Feast Of All Saints And The State Of Holy Mother Church

Today, Saturday, is the Feast of All Saints  I just attended a Traditional Latin Mass in its commemoration.  I consider it a blessing to do so.  Usually, this Feast is on a weekday, and I can never get to a Traditional Latin Mass from my office in time.  Thus I will attend at my Novus Ordo parish because that feast is a Holy Day of Obligation.

I was saddened to see an email a few days ago from that parish.  The pastor stated the Mass times for today, and encouraged people to attend even though this year, the feast day was NOT a Holy Day of Obligation.  Why isn't it so?  Because the feast day happened on a Saturday or Monday.  Heaven forbid that Catholics should be so inconvenienced as to attend Mass two days in a row!  The horror!

No one with two brain synapses firing in synchopation can't help but notice how faith and piety have degraded since the "spirit of Vatican II" was thrust upon the Catholics in the pew.   We see carelessness and sloppiness in the congregation during Mass, both in dress and demeanor.   We often see the same in the sanctuary and the altar.  The various fasts and disciplines of Lent have become, to coin a phrase, wimpified.  Holy Days of Obligation have become Holy Days of Option (as has happened today).  If ever a change is announced, it's always to lower the bar regarding the disciplines of prayer, penance, and piety.  Never is it raised.  The effect has been to corrode the faith and morals of the Catholics.  That is by design, and it is succeeding.

That degradation is being thwarted at the Traditional Latin Mass.  That is why the progressives in the Church, from Leo on down, are doing their damndest to combat and kill the Traditional Latin Mass, in blatant disobedience to Quo Primum by Pope St. Piux V.

Today is also First Saturday.  In obedience to Our Lady of Fatima, please be praying your Rosaries is reparation for sins of indifference.  Ask the Saints, too, for their intercession.

Update On The Charlotte Situation

Today I saw this announcement on Facebook

In a word, cockroaches hate the light.  Anyone who tells you to be quiet about these matters and "just pray" is most likely being a mouthpiece of the devil, even if unwittingly.

We will keep on shining the light on them and exposing them.  Of course we must always be praying for our Church, particularly by being faithful to the Sacraments and the daily Rosary.

Resume

God Bless Cardinal Muller And God Have Mercy On Cardinal Gregory

Cardinal Muller tells bishops to resist the destruction of the Latin Mass.  God bless this man for speaking out.  I regret, though, that some of the bishops are not so much timorous before Francis.  They are in full agreement and in league with Francis' obvious animosity towards the authentic teachings and traditions of the Church.  Many of these bishops implemented Traditionis Custodes with the utmost glee and alacrity.  I live in one such diocese - the Archdiocese of Washington, namely.  It is shepherded - until tomorrow - by Wilton Cardinal Gregory. Unless I am gravely mistaken, Robert Cardinal McElroy is cut from the same cloth as is Gregory.

Cardinal Gregory seems to have no problem with the codswallop featured below.

Granted, this wasn't an actual Mass.  However, before this "hip hop mess mass" premiered, Cardinal Gregory said Mass at an induction ceremony that honored the late Eunice and Sargent Shriver.  Guess what music was featured at that Mass?  Yep!  Hip-hop crap!  This article is unclear about whether or not any of this cast was performing the music.  I suppose we should be grateful that there was no break-dancing or moon-walking during the Mass.

So the reverence and dignity of the Traditional Latin Mass has to go, but this hip-hop drip-drop is just okee-dokee?

Differences Between Traditional Latin Mass And Novus Ordo

Some food for thought.

Cdl Gregory: "Tradition Dies A Slow Death, Sometimes A Bloody Death"

Yes, he actually said that during a question-and-answer session in which he participated at Catholic University of America yesterday.  The meeting was called "Celebrating Diversity".  You will probably see the irony of that in a few minutes.   It's a long meeting, but the area of our focus starts at the 1:05:00 mark, when he responds to a student's question.  I'll post the video now, with some more commentary to follow.

Watch his expressions how he talks.  At the 1:12:25, when he mentions how he saw the Tridentine Mass grow in the Washington archdiocese, his face gives the impression that he thinks the TLM is some plague or pestilence.

The exchange on that question was about to end, but at the 1:13:25 mark, he says "I want to add something", then plops a blooper.  He said that, "in many of the places where it grew, the Tridentine rite, it grew because priests promoted it."  That is flat out incorrect.  The laity are the ones who clamored for it.  Granted, there were no "listening sessions" at that time, but it was largely a lay effort.  Even if priests promoted it, I for one fail to see the problem with that.  Anyway, he almost accuses priests of "creating the need".  No, Your Eminence!  Priests do not "create needs".  They may recognize needs, but they don't create them.  Now the priest might present the Tridentine Mass and then the people understand just what they've been missing for so many years, and they want it.  We see that sort of realization happening in John 2:10, when Jesus turned water into wine.  That newly transformed wine was far superior to the one that ran out.

Immediately afterwards, we see the reason for his canard when he revealed, "I think the Holy Father is right to say 'deal with the priests'."   And that was the end of that screed.  Well, we see how good and holy priests are being dealt with, and some prelates too.  The names Strickland, Burke, Muller, Vigano and others come immediately to mind.

Now regarding that quip that is the title of this post, Nick Donnelly has a great observation on how real bishops should regard tradition, particularly sacred Tradition.  

Traditional Versus Novus Ordo - A Step By Step Comparison

This video does an excellent job at comparing the Novus Ordo Mass with the Mass of the Ages.  It is quite eye-opening to see how much of our Faith was stripped from the Novus Ordo, leaving us with a shell of a Mass.  I take issue with their statement at the end where they say it would be better not to attend Mass if all that was available was the Novus Ordo.  Otherwise I think it would be well worth your time to watch this in its entirety.  Also, here is a High Latin Mass, for Easter Sunday, that occurred in 1940.

The Superiority Of The Traditional Latin Mass

There are two videos.  In the first, Taylor Marshall elaborates on what he believes are ten major differences between the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo Mass.  Having experienced both, I can say that I agree with many of his points.  One point I would add is that the Traditional Latin Mass is conducive to more reverent behavior on the part of the congregation than does the Novus Ordo.  I could chalk that up to poor catechesis on the part of Novus Ordo attendees, but at the Novus Mass, I have seen grown adults chewing gum throughout the Mass.  I believe they did remove the gum to go to Communion.  By chewing the gum, however, they did break the Eucharistic fast, but that's a whole other discussion.

I wonder if Mother Miriam, in the second video, was alluding to a similar incident when she answered a caller to ensure them that it's understandable to be disgusted at a Novus Ordo Mass.  To illustrate Mother's point further, GloriaTV has video of what passed for Holy Thursday Mass at St Sabina's in Chicago, headed by the none-too-impressive Fr Pfleger.  It's a pity that the video didn't exist before last week for watching that gaudy mess, for that would have added much to Lenten mortification.

Now will Father Pfleger be rebuked for that mockery of a Mass?  Well, with Cardinal Cupich for a bishop, I highly doubt it.  In order for Cupich to get his undies bunched over a Mass, it would have had to be a Traditional Latin Mass, such as what used to be offered at St. John Cantius.  

If you can, ladies and gentlemen, get yourselves to a Traditional Latin Mass.  So what, if you have to drive a longer distance than you normally would?  It's more than worth it.

Cardinal Roche - Turning God's Teaching Into Silly Putty

Several years ago, when Francis erroneously stated that the death penalty is inadmissible, I voiced my suspicion that he was using the topic of the death penalty as a "trial balloon", as it were, to see how far he could push Catholics into believing that Church teaching could be mutated into something foreign to centuries of Tradition.  See here and here (particularly the second paragraph).  Sadly I am proven correct.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, leader of the Vatican's Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, justifies the animus against the Traditional Latin Mass by erroneously claiming that "the theology of the Church has changed."  

That statement itself is blatant heresy.  It is impossible for theology to change simply because God and His Word cannot change.  God is eternal and immutable.  One wonders if he flunked basic philosophy in his seminary days (along with quite a few other classes).  One also wonders if the "theology has changed", who did the "changing"?

Roche went on to claim, "it is not only the priest who celebrates the liturgy but also those who are baptized with him, and that is an enormous statement to make."  Now where have we seen that kind of thinking just recently?  Oh, yes!  It's in that 31-page tome that sets forth the case for the idolatrous Mayan "mass" of which I wrote two days ago.  This is all a coordinated attack on the Tradition and Sacraments given to us by Our Lord, with a lot of ground work being laid when the liceity of the death penalty being called into question. 

Below is tonight's episode of the Anchor Team.  Listen to the Hichborns unpack Roche and the Mayan Mess (spelling deliberate).  Below that is a song written by a lady from the Arlington Mass Society.  The lyrics are particularly relevant to Roche and anyone else who dares tinker with the Mass of the Ages.  Let them take warning.

Find a Traditional Latin Mass and attend it.  At least give it a try.

When A Pope Orders A Departure From Sacred Tradition, We Can And Must Refuse To Comply

A few days ago, we saw on LifeSite News that the Mexican Bishops' Conference, with the support of Bishop Aurelio Garcia Macias, Undersecretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, approved an indigenous rite of Mass that would incorporate idolatrous elements of Mayan worship.  These elements include women acting as de facto deacons and polytheism (nature worship).  I would suggest reading the linked LifeSite News article carefully, as it gives a rather detailed treatment of the pagan elements that contaminate this so-called Mass.  Frankly, I would have to suspect that the idolatry might well render the Mass invalid, as matter, form and intent are compromised if not eliminated.  This is being done with the permission of Francis, if not by his order.

So we see the Traditional Latin Mass being despised by too many prelates, again at Francis' order, and this Mexican Pachamama "Mass" being prepared for usage.  How many of these "indigenous" pagan rituals will be insinuated in Catholic Churches throughout the world?  To all those who yapped and yammered that the Latin Mass was "causing disunity", what do you think of this (and future) idolatries?  Might they cause a little "disunity"?  Will you try to cajole us into sinning against the First Commandment, all in the name of a vacuous facade of "unity"?

Here's another related stunt that Francis recently pulled.  He is claiming that hell is not an actual place but some sort of "posture towards life", whatever that means.  It almost sounds like he's lost all sense of the afterlife.  Given what he's attempting to do to the Mass as outlined above, what he says is probably his fervent hope.  Of course that is not real hope at all, but a dangerous presumption and error.  Hell does indeed exist, as taught plainly by Our Lord. 

So what are we to do, if any of this slop appears in the sanctuary of our Churches?  Do we just sit there and wring our hands?  No, for any such passivity would be its own sin.  A fairly comprehensive treatment of such scenarios appears in this piece from One Peter Five entitled "Can A Catholic Ever Disobey A Pope?"  The author details how, through the centuries starting with the Apostle Paul himself, theologians, bishops, and Doctors of the Church grappled with this question - some through their own experiences.  We see that if and when Francis gives orders that are deleterious to the Faith - such as the marginalization of the Latin Mass - we cannot dignify that by our compliance.  Didn't we go through something quite similar just two years ago, when feckless bishops were ordering Churches to be closed and the bestowal of the Sacraments to be halted?  How many poor souls are in hell because they were denied the opportunity to make one last Confession?  The priests and bishops responsible will answer for those souls (unless they repent and confess those sins).

If we see pachamamas or other idolatrous objects in our church sanctuaries, we will have to not only protest, but to remove the filth ourselves.  We would recognize that placement of the idolatrous objects in the sanctuary is inherently sinful and we cannot be silent nor passive in that light.  Obedience to God and to the true teaching of the Church would demand action on the part of the laity.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider addresses these matters in the video below.  He states quite plainly the truth that the pope does not have the power nor the authority to abolish the Traditional Latin Mass.  The order of Mass is part of Sacred Tradition.  No pope can change that, just as he could not change the Sacred Scriptures.  A priest ordered to cease offering the Latin Mass could, in all good conscience, offer it in an underground fashion and we could - should attend.  Right now these questions are hypothetical, but could soon become quite relevant.  We must be prepared.

Rush To Judgment Regarding Pope Benedict XVI

No, I'm not talking of those who might be bad-mouthing the late pontiff.  Far from it.  I am quite baffled about those who have already declared him not only a saint but a Doctor of the Church.  Utilizing the canard of "not speaking ill of the dead", they poo-poo legitimate objections to their haste for the bestowal of these honors and in fact cast aspersions on those of us who do raise cautionary voices.

Let's face some unpleasant facts now, shall we?  When Benedict ascended to the papal throne in 2005, he asked people to "pray for me that I may not flee for fear of the wolves."  He had some knowledge of what progressive elements in the Vatican could do.  Yet he took the papal oath anyway.  Included in that oath is the promise to "keep without sacrifice to itself the discipline and the rite of the Church.  I will put outside the Church anyone who dares to go against this oath.."  He did do that, most notably with his July 2007 Summorum Pontificum that took the Tridentine Mass out of the evil clutches of progressive bishops.

However, less than eight years later, that changed.  He announced his rather odd and frankly, canonically irregular (if not impossible) resignation from the papacy.  Looking back, I think we can all see the evil hand of the Sankt Gallen mafia driving that whole thing.  Maybe we couldn't see it at the time, but no doubt Benedict did.  How could have not have known what was to follow after he left Peter's chair?  Perhaps he wasn't privy to all the details of their plans, but he must have known that they had their long knives out for Holy Mother Church.  He did not remain at his post to guard the Deposit of Faith.  Some argue that we don't know Benedict's real motives for so doing.  Be that as it may, could any well-intentioned motive have even mattered?

Some are now saying that because the papacy is now "no longer bifurcated" that Francis is now pope without a doubt.  Hold up a minute.  There remains the matter of compromised elections, that would render a papal election to be invalid.  I touched upon that in a post from seven years ago.  One correction to that post; whereas I assumed Francis' election was valid, I no longer hold that assumption.  I simply don't know.

The late pope will be buried later this week.  We must pray for his soul and for Holy Mother Church.  Here is a take on the matter from Michael Matt.

Refuting Attempts To Discredit The Mass Of The Ages

Over a month ago, three theologians, Drs. Mary Healy and John Cavadini, with Father Thomas Weinandy, wrote a series of articles that appeared in Church Life Journal.  I haven't read all the articles, but what I read seems to be an attempt at justifying the heavy-handedness of Francis' Traditionis Custodes.  I'm not going into all the detail of the errors here.  Two other theologians, Drs Joseph Shaw and Peter Kwasniewski, have done an excellent job.  I suggest that all links be read, even the links contained in the linked articles.

I am not acquainted with Dr. Cavadini, but am with Dr. Healy and Father Weinandy, although it's been quite a few years since I've seen either of them.  That acquaintance goes back to our days in the Mother of God Community, a group that was part of the so-called "charismatic renewal" that fell under scrutiny owing to cultish behaviors on the part of the leadership in the early 1990s.  I parted ways with that group at that time.  A major reason for my departure was the overemphasis on personal experience over adherence to Catholic doctrine.  The Novus Ordo Mass is geared to personal experience whereas the Traditional Latin Mass is geared towards worship of God exclusively.  

That last word "exclusively" is key.  You'll not find sloppy dress nor conduct in a church dedicated to the Traditional Latin Mass.  Women dress decently and modestly: no exposed body parts, cloths modest and in good repair.  Similarly, men are not dressed as though they were just in a drunken brawl: no jeans, tee-shirts but lots of suits and ties.  Before and after Mass in the nave of the church, there is no chit-chat going on between adults.  One might hear the occasional cooing of babies.  Speaking of which, there are many young families with many children at at Traditional Latin Mass, more so than at a Novus Ordo.

I myself attend both.  On Sundays I will attend a Traditional Latin Mass, although I must drive some distance to do so.  That Mass isn't available other days for me so I will attend the Novus Ordo Masses.  Often at those Masses I am reminded of why I prefer the Traditional Latin Mass.  However, if I truly believed that the Novus Ordo Mass was an inherent danger to my faith, I would not attend (barring Holy Days of Obligation).  I personally don't know anyone who attends the Traditional Latin Mass who believes it would be dangerous and even sinful to attend.  The CHW series intimates, though, that this mindset is so prevalent as to justify Francis' draconian actions towards the Traditional Latin Mass.  I realize that a few attendees of the Traditional Latin Mass do hold those erroneous attitudes towards the Novus Ordo, but to attribute such mindsets towards all the attendees, including me, and to publish such attributions veers into sins of slander and libel.

Some faithful and courageous prelates are not taking this attack on the Latin Mass lying down.  Archbishop Vigano penned an open letter to another Italian bishop, taking him to task for his senseless quashing of the Latin Mass.  There have been others.  As I track them down, I will repost.

Addendum as of November 28  Mr. Kwasniewski offered more commentary exposing the errors underlying the CHW piece.

Novus Ordo Second Eucharistiic Prayer - Composed On A Restaurant Napkin

While I attend a Traditional Latin Mass on Sundays, I am constrained by availability to attend the Novus Ordo during weekdays.  Since Traitorous Custodians came out, the Second Eucharistic Prayer is by far the most frequently used at the Novus Ordo.  What is particularly troubling and peculiar is that even priests who have a relatively decent sense of the sacred are now preferring that prayer, whereas before they were using the Third and even First Eucharistic prayer.  Bear in mind that the First Eucharistic prayer is the traditional Roman Canon with a rather sloppy English translation.

Of the Eucharistic prayers in the Novus Ordo rite, the Second is the shortest, most stripped-down version.  I think that is a key reason why even the more reverent priests are being strong-armed into using that one.  Here is some background regarding the Eucharistic prayer that was hastily thrown together in a restaurant.

An Excellent Treatise On The Latin Mass

My friend and blogging colleague at Les Femmes posted an excellent talk by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski as he gives an overview of the Tridentine Mass and its immense value.  We need to rediscover true worship of Jesus Christ.  This Mass needs to be made more available.  The attempts by the pope and progressive prelates to destroy it are nothing short of demonic.  At any rate, this talk is well worth the time it takes to listen to it, and to be passed along.

Plan Of The Mass

There is more information regarding the witch-hunt against Lauren Handy and the others.  I will take a moment, though, to share what can be called a diagram of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass.  It is of the Traditional Latin Mass.  It's quite helpful as a visualization of the Mass and its purposes and aspect. 

They Admit Their Disdain For The Mass Of The Ages

Taylor Marshall caught Archbishop Roche making that admission during an interview.  Check this out.

Cupich Persecutes Father Bus After Committing Idolatry On New Year's Eve

Father James Altman demands, at the 1:00 mark, that Cardinals Cupich and Gregory "turn in their red hats".  

In regards to Cardinal Gregory, he is referring to this stunt that Cardinal Gregory and then-Cardinal McCarrick pulled in 2004.  Later in the clip, he states that evil has entered into the hearts of many prelates, for how else could they facilitate the public sacrilege of pro-aborts receiving Holy Communion?

Let's take a closer look at Cardinal Cupich, shall we?  Two weeks ago I posted that Cupich seems to be the designated poster boy for the pope's insidious attempts to quash the Latin Mass.  In that post is video of the raucous debauchery that Father "Snuffy" Pfleger called a "Christmas Eve Mass". 

Recently, Father Anthony Bus. pastor of St Stanislaus Kostka parish asked the Chicago see for permission to offer Holy Mass ad orientem.  Permission was denied.  Father Bus replied with an open letter on January 13 acknowledging that he would be obedient to the directives, but also expressing his disappointment at the decision.  In that letter he spelled out his reasons.  Before you proceed with further reading of this post, I ask you to read completely Father Bus's open letter.

Apparently the Chicago chancery took umbrage at that letter; that is to say, their guilty consciences were stung - much like the consciences of those who immediately after hearing St Stephen, stoned him.  On January 17th, Father Bus wrote another open letter detailing the mischief meted out to him by Bishop Lombardo.  Note that Father says that Canon 1373 was cited against him.  Perhaps I should say was misused against him.  We all knew that is precisely why Pope Francis stuck that poorly worded thing in canon law, and here we have a prime example of its intended purpose.  So now Father is being sent to some hinterland to "reflect on his priesthood", whatever the hell that means!  It is very reminiscent of what happened in my own parish nearly ten years ago.

One Mad Mom has an excellent take on this situation.  Her reference to Father Martin is no doubt occasioned by this, written after Bishop Strickland defended Father Bus.

So, according to Cupich, Father Bus and the priests of St John Cantius are to be stifled, while he himself can be the principal celebrant at a pagan Chinese New Year ceremony?  Check out this write-up, complete with video.  Cupich's attempts to quash the Mass of the Ages is most likely a feeble attempt to justify his own blatant idolatry.

Michael Matt On The Attacks Against The Mass Of The Ages

One of Michael Matt's closing lines is that our struggle will require from us more than prayer.  Yes, prayer is necessary but it is not sufficient.  We must prepare now to resist both ecclesial and governmental tyrannies for the sake of our souls and the souls of those whom we love.

From Young Catholics To Pope Francis

A few weeks ago the pope wrote a message to young people on the occasion of World Youth Day.  In that letter, he exhorted them to "arise, testify".  Well, that is precisely what the young people in the following clip are doing.  Now will the pope listen?

Michael Matt On The Movement For The Traditional Latin Mass

Ever since progressives used Vatican II in their attempts to suppress the Mass of the Ages, faithful Catholics have been resisting them.  Some even hosted underground Masses in their homes, as did Walter Matt, first publisher of the Remnant and Michael's father.  Michael Matt now gives a brief synopsis of that history.  We can expect to endure some similar hardships; these must be embraced and not avoided.

FSSP Training Video On The Traditional Latin Mass

The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) put out a series of training videos for priests to learn the Traditional Latin Mass.  I think they provide excellent information for the lay Faithful as well so I will be posting them during these next several days.  Here is the first.