Vatican Will Try To Silence Faithful Catholics As It Stifles Traditional Latin Mass

Canon 1373 that Mr. Stine quotes is found at this Vatican link.  Yes, an operative word here is "just" but so is "incites animosity or hatred".  There motive is ascribed to the person(s) facing interdicts.  Aside from the pope's famous "who am I to judge" quip, any progressive thug in the Vatican would soon find himself skating thin ice to bring about any such action against faithful Catholics (Your Truly included) who are merely calling a spade a spade.

Mr. Stine rightly reminds us that we are in fact obliged, under pain of sin, to refuse compliance with unjust and/or immoral dictates from Church hierarchy - including those who are vindictively trying to throttle the Traditional Latin Mass.  Speaking of "inciting hatred or animosity", are Vatican officials willing to place themselves under said interdicts for thumbing their noses at Pope St Pius V and what he proclaimed in Quo Primum?  By the way - in case some might think that Traditionis Custodes now overrides Quo Primum, not so.  TC is a moto propitio while QP is an Apostolic Constitution in the form of a papal bull.  The latter is the more solemn and binding document by far, thus Traditionis Custodes does not override it.

So, my fellow bloggers, what do we do now?  Simple.  Continue to shine the light on the cockroaches infesting Holy Mother Church.  We do not blink, we do not cower.  We know very well that we speak ot uphold the Church.  It is the progressives in the Vatican and chanceries that are "inciting hatred and animosity" against Sacred Tradition and Jesus' teachings.  We stand firm.  Should any such decree come our way, we shine the light on that and give it the treatment that it deserves, as Mr. Stine mentioned in his clip.  This will be a struggle but we cannot flinch.

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.

Silence When Prelates Misbehave Is Its Own Sin

In 2021, Dr Peter Kwasniewski wrote a small but powerful and much-needed book called True Obedience In The Church.  It is published by Sophia Institute Press.  No doubt the egregious misdeeds of the late Francis was impetus for its writing, since many sincere but unaware Catholics were led to follow him in his heresies, thinking that they were obliged to obey the pope in every way.

In his book, Dr. Kwasniewski laid forth the proper theology behind the concept of obedience, making plain that we are required to obey our prelates only to the extent that they act in concert with the Teachings of the Church as they have always existed.  The pope is charged with preserving Church Tradition, and is no more permitted to tinker with it than are the laity.  Indeed, Kwasniewski says correctly that we are forbidden to follow our leaders into error.  For example, no prelate can order a priest in his diocese to "bless" two gays and their perverted relationship.  They are not to conduct idol worship, such as that occurred with the pachamama idolatry in the Vatican Gardens.  I need not go into more detail, or I would be typing all night.

In his book, he quoted St Thomas Aquinas who said, "unjust laws are acts of violence rather than laws...Wherefore they do not bind in conscience".  He then went on to say that Francis' attempts to stifle the Traditional Latin Mass fall under the category of "unjust laws" and need not, or I should say, may not be obeyed.  Traditiones Custodes is a direct violation of Quo Primum, a papal bull issued by Pope Saint Pius V in 1570 that established the Traditional Latin Mass as the true Mass, one that can never be abrogated.

Following the logic set forth by Aquinas, Kwasniewski also pointed out that those priests and bishops who were canceled on account of fidelity to Tradition are by no means bound to act as though their priestly ministries are stifled.  Because these priests acted in accord with Tradition, any punishment meted to them in retaliation is illicit and has no claim of obedience.  They are still priests in good standing with God and deserve out support.  They may not have use of churches in which to administer Sacraments, but can certainly do so away from diocesan property, say for example, in private homes.

At this time, we have a new pontiff - Leo XIV.  He's only been pope for a few weeks so we don't know what the future will hold.  We hope and pray that he reverses the damage wreaked by Francis.  If he does, though, we will still have many aberrant bishops with which to deal: McElroy, Cupich, Tobin, etc.  We will have to be vigilant and be ready to resist them when they misbehave.

Many of the young priests being freshly ordained today are more traditionally-minded than were the priests ordained just a generation ago.  I'd like to propose a model for them to examine.  He was a priest of the Old Testament, and an account of his priestly zeal is given in Numbers 25:6-13.  I will reproduce it from the Douay-Rheims version.

Douay-Rheims   DR + LV   Latin Vulgate   Summa   Catechism Douay-Rheims Bible < prev Book of Numbers next > < prev Chapter 25 next > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 The people fall into fornication and idolatry; for which twenty-four thousand are slain. The zeal of Phinees.  1 And Israel at that time abode in Settim, and the people committed fornication with the daughters of Moab,  2 Who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate of them, and adored their gods.  3 And Israel was initiated to Beelphegor: upon which the Lord being angry,  4 Said to Moses: Take all the princes of the people, and hang them up on gibbets against the sun: that my fury may be turned away from Israel.  5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Let every man kill his neighbours, that have been initiated to Beelphegor. [3] "Initiated to Beelphegor": That is, they took to the worship of Beelphegor, an obscene idol of the Moabites, and were consecrated, as it were, to him.  6 And behold one of the children of Israel went in before his brethren to a harlot of Madian, in the sight of Moses, and of all the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.  7 And when Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he rose up from the midst; of the multitude, and taking a dagger,  8 Went in after the Israelite into the brothel house, and thrust both of them through together, to wit, the man and the woman in the genital parts. And the scourge ceased from the children of Israel:  9 And there were slain four and twenty thousand men.  10 And the Lord said to Moses:  11 Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel: because he was moved with my zeal against them, that I myself might not destroy the children of Israel in my zeal.  12 Therefore say to him: Behold I give him the peace of my covenant,  13 And the covenant of the priesthood for ever shall be both to him and his seed, because he hath been zealous for his God, and hath made atonement for the wickedness of the children of Israel.

Phineas was a young man at the time.  I cannot discern whether or not he was old enough to have exercised priestly functions.  At any rate, the Israelites were being punished for engaging in sexual relations with idolatrous people.  He saw a well-placed Israelite strut into a tent with a foreign woman.  In fact, the whole multitude saw it.  Notice that Moses and Eleazar saw it too, and apparently did nothing.  Phineas did.  He did not wait for Moses or Eleazar to instruct him; he just acted.  He did not fear reprisal, for he was acting on God's revealed will.

The Lord Himself told Moses that he was pleased with Phineas, and that the actions of the latter caused God to cease His punishment of the people.  Somehow I think that God was also chiding Moses for not acting himself against the wicked Israelite.

Our priests need to act as priests, knowing that aberrant bishops cannot legitimately order them not to be faithful to the Traditions of the Church.

Lay people, we are not off the hook.  If anything, we are more able to speak truth to power, as we are under no vows of obedience.  We must be ready to speak up and yes, to pay the price for so doing.  That means that friends will avoid and shun us.  It probably means we'll be expelled from parish committees, CCD and RCIA programs, etc.  We'll have to support priests under attack and perhaps allow our homes to be sites for Traditional Latin Masses.  As for the last part, it was widely done after the bishops quashed the Latin Mass in the 1970s.

Now a word to those lay people who are parents of priests and vowed religious.  Many of you have assumed silence for fear that your children will suffer reprisals.  That strategy is futile on your part.  Some of you have been politically active in the past and have also been pro life activists.  That means that your children already have targets on their backs.  Your silence and "staying under the radar" will avail them not one damned thing.  In fact, by remaining silent, you are providing an abysmal example of how not to speak against the evil that is in their midst.  Rest assured, that unless progressive prelates are removed and the climate in the Vatican improves, your children will - not if, but will - suffer cancelation as has other faithful priests and bishops.  Some have even been put in fear for their lives; that is not out of the question.  Just within the Archdiocese of Washington, I am aware of four priests that have been "cancelled", because they have preached God's truth against homosexual conduct.  Given the stench of perversion that has wafted through the halls of the DC chancery in the past 20+ years,  is anyone surprised?  At any rate, parents, your beleaguered will need your example of courage and boldness, not one of silence and "hunkering down". 

However, hearken back to the words of Dr. Kwasniewski as mentioned in the first part of this post.  These cancelations are unjust and thus illicit.  They hold no weight morally, and none under canon law.  They are still priests, able to perform - just not on property under archdiocesan control.  Parents and friend of potentially targeted priests, bear that in mind and be emboldened to speak for the Church and her God.

Archbishop Vigano Faces Vatican Kangaroo Court

Archbishop Carlo Vigano, former Papal Nuncio to the United States, has been one of the few prelates to call a spade a spade when it comes to the mischief occasioned by Vatican II and in particular, this current papacy with which the Church is now being scourged.  He has also been a key factor in exposing the former prelate Theodore McCarrick as being not only a sexual predator, but also a facilitator in the progressive rot that has infested the Church hierarchy.

Comes now the news that the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith demanded that Vigano go to the Vatican for an "extrajudicial process" to answer for the "crime of schism".  That phrase "extrajudicial process" is quite intriguing. The "extra" prefix hints that this process does not fall within normal canonical guidelines for a normal judicial process.  Without canonical regulations, anything goes, right?  Unless I am misunderstanding something (could be quite possible), that phrase "extrajudicial process" might just be a fancy synonym for "kangaroo court".

The communication from the Vatican to Vigano can be found on that LifeSiteNews page.  Archbishop Vigano has issued a response, and it is well worth studying.  Every word of it is true.  It can be found at this link.  Should it go "missing", I have saved a copy of it, and suggest that all readers do the same.

Archbishop Vigano is by no means in schism.  He does, however, represent a threat to those who are treating their episcopal authority as their personal plaything, a tool to undermine and even destroy the Church from within.  We are seeing concurrently another manifestation.  LifeSiteNews and other Catholic outlets are reporting that the pope et al are frustrated that the Latin Mass is not withering away.  In fact, interest in it has even increased.  Details are not yet clear, but it seems that even more draconian restrictions are set to be inflicted on July 16.  

This Mass will NOT shrivel up and go away.  It has nurtured many Saints over the last several hundred years.  It is protected by Quo Primum, the papal bull issued by Pope St Pius V.   Other prelates such as Bishop Schneider and Cardinal Burke have stated that the Mass belongs to the Church's tradition and thus cannot be legitimately eliminated.  I wonder - will those two eventually be summoned to their own "extrajudicial processes"?

We need to stand with Archbishop Vigano and these others.  We need to stand for the Traditional Latin Mass and tell these prelates that they must back down.  It is not we who have forgotten who they are; it is they who disregard their own sacerdotal offices.

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.

Pope Francis Is Dead

Less than three weeks after the passing of his former ally, Ted McCarrick, Pope Francis has gone to his reward, such as that reward might be.  I would suggest that we pray that God had mercy on him and granted him the grace of final repentance; else, his eternity doesn't look too promising.

Francis' chequered legacy includes (but is not limited to) these:

• the pachamama idol worship in the Vatican gardens and St Peter's Basilica
• dismissing the pro-life champions in the Pontifical Academy for Life and replacing them with pro-aborts
• issuing Amoris Laetitia that calls for admittance of active adulterers to Holy Communion
• contradicting Tradition regarding the death penalty
• hob-nobbing with abortionist Emma Bonino
• dissuaded Tony Palmer, a protestant official, from converting to Catholicism when the latter expressed his wish to do so.
• his vendetta against the Traditional Latin Mass, in direct disobedience to the Papal Bull, Quo Primum

I have a whole anthology of misdeeds of Francis', as do others.  I cannot list them all, as I lack both time and space.

In a few weeks' time, the process for selecting a new pope will begin.  Starting right now, we need to beg God to give to the Church a truly Catholic and capable pope, one who is "wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove" (Matt 10:16).  Ask God to give us a pope that we need, not what we deserve.

If you are not yet in the habit of praying a daily Rosary, now is a good time to start.

Magnum Principium - A Liturgical Disaster

Magnum Principium is the name of the Motu Propitio released by Pope Francis today.  It will take effect October 1, 2017.  Rorate Caeli has an excellent analysis so I don't need to reinvent that wheel.  In essence though, this papal directive will ascribe to local bishops' conferences the authority to amend liturgical texts and actions based on local proclivities.  Now just think of the wide range of differences that exist with the conferences' varying interpretations of Amoralis Lamentia; also consider that in the case of AL, the interpretations that most widely diverge from Sacred Tradition are the ones validated by this pope.

One Peter Five has an analysis, too.  In that one, this MP is contrasted to Quo Primum by Pope St. Pius V.  The latter was written to unify the liturgies of all the Church into one text and format.

I can only surmise that this Motu Propitio is just the latest deliberated step in the progressives' ultimate goal to undermine the papacy.  Recall that Our Lord called Peter "the rock on which I'll build my church".  If the rock should crack that would seriously compromise the integrity of the Church.  Our Lord promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church, but He never promised that the church would be unscathed.  In fact, while the Church would survive (in one fashion or another) it could be so battered as to be unable to attend to millions of souls.

Another troubling aspect of potential liturgy-tampering may be found in the phrase "lex orandi lex credendi lex vivandi".  In other words, as you pray you believe, and as you believe you live.

UPDATE - Another phrase to describe the anticipated results of this motu is Liturgical Anarchy.

Attack On The Latin Mass Becomes More Vindictive

In addition to the Traitorous Custodian document from hell, the pope has put out even more restrictions on the Mass of the Ages.  The Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders cannot be done in the older rites and the Traditional Mass, when permission is granted to celebrate it in a parish, must not be announced in that parish's bulletin.  There are many other such nonsensical restrictions.

The restrictions were just promulgated this past Saturday (of Advent week 3).  That happened by fake "dubias".   Eleven dubia were presented - and already answered in a document called "responsa ad dubai".  My!  Such speedy turnaround!  Cardinals Burke and Brandmuller still await answers to their five dubia from years ago, but never mind!  Let's cut to the chase, shall we?  These "dubia" were contrived by the Vatican, not collected from the faithful at large for answer!  How stupid do they think we are?  Maybe they don't, and these "dubias" are meant to be a mockery of the dubia submitted years ago by the aforementioned cardinals regarding Amoralis Lamentia.  But I digress.

Below the jump break I will post some videos with some excellent commentary.  One correct theme running through them is that this current pope and his pals are afraid that their plots to undermine the church are fizzling badly, so they are lashing out in fury driven by hatred and panic.

You will hear these good Catholic men urging us to resist the pope's commands to do away with the Latin Mass.  Note the verb "resist" as opposed to "rebel".  True rebellion can only occur against legitimate authority.  The pope is not acting with legitimate authority when he himself is disobeying Quo Primum and over a thousand years of Church tradition, pronouncements of his predecessors, etc.  Both Scripture and Tradition are replete with exhortations to resist Satan and evil.

Resist evil we must.  We sin if we don't.  We simply continue to attend the Latin Mass and support those priests and bishops who make it possible.  We also resist by bringing these matters, and the underlying issues to light by discussing them and exposing them for what they are.  We may have to face some blowback for doing that, and that will be the topic of another post.

And now the videos (after the jump break) that I urge you to watch in their entireties.  Everything said in there is very relevant for you, your families and friends and the eternal salvation of all.

DC's Cardinal Gregory The Latest To Bare His Teeth At Faithful Catholics Attending The Traditional Latin Mass

We've been anticipating this for quite some time, especially after Cardinal Cupich stated that the Institute of Christ the King would be personae non gratia starting August 1st.  Well, here it is - the official assassin's bullet from Cardinal Gregory.  It is just as draconian and tyrannical as is Traditionis Custodes.

Read that thing.  He starts off with a lot of compliments for those attending Latin Mass, but it's really just a butter-up job.  After dispensing with those pleasantries, Gregory gets down to business.  To wit:

• Traditional Latin Mass can only be celebrated in three non-parochial locations in the DC diocese.  St. Mary's in Chinatown, where the Traditional Latin Mass has been celebrated for many years, is not one of them.
• They can only be celebrated on Sunday - in other words, no Latin weekday Masses.
• Priests must apply for permission to celebrate the Latin Mass, even as a private Mass
• Masses for Christmas, the Triduum, Easter and Pentecost must be celebrated in the Novus Ordo.  The TLM is forbidden for these holy days
• All other sacraments must be administered in the Novus Ordo rites.
• Scripture readings must be given in the vernacular, with a translation approved by the USCCB.  Since the readings are always repeated in the vernacular, I can only suppose that giving the readings in Latin will be forbidden.

Why would these prelates wish the obliteration of the Latin Mass?  At those Masses, one can understand the majesty of God and the immensity of the Sacrifice of Christ.  The latter happens at each Mass, albeit in an unbloody manner.  The attendees are there to worship God, not to have warm-fuzzies types of experiences.  Yes, there is community, but that happens after Mass, in the church lobby.  There is always reverential silence before the Blessed Sacrament.  By the way - young people are flocking to these Masses after having been gypped so long by Novus Ordo Masses with their stripped-down prayers and human-centered atmosphere.  The Latin Mass is the Mass of the Ages, having produced saints for over 1,000 years.

I started that last paragraph with a question.  The following sentences described benefits that should give the prelates pause in their attempts to quash the Latin Mass, but in reality they are the very reasons why these prelates, many of them progressives and/or masons, have a visceral hatred of that Mass.  They not only lack supernatural faith in God, but actually harbor animosity towards Him.  Even the Washington Post looks askance upon Gregory's vindictiveness towards the Latin Mass.

Vox Cantoris reproduced an open letter by Archbishop Vigano who unpacked the implications of Cupich's assault upon the Catholic faith.  That was before Gregory pulled his stunt today, but I believe what is said about Cupich also applies to Gregory.  He is correct in saying that neither Cupich, nor Gregory, nor even the pope have any right to deprive us of the Mass of the Ages.  The bull of Pope Saint Pius V, Quo Primum, states quite as much.

So once again we are put in the position of having to resist clerical tyranny, but resist we must.  The tactic of "going along to get along" is simply not morally permissible.  So what to do?  First, find a Traditional Latin Mass in another diocese.  They are happening in northern Virginia and Baltimore.  Take yourselves - and your money - there.  Yes, it seems like money is one of the few languages these corrupt shepherds understand, so we must speak it.  Keep protesting the chancery.  Raise protest, especially at events where the cardinal appears; in those cases, be respectful but firm.

Bishop Martin Launches Trial-Balloon Attack Against The Traditional Latin Mass

By now all have heard of the letter from the Bishop of Charlotte, Bishop Michael Martin, addressed to his priests that would effectively drive the Mass of the Ages from his diocese.  Rorate Caeli published the letter on their site; if you click on this link, the letter will open in another window on your computer.

I read the letter.  It is not only an act of disobedience to  Quo Primum, issued by Pope St Pius V, but also to the Vatican II document on the liturgy called Sacrosanctum Concilium, even though Martin pays it copious lip service throughout his screed.  He also claims adherence to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, issued in 2002 by the International Committee on English in the Liturgy and distributed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Such adherence is rather selective, shall we say.

In summary, Martin's letter is a combination of rank dissidence and a plain old temper tantrum.  Most of my blogging colleagues have observed that the provisions against the Tradtional Latin Mass are both petulant and draconian.  After reading it myself, I agree.  

However, I suspect that Martin et al intended us to perceive that.  I understand that Martin has backpeddled on that, claiming that it was merely a draft that "leaked".  I put the word "leaked" in quotes because I suspect we were supposed to think that the "leak" was not desired on their part when in reality it was.  I think this "leaked" letter was a trial balloon.  They wanted to see how we reacted to it. 

The recently-deceased Francis tried the trial-balloon strategy in the past with his unauthorized "declaration" that the death penalty is "inadmissible".  He attempted to insinuate the idea that Church teaching could be changed.  For those of a faith life compromised by liberalism, it worked.

The trial-balloon gambit has another goal.  Martin's letter detailed a scorched-earth stance towards the Latin Mass.  After the outcry that is still occurring, they very quickly withdrew the letter. That withdrawal was so quick, in my opinion, to warrant some suspicion.   The progressives might wait a while, but then try another tactic.  They will likely hope that we won't be nearly as alarmed as we are now about the letter, since the scope of this tactic won't seem to us to be as threatening as was the letter.  Then, again waiting a while, another ever-so-slight restriction will be placed on the TLM.  Now the question is, will we be alert to such subtleties? 

Even if Martin's letter is simply a ruse, I think it's helpful to see just how far it deviates from the Faith.  The fact that such pig-slop can ooze from a Catholic chancery is an abysmal disgrace.  I spent quite a few hours going over it and comparing it with the documents that I cited in the first paragraph.  So many errors, so little time!  I won't have the time to elaborate on each one but will highlight some key ones.  The reader of this post may wish to open the documents that I cited above, to have them handy in different windows as I refer to them.  I find it quite humorous to note Martin's request from his letter: "I ask all of us to reacquaint ourselves with Sacrosanctum Concilium, the “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” which is of utmost importance and from which so much of the Church’s liturgical life flows."  He should do the same.

Let's pay some attention to the section of his letter entitled "The Latin Language".  His very first sentence is "One of the desires expressed by the Second Vatican Council was to embrace the vernacular language in our liturgies as an intelligible vessel through which the faithful may better comprehend the mysteries of the faith."  Oh, really?  Let's go to paragraph 36 of Sacrosanctum Concilium: "Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites. These two statements seem rather contradictory, don't you think?  Even if you read the rest of the paragraph, you see that the vernacular is only permitted in certain parts, and that Latin is never eliminated.  

In the next paragraph of the letter we read: "I cannot comprehend why a vocal minority of the faithful who themselves admit to not understanding Latin would advocate a revival of the Latin language within our diocese, rendering the liturgy unintelligible for all but a few of our people. Moreover, as a diocese that is comprised of so many immigrants, we would be imposing on them an even greater burden. Not only are they trying to learn English and assimilate into our culture, but then they have another language imposed upon them that is foreign."  Then the next paragraph: "However, there are several places that are introducing Latin Mass responses, Latin Ordinary chants, Latin antiphons, and even the Memorial Acclamation and Our Father. Latin polyphony and motets are being sung at the Offertory and during the distribution of Holy Communion."

The first sentence in his quote is simply a petulant whining.  Simply because he "cannot comprehend" the desire to retain our Latin patrimony doesn't mean that the use of Latin in Mass is without merit.  By the way, read the entire section.  In the first paragraph he states the imporance of "sensitivity on the part of pastoral leaders."  How is he displaying that by dismissively calling attendees of the Traditional Latin Mass "a vocal minority"?

I'd also like to evaluate what he wrote in light of paragraph 41 from the GIRM: "All other things being equal, Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other types of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.  Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, set to the simpler melodies."  So Martin should take note that the presence of Latin in the Mass may be beneficial to immigrants.  Many of those immigrants are Spanish speakers.  Spanish, as many know, is a language directly descended from Latin.

In the section called "Cross-Pollination of the Liturgical Rites" we read: "While every priest is required by Canon Law to make prayerful and suitable preparation and thanksgiving before and after Mass, the vesting prayers are no longer part of the Roman Missal."  So what?  The priest vests in the sacristy out of sight of the people, so why does Martin see a problem here?  Is he simply trying to downplay the need for piety on the part of the priest?

Further down, Martin balks at the recitation of the prayer to St. Michael: "After the dismissal, there are some churches that have reintroduced the communal recitation of the Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel. This prayer is no longer prescribed in the Novus Ordo Missae. While the intention to defeat the power of Satan and other evil spirits is commendable, its recitation at the end of Mass can lead to the unfortunate doubt that the Eucharistic liturgy is somehow insufficient to bring about the scattering of evil and motivation to do good."  The original introduction of the prayer to St. Michael (and other prayers) was done at the explicit order of Pope Leo XIII.  Would Martin dared to speak so derisively to him and dismissed Leo's care for souls?

I may well continue my expose of this letter and its all-too-many errors later.  This situation is still ongoing so further discussion will be relevant.  I invite my readers to do their own examinations and relay their own observations in the comment box.  I regret that you probably won't have to work too hard to find some.

By the way..  If you'd like to read an excellent book on the Mass, I'd suggest "The Catholic Mass: Steps to Restore the Centrality of God in the Liturgy" by Bishop Athanasius Schneider.  I got it from Sophia Press, but it might be available elsewhere, too.

BREAKING - Pope Francis Officially Insults The Mass Of The Ages

The "rumors" that have been circulating about the pope's intention to strangle the Usus Antqior have all been confirmed.  Here is the official decree.  Please scroll down for the English version.  At the very bottom is a link to an accompanying letter; again, scroll down for that English translation. 

Note the frequent references to "Saint Paul VI" and "Saint John Paul II".  I think we now see why those canonizations were hurried along - to give credibility to the claim that the Novus Ordo can actually supplant the Tridentine Mass.  But if we need to invoke canonized pontiffs to establish legitimacy of rites, let's examine Quo Primum, authored by Pope Saint Pius V just a few years after the Council of Trent ended.  From the third paragraph: "Let all everywhere adopt and observe what has been handed down by the Holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the other churches, and let Masses not be sung or read according to any other formula than that of this Missal published by Us. This ordinance applies henceforth, now, and forever,.." (Emphasis mine)  Please read the entire thing, which happens to be an Apostolic Constitution, as opposed to a Motu Propitio.  Pope Francis cannot overrule that.

Two weeks ago, I posted a video from Taylor Marshall about the situation with my own commentary.  Again I reiterate my claim that this supposed invocation of "unity" as a reason to strangle the Traditional Latin Mass was merely smoke and mirrors.  That too has been confirmed.  This is nothing more than sheer hatred of Tradition - and part of the scheme to make the church more suitable as a vehicle to legitimize the New World Order/One World Government.  I think that is the end game.

Meanwhile, we must resist this diabolical attack with everything that we have.  That may mean walking away from our parishes (with our donations) to find where a Latin Mass is being celebrated.  During the lockdown, no entity beholden to the bishops - including the FSSP - had their doors open for Mass; indeed, in most cases the restrictions imposed by the bishops were more draconian than those of civil authorities.  The SSPX did offer Mass to the public, albeit in conformity with local restrictions.  I attended those SSPX Masses; driving 6 hours round trip.  It was worth every minute to actually receive Our Lord physically in Holy Communion and attend a Mass in person, even if in my car.  I remind one and all that the SSPX is not in schism with Rome and was, for at least two months, the only Catholic organization looking out for the sacramental needs of the Catholic faithful.  If necessary, I will attend SSPX mases once again.

Again, we are presented with the need to resist evil in the Church, even if that evil emanates from the Holy See.  We either prepare ourselves to do that, or we risk the eternal loss of our souls and those of our loved ones.

Rosary Novena For The Protection Of The Tridentine Mass

Many might have heard that a new encyclical is in the works, one that would further restrict the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, as well as other sacraments conferred in the Latin rite.  Most notably, it would forbid priestly ordinations in the Tridentine rite.  This would impact several religious communities, such as the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.   That is a direct violation of Quo Primum, but with this Vatican crew, Sacred Tradition seems to be a thing to be despised. 

I attend the Tridentine Mass at the Shrine of St. Alphonsus Ligouri.  For years now it has been administered by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.  Today during the homily the priests asked us to pray a Rosary novena that starts tomorrow, Monday February 6, to ask Our Lady's intercession for the preservation of the Mass and the charism of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.  The guideline, distributed at Mass today, appears below.  Please join us and ask others to do the same.

Let Church Bulletins Keep Silence

Today I attended a Rosary Rally for the Latin Mass at the Vatican Embassy in Washington DC.  The Arlington Latin Mass Society has been conducting these rallies for two months now, where they pray the Rosary (in Latin) for the freedom to celebrate the Tridentine Mass without the ridiculous hindrances imposed by Traditionis Custodes.  

I met a lady there who composed this parody hymn and put it on youtube.  Here it is.  I believe there are more on her youtube channel.

If you live in the MD/DC/VA area, stop by and pray for an end to the unjust suppression of the Latin Mass that is being done in direct disobedience to Quo Primum, issued by Pope St Pius V after the Council of Trent.