THIS IS JUST TOO COOL BEYOND WORDS!!!!!!!!

I didn't think it would happen but it did! I suggested someone Photoshop the new Christ Cathedral in Orange County to make it look more traditional, with high altar, side throne and altar railing and gates.

AND GUESS WHAT! An up and coming architect Matthew Hoffman, who attended the dedication of the new Cathedral, read my challenge on my blog and did it!!!!!!!!!

You can access Matthew Hoffman's website by pressing this sentence! And look at his age! There's hope for the Church of the future, Praise God!

Thank you very much Matthew!

A BISHOP WHO GETS THE DEBACLE THAT IS THE ORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS AND IS IMPLEMENTING THE RENEWAL OF THIS ONE FORM OF THE TWO FORMS OF THE LATIN RITE

His Excellency Most Rev. James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup, on 22 July, Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, issued a letter to the people of the diocese entrusted to his care:

Celebrating Mass Ad Orientem, Ad Deum, and Versus Populum

My dear friends in Christ:

Recently Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI released a powerful letter, in which he touched on a number of topics, including especially the sexual abuse crisis that has impacted the Church and even society as a whole.  In his letter, he also addressed the Eucharist.  He acknowledged, and rightfully so, that we have become too lax in our approach to the Eucharist.  There were a number of reasons for this, even extreme cases when Holy Communion has been distributed to non-Catholics at weddings and other large events for the sake of “inclusion.” We know, however, that such “inclusivity” is actually quite dangerous, for it can put someone’s soul at risk in the name of not hurting feelings. Remember St. Paul: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor. 11:27-29). We would do well to remember, then, that the Eucharist is not simply a nice “sign” or “symbol” of communion with God, but rather truly is communion with God. (In fact, it is so far from being a mere symbol in the modern sense of that term, that Flannery O’Connor once famously said that “if it is just a symbol, to hell with it!) For the Eucharist is nothing less than the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen gentium, 11).

Pope Benedict’s letter thus provides an opportunity for us to reflect on how better to respect the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. There are of course many ways to do this: arriving early to prepare for Mass in prayer; staying after to offer an Act of Thanksgiving; dressing appropriately at Mass and in Church (“Sunday best” is still a thing!); keeping the one-hour Eucharistic fast; making regular (even monthly) sacramental confession; and reverently, not hurriedly, receiving Holy Communion readily come to mind (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1385-1389). There is, however, one particular practice that I would like to highlight here. It is about exercising the option to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass facing “toward the East” (ad orientem) or “toward God” (ad Deum) as distinct from “toward the people” (versus populum).

Let me say at the outset: I know this can be a contentious topic. To make changes to the way we pray can be difficult, especially when it comes to liturgical prayer. By explaining and advocating for this, I am in no way trying to disrupt the way the people of this Diocese pray. Rather, I am trying to open the treasury of the Church’s patrimony, so that, together, we can all experience one of the most ancient ways that the Church has always prayed, starting with Jesus and reaching even to our own day, and thereby learn from the “ever ancient, ever new” wisdom of the Church. (My comment: the only way that a diocese can go forward with this in a smooth constructive way, meaning individual parishes, is for this kind of initiative and support from the local bishop!)

With that in mind, let me start with just a brief historical note. Essentially, we can say that celebrating Mass ad orientem is one of the most ancient and most consistent practices in the life of the Church—it is part of how the Church has always understood the proper worship of God. Uwe Michael Lang has published a book showing just this, entitled Turning Towards the Lord: Orientation in Liturgical Prayer and published by Ignatius Press. His extensive and thorough research shows this very fact: that, in the words of Cardinal Ratzinger, “Despite all the variations in practice that have taken place far into the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying toward the east is a tradition that goes back to the beginning” (The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 75). This means that celebration of Mass ad orientem is not a form of antiquarianism, i.e. choosing to do something because it is old, but rather choosing to do something that has always been. This also means, in turn, that versus populum worship is extremely new in the life of the Church, and, while a valid liturgical option today, it still must be considered novel when it comes to the celebration of Mass.

Allow me now to give a brief explanation of ad orientem or ad Deum worship. Prayer and worship “toward the East” (ad orientem, oriented prayer) “is, first and foremost, a simple expression of looking to Christ as the meeting place between God and man. It expresses the basic christological form of our prayer. […] Praying toward the east means going to meet the coming Christ. The liturgy, turned toward the East, effects entry, so to speak, into the procession of history toward the future, the New Heaven and the New Earth, which we encounter in Christ” (Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 69-70). By facing Christ together at Mass, we can see how “[o]ur prayer is thus inserted into the procession of the nations to God” (ibid., p. 76).

Ad orientem worship is thus a very powerful reminder of what we are about at Mass: meeting Christ Who comes to meet us. Practically speaking, this means that things will look a bit different, for at such Masses the Priest faces the same direction as the Assembly when he is at the altar.  More specifically, when addressing God, such as during the orations and Eucharistic Prayer, he faces the same direction as the people, that is, toward God (ad Deum). He does so literally, to use a phrase dear to St. Augustine, by “turning toward the Lord” present in the Blessed Sacrament. In contrast, when addressing the people, he turns to face them (versus populum).  

Some of you may be familiar with this, and perhaps have even been at Masses celebrated this way. The common way of describing such Masses is usually to say, by way of objection, that “the priest has his back to the people.” Now, while this is technically true, it largely misses the main point, which is one much grander and more beautiful: ad orientem worship shows, even in its literal orientation, that the priest and the people are united together as one in worshipping God, even physically with their bodies, “in a common act of trinitarian worship…. Where priest and people together face the same way, what we have is a cosmic orientation and also an interpretation of the Eucharist in terms of resurrection and trinitarian theology. Hence it is also an interpretation in terms of Parousia [end of the world], a theology of hope, in which every Mass is an approach to the return of Christ” (Joseph Ratzinger,Feast of Faith, p. 140). Celebrating Mass ad orientem, then, is meant to remind us of all these important factors of our faith, and, ultimately, that the Mass is not first and foremost about us, but rather about God and His glory—about worshipping Him as He desires and not as we think best. It is His work after all, not ours, and we are simply entering into it by His gracious will. In 2007, Pope Benedict spoke of just this fact in his address to the monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Vienna:

“In all our efforts on behalf of the liturgy, the determining factor must always be our looking to God. We stand before God—he speaks to us and we speak to him. Whenever in our thinking we are only concerned about making the liturgy attractive, interesting and beautiful, the battle is already lost. Either it is Opus Dei [the work of God], with God as its specific subject, or it is not. In the light of this, I ask you to celebrate the sacred liturgy with your gaze fixed on God within the communion of saints, the living Church of every time and place, so that it will truly be an expression of the sublime beauty of the God who has called men and women to be his friends!”

Notice the emphasis on looking toward God together!

Another common objection or at least misunderstanding is that this particular way of celebrating Mass was disallowed at or after the Second Vatican Council. This is not accurate, as none of the conciliar documents even mention this. Additionally, a close reading of the rubrics of the Roman Missal will still show today that ad orientem is assumed to be the normal posture at Mass: they often describe the priest “turning to face the people,” which implies he is facing the altar before and after doing so.

Finally, let me say a few words on the matter of preference. There is an old saying that holds de gustibus non est disputandum: when it comes to taste, there is no room for dispute. To a point, that is true. Nobody can fault anybody for liking chocolate chip ice cream more than mint, or Chevrolet more than Ford. When it comes to the ways in which we worship God, however, nothing is simply a matter of taste. Msgr. Charles Pope explains this well: “Preferences should be rooted in solid liturgical principles. […] People matter, and they should be nourished and intelligently engaged in the Sacred Liturgy—but not in a way that forgets that the ultimate work of the Liturgy is not merely to please or enrich us but to be focused on and worship the Lord” (National Catholic Register, “5 Things to Remember in the ‘Ad Orientem’ Discussion,” 8 August 2016).

For all these reasons, I have decided that, since the recent solemnity of Corpus Christi, the 11:00am Sunday Mass will henceforth be celebrated ad orientem at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Gallup.

This provides the faithful with the opportunity to attend the Mass in this way—indeed, in this way which is still approved and generously allowed by the Church. This is also a practice I would like to encourage throughout the Diocese of Gallup.  I believe it is pastoral to offer Masses both ad orientem and versus populum, so that, together, we can all be exposed to the varied riches of the Church and Her prayerful history. With St. Augustine, allow me to conclude with this heartfelt prayer: in our worship, hearts, and lives, “let us turn towards the Lord God and Father Almighty, and with a pure heart let us give Him sincere thanks as well as our littleness will allow…. May He increase our faith, rule our mind, give us spiritual thoughts, and at last lead us to His blessedness, through Jesus Christ His Son. Amen.” 

May God bless you!

The Most Reverend James S. Wall
Bishop of Gallup

Given in Gallup, at the Chancery/Cathedral, this 22nd day of July, in the Year of our Lord MMXIX, the tenth of Our Episcopate, on the liturgical memorial of St. Mary Magdalene.

PICTURE THIS

HGTV's househunting shows usually has potential buyers say, "I could see us eating here, or entertaining here, or sitting here, etc."

I could see a traditional sanctuary in this nave, pictured above, with altar against the wall, traditional 6 candles, traditional large crucifix, sanctuary three steps up, altar three more steps, bishop's throne and ambo on opposing sides, beautiful altar railing and ornate gates.

Can you picture it? Someone photoshop the picture above and make it happen. It could become a possible renovation for the future!

THIS IS WHY THE FORMER ARCHBISHOP-CARDINAL OF BUENOS AIRES DRIVES BOTH PROGRESSIVES AND CONSERVATIVES CRAZY!

Future pope once called host-turned-to-blood a ‘mark of the Lord’

• Inés San Martín
  Jul 21, 2019
  ROME BUREAU CHIEF

The Church of Santa Maria, in the neighborhood of Almagro, in downtown Buenos Aires, Argetina. (Credit: Ines San Martin/Crux.)

Pope Francis is a throw back not just to the 1970's in terms of his confused progressive theology about the Church and his derogatory comments about tradition which harkens to the 1960's denigration of people who were considered "pre-Vatican II" a sort of "N" word about them, but also back to the 1950's in terms of his love of devotions in general, talk of the devil and supernatural appearances of our Blessed Mother.

And now we see that Pope Francis was a promoter of a "Eucharistic Sign" or better yet, Miracle. This story is nothing short of absolutely stunning. This is an excerpt from an article in this morning's Crux, which you can read in full HERE:

As the parish’s fame for such happenings grew, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires at the time - who today is Pope Francis - asked for tests. A local doctor named Ricardo Catañón took a sample from what had become known by then as the “1992 Sign” and sent it to a lab in San Francisco.

When the results came back, the lab reported the substance “could be” human tissue. Another analysis by a doctor in Sydney, Australia, likewise concluded the substance was human tissue and “could” belong to a heart.

Dissatisfied with “could,” and knowing that Bergoglio expected an answer, Catañón sent the material to a third doctor in New York for what he called a “blind sample.”

This last doctor was more definitive: The substance, he reported, belonged to a heart muscle called the myocardium - more specifically, the left ventricle that pumps oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body. The doctor also found the person the sample came from had suffered greatly, including trauma to the chest.

Told the sample didn’t belong to a living patient, the New York doctor said he found the presence of white blood cells inexplicable, since they usually disintegrate minutes after a blood sample is removed from the body. He also reported the sample had a “beat,” which also had been noted in the first report in 1992.

In light of those findings, Catañón swiftly drew spiritual conclusions: The fact that the substance is from the myocardium, he said, suggests the Eucharist is what “pumps blood into [Christ’s] Church.” It being from the left ventricle, he said, is a reminder that Christ “cleans the Church of its sins.”

THE DEBACLE THAT IS THE RECEPTION (OR NON-RECEPTION) OF HOLY COMMUNION

As Rome burns and the bishops fiddle with reinventing the Catholic Church for the millionth time since Vatican II, the debacle that is the reception of Holy Communion (the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Crucified and Risen Lord) escalates unabated and bishops seem unconcerned.

I heard one priest complaining about the variety of ways people receive Holy Communion today (in the Ordinary Form). He wasn’t sure if one person was even Catholic as she didn’t seem to know what to do. He ask if she was a Catholic and her response was, “no, I’m Asian.”

Be that as it may, this is what I experience in my parish every Sunday despite the fact that I have given proper catechesis at Mass on a regular basis: Some kneel on the hard floor and receive on the tongue, others stand and receive on the tongue. Som grab the host and run. Others receive in the hand and leave before placing the host in their mouth. Others cup their hands or hold both palms out leaving it to me to determine which palm to use. Others put forward their thumb and index finger which they expect me to place the Host between. Some simply open their mouth without extending their tongue expecting me to throw the Host in as though I was throwing a frisbee. I could go on.

And then there is the health hazard of the Precious Blood where people with Hepatitis A, B or C commune and could spread contagion, not to mention colds, flu viruses, herpes of the lips and mouth and well, I won’t go on with more disgusting and distressing scenarios about communicable diseases.

I had a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion ask me what to do with chewing gum that had fallen into the cup. What about all the saliva that accumulates in the cup toward the end?

And profanation of the Most Blessed Sacrament, like finding Hosts on the floor, in hymnals or for sale on eBay. A few Sundays ago after Holy Communion as I sat on my throne, I mean, Presidential Chair, I noticed a glistening on the floor in front of me only to realize that it had to be Precious Blood spilled by an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion as the fluid could not have been anything else. Consecrated Blood that I could easily step on if I had not seen it. I asked the adult server to get a purificator and clean it.

The only Mass where I do not see these outrages against our Lord in Holy Communion is at the Extraordinary Form.

If bishops were more concerned about the source and summit of our Catholic Faith rather than all the superfluous other stuff, the problem could be solved over night by returning to kneeling at the altar railing and receiving on the tongue at the Ordinary Form Mass poorly or wonderfully celebrated. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. 

BEANS DOESN'T KNOW BEANS FROM BEANS FOR NOT EVEN THE SSPX HAVE BEEN DECLARED BY THE POPE TO BE SCHISMATIC!

The so-called theologian (maybe someone one day will remove that title from him) known as Beans in Italian, Massimo Faggioli, recently wrote the following quotation which is in another article describing what he wrote which you can read in full by pressing the title:

Villanova historian says Chaput, Cordileone, and Strickland are ‘devout schismatics’

“They are schismatics because they openly promote the undermining of the bishop of Rome among the Catholic faithful,” Massimo Faggioli wrote in a July 16 essay for La Croix magazine.

I didn't know that a lay person could declare anyone to be in schism! Is this something new and post-Vatican II??? I've heard of lay participation in the Church, but this is something really new, no?

I WONDER IF FORMER CONGREGANTS AND MEMBERS OF THE SCHULLER FAMILY ATTENDED THE DEDICATION OF THE FORMER CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL, NOW CHRIST CATHEDRAL?

Several years ago but shortly after the Catholic Diocese of Orange acquired the the Crystal Cathedral and any work began on it, a friend and I visited the place. As you know I have always been intrigued by the building. When we went it, it still had the Schuller look to it. I was struck by the fact that it was smaller looking in person than on TV where Schuller must have employed camera lenses to make it look bigger on TV.

But the property, which is expansive, has many other useful, functional buildings. There is also a cemetery on the property next to the Cathedral. I wonder how many Protestants asked to have loved ones disinterred and moved elsewhere?

The property also had many huge outdoor bronze statues with what I would call a "Protestant" look. I wonder if these are still in place? I do know a huge statue of Our Lady has been erected outside.

I wonder, too, if any former members of the congregation and members of the Schuller family attended, like his son with whom he had a falling out?

Anyone know the answers to these and other pressing questions????

This photo was computer generated, the others taken yesterday are really the Christ Cathedral:

SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT THE STRUCTURE AND ITS COST, WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE HOUR OF POWER CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL IS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING AS IT IS TRANSFORMED THROUGH THE "SACRAMENTAL SIGNS OF INITIATION, BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION AND HOLY EUCHARIST" INTO A CATHOLIC CHRIST CATHEDRAL!

Crystal Cathedral:

Now Christ Cathedral:

I watched Dr. Robert Schuller's services from the Crystal Cathedral years and years ago. I was intrigued by its architecture and its size. I found it odd that it was called a cathedral without a "bishop's" throne. I wondered what it would be like if turned into a Catholic Church never thinking it could be a Catholic Cathedral!

Dr. Schuller's version of Christianity was celebrity Christianity and entertainment often on the level of spectacle, especially his Christmas extravaganzas! He put on a good show.

I am not denigrating his character. He did what he felt he was called to do and did it on the medium of television and next to Hollywood and did it with a Hollywood flair.

The demise of his ministry and life are sad but a part of the Gospel too.

The resurrection of this cathedral into Christ Cathedral is a part of the Gospel too!

I am glad it has become Catholic. It's much more than the cathedral. The entire property is spectacular with many useful, functional and beautiful buildings. It will serve the Diocese of Orange County well.

Ad multos annos.

OUR LITURGY TODAY IS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND NOT ONLY ARE POPES, BISHOPS AND PRIESTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CORRUPTION BUT ALSO THE LAITY

Press title for long, good article:

Reflections on authority in liturgy today

Obedience of faith and religious respect for the mystery of the Sacred Liturgy calls us to integrity in all our approaches to the Sacred Liturgy, be we pope, priest, layperson or anywhere in between.

July 14, 2019 Dom Alcuin ReidPrint

Editor’s note: This essay was presented in a slightly different form as a plenary address to the Colloquium of the Church Music Association of America in Philadelphia on July 3, 2019.

Introduction

In some Anglican circles the acronym “WVL” raises a smile. It is not infrequently employed when visiting clergy ask about the type of service celebrated in a given church or chapel. It stands, of course, for “What the Vicar likes”.

MY COMMENTS ON ARTICLE LINKED ABOVE:

Last night I visited friends I have known since 1969 when I worked at the Dairy Queen/Brazier in Augusta as a 15 year old. They were one year older than me and married as 17 year olds just graduated from high school, both Catholic, married in the Church and still married since 1970!  Last night I became a 15 year old for better or for worse!

But I digress, this couple had other family members over and I got into a discussion about liturgy with one of them. In fact, I was impressed how many of the extended family remain practicing Catholics. The guy I was discussing liturgy with who is active in his parish, one the finance council told me that the new pastor there is a traditionalist and this is running off people from the parish because he uses more Latin, chants and uses incense. The worse offense, in his mind, is that he no longer allows altar girls. I don't think he's gone ad orientem yet or ballistic for that matter.

Let's leave Latin and ad orientem out of it, what is traditionalist about a sung Ordinary Form Mass with the use of incense?  What would this offend anyone.

In the extraordinary Form of the Mass, there are basically three versions of the Mass. The Low Mass, a Mass that is not sung, although hymns might be inserted, a sung or high Mass, with or without incense and the Solemn High with deacon, subdeacon and a variation of more complicated ceremony. The latter was/is very rare in most parishes.

The point being, the priest or the congregation did not decide how the Mass would be celebrated apart from the various gradations. Most parishes had low Masses and maybe a weekly high Mass at the same time, what was called the principle Mass.

Today, though, the priest or the congregation have all kinds of ideas of how to celebrate the Ordinary Form and it becomes a hybrid of all sorts of things, depending on the priest or what the congregation wants. No music, some music, causal, formal, worship and praise, chant, ad orientem or not, Ordinary Form or Extraordinary Form. And the rubrics? These are sidestepped or mutilated depending on the personality and wants of the priest. In other words, the Mass as become a reflection of a designer priest or congregation.

Thus the article I link above this post hits the mark. But with all the liturgical diversity today, I see almost no hope to a return to a uniform liturgy that every Catholic in the world could attend and recognize as the same no matter where they go. So much for Church unity. 

I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OR REALITY OF CELEBRITY PRIESTS BUT THIS IS A CRIME!

SPlease pray for the safety of all priests!

Celebrity priest Fr. Marcelo Rossi suffered an attack during Mass at PHN, a major Brazilian youth conference sponsored by the Canção Nova Community.

As Fr. Rossi closed Mass, a young woman ran to the stage and shoved him. He appeared to have fallen several feet.

Watch the video below:

Click here if you cannot see the video above.

However, the priest did not suffer any injuries. Praise God!

In the video below, Fr. Rossi miraculously stands after his fall. He explained that “the devil hates him” and “thanked Mary for deliverance.”

WERE YOU THERE OR WERE YOU SQUARE?

Cathedral EF Mass for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost:

A POWERFUL PRO-LIFE TESTIMONY!

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THIS CONFUSED AND DISHEARTENED CHRISTIAN IN GEORGIA?

 I received this email today from one of my former parishioners who has moved to a new diocese. What do you think about this sad situation and pastoral insensitivity??????

Hello Father,

I asked one of the newly assigned priests to come by hospital and anoint my spouse. He said he would come and visit and administer the sacrament  after he made a confession. I told him I doubted he would be able to do so. My spouse is demented, has been declared incompetent by the VA, and as I type this, he has been put into restraints for the night because he removed his IV, pulled off all of his bracelets, and was working on removing his catheter when the staff checked on him. They can’t even figure out what he did with the bracelets….. Of course, Father came and I left the room. My spouse didn’t make a confession. He has not made one in many years but how does his cognitive issues/diagnosis affect his ability to receive the anointing of the sick?

I was really surprised by this priest’s refusal to administer the sacrament and I am confused. 

Thanks.

A Christian confused in Georgia