OUCH!

 This is why the Vatican took down a listening Church’s on-line survey. I think it was too much Sensus Fidelium for them:

HMM! 🤔

 Olympic size power failure in Paris! Only building left shining in the darkness is The Basilica of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ!

HATRED OF GOD LEADS TO HATRED OF SELF AND OF OTHERS…

It is beyond me why the Olympic Committee thought it was good to showcase a decapitated Marie Antoinette and why they thought self-loathing and God loathing LGBTQFP++++ miscreants would be good entertainment for an athletic event by blaspheming the Last Supper. It blows one’s mind.

But there you have it.

They hate God; they hate themselves, thus the disfigurement of their gender and of their bodies and they hate you and me.

Pray for them! Ask God’s mercy for them. Fast and abstain for them. God’s grace can crack their hatred and help them return to sanity and self-respect, respect for other and love for God. 

Sinners they are in need of God’s mercy and salvation. 

A VERY NICE REDECORATION OF AN A-FRAME CHURCH BUILDING, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, ONE MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR FLAW OR TWO!

 These are photos of Saint Mary of the Assumption in Taylor, Texas (not Tyler):

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The redecoration of Saint Mary of the Assumption Church is beautiful, especially in an A-Frame building. 

But and there are two buts:

But Number 1: the freestanding new altar is nice. But it is way, way, way too low, meaning three steps below the altar that is behind it, which, btw, is exactly the right height! That new free standing altar is only two steps up from the nave of the church. In a full church, the only people that will be able to see the new altar are the people in the first pew. What were they thinking? If the new free standing altar had been place on the same level as the attached altar table, that problem would be solved. What were they thinking?

But Number 2: the ambo/pulpit is beautiful. But look at how it hides the new free standing altar. It appears to me that a priest or layperson standing in the pulpit would be the right height and seen very well as it is the same height as the third step to the old attached altar. What were they thinking when they made the pulpit higher than the free standing new altar? Why oh Lord! Why?

You can read the full article and more photos at the Liturgical Arts Journal HERE. 

WHAT THE H?????? THIS IS FROM VATICAN NEWS AND IS CALLED VATICAN ART! WHAT THE H????

 

Vatican Pavilion at the Venice Biennale continues its journey

The Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education illustrates the ongoing events and initiatives of the Holy See Pavilion at Venice’s Giudecca Women’s Prison including the publication of a catalogue and screening of a short film. 

By Vatican News

The Holy See Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia continues its displays, workshops and visits in the in city’s Giudecca Women’s Prison with more events running until 24 November. 

Entitled “With My Own Eyes”  the Pavilion is dedicated to the theme of human rights and people living on the margins of society, and seeks to draw the world’s attention to those people who are largely ignored while fostering a culture of encounter. The unique context allows artistic experiences to be intertwined with the daily lives of the inmates, offering a space for expression and dialogue through internal workshops and guided tours open to the public.

Since its official opening, on April 20, the eight artists involved in the project (Maurizio Cattelan, Claire Fontaine, Bintou Dembélé, Simone Fattal, Sonia Gomes, Marco Perego and Zoe Saldana, Claire Tabouret, and with the collaboration of the Corita Art Center) and the inmates, supported by the curators, the educators and the prison officers, have carried out a series workshops that dialogue and complete the exhibition (free guided tours for the public continue at 10am, 11am, 3pm, and 4pm, every day, except on Wednesdays, and booking is required at least 48 hours in advance).

See the entire Vatican News story HERE.

THIS WOULD BE FUNNY IF IT WASN’T SO UNFUNNY! YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP BUT THANK GOD FOR THE SENSUS FIDELIUM!

The Vatican, which these days does not have very many bright bulbs or faithful Catholics, put up an on-line poll to find out what those on social media think about synodality.

I have written before and will write again that many in the Vatican in high places in running the synod on synodality seldom if ever speak about God, either as a Trinity, or Jesus alone and there is never any talk about repentance, a new way of life in accord with Jesus. There is nothing about the Blessed Mother or any of the saints and no talk about the glory of heaven, which is meant to be our destination as Catholics.

Let me add, that Pope Francis does talk about Trinitarian beliefs, the Blessed Mother, salvation and the dark side of that of the devil and his abode. But the heads of the Synod on synodality, not so much if at all. 

Instead, for these dim bulbs,  synodality is held up as a false god in and of itself and conversion to synodality is the goal. Yes you read that correctly, CONVERSION to synodality is the goal.

You don’t believe me? Well read the question put on an on-line survey of what Catholics think about synodality. The question would be funny if is weren’t so unfunny.

But this is where the Holy Spirit and the Sensus Fidelium jumps in and saves the day. Far more, and I mean far more Catholics said that synodality does not help them whatsoever and that they couldn’t care less about it. 

This matches my findings. Less that 1% of worldwide Catholics give a flipping damn about synodality. They know it appeals only to that less than 1% of elite Catholics enthused about it because they can change the Church into their own image and ideology. Faithful Catholics abhor the whole thing and fear the dictatorship of synodality shoved down our throats as a false god, just as Vatican II was worshipped for a few decades after the council until Jesus stopped it only to have that worship return in the last 13 years. 

You can read Crux full article on this yet again Vatican debacle HERE.

Here, though, it the question from a poll which was then taken down by the Vatican when the answer did not go their preconceived way:

Published the morning of July 25, the poll asked the question, “Do you believe that synodality as a path of conversion and reform can enhance the mission and participation of all the baptized?” It offered either “yes” or “no” as a response. And NO, NO, NO, won out as “yes” was beaten to death. Thank you Jesus!”

LITURGICAL AND DEVOTIONAL RENEWAL, NOT REFORM…

 This was a recent, very recent, Holy Hour at St. Anne Church in Richmond Hill. There was Solemn Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

This is a renewal of the posture for adoration for those laity who chose to do so. It is the declericcalization of this posture of piety. 

St. Anne Church celebrates all of its Masses, except for one Sunday Mass, ad orientem and the laity receive Holy Communion at the brand spanking new Communion Rail kneeling or standing.

IT ISN’T THE FORM OF THE LITURGY THAT UNITES ROMAN CATHOLICS, EAST, WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH…

IT IS JESUS CHRIST, CRUCIFIED AND RISEN, TRULY AND TRANSUBTANTIALLY PRESENT IN THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST OFFERED DURING THE GLORIFIED AND UNBLOODY HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS IN WHATEVER VALID FORM THAT MASS OR DIVINE LITURGY TAKES! ENOUGH SAID!

Here is a portion of an Our Sunday Visitor article that makes that point brilliantly as it concerns the now completed Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis:

The recent National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis was nothing short of a monumental success for the Church in the United States. It was a historic gathering that shattered barriers and brought together diverse segments of our Catholic community in an unprecedented way.

For too long, the Church in the United States has struggled with ideological echo chambers that have fostered division and misunderstanding. Often those ideologies are presented under the guise of liturgical preference. The National Eucharistic Congress, however, proved to be a powerful antidote to this fragmentation. The gathering drew a wide spectrum of Catholics, from Traditional Latin Mass devotees and members of Eastern Catholic churches to charismatics and more. This was not just a meeting of minds but a communion of hearts, united in love for the Eucharist and the Catholic Church.

READ THE REST THERE…

My comments:

The article states that there were Eastern Rite Catholics present with Eastern Rite Liturgies celebrated. Of particular note was the Syro-Malabar Liturgy that was celebrated for 25,000 Catholics and celebrated  ad orientem as Pope Francis demands that it be celebrated, warning priests who don’t that they may be excommunicated. 

Also allowed, thanks be to God and His glory, was the Ancient Traditional Latin Mass in a church filled to capacity with and overflow outside. 

There were Novus Ordo Masses with a variety of musical styles, Gospel music being quite notable, as well as, charismatic Catholics with their style of liturgy and liturgical expression. 

And all who were there, over 50,000 Catholic Faithful of the East and the West were united not by the form of the Liturgy but by Jesus Christ present, truly present, as well as His one glorified Sacrifice on the Cross. He unites us, not the form of the Liturgy. But the liturgy must be valid and it must be licit! It must be reverent, not banal and pedestrian.

The Vatican needs to wake up to this truth. May I be as bold to say that the Most Holy Spirit was speaking to all Catholics about what I just wrote and especially to a tone deaf Vatican where many in high places, to include the pope, think the Novus Ordo is the uniting liturgy for the entire Church. How ridiculous! 

INSTAGRAM ‘REEL” NAILS IT! BUT WILL THE YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART BE INSPIRED BY IT? SHOULD WE WALK DOWN THIS PATH OF PROMOTING THE TRUE CHURCH?

To  evangelize the young and the young at heart, should we, as Catholic and as the Church, go down this path?

Push title for Instagram link:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS…

O SALUTARIS HOSTIA!

One of my former parishioners in Richmond Hill sent me this photo and explanation of it. She says that this is the end of the Procession the Blessed Sacrament was in Exposition on the terrace of the war memorial in Indianapolis ….. very moving….. tens of thousands of people on their knees on the plaza and in the park.

The voices of thousands singing o salutaris hostia and the Tantum ergo.

We saw Bishop Stephen Parkes walking in the procession 😊

VERY TASTEFUL AND NOT OVERDONE!

 Some of the restorations I have seen in the last few years see to me like the pendulum swinging from the extreme of austere, puritanical wreckovations to way to ornate and fussy recoveries of what the decorators thought was the case in pre-Vatican II times. Very often it is way too much and distracting to me, at least.

Other decorations in modern churches seem to impose an incongruent design on a modern structure thus creating quite a clash of styles, very distracting to say the least. 

This is Sacred Heart Church, one of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius’ parishes Springfield, Illinois. I am sure you will agree with me that it is very tastefully decorated:

This Sacred Heart Church in Springfield, Illinois is very similar to Sacred Heart Church in Savannah, Georgia where the TLM is celebrated each Sunday at 1 pm. Unfortunately, Savannah’s Sacred Heart underwent a horrible wreckovation shortly after Vatican II. This is what it looked like prior to that wreckovation:

This is how it looks today:

Although, Savannah’s Sacred Heart doesn’t have stained glass windows above the altar and never did, like Sacred Heart in Springfield, but Sacred Heart in Springfield is a good template for the restoration of Sacred Heart in Savannah one day, when a benefactor pays for it!

THE EUCHARISTIC LITURGY, AKA, THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS FOR THE 9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 And miracles of miracles! Blogspot seems to have fixed how photos are posted! They now appear in the proper order in which I inputted them! In the past, I would input fotos in the order I wanted them and then when I went to publish the post, the photos were all out of order. Praise be Jesus Christ for this fix!

THE YOUTHFUL FACE OF CATHOLIC CLERGY…

 This photo was taken after Sunday’s Traditional Latin Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Savannah for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost. On the left is Fr. Kevin O’Keefe, pastor of Sacred Heart and on the right, is Abbe Michael Dirksen, a seminarian in his last year of studies for the priesthood. He is a member of Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest which specializes in the traditional Latin Liturgies of the Church.  The youngest of the three, who is in the center, is Fr. Allan J. McDonald.

CALL ME PRE-VATICAN II! GO AHEAD, CALL ME PRE-VATICAN II! I CAN TAKE IT!

With the current pontificate’s recovery of so much of the 1970’s mentality and ideologies, one of them that is recovered is the demonization of those who were considered pre-Vatican II Catholics in the 1970’s. As I have written before, being called “pre-Vatican II” back in the 1970’s was like using the “n” word toward these Catholics. 

So call me the Catholic “n” word. I am a pre-Vatican II Catholic as I was born into the pre-Vatican II Church in January of 1954 when I was baptized in Naples, Italy. I made my First  Confession and Holy Communion in the pre-Vatican II Church in Augusta, Georgia in 1961 and I was Confirmed there when I was in the 4th grade in 1962. 

Yes, you read that correctly! I was completely initiated into the Pre-Vatican II Church through Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. 

BUT HERE IS THE POINT OF MY PRE-VATICAN II IDENTITY

The other night I spoke on the phone to a young Catholic in his early 20’s. He drives to Jacksonville, Florida from the Savannah area to attend the SSPX Sunday Mass there because he can’t stand any Novus Ordo Mass.

He asked me what I thought about that and I told him my mind as a pre-Vatican II Catholic.

I said I would never step foot into that Church when there are Catholic Masses within my parish boundaries that I can attend, Masses that are valid, regardless of how well or how poorly these are celebrated. If it is valid, I will attend only those Masses that are under the jurisdiction of the local bishop in union with the pope. 

I would only attend an SSPX Mass if there were no choices under the jurisdiction of the local bishop in union with the pope. 

Being Catholic means being in full communion with the Supreme Pontiff and the local bishop of the area in where I am geographically. 

When I was a child in my pre-Vatican II Church, I told my dad that I had looked into the Episcopal Church down the road from our Catholic parish and where we lived. I told him it looked like our parish church, with the six tall candlesticks on the altar and a crucifix over the altar.

He was livid. He said to me that I should not even have looked inside that church through its glass doors, similar to the doors of my parish church.

And thus you see where I am coming from as a pre-Vatican II Catholic. I would never go to a “valid” but “illicit” Mass that is not under the full communion of the Catholic Church and her pope and bishops. 

Enough said!

HEY! LET'S GET POLITICAL, POLITICAL, YES, LET'S GET POLITICAL...

Faith and politics can never be separated for faithful, thoughtful and thinking Catholics. Many are lamenting the two choices, three if you count Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., that are running for the office of Presidency. 

With a population around 300 million people, many are asking can't we don't better and with a better slate of candidates?

But who wants to run? Only those extroverted enough to cater to the big bucks donors they need to run a campaign. Money speaks, not mom and pop from bread and butter America, but special interest groups that have mega bucks. These monied groups have enough clout to overrule a primary process not to mention a fair and free election!

Wouldn't it better to allot certain bucks from the government for legitimate candidates to run for office during the primary and then the lead up to the actual election so that there isn't reliance on special interest groups and their ability to buy political candidates?

Let me speak of President Biden first. He is the Democrat presidential candidate as determined by the primary season and more than likely, if he doesn't give into those trying to pressure him to get out of the race, he will be confirmed as the Democrat presidential candidate at the Democrat's National Convention in August. 

But therein lies the corruption. Leading Democrats and they money-backed supporters are trying to pressure the sitting President to get out of the race. Why? Because polls say he can't win. It isn't because he has dementia and maybe other health issues related to age, it is because the big money backers are pulling their money and polls show he can't win, this late in the game. 

It's as though we are experiencing a coup in real time in order to thwart the electors, meaning the country and the electoral college from determining who will be the next president. It is clearly election interference calling into question our election process. 

And now former President Trump. Say what you want about him, he is where he is because of the primary process, and if President Biden prevents a "coup" against him, Trump may well win the presidential election fair and square.

But look at how impeachment was weaponized against Trump during his first term to get him out of an office he won fair and square, a political coup with the cover of the constitution. It didn't work.

Or look at the weaponization of the legal system to convict Trump and put him into prison or manipulate voters to vote for someone else. That is a legal coup!

Big money and political elitists don't trust our election process, neither the actual voters or the electoral process. 

Whether you are a Biden supporter or Trump supporter, all of this must be of concern for us as Americans.

Now for the Catholic prospective on the two main candidates we have for the presidency: both are loved by God and both are showered with God's love. For Trump, who has no real religious affiliation or communal worship, Catholics believe that Our Lady of Fatima could have guided the bullet or the head of President Trump to avoid a gunshot leading to his death. Why would God do this or allow our Blessed Mother to do it? Because God is Missionary and an Evangelist. His grace His freely given to the deserving and undeserving, to all people, regardless of their religion or lack thereof.

The same is for President Biden. Maybe God can bring good out of what he is experiencing by God's grace and our Blessed Mother's assistance. Maybe President Biden will repent of his rabid pro-choice politics that has enabled the murder of so many more babies than perhaps would have not take place if Biden were a witness to his Catholic Faith, which he practices by going to Mass each weekend. 

And of course, we know as Catholics, that when much is given to us, in terms of the Catholic Faith we say we practice, much is expected and culpability for failing in the practice of our faith is greater than for those who are not Catholic. Just saying.

ALL ARE CATHOLIC AND THUS ALL MUST BE WELCOMED, NO MATTER THE RITE OR RITES WITHIN RITES, EAST, WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH

Ever since Vatican II, bishops, especially the various Bishops of Rome, have touted that the Church finds her unity in diversity. We don’t need rigid flexibility that excludes the TLM while embracing the various African and Amazon Rites that are emerging not to mention free-wheeling, rubricless Novus Ordo Masses. 

I was thrilled to see that at the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, that the TLM was allowed to be celebrated in a large church that was too small to accommodate all the young Catholic who wanted to attend. There was an overflow outside the Church with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass live-streamed to those outside. 

The key words are that the Mass was overflowing with young people. For the pope and the Vatican disasteries to suppress something that is attracting a certain kind of young person looking to the Church and Jesus for direction and security in their lives within the context of their generation of Catholics leaving the Church for something else or nothing, it is breath taking and so opposed to the missionary and evangelizing nature of the Church. 

The pope and the Vatican must stop it and stop it now!

My recommendation is to return to Summorum Pontificum but emphasize the local bishop’s role in protecting the full communion of the Church within his diocese although there will be liturgical diversity. But make sure bishops in the Church are as zealous at supervising errant celebrations of the Novus Ordo that verges on schism as they are at micro managing the TLM. Is that too much to ask?

A MUST SEE?

 Scheduled to be released November 1, the movie follows the fictional Cardinal Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) as he arranges the election of a new pope after the mysterious death of the pervious one, who kept a dark secret.  In theaters only…

SAINT ANNE CHURCH IN RICHMOND HILL, GEORGIA GETS AN ALTAR RAILING!

BEFORE: 

AFTER: