that of the Transalpine Redemptorists, to Pope Benedict XVI, "for issuing, last July, the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum which called us to come into undisputed and peaceful Communion with him."
Oremus!
Let us continue to pray that the SSPX will soon follow.
]]>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.
A fervent Catholic who called her release a "miracle of the Virgin Mary," Betancourt has also been invited to meet Pope Benedict XVI. "It is a meeting that one cannot pass up," she told AFP.]]>
Australians making odd choices for funeral songs]]>5 minutes ago
Hymns are being replaced at funerals in one Australian city by popular rock classics like Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," a cemetery manager said Wednesday.
At Centennial Park, the largest cemetery and crematorium in the southern city of Adelaide, only two hymns still rank among its top 10 most popular funeral songs: "Amazing Grace" and "Abide With Me."
Leading the funeral chart is crooner Frank Sinatra's classic hit "My Way," followed by Louis Armstrong's version of "Wonderful World," a statement said.
The Led Zeppelin and AC/DC rock anthems rank outside the top 10, but have gained ground in recent years as more Australians give up traditional Christian hymns.
"Some of the more unusual songs we hear actually work very well within the service because they represent the person's character," Centennial Park chief executive Bryan Elliott said.
Among other less conventional choices were "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by the Monty Python comedy team, "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," "Hit the Road Jack," "Another One Bites the Dust" and "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."
One of these days I will post the complete story of how she became part of our family. For now, I will say that God listens to all our prayers and grants great graces to His little children. Little Asya is the greatest gift God has given Teresa and me.
]]>RC was kind enough to make the journey from the Great Temperate North to bask in the 100+ degree weather we had that weekend.
Our whole family is overjoyed that Steve has made it to this point in pursuing his vocation. He keeps telling me he is proving that homilies don't have to be long to be boring, but I say he's his own worst critic. His first homily was outstanding.
Please keep Steve and all other seminarians in your prayers!
]]>On June 6, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore wrote a letter to the Superior General of the Legion of Christ, imposing restrictions on the ministry of that religious institute and of the lay institute Regnum Christi within his diocese.
This is an unusual step for any bishop to take, and Abp. O'Brien was characteristically forthright about the reasons that brought him to the decision -- reasons which almost brought him to banning the two organizations outright. He and the pastors of his diocese repeatedly found themselves surprised by the two groups' activities among the faithful of Baltimore and particularly among young people. Pastors, who are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the faithful, do not like such surprises.
In the left-wing NC Reporter, John Allen reported on the event June 12 and interviewed the Archbishop. The reliably orthodox Catholic World News reported on the event on June 11 and cited the Archbishop's letter to the Legion; and then followed up.
The Rome-based press outlet ZENIT, however, which is "promoted by" the Legion, and includes Legion priests among its writers, and is directed by members of Regnum Christi, doesn't appear to have reported on the story at all in its daily news digests.
Now that is the missed opportunity I'm writing about. When a vigorous, orthodox religious community and a vigorous, orthodox lay institute come under the suspicion of a stalwart bishop who holds the primatial see of the United States (in case anyone didn't notice the point), and are placed under restrictions by that same bishop, that's a news event. To say nothing about it in ZENIT's daily news only reinforces the suspicion that the Legion and Regnum have garnered, suspicion which inescapably adheres to ZENIT.
And it's one reason why I am deleting and ignoring the almost daily fundraising e-mails from ZENIT.
Call me Savonarola, but the outdoor blender powered by a two-stroke gasoline engine might be something you don't really need.