Bishop Olmsted criticizes Fr. Jenkin's public disobedience

According to a CNA news report:

The outcry over the invitation of President Obama to deliver the Notre Dame’s commencement address and receive an honorary law degree has now drawn Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix into the fray. In a strongly worded email to Fr. John Jenkins obtained by CNA, Bishop Olmsted accuses the university’s president of committing "a public act of disobedience to the Bishops of the United States."

"I am saddened and heavy of heart about your decision to invite President Obama to speak at Notre Dame University and even to receive an honorary degree," began Bishop Olmsted.

But the prelate went further, charging that Fr. John Jenkins, the university’s president, has committed "a public act of disobedience to the Bishops of the United States" by inviting Obama to the May 17 Commencement.

The grounds for the bishop’s charge are found in a 2004 statement from the U.S. bishops which calls on the Catholic community and Catholic institutions not to "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

(I have a special personal fondness for His Excellency, Bishop Olmsted. He used to be my formation director at the Pontifical College Josephinum while I attended major seminary there. At that time he was one of a few lonely lights of reason in a sea of theological and spiritual madness. He continues to be just that today.)

Student Coalition Statement

STUDENT COALITION STATEMENT ON THE 2009 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES

In defense of the unborn, we wish to express our deepest opposition to Reverend John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.’s invitation of President Barack Obama to be the University of Notre Dame’s principal commencement speaker and the recipient of an honorary degree. Our objection is not a matter of political partisanship, but of President Obama’s hostility to the Catholic Church’s teachings on the sanctity of human life at its earliest stages. His recent dedication of federal funds to overseas abortions and to embryonic stem cell research will directly result in the deaths of thousands of innocent human beings. We cannot sit by idly while the University honors someone who believes that an entire class of human beings is undeserving of the most basic of all legal rights, the right to live.

The University’s decision runs counter to the policy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops against honoring pro-choice politicians. In their June 2004 statement Catholics in Political Life, the bishops said, “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Fr. Jenkins defends his invitation by saying that it does not honor or suggest support for the President’s views on abortion, but rather support for his leadership. But our “fundamental moral principles” must be respected at all times. And the principle that requires us to refrain from the direct killing of the innocent has a special status even among the most fundamental principles. President Obama’s actions have consistently shown contempt for this principle, and he has sought political gain by making light of its clear political implications. Leadership that puts the lives of the most innocent at risk is leadership we must disdain. In the face of President Obama’s actions, Father Jenkins’ words ring hollow.

It is a great irony that the University has chosen to award President Obama an honorary law degree. As the oldest Catholic law school in the country, the Notre Dame Law School states that its mission is “to facilitate greater understanding of and commitment to the relationship between law and social justice.” The social justice issue of our day is the deliberate, legal attack on the most vulnerable members of society, the unborn. To award a Notre Dame law degree to a lawyer and politician who has used the law to deny equality to the unborn diminishes the value of the degree itself.

Additionally, Fr. Jenkins has placed some of his students in a moral dilemma as to whether they should attend their own graduation. Many pro-life seniors, along with their families, are conflicted about whether to participate in the commencement ceremony. The lack of concern for these devoted sons and daughters of Notre Dame, who love this University and the Catholic principles on which it was built, is shameful.

In response to the University’s decision, we pledge ourselves to acts of witness that will be characterized by respect, prayerfulness, outspoken fidelity to the Church, and true concern for the good of our University. It is appropriate that only members of the Notre Dame community lead all such protests, and we ask outside groups to respect our responsibilities in this regard. Over the next several weeks, in response to this scandal, our organizations will host various academic and religious events to engage the University community. We request any groups who are committed to respectful actions to support our efforts, thereby ensuring a unified front and a more compelling public witness.

In Notre Dame,

Notre Dame Right to Life
The Irish Rover Student Newspaper
Notre Dame College Republicans
The University of Notre Dame Anscombe Society
Notre Dame Identity Project
Militia of the Immaculata
Children of Mary
Orestes Brownson Council
Notre Dame Law School Right to Life
Notre Dame Law St Thomas More Society
The Federalist Society at Notre Dame Law School

Bishop D'Arcy's Statement regarding Obama and Notre Dame

Concerning President Barack Obama speaking at Notre Dame graduation, receiving honorary law degree

March 24, 2009

On Friday, March 21, Father John Jenkins, CSC, phoned to inform me that President Obama had accepted his invitation to speak to the graduating class at Notre Dame and receive an honorary degree. We spoke shortly before the announcement was made public at the White House press briefing. It was the first time that I had been informed that Notre Dame had issued this invitation.

President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life.

This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions.

My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life.

I have in mind also the statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2004. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for.

I have spoken with Professor Mary Ann Glendon, who is to receive the Laetare Medal. I have known her for many years and hold her in high esteem. We are both teachers, but in different ways. I have encouraged her to accept this award and take the opportunity such an award gives her to teach.

Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.

Tomorrow, we celebrate as Catholics the moment when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, became a child in the womb of his most holy mother. Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige.

From the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Website.

The Rubrics, Part I

Rubrics
Part 1 - Is there a choice?
Lawrence Yates

In the last Newsletter we viewed the Church as it was in 1958, recalling the feeling of calmness, sincerity and organisation of that time. One aspect of this organisation is rubrics. The Old Testament devotes several pages to very detailed regulations regarding the worship of God. Should we expect to be any less meticulous when we have the privilege, unique to the Catholic Church, of the Real Presence during Mass and in the tabernacle?

The study of rubrics is a fascinating but complicated exercise, not to be undertaken lightly. Many books have been written on the subject, and the replies and decisions of the Congregation of Sacred Rites during its 400 years of existence are numbered in the thousands. An article of this nature is necessarily limited in its scope and I shall simply attempt, in this one, to consider the nature and value of the rubrics in general.

The fundamental base on which rubrics are built is theology, or rather dogma. It is not by chance that the well-known rubricists were primarily doctors of theology. Adrian Fortescue, Klaus Gamber, J. A. Jungmann, S.J., and E. J. Mahoney all fall into this category. The reasons will become clear as we proceed. Two quotations from J. B. O'Connell give us a start:

The Sacred Liturgy is the worship of God by the Church. By divine worship is meant the recognition and acceptance of the excellence and sovereign lordship of God and the manifestation of this recognition and acceptance. In other words, it is the exercise of the virtue of religion, by acts of adoration and praise, of thanksgiving, of propitiation and of petition.

The rubrics are the rules (laws, directions, suggestions) which are contained in the liturgical books for the right ordering of liturgical functions. For the most part, if not entirely, the rubrics are positive ecclesiastical laws, and so

a). they bind under pain of mortal or venial sin, according to the gravity of the matter with which they are concerned;

b). apart from such considerations as the giving of scandal, contempt for the law, and the like, a sufficient and proportionately grave cause excuses from the observance of an (accidental) rubric.

O'Connell goes on to describe an accidental rubric as one which is directive, but then observes that: "the accidental rubrics, no less than the substantial ones, are laws, and hence are preceptive, except when they themselves state clearly that they are not."

It should be noted that even a prelate is required to kneel during the Communion of the faithful.

Debates on this subject went on among rubricians for many years, but even those who claimed that some rubrics were not preceptive (commanding) admitted that it was difficult or impossible to say which these rubrics were. For our purposes the situation is made sufficiently clear in the Code of Canon Law (1917) which refers to rubrics as liturgical laws, without drawing any distinction between preceptive and directive rubrics, and orders that the rites and ceremonies which are prescribed by the Church in the approved liturgical books are to be accurately observed. The Code of 1983 is no less forceful, as the following extracts show.

Canon 838

It is the prerogative of the Apostolic See to regulate the liturgy of the universal Church, to publish liturgical books and review their vernacular translations, and to be watchful that liturgical regulations are everywhere faithfully observed.

Canon 846

The liturgical books, approved by the competent authority, are to be faithfully followed in the celebration of the sacraments. Accordingly, no one may on a personal initiative add to or omit or alter anything in those books.

The only safe approach to the rubrics is suggested by O'Connell in his summing-up: "With reverence and love towards God, out of obedience and loyalty to His Church, should they, each and all, be fulfilled."

The Church, and only the Church, has the right to lay down the rules regarding the worship of God. The very fact that they regulate our dealings with God should be sufficient to establish the value of, and the need for, rubrics. What we do in our own private devotions is our own affair, but in the liturgy, which is the public worship of God, the rules must be formulated by the supreme authority of the Church.

I hesitate to use the expression lex orandi, lex credendi which may be considered to have been overworked in the pages of our Newsletters, but it is essential to my purpose.

This is where the dogmatic element shines forth. If we genuinely believe that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is really, truly and substantially present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the consecrated Host, then we can begin to understand the rubrics. Without this firm belief, the rubrics have no meaning or purpose. From observing some activities, even within the sanctuary, I wonder if this fact is seriously considered.

The rubrics, then, serve two purposes. They regulate the public worship of God and they direct and suggest actions which will ensure the reverence and honour to be given to the Blessed Sacrament. Hence many rubrics are very precise.

A complete set of instructions was issued by Pope Clement XII in 1731 for the ordering of the Forty Hours Exposition. These instructions remained in force until the publication of Eucharisticum Mysterium on 25th May, 1967, and had served as guidelines for any ceremony which involved the Blessed Sacrament exposed. It is sometimes necessary, while serving on the altar, to perform what appear to be almost acrobatic feats in order to meet the requirements of the rubrics. One may, for instance, be told to make a left turn where the more natural movement would be a right one, the reason being that only a left turn, in that particular case, will ensure that one does not turn the back towards the tabernacle.

I have recently been disturbed to see that altar servers, having communicated, proceed to sit during the Communion of the faithful. How widespread this practice is I do not know, but it should be stopped. At the very least it displays complete disregard for the Blessed Sacrament exposed. It should be noted that even a prelate is required to kneel during the Communion of the faithful. Nobody is exempt from this rule. With a strong faith in, and devotion to, the Blessed Sacrament, such erroneous practices should never develop.

The conclusions to be drawn from the foregoing may be summarised as follows.

1. The rubrics are obligatory, and not optional.

2. They are issued by the supreme authority of the Church with the clear intention that they be obeyed.

3. They have all been designed for a specific purpose which a little thought may reveal.

4. They are laws which carry penalties for non-observance.

5. The doctrinal connection is very important, e.g. a simple genuflection performed with reverence is an act of faith in the Real Presence; the priest crosses himself with holy water when leaving the sacristy as an act of faith in the Most Holy Trinity, in whose honour he is about to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

6. It is not possible to separate rubrics from dogma. They are so closely intertwined that any attempt to ignore or change the rubrics must raise doubts about what we really believe. This has become very clear over the past thirty years.

There can be no greater evaluation of the rubrics than that contained in the exhortation of Pius XII to the bishops of the world in Mediator Dei:

Readily provide the young clerical student with facilities to understand the sacred ceremonies, to appreciate their majesty and beauty and to learn the rubrics with care, just as you do when he is trained in ascetics, in dogma and in canon law and pastoral theology. This should not be done merely for cultural reasons and to fit the student to perform religious rites in the future correctly and with due dignity but especially to lead him into closest union with Christ the Priest so that he may become a holy minister of sanctity.

[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's February 2000 Newsletter, reprinted here with the gracious permission of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.]

The Pope Was Right... no shocker, there

From an article at National Review Online:

"We have found no consistent associations between condom use and lower HIV-infection rates, which, 25 years into the pandemic, we should be seeing if this intervention was working.”

So notes Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, in response to papal press comments en route to Africa this week.

Benedict XVI said, in response to a French reporter’s question asking him to defend the Church’s position on fighting the spread of AIDS, characterized by the reporter as “frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective”:

I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanization of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness — even through personal sacrifice — to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.

“The pope is correct,” Green told National Review Online Wednesday, “or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the pope’s comments. He stresses that “condoms have been proven to not be effective at the ‘level of population.’”

Reminder: Traditional Latin Low Mass at St. Mary's

The novena to St. Joseph will come to a close tomorrow night, March 19th, with a Traditional Latin Low Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church, Kalamazoo at 7:00 pm. The address is in the sidebar.

Traditional Latin Mass Live at 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 19

From the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, a Sung Traditional Latin Mass for the Solemnity of St Joseph on Thursday, March 19, at 7pm.

You can watch it here.

The Traditional Latin Mass at the center of holiness, prayer, renewal, growth

From a Sermon delivered by Father Antony Conlon at St. Joseph's, Bunhill Row, London, on September 20th, 1997

Since the 1960s, the Church in this country has been obsessed with creating new structures of discussion, catechesis, bureaucracy. This has all gone hand-in-hand with the alteration of the liturgy. These changes were supposed to bring about untold benefits to us all. An impartial observer would be persuaded to ask the question whether in fact they had. Fewer Catholics and fewer vocations, declining religious order and increased marital breakdown among us would suggest that something has gone wrong somewhere. These are not the signs of renewal, they are the symptoms of serious malaise. Similar problems exist in other countries where the Church was once strong. Here and there, they have begun to be understood and addressed but not yet in Britain. The official view here is that this is not a crisis of confidence but one of understanding. But the Catholic Church in Britain has now been identified as the denomination that is losing ground more than any other, a situation unthinkable decades ago.

One of the causes of our present crisis may be a lack of sufficient emphasis on prayer and holiness of life as the real resources of renewal and growth. No number of committees or discussion groups or pastoral meetings can compare in effectiveness with a single holy Mass, devoutly offered and assisted at prayerfully. The liturgy is the means whereby the People of Christ are sanctified and given their special mission. If that liturgy in our parish churches does not remind worshipers that they depend on God and His Church for grace and salvation, and that it is the Son of God who comes down upon our altars at every Mass, then something vital and essential is lacking in our Catholicism. We will never get it right unless the Mass is once again regarded in the way that it used to be, a sacred, solemn, awesome sacrifice, in which we become present at and participate in, the offering of Himself by Jesus on Calvary as though we were there in person, 2,000 years ago.

I emphasis the Mass as the most important element of the mission of Catholics to evangelise the world around us. That is the central action of our faith without which nothing else can be right, or true to what Christ commanded us. It is what empowers us to be witnesses and disciples of Christ. Could it be that one of the reasons why our numbers are declining and the Church losing ground is because the Mass - in many places - is no longer celebrated with reverence so that it raises the mind and heart above this world, but is presented as a show, a gathering of people, an event to produce a buzz of superficial excitement, rather than an act of worship offered to God which is due to Him alone. The Mass is not just an occasion to be at, it is the necessary offering to God of the very oblation by which He has both identified with and ransomed us as both God and man in the Eucharist. This, in turn, leads to adoration and Eucharistic devotion which is sadly most absent from the lives of so many Catholics.

We shall not, simply by paying proper attention to the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament, instantly bring back the lapsed millions or resolve every problem within our Church, but we shall be travelling in the only direction that will lead us in the end towards those desirable aims. It is the one indispensable element without which we cannot hope to succeed. Mission, today, is not about more nuns in unsuitable garb, or priests declining ever to be seen in clerical clothes, or watered-down versions of Catholics teaching to suit the mood of the times, or abandoning the resources we successfully drew upon in the past. Mission is about first setting our own house in order again, according to the mind of Christ so that we may thereby understand that we possess something worthwhile to offer to others who may be crying out for the treasures which we so often take for granted.

(Reprinted here with the gracious permission of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.)

Special Year for Priests announced

The Holy Father announced that the Church will celebrate a special year for priests beginning on June 19, 2009. The year will commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Vianney, Cure of Ars.

CNA Article here.

Bishop Olmsted's statement regarding the modern world's Joseph Mengeles

What should science trump?

By Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted | March 10, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

On Monday, March 9, President Obama signed an executive order that provides federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. This means that American taxpayers will now be paying for the killing of human beings at a very early stage in their lives (as embryos), so that scientific research can make use of them for experiments that may or may not yield positive results.

We U.S. taxpayers will now be forced to pay, whether we wish to or not, for the killing of our youngest brothers and sisters on the dubious hypothesis that their murders might, in the future, benefit others. Why did President Obama make this decision?

Should science trump ideology?

Our president’s rationale is that science should trump ideology. In other words, that ideology should not have the upper hand in making decisions about who pays for research; science should. We Americans, he says, should trust scientists more than we trust ideologues. But who is our president calling ideologues? Those whom he is calling “ideologues” include the following:

• Pope Benedict XVI and all faithful Catholics around the world;
• People of faith from all major religions who believe that human life, especially at its most innocent and vulnerable stage, needs to be protected, not killed for the sake of older human beings; and
• All people of good will who oppose the killing of one group of human beings in order to benefit another group.

“Science should trump ideology” is a code phrase that means science should trump the Fifth Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” It is contending that science should trump the right to life of a certain class of human beings, those who are at the embryonic stage of life. Science, according to our president, does not need to be at the service of the human person or subject to morality. How is this position not influenced by an ideology, which is the very thing our president claims he is seeking to avoid? Is this good for America? Is this what we Americans want our taxes to be used for?

Politics over science and ethics

Let’s be clear about what this presidential decree is about. It is not about overcoming a prohibition against embryonic stem cell research. Tragically, such research is already legal in many places in our country. Already billions of dollars of California taxpayers are funding such heinous research. So our president is not overturning laws that prohibit such research. It is already legal.

What President Obama is doing is forcing all American taxpayers to pay for this homicidal research. He is forcing us who pay taxes to be complicit, in an involuntary yet real way, in this unethical enterprise. All of this is done so that “science can trump ideology.”

Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said this: “President Obama’s new executive order on embryonic stem cell research is a sad victory of politics over science and ethics. This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested. It also disregards the values of millions of American taxpayers who oppose research that requires taking human life. Finally, it ignores the fact that ethically sound means for advancing stem cell science and medical treatments are readily available and in need of increased support.”

What should be the response of Catholics to this action?

First, we must beg forgiveness for this horrendous sin of our nation. Like the Prophet Daniel, we need to say in all humility and shame (9:4fc), “Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws… Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day.”

Second, we Catholics must join with others of good will and make our voices heard across our land, at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in our state Legislatures and in the media. We must not stand by idly while our neighbor’s life is at stake. The dignity of a human person does not depend upon his or her age, developmental stage, or ability to function. Every human being has inherent dignity because God has created us with an eternal soul. No one has the right to extinguish this gift of life but God alone.

Third, we need to point out why such destructive research is especially pointless at this time when ethical means are available, such as the following:

• Great advances are being made in reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells (the journal Science hailed this as the scientific breakthrough of the year);
• Adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells are increasingly being used to reverse serious illnesses and even help rebuild damaged organs.

Fourth, we must pray and fast for an end to this horrendous decision and an end to all attacks on innocent human life. Jesus told us that some evils can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. In this season of Lent, this gives us added reason to do penance in union with our prayers for the protection of all human life.

Fifth, we must not lose hope. False rhetoric such as “science must triumph over ideology” will not stand the test of time. Such counterfeit reasoning and slick cover-up of the truth will not have the last word. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly (Cf. Jn 10:10). In Him, who died to take away sin and rose to restore our life, we place our hope. This hope will never disappoint.

Years of delirious doctrine over, but shouts of victory premature

There's a great interview here with Fr. Philippe Laguérie of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, which I'm sure will brighten your day.

It appears obvious to me that the years of “delirious” doctrine, liturgical experimentation, and pastoral recklessness are coming to an end, thanks be to God. Far away now are those dark days when a South American bishop was lighting his cigarettes during the Mass while explaining, with mitre on his head and cross in his hand, that the Mass is just a meal. Such scandals have become passé as Tradition rises up. The Holy Father’s continual call that the shepherds return to defend the sheep appears to be bearing fruit. Clergy, young families, the youth—they are more traditional than their fathers and mothers. But it is necessary to take care not to shout victory just yet, as if the crisis which shook the Church is over. It is not. The abandonment during the past 40 years of authentic Catholic Philosophy and Theology deeply rooted in the Church will continue to leave deep and disastrous traces for many years to come. Every single day, it is necessary to raise the walls of the City of God and even if the “darkest hours of our history” are behind us, nothing would be more disastrous than for us to believe the Church is at peace with the modern world. Every man must, said the Pope, “find his place in the Church”. We are still very far from the restoration of Christianity.

- Fr. Philippe Laguérie of the Institute of the Good Shepherd

The Seven Last Words at St. Mary's in Kalamazoo

click to enlarge

Pope's letter to the bishops available at Rorate Caeli and Bishop Fellay's response

Chances are, you already read it. If not here it is at Rorate Caeli.

Please see this interesting article at WDTPRS as well. Every day it seems George Wiegel writes or says something that irritates me. He's a big baby who can't swallow his pride and admit he was wrong about the Traditional Latin Mass never being abrogated. His childishness now has lead him to blatantly putting words in the Holy Father's mouth. Shame on him, his calumny, and his hatred for traditional Catholics. Otherwise, a pointed and reasoned explanation by Fr. Z.

On a much more positive note is Bishop Fellay's gracious response, worth presenting here in whole:

Communiqué
of the Superior General
of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X [FSSPX / SSPX]

Pope Benedict XVI addressed a letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church, dated March 10 2009, in which he made them aware of the intentions which guided him in this important step which is the Decree of January 21, 2009.

After "an avalanche of protests was unleashed" recently, we greatly thank the Holy Father for having placed the debate at the level on which it should take place, that of the faith. We fully share his utmost concern for preaching to "our age, when in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel".

The Church lives, in fact, through a major crisis which cannot be solved other than by an integral return to the purity of the faith. With Saint Athanasius, we profess that "Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the Catholic faith: whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally." (Quicumque Creed)

Far from wanting to stop Tradition in 1962, we wish to consider the Second Vatican Council and the post-Conciliar magisterium in the light of this Tradition which Saint Vincent of Lérins defined as that "which has been believed everywhere, always, by all" (Commonitorium), without rupture and in a perfectly homogenous development. It is thus that we will be able to contribute efficaciously to the evangelization asked for by the Savior (cf. Matthew, 28,19-20).

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X assures Benedict XVI of its will to address the doctrinal discussions considered "necessary" by the Decree of January 21, with the desire of serving the revealed Truth which is the first charity to be shown towards all men, Christian or not. It assures him of its prayers so that his faith may not fail and that he may confirm all his brethren (cf. Luke 22 32).

We place these doctrinal discussions under the protection of Our Lady of Trust, with the assurance that she will obtain for us the grace of faithfully delivering that which we received, "tradidi quod et accepi" (I Cor. 15,3).

Menzingen, March 12 2009

+ Bernard Fellay

There's no doubt in my mind who in the Church is working toward understanding and unity. Really, how can one seriously consider George Wiegel's hermeneutic of childishness superior in any way to Bishop Fellay's charitable response?

Pope's letter to the bishops

Probably the biggest news since the lifting of the SSPX excommunications is the papal letter to the bishops that will be officially published tomorrow. I will post the letter here, without comment, as soon as I can.

There are a number of translations available on the web, but I will not post them or excerpts since the letter still remains under embargo by the Vatican. However, if you are interested, you can read one of these translations with Fr. Z's comments here: WDTPRS on Pope Benedict's papal letter.

This letter is a call to keep praying for the Holy Father, and to pray for the full and complete restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass and traditional Catholicism. This letter expresses well the authority of the Holy Father's office and his fecund thinking, but also his anguish over the unjust and irresponsible reaction of fellow Catholics (leftists) to the lifting of the excommunications. It also speaks forcefully to the SSPX bishops, priests and laity. There's nothing easy about the current state of the Church Militant. We are called to prayer, pennance and acts of heroic sacrfice, now more than ever. Only the restoration of our Catholic culture and heritage, and a hermenutic of renewl and continuity in regards to the Second Vatican Council will strengthen the Church and bring about the salavation of souls. Only that will silence the wolves from within, those like Hans Kung that yap and nip at the Holy Father's heals.

Update (6:50 am 3/12): There's nothing on the Vatican website or blogosphere yet. I'll have to wait until after work.

2009 Summer Symposium announced

2009 Summer Symposium, Gardone Riviera, Italy

July 2nd-July 13th (11 nights)

A Tale of Two Enlightenments:
Modern Image Versus Catholic Truth

Modern man has a positive image of himself and his society that has been shaped and very effectively propagandized for many centuries. The Roman Forum began to explore the gap between this false image and the true “dead end” to which modernity has led the individual and society in three conferences in 2007-2008 under the broad heading of Modern Image and Catholic Truth.

The first of these programs, The Sleep of Reason, showed how the eighteenth century Enlightenment, the so-called “Age of Reason”, actually doubted the ability of the human mind to understand man and nature, and was more interested in limiting the scope of rational activity than enhancing it. This conference explained how modern “enlightenment”, with its vision of a purely naturalist universe, is a recipe for manipulation of all of life by human wills and passions, themselves shaped by a curious mixture of real science, mystical and occult speculation, and power political considerations. Two subsequent programs---The Glass of Absinthe and The Rules of the Game, then focused on the horrendous consequences of the Enlightenment’s separation of the individual from society, and the powerful intellectual, artistic, psychological, and socio-political obstacles it has placed in the path of identification of the disease that afflicts us and the way to eliminate them.

Human history has indeed known one true Enlightenment: the Enlightenment that comes from the Father of Lights and is completed through Christ and the work of His Mystical Body on earth. This supernatural Enlightenment has been a blessing for Creation, nurturing every natural “seed of the Logos”, from the Greek aesthetic and philosophical vision to modern science. It has purged these “seeds “ of their errors and perfected their valid insights through divine wisdom and grace. True, Catholic Enlightenment has produced an earthly civilization and social institutions worthy of individuals offered an eternal destiny in union with a loving God.

A Tale of Two Enlightenments, one founded on the false modern image of itself, the other based on Catholic Truth, needs to be told in all its fullness. That tale has its roots in the Catholic revival of the High Middle Ages and the opposition and distorted imitation of its goals that Christian successes aroused. It is a tale that requires a discussion of everything of importance to human life: theology, philosophy, education, psychology, art and architecture, music, statecraft on the international and national level, family life, the errors of both the French as well as the Anglo-American Revolutions, and the twin evils of capitalism and communism. This tale is also one of warfare, since the two Enlightenments, the false and the true, are engaged in an irrepressible conflict that must continue until the bitter end. Given the diversity of issues and weapons involved, the global battlefield on which this war is now fought, and the signs of its ever-increasing intensity, the need for Catholic understanding of the full scope of this conflict must take precedence over all other intellectual concerns. Hence, the Roman Forum’s decision to dedicate future Summer Seminars, starting with that of Gardone, 2009, to an international study of the war of two hostile world views and how Catholics can win it.

Faculty, Clergy, Staff

Rev. Mgr. Dr. Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula
Rev. Bernard Danber
David J. Hughes (Musical Director)
Rev. Dr. Richard Munkelt
Dr. John C. Rao
Rev. Richard Trezza

Plus many other speakers and specific topics to be announced

Daily Program

Each day involves two main lectures (morning and pre-dinner), and Sung Mass, according to the 1962 missal (the Tridentine Mass) at noon. There are no lectures on Sundays. Musical and theatrical entertainments take place in the garden of the Angeli in the evenings after dinner.

Cost

The full cost of the Gardone program in a double occupancy room is $2,800. This includes: tuition, room and board (very ample breakfast and dinner with wine, beer, and other beverages at will; all gratuities), transportation to and from Malpensa Airport in Milan, a boat trip on Lake Garda, and excursions to Venice and in the Lake region. A number of full and partial scholarships are available. Preference will be given to professors, students, and clergy prepared to write reflections on the themes discussed for our website. Nevertheless, anyone who genuinely cannot afford the full tuition and believes himself to be a worthy candidate for assistance may apply.

Accommodations and the Setting

Accommodation and lectures for the Gardone program are at the Locanda agli Angeli, on Lake Garda, in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy. Rooms are mostly doubles, with bath. Most of the rooms are air-conditioned and those which are not are equipped with very comfortable fans. A limited number of singles is available, at extra cost. The Locanda is located in Gardone Sopra, a ten minute walk from the lakefront, where free, clean beaches with a number of amenities can be found. The Angeli offers a beautiful swimming pool and garden on its premises. Meals are taken both there and at other trattorie several minutes walk away. Mass is in the parish church, also within walking distance. Special arrangements, at different prices, can be made for those who wish to stay and take their meals in one of the many higher quality hotels in Gardone or Salò. Arrangements to arrive earlier or stay later, at additional cost, may be made through the director.

Gardone is within easy traveling distance of Verona, Venice, Trent, Brescia, Milan, Ravenna, Pavia and Padua. In years past, participants have rented cars to tour the area, taken private and more extensive boat trips on the lake, attended the opera in Verona, and even ventured as far away as Florence. The region offers opportunities not only for swimming, but for hiking, biking, boating and scenic walks as well. The lectures are scheduled in such a way as to allow time for recreation and sightseeing.

Transportation

Transportation to Italy must be arranged privately. Two shuttles (morning and afternoon) to Gardone will be provided from Malpensa on July 2nd, and one back to the airport on the morning of July 13th. Participants arriving and leaving at different times or arriving at and leaving from different airports are responsible for making their own arrangements for getting to Gardone. Gardone can be reached by shuttle from the Airport to Milano Centrale (50 minutes), train to Brescia (50 minutes), and bus to Gardone Riviera (50 minutes), or by taxi from the airport (which can be very expensive).

Application

The deadline for application is April 15th, 2009. Applications can be e-mailed or sent by post and must include name, address, telephone number, e-mail, date of birth, occupation, academic degrees attained or pending, & the names & phone numbers of two references.

Some Basic Texts

Becker, C., The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth Century Philosophers (Harvard, 1932).
Dawson, C., Religion and the Rise of Western Culture (Image, 1991).
Gay, P., The Enlightenment (2 Volumes, Norton, 1996).
Haskins, H.H., The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century (Harvard, 1927).
Hughes, P., A History of the Church (Volumes 2 and 3, New York, 1949).
Jaeger. W., Paideia (Three Volumes, Oxford, 1986).
Mayeur, J.M., ed., Histoire du Christianisme (Desclée, Thirteen Volumes, 1990-2000).
Rao, J.C., Removing the Blindfold (Remnant Press, 1999).

Mail all applications and address all questions to:

Dr. John C. Rao, Director
The Roman Forum
11 Carmine Street, # 2C
New York, NY 10014-4442
Or e-mail to drjcrao@aol.com

“Even if the wounds of this shattered world enmesh you, and the sea in turmoil bears you along in but one surviving ship, it would still befit you to maintain your enthusiasm for studies unimpaired. Why should lasting values tremble if transient things fall?”
(Prosper of Aquitaine)

St. Bernard's in Benton Harbor to host Chant Workshop

Chant for Beginners
An Introductory Gregorian Chant Workshop

St. Bernard Catholic Church in Benton Harbor will host this workshop on
Saturday, March 28th, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.

St. Bernard Catholic Church
555 E. Delaware
Benton Harbor, MI

The Workshop will include presentations on:
Reading Chant Notation History and Spirituality of Chant Some Fundamental Chants of the Roman Rite

Presenters

Fr. Rob Johansen, MA: Fr. Johansen has an extensive background in music, having studied voice, ‘cello, and conducting at the University of Illinois. He studied Chant at the Catholic University of America with Dr. Theodore Marier, and continued his Chant studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary under Calvert Shenk. He has degrees in Religious Studies, Classics, and Patristic Greek and Latin. He currently serves as Pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, Dorr.



Fr. David Grondz, STB: Fr. David Grondz received his S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained to the Priesthood in 2006. Fr. Grondz has studied Chant for 13 years, and served as assistant organist at the Pontifical North American College. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary Church, Kalamazoo, where he regularly celebrates the Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Cost: $30.00 per person (includes lunch & copy of The Parish Book of Chant)

Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Kalamazoo: Office of Christian Worship, St. Philip Neri House,
and SS. John and Bernard Catholic Church.
For More Information Contact SS. John and Bernard Parish at (269) 925-2425

St. Joseph Novena begins tonight at St. Mary's

The St. Joseph Novena begins tonight at St. Mary's in Kalamazoo. The novena will end on March 19th with a low Mass at 7:00 pm. Address can be found in the sidebar.




The Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, calls to mind the special vocation of St. Joseph as protect and provider for the Holy Family, a model for husbands and fathers, but most importantly he is the patron and protector of the Church. In these troubling times, when there seems to be more bad news than good, and the Church militant is found in the midst of so many storms, how important it is for us to turn to St. Joseph to beg his intercession for the Holy Father, our bishops, priests and religious.

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, so that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. Oh St. Joseph, I never weary comtemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dar not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for me.

Day Light Savings Time Reminder

Don't forget to set your clocks up one hour tonight.

If you don't, you'll be late.

Solemn Mass on Easter Sunday at St. Mary's in Kalamazoo!

Great news!

There will be a Solemn Mass for Easter in Kalamazoo, Michigan (God willing)!

St. Mary Catholic Church
12 noon (regular Sunday time)

Celebrant: Fr. Robert Sirico
Deacon: Fr. David Grondz
Subdeacon: Fr. James Richardson

There will also be the Seven Last Words with Vivaldi's Stabat Mater on Good Friday Evening at St. Mary's. I'll post more information on this as it becomes available.

Thanks again, Fathers Sirico and Grondz and Richardson!

William Byrd documentary at the New Liturgical Movement

An incredible documentary about William Byrd on the New Liturgical Movement, can be viewed here. Please take an hour to experience this composition regarding Byrd's polyphonic music, and a bit about his history. This is truly enriching.