SO YOU LIKE TRADITIONAL CHURCHES!

Some of the churches below have great altar and church decorations. Shall I import them to St. Joseph Church?

WHY IN THE WORLD DO CATHOLICS SING "AMAZING GRACE" DURING MASS???

Throughout my 30 years of priesthood, I've tried to connect people with our Catholic identity. The primary place that we experience our Catholic identity is at Mass. But when it comes to music at Mass in the last 40 years, Catholic identity has been thrown out the window with vapid songs like "Leaping the Mountains," "The Father Will Dance" and "On Eagle's Wings." I'm sorry if any of these are your favorites. We've also imported Protestant hymns into the Mass. Some of these are far better than the contemporary drivel we get from Catholic publishing houses, but still we need to be aware of the lyrics and if the theology contained in these are suitable for Catholic identity.

Often we pick hymns for Mass that have easy to sing melodies. We don't look at the words and what that teaches the congregation who sings the words.

One hymn that I actually like, because it is so singable and everyone knows it, is Amazing Grace! But watch the video and make comments on whether or not this song is suitable for our Catholic identity.

What's a pastor to do these days. Music is a sore point or a point of contention with so many people. If they like something, they are offended if you call the hymn into question or forbid it outright. Even our Catholic publishing companies give us hymn books with highly questionable lyrics to the hymns contained.

This man may not be very ecumenical but he tells the truth. I prefer the truth!

A MODERN CATHEDRAL WITH THE BENEDICTINE ALTAR, A TRADITIONAL CHAPEL WITH A MODERN ALTAR

note the Benedictine arrangement, low candles:


The altar before it was replaced by the wooden one

SPEAKING ABOUT LITURGY, A GOOD ARTICLE FROM FR. JAY SCOTT NEWMAN, A SOUTHERNER

WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE AND KEEP MASS SACRED!

SOME MORE PHOTOS OF MODERN CHURCH DESIGN!

Before (this altar is kept but hidden in the after below):

After (note old high altar is now hidden behind a beautiful? screen in the back ground):

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THIS VIDEO FROM "ROME REPORTS" CAME OUT PROVIDENTIALLY ON THE SAME DAY THAT I POSTED THE "BENEDICTINE ALTAR ARRANGEMENT," MUST BE THE HOLY SPIRIT!

This is one of the Masses the Holy Father celebrated this past weekend in Cyprus. You can see the "Benedictine" altar arrangement but also hear from the Holy Father what the point of the Mass is:

THE "BENEDICTINE" ALTAR ARRANGEMENT?!

Since becoming pope, Pope Benedict has re-instituted the traditional decoration of the Catholic altar. Even when he travels, his MC makes sure that the altar upon which the pope celebrates Mass is in the traditional format, which has now come to be called "Benedictine." But it is really the traditional pre-Vatican II set-up.
Some say that it impedes the view of the priest at the altar and also of the elements prior to and after consecration. The clearing of the "clutter" on the altar was to show forth what really are important, the priest and the elements. But when the priest faces ad orientem, that is facing in the same direction as the congregation, you get the "full body" view of the priest's back side, but he impedes the viewing of what is on the altar to be consecrated. So, which do you prefer, if Mass is to be celebrated facing the people? The Benedictine arrangement or the clutter free arrangement with candles to the side or behind of the priest? Keep in mind that the Holy Father has not mandated the return to this style of decorating the altar but neither is it forbidden. His MC says the Holy Father in all his Masses models what should be done, but has not legislated his unique traditional touches, such as kneeling for Holy Communion, etc.

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Pope Benedict behind bars?

In many Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church and the corresponding Orthodox Churches, the altar is behind a screen of icons called an iconostasis. This screen has doors that when closed, totally hide the altar from the congregation. The door is opened for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but the priest faces the same direction as the congregation, ad orientem.

In the video below which takes a bit of time to come up, the new Archbishop of Miami, Archbishop Wenski, celebrates a Spanish Mass in a somewhat modern church but with the altar in the Benedictine arrangement. What do you think?
SPANISH MASS, BENEDICTINE ALTAR ARRANGEMENT, ARCHBISHOP WENSKI OF MIAMI

A DOUBLE STANDARD WHEN IT COMES TO OUTRAGEOUS REPORTERS?

The 89 year old Helen Thomas put her foot into it, or should I say her mouth. She used her freedom of speech to say something about the Jews in Israel that didn't go down too well with her employer, the White House or a goodly number of Americans and Israelis. She was fired and removed from her reserved center seat in the White House Press room. What an inglorious end to a long reporting career!

Yet, for the last several months reporters and pundits have been saying and writing some rather scurrilous things about the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict and what Catholics believe. I think of Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times in particular for her anti-Catholic bias in her reporting. No one blinked an eye. Anti-Catholicism in the big business of the media where news and entertainment are now merged into one and owned by the same people, does not elicit the same kind of outrage that an 89 year old reporter received from a brief interview where she was speaking off the cuff.

John Jenkins who has studied the issue of sexual abuse of minors not only in the Catholic Church but elsewhere had a very good article in USA Today. I applaud USA Today for printing it. What gives his story traction is that he is not Catholic and thus has no bias towards us in the positive sense. He's an honest sociologist! He takes his profession seriously. I think his article shows the media bias of the secular press and the fact that reporters have not done their homework. It reveals the true intent of their reporting. My question is when will reporters be fired who are anti-Catholic? Why just poor old Helen Thomas who appeared to be Anti-Israel?

JOHN JENKINS AND THE TRUE STORY ABOUT CATHOLIC SEX ABUSE

TODAY IS CORPUS CHRISTI IN THE ORDINARY CALENDAR, MORE OF LAST YEAR'S CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION IN MACON, GA!

Yes, it was almost 100 degrees outside last year with about 100% humidity, but the soldiers of Christ that we are, we went into the heat of battle to process with our Eucharistic Lord around the premises of our wonderful neighborhood. No one died of heat stroke! The heat and humidity though are not the reasons why we are not having the Corpus Christi Procession this year. Rather it's because many of my key organizers are away on vacation and we have the 2:00 PM monthly Extraordinary Mass today. I hope we can have the procession next year, but it will be even later in June and more than likely 150 degrees outside with a million% humidity and Macon will have evacuated to the Gulf Coast if the beaches are still there, which we are praying they will be and the livelihood of those poor people restored and sea and land life prospering!

CLICK ON ANY IMAGES ONCE OR TWICE AND THE IMAGE WILL BLOW UP BEAUTIFULLY AND NO GOGGLES NECESSARY. NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES THOUGH.

The spires of our magnificent church:

More of the church in the background:

The canopy was in a box in our sacristy for about the past 50 years! When I opened the box I was clueless about what this material was until we spread it out on the floor and realized it was the canopy for Eucharistic Processions and despite the dead roaches and being in a box for over 50 years it was in remarkable good condition. We had it cleaned and purchased new poles and used it for the first time last year. I believe the Jesuits were the ones who acquired this canopy:

5 MILLION AT CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION IN SAO PAULO!

When 5 million people come out for a demonstration, in this case, the Eucharistic Procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christ on Thursday, you'd think this would make the nightly news or someone's secular newspaper. Did anyone read about this anywhere but here. Click on link below to read the story!

5 MILLION PROCESS IN HONOR OF OUR EUCHARISTIC LORD IN SAO PAULO!

IN THE ORDINARY CALENDAR, SUNDAY IS CORPUS CHRISTI, IN TH EXTRAORDINARY CALENDAR, IT'S THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI!

For a good part of the world, Sunday will be the only day to celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi using the Ordinary Form of the Roman Calendar. For those using the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Calendar, yesterday was Corpus Christi (Thursday), but its celebration is extended for eight days, an "Octave."

In the video below featuring "Panis Angelicus," please note how this moving video evokes not an "intellectual, cerebral" response to what is celebrated, but a response from the heart. No words are needed for the actions from the altar. One knows what is happening without hearing the Eucharistic Prayer. I believe this to be an Ordinary Form Mass celebrated Ad Orientem and with the chasuble held by the server!

The next video is a concert in a beautiful Catholic Church. Please note the traditional six candlesticks and crucifix on the altar. Actually, you can't see the altar because of the choir and orchestra, but you know where the altar is with this majestic, traditional decoration for the altar, once a "trademark" of all Catholic altars. Pope Benedict is trying to revive this trademark not by mandate yet, but by example. The music is beautiful:

CORPUS CHRISTI OR THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

2009's Corpus Christi Procession at St. Joseph Church, Macon, Georgia!

This photo is cool, look at the glass facade of the hospital in the background and you can make out the spires of St. Joseph Church being reflected!





In some parts of the world including those places that will celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, today is Corpus Christi. The emphasis is not only on the Mass celebrated either today or when transferred to this coming Sunday, but also on adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance. The word monstrance comes from our English word "demonstrate." You can see and understand the similarities.

Many liturgists over the years, but thankfully less so today, have decried adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament as a devotional that only came into being when Catholics felt so on worthy to receive Holy Communion at Mass that they seldom if ever did. They preferred to look at the Eucharistic elements in adoration often with head and body bowed in humble adoration. Modern liturgists see this as a grave abuse.

Others would say that adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a logical extension of Catholic devotion given what the Church teaches and believes to be true about the Most Blessed Sacrament, that ordinary bread and wine become by the power of the Holy Spirit and the liturgical ministry of the priest acting in the Person of Christ the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Risen Lord. This is what is called "transubstantiation." The substance of the the bread and wine becomes our Lord's Risen Body and Blood, but the "accidents" the visual look, taste, feel,and smell of the bread and wine remain the same.

Without in any way questioning the reality of transubstantiation, I do believe that we can look at the "accidents" that remain after consecration as a simile or metaphor for Whom it is we actually receive. In a sense, we can say that Jesus becomes Bread for the hungry soul starving for salvation. Jesus becomes Wine for the soul in search of eternal happiness and joy and the warmth that communion with Him brings to the heart. Jesus is the Wine that heals the sin sick soul. So in a sense we can say that Jesus is like bread and He is like wine in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Or we can say Jesus is Bread and Jesus is Wine in the Most Blessed Sacrament and explore all the ramifications of the symbol of bread and wine as it pertains to the real and substantial presence of our Risen Lord.

So without denying transubstantiation, we can say that the bread and wine are symbols for Christ which even an atheist or an agnostic would have to accept. But it takes no faith to believe that Jesus is symbolically present in these elements, therefore an atheist would agree to the elements being symbols. But it does take faith to believe that the bread and wine actually and substantially become the Risen Body and Blood of our Lord. An atheist or agnostic or non Christian would not agree to that or else they would become believers and thus convert to the Catholic Faith.

Press the following for the link to a more scholarly and historical understanding of Transubstantiation:
MINISTRY OF PRIESTS AND TRANSUBSTANTIATION

IS EMOTIONALISM THE KEY TO GOOD LITURGY AND GOOD POLICY? LIBERALS THINK SO!

As I exercised this morning and watched CNN's repeat of Anderson Cooper, 360 from last night, I noticed that good old Anderson was up to his usual tricks as he interviewed a person on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Perhaps you do not recall that it was Anderson's tearful and distraught reporting on Hurricane Katrina's aftermath in New Orleans that rocketed Anderson to fame and his own entertainment news show.

Anderson asked the gentleman being interviewed about President Obama. "Do you think that the president could have been more effective when he visited and just simply showed some emotion?"

There you have it, the key to effectiveness is emotional displays even if the policies and ideologies behind the leadership stink.

The same was and is true of Katie Couric. Years ago when the Columbine massacre occurred, Katie went to Denver and interviewed the parents of children who had been murdered. Her line of questioning was meant to illicit deep emotion and tearful responses from the parents being interviewed. Questions like, "how did you FEEL when you heard your daughter's brains had been splattered all over the classroom along with other students?" I'm exaggerating of course, but the point is that for her and for liberal America, a good interview is when the one being interviewed along with the interviewer breaks down and cries on camera. Emotions are elevated to a sacrament or at least a sacramental.

Even in the horrible on-going reporting of the sex abuse scandal, the most important thing that Pope Benedict has done to date if you see reporters as the high priests of culture now, is that he cried when he met in Malta victims of those who were abused as children by clergy. Never mind that his policies and positions on this scandal have been the most stringent of any previous pope.

When it comes to the Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church in the Latin Rite, liturgical progressives promote a touchy, feely sort of liturgy, filled with smiles, handshakes, hugs, kisses, handholding and the hoped for warm fuzzies, and ocassional tears of joy, sadness and ecstasy. If none of these are present, for instance in the EF of the Mass, then the Mass is a failure. Never mind that the real presence of Jesus Christ comes down and transforms, transubstantiates the bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Risen Christ and the one Sacrifice of Jesus is made present in an unbloodly way. These realities take a back seat to emotion. Emotions are the sacrament of preference. If these are lacking, then it is a poor celebration.

I'm not opposed to ecstasy or a tear here and there or even hospitality. But it should never trump what the Mass is meant to bring about--our salvation through the One Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and our worthy reception of our Lord under the form of consecrated Bread and Wine. Emotions are secondary to the experience of true faith in what we celebrate and Who it is that we receive.

IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF, I AGREE 100% WITH MSGR. POPE

Over the years, I've often said that if we had kept the Latin in the Mass, there would not have been a need for the Charismatic movement. The Latin would have satisfied the need to pray in "tongues." But what Msgr. Pope says about the EF Mass is quite true and I love how he describes the additional signs of the cross over even the consecrated elements. Best explanation I've hear yet! This is must see TV:

A PILGRIMAGE TO MY MOTHER'S HOME TOWN, LIVORNO, ITALY

My mother who will be 91 in October is from Livorno, Italy (AKA,Leghorn). Above her city is a shrine to Our Lady of Montenero. Many miracles have taken place here and the faithful have left mementos in thanksgiving for the various cures. Recently there was a pilgrimage to this shrine's very Baroque chapel. The Extraordinary Form of the High Mass was celebrated at the ornate altar. I've been there several times. In the 1980's even the Ordinary Form Mass was celebrated ad orientem at the majestic altar. But the last time I was there in 2003 I believe, they had put up a "faux" altar in front of it to celebrate the Mass facing the people. The pictures below will show both altars. You make the comparisons!

MY MOM'S HOMETOWN SHRINE, MAMA MIA!

AN IMPROVISATION ON "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY" ON THIS SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

I wish I could be so talented! This talent is in this young man's mind, bone, marrow, blood, being. It comes from God, the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

AMPUTATION CAN LEAD TO HEALING! DOESN'T SOUND GOOD BUT IN THIS CASE IT IS GOOD!

There was Adoration and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament for Reparation at the Altar of the Chair (behind the Papal Altar) at St. Peter's this morning. John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter writes a very good story about it. It is worth reading:

AMPUTATION CAN LEAD TO HEALING!