Of Hysterics Against The Latin Mass And Horrid Red Hats

Below is last week's episode of the Anchor Team.  Michael and Alyssa Hichborn spent the bulk of the time on the conversion of Shia  LaBeouf and his subsequent interview with Bishop Robert Barron.  It is an hour and twenty minutes long and I myself am in the process of listening to it (in chunks).  Here is the link.  From what others tell me, LaBeouf brings the focus on the Traditional Latin Mass as being a key factor of his conversion.  He learned of it as he was preparing for his role as Padre Pio in a biographical movie of the saint.  Hichborn tells of his impressions of Barron's reaction to LaBeouf's account.

From what Hichborn says, Barron's reaction to the Latin Mass is somewhat similar to what Molly Olmstead wrote in the Slate a few days ago.  Here is her screed.  In addition to being informed of what she says, you'll also have the added benefit of mortification of your sensibilities as you take in both her ignorance and arrogance.  She says the Latin Mass is "controversial", as if that is a bad thing.  The fact is that for centuries, the Catholic Faith has always been "controversial" enough in the eyes of those set in their sins that they have always striven to mock and persecute us.

However, these days the persecution of faithful Catholics is coming from quite a few prelates.  We just saw several questionable bishops receiving their red hats from Francis, one of them being Robert McElroy of San Diego.  I've written a lot on him in the past.  Towards the end of the Lepanto clip, the Hichborns discuss some ominous theories that could well have solid basis.  There's talk of Francis appointing a "papal co-adjutor", owing to his failing health.  Cardinal Cupich, who has his own long litany of insults to the Faith, seems to be a top contender for that role.  Should that happen, there's a decent possibility that McElroy would be moved to Chicago, to further cement that archdiocese's descent into disbelief and debauchery.  In fact, all these appointments place many souls in jeopardy.

As mentioned in my previous post, it is high time that faithful Catholics stood up to the tyrants that are literally in our midst.  Some are already about that important task.  One such effort in the DC area will occur Saturday Sept 17 - a pilgrimage for the restoration of the Latin Mass.  More details can be found here.

Next Saturday, Sept 3, this same group will be conducting a Rosary Rally at 10 am outside the Papal Nunciature.  The address is 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC.

Resisting The Destruction Of The Mass Of The Ages

The trashing of the Traditional Latin Mass, along with those of us who attend that mass, continues unabated.  Listen to this screed uttered by Father Brendan Hoban, who occupies an influential role in the Irish Synod.  In that interview, it's no surprise that he eschews his clerics as he mocks young traditionally-minded priests for wearing their cassocks.  He "despairs of these young priests".

We will have to resist the de facto tyranny.  There are places where the Traditional Latin Mass is still offered.  You will have to locate them and decide on a course of action.  Perhaps you'll even have to have underground Masses if the local prelates are particularly draconian.

As lay people, we don't have much voice - but we do have some.  We can speak to them the language of money - or the cessation of money, to be more precise.  A couple who are in the Diocese of Arlington penned an open letter to Bishop Burbidge and the Remnant newspaper published it.  I link to it here and urge you all to advise your prelates that your money donations may well cease.  

I realize that one of the Six Precepts of the Church is to "support the work of the church".  In past times, we have always assumed that this precept was fulfilled by regular contributions to our parishes and diocese.  But that precept doesn't stipulate that.  In fact, by no stretch of the imagination can the suppression of the Mass of the Ages be construed as "the work of the church".   Rather, support those priests who do offer the Traditional Latin Mass.  If you can't find any, there is always a pro-life pregnancy center or some worthwhile charity that actually helps marginalized peoples, like a food bank.  

Like Mr. and Mrs. DeSimone, we must be up front to our prelates, stand up to them - not anonymously - and advise them that if they don't honor Quo Primum then they will receive not one red cent from you.

Rembert Weakland - God Have Mercy On His Soul

Today we received news that Archbishop Rembert Weakland, former prelate of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, died early this morning.  The legacy he left is one of damage to the Faith and damage to many victims of sexual abuse.  In fact, not only did he cover up for abuse perpetrated by other priests, but he himself was guilty of vile homosexual crimes.

For all the damage that he wreaked upon the church, it appears that he did not suffer any consequence that is commensurate with his crimes on this side of the grave.  But now he is on the other side and he had to face Our Lord. 

It is the same Lord that each and every one of us will face sooner or later.  We all will be called to account for what we did and didn't do.  Some of us will be called to greater account than others, owing not only to greater responsibility but also greater gifts.  The fullness of Holy Orders is one such gift that comes with great accountability.

Let us pray that God have mercy on his soul.  Let us pray that in his final moments, that Weakland came to final repentance.  Let us also take lessons from this and be mindful of the states of our own souls at all times.

A Sober Look At The Rosary Weapon Screed

Fellow faithful Catholics, we've had our grins and chuckles since that article appeared in the Atlantic, but I think it's time to understand what's going on here.  In reality, this portends future dangers if we don't take this, and larger problems, seriously.

It seems that every time some tyrannical regime tries to ascend in power, they decide to target a demographic group to act as scapegoat.  The scapegoat group is often a minority group within the locality in which it finds itself.  The tyrants use the scapegoats as a rallying target at which most, if not all, the other groupings can unleash their mob-like hatred.  Of course the tyrants are mistakenly perceived to be champions, having duped the populace at large to target the scapegoats.

We saw this play out in the French Revolution, as bloodthirsty mobs lopped off the heads of their hated aristocrats and yes, Catholic clergy and religious.  Just a scant 85 years ago, Adolf Hitler riled the Nazis against Jews, eliminating 6 million of them (along with other "non-Aryans") before the end of World War II.

Would-be tyrants of our current times are now drawing bulls-eyes on the backs of their chosen targets - Catholics who are faithful to the traditions of the teachings of Jesus Christ that have been taught for centuries.  I think we saw that play out quite a bit after the Dobbs ruling was leaked, with the vandalism and even destruction of churches and pro-life pregnancy centers.  Some of those were operated by protestant, but by and large, it was Catholic institutions that were targeted.  They still are being targeted.

Now we see the bigotry being played out in once-reputable publications.  Yesterday the Atlantic magazine published an anti-Catholic screed entitled "How Extremist Gun Culture Is Trying To Co-Opt The Rosary".   The author, Daniel Panneton, is a Canadian who rails against "homophobia", "masculinist anxieties", "the hostility towards liberalism and secularism inherent in traditional Catholicism" and "far right fantasizing about killing activists".  Meanwhile, I detected nary a peep about all the destruction and vandalism against Catholic institutions of late, let alone the threats uttered by "Jane's Revenge".  Certainly he said nothing about the attempt on Justice Kavanaugh's life.

Frankly, I'd expect something like this coming from academia in Canada.  What concerns me is why Atlantic would choose to publish this.  Bear in mind that Nazi hatred against Jews began rather innocuously, with the publication of propaganda such as Panneton's article.  What the Nazis, and now Panneton, used was one of Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals", the 13th rule to be precise.  I quote: "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)"

Panneton's article isn't just an isolated screed by one lone nutcase.  Look at it in historical context, even if that history is just in the last month.  I am somewhat dismayed by the cavalier and jocular attitudes that I am seeing among faithful Catholics.  Yes, the Rosary is powerful against evil, but we must not take pleasure in the attempts to demonize us.  If we as Americans fail to use our rights to insist that we not be the targets of religious bigotry, then we will see ourselves and our children consigned to social and even literal ghettos as it becomes increasingly dangerous to live our Faith and bring others to it.  Yes, I know that Christians in the very nascent Church did that, but they had no choice.  We do.  Will we fritter that away while we shoot off silly memes that actually affirm Panneton's statements?

What I suggested on Facebook is that we go to Atlantic's page and report the article as hate speech, for that is what it is.  Write a "letter to the editor" at theatlantic.com.  Fellow Catholics, please don't just engage in guffaws and bravado amongst yourselves.  Below is my letter to the Atlantic.

I am saddened that in this day and age a publication of your caliber would stoop to publishing such slanderous screed.  To portray Catholics faithful to their centuries-old traditions as "violent", "racist" and "paving the way for terrorist attacks" is nothing short of religious bigotry.  Indeed, it smacks of the propaganda that Nazis published against Jews as they were ramping up their attempts to marginalize and ultimately imprison and execute millions of them.  It wasn't long after those publications that the infamous Krystalnacht happened.  Now Catholics too are seeing their churches and buildings burnt and vandalized, with great escalation after the Dobbs ruling was leaked.

Would you publish any other such diatribe against Muslims?  Jews?  Hindus or other faiths?  Somehow I think not.  Why then would you publish such trash against Catholics?  Decent people demand an answer, and a repudiation of that article in your next issue.  Thank you for your time.

Please act now and be praying those Rosaries.

Attack The Traditional Latin Mass, Attack Life And Civilization Itself

"I believe that were it not for Holy Mass, at this moment the world would be in the abyss, unable to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities."  St Leonard of Port Maurice

"It is easier for the world to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." St Padre Pio

Frankly, I'm not at all certain that many Mass-going Catholics appreciate the truths voiced by these two saints (and probably other saints as well).  Otherwise, I really don't see how they could be so blasé regarding the attacks on the Traditional Latin Mass.  If they appreciated the importance of the rituals, genuflections, use of the sacred language of Latin, etc, they wouldn't be so careless and sloppy regarding the Novus Ordo Mass, let alone the Traditional Latin Mass.

One class of people do understand the importance of the Mass as laid out by Pope St. Pius V in Quo Primum.  That is, those who are working tirelessly to dismantle the Sacraments, Doctrines and other aspects of the Church's patrimony.  It is the progressive clerics (and/or their puppet-string pullers) as they seek to bring about this "great reset" and the resulting "new world order".

I believe that Desiderio Desideravi was released to stymie the graces flowing from the Traditional Latin Mass.  There can be no other reason for the vindictiveness that lies in every word in that document.  Even the Washington Post, no bastion of tradition and conservatism, was taken aback by the harshness in which Cardinal Gregory is implementing this deadly directive.

One Peter Five published a series of articles by Jose Ureta, who analyzed DD.  He noted that it was a step in the same direction initiated in Vatican II, where there was less focus on the Passion and Death of Our Lord in favor of the Resurrection.  It doesn't take much of a theology degree to understand how that minimalizes the harm done by sin.  One obvious consequence is the mindset that sin is seen as something that need not be avoided - a complete departure from past - and correct - understandings of sin.  It also reduces the importance of the priest as "alter Christus" and overly exalts the role of the laity.

Recall the principle "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi".  Recall also that the Mass is the most sublime worship we offer God, and that the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith.  The anti-God forces know what they are doing when they attack the Mass of the Ages.  It's high time faithful Catholics woke up and faced the truth so they can act accordingly.

The Anchor Team Addresses McElroy, The Raid On Trump's Home And Other Matters

Tonight Michael and Alyssa Hichborn pondered the significance of naming Bishop McElroy a cardinal and how that plays into what appears to be Francis' larger schemes for fostering the great reset.  As you listen to this, you will get the sense that we are at a fork in the road, the two directions being vastly different.  The situation for western civilization looks grim, but not completely hopeless.  The progressives wouldn't be thrashing about as they currently are, were they really smug about an inevitable victory.  This is a clarion call to continue your Rosaries and other prayers.

Unpacking The US Bishops' Love Affair With The Minimum Wage

Thanks to Canon 212, I came across this very informative article regarding the history of the minimum wage, particularly as it pertains to the US Catholic bishops.  It's worth a read.  I wrote a post five years ago regarding, among other things, the bishops' fascination with distributive justice.  This is just one of many ways they have become shills, and even partners, of the left.

Is The Church's Teachings On Contraception In Francis' Cross-Hairs?

While returning to Rome after his recent trip to Canada (a disaster in and of itself), Francis gave yet another lackluster plane interview.  The official transcript is on the Vatican website.   The question of concern is towards the bottom.  Even more concerning than the question is the answer.

In actuality, the question was one that would have been answered with a simple "yes" or "no", with "no" being the correct answer.  Francis never answered the question.  Rather, he segued into an overly wordy session of verbal diarrhea.  Read it for yourselves, as he blathers about "development of doctrine".  Somehow he manages to badmouth faithful Catholics who hold to the Church's timeless traditions.

Francis incorrectly invoked Saint Vincent of Lerins as the latter spoke of doctrine.  Catholic Answers has an excellent article that unpacks Francis' misquote of St. Vincent.  Please read it.  I need not rehash it here except to emphasize that doctrine, as it develops correctly, will always clarify truth.  Never will authentic development of Church doctrine lead to its contradiction.  Please recall that is what Francis did when he attempted to change Church teaching regarding the death penalty.  The Church had always recognized the death penalty to be a legitimate option to be used by civil governments in the restoration of justice.  Francis falsely stated that the death penalty is "intrinsically evil".  Not only is that false, it is rank heresy.

As I said in earlier posts, I think Francis used the death penalty matter as a trial balloon to see how much heresy the faithful were willing to swallow before coming to see that Francis might be an anti-pope.  At first glance, it appears that his gambit worked.  Now with him potentially rattling his saber against several papal documents condemning contraception, it appears that more are willing to consider the sad possibility that an anti-pope rules the Vatican.  How much more before faithful Catholics wake up?

How Many Perverts Does Catholic Relief Services Employ Anyway?

That question came to mind when I saw this post from  Religion Clause.  Here is the court decision to which they refer.  When I first saw this, I thought that "John Doe" was probably Rick Estridge.  Several of us bloggers wrote on this when we learned that this "same-sex-married" guy was employed by CRS as a Vice President.  But that was back in 2015.  Estridge resigned from CRS after he was exposed and has since taken employment elsewhere.

Therefore I think it most probable that "John Doe" is yet another gay who was obviously known as such by CRS leadership and directors from the first day of his employment.  These individuals are thumbing their noses at Church teachings regarding marriage, sexuality and homosexual conduct.  Yet they get hired by CRS.  Just how many are there?

More to the point, why does CRS continue to exist?  Why do our parishes still hold in-pew collections, as though we should support those living in mortal sin?

Of Pachamamas And Western Grannys

Taylor Marshall asked some questions about Francis (I don't know if I can call him pope any longer) and his obvious sin against the First Commandment.  First he asked if Francis can be called "Vicar of Christ" after this stunt, for in participating in pagan rites, he and the cardinals in attendance most likely excommunicated themselves.  Second, he asks how he could ban the Traditional Latin Mass yet still allow pachamama and western-granny idolatries to abound.  I don't think they are contradictory at all.  Everything he's done has as an objective the deconstruction of the One True Faith.  In actuality, that can never happen simply because God Himself cannot be moved aside.

Don't mess with this
western Granny!

Afterwards, Francis headed back to Rome on a plane and gave another interview.  Yep!  Here we go again - another episode of high-altitude-induced verbal diahrea!  Apparently we who hold to Tradition have "dead faith".  If by that he means that we don't believe in these pachamamas, western grandmothers, four directions, climate change and the such, I'll wear that badge with honor.  This is the same interview where he attempted verbal tap-dances in response to a question about contraception.  I touched on this Wednesday.  In that example of the death penalty, he called evil what the church has always held to be a good.  Now with contraception, it appears that he is preparing to call an intrinsic evil a good.  All this is heresy.  God's teachings cannot change for God Himself is immutable. 

Perhaps that is why he dislikes Latin.  Latin is a dead language.  The meanings of its vocabulary cannot change.  Thus prayers offered in Latin mean exactly the same as they meant centuries ago.  Here is an excellent article on the subject.

We must not only pray, but resist.  Attend the Latin Mass.  Withhold donations where the Latin Mass is restricted.

The Traditional Latin Mass, And All The Church's Patrimony, Threaten The Pope And His Progressive Agendas

Let's recap events of the past few weeks - events that involved the attempts to quash the Mass of the Ages.  Cardinal Cupich effectively suppressed the Institute of Christ the King, evicting them from their Chicago church for which their congregation raised  $4 million  after a 2015 fire damaged it.  Meanwhile in Inverness IL, at Holy Family Catholic Community (site of the guitar blessing) a lay person gave the homily at Pentecost Mass and soon afterwards, the whole place erupted in dance music and blowing bubbles.  To date I have heard nothing of Cardinal Cupich bringing this bunch to heel.

He has no words of admonishment for Father Pfleger either, after this latest debacle of a mass.

A similar injustice happened in Benedict, MD after Cardinal Gregory's tyrannical edict;   Those attending the Traditional Latin Mass there raised $250k for renovations and decorations.  Now they will have to go elsewhere to attend the Latin Mass.

Any honest person can only surmise that those trying to suppress the Latin Mass are simply full of spite.  Yes, that includes the pope.  Read this and this to see how some faithful Catholics are calling out this obvious pettiness and hatred.  There is quite a succinct comment on social media regarding the fanaticism with which the pope is grinding his axe against the Traditional Latin Mass.  It reads:

Have you noticed how often, in the last 18 months, the pope’s off-the-cuff comments have focused on traditionalists? There are 50 grave problems in the Church that need major papal attention, and THIS is what smolders on his mind constantly? PF's priorities are clear in this: to heck with all those other problems. It’s the 1% traddies who need to be 'dealt with', not the 99% of dreadful masses, the 99% of heretical 'catholic' colleges, the 99% of degenerate bishops, etc. Even if traddies were wrong in loving Tradition, his inattention to the vastly larger problems is mind-boggling."

This obsessive and seemingly disproportionate campaign against the traditionalists is in fact perfectly logical. Pope Francis realizes that the only effective resistance to the modernist remake of Catholic doctrine, morals, and liturgy is coming from this zealous minority, who have shown every sign of growing numbers and influence. Remember, it is creative minorities who change the course of history, not the majority who float along with the spirit of the age.

What is at stake is not merely "liturgical preference" but the dogmatic structure of Catholicism, the historical-theological continuity of the Church, and the soundness of Christian morality. His tactical hits in all of these areas show that the ultimate aim is the transformation of the Catholic Faith into something quite, quite other than it has been.

That is why our opposition to his entire agenda, which has TC as its poster-child, must be inflexible, determined, and indefatigable, and why "obedience" must be tendered only to what is true and good, not to what is false and wicked.

Actually only the first paragraph is the viral comment.  The other paragraphs are the thoughts of Peter Kwasniewski.  So there is a broad attempt to tear down all Catholic worship and teaching - including morals.  Eric Sammons echoed similar theories.  The interview to which Sammons alluded can be found here.  By the way - notice what he said about "true doctrine progressing".  Now remember how the pope erroneously, and probably sinfully, condemned the death penalty as intrinsically evil?  I opined then that he was floating a trial balloon with that, to see how Catholics would react, given that many of them are themselves confused about the death penalty.  Apparently he was pleased enough with the results of that experiment to start broaching contraception.  If he does, by some Jesuitical verbal trickery, manage to hoodwink the faithful into thinking that contraception might be acceptable in some circumstances, we'll have deadly history repeating itself.  We'll be having the 1930 Lambeth Conference all over again and that could actually lead to the horrors of baby-slaughter being condoned by Church hierarchy. 

One would hope that would be enough for some timid souls in the hierarchy to declare Francis an imposter to the papacy.  Note that I am not a sedevacantist for I do not believe Benedict's "resignation" to have been properly performed.  My blogging colleague at Les Femmes posted on the situation in her home diocese of Arlington, site of one of the recent draconian attacks on the Faith.  She challenges her priests, as I do the priests in my own Archdiocese of Washington, where Cardinal Gregory has been chomping at the bit for his turn to beat down faithful Catholics.   

We laity have a responsibility to positively resist, too.  Prayer and fasting are necessary, but by no means sufficient.  Ora et labora.  I post below a note from another Arlington Catholic to the chancery.

One language the corrupt bishops understand and heed is money.  We must use ours to good advantage, and sometimes one must starve the beasts.  Not one more red cent to these wolves in shepherd's clothing.  It's high time we stop kissing the hands that slap us and rob our children of their patrimony.