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Friday, December 31, 2021

WHEN A CONGLOMERATE BUYS OUT YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER!

 



In the front page photo of Augusta’s riots in May of 1970, my future parish of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity is the steeple on the right side of the photo. I was in the 11th grade when this occurred but living in the suburbs where we were not affected except for closure of schools and nighttime curfews. I also worked at the Dairy Queen at that time on the opposite side of town from where I lived with my parents. 

Since I grew up in Augusta and still feel an affinity for it, I get the local paper there which has been in existence since the 1700’s and is touted as “The south’s oldest newspaper”. It is the Augusta Chronicle.

Up until a few years ago, it was locally owned by an Augusta tycoon and media giant. He owned the Augusta paper, Savannah’s paper, Palm Beach’s paper and many others through the country. He owned TV stations away from Augusta too. 

Then he sold it to a company outside of Augusta who almost immediately was acquired by USA Today!

The paper is horrible now, although I continue to get it on line. 

But get this, on Christmas Day, there was no print edition or on-line edition.

And get this, today, New Year’s Eve, there is no paper. 

It’s the end of the world and local news as we new it. And yes, USA Today pushes ideologies alien to southern and Augusta culture. Unbelievable. 

WHAT AN INSULT TO WOMEN AND WHAT KIND OF ALTERNATE UNIVERSE IS THIS

 


This might as well be “black face” a white person feigning being a black person or delusionally declaring they are and then the media saying this black person has won more money on jeopardy than any other black person in the history of the show. If that isn’t an insult to blacks, I don’t know what is.

Yet, ABC nightly news echoing other news outlets declared this absurdity on their show Wednesday night:

Amy Schneider continues streak as highest-earning and longest-winning woman in "Jeopardy!"


Amy Schneider is now the highest-earning female contestant in the show's history, according to the show's website. Schneider has earned $831,600 besting Larissa Kelly's previous high of $655,930.
Schneider also surpassed Julia Collins for consecutive wins.

The truth of the matter is that Amy is a biological man, but prefers to identify as a female, like a biologically white person in black face identifying as African American.

And thus we have other absurdities , insulting to biological women of men in “female face” winning sporting events and being touted as the most record breaking “women” in the sport’s history.

It’s a lie, an insult to biological women and immoral gender ideology. 

And ABC glories in it just as so many racists in the south prior to desegregation gloried in the falsehood of “separate but equal”. 

Thursday, December 30, 2021

DON’T PUT STUFF IN FRONT OF, BESIDE OR AROUND THE ALTAR

 With free standing altars, the biggest mistake church decorators make during the various liturgical seasons is to place stuff in front of the altar which obscures or hides the altar.

PLEASE NO NATIVITY SETS IN FRONT OF THE ALTAR!

PLEASE, NO FORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN FRONT OF, BESIDE OR AROUND THE ALTAR!

PLEASE, NO FLOOR CANDLESTICKS AROUND THE ALTAR!

The free standing altar should be framed and highlighted not cluttered and obscured and certainly no nativity sets in front of the altar. Let me repeat that, no nativity sets in front of the altar. 

I feel better now:

The uncluttered free standing altar is beautiful without clutter around it, like nativity sets:




WHEREIN I AGREE WITH RITA FERRONE EXCEPT WHEN I DON’T

 



Rita Ferrone of Praytell has a commentary on Pope Francis’ vision for the liturgy which indeed is rooted not only in post-Vatican II sensibilities but also in the era just prior to the Second Vatican Council.

You can read her take on Pope Francis as a liturgical pope by pressing the title below:

Francis, Liturgical Pope: On the Relationship of Liturgy to Life

My comments: I believe that full, conscious and active participation was being promoted before the Second Vatican Council along with the connection between Mass and one’s daily life and the parish’s/Church’s daily life collectively. Actual participation was demanded in the pre-Vatican II Church-you were obligated under the penalty of mortal sin to be at Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Actual participation by being physically present was demanded!

I remember in the late 1950’s being given my St. Joseph Missal to bring to Mass with me which translated the Latin into English. While we weren’t asked to participate in the Latin, as I recall, i could be wrong, we were encouraged to follow the Mass. 

In Augusta in the early 60’s an Italian friend of my mom who attended our parish, and who spoke no English, would recite the Roman Canon in Latin as the priest was praying it. In our small church we could hear him although he spoke in a low voice and without a microphone. We could hear our Italian friend too!

Where I disagree with Rita and controlling liturgists is that there has to be room for people at Mass who prefer to zone out, pray the rosary or do something else. We must be inclusive of them and not marginalize them. We must not marginalize young people who prefer the older liturgy, its history, ceremony, complicated rubrics and Latin. Controlling post-Vatican II liturgists have pushed these kinds of people out of parishes and have participated in making them “nones”! They want to do it again today. 

I can remember feeling judged and humiliated by post-Vatican II liturgical police who were priests too. I saw one priest shove a hymnal in a parishioner’s hand to make him sing the processional hymn! I have seen priests refuse Holy Communion to those who wanted to kneel and refused to say “amen”! I have seen priests force Communion into someone’s hand who wanted to receive on the tongue and I have seen priests force parishioners to receive on the tongue rather than the hand.

What I like about the EF Mass is that the priest does not become a liturgical terrorist concerning the laity gathered behind him and facing the same direction. He knows not what is going on behind him. For all he knows people might be sticking their tongues out at him, watching their social media (which is a problem today in the post-Vatican II Mass) or doing something altogether immoral like copulating in the aisles. 

Of course, what I just wrote is nonsense. But prior to Vatican II and afterwards, people come late for Mass and leave early. They might be fully engaged in the Mass or maybe not. 

And their lives and the life of the parish might be very Catholic or lukewarm or alien to what it means to be a Catholic, but today, if they are Mass, no matter what their lives are like, they receive Holy Communion because everyone else is doing so even though they may actually be living agnostic lives. 

Can we control people? No, but liturgists and perhaps this pope would like to do so. 

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO’S SAINT SABINA’S CHURCH AND SAINT JOHN CANTIUS CHURCH—DEAR GOD SAVE US FROM WHAT IS INCREDIBLE!

 


MAYBE I AM PREJUDICE, BUT THIS SAINT ANNE ORDINARY FORM NUPTIAL MASS IS BEAUTIFUL...

 



In this Octave of Christmas, Wednesday, December 29th, we celebrated a nuptial Mass for two of my army parishioners, Christopher and Angelica Winterle, stationed at Fort Stewart. They are both from Guam or Guamanians. Many family came from Guam for the Nuptials.

The Island, a US Territory has a Spanish heritage and thus they requested the "velo" and "Arras" as a part of the vows.

THIS IS GREAT! THE OLDER LITURGICAL BOOKS? NO!

 Is he a laicized priest, inquiring minds want to know?


ARE THE OLD LITURGICAL BOOKS AND THE PRE-VATICAN II EXPRESSION OF THE CHURCH STUMBLING BLOCKS TO THE NEW GNOSTICISM THAT ELITISTS IN THE CHURCH WANT TO FOIST ON THE CHURCH?

 


Ever since Pope Francis has been pope he has consistently criticized, ostracized and condemned “rigid Catholics” or “rigidity”. He sees it as a stumbling block for the synodality he proposes and the “God of Surprises” that this new Gnosticism will expose. 

Ever since I’ve been a priest, to combat heretical voices in the Church, when I teach religion education classes, like RCIA, I emphasize that all Catholic teachings are out in the open and can be discovered by anyone willing to find those teachings. These are contained in the Deposit of Faith, the Scripture and Tradition of the Church and the Church’s perennial magisterium. 

No one in the Church, be he the pope or a lay person has an inside track or knowledge about the Church that isn’t available to anyone else. 

I can’t help but think that the current papal phobia toward the older liturgical books and Pope Benedict’s vision of the hermeneutic of continuity in terms of how to interpret Vatican II is that both the pre-Vatican II Church and her liturgical books assure orthodoxy. In this sense, there is a rigidity against heterodoxy and novelty. 

The greatest heterodoxy is Gnosticism. 

Where will synodality lead us? Just look at the Anglican Communion and all that it allows and supports which is a far cry from the out in the open Deposit of Faith of the Catholic Church. They have become Gnosticism personified. 

And how do you promote this new Gnosticism? You marginalize the rigid and accompany them to this new Gnosticism where they humbly genuflect to the elitists who know something they don’t know and promote something that has no basis in the Deposit of Faith or discovered by anyone because it is out in the open available to all not just an elite group. 

AS CATHOLICS, ARE THE LITURGICAL BOOKS THE SOURCE OF OUR UNITY OR IS IT JESUS CHRIST—I HOPE A SECOND GRADER COULD ANSWER THIS QUESTION CORRECTLY!

 




There is definitely a rigidity in progressive Catholic’s thinking as illustrated by Pope Francis and Cardinal Cupich. This is what Cardinal Cupich says about Catholic unity as he quotes Pope Francis to support his thesis:

The guiding principle for receiving and implementing (Pope Francis’) Motu Proprio must be the unity of the Church and the recognition that the Second Vatican Council and its reforms are not only an authentic action of the Holy Spirit but also are in continuity with the Tradition of the Church. This recognition means the full acceptance that “the liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul Vi and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decree of the Second Vatican Council, are the unique expression of the Lex Orandi of the Roman Rite. Thus Pope Francis declares, “we can affirm with certainty and with magisterial authority that the liturgical reform is irreversible.”

My comments: Where do I start. First, I believe, as the Church teaches, that the post Vatican II Mass and other liturgical rites are the “normal” lex orandi of the Church and are as valid as the pre-Vatican II liturgical rites or books. Let’s be clear about that.

Pope Benedict with his Motu Proprio made it clear that the older rite was not to be the “normal or ordinary rite of the Church, but extraordinary or outside the norm.” But Pope Benedict wanted the principle of the so-called irreversible Liturgical reforms to be one of continuity not rupture, one of unity not division between the pre-Vatican II Church and the Post Vatican II expression of the Church! Pope Benedict makes sense and has common sense as well as an intellectual superiority over the others voices claiming the opposite. 

This is where I take exception of Cardinal Cupich and would like to call him out. Our unity as Catholics is not based on liturgical books! What the hell is he thinking? Our unity as Catholics is based upon Jesus Christ the invisible Head of the Church. The Pope is the visible head but must humbly place himself in second place before God!

All Catholics united under the Bishop of Rome are united not because of the so called “irreversible reformed liturgical books of Vatican II” but because of Jesus Christ, no matter the liturgical books that are used as long as these are valid. 

Are Eastern Rite Catholics less united to Latin Rite Catholics because they have pre-Vatican II Liturgical Books of the East? What nonsense to even suggest that they aren’t because of their liturgical heritage!

Are Ordinariate  Catholics less in union with the Church headed by the Pope because their liturgical books are different?

Once again, I ask the pope and the bishops in union with him to stop undermining their authority with stupid ideological statements about our unity being based on liturgical books—it is Jesus Christ pure and simple no matter the liturgical books used in the East and West.


Tuesday, December 28, 2021

IN CHICAGO THE ANTECEDENT MASS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM BUT NOT THE “MASS” AT SAINT SABINA—WHEN CHURCH LEADERS LIVE IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

 


The outrage pictured above brings no sledge hammer to end this schism in Chicago (press the Facebook link:)

https://fb.watch/aaDCledp9Z

No, for Cardinal Cupich and the Vatican, the Antecedent Mass is the problem and rates the most universal severe ire of bishops and Vatican News congratulates Cardinal Cupich for his pastoral “inclusivity”:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-12/cardinal-cupich-chicago-policy-traditionis-custodes-1962-missal.html

Even if you care not for the Antecedent Mass, one has to see the hypocrisy and disconnect in all of this—it is a scandal to say the least. 

Monday, December 27, 2021

MY SADNESS AT CUSTODIS TRADITIONIS OR “CUSSING TRADITION” AS IT IS KNOWN IN SOME PARTS…

Yes, Virginia, the Ordinariate Mass is very much a post-Vatican II Mass, that actually follows Sacrosanctum Concilium. Will it's ethos be extended to the rest of the Roman Rite? This is a third usage of the one Latin Rite, it is not a seperate rite. For us normal Catholics, the current post Vatican II Latin Rite Mass could follow the set up of the Ordinariate's Roman Missal. Allow for the PATFOTA, make the Missal look like the 1962 Roman Missal as does the Ordinariate's; restore the older Offertory Prayers as an option, the tripple Domini Nom Sum Dignus and restor pre-Vatican II rubrics to the Roman Canon and other areas of the Mass--this would still be a post-Vatican II Mass!



Those who desire the older form of the Mass, now known as the antecedent Mass, are a small group of mostly young people. They don’t long for the pre-Vatican II Church, they long for beautiful liturgy that brings them inspiration and enables them to contemplate the magnificence of God. They want clarity from the Church to help them to live Catholic lives in an inhospitable environment. They want many children and don’t want the Church to marginalize them as the culture does. 

And this small group—they get canceled by the highest human authority in the Church. And in doing so, this high authority shows a duplicity and hypocrisy when it comes to His Holiness’ agenda of accompaniment, listening and welcoming inconclusivity. You just can’t make this stuff up unless you have bought into the “spirit” of Vatican II hook, line and sinker. 

But I admit, that for most Catholics, Custodes Traditionis or “cussing tradition” is not even a blip on their radar screen. Most Catholics throughout the world don’t attend Mass, so they don’t care one way or the other. And that small percentage who still regularly attend Mass are about 5% to 25% of the Catholic population, depending where you live. More conservative dioceses and regions have a higher Mass attendance, which should tell the powers that be, something!

But my greatest sadness is based on what I personally thought Summorum Pontificum would lead to, a return to one post-Vatican II Latin Rite Mass that actually followed the conservative agenda of Sacramentum Concilium. 

What would that have been? Noble simplicity (but qualified and explained better then it has been or experienced), loss of useless repetition, like the many refrains of the Responsorial psalm or hymns with refrains, some vernacular while maintaining Latin for the majority of the Mass—like the Liturgy of the Word in the vernacular or the changing parts of the Mass.

Also priests who celebrate the older form of the Mass bring the dignity and ethos of reverence to their manner of celebrating the post-Vatican II Mass. I hate that this will not continue with newly ordained priests being allowed to celebrate liberally the older form. That bud has be nipped!

I also thought the Propers would once again become mandatory in the post-Vatican II Mass. The Benedictine altar arrangement would be canonized for Masses facing the people but ad orientem would become the norm. And kneeling for Holy Communion and at the altar railing would be reestablished.

I also prayed for clarity of liturgical roles and that the laity not be clericalized at Mass and the clergy laicized. 

But most of all, I hoped that SP would lead to a predictable Mass where you knew what you would get and there were no “gods” of surprises contained in it. 

But alas, cussing tradition will prevent Pope Benedict’s agenda in the short run from being established but I pray not in the long run. 


COVID AND LITURGICAL ODDS AND ENDS

 Just between you and me, I am a beach bum now that I live near a beach, and at the beach, the bum in me has come forward. It was 78 degrees on Hilton Head Island on the day after Christmas and 74 on Christmas Day:


Speaking of Covid, our crowds were big, especially Christmas Day. But we are not back to pre-Covid crowds at Christmas. My first two years at Saint Anne’s 2016 and 17, we had two Christmas Eve Masses and both were standing room only. 

We have added a third Christmas Eve Mass, one a midnight and the crowds were respectable. Having three has diluted the others, but still respectable in a church that seats 1,000. 

Our Christmas Day Mass has always been very well attended. It is at 9 AM. And while we canceled Saturday’s Vigil on Christmas Day, our two Sunday Masses for Holy Family were well attended and I thought it was great having back to back obligatory Mass days during the Octave of Christmas. 

About Christmas and Covid, I wrote this on my facebook page which garnered many positive comments from fellow southerners:

The day after Christmas and it is 78! Glad to live in the south. Had visitors at Mass from California and northern progressive places and they were shocked about how nonchalant we are about Covid, especially in Richmond Hill. They are still shaking in their boots! I would say less than 1% wear masks to Mass and that has been throughout the pandemic. And southern cases, especially now, are lower than in the police states. We are living the new normal and not as prisoners of political and “scientific” ideologies. 

And omicron in our neck of the woods is no worse than a bad sinus cold and nothing like the flu. People get sick and they recover, some die from a common virus or cold. That’s life and death!  Catholics and all people of good will must be ready for the four last things: death, judgement, heaven and hell. It’s all coming to a conclusion, including the good earth, either by climate change or some other man made disaster or an act of God…








Saturday, December 25, 2021

CHRISTMAS PAST…

 





CHRISTMAS FAMILY MASS WITH CHILDREN’S PAGEANT AS A PRELUDE

 I input these in the proper sequence but they get mixed up at posting. Oh well, you get the pictures…






















INTERESTING!

 Bishop Guido Marini preaches Christmas Mass with miter and crozier from his cathedra in Cortona.

No Benedictine altar arrangement yet…

And when you look at the high altar, you scratch your head about the box in front of it taking up all the space in the sanctuary and making it look cluttered…

Female altar servers…

Who would have thought?