May 2009 Archives

Solemn High Traditional Latin Mass at St. Anastasia Church, West Chester Pike and Radnor Drive in Newtown Square. PA, Saturday, June 6, 2009, 10:30 AM, To Be Celebrated by the Newly Ordained Rev. Brian Austin

Sodales:
I am delighted to bring to bring to your attention the fact that a Solemn High Traditional Latin Mass will be celebrated at St. Anastasia Church in Newtown Square, PA on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 10:30 AM. St. Anastasia is on the corner of West Chester Pike & Radnor Drive. The church is on the right side of West Chester Pike going west. If one gets off the Blue Route one should go west and Radnor Drive comes just after Media Line Road (a traffic light there). There is a traffic light at Radnor Drive also. There is a huge parking lot at the church so parking is no problem. SEPTA route 104 bus runs on West Chester Pike from 69th St. Terminal and has frequent service.
Rev. Brian Austin attended Delaware County Christian School and became a Catholic while in college. He attended the seminary of the Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Nebraska and will be ordained as a priest by Bishop Bruskewitz in Lincoln , NE on May 30. St. Anastasia is his home parish where people describe him as “a very special young man.”
Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony for this special traditional Latin Mass will be provided by the excellent choir of Mater Ecclesiae Church in Berlin, NJ.
I hope you will help to publicize this wonderful opportunity.
Thank you for giving this message your attention. Per Virginem Matrem concedat nobis Dominus salutem et pacem!

Most cordially,
Rudy Masciantonio

Dr. Rudolph Masciantonio
Chairman, Philadelphia Chapter, Latin Liturgy Association, Inc.

On Tuesday at 7:30 PM, Fr. Antony
Sumich of the Fraternity of Saint Peter is
coming to Immaculate Heart
of Mary to give a presentation
on his parish mission in Nigeria.
Fr. Sumich is originally from Australia
and is here in the States on a fund raising
tour.

While donations are gratefully accepted
there is no obligation and Father Sumich
will be happy to be able to describe his work to
an audience of good will.

When: Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Where: Immaculate Heart of Mary
282 Still River Rd
Still River, MA 01469
978-456-8877

URGENT – URGENT – URGENT – ACTION ALERT!
NIH Invites Public Comment on Embryonic Stem Cell Research Guidelines!
Deadline for Public Response: May 26, 2009

The National Institutes of Health is inviting public comment on the guidelines for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Children of God for Life has responded and linked our letter, instructions on how to file your comments on-line or by US Mail to the NIH along with helpful talking points for your letters. www.cogforlife.org/stemcellalert.htm

Are YOU concerned about the use of aborted fetal cell lines in vaccines and medical products?
Don't let our government make the same mistake again!

To force Americans to be complicit in the death of human embryos by using our tax dollars for this purpose would constitute a violation of the religious and moral tenets of every pro-life person in our country. And it is completely unnecessary – moral alternatives exist in adult stem cells, just as they exist for the vaccines!

Go to our website at www.cogforlife.org/stemcellalert.htm and please spread the word as quickly as possible to others in your email lists.

TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS

Tuesday, 12 May 2009, 7:00 P.M.
Saint Titus Church
952 Franklin Avenue
Aliquippa PA 15001

Sponsored by:
Knights of Columbus
Woodlawn Council 2161
Traditional Latin Mass Guild

Celebrant:
Fr. Antony Sumich, FSSP,
Nne Enyemaka Shrine, Nigeria

Fr. Sumich will speak about his work in the Nigerian mission during his
homily.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Nne Enyemaka Shrine Umuaka (diocese: Orlu)
P.O. Box 605
Umuaka, Imo State
NIGERIA, AFRICA

Tel. +234 808 855 7553

Ven. Pope Pius IX, Syllabus of Errors
The following statements stand condemned:

Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.

In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship.

Hence it has been wisely decided by law, in some Catholic countries, that persons coming to reside therein shall enjoy the public exercise of their own peculiar worship.

Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, May 4, 2009 (here)

The discovery of America and the ensuing anthropological debate in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe led to a heightened awareness of human rights as such and of their universality (ius gentium). ...

Human rights became the reference point of a shared universal ethos – at least at the level of aspiration – for most of humankind. These rights have been ratified by almost every State in the world. The Second Vatican Council, in the Declaration Dignitatis Humanae, as well as my predecessors Paul VI and John Paul II, forcefully referred to the right to life and the right to freedom of conscience and religion as being at the centre of those rights that spring from human nature itself.

From Zenit

Children Pray to Stop Drug Violence in Mexico

St. Benedict Center Responds to Bishop's Request

HARVARD, Massachusetts, MAY 6, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A religious organization in the United States is mobilizing its resources to ask for 1 million rosaries to be said for a Mexican border town wracked by drug violence.

The lay members of the St. Benedict Center in Still River, Massachusetts, are doing this in response to a request by the town's bishop, Renato Ascencio León of Juarez, Mexico, to have the prayers said by Oct. 7, the feast of the Holy Rosary.

Since January 2008, there have been over 2,000 murders reported in response to the government's concerted effort to crack down on drug traffickers in the region. Underestimating the strength of the drug cartels, the military has met with strong resistance.

The students of the Immaculate Heart of Mary School, associated with the St. Benedict Center, will join in the efforts by learning about Juarez, making rosaries to send to the villagers there, and raising awareness through a poster contest.

"Catholics believe that we can all be united through prayer, and that our efforts can bring comfort and healing to those even thousands of miles away," said Mary Alexander, member of the Third Order. "Further, by getting the children involved in this effort, they come to understand what true charity and love of one's neighbor actually means."

The bishop of Juarez responded with a letter to the efforts of the center, saying there "is no doubt that our prayer, raised to the celestial Father through the hands of Mary Most Holy, will quickly return peace to our country."

--- --- ---

On the Net:

To register rosaries said for Juarez: www.millonxciudadjuarez.org

St. Benedict Center: www.saintbenedict.com

Good news! His Eminence Carlo Cardinal Caffarra has issued new norms for the distribution of Holy Communion in his archdiocese. Excerpts below are taken from the New Liturgical Movement blog.

On the first Sunday of Advent twenty years ago, in 1989, entered into force the resolution of the Italian Bishops' Conference which authorised, with the approval of the Holy See, the distribution of Holy Communion in the hand.

In recent weeks, parish priests and rectors of churches in our diocese have received notice of the provisions issued by the Cardinal Archbishop, in the face of grave abuses that have occurred in this regard. In particular, the Cardinal has ordered that in the Cathedral of St. Peter, in the Basilica of San Petronio and in the Shrine of the Madonna di San Luca, Communion is distributed to the faithful on the tongue only.

The possibility that was granted to receive the consecrated Host in the hand may, in fact, create "grave abuses", because there are those "who take away the Sacred Species to keep them as "souvenirs", "who sell them", or even worse "who take them way to desecrate them in satanic rituals."

..."During Communion", we further read in the decree of the Cardinal, "the servers shall assist the Minister, as far as possible, in ensuring that every faithful, after having received the consecrated Bread, consume it immediately before the Minister, and that it not be for any reason taken back to the seat, or placed in pockets or bags or elsewhere, or fall to the ground and be trampled."

"And there shall come from the east and the west, and the north and the south; and shall sit down in the kingdom of God." (Luke 13: 29) It's very telling that we must look outside the Church to find a priest with true charity towards Muslims. Fr. Zakaria Botros has taken to radio and TV to convert the infidel after being driven from his native Egypt for doing the same. From Jihad Watch (here and here) we read, "It's not enough that al-Qaeda has called Fr Zakaria Botros 'one of the most wanted infidels in the world,' issuing a 60 million dollar bounty on his head, or that popular Arabic magazines call him 'Islam's public enemy #1'; now, as expected, CAIR is getting in on the action, calling for a 'national alert.'" Father has the courage to expose the depravity of Mohammed, saying, "This stuff is in your own books! If you don't like it, go burn your books ..."

On the other hand, Pope Benedict has an approach that raises eyebrows even on the left. In a National Catholic Distorter (oops... I mean Reporter) article entitled Benedict XVI sets new papal record for mosque visits, John Allen Jr. observes, "Granted, the [Mosque] visit in Amman [Jordan] wasn’t quite the same stunner as Istanbul. For one thing, the symbolism was different; Benedict didn’t share a moment of silent prayer with an imam, and he didn’t take off his shoes. He did both in the Blue Mosque in 2006." Allen then goes on to quote the pope saying things that are quite stunning considering their source:

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday paid tribute to the memory of six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, pledging to work tirelessly to prevent such hatred from recurring in the hearts of mankind again.

But the pontiff's closely-watched speech at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial stopped short of an apology on behalf of the Catholic Church, producing palpable disappointment among those Israelis who had expected a historic address from the German-born pope on the first day of his visit here.

"We're talking about the pope, who is also a representative of the Holy See, which has a lot to ask forgiveness from our people for," Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said during an interview on Israel Radio on Tuesday. "And he is also a German, whose country and people have asked forgiveness. But he himself comes and speaks to us like a historian, as an observer, as a man who expresses his opinion about things that should never happen, and he was - what can you do? - a part of them."

VATICAN CITY, 12 MAY 2009 (VIS) - According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant priests and faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the Year for Priests, which is due to run from 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010 and has been called in honour of St. Jean Marie Vianney.

The period will begin with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, "a day of priestly sanctification", says the text, when the Pope will celebrate Vespers before the relics of the saint, brought to Rome for the occasion by the bishop of the French diocese of Belley-Ars. The Year will end in St. Peter's Square, in the presence of priests from all over the world "who will renew their faithfulness to Christ and their bonds of fraternity".

The means to obtain the Plenary Indulgence are as follows:
(A) All truly penitent priests who, on any day, devotedly pray Lauds or Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament exposed to public adoration or in the tabernacle, and ... offer themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Penance, will be granted Plenary Indulgence, which they can also apply to their deceased confreres, if in accordance with current norms they take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Priests are furthermore granted Partial Indulgence, also applicable to deceased confreres, every time they devotedly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a saintly life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them.
(B) All truly penitent Christian faithful who, in church or oratory, devotedly attend Holy Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to His Heart, are granted Plenary Indulgence, on the condition that they have expiated their sins through Sacramental Confession and prayed in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. This may be done on the opening and closing days of the Year of Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

The elderly, the sick and all those who for any legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, "on the days concerned, they pray for the sanctification of priests and offer their sickness and suffering to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles".

Partial Indulgence is offered to all faithful each time they pray five Our Father, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri, or any other duly approved prayer "in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to ask that priests maintain purity and sanctity of life".

On this anniversary of Our Lady's visit to Fatima on May 13, 1917, remember that she requested, at each of her six visits, that we pray the Rosary daily. Let us also remember this prayer given to the children by the Angel:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And through the infinite merit of His Most Sacred Heart, and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.

From Pope Benedict's address in his visit to the Holy Sepulchre, May 15, 2009, as posted on the Rorate Caeli blog:

Saint John’s Gospel has left us an evocative account of the visit of Peter and the Beloved Disciple to the empty tomb on Easter morning. Today, at a distance of some twenty centuries, Peter’s Successor, the Bishop of Rome, stands before that same empty tomb and contemplates the mystery of the Resurrection.

Following in the footsteps of the Apostle, I wish to proclaim anew, to the men and women of our time, the Church’s firm faith that Jesus Christ “was crucified, died and was buried”, and that “on the third day he rose from the dead”. Exalted at the right hand of the Father, he has sent us his Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Apart from him, whom God has made Lord and Christ, “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Original article: Bishop Listecki of La Crosse Diocese is 25th to Speak Out on Notre Dame: "Rescind the Invitation"

Updated article: Bishops Bruskewitz, Aquila Issue Stinging Condemnations to "Formerly Catholic" Notre Dame

And more: "Fr. Jenkins Will Probably Lose His Job": Nine More Bishops Make 42 against ND Scandal

April 28: 52 Bishops Against Notre Dame "Betrayal" of Catholic Identity

May 5: 66: Bishops Decry "Toxic Residue" of Notre Dame Scandal

May 15: 79: More Bishops Condemn Obama Honor in Final Days before ND's "Day of Shame"

"The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?" President Barack Obama, Commencement Address at the University (formerly) of Notre Dame (entire address here).

As sad a sight as it is, having a pro-abort socialist honored at a school built to honor Our Lady, we must realize that the crime committed today is not the arrogant speech of Obama, nor even the heinous duplicity of Fr. Jenkins, the current president of ND. No. As great men recognize that they stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, we must look deeper to see that Obama and Jenkins are but the tip of the iceburg—or rather, of the Hesburgh, in this case. For the "honor" of the destruction of Our Lady's school rests squarely on the shoulders of one man, Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, the president of ND from 1952 to 1987.

In this short space, it isn't possible to do justice to the grave injustice wrought by Fr. Hesburgh. Hence, let me supply you with a brief summary along with references for your further reading.

Excerpts from Pope Benedict's Speech at Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, May 13, 2009:

...On this Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, I would like to conclude by invoking Mary’s intercession as I impart my Apostolic Blessing to the children and all of you. Let us pray:

Mary, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Mother of the Redeemer: we join the many generations who have called you “Blessed”. Listen to your children as we call upon your name. You promised the three children of Fatima that “in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph”. May it be so! May love triumph over hatred, solidarity over division, and peace over every form of violence! May the love you bore your Son teach us to love God with all our heart, strength and soul. May the Almighty show us his mercy, strengthen us with his power, and fill us with every good thing (cf. Lk 1:46-56). We ask your Son Jesus to bless these children and all children who suffer throughout the world. May they receive health of body, strength of mind, and peace of soul. But most of all, may they know that they are loved with a love which knows no bounds or limits: the love of Christ which surpasses all understanding (cf. Eph 3:19). Amen.

From Rorate Caeli blog:

Amidst some well-known talking points, the interview granted by Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta to District magazine Iesus Christus (one of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X - FSSPX / SSPX in 1988 and whose excommunication was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI last January) included the following:

-[Interviewer:] What prospects do you see for the Fraternity of Saint Pius X in the future? An agreement with Rome? A canonical recognition?

-[de Galarreta:] No, absolutely not, whether in the immediate or in the mediate future. We specifically exclude this possibility. We know that while there is no return to Tradition on the part of Rome, any practical or canonical agreement is incompatible with the public confession and defense of the faith, and would mean our death. In the best of cases, humanly speaking, we will have several years of discussions.

As Latin Mass Network devoted several articles covering the Legion of Christ deception, it seemed only fair to cover some of the con artists operating in traditionalist circles. As we know, Holy Mother Church is under attack from all sides and it's good to keep a watchful eye on all those who come bearing gifts.

The biggest trad deception is, of course, the sedevacantist schism which purports that the Chair of Peter is either empty or somehow not functioning at full authority. The definitions of the First Vatican Council are sufficient to end this heresy. On a smaller scale, though, are those who talk a good trad line to sell us books and movies, such as Malachi Martin and Mel Gibson. But there is more to Fr. Martin than his off-color and conspiratorial intrigue books. Martin was a Judiazer who worked to undermine Church doctrine at Vatican II.

"Malachi Martin's Double Agent Status Documented" is a 1997 2007* article by John Grasmeier, founder of Angelqueen.org, a Catholic discussion site. Based on my years of observation, Mr. Grasmeier is an honest Catholic who takes the Commandments seriously, especially in this matter, the 8th. In Martin's case, he did his homework well and further confirmed for me the distrust I always had for the man.

Below are some excerpts from the article; please visit Angelqueen.org for the full story.

By Lisa Desjardins
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Supreme Court hopeful Sonia Sotomayor breaks ground for Hispanics, she is poised to add an exclamation point to another historic demographic shift: the move to a Catholic court.

If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor would be the sixth Catholic justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sotomayor was raised Catholic and if she is confirmed, six out of nine, or two-thirds of the justices on the court will be from the faith. Catholics make up about one-quarter of the U.S. population.

"It's most unusual," said Barbara Perry, a government professor at Sweetbriar College who was already writing a book about Catholics on the Supreme Court when Sotomayor was named as the next nominee.

"Presidents used to reserve a Catholic seat and a Jewish seat on the Supreme Court," Perry told CNN Radio. "Now we've moved from a Catholic seat on the court to a Catholic court."

Couple: County Trying to Stop Home Bible Study

A discussion of deceptions in traditionalist circles would not be complete without a look at false apparitions and prophecy. In Novus-Ordo circles, it is easy to see the damage done by obviously false apparitions like Medjugorje. That heretical phenomenon has ruined peoples' lives and drained families of much needed money. But the appetite for inside information and end-times prophecy isn't confined to the Novus Ordo crowd because it derives from our concupiscence. Hence, it is not surprising to find persons exploiting apparitions among traditionalists. There is even abuse of true apparitions, such as Our Lady of Fatima, causing distractions and factions, all to no good end. But there is also at least one false apparition, which is Akita.

Akita, Japan, was the location of messages supposedly from Our Lady to a religious Sister in the 1970's. Catholics are free to believe and promote the apparitions because they have been approved and even promoted by local ordinary (bishop) of that time. However, there is good reason to avoid Akita because it derives from a false 1940's apparition in Holland known as "The Lady of All Nations." The clear indicator of falsehood is that apparition's promotion of socialism (link here): "Breadth of vision has to come, a more social outlook. There are various movements showing a trend to socialism, which is good, ..." (8/29/1945, emphasis added) It is impossible that the Mother of God could promote socialism after the clear condemnations of Popes Pius IX and Pius XI and others.

The news just arrived that the notorious Kansas abortionist George Tiller was gunned down while—get this—he was attending "church" today (story here). Some nut job from suburban Kansas City, Kansas, took the law into his own hands and dispatched Tiller to Hell.

I say nut job because the damage he has done to the social order and common good (or what's left of it) is worse than what would have been perpetrated by a still-living Tiller. I'm not a qualified Thomist, and would welcome someone who would illuminate us, but I know St. Thomas taught us that authority, the rule of law, preservation of stability and order are essential to the common good. Nut jobs like this are the social equivalent of sedevacantists who invent their own authority to tear apart the Church. This guy has taken direct aim at the fabric of society, bringing us one step closer to anarchy.

Furthermore, this act sets back the pro-life movement and emboldens the Obama administration, which has already listed us as terrorists. And being a socialist who is moving ahead with his deconstruction of society and the economy, President Obama will welcome this opportunity to more deeply entrench society in abortion and hatred of religion.

Pray the Rosary every day!