Our two-dozen-hundredth post!
Click here for story and video from WLNE-TV Channel 6 (Providence, RI) in relation to this post. Of course, they spelled my frickin' name wrong in the caption as I appear with 22 seconds left in the video. My name is BRIAN, not BRAIN - I don't have one! (tee hee!) Although after seeing this video, one might think I actually have one after all. ;)
Peace,
BMP
PS: (UPDATE): Better still, just watch below (Channel 6)
And below (Channel 10)
Showing posts with label bishops (good). Show all posts
Showing posts with label bishops (good). Show all posts
Sunday, November 22, 2009
ANOTHER VICTORY FOR THE CHURCH IN RHODE ISLAND
Yeah, baby! BTW, I might be on TV tonight. As I came out of 10:00 Mass at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in Providence with my mother this morning, some reporters approached me and asked me how I felt about Bishop Thomas Tobin forbidding Patrick Kennedy from receiving Holy Communion. Some of my lines were (roughly):
"The Bishop is absolutely right!"
"To receive Holy Communion, you must be in the state of grace."
"If you favor abortion, you're not in the state of grace."
Below is the latest from the Providence Journal. Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP
PS: GO BISHOP TOBIN!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"The Bishop is absolutely right!"
"To receive Holy Communion, you must be in the state of grace."
"If you favor abortion, you're not in the state of grace."
Below is the latest from the Providence Journal. Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP
PS: GO BISHOP TOBIN!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WASHINGTON — Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday.
“The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion,” Kennedy said in a telephone interview.
Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him “that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public official,” particularly on abortion. He declined to say when or how Bishop Tobin told him not to take the sacrament. And he declined to say whether he has obeyed the bishop’s injunction.
Bishop Tobin, through a spokesman, declined to address the question of whether he had told Kennedy not to receive Communion. But the bishop’s office moved quickly to cast doubt on Kennedy’s related assertion about instructions to the priests of Rhode Island.
“Bishop Tobin has never addressed matters relative to public officials receiving Holy Communion with pastors of the diocese,” spokesman Michael K. Guilfoyle said in an e-mailed statement.
This latest exchange between Bishop Tobin and Kennedy, the only remaining public official in the nation’s most prominent Catholic family, escalates their heated public debate over how the eight-term congressman’s work for abortion rights bears on his standing in the church.
Their dispute comes against the backdrop of the national debate about whether U.S. taxpayers should subsidize abortions in the new health-care system that President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress have labored for months to create.
The episode adds another volatile element to a highly emotional dispute that has complicated Mr. Obama’s pursuit of his top legislative priority.
For Catholics, the debate could scarcely be more visceral. The church holds that abortion is a taking of human life that is intrinsically evil. Exclusion from the Holy Eucharist — bread that the faithful believe to have been transformed into the body of Christ — is a rare and serious penalty to impose on any Catholic.
Over the past few weeks, Kennedy and Bishop Tobin have shown glimpses of their dealings in piecemeal fashion, revealing only a sketchy picture of the congressman’s status as a member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
In an October interview about the opposition of the nation’s bishops to any health-care overhaul that did not include a strict ban on federal subsidies for abortion, Kennedy called into question the “pro-life” credentials of the churchmen. Health care for millions of uninsured is at stake, he said. Bishop Tobin shot back with a sharply worded statement, noting that the bishops are staunch and longtime supporters of reforming the health-care system. He said, however, that the bishops will not support a health-care bill that fails to include a ban on taxpayer subsidy of the procedure.
The exchange, via open letters and interviews, has continued, with Bishop Tobin pointedly suggesting that “obstinate” opposition to church doctrine on abortion should cause a Catholic public official to reconsider his membership in the church.
On Friday, in response to questions from a reporter, Kennedy asserted that Bishop Tobin had told him not to receive Communion. But like the bishop, Kennedy withheld key details about their discussions.
Asked how he reacted as a Catholic, Kennedy would say only that he has “personal feelings of disappointment” about the matter, but he declined to elaborate.
For his part, the bishop declined to be interviewed. Spokesman Guilfoyle said in an e-mail: “Bishop Tobin has nothing more to add to the current discussion for the time being. Any previous correspondence or conversations between the Bishop and the congressman is still considered private at this time.”
While the teachings of the church and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are clear on abortion, there is much disagreement on the issue of whether Catholic legislators should be penalized for action contrary to the doctrine.
“The vast majority of bishops don’t want people denied Communion” over the abortion issue, said Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit scholar at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington. “But the problem is, every time an individual bishop does it — especially if the public official has a high-profile name like Kennedy — it’s going to make headlines across the country and every bishop is going to suffer because of it,” Father Reese said.
Because every bishop has wide latitude in his own diocese, the controversy between Kennedy and Bishop Tobin is likely to be greeted with silence from other bishops — even if most would disagree with action to deny Communion to a Catholic legislator, according to Father Reese.
“We don’t comment on the individual actions of bishops because they are authoritative in their own dioceses,” said Deirdre McQuade, of the bishops conference, when asked about the exchanges between Kennedy and Bishop Tobin.
For the policy of the bishops conference, McQuade referred to a 2006 writing on how a Catholic maintains his or her worthiness to take Communion. If a Catholic were “knowingly and obstinately to repudiate ... definitive teaching on moral issues,” the document says in part, then receiving Communion “would not accord with the nature of the Eucharistic celebration, so that he or she should refrain.”
Orders by bishops to deny Communion to Catholic public officials are very unusual but not unprecedented. In 2003, another prominent Catholic Democrat with a mixed voting record on abortion, Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, was admonished not to take Communion in his congressional district by Bishop Raymond Burke of LaCrosse.
Spokeswoman McQuade said the bishops conference could not give a count of how many times bishops have actually denied Communion to government officials. But a review of news accounts of the past two decades suggests that public impositions of the penalty are very uncommon. These are among the high-profile instances in contemporaneous news stories: a Sacramento bishop told Gray Davis not to take Communion when he was Democratic governor of California in 2003; in 2004, then-Gov. James McGreevey, of New Jersey, complied with the admonitions of three of the state’s bishops that he not take Communion.
Scholar Reese said the bishops have debated in previous years the issue of whether they should step beyond such appeals to the individual Catholic’s conscience. The context for the debate was the 2004 presidential candidacy of Sen. John F. Kerry, a Catholic Democrat from Massachusetts who supports abortion rights. Father Reese said fewer than 20 bishops supported a policy of denying Communion to such officials.
Early in that presidential campaign, Burke, who had become archbishop of St. Louis, told reporters that if Kerry were to approach him at a Mass in Missouri, “I would have to admonish him not to present himself for Communion.”
Last month, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Burke to the Vatican’s Congregation of Bishops, a powerful body that helps the pontiff to select the world’s bishops. He also sits on the highest court of Catholic canon law.
According to the National Catholic Reporter, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, once urged Catholic officials who support abortion rights to refrain from Communion. But the newspaper said Cardinal O’Malley did not order Boston priests to deny them the sacrament. Kerry and the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Patrick Kennedy’s father and another supporter of abortion rights) both received Communion at Cardinal O’Malley’s installation as archbishop in 2003.
In 2004, a large majority of bishops “tried to persuade the minority not to do this — using Communion as a weapon,” Father Reese said, but the conference could not come to a consensus view on the issue.
Father Reese stressed that withholding Communion is not as grave a penalty as excommunication, which separates a Catholic from all the sacraments. If a bishop denies Communion to a Catholic, he or she “is still a Catholic,” Father Reese said. Indeed, he said “it would take a canon lawyer” to say whether a Catholic denied Communion in his own diocese would be free to receive Communion elsewhere.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
BISHOP TOBIN TAKES ON CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY
GO BISHOP!
From Without a Doubt, the bi-weekly column by Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, as published in the Rhode Island Catholic.
The big question will be: How will Congressman Kennedy reply? Will his cronies do what Rudy Guliani's cronies did, that is, try to sick the IRS on the Most Reverend Bishop? Thankfully, those kind of childish games don't stop Bishop Tobin from teaching the truth.
Again, GO BISHOP!
Enjoy the article.
Peace,
BMP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Congressman Kennedy:
“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” (Congressman Patrick Kennedy)
Since our recent correspondence has been rather public, I hope you don’t mind if I share a few reflections about your practice of the faith in this public forum. I usually wouldn’t do that – that is speak about someone’s faith in a public setting – but in our well-documented exchange of letters about health care and abortion, it has emerged as an issue. I also share these words publicly with the thought that they might be instructive to other Catholics, including those in prominent positions of leadership.
For the moment I’d like to set aside the discussion of health care reform, as important and relevant as it is, and focus on one statement contained in your letter of October 29, 2009, in which you write, “The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” That sentence certainly caught my attention and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe it’s true. And it raises an important question: What does it mean to be a Catholic?
“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” Well, in fact, Congressman, in a way it does. Although I wouldn’t choose those particular words, when someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church. This principle is based on the Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Church and is made more explicit in recent documents.
For example, the “Code of Canon Law” says, “Lay persons are bound by an obligation and possess the right to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine adapted to their capacity and condition so that they can live in accord with that doctrine.” (Canon 229, #1)
The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” says this: “Mindful of Christ’s words to his apostles, ‘He who hears you, hears me,’ the faithful receive with docility the teaching and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.” (#87)
Or consider this statement of the Church: “It would be a mistake to confuse the proper autonomy exercised by Catholics in political life with the claim of a principle that prescinds from the moral and social teaching of the Church.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002)
There’s lots of canonical and theological verbiage there, Congressman, but what it means is that if you don’t accept the teachings of the Church your communion with the Church is flawed, or in your own words, makes you “less of a Catholic.”
But let’s get down to a more practical question; let’s approach it this way: What does it mean, really, to be a Catholic? After all, being a Catholic has to mean something, right?
Well, in simple terms – and here I refer only to those more visible, structural elements of Church membership – being a Catholic means that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.
Congressman, I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic, so let me ask: Do you accept the teachings of the Church on essential matters of faith and morals, including our stance on abortion? Do you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish? Do you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly? Do you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially?
In your letter you say that you “embrace your faith.” Terrific. But if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements of membership, what is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?
Your letter also says that your faith “acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.” Absolutely true. But in confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” – as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.
Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category – it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.
Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance. It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas J. Tobin
Bishop of Providence
From Without a Doubt, the bi-weekly column by Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, as published in the Rhode Island Catholic.
The big question will be: How will Congressman Kennedy reply? Will his cronies do what Rudy Guliani's cronies did, that is, try to sick the IRS on the Most Reverend Bishop? Thankfully, those kind of childish games don't stop Bishop Tobin from teaching the truth.
Again, GO BISHOP!
Enjoy the article.
Peace,
BMP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Congressman Kennedy:
“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” (Congressman Patrick Kennedy)
Since our recent correspondence has been rather public, I hope you don’t mind if I share a few reflections about your practice of the faith in this public forum. I usually wouldn’t do that – that is speak about someone’s faith in a public setting – but in our well-documented exchange of letters about health care and abortion, it has emerged as an issue. I also share these words publicly with the thought that they might be instructive to other Catholics, including those in prominent positions of leadership.
For the moment I’d like to set aside the discussion of health care reform, as important and relevant as it is, and focus on one statement contained in your letter of October 29, 2009, in which you write, “The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” That sentence certainly caught my attention and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe it’s true. And it raises an important question: What does it mean to be a Catholic?
“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” Well, in fact, Congressman, in a way it does. Although I wouldn’t choose those particular words, when someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church. This principle is based on the Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Church and is made more explicit in recent documents.
For example, the “Code of Canon Law” says, “Lay persons are bound by an obligation and possess the right to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine adapted to their capacity and condition so that they can live in accord with that doctrine.” (Canon 229, #1)
The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” says this: “Mindful of Christ’s words to his apostles, ‘He who hears you, hears me,’ the faithful receive with docility the teaching and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.” (#87)
Or consider this statement of the Church: “It would be a mistake to confuse the proper autonomy exercised by Catholics in political life with the claim of a principle that prescinds from the moral and social teaching of the Church.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002)
There’s lots of canonical and theological verbiage there, Congressman, but what it means is that if you don’t accept the teachings of the Church your communion with the Church is flawed, or in your own words, makes you “less of a Catholic.”
But let’s get down to a more practical question; let’s approach it this way: What does it mean, really, to be a Catholic? After all, being a Catholic has to mean something, right?
Well, in simple terms – and here I refer only to those more visible, structural elements of Church membership – being a Catholic means that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.
Congressman, I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic, so let me ask: Do you accept the teachings of the Church on essential matters of faith and morals, including our stance on abortion? Do you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish? Do you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly? Do you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially?
In your letter you say that you “embrace your faith.” Terrific. But if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements of membership, what is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?
Your letter also says that your faith “acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.” Absolutely true. But in confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” – as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.
Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category – it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.
Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance. It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas J. Tobin
Bishop of Providence
Thursday, July 16, 2009
DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE-SOUTH BEND
SETS EXCELLENT EXAMPLE...
...in proper placing of the Tabernacle!
News on the document from Shawn Tribe at NLM. No more playing hide and seek with the Eucharist! Good for Bishop D'Arcy and pals!
The preface...
The place of the tabernacle in our church should reflect our faith in the real presence of Christ, and should always be guided by Church documents.
My experience is that our people, with their instinct of faith, have always desired that the tabernacle be central and visible. They find it confusing when the tabernacle in their churches is not visible, and if possible, central.
The norms (excerpt)...
4. In the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, the Bishop has judged that the tabernacle is normally to be prominently located in the sanctuary of the church, along the central axis behind the main altar. Under this arrangement, the tabernacle should be at an elevated, open location in the apse area, or in another central place in the sanctuary that is equally conspicuous. Where a high altar with a tabernacle remains in place, it is appropriate to continue using this noble structure for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.
5. This prescription is to be observed in all future construction or restoration projects involving places of sacred worship (including all churches, oratories, and private chapels) in the Diocese.
I was very elated to see the use of the high altar encouraged here, in an age where many nutcases thought that Vatican II wanted high altars and altar rails torn down.
Of the many examples of proper Tabernacle placement, Holy Ghost Church, where I was once music director, is shown. As bitter as I am toward the pastor for sacking me a week before Thanksgiving 2007, I have to give credit where credit is due. He has done a great job turning this modern edifice (late 1980's-built, and typical of that time, sadly) into a very respectable looking church. (Holy Ghost is on right.)
Jesus finally gets his rightful place at the center of attention at the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese. Any other dioceses wanna follow suit?
Peace,
BMP
News on the document from Shawn Tribe at NLM. No more playing hide and seek with the Eucharist! Good for Bishop D'Arcy and pals!
The preface...
The place of the tabernacle in our church should reflect our faith in the real presence of Christ, and should always be guided by Church documents.
My experience is that our people, with their instinct of faith, have always desired that the tabernacle be central and visible. They find it confusing when the tabernacle in their churches is not visible, and if possible, central.
The norms (excerpt)...
4. In the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, the Bishop has judged that the tabernacle is normally to be prominently located in the sanctuary of the church, along the central axis behind the main altar. Under this arrangement, the tabernacle should be at an elevated, open location in the apse area, or in another central place in the sanctuary that is equally conspicuous. Where a high altar with a tabernacle remains in place, it is appropriate to continue using this noble structure for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.
5. This prescription is to be observed in all future construction or restoration projects involving places of sacred worship (including all churches, oratories, and private chapels) in the Diocese.
I was very elated to see the use of the high altar encouraged here, in an age where many nutcases thought that Vatican II wanted high altars and altar rails torn down.
Of the many examples of proper Tabernacle placement, Holy Ghost Church, where I was once music director, is shown. As bitter as I am toward the pastor for sacking me a week before Thanksgiving 2007, I have to give credit where credit is due. He has done a great job turning this modern edifice (late 1980's-built, and typical of that time, sadly) into a very respectable looking church. (Holy Ghost is on right.)
Jesus finally gets his rightful place at the center of attention at the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese. Any other dioceses wanna follow suit?
Peace,
BMP
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
HOME IMPROVEMENTS BEING DONE
at the Westminster Cathedral
Some great news in the UK, compliments of Damian Thompson (click on his name to read the full story):
The big free-standing altar that cluttered up the sanctuary of Westminster Cathedral has gone for good, it seems - with the full approval of Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who is happy to celebrate Mass at the proper altar at the back of the sanctuary, under the baldacchino.
Not only has the new altar (above) gone, but the hideous wooden platform on which it stood is now firmly locked away in a warehouse, never to return. And its location is being kept a secret, lest Tabletistas steal it back and try to restore what they imagine is "Vatican II worship".
I like Abp. Nichols already!
Peace,
BMP
Some great news in the UK, compliments of Damian Thompson (click on his name to read the full story):
The big free-standing altar that cluttered up the sanctuary of Westminster Cathedral has gone for good, it seems - with the full approval of Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who is happy to celebrate Mass at the proper altar at the back of the sanctuary, under the baldacchino.
Not only has the new altar (above) gone, but the hideous wooden platform on which it stood is now firmly locked away in a warehouse, never to return. And its location is being kept a secret, lest Tabletistas steal it back and try to restore what they imagine is "Vatican II worship".
I like Abp. Nichols already!
Peace,
BMP
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
MY FIRST AWARD IN YEARS
Woooohoooo! Brian told me I did the 2300th posting. Yeeeehawl (you ahve to say that with a Texas drawl, of course, for full enjoyment).
Paul mentioned the school Mass situation she had experienced. For most Catholic schools this is a travesty.
At our local Cathedral, evidently the school kids (perhaps all the school "choirs" - a word I use lightly here) fill the loft, with the 90+ rank pipe organ. What do you think they have for accompaniment???????
GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAARzzzzzzzzzzzz.
When my pastor told me this, I just went into my arrogant self-aggrandizing mode and said, "THEY can do that. WE will not! Our children will be accompanied by the organ, nothing else." Then suggested that we invite Bishop Rene Gracida, Bishop emeritus of the diocese, to come here for a special Mass. He and the emeritus are on good terms, and that suggestion may come to fruition. There are those who might think that the emeritus Bishop is arrogant, etc., but he does expect good music, support his priests, etc.
I for one, will look forward to such a celebration at our humble parish. We will have, as usual, excellent participation, excellent altar servers, excellent lectors, (hopefully by then) an excellent choir to sing something special (a choral work not by Haugan-Haas Ice Cream Co., the St. Louis Jesuits, the Daymeans, etc., but perhaps, Faure, Bach, Mozart, or Langlais, Dupre, etc.). We will have incense, high ritual celebrated with great dignity and respect for the Triune God who has created us and given us a wonderful Church, by the suffering of Jesus Christ. And we will have a great attendance, as well.
And of course, other local parishes and schools who have liberalism in all their program and liturgies, mush for thinking and ignorance of staff, trash as music, will all be strangely absent from the experience. Deo Gratias.
And, probably, Ad orientem !!!!!!!
I'll let you know - we'll video tape it and post it to the site!
SteveO
Paul mentioned the school Mass situation she had experienced. For most Catholic schools this is a travesty.
At our local Cathedral, evidently the school kids (perhaps all the school "choirs" - a word I use lightly here) fill the loft, with the 90+ rank pipe organ. What do you think they have for accompaniment???????
GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAARzzzzzzzzzzzz.
When my pastor told me this, I just went into my arrogant self-aggrandizing mode and said, "THEY can do that. WE will not! Our children will be accompanied by the organ, nothing else." Then suggested that we invite Bishop Rene Gracida, Bishop emeritus of the diocese, to come here for a special Mass. He and the emeritus are on good terms, and that suggestion may come to fruition. There are those who might think that the emeritus Bishop is arrogant, etc., but he does expect good music, support his priests, etc.
I for one, will look forward to such a celebration at our humble parish. We will have, as usual, excellent participation, excellent altar servers, excellent lectors, (hopefully by then) an excellent choir to sing something special (a choral work not by Haugan-Haas Ice Cream Co., the St. Louis Jesuits, the Daymeans, etc., but perhaps, Faure, Bach, Mozart, or Langlais, Dupre, etc.). We will have incense, high ritual celebrated with great dignity and respect for the Triune God who has created us and given us a wonderful Church, by the suffering of Jesus Christ. And we will have a great attendance, as well.
And of course, other local parishes and schools who have liberalism in all their program and liturgies, mush for thinking and ignorance of staff, trash as music, will all be strangely absent from the experience. Deo Gratias.
And, probably, Ad orientem !!!!!!!
I'll let you know - we'll video tape it and post it to the site!
SteveO
Saturday, January 24, 2009
FOLLOWING MY RESOLUTION
Some of you may remember that I had made a New Year's Resolution for the first time in a long time.
In following through with said resolution, I just sent out my first resume of 2009 - to a church in the Diocese of Worcester (Massachusetts). I won't mention the name of the church, but I will tell you it does have a two-manual pipe organ in the choir loft (I don't know who built it, and won't till I get to audition).
Should I get the job, I get to serve in a diocese where, like my home diocese in Providence, there is a great bishop (Bp. McManus, who was an Auxiliary in Providence before becoming an Ordinary in Worcester).
Peace,
BMP
In following through with said resolution, I just sent out my first resume of 2009 - to a church in the Diocese of Worcester (Massachusetts). I won't mention the name of the church, but I will tell you it does have a two-manual pipe organ in the choir loft (I don't know who built it, and won't till I get to audition).
Should I get the job, I get to serve in a diocese where, like my home diocese in Providence, there is a great bishop (Bp. McManus, who was an Auxiliary in Providence before becoming an Ordinary in Worcester).
Peace,
BMP
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
ON THE OTHER HAND
Bp. Serratelli gets it!
Fr. Z posted an excellent response by Bp. Serratelli (Paterson, NJ Diocese) about Mass translations. Instead of posting it here, I'll just send you to Fr. Z's humble abode (click on the blue words following my subtitle to go there). :)
Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP
Fr. Z posted an excellent response by Bp. Serratelli (Paterson, NJ Diocese) about Mass translations. Instead of posting it here, I'll just send you to Fr. Z's humble abode (click on the blue words following my subtitle to go there). :)
Enjoy!
Peace,
BMP
Friday, April 4, 2008
THE HOUSTON CO-CATHEDRAL DEDICATION...
...was celebrated in a world-class liturgy. I encourage you to catch the video clips here. Cardinal DiNardo really says Mass with class.
High points:
The deacon proclaimed the Gospel reading in Latin.
Cardinal DiNardo used abundant chalices - REAL chalices, not glass pitchers.
The music on the most part had a Vatican feel to it. Excellent!
Low points:
I've watched at least half of the clips on Channel 13, and I didn't find any low points at all.
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has a lot to be proud of. I can't marvel enough!
Peace,
BMP
High points:
The deacon proclaimed the Gospel reading in Latin.
Cardinal DiNardo used abundant chalices - REAL chalices, not glass pitchers.
The music on the most part had a Vatican feel to it. Excellent!
Low points:
I've watched at least half of the clips on Channel 13, and I didn't find any low points at all.
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has a lot to be proud of. I can't marvel enough!
Peace,
BMP
Saturday, March 15, 2008
BOOTED IN ST. LOUIS
Poncho Ladies™ played pretend in the wrong archdiocese!
RSCT to Argent. People like these should know better than to screw around like that in St. Louis. Big time kudos for Abp. Burke for the action he took.
Peace,
BMP
RSCT to Argent. People like these should know better than to screw around like that in St. Louis. Big time kudos for Abp. Burke for the action he took.
Peace,
BMP
Sunday, March 9, 2008
EXTRAORDINARY TRAINING IN WORCESTER DIOCESE
Training Workshop in Massachusetts for Priests and Altar Servers inthe Traditional Latin Mass, March 28, 2008
At the request of His Excellency, Bishop McManus, Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, Fr. Santos, pastor of Holy Name Church in Providence, Rhode Island will be conducting an introductory training workshop for priests and altar servers in the Traditional Latin Rite. There will also be some Latin language instruction.
Please call to Register.
Date: Friday, March 28, 2008
Time: 10 AM-4 PM, when a Traditional Latin Mass will begin
[Lunch will be provided]
Location: Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel
282 Still River Road
Still River, Massachusetts 01467
978-456-8877
Cost: Thanks to the gracious hospitality of the Sisters and Brothers of Saint Benedict Center the workshop and lunch are provided at no cost.
RSCT to Fr. Z.
When Bp. McManus was Auxiliary Bishop of Providence, he had celebrated the Extraordinary Form of Mass a couple of times at Holy Name (while I was music director there). He did very well, too. It's great to see he's offering training for the same in Worcester.
Peace,
BMP
At the request of His Excellency, Bishop McManus, Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, Fr. Santos, pastor of Holy Name Church in Providence, Rhode Island will be conducting an introductory training workshop for priests and altar servers in the Traditional Latin Rite. There will also be some Latin language instruction.
Please call to Register.
Date: Friday, March 28, 2008
Time: 10 AM-4 PM, when a Traditional Latin Mass will begin
[Lunch will be provided]
Location: Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel
282 Still River Road
Still River, Massachusetts 01467
978-456-8877
Cost: Thanks to the gracious hospitality of the Sisters and Brothers of Saint Benedict Center the workshop and lunch are provided at no cost.
RSCT to Fr. Z.
When Bp. McManus was Auxiliary Bishop of Providence, he had celebrated the Extraordinary Form of Mass a couple of times at Holy Name (while I was music director there). He did very well, too. It's great to see he's offering training for the same in Worcester.
Peace,
BMP
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
NOW HERE'S A NICE CHANGE OF HEART
Remember back in August 2007, Bishop Cooney of Gaylord MI gave this directive:
Until other law is promulgated, all liturgies in the Diocese of Gaylord are to be celebrated entirely in English by the presiding celebrant.
===
The use of other languages in songs and hymns...can be used occasionally, but must never overshadow the use of English.
Any variance from this policy must be requested on an individual basis from the Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord using the form that can be obtained from the Secretariat for Worship & Liturgical Formation or the Office of the Bishop.
This Policy takes effect immediately.
Well, I have good news --- he's apparently had a change of heart. Here's an excerpt of a letter from the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius (RSCT Shawn Tribe at NLM):
At the invitation of the Most Rev. Patrick R. Cooney, S.T.D., S.T.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, Fr. Scott A. Haynes, a priest of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Chicago, Illinois, visited the Diocese of Gaylord from February 24-29, 2008, to instruct priests in the celebration of the Roman Rite according to the Extraordinary Form. Fr. Donald Libby of Holy Rosary Parish in Cedar, Michigan, hosted the workshop, which also provided training to altar boys in the ceremonies of Low Mass and High Mass. Each day the Holy Mass was celebrated according to the Missal of 1962, as the faithful were catechized on the meaning of the Sacred Liturgy. The Sunday celebration of the Extraordinary Form will be coming to the Gaylord Diocese by Easter. Deo Gratias!
An excellent turn of events in Gaylord!
Peace,
BMP
Until other law is promulgated, all liturgies in the Diocese of Gaylord are to be celebrated entirely in English by the presiding celebrant.
===
The use of other languages in songs and hymns...can be used occasionally, but must never overshadow the use of English.
Any variance from this policy must be requested on an individual basis from the Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord using the form that can be obtained from the Secretariat for Worship & Liturgical Formation or the Office of the Bishop.
This Policy takes effect immediately.
Well, I have good news --- he's apparently had a change of heart. Here's an excerpt of a letter from the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius (RSCT Shawn Tribe at NLM):
At the invitation of the Most Rev. Patrick R. Cooney, S.T.D., S.T.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, Fr. Scott A. Haynes, a priest of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Chicago, Illinois, visited the Diocese of Gaylord from February 24-29, 2008, to instruct priests in the celebration of the Roman Rite according to the Extraordinary Form. Fr. Donald Libby of Holy Rosary Parish in Cedar, Michigan, hosted the workshop, which also provided training to altar boys in the ceremonies of Low Mass and High Mass. Each day the Holy Mass was celebrated according to the Missal of 1962, as the faithful were catechized on the meaning of the Sacred Liturgy. The Sunday celebration of the Extraordinary Form will be coming to the Gaylord Diocese by Easter. Deo Gratias!
An excellent turn of events in Gaylord!
Peace,
BMP
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
THE BOOKS ARE OPEN ON THIS ONE...
Fr. Z. happily (rightfully so) announces that Fr. Tim Finigan at The Hermeneutic of Continuity is in the running to become the next Archbishop of Westminster. Truthfully, I think he'll do just fine.
Also, Paddy Power, the Irish-based betting website, has odds on said appointment to the See of Westminster.
You may have to click on it to get a more legible picture. But as you see, Fr. Finigan at 10-1 is still a very good shot. I wouldn't mind Cdl. Pell either (he's at 12-1). And, as you can see, Bono is still in the running, despite his being the longshot at 500-1. I like both. In fact, I wouldn't mind Cdl. Pell taking an American archdiocese either (just not St. Louis or St. Paul/Minneapolis).
Is there a daily double? (LOL)
Peace,
BMP
Also, Paddy Power, the Irish-based betting website, has odds on said appointment to the See of Westminster.
You may have to click on it to get a more legible picture. But as you see, Fr. Finigan at 10-1 is still a very good shot. I wouldn't mind Cdl. Pell either (he's at 12-1). And, as you can see, Bono is still in the running, despite his being the longshot at 500-1. I like both. In fact, I wouldn't mind Cdl. Pell taking an American archdiocese either (just not St. Louis or St. Paul/Minneapolis).
Is there a daily double? (LOL)
Peace,
BMP
Friday, February 15, 2008
ONE OF RHODE ISLAND'S BAD BOYS TAKEN DOWN
...in TEXAS!
Back in the 1980's a priest of my own diocese, Fr. Philip Magaldi, was accused of perjury in the case of a Newport man's attempt to kill his wife. In the early 1990's, he pled guilty to embezzling over $200,000 from St. Anthony's Church in North Providence, where Magaldi was once pastor.
He's since moved to the Fort Worth, Texas, diocese, and is now under investigation for molesting at least five minors in Rhode Island and Texas. He's been removed by Bishop Vann from any and all priestly ministry (one of Bp. Vann's first moves since coming to Fort Worth in 2006 - good for him!).
Now, it's revealed that Magaldi is HIV positive! OUCH for the five then-minors he did.
Here's the story from WJAR-TV, Channel 10 in Providence.
By Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas - A former priest accused of sexually abusing at least five minors in Rhode Island and Texas is HIV positive, Catholic diocese officials said Thursday.
Last week, a leader in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth heard someone mention that the Rev. Philip A. Magaldi has the virus that causes AIDS, said diocese spokesman Pat Svacina. The leader, the Rev. Michael F. Olson, then got verbal confirmation from Magaldi as well as a letter from his doctor who said he has HIV but not AIDS, Svacina said.
The diocese then alerted the alleged victims and the parishes where Magaldi served for nearly four decades, Svacina said.
Fort Worth diocese officials said they believe that Magaldi has been HIV positive since at least 2003.
Magaldi, 71, lives in a retirement center and diocese officials declined to disclose where. He has previously said he was innocent of the sexual abuse allegations, for which he has not been charged.
He was removed as a priest in 1999 amid claims of sexual misconduct in Providence, R.I., where he served from 1960-90, and the Fort Worth area, where he served from 1990-92 and 1993-99.
He was out of the ministry while serving a brief stint in prison in 1992 after embezzling about $200,000 from his Rhode Island parish, officials said. In an unrelated case, Magaldi also was accused of lying in the Newport case of Claus von Bulow, who was acquitted of trying to kill his heiress wife.
In 2006, a pastor at a North Richland Hills Church apologized to the congregation amid reports that five years earlier he didn't tell police after learning of inappropriate material involving minors on the computer used by Magaldi, who led the church the last six years of his ministry.
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, urged the dioceses to aggressively seek out potential victims. He said it's impossible to know the number of victims because many children and teens abused by priests don't ever come forward.
"There's a real chance of someone suffering not only a horrific childhood trauma but also a current adult infection because of this priest," Clohessy said.
Magaldi is one of six priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth accused of abusing minors, according to 700 pages of previously secret files that were part of a sexual abuse lawsuit settled in 2005. The documents were released by a judge last year.
In Rhode Island, three separate allegations were reported in 1998, 2002 and last year against Magaldi.
Bishop Kevin Vann of the Fort Worth diocese is flying to Rome next week to ask the Vatican to expedite the process of having Magaldi defrocked, which would remove him from clerical status, Svacina said.
According to the Providence diocese, it is in the process of contacting those who have made allegations against Magaldi.
In a statement, the Providence diocese said it fully supports the efforts of the Diocese of Fort Worth to seek dismissal of Magaldi from the priesthood.
Magaldi's earlier troubles included a 1985 indictment on perjury and obstruction charges for allegedly lying in a sworn statement in support of von Bulow to help him get a new trial. The charges against Magaldi were dropped in 1987.
In Von Bulow's second trial in 1985, he was acquitted of trying to kill his wife with insulin injections at their Newport, R.I., mansion.
Gerald has a timeline on Magaldi.
The Diocese of Fort Worth has this press release as well. Here's a snip:
Magaldi was removed from active priesthood in 1999 by the late Bishop Joseph Delaney after allegations of sexual misconduct arose in Rhode Island and Fort Worth. In August 2006 Bishop Kevin Vann removed Magaldi from all ministries. Bishop Vann also is in the process of seeking "laicization" of Magaldi, which is a request to remove Magaldi from clerical status. The request is pending at the Holy See. Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin is joining Bishop Vann in the request for laicization of Magaldi.
Peace,
BMP
Back in the 1980's a priest of my own diocese, Fr. Philip Magaldi, was accused of perjury in the case of a Newport man's attempt to kill his wife. In the early 1990's, he pled guilty to embezzling over $200,000 from St. Anthony's Church in North Providence, where Magaldi was once pastor.
He's since moved to the Fort Worth, Texas, diocese, and is now under investigation for molesting at least five minors in Rhode Island and Texas. He's been removed by Bishop Vann from any and all priestly ministry (one of Bp. Vann's first moves since coming to Fort Worth in 2006 - good for him!).
Now, it's revealed that Magaldi is HIV positive! OUCH for the five then-minors he did.
Here's the story from WJAR-TV, Channel 10 in Providence.
By Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas - A former priest accused of sexually abusing at least five minors in Rhode Island and Texas is HIV positive, Catholic diocese officials said Thursday.
Last week, a leader in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth heard someone mention that the Rev. Philip A. Magaldi has the virus that causes AIDS, said diocese spokesman Pat Svacina. The leader, the Rev. Michael F. Olson, then got verbal confirmation from Magaldi as well as a letter from his doctor who said he has HIV but not AIDS, Svacina said.
The diocese then alerted the alleged victims and the parishes where Magaldi served for nearly four decades, Svacina said.
Fort Worth diocese officials said they believe that Magaldi has been HIV positive since at least 2003.
Magaldi, 71, lives in a retirement center and diocese officials declined to disclose where. He has previously said he was innocent of the sexual abuse allegations, for which he has not been charged.
He was removed as a priest in 1999 amid claims of sexual misconduct in Providence, R.I., where he served from 1960-90, and the Fort Worth area, where he served from 1990-92 and 1993-99.
He was out of the ministry while serving a brief stint in prison in 1992 after embezzling about $200,000 from his Rhode Island parish, officials said. In an unrelated case, Magaldi also was accused of lying in the Newport case of Claus von Bulow, who was acquitted of trying to kill his heiress wife.
In 2006, a pastor at a North Richland Hills Church apologized to the congregation amid reports that five years earlier he didn't tell police after learning of inappropriate material involving minors on the computer used by Magaldi, who led the church the last six years of his ministry.
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, urged the dioceses to aggressively seek out potential victims. He said it's impossible to know the number of victims because many children and teens abused by priests don't ever come forward.
"There's a real chance of someone suffering not only a horrific childhood trauma but also a current adult infection because of this priest," Clohessy said.
Magaldi is one of six priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth accused of abusing minors, according to 700 pages of previously secret files that were part of a sexual abuse lawsuit settled in 2005. The documents were released by a judge last year.
In Rhode Island, three separate allegations were reported in 1998, 2002 and last year against Magaldi.
Bishop Kevin Vann of the Fort Worth diocese is flying to Rome next week to ask the Vatican to expedite the process of having Magaldi defrocked, which would remove him from clerical status, Svacina said.
According to the Providence diocese, it is in the process of contacting those who have made allegations against Magaldi.
In a statement, the Providence diocese said it fully supports the efforts of the Diocese of Fort Worth to seek dismissal of Magaldi from the priesthood.
Magaldi's earlier troubles included a 1985 indictment on perjury and obstruction charges for allegedly lying in a sworn statement in support of von Bulow to help him get a new trial. The charges against Magaldi were dropped in 1987.
In Von Bulow's second trial in 1985, he was acquitted of trying to kill his wife with insulin injections at their Newport, R.I., mansion.
Gerald has a timeline on Magaldi.
The Diocese of Fort Worth has this press release as well. Here's a snip:
Magaldi was removed from active priesthood in 1999 by the late Bishop Joseph Delaney after allegations of sexual misconduct arose in Rhode Island and Fort Worth. In August 2006 Bishop Kevin Vann removed Magaldi from all ministries. Bishop Vann also is in the process of seeking "laicization" of Magaldi, which is a request to remove Magaldi from clerical status. The request is pending at the Holy See. Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin is joining Bishop Vann in the request for laicization of Magaldi.
Peace,
BMP
Sunday, February 10, 2008
BLOGGERS FOR BURKE
This in from Gerald:
A friend of mine had a meeting with Archbishop Burke the other day and 'plugged' my blog. He let the archbishop know how the readers love him and wish they had a bishop just like him. This was a particular nice thing to tell him these days, when the media are rather after him. He expressed his thanks for your affection and well wishes. Just thought I'd let you know :)
Not only readers, but (I think I can safely say) many fellow Catholic bloggers (myself included) will most likely say we need more - many more - bishops like Archbishop Burke. Thus far, I must admit, I'm very happy with Bishop Tobin (I especially love the number he did on Rudy Giuliani's pro-abortion stance). He's done very well here in Rhode Island (the best of any bishop that's been here in a long time). Many aren't so lucky. But these are the prelates I really consider as role models for the Catholic Church in North America. There are a few others I could name as well amongst the best --- Bp. Finn, Bp. Burbidge, Bp. Serratelli, Bp. Slattery, Bp. Provost, and Bp. Bruskewitz.
These, folks, are your CHRISTUS VINCIT REAL BISHOPS! Keep up the great work, your excellencies!
Peace,
BMP
A friend of mine had a meeting with Archbishop Burke the other day and 'plugged' my blog. He let the archbishop know how the readers love him and wish they had a bishop just like him. This was a particular nice thing to tell him these days, when the media are rather after him. He expressed his thanks for your affection and well wishes. Just thought I'd let you know :)
Not only readers, but (I think I can safely say) many fellow Catholic bloggers (myself included) will most likely say we need more - many more - bishops like Archbishop Burke. Thus far, I must admit, I'm very happy with Bishop Tobin (I especially love the number he did on Rudy Giuliani's pro-abortion stance). He's done very well here in Rhode Island (the best of any bishop that's been here in a long time). Many aren't so lucky. But these are the prelates I really consider as role models for the Catholic Church in North America. There are a few others I could name as well amongst the best --- Bp. Finn, Bp. Burbidge, Bp. Serratelli, Bp. Slattery, Bp. Provost, and Bp. Bruskewitz.
These, folks, are your CHRISTUS VINCIT REAL BISHOPS! Keep up the great work, your excellencies!
Peace,
BMP
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I THINK CDL. DINARDO WILL DO JUST FINE
In an interview with Zenit, the Cardinal from Houston had this to say:
With regard to the liturgy, I think we can take a cue from the liturgical piety of the Church Fathers. In the Fathers, you see an emphasis not only on the words said at Mass, but also the importance of the gestures of the liturgy. In other words, say the black, do the red.
All the makings of a cardinal who gets it!
PHT (Patriots Helmet Tip) to the great Father Z.
Peace,
BMP
With regard to the liturgy, I think we can take a cue from the liturgical piety of the Church Fathers. In the Fathers, you see an emphasis not only on the words said at Mass, but also the importance of the gestures of the liturgy. In other words, say the black, do the red.
All the makings of a cardinal who gets it!
PHT (Patriots Helmet Tip) to the great Father Z.
Peace,
BMP
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
THE BCL AS WE KNOW IT IS NO MORE!
That's right, folks! The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy not only has a new look (and a much better bishop leading the pack), but a new name, too: The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship.
Chairman is Bp. Serratelli of Paterson, NJ.
Other members consist of Cdl. Rigali of Philly, Abp. Buechlein of Indy, Abp. Chaput of Denver, Abp. Niederauer of San Francisco, Bp. Farrell of Dallas, Bp. Herzog of Alexandria, LA, Bp. Cisneros, Auxiliary of Brooklyn, and one last member yet to be determined.
The Subcommittee on Liturgy for Hispanics consists of Bp. Cisneros (chairman), and other members to be determined.
The lineup looks like one helluvan improvement until you start reading below:
Consultants to the new CDW are Cdl. Mahony of Los Angeles, home of abundant Kool-Aid pitchers and infamous Religious Misedumacation Conventions, and Abp. Vlazny of Portland, OR, home of OCP, publishers of the infamous Alleluia Chee-Chee.
Patriots Helmet Tip (PHT) to Jeffrey Tucker (NLM).
Peace,
BMP
Chairman is Bp. Serratelli of Paterson, NJ.
Other members consist of Cdl. Rigali of Philly, Abp. Buechlein of Indy, Abp. Chaput of Denver, Abp. Niederauer of San Francisco, Bp. Farrell of Dallas, Bp. Herzog of Alexandria, LA, Bp. Cisneros, Auxiliary of Brooklyn, and one last member yet to be determined.
The Subcommittee on Liturgy for Hispanics consists of Bp. Cisneros (chairman), and other members to be determined.
The lineup looks like one helluvan improvement until you start reading below:
Consultants to the new CDW are Cdl. Mahony of Los Angeles, home of abundant Kool-Aid pitchers and infamous Religious Misedumacation Conventions, and Abp. Vlazny of Portland, OR, home of OCP, publishers of the infamous Alleluia Chee-Chee.
Patriots Helmet Tip (PHT) to Jeffrey Tucker (NLM).
Peace,
BMP
Monday, October 29, 2007
GOOD MONDAY NEWS 2
Change in Reign to come within the BCL!
This from the November 2007 Adoremus Bulletin:
...Following the November meeting, Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli will succeed Erie Bishop Donald Trautman as BCL chairman. Bishop Serratelli is a member of the Doctrine Committee and chairman of its Ad Hoc Committee on Review of Scripture Translations.
Knowing of the excellent liturgy articles Bp. Serratelli has written for his Paterson diocese, this is a very welcome change. Truthfully, almost any prelate would be an improvement from the outgoing chairman (there are at least a couple that may be worse), but this is definitely a welcome change!
Peace,
BMP
This from the November 2007 Adoremus Bulletin:
...Following the November meeting, Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli will succeed Erie Bishop Donald Trautman as BCL chairman. Bishop Serratelli is a member of the Doctrine Committee and chairman of its Ad Hoc Committee on Review of Scripture Translations.
Knowing of the excellent liturgy articles Bp. Serratelli has written for his Paterson diocese, this is a very welcome change. Truthfully, almost any prelate would be an improvement from the outgoing chairman (there are at least a couple that may be worse), but this is definitely a welcome change!
Peace,
BMP
Thursday, October 11, 2007
ANOTHER FAVORITE AMONGST NEW ENGLAND PRELATES
Providence native (and once an auxiliary bishop there) and currently Worcester's bishop, Bishop Robert J. McManus had this to say to the folk at Holy Cross College after renting space for a program held by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, with workshops by Planned (barf) Parenthood and NARAL (RSCT to Amy Welborn):
A controversy has arisen at the College of the Holy Cross that has resulted from the College’s renting space for a conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. The conference involves workshops presented by members of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. Both organizations promote positions on artificial contraception and abortion that are contrary to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.
I have received numerous complaints from people who are shocked and outraged that a Catholic institution like Holy Cross would have anything to do with such groups. They have appealed to me to ask Father Michael McFarland, president of the College of the Holy Cross, to revoke the College’s agreement to rent space to the Massachusetts Teen Alliance. I have done so.
As Bishop of Worcester, it is my pastoral and canonical responsibility to determine what institutions can properly call themselves “Catholic.” This is a duty that I do not take lightly since to be a Catholic institution means that such an institution conducts its mission and ministry in accord with Catholic Church teaching, especially in cases of faith and morals.
The moral teaching of the Catholic Church on respect for life at all stages of its development is manifestly clear. Life is a fundamental good that must be protected and respected from the moment of fertilization to natural death. This teaching is so basic and important that it provides the foundation upon which much of the Church’s moral and social doctrine rests. It is beyond modification and compromise.
Both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice are notorious for their policies and practices that directly reject the Church’s teaching on artificial contraception and abortion. The College of the Holy Cross should recognize that any association with these groups can create the situation of offering scandal understood in its proper theological sense, i.e., an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. Certainly it is understandable how people of good will could interpret the college’s allowing presentations to be made by such groups as truly scandalous.
I strongly contend that the confusion and upset to the Catholic faithful and others that flow from the perception that the administration of the College of the Holy Cross supports positions contrary to the fundamental moral teaching of the Church must be avoided. To deny Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice a forum in which to present their morally unacceptable positions is not an infringement of the exercise of academic freedom but a defensible attempt to make unambiguously clear the Catholic identity and mission of the College of the Holy Cross.
It is my fervent wish that the administration of the College of the Holy Cross will unequivocally disassociate itself from the upcoming conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy so that the college can continue to be recognized as a Catholic institution committed to promoting the moral teaching of the Roman Catholic church.
Good for you, Bishop!
PS: He likes the extraordinary form, too. I haven't seen anything from him since Summorum Pontificum, but when he was Providence's Auxiliary Bishop, he celebrated that form twice at Holy Name when I was organist there. :)
Peace,
BMP
A controversy has arisen at the College of the Holy Cross that has resulted from the College’s renting space for a conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. The conference involves workshops presented by members of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. Both organizations promote positions on artificial contraception and abortion that are contrary to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.
I have received numerous complaints from people who are shocked and outraged that a Catholic institution like Holy Cross would have anything to do with such groups. They have appealed to me to ask Father Michael McFarland, president of the College of the Holy Cross, to revoke the College’s agreement to rent space to the Massachusetts Teen Alliance. I have done so.
As Bishop of Worcester, it is my pastoral and canonical responsibility to determine what institutions can properly call themselves “Catholic.” This is a duty that I do not take lightly since to be a Catholic institution means that such an institution conducts its mission and ministry in accord with Catholic Church teaching, especially in cases of faith and morals.
The moral teaching of the Catholic Church on respect for life at all stages of its development is manifestly clear. Life is a fundamental good that must be protected and respected from the moment of fertilization to natural death. This teaching is so basic and important that it provides the foundation upon which much of the Church’s moral and social doctrine rests. It is beyond modification and compromise.
Both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice are notorious for their policies and practices that directly reject the Church’s teaching on artificial contraception and abortion. The College of the Holy Cross should recognize that any association with these groups can create the situation of offering scandal understood in its proper theological sense, i.e., an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. Certainly it is understandable how people of good will could interpret the college’s allowing presentations to be made by such groups as truly scandalous.
I strongly contend that the confusion and upset to the Catholic faithful and others that flow from the perception that the administration of the College of the Holy Cross supports positions contrary to the fundamental moral teaching of the Church must be avoided. To deny Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice a forum in which to present their morally unacceptable positions is not an infringement of the exercise of academic freedom but a defensible attempt to make unambiguously clear the Catholic identity and mission of the College of the Holy Cross.
It is my fervent wish that the administration of the College of the Holy Cross will unequivocally disassociate itself from the upcoming conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy so that the college can continue to be recognized as a Catholic institution committed to promoting the moral teaching of the Roman Catholic church.
Good for you, Bishop!
PS: He likes the extraordinary form, too. I haven't seen anything from him since Summorum Pontificum, but when he was Providence's Auxiliary Bishop, he celebrated that form twice at Holy Name when I was organist there. :)
Peace,
BMP
Monday, August 13, 2007
BISHOP PROVOST ON THE MOTU PROPRIO
Bishop Glen Provost of Lake Charles, LA (Jason's pastor until the appointment to the See of Lake Charles just last spring), has a very gracious letter here regarding the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. RSCT to Gerald.
I'll refrain from commenting within the text of the letter. The good bishop said it very well here.
Peace,
BMP
My dear People of God, there are two matters that I wish to address. Some of you have posed questions concerning two recent Vatican documents. The first is the Holy Father’s Motu Proprio allowing for greater freedom in celebrating the Latin Mass and the other is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s “Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine on the Church”. Documents from the Vatican often involve fine points that the popular press, in the interests of simplicity and ease, find difficult to convey. I cannot presume to answer all of the questions that have surfaced, but I would pray that what I say offers some clarification. I would address them in order.
THE TRIDENTINE MASS
A Motu Proprio is a document of great importance issued by a pope on a matter that adjusts a practice in the Church. In this case, the Motu Proprio is entitled “Summorum Pontificum” and states clearly that the Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI (as celebrated today in our parish churches) and the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, reissued by Blessed John XXIII (typically called the Tridentine Mass and celebrated at present only with special permission) are, and I quote, “two usages of the one Roman rite.” In Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to the bishops, he writes, “It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were ‘two Rites.’ Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.” At a practical level, beginning September 14, 2007, any priest, competent in Latin and in the rite itself, can celebrate the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, in the form published by Blessed John XXIII. No further permission is needed. The role of the bishop is to insure “that all is done in peace and serenity” (the Papal Explanatory Letter to Bishops of July 7, 2007). This, of course, I intend to do.
Is this a return to the past? Pope Benedict XVI does not think so. Nor do I. “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too,” the pope writes. If one studies the history of the Church carefully, one finds that the Church has always found room for multiple usages in the Roman Rite. I recall as a child encountering the “Dominican Rite” with its slight variations while serving Mass or learning about the ancient “Ambrosian Rite” celebrated in Milan, Italy. The history of the Church is rich, and the Church is universal. It is much broader than anyone can possibly imagine. In effect, what Pope Benedict XVI has done is respond to a need. In providing for the normal celebration of an older form, the pope is answering the need many have expressed. There are those for whom the older usage of the rite is expressive, uplifting, and prayerful. Why not provide for this need without prejudice to the newer rite? As the pope states, “Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows” (the Papal Explanatory Letter to Bishops of July 7, 2007). As bishop, my role is to act as moderator for the liturgy in the diocese. For that reason I must insure that the Mass of the Roman Rite is celebrated authentically and reverently, whether in the form promulgated by Pope Paul VI or the form of Pope St. Pius V promulgated by Pope Blessed John XXIII.
I'll refrain from commenting within the text of the letter. The good bishop said it very well here.
Peace,
BMP
My dear People of God, there are two matters that I wish to address. Some of you have posed questions concerning two recent Vatican documents. The first is the Holy Father’s Motu Proprio allowing for greater freedom in celebrating the Latin Mass and the other is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s “Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine on the Church”. Documents from the Vatican often involve fine points that the popular press, in the interests of simplicity and ease, find difficult to convey. I cannot presume to answer all of the questions that have surfaced, but I would pray that what I say offers some clarification. I would address them in order.
THE TRIDENTINE MASS
A Motu Proprio is a document of great importance issued by a pope on a matter that adjusts a practice in the Church. In this case, the Motu Proprio is entitled “Summorum Pontificum” and states clearly that the Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI (as celebrated today in our parish churches) and the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, reissued by Blessed John XXIII (typically called the Tridentine Mass and celebrated at present only with special permission) are, and I quote, “two usages of the one Roman rite.” In Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to the bishops, he writes, “It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were ‘two Rites.’ Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.” At a practical level, beginning September 14, 2007, any priest, competent in Latin and in the rite itself, can celebrate the Mass of Pope St. Pius V, in the form published by Blessed John XXIII. No further permission is needed. The role of the bishop is to insure “that all is done in peace and serenity” (the Papal Explanatory Letter to Bishops of July 7, 2007). This, of course, I intend to do.
Is this a return to the past? Pope Benedict XVI does not think so. Nor do I. “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too,” the pope writes. If one studies the history of the Church carefully, one finds that the Church has always found room for multiple usages in the Roman Rite. I recall as a child encountering the “Dominican Rite” with its slight variations while serving Mass or learning about the ancient “Ambrosian Rite” celebrated in Milan, Italy. The history of the Church is rich, and the Church is universal. It is much broader than anyone can possibly imagine. In effect, what Pope Benedict XVI has done is respond to a need. In providing for the normal celebration of an older form, the pope is answering the need many have expressed. There are those for whom the older usage of the rite is expressive, uplifting, and prayerful. Why not provide for this need without prejudice to the newer rite? As the pope states, “Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows” (the Papal Explanatory Letter to Bishops of July 7, 2007). As bishop, my role is to act as moderator for the liturgy in the diocese. For that reason I must insure that the Mass of the Roman Rite is celebrated authentically and reverently, whether in the form promulgated by Pope Paul VI or the form of Pope St. Pius V promulgated by Pope Blessed John XXIII.
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