INTERESTING TIDBITS ABOUT THE CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY'S RENOVATION/RESTORATION

 In the two photos below, you see the choir loft. During our 1998 renovation, not only was the church entirely scaffold for a complete re-plastering, repainting and redecorating,  we also expanded the choir loft by extending it forward.

We did all of this without missing a single Sunday Mass in the Church for the six months it took to do all of this.

Even more fascinating is that in order to expand the choir loft (which was an extremely small space) we had to slice the facade of the choir loft away from the wall, bring it forward about 20 feet and place it on scaffolding so that the addition to the floor could be made. Thus the facade of the choir loft, detached from the wall hanged over those coming and going from the church which has only one entrance and exit!

By the grace of God and everyone's Guardian Angel, no one was injured or killed!

MY DENTIST, WHO OFTEN GIVES ME HEADACHES, AND ALSO IS THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES FOR THE CATHEDRAL'S ANCIENT ORDER OF THE LATIN MASS, SENT ME THIS AND IT IS CLEVER!

 

I AM NOT ALWAYS A FAN OF BALDACCHINOS, BUT IN THIS MODERN SPACE IT SEEMS TO WORK, NO?

What I don't like about baldacchinos is that these tend to hem in the space of the altar and often the pillars block the view of the congregation.

But in this modern church, it works and it is quite lovely, no? While something like this would work in my church's modern building, what fascinates me more is the altar railing that was added and could easily be done at my church. I am not sure about the baldacchino in my church, though, but it might work. 

Please note the ambo too. Old priests need good knees to climb that!

Read the story at Liturgical Arts Journal:

Renaissance Art Flourishes at St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte, North Carolina

by John Paul Sonnen

Here are a couple of photos:

 

CHILDREN'S MASS BUT NOT A CHILDISH MASS

 This past Sunday's family oriented homily and Mass with children as the choir, lectors, greeters and participants:

WHAT A MESS AND I WONDER WHAT THE WAY OUT IS?

Pope Francis attends his weekly general audience, held in the Paul VI hall, at the Vatican Sept. 1. (AP /Andrew Medichini

There are two articles or commentaries in the National Chismatic Reporter (NCR) that should make Catholics scratch their head about the desire to return the Church to the failed 1970’s approach to Catholicism.

Let’s contextualize this by saying that Pope Francis recently said that His Holiness should have been more forthcoming about his infatuation with Vatican II in the 1960’s and especially once he was ordained in 1969, 11 year before I was. He loved that period of time and it continues to shape him, the late 1960’s and early 70’s prior to Pope John Paul II’s election—this is the crux of the problem that this pope has  created. He is trying desperately to get back to the heyday of his youth and thinks that moving forward, walking together means going back to that heady period of so many Catholics, especially bishops and priests of his age. 

That’s the context.

Then Jesuit Father Reese has a peculiar commentary in the NCR this morning giving five rules to disagree with this pope. Implicit in the five rules and the fact that a Jesuit is writing the commentary tells us that we are in a huge problem with the divisiveness this pope has created throughout his papacy.

You can read the commentary HERE.

But this says it all:

"I personally deserve attacks and insults because I am a sinner," said the pope, "but the church does not deserve them. They are the work of the devil."

He also complained of "clerics who make nasty comments about me." He admitted, "I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue."

Attacks on popes from clerics and the media are not new. These attacks come from the left or the right depending on who is pope.

While I find it unbecoming for a pope to be gossiping publicly about how poorly he is treated either by Raymond Aroyyo or certain clerics, His Holiness has made extremely nasty comments about priests and others who hold to traditional Catholic teaching and calls them rigid as though he is capable of making psychological assessments of vast groups of people. He has not answered the Cardinals that questioned his theology. He has dumped cardinals from their positions and not given them new ones. 

Has he ever met with traditional groups of Catholics who desire the older form of the Mass and went yearly to Rome and in large numbers and were welcome in St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the EF Mass there? No! Never! And His Holiness wonders why people are angry at him!

He has created the mess in the Church which we are now experiencing but he is blaming everyone else for it. That is what is so said. The Holy Father constantly projects onto others what he himself is responsible for causing. 

Then there’s this little ditty in the NCR today, which you can read here, about how unprepared America is for the pope’s self-referential synod on synods of all things as though anyone is really excited by this including aging hippie priests ordained in the 60’s:

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a religious studies professor at Manhattan College who teaches courses on Vatican II and contemporary Catholicism, told NCR that there are several factors to explain the tensions between Francis' vision of a synodal church and the church in the United States. Among them, she said, is a particular brand of clericalism where priests used to the style of ministry of the late Pope John Paul II effectively "are the ones running the church" in the country.

"Priests are not accustomed to collaborating with laypeople in this country, in part because the way we have tried to garner vocations has been to emphasize how set apart they are, and that’s a legacy of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who continued that," Imperatori-Lee said.

Thus, a major part of the full steam ahead to schism that Pope Francis has created is his repudiation of what Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI tried to accomplish—a correction of the path of the wrong headed 1960’s and 70’s spirit of Vatican II mentality that has and is destroying so much of authentic Catholic identity. No wondering people are so angry at Pope Francis and not just traditionalists. Of course most who are angry are social media nerds who read blogs. 

Then Cardinal Wilton Gregory seems to blame the victims of all of this unnecessary upheaval in the Church caused by the current pope when He says:

At a meeting of U.S. bishops' last June, Gregory spoke against such measures and warned that in his 38 years of being a bishop, he had never seen the bishops' conference so divided.

On Monday, he told NCR he stands by that assessment.

"I certainly do still see the divisions there and they trouble me," the cardinal said. "They sadden me."

The good Cardinal fails to criticize the one causing the divisions and the ones who are the victims of it are the ones who really want a unified Church which was occurring as a result of the last two popes, one who is still living to watch what is happening to that legacy. 

THE ANCIENT ORDER OF THE MASS AT THE CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

 The Latin Mass Community in Augusta gathered for its monthly Ancient Order Latin Mass this past Sunday. 

As you can see, this is an exquisite church to host this Mass as it was built for this Mass having been consecrated in April of 1863. The historic magnificent Jardine organ dates to the same period. 

I would say attendance is excellent, no?

PLEASE NOTE HOW VISIBLE THE ALTAR AND THE PRIEST ARE WITH THE TRADITIONAL ELEVATION OF BOTH!

FLOORS CLEANED AND SANITIZED FOR TODAY’S CHILDREN’S HOMILY

 

EVEN IF YOU ARE AN EXTREME DEMOCRAT AND TOTALLY OPPOSED TO FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IN A DERANGED, IDEOLOGICAL WAY, THIS VIDEO SHOULD MOVE YOU

 On Saturday night, former President Trump held a rally in my old stomping grounds, Perry, Georgia, just a few miles south of St. Joseph Church in Macon.

They say that former President Trump spoke for two hours at this rally in my former deanery. Can you imagine President Biden speaking for two hours straight and keeping people this enthralled? 

And didn’t the former president have his election stolen by fraud in the state of Georgia, not that I am saying that but I have heard others declare it so, but I digress. 

This clip of that rally is quite moving. It isn’t two hours but a few moments. The Lance Corporal who saved that infant at the Kabul Airport by pulling him up and over a wall is from Perry, Georgia. The former President asked him to say a few words. Brief he was but what he said was powerful:

TO KNEEL OR NOT TO KNEEL OR KNEELING AND NOT KNEELING AT THE SAME MASS…IS THAT DIVISIVE?

 

At my current and last parish, I allowed people to choose either to kneel or not to kneel to receive Most Holy Communion.

Prior to my implied permission to kneel, those who chose to kneel had to kneel on the hard floor and often it was difficult for them to arise, especially nursing mothers with child in arms. 

Thus I decided to place kneelers for them to kneel more easily and arise more easily, especially nursing mothers with child in arms. Providing kneelers was an act of extreme hospitality and inclusivity toward those on the periphery who prefer to kneel for Most Holy Communion. No?

The ideology behind the move to stand to receive Most Holy Communion and in the hand is that we are risen in Christ and the standing position signifies that. And we are adults not spoon fed by someone else as though a child, but we feed ourselves, thus the ideology of receiving in the hand. And of course the priest isn’t spoon fed at the altar but feeds himself, so the laity must also—clericalizing the laity, I would say, but I digress.

But isn’t a Catholic raised in Christ if they receive Most Holy Communion standing, kneeling, sitting or laying on their back on their death bed? Of course they are—thus proving that the demand that people uniformly stand to receive Most Holy Communion standing and in the hand is ideological. And is it humiliating to have Jesus spoon feed adults. Of course not! It is a wonderful gesture. 

Is it divisive to have people at the same Mass to either kneel or stand for Most Holy Communion? No, in my most humble non ideological truth. 

Thus, let’s restore altar railings where people can stand or kneel to receive Most Holy Communion and start using railings that are still present but left unused in a bizarre act of misuse of the environment!

CHILDREN'S’ HOMILIES, SHOULD WE HAVE THEM IN THE ANCIENT FORM?

 Our Cathedral’s First Holy Communion many moons ago:

WHOA! IT’S NOT JUST TRANSGENDERED MEN ENTERING THE SEMINARY THAT IS OF CONCERN, BUT THEN WE HAVE THIS IN ITALY

 Italy’s ‘pusher priest’ investigated over failure to disclose HIV status

By Elise Ann Allen

Sep 25, 2021

|Senior Correspondent

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WHEN AND WHY DID THE “MINISTERS OF LITURGICAL ENVIRONMENT” DECIDE IT WAS BEST TO CLUTTER SANCTUARIES WITH FLOWERS AND HIDE ALL THE LITURGICAL FURNISHINGS WITH THEM AND TO HAVE FREESTANDING CANDLESTICKS HEMMING IN THE ALTAR? WHEN AND WHY?

 

I was seduced by the post-Vatican II liturgical environmentalists to place tall candlesticks on the floor near or far from the altar and not having anything on the altar itself. Where did I get this? I know I didn’t become this creative on my own.

Now, after many years of rediscovering the genius of the pre-Vatican II altar arrangement, I have been converted to renounce my former ways. 

Gone from my parish church are the floor candles flanking the altar as though a casket in pre-Vatican II days. Gone to are floral arrangements placed directly in front of the altar or ambo. Of course, you never seen this done in front of the priest’s throne. 

Here are examples of post Vatican II liturgical environmentalists’ idea of good liturgical decorating:

My parish’s decorators have/had a tendency to plop down floral arrangements in front of the altar and ambo thus hiding these furnishings rather than highlighting them. I took these photos of floral and plant arrangements that highlight rather than obscure the altar and ambo and yet add living plants and flowers to the sanctuary:

A BOMBSHELL WOW! SECRETARY OF STATE, CARDINAL PAROLIN (IN A BID TO BECOME THE NEXT POPE?) CORRECTS POPE FRANCIS AND IMPLICITLY CRITICIZES THE POPE’S OFF THE CUFF GOSSIP AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES HE PROMOTES (SIMILAR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP) ABOUT THOSE WHO OPPOSE HIM AND PRE-CONCLAVE MEETINGS!

 Spin cycles surround Parolin’s ‘correction’ of Pope Francis

By John L. Allen Jr.

Sep 25, 2021

|Editor

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According to the report, Francis told his Slovak confreres that when he was hospitalized for colon surgery over the summer, “some people wanted me dead” and that some prelates even met at the time to organize a conclave, the event in which his successor will be elected.

That background explains why comments on Wednesday by Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and Pope Francis’s top aide, have become the hottest topic du jour on Italian blogs and in the media.

In effect, many commentators are suggesting Parolin disowned the boss, throwing cold water on the “enemies out to get him” aspect of the Francis narrative.

Parolin was asked about the pope’s words in Slovakia on the sidelines of a Rome summit of the European People’s Party, where Parolin had been invited to speak on the founding vision of the EU.

“The pope probably has information that I don’t have,” Parolin said in response.  “I honestly had not sensed this climate,” he added, referring to the anti-papal sentiment Francis described.

“Not having evidence to hand, I think perhaps it was a thing that concerned few people, that a few people had got this thing in their heads,” Parolin said. “The pope probably made these statements because he has knowledge that I have not received.”

Parolin also said he was not aware of any meetings among prelates to prepare the next conclave.

So, the great debate of the moment is, what to make of all that?

Writing on the Italian version of the Huffington Post, veteran Italian journalist and Vatican-watcher Maria Antonietta Calabrò argued a great deal should be made of it, calling Parolin’s public correction of the pope “unheard of.”

READ THE REST AT CRUX

BOMBSHELL! POPE FRANCIS APPROVES OF STATUS QUO FOR THE ANCIENT LATIN MASS CELEBRATED ALONG SIDE THE MODERN VERNACULAR MASS IN PARISHES!

 It sees the pope is becoming somewhat more pastoral towards traditionalists as he is toward homosexuals.

This is good news:

Pope Francis insisted during the audience that the key word in his motu proprio is the responsibility of bishops. The Archbishop of Lyon, who wanted to clarify this point, told the Pope that he felt it was important to take into account the specificities of their diocese, in other words, the more or less good relations they have with the "trad" communities, when making decisions. "We know very well that among those who are attached to the Extraordinary Form, there is a risk of separation for some," said Abp. Olivier de Germay. "But this is not the case for all." I said to him, "In Amoris Laetitia, you invite us to take into account the diversity of situations. Here, we should do the same thing." While he expected the pope to confirm this view, the latter, "said he agreed," concludes Abp. de Germay. "He sent us back to our role as bishops, telling us it was up to us to take responsibility."

 When asked by Abp. Aupetit if a parish where both forms of the rite were celebrated could continue to exist, the Pope also answered in the affirmative. The Parisian prelate acknowledged that the Pope's "decree" had "put things in order" and had allowed him to realize the existence of clandestine actions in his diocese. 

Read the rest at Rorate Caeli:

More Francis on "Traditionis custodes": To a new visiting group of French bishops, Francis says, "Yes, I did it thinking about the USA." (And additional important information.)

 

IT REALLY IS HARD TO TELL SOMETIMES

 But not in the case…

I hear from a reliable source that a priest in a certain diocese unknowingly presided at a “marriage” between two men, one “transgendered”. Not even the victim “spouse” knew and didn’t discover it for several months! This was a case of a man presenting himself “biologically” as a “woman.”

Of course this mockery was invalid as a sacrament and at the time even as a “civil marriage.” 

Thus I would not be surprised if some women who make themselves look like males and convincingly so, have be admitted to the seminary and “ordained.” Of course the ordination would be invalid. 

Let’s theorize: Let’s say a women disguised as a man does get “ordained” but this fact is not discovered for her entire “priesthood” and after have celebrated her 60th anniversary of faux ordination, she dies. Then it is discovered.

What to do about all the sacraments she celebrated that weren’t? 

Here’s the National Chismatic Reporter’s (NCR) report on women in the seminary:

Trans men 'unknowingly admitted' to Catholic seminaries, bishops' committee alleges

Sep 24, 2021

by Brian Fraga

A leader of the U.S. bishops' conference has written to Catholic prelates throughout the country, alleging that an unspecified number of transgender men have been "unknowingly admitted" to diocesan seminaries and houses of formation for religious orders. 

…In his recent memo, Listecki says his committee had been made aware of "instances where it had been discovered that a woman living under a transgendered identity" had been admitted to a seminary or a religious institute's house of formation.

In one instance, Listecki wrote, an individual's "sacramental records had been fraudulently obtained to reflect her new identity. In all instances, nothing in these individuals' medical or psychological reports had signaled past treatments or pertinent surgeries."

The archbishop also wrote that "luckily" each case of a transgender seminarian or religious in training had been discovered before they received the sacrament of Holy Orders.

And then there is this story from San Diego in 2020:

First nonbinary and trans Catholic priest ordained in San Diego’s Episcopal St. Paul’s Cathedral

February 7, 2020

More than 100 people gathered at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday, Feb. 1, to witness a historic event: the ordination of the first trans and nonbinary Catholic priest. Kori Pacyniak was welcomed into the priesthood by the small progressive international Roman Catholic WomenPriests (RCWP) movement.

A BOMBSHELL DISCLOSURE(S)? FROM THE NCR:

 

Cardinal Pell says he 'never really approved' of Benedict XVI's decision to resign

BY CHRISTOPHER WHITE

SEP 23, 2021

GOOD GRIEF! IF EVEN CARDINAL THE FRIENDLY PROGRESSIVE KASPER IS CONCERNED ABOUT GERMANY--HIS COUNTRY--WHY ISN'T THE POPE MORE FORCEFUL IN STOPPING THEM LIKE HE IS STOPPING TRADITIONAL MASSES?

 As though there isn't enough anger and polarization in the Church, everyone knows the synodal process is a process of politics with some winning and others losing. It's a sham! It's divisive and it is unnecessary!

Cardinal Kasper on German Synod: ‘Many Wonder Whether All This is Still Entirely Catholic’

In a Sept. 17 lecture in Rome, the German cardinal said the German path deviated from Vatican II especially in the area of “the sacramental understanding of the Church and the episcopate.”

EVEN THE NATIONAL CHISMATIC REPORTER (NCR) IS CYNICAL ABOUT THE SYNOD ON THE SYNOD ALTHOUGH IT TRIES TO PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON THIS WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY

My question is this, how many rank and file Catholics, be they poor clergy or the laity are interested in the synodal process and the synod on synod? Only those who have nothing better to do. It’s like the one half percent of Catholic laity who are professional Catholics either working for the Church or in some form of organized ministry who might be interested especially those on pastoral councils.  The 99 and 1/2 percent of Catholics who simply attend Mass and then go home and live their dreary lives, aren’t interested and could care less! 

Those Catholics taught the coloring book Catholicism of the 1970’s, the Catholicism of Kumbaya and let’s model ourselves after what the world is promoting, especially political parties and those heroes of our society, celebrities, these Catholics want folk Masses (or worship and praise to be hip about it) they want female ordination, same sex marriage and abortion on demand not to mention free contraception and the Church to provide it through her social services. 

But what the heck. Let’s have a synod on synods instead and let non-Catholics and the world dictate to us what we should do and they haven’t even had coloring book Catholicism!

Here’s the NCR’s editorial on synods on synods, which actually isn’t that bad:

Editorial: Let's give the Holy Spirit a chance at synod on synodality

I WONDER WHO HAS CAUSED ALL THIS POLARIZATION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND IT SEEMS TO ME TO BE SINCE 03/03/13 IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN

 This is the secular press’s take on Pope Francis’ complaining about the polarization His Holiness has created even with His Holiness’ cardinals and other bishops. With all the scandals in the Church and the loss of Catholic full, active and actual participation in the Mass and the Church in general, the Holy Father creates even more fodder for the world to show how inane the Church as become:

Pope jokes he’s ‘still alive’ against bishops’ wishes

BY ELLEN FRANCIS

THE WASHINGTON POST

Pope Francis has a message for his haters: “Still alive. Even though some people wanted me dead.”

Hundreds of Italians cheered for him under a Rome hospital balcony this summer. But not everybody was happy he made it out of colon surgery, the pontiff has quipped. Some of his foes held secret meetings about his health.

“I know that there were even meetings between prelates who thought the pope was in a more serious condition than what was being said,” he added in a meeting this month with Jesuits in Slovakia, after someone asked him how he was doing.

“They were preparing the conclave,” he said, referring to a meeting where a new pope is elected. “Patience! Thank God, I am well.”

At 84, the head of the Roman Catholic Church is back at work after spending 10 days at a hospital in July. The colon operation went smoothly, though it did revive questions about whether Francis would stay in his role. 

In his eight-year tenure, Francis’s more liberal overtones than the popes before him – from his invitation of LGBT advocates to the Vatican to his calls to welcome refugees – have stirred tensions with conservatives.

The post-op papal joke about bishops wishing him ill marked a frank acknowledgment of the forces within the church who are at odds with him.

One detractor Francis mentioned was “a large Catholic television (network) that constantly gossips” about him.

While he did not name names, Catholic TV network EWTN often features U.S. conservatives who oppose his warnings about climate change and voice anger at his new restrictions on the old Latin Mass.