September 2009 Archives
It was rather disheartening to read Seán Cardinal O'Malley's review of the Kennedy funeral. It doesn't begin to justify the enormity of the scandal of last Saturday. In summary:
1) The Cardinal acknowledges that Kennedy "did not publically support Catholic teaching and advocacy on behalf of the unborn."
2) He uses Ted's letter to Pope Benedict XVI to justify the funeral, but glosses over Kennedy's grave omission of his support for abortion.
3) He admonishes malcontents like me, saying "These attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church. " No, Your Eminence, you do irreparable damage by failing to discipline politicians like Ted.
4) The Cardinal paints himself as a pro lifer: "One of my greatest satisfactions in my ministry thus far was helping to overturn the abortion laws in Honduras." He told Obama the bishops wouldn't support health care that funds abortion. He doesn't mention, however, that he helped set up an insurance company, CeltiCare, to get state "Connector" money that will go to murder unborn children (here). When this became obvious to all, he divested his interest but continued to "participate" in the Connector program (here). In other words, Cardinal O'Malley participates in an abortion cooperative where he makes money while CeltiCare murders children.
The moral of the story is, he who runs an abortion cooperative can't throw stones at a Kennedy.
I have heard the complaint that the Latin Mass is too rigid. My immediate reaction to this statement is, “Too rigid for what?” I don’t know the answer to this question but I can’t imagine that anything that is designed to carry us safely to our Heavenly destination could be too rigid.
(From Brother André Marie)
At about 9:00 AM this morning, Saturday, September 9, our beloved Superior, Brother Francis, M.I.C.M., went to his reward.
Brother had received Holy Communion this morning, and a few hours later quietly slipped away with little warning. His death was very peaceful. We, his religious family, are greatly consoled by the fact that our teacher, guide, and friend died on the First Saturday of the Month, wearing the Brown Scapular to which he was so greatly devoted, with a candle burning neaby before an image of his beloved Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
We are grateful to all those who prayed for Brother and had Masses offered for him during his final illness.
Information on the funeral arrangements is forthcoming.
Readers may recognize Br. Francis as one of the original members of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary founded by Fr. Leonard Feeney in 1949. Br. Francis was one of the four Boston College professors who brought the charge of heresy against the school for teaching salvation outside the Church, the famous "Boston Heresy Case." Brother (Prof. Maluf) suffered for his courage, while Boston College has sunk even deeper into heresy, filth and whatnot. For more on his life, click here.
May the Angels lead you into Paradise; may the Martyrs receive you at your coming, and take you to Jerusalem the holy city. May the choirs of the Angels receive you, and may you, with the once poor Lazarus, have rest everlasting.
- Cyprian (Jerry Benitz, M.I.C.M. Tert.)
Fr. Bob of Portland, Maine is troubled by the Summorum Pontificum and how it "appears to allow" priests to say the Traditional Latin Mass in spite of the disapproval of their bishops.
From the September 6th bulletin of Sts Patrick and St Pius:
THE LATIN MASS
Many bishops feel their role has been undermined by Pope Benedict who appears to allow priests to opt for the Latin Mass regardless of the attitude of local bishops. The view that the ordinary form of the Mass (in English) is in some way deficient, finds no place with these bishops. A priest’s taste or preference is irrelevant. The single most pressing reason why the bishops defend the ordinary form of the Mass, is the absence of any role for the laity. They were little more than spectators of what the celebrant was doing at the altar; in practice this meant many of them concentrated on their own private devotions. It is an established principle of good liturgy to encourage the active participation of all those taking part in the Mass. Implicit in this directive is the rejection of any discrimination against girls and women among those who assist at Mass, such as altar servers, readers and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.
The Latin Mass can take its proper but necessarily marginal place in the life of the Catholic Church.
Fr. Bob
That's the bad news. But the good news is that the parish is hosting a womens' bus trip to Foxwoods.
Thank Heaven for Bishop Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas. He sets the record straight on his web log. He notes where the "buck stops" for the scandal, but leaves it to the laity to complete the analysis. To this end, we have a brief commentary from James Larson.
First, here are clips from two of Bishop Gracida's articles:
1) THE SCANDAL OF THE EDWARD MOORE KENNEDY FUNERAL IN BOSTON
WHERE DO I BEGIN
There was so much wrong with the funeral liturgy celebrated in Boston last Saturday for Senator Edward Moore Kennedy that I hardly know where to begin. Aside from the impropriety of such a grandiose celebration for one of the country’s most notorious dissident Catholics, the ‘celebration’ was filled with liturgical errors and transgressions against the General Instruction of the Roman Missal which governs every celebration of the Church’s liturgy. I am afraid that if I, a bishop, were to go into the details of the scandal it would only add to the scandal and so I will let the laity speak to it.
test body
Join Hood Travel Service for a once-in-a lifetime pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Success in Quito, Ecuador from Easter Monday (April 5th) until Saturday (April 10th).
Each day after breakfast in the hotel there will be scheduled private prayer time and Rosary/novena prayers with the group in front of the Miraculous image of Our Lady of Good Success at the main church of the Conceptionist Monastery. Walking tours of the city and private Mass are also part of each day.
There is only room for 40 people on this tour. Land Only Price: $973.00 per person (double occupancy)... Single add $33.00. For more details and information please contact Bob or Peggy at 978-772-0420 or email Hoodtravel@charter.net.
The former vicar for clergy in the Los Angeles archdiocese has testified under oath that Cardinal Roger Mahony ordered him not to report allegations of a priest's sexual abuse to police or to parishioners. In a deposition filed last Friday, Msgr. Richard Loomis said that the cardinal ignored his own archdiocesan policies in handling complaints about Father Michael Baker, who had admitted his sexual misconduct in other cases years earlier.
Baker, who was later defrocked, was convicted in 2007 on sex-abuse charges and is currently serving a 10-year prison term. The archdiocese paid $1.2 million to settle complaints involving his misconduct.
Msgr. Loomis, who testified that he was badly upset by Cardinal Mahony's secretive handling of the Baker case, is himself now suspended because of a sex-abuse complaint.
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