SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG

South African Bishop Kevin Dowling's Talk on Vatican II "Triumphalism" - Comments by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

2010-07-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Below is reproduced the text of the Talk given by + Kevin Dowling ( not one of South Africa's most illustrious supporters of Pope Benedict's Hermenuitic of Continuity) , I have taken the liberty of including the comments made on this talk by the American Fr. John Zuhlsdorf which follows directly afterward.

" The Southern Cross [South Africa's weekly Catholic newspaper] about 3 or 4 weeks ago published a picture of Bishop Slattery with his "cappa magna". For me, such a display of what amounts to triumphalism in a church torn apart by the sexual abuse scandal, is most unfortunate. What happened there bore the marks of a medieval royal court, not the humble, servant leadership modeled by Jesus. But it seems to me that this is also a symbol of what has been happening in the church especially since pope John Paul II became the Bishop of Rome and up till today -- and that is "restorationism," the carefully planned dismantling of the theology, ecclesiology, pastoral vision, indeed the "opening of the windows" of Vatican II -- in order to "restore" a previous, or more controllable model of church through an increasingly centralized power structure; a structure which now controls everything in the life of the church through a network of Vatican congregations led by cardinals who ensure strict compliance with what is deemed by them to be "orthodox." Those who do not comply face censure and punishment, e.g. theologians who are forbidden to teach in Catholic faculties.

Lest we do not highlight sufficiently this important fact. Vatican II was an ecumenical council, i.e., a solemn exercise of the magisterium of the church, i.e. the college of bishops gathered together with the bishop of Rome and exercising a teaching function for the whole church. In other words, its vision, its principles and the direction it gave are to be followed and implemented by all, from the pope to the peasant farmer in the fields of Honduras.

Since Vatican II there has been no such similar exercise of teaching authority by the magisterium. Instead, a series of decrees, pronouncements and decisions which have been given various "labels" stating, for example, that they must be firmly held to with "internal assent" by the Catholic faithful, but in reality are simply the theological or pastoral interpretations or opinions of those who have power at the centre of the church. They have not been solemnly defined as belonging to the "deposit of the faith" to be believed and followed, therefore, by all Catholics, as with other solemnly proclaimed dogmas. For example, the issues of celibacy for the priesthood and the ordination of women, withdrawn even from the realm of discussion. Therefore, such pronouncements are open to scrutiny -- to discern whether they are in accord, for example, with the fundamental theological vision of Vatican II, or whether there is indeed a case to be made for a different interpretation or opinion.

When I worked internationally from my religious congregation's base in Rome from 1985 to 1990 [Dowling is a Redemptorist] before I came back here as bishop of Rustenburg, one of my responsibilities was the building up of young adult ministry with our communities in the countries of Europe where so many of the young people were alienated from the church. I developed relationships with many hundreds of sincere, searching Catholic young adults, very open to issues of injustice, poverty and misery in the world, aware of structural injustice in the political and economic systems which dominated the world, but who increasingly felt that the "official" church was not only out of touch with reality, but a counter-witness to the aspirations of thinking and aware Catholics who sought a different experience of church. In other words, an experience which enabled them to believe that the church they belonged to had something relevant to say and to witness to in the very challenging world in which they lived. Many, many of these young adults have since left the church entirely.

On the other hand, it has to be recognized that for a significant number of young Catholics, adult Catholics, priests and religious around the world, the "restorationist" model of church which has been implemented over the past 30-40 years is sought after and valued; it meets a need in them; it gives them a feeling of belonging to something with very clear parameters and guidelines for living, thus giving them a sense of security and clarity about what is truth and what is morally right or wrong, because there is a clear and strong authority structure which decides definitively on all such questions, and which they trust absolutely as being of divine origin.

The rise of conservative groups and organizations in the church over the past 40 years and more, which attract significant numbers of adherents, has led to a phenomenon which I find difficult to deal with, viz. an inward looking church, fearful of if not antagonistic towards a secularist world with its concomitant danger of relativism especially in terms of truth and morality -- frequently referred to by pope Benedict XVI; a church which gives an impression of "retreating behind the wagons," and relying on a strong central authority to ensure unity through uniformity in belief and praxis in the face of such dangers. The fear is that without such supervision and control, and that if any freedom in decision-making is allowed, even in less important matters, this will open the door to division and a breakdown in the unity of the church.

This is all about a fundamentally different "vision" in the church and "vision" of the church. Where today can we find the great theological leaders and thinkers of the past, like Cardinal [Joseph] Frings of Cologne, Germany] and [Bernard Jan ] Alfrink [Utrecht, Netherlands] in Europe, and the great prophetic bishops whose voice and witness was a clarion call to justice, human rights and a global community of equitable sharing -- the witness of Archbishop [Oscar] Romero of El Salvador, the voices of Cardinals [Paulo Evaristo] Arns and [Aloísio Leo Arlindo ] Lorscheider, and Bishops [Dom] Helder Camara and [Pedro] Casadaliga of Brazil? Again, who in today's world "out there" even listens to, much less appreciates and allows themselves to be challenged by the leadership of the church at the present time? I think the moral authority of the church's leadership today has never been weaker. It is, therefore, important in my view that church leadership, instead of giving an impression of its power, privilege and prestige, should rather be experienced as a humble, searching ministry together with its people in order to discern the most appropriate or viable responses which can be made to complex ethical and moral questions -- a leadership, therefore, which does not presume to have all the answers all the time.

But to change focus a bit. One of the truly significant contributions of the church to the building up of a world in which people and communities can live in peace and dignity, with a quality of life which befits those made in God's image, has been the body of what has been called "Catholic Social Teaching", a compendium of which has been released during the past few years. These social teaching principles are: The Common Good, Solidarity, The Option for the Poor, Subsidiarity, The Common Destiny of Goods, The Integrity of Creation, and People-Centerdness -- all based on and flowing out of the values of the Gospel. Here we have very relevant principles and guidelines to engage with complex social, economic, cultural and political realities, especially as these affect the poorest and most vulnerable members of societies everywhere. These principles should enable us, as church, to critique constructively all socio-political-economic systems and policies - and especially from that viewpoint, viz. their effect on the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

However, if church leadership anywhere presumes to criticize or critique socio-political-economic policies and policy makers, or governments, it must also allow itself to be critiqued in the same way in terms of its policies, its internal life, and especially its modus operandi. A democratic culture and praxis, with its focus on the participation of citizens and holding accountable those who are elected to govern, is increasingly appreciated in spite of inevitable human shortcomings. When thinking people of all persuasions look at church leadership, they raise questions about, for example, real participation of the membership in its governance and how in fact church leadership is to be held accountable, and to whom. If the church, and its leadership, professes to follow the values of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, then its internal life, its methods of governing and its use of authority will be scrutinized on the basis of what we profess. Let us take one social teaching principle, vitally important for ensuring participative democracy in the socio-political domain, viz. subsidiarity.

I worked with the [South African] bishops' conference Justice and Peace Department for 17 years. After our political liberation in 1994, we discerned that political liberation in itself would have little relevance to the reality of the poor and marginalized unless it resulted in their economic emancipation. We therefore decided that a fundamental issue for post-1994 South Africa was economic justice. After a great deal of discussion at all levels we issued a Pastoral Statement in 1999, which we entitled "Economic Justice in South Africa". Its primary focus was necessarily on the economy. Among other things, it dealt with each of the Catholic Social Teaching principles, and I give a quotation now from part of its treatment of subsidiarity:

"The principle of subsidiarity protects the rights of individuals and groups in the face of the powerful, especially the state. It holds that those things which can be done or decided at a lower level of society should not be taken over by a higher level. As such, it reaffirms our right and our capacity to decide for ourselves how to organise our relationships and how to enter into agreements with others. … We can and should take steps to encourage decision-making at lower levels of the economy, and to empower the greatest number of people to participate as fully as possible in economic life." (Economic Justice in South Africa, page 14).

Applied to the church, the principle of subsidiarity requires of its leadership to actively promote and encourage participation, personal responsibility and effective engagement by everyone in terms of their particular calling and ministry in the church and world according to their opportunities and gifts.

However, I think that today we have a leadership in the church which actually undermines the very notion of subsidiarity; where the minutiae of church life and praxis "at the lower level" are subject to examination and authentication being given by the "higher level," in fact the highest level, e.g., the approval of liturgical language and texts; where one of the key Vatican II principles, collegiality in decision-making, is virtually non-existent. The eminent emeritus Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Franz König, wrote the following in 1999 -- almost 35 years after Vatican II: "In fact, however, de facto and not de jure, intentionally or unintentionally, the curial authorities working in conjunction with the pope have appropriated the tasks of the episcopal college. It is they who now carry out almost all of them" ("My Vision of the church of the Future", The Tablet, March 27, 1999, p. 434).

What compounds this, for me, is the mystique which has in increasing measure surrounded the person of the pope in the last 30 years, such that any hint of critique or questioning of his policies, his way of thinking, his exercise of authority etc. is equated with disloyalty. There is more than a perception, because of this mystique, that unquestioning obedience by the faithful to the pope is required and is a sign of the ethos and fidelity of a true Catholic. When the pope's authority is then intentionally extended to the Vatican curia, there exists a real possibility that unquestioning obedience to very human decisions about a whole range of issues by the curial departments and cardinals also becomes a mark of one's fidelity as a Catholic, and anything less is interpreted as being disloyal to the pope who is charged with steering the bark of Peter.

It has become more and more difficult over the past years, therefore, for the College of Bishops as a whole, or in a particular territory, to exercise their theologically-based servant leadership to discern appropriate responses to their particular socio-economic, cultural, liturgical, spiritual and other pastoral realities and needs; much less to disagree with or seek alternatives to policies and decisions taken in Rome. And what appears to be more and more the policy of appointing "safe", unquestionably orthodox and even very conservative bishops to fill vacant dioceses over the past 30 years, only makes it less and less likely that the College of Bishops -- even in powerful conferences like the United States -- will question what comes out of Rome, and certainly not publicly. Instead, there will be every effort to try and find an accommodation with those in power, which means that the Roman position will prevail in the end. And, taking this further, when an individual bishop takes issue with something, especially in public, the impression or judgment will be that he is "breaking ranks" with the other bishops and will only cause confusion to the lay faithful -- so it is said - because it will appear that the bishops are not united in their teaching and leadership role. The pressure, therefore, to conform.

What we should have, in my view, is a church where the leadership recognizes and empowers decision-making at the appropriate levels in the local church; where local leadership listens to and discerns with the people of God of that area what "the Spirit is saying to the church" and then articulates that as a consensus of the believing, praying, serving community. It needs faith in God and trust in the people of God to take what may seem to some or many as a risk. The church could be enriched as a result through a diversity which truly integrates socio-cultural values and insights into a living and developing faith, together with a discernment of how such diversity can promote unity in the church -- and not, therefore, require uniformity to be truly authentic.

Diversity in living and praxis, as an expression of the principle of subsidiarity, has been taken away from the local churches everywhere by the centralization of decision-making at the level of the Vatican. In addition, orthodoxy is more and more identified with conservative opinions and outlook, with the corresponding judgment that what is perceived to be "liberal" is both suspect and not orthodox, and therefore to be rejected as a danger to the faith of the people.

Is there a way forward? I have grappled with this question especially in the light of the apparent division of aspiration and vision in the church. How do you reconcile such very different visions of church, or models of church? I do not have the answer, except that somewhere we must find an attitude of respect and reverence for difference and diversity as we search for a living unity in the church; that people be allowed, indeed enabled, to find or create the type of community which is expressive of their faith and aspirations concerning their Christian and Catholic lives and engagement in church and world, and which strives to hold in legitimate and constructive tension the uncertainties and ambiguities that all this will bring, trusting in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

At the heart of this is the question of conscience. As Catholics, we need to be trusted enough to make informed decisions about our life, our witness, our expressions of faith, spirituality, prayer, and involvement in the world -- on the basis of a developed conscience. And, as an invitation to an appreciation of conscience and conscientious decisions about life and participation in what is a very human church, I close with the formulation or understanding given by none other than the theologian, Fr. Josef Ratzinger, now pope, when he was a peritus, or expert, at Vatican II:

"Over the pope as expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there stands one's own conscience which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority. This emphasis on the individual, whose conscience confronts him with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of external social groups, even the official church, also establishes a principle in opposition to increasing totalitarianism".
(Joseph Ratzinger in: Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II ,Vol. V., pg. 134 (Ed) H. Vorgrimler, New York, Herder and Herder, 1967).

Bishop Kevin Dowling C.Ss.R.
Cape Town, June 1, 2010

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's Article and Comments

" he National Catholic Fishwrap reproduced on its site a talk given by South African Bishop Kevin Dowling (about whom WDTPRS has written before). I think they were especially interested to support Bp. Dowling’s talk, because he attacks what he called "restorationism".

He doesn’t like the path Pope Benedict, especially, has set us on. (He doesn’t really distinguish very well between John Paul’s and Benedict’s pontificate, by the way, and we are not surprised.)

As for the context, Bishop Dowling gave the talk to a sympathetic group and thought he was off the record. This talk, therefore, reflects his real thinking, and the thinking of a still large group in the Church.

There is so much in this talk that is just plain wrong it is too hard here to interject all points we would require. Let’s take just two points from His Excellency’s talk and drill at them for a bit.

Here is a central point of His Excellency’s talk, to save you some time:
“The Southern Cross [South Africa’s weekly Catholic newspaper] about 3 or 4 weeks ago published a picture of Bishop Slattery with his "cappa magna". For me, such a display of what amounts to triumphalism in a church torn apart by the sexual abuse scandal, is most unfortunate.”
We must respond: Episcopal miters are medieval in origin, too, Excellency. So are the bishops’ rings, crosiers and coats-of-arms.

You use all three.

Do you feel “triumphalistic” when you think of the sexual abuse scandal during Mass?

Perhaps while you’re at it, you’d like to tell Eastern Rite Catholics and Eastern Orthodox hierarchs to simplify their vesture as well? They use crowns!

And don’t forget the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the women Anglican bishops!!

A second point… and I think this is what is going to permit His Excellency to experience at first hand an examination by the CDF of his … notions: Bp. Dowling doesn’t seem to think that the Church exercises its teaching Magisterium unless through an Ecumenical Council. Perpend:

Lest we do not highlight sufficiently this important fact. Vatican II was an ecumenical council, i.e., a solemn exercise of the magisterium of the church, i.e. the college of bishops gathered together with the bishop of Rome and exercising a teaching function for the whole church. In other words, its vision, its principles and the direction it gave are to be followed and implemented by all, from the pope to the peasant farmer in the fields of Honduras.

Since Vatican II there has been no such similar exercise of teaching authority by the magisterium. Instead, a series of decrees, pronouncements and decisions which have been given various "labels" stating, for example, that they must be firmly held to with "internal assent" by the Catholic faithful, but in reality are simply the theological or pastoral interpretations or opinions of those who have power at the centre of the church. They have not been solemnly defined as belonging to the "deposit of the faith" to be believed and followed, therefore, by all Catholics, as with other solemnly proclaimed dogmas. For example, the issues of celibacy for the priesthood and the ordination of women, withdrawn even from the realm of discussion. Therefore, such pronouncements are open to scrutiny—to discern whether they are in accord, for example, with the fundamental theological vision of Vatican II, or whether there is indeed a case to be made for a different interpretation or opinion.
Let’s see. There are some doctrinal questions to be asked about His Excellency’s positions.

Just for an example I recall Ordinatio sacerdotalis, by which John Paul II definitely clarified that the Church has no authority to ordain women. It was later clarified by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that the teaching of Ordinatio sacerdotalis is part of the deposit of faith.
Then also does His Excellency really believe that the teaching of a Council overrules or places constraints on the teaching authority of the Pope? So it would seem.

Should the Bishop need to pick up some extra miters and rings, along with his inevitable frequent flier miles, the shop Euroclero is directly across the street from the Palazzo Sant’Uffizio."

Some Random Pictures - For those deprived of Catholic Eye Candy! -

2010-07-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG'S FIRST POST IN NEARLY TWO YEARS!!

2010-07-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Its been quite a while since the last post was updated on this blog. In all honesty,time and life took over the author and the enthusiasm and support for it began to dwindle. This, I hope has since changed. I do not dare to say that it is the most magnificent of all blog spots on the web, yet currently within South Africa the need for an even greater defense of true catholicism has still remained and even intensified.

Yes, the state of the Church in this wonderful country remains questionable. It would seem that the mentality of Catholics, both clergy and laity, in South Africa refuses still to leave the liberal/ heretical nonsense which has been taught, believed and upheld in diocese's throughout the country since the close of the council.

I do not mean to give here and expose of what and why the council went wrong, this is an issue that I am still investigating myself. I do hope however, to use this blog in the time going forward to further the advance of the right mentality and understanding of the church and how it should be. On my behalf, I do hope with the help of others such as myself to advance this goal, with a much more mature and unbiased opinion as was often the case in the past.

For now friends I ask your prayers, I ask that you continue to support this effort, and in return I pray that with Gods help we might begin anew with the task of restoring the Church within South Africa.

In Christ and our Dear Mother

Calvin

Funeral Arrangements of Fr.Lionel Sham R.I.P

2009-03-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Memorial Services: Wednesday 11 March 2009
St John Vianney Seminary
179 Main Street
Waterkloof
17.30
Sunday 15 March 2009 Our Lady of Africa Catholic Church
14.00
Monday 16 March 2009 Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King
cnr Saratoga & End street.
Doornfontein
18.00
Monday 16 March 2009 Maronite Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon.
Western Service Rd
Wendywood
18.30

Funeral Service: Tuesday 17 March 2009
Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King.
cnr. Saratoga and End Street.
Doornfontein.Office of the Dead 09.30
Requiem Mass 10.00
Prior to Private Cremation.
Clergy Instructions:
The Office of the Dead will start at 9.30am.All priests are invited to concelebrate. The Requiem Vestments will be Purple. Please try to share transport as parking at the Cathedral is severely restricted due to Construction.
One week Mass:
Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon
22 March 2009.
09.30

Yet another clerical murder in South Africa

2009-03-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

Statement given by the South African Bishops Confrence

"Archbishop Tlhagale announces the finding of the body of missing Priest

Latest News
Monday, 09 March 2009
Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg, regrets to announce that the South African Police Service (SAPS) have found the Body of Fr Lionel Sham. Fr Sham, Parish Priest of Mohlakeng, had been missing since Friday night. The SAPS has recovered the missing car at an accident scene in Denysville in the Free State this morning. Suspects were apprehended and questioned."

From IOL NEWS

"The body of a priest who had gone missing earlier this week has been found, the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference said on Sunday.

"Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg, regrets to announce that the SAPS have found the Body of Fr Lionel Sham.

Sham, the parish priest of Mohlakeng had been missing since Friday afternoon.

Police had recovered his missing car at an accident scene in Denysville in the Free State on Sunday morning.

Captain Joseph Magoai said a man was arrested after Sham's car was recovered.

Magoai said police had been alerted on Saturday that Sham was missing.

"We received information that he was missing and some household items were missing," said Magoai.

SACBC spokesperson Father Chris Townsend said when Sham went missing on Friday, "there were signs of struggle in his presbytery and household and parish items and the parish car are missing."

Townsend said Sham had been a "friend and mentor" to many.

"He had worked at Boys Town, in various parish assignments, as administrator of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg, Rector of the Orientation Seminary in Welkom, Secretary of the Seminary Department of the Bishops Conference, Vocation Director and Vicar General.

"All we can do now is pray with the family, the parish of Mohlakeng and the many people who loved and knew Lionel," said Archbishop Tlhagale. - Sapa"

From Eye Witness News
http://www.ewn.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=8177
"Church-goers mourn loss of popular priest
JP du Plessis

Staff at the Our Lady of Africa Church on the West Rand has told Eyewitness News that they cannot believe a man as well loved as Father Lionel Sham was murdered.

The 66-year-old was abducted from his parish on Friday evening and his body was found in a Sebokeng morgue on Sunday after he was strangled.

Staff members at a crèche, built on church grounds, fought back tears as they welcomed children who arrived for the day.

Holding bundles of tissues and walking with slumped shoulders, most appeared shaken by the murder.

Residents living near the church offered their condolences, recounting their memories of Father Sham.

All of them agreed that police must catch the people responsible and that justice must prevail."

Petition to Support and Thank the Holy Father

2009-02-05T04:06:00.000-08:00

Please kindly consider signing this petition to support and thank Pope Benedict XVI for his continued work toward unity within the Church.

The Holy Father is being unjustly persecuted by some who do not wish to see this happen and, therefore, he needs our fervant prayers and support so that he may continue to be courageous even in the face of persecution.

Petition Link:

http://www.soutienabenoitxvi.org/index.php?lang=uk

Even now formally inside the Church ,Trad-Catholics still find themselves outside!

2009-02-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Article taken from RORATE CAELI

Fr. Vincent Robin FSSPX, who teaches at the school of St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle at Camblain, came to offer Mass of the 4th Sunday after Epiphany for the traditional Roman Catholic community of Amiens amid the frosty (28°F) winds that blew through the street in front of the church of St. Germain. The recent opening of the door to the SSPX bishops by Pope Benedict XVI does not seem to have moved Bishop Bouilleret, the local ordinary, to open any doors to the marginalized Catholics of his diocese.
[...]

For 20 years we were vilified as being "outside the Church", charged with being "disobedient" vis-à-vis the Pope, and referred to as "excommunicants and fundamentalists". Now, at the point when the Pope formally reintegrates us, the same people are saying the same things. Conciliar charity is decidedly unattractive, and is undoubtedly one of the reasons for the empty churches.

It is always easier to preach obedience than to practice it. Now that the dignitaries of the Church must abide by the Pope on a difficult matter we will see what sort of example they set.

“To each his own” is a well known axiom. I do not know how the bishops interpret the sentence in the pope's speech to the bishops at Lourdes: "No one is too many in the Church. Everyone, without exception, must be able to feel at home, and must never feel rejected.” Perhaps it makes them think of Protestants, Orthodox, Anglicans ... According to the statements that we have read so far, it seems they did not believe the Pope was speaking of traditionalists.

[...]

NEWS FROM THE VATICAN CONCERNING THE SSPX

2009-02-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Article taken from and translated by RORATE CAELI

NOTE OF THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE

Following the reactions caused by the recent Decree of the Congregation for Bishops, with which the excommunication of the four Prelates of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X was remitted, and regarding the Negationist or Reductionist declarations on the Shoah of Bishop Williamson, of the same Fraternity, it is considered convenient to clarify a few aspects of past events.

1. Remission of the excommunication.

As already made public previously, the Decree of the Congregation for Bishops, dated January 21, 2009, was an act by which the Holy Father graciously responded to the repeated requests by the Superior General of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X.

His Holiness desired to remove an obstacle which prevented the opening of a door to dialogue. He now expects that an equal disposition will be expressed by the four Bishops in complete adherence to the doctrine and discipline of the Church.

The extremely grave censure of latae sententiae excommunication, in which the aforementioned Bishops had incurred on June 30, 1988, then formally declared on July 1st of the same year, was a consequence of their illegitimate ordinarion by Mons. Marcel Lefebvre.

The removal of the excommunication released the four Bishops from an extremely grave canonical censure, but has not changed the juridical position of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which, at the current moment, does not enjoy any canonical recognition by the Catholic Church. Not even the four Bishops, though released from the excommunication, have a canonical function in the Church and they do not exercise licitly a ministry in it.

2. Tradition, doctrine, and the Second Vatican Council.

For a future recognition of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, the full acknowledgment of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium of Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and of the same Benedict XVI is an indispensable condition

As it was already affirmed in the Decree of January 21, 2009, the Holy See will not avoid, in ways deemed appropriate, discussing with the interested [party] the questions that remain open, so as to be able to reach a full and satisfactory resolution of the problems which originated this painful division.

3. Declarations on the Shoah.

The positions of Mons. Williamson on the Shoah are absolutely unacceptable and firmly rejected by the Holy Father, as he himself remarked on the past January 28, when, referring to that brutal genocide, he reaffirmed his full and unquestionable solidarity with our Brethren, receivers of the First Covenant, and affirmed that the memory of that terrible genocide must lead "mankind to reflect on the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the heart of man", adding that the Shoah remains "for all a warning against forgetfulness, against denial or reductionism, because the violence against a single human being is violence against all".

Bishop Williamson, for an admission to episcopal functions in the Church, will also have to distance himself, in an absolutely unequivocal and public manner, from his positions regarding the Shoah, unknown to the Holy Father in the moment of the remission of the excommunication.

The Holy Father asks to be joined by the prayers of all the faithful, so that the Lord may enlighten the path of the Church. May the effort of the Pastors and of all the faithful increase in support of the delicate and burdensome mission of the Successor of Apostle Peter as "custodian of the unity" in the Church.

From the Vatican, February 4, 2009.

Interview with Bishop Fellay

2009-02-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

Article taken from 'Rorate Caeli'

"Did you expect, Your Excellency, this removal of the excommunication concerning you?

[Fellay:] I expected it since 2005, after the first letter requesting the lifting of the excommunication which I had sent at the request of Rome itself. Because it is clear that Rome did not ask for this letter in order to refuse to lift the excommunication. As for the moment when it took place, I did not expect it. These past few months, after the ultimatum affair [link], even after it had been minimized, we were mostly cool [in the mutual relations]. Then, I wrote the letter of November 15, which is mentioned in the decree and in my letter to the faithful... [sic]

Is this decree a sign of the Pope's will?

I ascribe it first of all to the Holy Virgin. It is a manifest sign, with an almost immediate response. I had just decided to go to Rome to deliver the result of the Rosary bouquet we had launched at Lourdes with this explicit intention when I received a call from Rome inviting me to go there.

Is the satisfaction displayed by you today tempered by the remainder of the path to follow?

It is too early to tell. An act of the greatest relevance, for which we are truly grateful, has just taken place, but it is very difficult to assess it at this moment. We still do not view all its ramifications. There still is a lot of work, but we truly have great hope for a restoration of the Church.

From what moment dates this change in your relationship with Rome?

From the accession of the current pope. I first evoked the Holy Virgin but, at a human level, there should be no fear of ascribing to Benedict XVI what has just taken place. It is the beginning of something, which had already begun with the Motu proprio [Summorum Pontificum]. I think that the Pope appreciates the work that we do.

In this development, this movement, some have held that you departed too late. Do you believe today that others, especially inside the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, may hold that you are departing too soon?

I cannot rule out everything, but, in case there are separations, they will be extremely minimal.

Do you believe that your situation will be first settled at a practical level?

Up to now, our roadmap has been to clarify first the doctrinal problems - even if it does not mean settling everything, but obtaining a sufficient clarification - or we risk doing things incompletely. Or it may end up badly.

And do you believe that, beyond Rome, your contacts will intensify?

It is the goal, as I explained in Rome, by saying that the situation, as we propose it, is certainly temorary, but it is pacifying, and that it will allow all souls of good will to catch up. This will thus be done gradually. And this will also depend on the reaction on the other side. But there is no a priori, the only a priori is that of Truth and of Charity.

Bishop Williamsons appology

2009-02-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

From Rorate Caeli:

Mgr Richard Williamson
To His Eminence Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

Your Eminence

Amidst this tremendous media storm stirred up by imprudent remarks of mine on Swedish television, I beg of you to accept, only as is properly respectful, my sincere regrets for having caused to yourself and to the Holy Father so much unnecessary distress and problems.

For me, all that matters is the Truth Incarnate, and the interests of His one true Church, through which alone we can save our souls and give eternal glory, in our little way, to Almighty God. So I have only one comment, from the prophet Jonas, I, 12:

"Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you."

Please also accept, and convey to the Holy Father, my sincere personal thanks for the document signed last Wednesday and made public on Saturday. Most humbly I will offer a Mass for both of you.

Sincerely yours in Christ

+Richard Williamson

When Converts Speak

2009-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Article taken from DICI,

" Magdi Allam was a Muslim. He converted to Catholicism. He was baptized by Benedict XVI on Easter 2008, and took the Christian name of Christian. Today, he is telling the pope about his anxiety to see the Church “making herself an accomplice in the edification of a worldwide pantheon of religions,” and he asks: “After that, how can we be surprised by the fact that Christianity is placed on an equal footing with myriads of other beliefs and ideologies which give the most disparate answers to spiritual needs, and ceases to fascinate, persuade, and conquer the minds and hearts of these very Christians who increasingly leave their churches, flee from the priestly vocation, and more generally exclude any religious dimension from their lives?”
Before him, other converts coming from Protestantism like Fr. Montgomery Wright, parish priest of Chamblac (France), or the Academician Julian Green expressed the same anguish. The former told his bishop that he could not celebrate the Mass of Paul VI, because he knew where he came from and did not want to return there. The latter confided to Archbishop Lefebvre, when presenting him with the narration of his conversion Ce qu’il faut d’amour à l’homme (How much love man needs), that he did not think he would be able to convert now… to the conciliar Church.

Fr. Alain Lorans "

His Lordship Bishop Fellay's press release following the lifting of the excommunications

2009-01-26T05:46:00.001-08:00

The excommunication of the bishops consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, which had been declared by the Congregation for Bishops in a decree dated July 1, 1988, and which we had always contested, has been withdrawn by another decree mandated by Benedict XVI and issued by the same Congregation on January 21, 2009.

We express our filial gratitude to the Holy Father for this gesture which, beyond the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, will benefit the whole Church. Our Society wishes to be always more able to help the pope to remedy the unprecedented crisis which presently shakes the Catholic world, and which Pope John Paul II had designated as a state of “silent apostasy.”

Besides our gratitude towards the Holy Father and towards all those who helped him to make this courageous act, we are pleased that the decree of January 21 considers as necessary “talks” with the Holy See, talks which will enable the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X to explain the fundamental doctrinal reasons which it believes to be at the origin of the present difficulties of the Church.

In this new atmosphere, we have the firm hope to obtain soon the recognition of the rights of Catholic Tradition

Menzingen, January 24, 2009

+Bernard Fellay

Excommunictions lifted

2009-01-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

From the Rorate Caeli Blogspot

Decree of the Congregation for Bishops

CONGREGATIO PRO EPISCOPIS

By way of a letter of December 15, 2008 addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Bernard Fellay, also in the name of the other three Bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988, requested anew the removal of the latae sententiae excommunication formally declared with the Decree of the Prefect of this Congregation on July 1, 1988. In the aforementioned letter, Mons. Fellay affirms, among other things: "We are always firmly determined in our will to remain Catholic and to place all our efforts at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept its teachings with filial disposition. We believe firmly in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this the current situation makes us suffer so much."

His Holiness Benedict XVI - paternally sensitive to the spiritual unease manifested by the interested party due to the sanction of excommunication and trusting in the effort expressed by them in the aforementioned letter of not sparing any effort to deepen the necessary discussions with the Authority of the Holy See in the still open matters, so as to achieve shortly a full and satisfactory solution of the problem posed in the origin - decided to reconsider the canonical situation of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta, arisen with their episcopal consecration.

With this act, it is desired to consolidate the reciprocal relations of confidence and to intensify and grant stability to the relationship of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X with this Apostolic See. This gift of peace, at the end of the Christmas celebrations, is also intended to be a sign to promote unity in the charity of the universal Church and to try to vanquish the scandal of division.

It is hoped that this step be followed by the prompt accomplishment of full communion with the Church of the entire Fraternity of Saint Pius X, thus testifying true fidelity and true recognition of the Magisterium and of the authority of the Pope with the proof of visible unity.

Based on the faculties expressly granted to me by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in virtue of the present Decree, I remit from Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta the censure of latae sententiae excommunication declared by this Congregation on July 1, 1988, while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that time.

Rome, from the Congregation for Bishops, January 21, 2009.

Card. Giovanni Battista Re
Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

Fr. Eldred Lesley Murdered in South Africa

2009-01-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

From The Witness:

“Priest Murdered
21 Jan 2009

BHEKI MBANJWA
AN 83-YEAR-OLD Traditional Catholic priest of the Chapel of our Lady and St Michael in Bulwer Street was found murdered in his home which is part of the chapel premises.

Police discovered the body of Father Eldred Leslie just before 7.00pm last night after being alerted by Leslie’s nephew, Kenny, who lives nearby.

Kenny Leslie told The Witness yesterday he had gone to his uncle’s house to check on him as a parishioner had been unsuccessfully trying to get hold of him .

“This parishioner told me that they had been trying to phone Father Leslie but could not get hold of him. As I have the keys [to the house] I went in. All seemed fine from the outside as the gates were locked, as is normally the case. However I became suspicious when I saw that his backdoor was not locked,” Kenny told The Witness outside the house where police were still busy combing the murder scene for evidence.

According to Kenny, his uncle always kept the doors and gates locked. “When I got inside I noticed that the doorknob on his bedroom door, which was closed, had blood all over it,” he said.

Realising something was wrong Kenny phoned the police without entering the bedroom.

“The police responded and as they entered they found the body of Father Leslie slumped on the floor of his bedroom. He had sustained severe head wounds believed to have been caused by a sharp instrument,” said police spokesman Senior Superintendent Henry Budhram.

A source close to the investigation said Leslie had been stabbed in the neck behind the ear and in the head. The motive for the murder was still unknown yesterday and police said that no property had been taken from the house.

Father Leslie lived alone in the house, police added.

According to Kenny, this was not the first time that his uncle had fallen victim to crime since arriving in the area about ten years ago. “Since arriving here he has been robbed and had his house broken into about 15 times and that’s a conservative figure” he said.

Despite all this Father Leslie continued to do good in the area. He was well known in the area especially for his work with street children and the poor. “He gave street children and destitute people food and even paid school fees for some of the children,” Kenny said.

Residents of Bulwer and adjacent streets, who gathered outside Father Leslie’s house, expressed anger and shock at the brutal murder of the man they described as caring. “We, the residents of this area, are living in fear. There have been a spate of crimes in this area. We can only hope the police arrest whoever is responsible for this deed,” said one resident who did not want to be named.

One of the parishioners, Terence Talbot, described the priest as kind and caring. “He was very committed to the Traditional Catholic Church, what has happened here is a tragedy,” said Talbot.

bmbanjwa@witness.co.z”

http://crownofmartyrs.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/fr-eldred-lesley-murdered-in-south-africa/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murderer knew Fr. Lesley
Source:

“Priest’s ‘killer’ knew him
22 Jan 2009

SANDILE WAKA-ZAMISA
A 25-year-old man was arrested for the murder of 83-year-old priest Father Eldred Leslie, who was found slain in his home in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday night. The suspect was caught near Leslie’s house on Bulwer Street yesterday morning.

The area alongside the house was abuzz with police vehicles, paramedics, a television news crew and onlookers as the police combed the the house and its surroundings for clues and evidence.

The police started interviewing people around the area and were tipped off about the 25-year-old.

During that period, the suspect was seen walking up the road and he was caught.

A source close to Leslie said the priest used to give the suspect food.

“Father Leslie gave street children food everyday and he [the suspect] was one of the people who came to beg for food and would ask the priest for money sometimes.”

According to the source, the suspect had previously broken into Leslie’s home and “stole some stuff”. “He confessed to the priest and asked for forgiveness.”

He was forgiven, but a few days earlier he apparently made threats against the priest. He allegedly told the source that he would attack the priest.

Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Henry Budhram said the suspect has been charged and will appear in court shortly.

Tributes poured in for Father Lelsie yesterday.

“He cared for the needy and gave them food everyday,” said a neighbour.”

http://crownofmartyrs.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/murderer-knew-fr-lesley/

Father Lesley. SSPX Priest and defender of Traditional Catholicism.

Requisant in Pacem!

A little knowledge is ALWAYS dangerous

2009-01-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

2009 so far has indeed proved to be, at least so far, better than last year. And so without any further hesitation, I dare to write yet another blog entry for Summourum Pontificum. I could of entitled it something vastly different and very, very base..something to the tune of " what they know about such and such my backside(using a better term) knows about snipe shooting".

In the space of the past few months I've felt it extremely necessary - at least for myself- to do as much research as possible concerning the various topics that concern the current 'status quo'of things in the church both post-conciliar and pre-conciliar. I personally feel this to be necessary, in terms that at least, for my own conscience sake, I will be better equipped to write or at least attempt to, about the Church in our modern era.

It has interested me to see many lay people take interest in the cause of the reestablishment of the faith. It has also been quite disheartening to see the amount of infighting that takes place among these same people all working, or at least supposedly for the same purpose. Some pride themselves to be the ultimate authority when it comes to certain things, for one particular example of having a group of laymen teach a priest how to say the traditional Tridentine Mass!

All such things in account, I still firmly belive that all that takes place happens in accordance to divine providence. There is a reason why, for the first time in nearly fourty years, that the Tridentine Mass has made its 'official' reappearance in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. Perhaps it would stand to prove that the Priests of the Society of St.Pius X weren't so wrong after all? Understandably, the society is a human institution which like all of us has failed at certain times. However, everything in account, I stand firm in the essential stance taken by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in his defence of our Holy Faith against the many errors which have brought our once glorious and triumphant faith to her knees.

I hope to post again soon, I am dearly thankful for the encouragement given to me by one of SPJ'S readers.

I remain your unworthy brother in Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin

The first new post of 2009

2009-01-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all , a happy and blessed new year. Filled with Gods divine grace and Love

Calvin

The Catholic counter reformation continues! With Gods help, so does this blog.

2008-12-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

I am a worthless sinner, yet if by God's grace he can use this sinner for the good of the Church then so be it. To say that my personal fight for the truth, and my personal effort of making it known has been an easy one would be a lie. To a large extent, it has been disheartening and difficult to say the least.

In all truth, my return to Catholic tradition has been met from hostility on all sides, both outside myself and within. Having been raised in the Novous Ordo dispensation with a firm Catholic foundation in terms of family life ( which I have my Grandparents to thank) has shown me how different the two are, one contradicts the other, the firm and solidly based Catholic home life and ultimately chatechesis of it was that which lead me to leave anything which embodied the " spirit of Vatican II", and lead me to a place where the faith handed to me by my convert grandparents was fully expressed and in conflict with nothing.

I do not presume myself to be a theologian or great philosopher, but I know what I believe and have been taught to be true, in the sense that it has been true for 2000 years. Thus with this background, it is my firm hope that our Dear Lord might use me if he so wishes, for the furtherance and greater exposition of this one truth. Unfortunately, it seems as if my little effort in creating this blog has to a large extent proved ineffectual. Nevertheless, it has never been my intention to use it as a means to convey my own beliefs , but rather to convey and teach the true and only faith.

I pray for Gods guidance in this effort, even if it only reaches one person and assists them in bringing their lives closer to God and his truth, I am only his tool in bringing this about.In achieving this, the ultimate intention of this blog has been fulfilled.

ROMAN PROTESTANTS

2008-12-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

By Fr. Basil Wrighton

Originally written in August 1982 issue of The Angelus magazine, Fr. Wrighton expertly shows how "the spirit of Vatican II" is protestantizing Catholics.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whatever the new "ecumenism" may say or mean, the plain fact remains that there is fundamental antithesis between "Catholic" and "Protestant." One has only to reflect on the history of these two religions to see how they contradict and exclude one another. While the one claims to expound a divine revelation with divinely conferred authority, and to administer supernatural sacraments as a means of divine grace, the other professes only to comment on the Scriptures by the light of human reason, and fights shy of anything supernatural or miraculous. While the one upholds the great Christian mysteries of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the Redemption and the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, the other has become very doubtful about these mysteries and included to reject some or all of them as outdated superstitions. The same holds good concerning angels and devils, hell, purgatory and heaven: these are very real for Catholics, very unreal for Protestants, at any rate for the contemporary type.

For the Protestant mentality is essentially skeptical and fissiparous. Once it had broken away from the parent Christian stock and committed itself to the vagaries of private judgment, it went on changing, evolving and splitting up into ever new sects. For a time it held on the main tenets of Christian faith, but as the sects became more and more liberal, they tended to drop them overboard or explain them away. Low-church grows into broad-church, and broad-church evolves toward no-church.

There have, of course, been reactions against this devolution. "Fundamentalist" minorities in various times and places have dug in their heels and refused to move with the times, hanging on to some semblance of the original faith. A more intellectual and more influential reaction was that of Newman and his Tractarian followers, who reasoned their way back to a substantially Catholic theology, emerging as a "high-church" party within the Anglican establishment. But they could never be really at home in that flock —how could they? Newman himself was quick to perceive that they had no future there; he thereupon made his submission to Rome, and many of his disciples followed him, to the great advantage of both the neophytes and their hosts. We never thought to see this historic decision reversed.

Now, however, since Vatican the Second we have been faced with the hitherto incredible spectacle of a mass movement in reverse —a movement of Catholics towards Protestantism. It began with the caucus of modernist prelates and their "experts" who brought off a successful coup d’etat at the first session of the Council, by tearing up the authorized agenda and substituting their own program [cf. the article, Archbishop Lefebvre Preparing the Council, and Fr. Wrighton's article, Collegiality]. This gave them a certain control of the proceedings and enabled them to devise loopholes and ambiguities in the acta for subsequent exploitation. The "pastoral" rather than dogmatic character of this Council made its texts all the more susceptible of tendentious interpretation.

It was of course the same progressive party which got the job of implementing the conciliar decrees, and that is where the trouble became most serious. The Party’s first concern was with the liturgy, which of all the Church’s institutions stood in least need of reform, and which no responsible Catholic wanted to change. The Council had made a few cautious, limited and reasonable concessions for the vernacular languages to be used in scriptural readings and prayers in which the people took a vocal part. These apart, it insisted on the retention of Latin. But that was not what the Party wanted. The existing lex orandi was an obstacle to their new religion, so it had to be destroyed. The Church text was defied, and the Holy Mass of all the Catholic ages, the Church’s most sacred treasure and the most beautiful thing this side of heaven, was cunningly demolished by installments and replaced by a completely different rite, entirely vernacular and frequently vulgar, celebrated back to front, and shorn of the traditional gestures of reverence and the verbal safeguards of Catholic Eucharistic doctrine —just the things that Cranmer himself had suppressed. The sacrificial element was consigned to oblivion, and all the emphasis transferred to the "memorial" and "meal" elements, just as in the Protestant "Lord’s Supper." The obvious purpose was to make the Eucharist so "ecumenical" that it could be shared by those who had no belief in either the Sacrifice or the Real Presence. Can one imagine anything more dastardly than this betrayal of the Holy of Holies for the beaux yeux of believers? Yet the Modernists were allowed —and are still allowed —to get away with it and to impose it on the whole Church of the West. No such subversion has ever before been known in the Catholic Church.

And what a vernacular! —the shabby, ephemeral speech of the streets and the pubs brought into the sanctuary! The whole concept of a vernacular liturgy is indeed a monstrosity, only to be excused by total illiteracy of the worshippers. Are the Catholics of the West so illiterate that they cannot read even the simplest prayer book? Liturgy is an essentially sacred thing, eternal truths clad in an unchanging form: in a word, it must be hieratic, not demotic. The Church has been telling us this for centuries, and had repeated it emphatically as recently as 1962 (the Apostolic Constitution of John XXIII, Veterum Sapientia); but the Church was now made to eat her own words and swing over to the Protestant slogan of "a language understanded of the people" —as if Latin had been a mere mumbo-jumbo to our people for all these centuries!

Since the Novus Ordo Missae was designed as an "ecumenical" liturgy, ambivalence was essential to it. Hence the many alternative formulas (Confiteors, Canons, etc.) left to the option of the celebrant, together with the studied ambiguity of the wording where any definite Catholic doctrine (such as transubstantiation or sacrifice) is involved. Hence the abolition of the Offertory prayers, and the reduction of the Consecration to what can be taken as a mere narrative. The result of it all has been to stir up controversy among the faithful as to whether the new liturgy can be regarded as sacramentally valid. To take the negative view would amount to questioning the God-given authority of the Church which has sanctioned the changes. But a careful study of such works as Michael Davies’ masterly trilogy on the Liturgical Revolution will show that the bare essentials of validity have been preserved, but in so thoroughly Protestantized a setting and mentality that lapses from validity are much more likely to occur, and the Catholic faith cannot be expected to survive or flourish in such an environment. All that used to protect and nourish this faith has been ruthlessly cut away in the interests of "ecumenism", and the effect of the revolution can be plainly seen in the vast exodus from the Church which has followed it.

The Novus Ordo was only a first step. The Party had many more changes up its sleeve. The revolution was to be "on-going," the faithful were to have no respite from shocks and scandals. Soon we had Communion in the hand, a gratuitous profanation borrowed from the Dutch dissenters and railroaded into the Church elsewhere by admiring episcopal conferences in face of papal protest and popular disgust. Then came the Lay Ministers, male and female, handing out Holy Communion, while the priest looks on from his chair —unemployed, redundant. It is a galloping process of "desacralization." Nothing is now to be held sacred or inviolable. All that was sacred in our religion from time immemorial is being dragged down to a common and profane level, to adapt it to the abject spirit of this age.

So much for what is going on with official approval, within the widening limits of the law. I have said nothing about the spate of outrages and sacrileges which have sprung up in the wake of the Novus Ordo, for these should be abhorrent even to progressives. They simply did not happen under the old order; therefore the new order is responsible for them. But authority does nothing to correct them. There seems to be no limit to what the bishops will now tolerate —so long as the abuses are committed on the liberal, revolutionary side. But if any poor deprived Catholic on the other side attempts to revive the Holy Mass, then the fulminations begin! The only capital offence that remains, it seems, is fidelity to Catholic tradition.

When the President of Una Voce at an interview with Archbishop (now Cardinal) Benelli in Rome in October 1976, pointed out the existing liturgical chaos and asked how, in view of this state of things, the suppression of the old Mass could be justified, he was told that "those who wish to retain the old Mass have a different ecclesiology." This from one of the closest advisors of the then Pope; it meant that those who were faithful to Catholic tradition were now to be treated as dissidents. The phrase quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus ("What has been believed always, everywhere, and by all") as a criterion of orthodoxy bad now been rejected in favor of a new Party Line which contradicted the Church’s entire previous tradition. What was forbidden and condemned yesterday becomes lawful today, and mandatory tomorrow. What had always been seen as black, is now white, and vice versa —because the Party says so. This comes close to the Bolshevik criterion of morality: what is right or wrong is simply what helps or hinders the Party.

Pope Paul VI himself used to speak of a "new orientation" of the Church’s life and liturgy following Vatican II, and the whole charge against Archbishop Lefebvre in that pontificate was that His Grace would not accept this fatal orientation. He could not accept it —we cannot accept it —because it is an entirely new thing in the Church, a new ethos incompatible with Catholic dogmatic tradition. If we accept this reorientation, we must hold that the Church’s teaching has been utterly mistaken all through the past twenty centuries of its history, from the Apostles onward, until light dawned at last in the nineteen-sixties, thanks to Bugnini and his men. It was an about-turn, away from the supernatural and transcendent towards the natural and worldly, from the divine to the merely human. Those who have eyes to see can see more clearly every day that such a periagoge, if persisted in, can only lead to the destruction of the Catholic and Christian religion.

The Party, modernist and progressive, which seized power in the Church from the Council onwards and is constantly building it up by selective appointments, is moving in the same direction as the Protestant reformers whom it copied so closely in the new liturgy. But it is going much faster and further than they went. It is Liberal-Protestant, which means in the long run non-Christian and anti-Christian. It has allied itself with the secular humanism which now rules the Western world, and is even making overtures to the communist powers, after having rendered the Council virtually ineffectual by refusing to condemn the world’s greatest menace.

It should be noted that the ideology of Liberal-Protestantism is practically the same as that of the Modernism which appeared somewhat later in the Catholic Church. It disintegrates traditional beliefs in much the same way, and both can be seen as concurrent stages in the destruction of Christianity itself. St. Pius X remarked this in his encyclical Pascendi in 1907: historical Protestantism and Modernism, he says, are successive stages in the progress to Atheism.

Contemporary liberals (e.g., those who write in the ex-Catholic Tablet) are apt to crow with delight over the notion that the Catholic religion has undergone a "mutation" in consequence of Vatican II —or rather, "the spirit of Vatican II," a spook which as often as not is made to contradict the letter of the Council. They fail to understand, it seems, that the Catholic religion is of such a nature that a "mutation" —i.e., a radical and permanent change —can only destroy it.

From these observations, and from many others which could be mentioned, there emerges the picture of a Church which is unrecognizable as the Church we were brought up in —rather like an ugly stepmother, all spots and wrinkles, in place of the Holy Mother Church we knew and loved in pre-conciliar days. It is not only the ecclesiology that is different; everything is different. The bogus "ecumenism" aims at ironing out the distinctions of true and false in religion, so that Catholic doctrine goes into the melting pot with everything else. The Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation are dismissed as no longer "relevant" to the "adult man" of the twentieth century. Christ’s hierarchical Kingdom of God, transcending space and time, must now give place to the "People of God," this-worldly, democratic, liberal and egalitarian. The ministerial priesthood must no longer be distinguished from the common priesthood of the faithful, and the Pope must forego his supreme and paternal authority and resign himself to being a mere primus inter pares, the spokesman of the bishops, whose claim to "collegiality" implies that it is for them to decide all questions in committee, by a majority of votes.

With doctrine thus being whittled away for the sake of specious agreement with heterodox bodies, and with the supreme authority being put into commission, the prospect before the Conciliar Church becomes bleakly Protestant, and ultimately non-Christian. A further catastrophic development is that the Neo-Modernists, unlike the earlier breed, have now scrapped the Ten Commandments, done away with moral absolutes and the notion of sin as an offence against God, and reduced morality to the "situation ethics" of secular humanism, where literally everything is permitted as long as one thinks it meets one’s needs of the moment or develops one’s "personality."

Now that sin has been swept under the carpet, those two bastions of Catholic spirituality, confession and penance, are of course found to be superfluous. The deserted confessionals are being removed from the churches, and the sacrament, when it is used, tends to become a sort of psychiatric session. As for the laws of fasting and abstinence, they are virtually abolished. Before the Council about a hundred days of the year were affected by fasting or abstinence or both. Since then a series of wholesale swipes has reduced them to a derisory two days in the year! Another concession to Protestantism, which from its earliest days has despised these weapons of the spirit. This progressive ideology has of course taken over the Catholic schools, seminaries and universities, and bought up the Catholic press: all these institutions are failing, or have already fallen, into the "ex-Catholic" category. Even the expensive schools run by the religious orders themselves have joined the Modernist bandwagon. Many faithful Catholics have found themselves obliged to take their children away from "Catholic", schools in order to save their faith. As for the others, the present hapless generation of children will, for the most part apparently, become a write-off. The only hope of a genuinely Catholic education lies now in new foundations, at the cost of much sacrifice and struggle for the faithful remnant. A grace-selected remnant there will certainly be, for the continuance of the Church, but the majority of our once-Catholic population, those who will not bestir themselves to resist and protest against what has been done to them, finding it easier to swim with the post-conciliar stream, are becoming daily and visibly more and more assimilated in manners, morals and beliefs to their Protestant neighbors, and will soon be indistinguishable from them. "Ecumenism" will then have attained its goal, not by a return of the separated brethren to the one true fold, but by a massive apostasy from that fold, led by its own shepherds —a massive sell-out of Catholic truth.

A fearful example of this sell-out may be seen in the "pastoral" councils and congresses of recent years —an updated kind of "robber councils" of lay persons and clerics, approved and attended by the national hierarchies for the furtherance of "renewal" or revolution. Among the most notorious have been those of Holland and America (the Detroit "Call to Action"), and (in 1980) Liverpool. At this latest festival of loquacity and pop-theology the participants (hand-picked Modernists, of course) called for the scrapping among other things, of considerable portions of the moral law (God’s eternal law). At the end of it all, the bishops got up and effusively thanked and congratulated the pastoral freebooters. If anyone cares to remember this conciliabulum, it may well go down in history as the Latrocinium Liverpolitanum ("The Robber Council of Liverpool").

What shall we call the multitudes of ex-Catholic shepherds and their sheep who have
either defected or drifted into a new religion? Perhaps we might call them "Roman Protestants." We older Catholics did not like being called Roman Catholics, for we did not admit that there was any other kind of Catholics. But there are various kinds of Romans, and many kinds of Protestants; and Rome is now the headquarters, not only of the Catholic Church, but of the Modernist Mafia which has invaded and subjected it. At the English CoIlege in Rome, that venerable nursery of episcopabiles, we got occasional pep-talks on the cardinal virtue of romanita (Romishness). That was in the nineteen-twenties, when Rome was the citadel of orthodoxy, and we saw nothing incongruous in such a virtue. Things are very different in the Deutero-Vatican era, and I often wonder whether my contemporaries and epigoni, mitred or otherwise, might not have done well to dilute their romanita with a much stiffer dose of cattolicita. It might have saved some of them from ending up as Roman Protestants.

When obedience to the constant tradition of the Church is so clearly in conflict with obedience to certain office-holders who have departed from that tradition, we rank-and-file Catholics must use our common sense and opt for the superior obedience. The simple faithful have always done this in times of epidemic heresy. Such crisis are happily very rare. The gravest in the Church’s past history was the Arian crisis of the fourth century, when, as St. Jerome expressed it, "the whole world groaned in astonishment to find themselves Arian;" or, as Newman puts it, "there was a temporary suspense of the functions of the ‘ecclesia docens’." We are living in such a crisis now, that of the Modernist Reformation. The Church was drugged for a major "mutation" in the nineteen-sixties, and is now gradually coming round to find itself Liberal-Protestant. It is in this situation that faithful Catholics are finding themselves faced with the stark alternative of becoming either recusants or renegades.

Sixteen hundred years ago, when the bulk of the hierarchy had strayed from the faith of Nicaea and even the Pope faltered for a time, St. Athanasius headed the faithful few who stood out for Catholic truth against a world in the grip of heresy. He had much to suffer, and was even excommunicated, but eventually his cause prevailed and the faith was saved. In our day likewise, amid the ceaseless babble of post-conciliar Newspeak, one episcopal voice has been heard to observe, in plain French, that one religion is not as good as another, that faith and morals are not variable with times and circumstances, and (with regard to "renewal") that the emperor has no clothes! For the audacity of these views, and for his fidelity to Catholic tradition, he is denounced and persecuted by the liberal establishment, but will not recant. His witness and his work continues, and the day will come when a restored Church will bless his name. Once again, magna est veritas et praevalebit.

Is this blog obsolete?

2008-12-20T04:17:00.001-08:00

Kindly, if anyone wishes to pass comment on this question, feel free to do so.

Canonistic Notes on Summorum Pontificum

2008-12-15T03:25:00.001-08:00

From the New Liturgical Movement,

"The article (Liturgisches Jahrbuch 1/2008, p. 3 ff.) is written by Prof. Norbert Lüdecke who teaches Canon Law at the University of Bonn. A summary of the article is given in the current issue of Una Voce Korrespondenz, the quarterly of the German Una Voce association (4/2008, p. 371 ff.), of which a summary appeared, on December 1st, 2008, on the website kath-info.de, which we present to you here in an NLM translation:

1. The bishops may issue "annotations and instructions for the implementation" of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, but they may not add "new mandatory content" (cf. the analysis of the "guidelines" of the German Bishops' Conference by Prof. Georg Muschalek).

2. The "guidelines" of the German Bishops' Conference of 27 September 2007 are not binding upon the individual diocesan bishop.

3. The celebration of the Missa sine populo is, except in the case of insurmountable obstacles, to be allowed "at any legitimate place". "Restrictions of the usus antiquior to certain places or times by particular law are (...) inadmissible."

4. In a Missa sine populo (literally translated: "Mass without people") the faithful may participate sua sponte (i.e. without compulsion). They may also advert other faithful to this Holy Mass.

5. For a group, which according to the Motu proprio is a prerequisite for the celebration of a Holy Mass with the people, the number of three persons is sufficient. The diocesan bishop cannot establish a higher minimum number.

6. The parish priest must not discriminate against Masses according to the old use "by keeping them secret or scheduling them at times difficultly accessible".

7. "The Pope has not ordered that the parish priest could meet the request of interested faithful. He has mandated that the parish priest must do so"(Lüdecke).

8. Faithful whose right to Holy Mass in the older use is being denied by the parish priest do not only have the possibility, but the duty to inform the diocesan bishop about this.

9. "Applications" for the traditional liturgy are "not petitions of grace or favour." "Parish priests as well as diocesan bishops are legally held to meet this request" (Lüdecke).

10. The consent of the bishop to a Holy Mass according to the old use instituted by a parish priest according to the desire of faithful is not required.

11. Laypeople as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and women as altar servers are not allowed in the traditional liturgy."

A PROPOSED UNITED FRONT OF CATHOLIC TRADITION NATION WIDE

2008-12-13T02:24:00.001-08:00

J.M.J

Ever since the advent of the Sovereign Pontiff's moto proprio, 'Summorum Pontificum', traditionally minded Catholics have been literally "crawling out of the woodwork" and for the first time , voicing their opinions on the state of the Church as well as, (and most importantly) making their voices heard concerning their desire for Traditional Catholicism to be re-established here in Southern Africa.

Out of ignorance one might make a bold statement and say that tradition is making a comeback to South Africa. Such a belief would be unfounded , as in all truth Catholic Tradition has been in place since the close of the Council with a handful of the clergy who refused to accept the conciliar reforms and remained faithful to the Church of all time. With such a situation, it was a need also to provide for those lay catholics who refused to participate in the destructive consequences of the 'renewal' of Vatican II.

The Society of St. Pius X, has been operating in South Africa since this time and dutifully attending to the spiritual needs of these same Catholics and the generations that were to follow them. Thus in all fairness, it would be wrong to assume that Catholic Tradition is only now making a comeback in South Africa, understandably with the 'official' return of the Latin Tridentine Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King, one step has been made in the right direction so to speak, however , the fundamentals of Catholic life and faith in its traditional sense as upheld by the Society, have been lost and will take quite a few more generations to eventually restore.

Its is our supreme hope to see such a goal realised in our lifetime, however, in all reality the widespread errors which have entrenched themselves in the post Conciliar Church, both locally and abroad still hold sway over a vast majority of Catholics. Only a minority is seen to uphold the traditional faith in its true and exact sense. Thus , in the face of such widespread destruction of our beloved faith, we need to take courage and not loose hope in our efforts of restoration, no matter how small, in this great trial to which the whole of Christendom has been subjected.

With all this in mind, we can take courage in the fact that we are not the first to fight for the rights of true Catholicism. Others, much braver than ourselves have passed before us, some have fallen, some have lost the faith completely, yet those who remained to continue the fight armed with nothing but charity and obedience to God and his truth, were faced as some of us are now, with hostility and scorn by those very same people who are charged with this exact purpose, namely the defense of the Truth.

It would therefore be a suggestion, that all these newcomers to the fight for tradition, unite themselves under one banner, one which would exact more force in the great effort of restoration than that which is currently in place, (small groups even individuals who are giving their all in this same effort).

Is there any possibility of such a thing here and now?

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin

Updates on the Pretoria Latin Mass Group

2008-12-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

From a recent email,

"As matters stand at present, I am interacting with Fr Craigh Laubscher here at Christ the King, Queenswood, on us taking up the matter of the Tridentine Mass with Msgr Hill. If the latter is willing and able to help us, we will have taken a step forward for the Pretoria group.

So my proposal would be that we indeed meet in the New Year once we have something to report, and then discuss how to move forward in tandem."

All prayers are needed for this important initiative

God is with us!

More on 'Ad Oreintem' worship in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite

2008-12-12T01:21:00.000-08:00

From the New liturgical Movement,

Ad Orientem – Fr. Peter Stravinskas
12/05/08
Homily at 7am Mass

The Season of Advent has a two-fold emphasis which many, many people do not seem to either remember or ever have known. And it’s on two comings of Christ: the first on His coming into time as the Judge of the world; His second, which most people associate with Advent exclusively, is His coming in history as the Babe of Bethlehem. But actually, until December 17, it is His final or second coming that the Church would have us focus all our attention on. And, the themes that the Church brings to our attention during this time period are those to do with light - the Light that is coming into the world. You see that in all of today’s readings as a matter of fact.

The early Christians believed that Jesus would come again during the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy, and that He would come to them out of the east. And so, whenever possible churches were constructed so that they faced east.

When you came into the Chapel this morning, if you were somewhat awake, you may have noticed that there is a slightly different arrangement of the sanctuary. The different arrangement is to suggest a different focus.

In theological or liturgical language, we call this liturgical orientation, the liturgy celebrated facing east; which cannot always be a geographical east. But it does mean that priest and people face Christ, the coming Dawn, together, who’s coming to them out of the east.

And there are some very practical implications to all of this: there is much less attention on the priest and much more attention on Christ. John the Baptist, the particular voice and figure par excellence for the Advent Season, said, “He [Christ] must increase, I must decrease.” And so, there is less of a personality cult centered on the priest, there is less distraction for the priest who ought to be looking at God not the congregation and less distraction for people - who are not diverted by some of the idiosyncrasies of priests.

And let me then offer a few clarifications.

First, there is nothing in the Second Vatican Council that ever once called for the turning around of altars, just as nothing in Vatican II called for getting rid of Latin in the Liturgy, nor did they ever envision things like communion in the hand, or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion or female servers. All of that is something that happened many, many years after the Council, and that the Council Fathers themselves would have been quite shocked to discover ever happened.

Secondly, the current or reformed Roman Missal, even in English as a matter of fact, presumes that the priest is not facing the congregation, and, therefore, the rubrics (the directives for the celebration of the Liturgy) consistently say things to the priest like, “The priest now turns faces the people and says, ‘The Lord be with you.’”

Thirdly, for the parts of the Mass that are directed to the people, the priest continues to face the people, and so, the Liturgy of the Word. It makes no sense for me to read the Gospel facing the wall or to preach in that direction. (Although, sometimes you get the impression you might get as much of a reaction.)

Fourth, for years, Cardinal Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, wrote repeatedly about the importance of returning the former practice of facing east. Why? To restore a healthy sense of the sacred, the transcendent. So that this is not perceived as a social hour or “Entertainment Tonight”, but the Church’s worship of the triune God.

Fifthly, many priests (especially younger ones interestingly enough) are taking the former Cardinal’s, now present Pope’s, admonition to heart. Last week, I was in Greenville, South Carolina, and all the Masses in that parish have been celebrated ad orientem, as we say, facing east for a full year now. Just Wednesday, I visited Holy Family Church in Columbus, where since the beginning of Advent, three of the four Sunday Masses are now celebrated facing east.

As I indicated the other day, Advent is a time of new beginnings. And so, this is a good time for us to make this act of restoration here at the Monastery and, appropriately, also during the nuns’ annual retreat. Now, this may take a bit of readjustment for some of you, but I think you’ll find great spiritual benefit in reasonably short order.

You may not realize it, but all religions have used geography as a theological reference point. You know, I’m sure, that Muslims turn to face Mecca, no matter where they are. When they go to pray, they turn to face Mecca. Orthodox Jews, to this very day, turn to face Jerusalem. Each day in the celebration of Lauds (or Morning Prayer) the Church prays the Benedictus, the Canticle of Zechariah, which he recited as he reacted to the birth of his newborn son, John the Baptist. In that canticle Zechariah prophesies, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that the Dawn from on high shall break upon us. We know that the dawn breaks in the east; that Dawn, that rising Sun shall appear on this altar in but a few minutes. And so, let us, you and I, priest and people, face east together, prepared to meet the One who is coming into the world as the Light of the world.

Pretoria Latin Mass Update

2008-12-11T05:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings once again in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Since the September meeting in Lynwood at St.John Fisher Parish, not much has been said in terms of the Pretoria Group of Faithful who are requesting the Traditional Latin Mass.

It would seem profitable to call another meeting so as to regroup and merge this group with those here in Johannesburg who have already been supplied with the Mass.

I hope to be in contact with the Pretoria Group and put forward my suggestions. Any further developments will be posted immediately.

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin

Some more Beautiful Pictures of the First Latin Tridentine Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King in nearly fourty years

2008-12-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

Celebrant: Fr. Shaun Mary von Lillienfeld
Server: Andrew Martin
Pictures: Michael Poverello

How to Distinguish the True Faith from Heresy

2008-12-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

Article taken from - http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/n026rp_Lerins_PreserveFaith.htm

"At the moment when many Catholics are making, or considering making, compromises with Progressivism regarding the New Mass and Vatican II, it seems to us opportune to remember the criteria to maintain the true Catholic Faith given by St. Vincent de Lerins.

Facing these compromises, Catholics are taking sides – “I will take the position of my team, not your team.” This is a superficial approach. Each one of us is individually responsible before God for the right or wrong position he takes.

St Vincent de Lerins

In the 5th century, St. Vincent of Lerins saw that the people were faced with various errors and heresies of Donatus, Arius, Photinus, Pelagius and others, and gave them this good advice on how they could know with security the true Catholic Faith. Even if it is taught by distinguished men or Prelates, the bad doctrine should not be accepted by Catholics, who should cling to Tradition and what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all [quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est]. Actually, he stated:
I have continually given the greatest pains and diligence to inquiring, from the greatest possible number of men outstanding in holiness and in doctrine, how I can secure a type of fixed and, as it were, general, guiding principle for distinguishing the true Catholic Faith from the degraded falsehoods of heresy.

And the answer that I receive is always to this effect: That if I wish, or indeed if anyone wishes, to detect the deceits of heretics that arise and to avoid their snares and to keep healthy and sound in a robust faith, we ought, with the Lord's help, to fortify our faith in a twofold manner, first, that is, by the authority of God's Law, then, by the tradition of the Catholic Church.

Here, it may be, someone will ask: ‘Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and is in itself abundantly sufficient, what need is there to join to it the interpretation of the Church?’ The answer is that because of the profundity itself of Scripture, all men do not place the same interpretation upon it. The statements of the same writer are explained by different men in different ways, so much so that it seems almost possible to extract from it as many opinions as there are men. Novatian expounds in one way, Sabellius in another, Donatus in another, Arius, Eunomius and Macedonius in another, Photinus, Apollinaris and Priscillian in another, Jovinian, Pelagius and Caelestius in another, and latterly Nestorius in another. Therefore, because of the intricacies of error, which is so multiform, there is great need for the laying down of a rule for the exposition of Prophets and Apostles in accordance with the standard of the interpretation of the Catholic Church.

Now in the Catholic Church itself we take the greatest care to hold that which has been believed everywhere, always and by all. That is truly and properly 'Catholic,' as is shown by the very force and meaning of the word, which comprehends everything almost universally. We shall hold to this rule if we follow universality, antiquity, and consent. We shall follow universality if we acknowledge that one Faith to be true which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is clear that our ancestors and fathers proclaimed; consent, if in antiquity itself, we keep following the definitions and opinions of all, or certainly nearly all, Bishops and Doctors alike.

What then will the Catholic Christian do, if a small part of the Church has cut itself off from the communion of the universal Faith? The answer is sure. He will prefer the healthiness of the whole body to the morbid and corrupt limb.

But what if some novel contagions try to infect the whole Church, and not merely a tiny part of it? Then he will take care to cleave to antiquity, which cannot now be led astray by any deceit of novelty.

What if in antiquity itself two or three men, or it may be a city, or even a whole province be detected in error? Then he will take the greatest care to prefer the decrees of the ancient General Councils, if there are such, to the irresponsible ignorance of a few men.

But what if some error arises regarding which nothing of this sort is to be found? Then he must do his best to compare the opinions of the Fathers and inquire their meaning, provided always that, though they belonged to diverse times and places, they yet continued in the faith and communion of the one Catholic Church; and let them be teachers approved and outstanding. And whatever he shall find to have been held, approved and taught, not by one or two only but by all equally and with one consent, openly, frequently, and persistently, let him take this as to be held by him without the slightest hesitation.

The Vincentian Canon, in Commonitorium, chap IV, 434,
[ed. Moxon, Cambridge Patristic Texts]

Some Beautiful Pictures of the First Latin Tridentine Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King in nearly fourty years

2008-12-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

Rev.Fr. Shaun Mary von Lillienfeld celebrates the tridentine latin Mass for the first time within the Cathedral walls after a period of about fourty years since the implementation of the Novous Ordo reforms of 1969.

Updates on the TLM at Christ the King

2008-12-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

The organising committee of Una Voce SA is pleased to announce that a unique event will take place on the 21st December 2008. The first celebration in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass, Tridentine Mass) on a Sunday in the Cathedral of Christ the King in close on forty years.

This will be a low mass begining at 11:30am.

The Cathedral of Christ the King is located at the corner of Saratoga Ave. and End Street, Johannesburg. Parking is available

We wish to express our thanks to the Cathedral Administrator Fr. Shaun Mary von Lillienfeld who will be celebrant.

If you would like us to keep you informed please send an e-mail to christopher.cordeiro@yahoo.co.uk with the phrase TLM in the subject line. For more information visit our blog http://unavocesa.blogspot.com/ .

It would assist the organisers if those who would like to attend would e-mail me to indicate how many will be coming. But this is not a requirement and we would be very happy to see you.

The mass will be followed by a meet-and-greet with tea and cake. If possible kindly bring something small to eat at the meet-and- greet.

The Traditional Latin Mass is also celebrated at the Cathedral every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at 17:30pm and on Saturday mornings at 7:30am. On the first Sunday of every month it is celebrated at 11:30am. The schedule for December/ January is as follows:

Sundays:
21st December 2008 11:30am Low Mass followed by tea and cake.
4th January 2009 11:30am Low Mass.

Weekdays & Saturday:
Tuesdays, Thursdays 17:30pm
Saturdays, 7:30am

Exceptions/Additional Masses
No 5:30pm Mass on Reconciliation Day (Tuesday 16th) replaced with a TLM at 10:00am on that day.
No 5:30pm Mass on Christmas Day (Thursday 25th) replaced with a TLM at 10:00am 26th December - Feast of St. Stephen.

Christopher Cordeiro
Acting national co-ordinator, Una Voce SA.

PS: Please forward this message to every Catholic that you know. Even if they live outside the JHB Archdiocese, they may have friends who live in Johannesburg.

The Beauty of Marianhill Monastery, recollections on return from the Coast

2008-12-10T03:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of the Monastery itself, the cloister and a interior view of the Church Proper. Unfortunatly the Magnificence of the Church Proper has been lost since the 'reforms' of the Vatican Council. Prior to this, one could obviously immagine what the place looked like with high altar in place.

Article taken from http://www.mariannhill.org/dcms/sites/cmm/english/geschichte/mariannhill_entsteht.html

"MARIANNHILL
The name alone arouses curiosity. Its founder, Abbot Francis Pfanner fascinates. Its history offers something amazing. Thomas Merton has spoken about the missionary work of Mariannhill in these terms:
Here was the astonishing spectacle of a Trappist mission in which the contemplative monks had achieved in few short years, a success more spectacular than many active order had dared dream of. The most astounding thing about this new mission was that it was operating on purely Benedictine lines. It was an apostolate of prayer and labour (ORA ET LABORA), of liturgy and the plough. What was taking place in the outposts established by Dom Francis Pfanner was exactly the same process that had marked the Christianization of Germany and all northern Europe by the Benedictine monks hundreds of year before.(1)
Furthermore, after having visited the Mariannhill mission Mahatma Gandhi sang its praises.
In time this missionary work of Abbot Francis and of his monastery, dedicated to Mary and Saint Ann, brought about "an Order within an Order". Contemplation and intense missionary activity meant a marriage that the Order of the Reformed Cistercians could not bless.
So in 1909 Pope Pius X decided to separate Mariannhill from this Order. The Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill was thus born. A providential birth that would make the expansion of this remarkable work possible! The new family will draw its fundamental inspiration from Abbot Francis. this great missionary monk, and from his monastic community, missionary like him. Everything had started in 1882 with the initiative of this courageous apostle: when he founded his monastery that year, he had already received from Rome the mandate to go and "spread the light that enlightens the nations."
1999 was the year of the 90th anniversary of the death of Abbot Francis Pfanner (May 24). It was at the same time the 90th anniversary of the separation of Mariannhill from the Order of the Reformed Cistercians (February 2), in other words of the birth of the Missionaries of Mariannhill. Can we blame the spiritual sons of Mariannhill for being proud of their origins? For wanting to talk about their family? Obviously, it is out of the question for them to claim as their own the merits of the generous years of the beginning. Nevertheless, "noblesse oblige": they ought to go and draw from these roots of theirs the sap of a new spring shoot. They ought to permeate the present with the dynamism of their past. They cannot keep for themselves alone the wealth of their heritage, while always remaining open to the Spirit who "blows where he wills."
Here are the yesterday and the today of the Missionaries of Mariannhill. This Web page is in some way an identity card. May it give rise to other encounters with our religious community! Maybe to friendly regular contacts! Maybe - who knows? - to an active cooperation! May God make the prophetic vision and great power of attraction and of persuasion of Abbot Francis still bear fruit today! The Kingdom of God has no end. Nothing can hinder its expansion

(1) In The Waters of Siloe, Harcourt, Brace and company, New York, 1949, (1st edition), page 1157.

JHB TLM Schedule Dec/Jan‏

2008-12-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

The following is the Traditional Latin Mass Schedule at Christ the King Cathedral for December 2008/January 2009.

Sundays:
21st December 2008 11:30am Low Mass followed by tea and cake.
4th January 2009 11:30am Low Mass.

Weekdays & Saturday:
Tuesdays, Thursdays 17:30pm
Saturdays, 7:30am

Exceptions/Additional Masses
No 5:30pm Mass on Christmas Day (Thursday 25th) replaced with a TLM at 10:00am 26th December - Feast of St. Stephen.

The 'Official' return of the Latin Mass to Johannesburg

2008-12-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

From Christopher Cordeiro

Friends,

A big thank you to all of you, those who could attend and those who couldn't but have been praying for us. A special thanks to Fr. Shaun, the celebrant and to Andrew Martin who served the Mass. Also to Megan at the Cathedral who prepared the altar. My friend, Michael Poverello, came to the rescue with his camera and took the official photographs. I knew that I would forget something and just prayed that it would't be something like an altar card. Half-way to the Cathedral I realised that it was my camera. Our Lord sent us not only a camera but a skilled photographer.

The mass was a great success, if we can speak in these terms about the Holy Sacrifice. About 70 people attended and the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral was packed to overflowing. I have already received a number of e-mails from people who were deeeply moved.

I am still a bit overwhelmed by the experience, but will hopefully eventually find the right words to use and will post an article on the Una Voce SA blog. http://unavocesa.blogspot.com/

Michael's photo's will also be there.

Please keep inviting friends and family to the weekday masses.

On the 21st December at 11:30am we will have the first Sunday TLM Mass followed by a small reception. I will in the course of this week and the next be asking all of you to help to publicise this event and to help in a number of other ways. My hope is to reach as many people in the Archdiocese as possible with the news of the Sunday mass.

As soon as I have a moment I will respond individually to those of you who have e-mailed me.

God Bless

Christopher

ORATE FRATRES, TLM is back after 40 years!

2008-11-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

Indeed Brethren, pray! After a period of nearly forty years the Tridentine Latin Mass will again be celebrated here in the archdiocese beginning tomorrow at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Feast of St. Bibiana.

The schedule for TLM masses for the first week in December is as follows:

Cathedral of Christ the King
Saratoga Ave. and End Street
Johannesburg.

Tuesday (2nd December) 17:30 (Beggining Tomorrow December 2nd)
Thursday (4th December) 17:30
Saturday (6th December) 07:30

I beg your prayers for this wonderful occasion, indeed the prayers of many will accompany Father as he pronounces for the first time within forty years ' Introibo ad altare Dei', we thank God for his great providence in answering the prayers of many of his faithful children, in restoring the Tridentine Latin Mass back to its rightful place within Holy Mother Church.

Modern Ecumenism is a Fraud

2008-11-11T01:54:00.000-08:00

Article taken from Catholic Aplogetics
http://www.catholicapologetics.info/
"A Novel and Deadly Force Ravages the Church
Originally Published in
Crying in the Wilderness Newsletter

The purpose of this expose is not simply to throw stones at modern ecumenism, but to warn faithful Catholics to the danger of surrendering their "pearl of great price'; their one true Holy Roman Catholic Faith to the liberal spirit of the age.

Modern Ecumenism is a Fraud

In the 1908 Catholic Encyclopedia, the word "Ecumenism" does not even appear. It goes straight through from Ecuador to Ecumenical Council to Edda. The heading Ecumenical Council contains nothing more than this: "ECUMENICAL COUNCIL: SEE COUNCILS, GENERAL"

In the 1965 Catholic Encyclopedia, however, no less than seven pages are devoted to the "Ecumenical Movement': Ecumenism is, therefore, a twentieth century phenomenon. In the short span of sixty years, ecumenism as we know it today, has come from a state of non-existence, to being the integral fabric of the "New Theology of the Church."

Definition of Ecumenism

The Ecumenical Movement is basically the movement toward reunion of all Churches into a single Church, one in body, but not necessarily holding the same religious tenets... spotlighting things we have in common, hush-hushing those things which divide us. Should you ask, however, ten different theologians of ten denominations for a definition of ecumenism, chances are you would receive ten slightly different replies. This is the greatest weakness of ecumenism. it is a slippery sloppy expression devoid of any solid orthodox definition. It thus avails itself of ambiguity and double talk--as do subversive movements in general. The Second Vatican Council had a great deal to say about ecumenism, without ever giving the definition of the word!

Prior to 1960, the Catholic Church had always kept the Ecumenical Movement at arms length from the mystical Body of Christ, now and then touching it with the proverbial ten-foot pole, but never taking an active part.

Any student of ecclesiastical history will tell you that the Roman Catholic Church's particular charism was to clarify the truth in times of confusion and, to counter what was novel or erroneous by clinging to and defining what she has always believed since the time of the Apostles. Thus when Martin Luther denied so much of what the Roman Church held true, she took care of this problem at the Council of Trent... defining in detail each one of the Seven Sacraments, indulgences, justification, etc. The Church does not invent new doctrines at these councils, but defines and clarifies in a solemn and official manner what she has always believed. The Councils of the past took the Church and the world from a time of confusion, into a period of theological stability. Unfortunately, Vatican II is the first council in the history of the Church that did not help in this regard. As a matter of fact, we must regretfully admit that all evidence clearly shows she only made things far worse.

Origin of Ecumenism

The ecumenical movement as it exists today owes its origin to a conference of Protestant missionaries at Edinburgh in 1910. Its original purpose was among Protestant missionaries of different denominations to promote a spirit of collaboration in order to "evangelize" the pagan world. Doctrinal differences were to be played down... unity of action and what was held in common by all was to be exalted.

It was during this time that Charles Brent, an American Episcopal Bishop of the Philippines conceived the idea of assembling a great conference of delegates from all Christian confessions. A second conference was formed shortly after by Brent called the "Conference on Faith and Order." In 1919, the Holy See being invited to send delegates, politely declined. Pope Benedict XV explained that although his earnest desire was one fold and one shepherd, it would be impossible for the Catholic Church to join with others in search of unity. As for the Church of Christ, it is already one and could not give the appearance of searching for itself or for its own unity. It is reported that the Holy Father did not disapprove of the movement as something outside the Catholic Church, but by his own words it is obvious he knew it was not only futile, but dangerous and even scandalous to the Catholic Faithful to participate in seeking unity in such a manner.

It was through this movement that the World Council of Churches was born.

Mortalium Animos and Humani Generis

There is no doubt that certain priests and theologians, influenced by a distorted notion of Christian Charity became interested in this "Movement of Unity", and that many were literally straining at the leash to take part. Thus Pope Pius XI was moved to provide the excellent Catholic guidance he did in his 1928 encyclical Mortalium Animos, (ON FOSTERING TRUE RELIGIOUS UNITY) an encyclical which, for obvious reasons, is seldom quoted these days. Pope Pius XII also sounded the alarm to this error in his great 1950 encyclical Humani Generis (TREATING CERTAIN FALSE OPINIONS THAT THREATEN TO RUIN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH). He warned of those who wished to "reduce to a minimum the meaning of Catholic dogmas..." and "the desire to do away with the barriers that divide good and honest men. "The term he employed was "eirenism" calling it a "serious danger" because "it is concealed beneath the mask of virtue."(See Humani Generis par. 12 to 25). Father Vincent Micelli has called this "the Forgotten Encyclical". It seems more likely that it was not forgotten, but vehemently ignored! Strangely enough, the very acts considered immoral by both Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII were urged upon Catholics following the 1962-65 Council as being suddenly justified by the so-called "Spirit of Vatican II."

Ecumenism Prevailed at the Council

I must be here noted that Modernism, the synthesis of all heresies which had been condemned and effectively brought under control by Pope St. Pius X was nevertheless alive and well underground as St. Pius X expressed it, "within the very bosom of the Church." The Second Vatican Council brought all the world's bishops and their most "prestigious" theologians to gather in Rome, and to the great tragedy of the Church, the liberal and modernist element prevailed.2 The fruits of which are strikingly before our eyes. A spirit of Ecumania became rampant at this time. No longer was the first concern "is it orthodox?", but "is it ecumenical?': A lust for change and innovation was inexplicably brought to a euphoric height! Protestants and schismatics were invited to attend the Council not to participate, but to come as observers. A few bishops noted this made it somewhat awkward to debate issues where their errors were involved. The New Rite of Mass was conceived by this spirit of ecumenism. This is why it so closely resembles a Protestant service. The "Ecumenical Spirit" has been the primary formative principle in the whole range of the new liturgical and sacramental forms established by the new Church. In the immediate wake of Vatican II, the entire Catholic world was suddenly rocked off its axis by profound and unprecedented changes blasting their way through the entire Church with inexhaustible energy and intense fury. The unfortunate Catholic laity, who certainly did not ask for this revolution, and who were totally unaware of what their leaders had in store for them were taken completely by surprise. The Council, therefore, was like a great launch pad supporting the rocket of ecumenism about to blast its way violently through every single parish church, every religious community, and every seminary in the world.

Modern Ecumenism: An Ecclesiastical Swamp!

The difference between a river and a swamp is great! A swamp has no banks, and the waters mish-mash wherever they will. A swamp is useless as a waterway, as a source of life for fish, or for cleansing. Whereas a river has fixed banks which keep the waters flowing in the proper direction. Since it has boundaries, and depth, and width, it can be a great source of life, health, and practical benefit.

Modern ecumenism is a swamp! We have been sling-shot into this Ecumenical Movement without a clear definition of ecumenism itself, and what are to be the safe guidelines for ecumenism... in other words, where does one stop? All ecumenical activity, no matter how scandalous or ludicrous is justified by appealing to Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism... which, along with the other Council documents, is lacking in definition and is deliberately ambiguous. On this point, Cardinal Ruffini expressed particular concern that the Decree on Ecumenism failed to provide any adequate definition of the word "ecumenism" itself... a dangerous factor since the word is used in a different sense by Protestants and Catholics. But this was no accident! The liberal Dutch theologian Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, a periti at Vatican II admitted: "We have used ambiguous terms during the Council and we know how we shall interpret them afterwards."

Likely, the reason why no definition of Ecumenism was given by the Second Vatican Council for its use of the term "ecumenism" was that if the actual intent of the Decree of Ecumenism was openly declared, any well informed Catholic of good will would have repudiated it, and the value of the Decree as an instrument of subversion would have been lost. At face value, how could any true Catholic subscribe to the absurd notion that a religious unity according to God's will is possible by playing down any aspect whatsoever of God's revelation concerning Himself, His Church, and our salvation only to magnify what is believed "in common"? It's as if twenty centuries of Catholic Teaching and Tradition should bow down before the great "messiah" of ecumenism and utter the immortal words` "it must increase, and the Church of Christ must decrease."

All Religions on the Same Footing

The great danger of ecumenism is that it places all religions on the same footing. Modern ecumenism would have us believe that all men of whatever religious persuasion are equally "on their way to God." They are merely taking different means to get there... so if you re a Protestant, be a GOOD Protestant, if you're a Jew, be a GOOD Jew, if you're a Moslem, be a GOOD MOSLEM, if youâ€™re a Hindu, be a GOOD Hindu. God is portrayed as being at the summit of a mountain, and there are many roads and paths up that mountain that lead to Him. ANY MAN IS FREE TO CHOOSE THE PATH HE WILL. TO GOD IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHICH ROAD A MAN CHOOSES TO COME TO HIM. CERTAINLY NO MAN CAN DECLARE HIMSELF TO HAVE THE "ONLY WAY!"

Now once Catholics get the bug of "Ecumenitis" into their bloodstream, the infection can only bring about spiritual sickness and death. They will start to be careless about their own Catholicism. They will join in worship with persons of false religions and end by abandoning the True Church of Christ. They will come to look upon the Seven Sacraments as merely "optional" means of grace, no better than the ceremonies of other cults... free to use, free to reject with no consequences upon their eternal salvation.

Modern ecumenism is therefore strikingly at odds with the mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ to His Apostles when He entrusted them with His Divine Law, established His Church with Peter as the head, (Matt. 16: 18-19) and gave them the Divine commission to "Go... and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt. 18:19). It ignores the warning of Christ when he told us "no-one comes to the Father but through Me."(John 14:6) and furthermore, "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned."(Mark 16:16) It is in opposition to the will of Christ: "There shall be one fold and one Shepherd," (John 10:16) He being the Shepherd. Modern ecumenism is opposed to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ... it is ecclesiastical lunacy.

An Ecumenical Moses?

The book of Exodus tells us of Moses coming down the Mountain of God with the tablets of the Law... the Ten Commandments. Now there were twelve tribes of Israel. Suppose one of the tribes, just say the tribe of Juda, after examining the 10 Commandments distinguished themselves saying "We'll accept all the Commandments except Commandments 8 and 10,"and solidified their protestation proclaiming "We cannot and will not recant!" Do you think Moses would have pursued "ecumenical dialogue" with these people, or danced around in a state of ecumenical euphoria exuberant over the fact that they at least agree with him in regard to the other eight? Furthermore, do you think he would have made sure that in the Israelite's liturgies and religious services there be no mention of the 6th and 8th Commandment because he did not wish to offend the tribe of Juda? In doing this, would Moses be serving God's design, or a perverted human design? Is not the answer ferociously obvious?

And is this not what we see to have happened in the wake of Vatican II and the euphoria over ecumenism? Whose ends are being served in this novel approach to false religions, Christ's designs, or a perverted human design? Just as Moses would have had absolutely no right to play down, or worse yet, be ashamed of the revelation of which God had made him the custodian, so too no authority in the Catholic Church has any right whatsoever to be ashamed of the revelation of which God has made them custodian... sweeping even the smallest particle of Catholic Truth under the ecumenical carpet so as not to offend disbelievers. Such activities subvert the mission of Christ causing irreparable scandal not only to the faithful, but to all non-Catholics as well, each of whom we should regard as a Catechumen in spe (a prospective catechumen) Such a thing is an abandonment of the Evangelical Law in principle and a repudiation of Christianity itself. "Not one jot or tittle shall be lost from the Law" our Lord says, (Matt. 5. 18) and "he who does away with one of these least commandments and so teaches men, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 5 18-19).

Why is it a Fraud?

Modern Ecumenism is a fraud because it is a false principle "concealed beneath the mask of virtue." It can only operate to the destruction of the Catholic Church. Though it deserves a more full and lengthy treatment than presented here, the most striking problems are:

1) IT SUBVERTS THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST.

The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ. Christ came to redeem man from sin and teach him what he must believe and do in order to gain salvation. Christ came also to govern and sanctify... and we must accept the full message of Christ, not a slim or distorted portion of it. This full message of Christ is found in the Catholic Church alone. Ecumenism will have us play down or diminish Catholic Truth for the sake of ecumenical union. It will have us leave people alone in their religious error, and acknowledge that all religions, both true and false, are all parallel ways to God. ECUMENISM, THEREFORE, ACCEPTS THE FALSE AND DANGEROUS PRINCIPLE THAT THE FULL MESSAGE OF CHRIST AND HIS ONE TRUE CATHOLIC CHURCH ARE NOT NECESSARY FOR SALVATION. The Church loses her role as teacher of mankind ("The Roman Church is the Mother and teacher of all the churches." {Dogma of Faith} Vatican I). "Go forth and teach" has been transformed into "Go forth and dialogue."

2) IT PLACES A MERE EXTERNAL/MATERIAL UNION OF RELIGIOUS BODIES AS ITS HIGHEST POSSIBLE GOOD.

Theological truth and the acceptance of it is no longer the primary aspect of religion. On the contrary it becomes a simmering-of-all-religions together in a kind of "Ecumenical Stew" where each one must boil out his own distinctive taste in order to blend with the other ingredients. IN CONTRAST TO THE TRUTH THAT GOD HAS REVEALED TO MANKIND, THEIRS IS AN EXTERNAL UNION WHERE THERE IS NO UNION OF TRUTH AND THUS NO UNION AT ALL. God demands that He be believed and worshiped in truth, that is according to what He is, and what He has told us. Ecumenism ignores all this and places not truth, but the blueprint of a kind of "United Nations of Religions" as its highest possible end. This is false religion. (It should be noted that no other religious body has made such sweeping changes for the sake of Ecumenism than has the post-Vatican II Church. Protestants, Jews, Moslems, etc. have not changed anything... only Catholicism.)

3) THE FIRST CASUALTY IN THE SEARCH FOR UNITYIS CATHOLIC UNITY

The authorities in our Holy Church have sacrificed their own unity on the altar of ecumenism causing a severe fragmentation of the Catholic Church in the name oi unity, to the point where we find, if we may use "big-media" terminology, everything from the "extreme right" to the "extreme left" within our parishes, within our seminaries, within our chanceries... with a heavy emphasis on the left, and a curious intolerance of the right. If "following one's own conscience" and "sincerity" be the only barometer of religion, then it necessarily follows that this will immediately strike and disintegrate the unity of the Church. ECUMENISM IS UNITY AT THE EXPENSE OF CATHOLICISM!

May Catholics Question Vatican II's Ecumenism?

Vatican ll was not a doctrinal Council... it did not make any solemn definitions binding our conscience on Faith and Morals. It was a pastoral Council... a Council for guiding souls. We may therefore, be permitted to ask "To where have we been guided?" At the close of the Council, the Bishops asked Cardinal Felici for that which theologians call the "theological note" of the Council. He replied "We have to distinguish according to the schemas and the chapters those which have already been the subject of dogmatic definitions; as for the declarations which have a novel character, we have to make reservations." Now ecumenism is clearly a novelty. The practice of modern ecumenism is clearly in contradiction to the teaching and actions of previous Popes, and the effect of ecumenism is a disastrous and catastrophic path bulldozed through the entire Church, the uprooting of the very foundations of the Faith, and the shattering of every aspect of Catholic Truth down to the last molecule. Ecumenism is an ecclesiastical atom bomb! It is at the very heart of the present crisis of Faith. Catholics are completely within their rights, therefore, to "make reservations" and even resist this questionable "novelty" of ecumenism.

This does not mean, however, that Catholics and non-Catholics cannot work together in the civil order for the common good, as Bishop Duane Hunt put it in 1949, "even if we cannot be united in faith, we can be united in good works." All men of good will can and should rally their forces and present a united front against the onslaught of militant atheism in the East, and soft-sophisticated atheism in the West. It is necessary to unite and fight these great evils in all their forms, but this does not mean Catholics are to be coerced into sacrificing one iota of Catholic Truth in these endeavors, particularly within the very household of the Faith.

The Only True Unity: The Catholic Church

No matter what the odds, we must diligently and unceasingly work toward all men coming within the fold of the one true Church. As far as Christ is concerned, nothing else will do. Even if this idea seems "next to impossible" in our day - another illusion - we must not abandon this ideal, for the eternal salvation of the non-Catholic depends on it. It is only cowardice, lack of conviction, and a distorted notion of Christian Charity that looks to ecumenism for the answer. Let us fervently pray that perhaps, through the grace of God, we may return to the Catholic principle of Pope Pius XI who in his no-nonsense 1928 Encyclical Mortalium Animos,(ON FOSTERING TRUE RELIGIOUS UNITY) left no room for doubt:

"lt seems opportune to expound and refute a certain false opinion on which that complex movement by which non-Catholics seek to bring union of Christian Churches depends. They add that the Church, in itself, or of its nature, is divided into sections, that is to say, that it is made up of several churches or distinct communities, which still remains separate, and although having certain articles of doctrine in common, nevertheless, disagree concerning the remainder; that these all enjoy the same rights; and thus, in their contention, the Church was one and undivided from, at the most, the Apostolic age until the First Ecumenical Council. Controversies, therefore, they say, and longstanding differences of opinion, which have kept asunder till the present day members of the Christian family, must be entirely put aside, and for the remaining doctrines a common form of faith drawn up and proposed for belief, in the profession of which all may not only know but feel that they are brothers... They go on to say that the Roman Catholic Church also has erred, and has corrupted the original religion by adding and proposing for belief certain doctrines , which are not only alien to the Gospel, but repugnant to it... meanwhile, they affirm that they would willingly treat with the Church of Rome, but on equal terms, that is, as equals with an equal... This being so, it is clear that the Apostolic See cannot on any terms take part in their assemblies, nor is it lawful for Catholics to support or to work for such enterprises; for if they do so, they will give countenance to a false Christianity, quite alien to the one Church of Christ... Who, then, can conceive a Christian Federation, the members of which retain each his own opinion and private judgement, in matters which concern the very object of Faith, even though they may be repugnant to the opinion of the rest? ...Unity can arise only from one teaching authority, one law of belief, and one faith of Christians... the union of Christians can only be furthered by promoting the return to the true Church of Christ of those who are separated from it, for in the past they have unhappily left it."

This traditional teaching on Christian unity (ecumenism) was set forth, again, in the Instructio de Motione Oecumenica(Instruction of the Ecumenical Movement, A.A.S., 31 January 1950) published by the Holy Office on 20 December 1949, which emphasizes the teaching of Pius XI in his encyclical Mortalium Animos of 1928. (Information added to original)

A few weeks away, Deo Gratias

2008-11-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends of the Traditional Latin Mass,

We are just weeks away from having the TLM celebrated 'officially' in the Archdiocese. The first celebrations of Holy Mass should take place within the first weeks of Advent, twice a week as a low mass.

I hope to have the privilege of assisting at the mass as one of the very few altar 'boys' who have knowledge of serving the TLM. I beg you all to thank God with me for this great gift to us Catholics here in Johannesburg. As of yet both Father ,as well as those older gentlemen who have knowledge of serving mass have to further refine and correct a few things before the Mass is officially reintroduced into the Archdiocese.

With regard to the place, The Cathedral shall provide the first venue for the reintroduction of the TLM, one is forced to think of the wonder of the ways of God. What better place to reintroduce the Sacred liturgy of 1962, other than the Mother Church of the Archdiocese?

After much pain and suffering , our prayers have been answered, we can only continue to pray that this one seed might take root in the hearts of many and spread with the help of our Loving Father.

Updates will be posted as soon as they are made known to me.

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin James Montgomery
President
Summorum Pontificum Johannesburg

Letter to Friends and Benefactors SSPX

2008-11-06T02:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

In this letter, I would have liked to give you first of all some news about the internal life of the Society. However, current events in the Church at large and especially concerning the developments in favor of Tradition compel us to dwell longer upon these topics of a more external nature, because of their importance. Once again, it seems to us necessary to tackle this subject, so as to express as clearly as possible something which might have caused some concern at the beginning of the summer.

As the media related in a rather surprising manner, I must say, we did receive an ultimatum from Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos. But the thing is rather complex and needs to be clarified in order to be well understood. A glance back at recent past events will help us to grasp things a little more clearly.

1. Our Pre-conditions

From the very first times when Rome approached us and proposed some solutions, that is, at the beginning of 2001, we clearly stated that the manner in which Church authorities were treating the problems raised by those who desired to attempt the experience of Tradition with Rome did not inspire confidence in us. Logically we had to expect to be treated in like manner once the issue of our relationship with Rome would have been settled. Since that time, and in order to protect ourselves, we have been asking for concrete actions which would unequivocally show Rome’s intentions towards us: the Traditional Mass for all priests, and the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication. These two measures were not sought directly in view of gaining some advantage for ourselves, but to re-instill into the Mystical Body a breath of traditional life, and thus, indirectly, help to bring about a sound rapprochement between the Society and Rome.

The first responses were hardly engaging and were rather a confirmation of our misgivings: it was not possible to grant freedom for the Mass, because, in spite of the realization that the Mass had never been abrogated, some bishops and faithful thought it might be repudiation of Paul VI and of the liturgical reform… As for the excommunication, it would be lifted at the time of the agreement.

In spite of this demurrer, we did not cut the slender thread of fairly difficult relations, aware as we were that what is at stake far exceeds our own plight. It is not a matter of persons, but of an attitude which for centuries has been that of all the members of the Church, and which remains ours, unlike the new spirit, called “the spirit of Vatican II.” And it is obvious for us that this new spirit is at the root, and is the main cause of the present misfortunes of Holy Mother Church. Hence, the basic motivation behind our actions and our relations with the Roman authorities has always been to do prudently all we can to bring about the return of the Church to what she cannot deprive herself of without rushing headlong to suicide.

Our situation is very delicate: on the one hand, we recognize both the Roman authorities and the local bishops as legitimate. But on the other hand, we contest some of their decisions, because, in various degrees, they are opposed to what the Magisterium always taught and ordered. In this, there is no pretense on our part of setting ourselves as judges or of picking and choosing. It is nothing more than the expression of an extremely painful observation of a contradiction which goes against both our Catholic consciences and faith. Such a situation is extremely grave, and cannot be treated with levity. This is also the reason why we move only very slowly and with the utmost prudence. If we are obviously greatly interested in obtaining a situation which is concretely livable in the Church, the clear awareness of the much more profound key issue which we have just described, forbids us to place the two issues on an equal footing. It is so clear for us that the issue of the faith and of the spirit of faith has priority over all that we cannot consider a practical solution before the first issue is safely resolved. Holy Mother Church always taught us that we had to be ready to lose everything, even our own life, rather than lose the faith.

What is strange is that the blows are now coming from within the Church, and that is the stark reality of the drama through which we are living.

2 – In 2007, One of the Pre-conditions was Fulfilled, the Motu Proprio

In 2007, the new Sovereign Pontiff Benedict XVI finally granted the first point we had requested, the traditional Mass for the priests all over the world. We are deeply grateful for this personal gesture from the pope. And it causes us a great joy, because we have a great hope that we can see in this a renewal for the whole Mystical Body. Yet, the Motu Proprio has become (because of the very nature of what it states and gives back, i.e. the traditional Mass), the object of the fight we mentioned earlier in this letter because the traditional worship is opposed to the cult which meant to be “new”, the “novus ordo missæ”. It has become an occasion of fight between the progressivists, who give lip service to their full ecclesial communion while they more or less openly oppose the orders and the dispositions coming from the Sovereign Pontiff, and the conservatives, who consequently find themselves in a situation where they resist their bishops… So whom are we to obey? The progressivists know quite well that what is at stake is much more than a liturgical dispute. In spite of the efforts of the Motu Proprio to minimize opposition by affirming continuity, what is at stake is the very fate of a Council which meant to be pastoral, and which was applied in such a way that Paul VI already could speak of the “self-destruction of the Church.”

3 – Hope of a Rapid Fulfillment of Second Pre-condition

This first step of Rome in our direction gave us to hope that a second would soon follow. Some signs seemed to point this way. But, whereas we had long ago proposed the itinerary we had mapped out, it would seem that Rome has decided to follow another route. In spite of our reiterated request for the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication, and as it seemed that there was no longer any major obstacle to prevent the accomplishment of this act, we witnessed a sudden turn of events: Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos wants to impose upon us conditions before going any further, even though we had clearly said that we expected a unilateral act. Our attitude seems to him ungrateful towards the Sovereign Pontiff, and even worse: haughty and proud, since we continue to openly denounce the evils from which the Church is suffering. Our latest Letter to Friends and Benefactors particularly aroused his displeasure. This earned for us an ultimatum, the precise conditions of which we still have not yet been able to figure out. For either we accept the canonical solution, or we will be declared schismatic!

When we take a stand this is interpreted as a delay, a voluntary procrastination. Our intentions and our good will to discuss really with Rome are doubted. They do not understand why we do not want an immediate canonical solution. For Rome, the problem of the Society would be resolved by that practical agreement; doctrinal discussions would be avoided or postponed. For us, each day brings additional proofs that we must clarify to the maximum the underlying issues before taking one more step toward a canonical situation, which is not in itself displeasing to us. But this is a matter of following the order of the nature of things, and to start from the wrong end would unavoidably place us in an unbearable situation. We have daily proofs of this. What is at stake is nothing more nor less than our future existence. We cannot, and will not leave any ambiguity subsist on the issue of the acceptation of the Council, of the reforms, of the new attitudes which are either being tolerated or fostered.

Confronted with these new difficulties, we take the liberty of appealing once more to your generosity. Given the success of our first rosary Crusade to obtain the return of the Tridentine Mass, we would now like to offer to Our Lady a new bouquet of a million rosaries (5 decades) to obtain the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication through her intercession. From November 1st until the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, we will take it to heart to pray with renewed fervor that, in these difficult hours of history, the Holy Father may fulfill with fidelity his august functions in accordance with the wish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the good of all the Church. We are utterly convinced that such a gesture coming from the Sovereign Pontiff would have as profound an effect on the Mystical Body as the freedom of the traditional liturgy.

Indeed, the excommunication did not cut us off from the Church, but it has driven away a good number of her members from the Church’s past and from her Tradition. And she cannot deprive herself of them without suffering serious harm. It is truly obvious that Holy Mother Church cannot ignore her past, since she has received everything and is still to this day receiving everything from her divine founder, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the excommunication, what has been censured and penalized is the very attitude which specified the combat of Archbishop Lefebvre, i.e. this relationship to the Church’s past and to her Tradition. Since then, because of this reprobation, many fear to come to the sources of living water which alone can bring back the good old days of Holy Mother Church. Yet, Archbishop Lefebvre did nothing more than adopt the attitude of St. Paul, to the extent that he requested that the following words be engraved on his tomb: “Tradidi quod et accepi”—I have handed down what I have received. Did not St. Pius X himself write that the “true friends of the Church are not the revolutionaries, nor the innovators, but the traditionalists”?

For this reason, dear faithful, we launch again this Rosary Crusade on the occasion of our pilgrimage to Lourdes for the 150th anniversary of the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin. We thank the Mother of God for the maternal protection she extended over us during all these years, and especially for the twenty years since the episcopal consecrations. We entrust to her all your intentions for yourselves, your families and your work. To her we entrust our future and beg for this fidelity to the faith and to the Church without which no one can work out his salvation.

I thank you wholeheartedly for your untiring generosity which enables us to continue the magnificent work founded by Archbishop Lefebvre. We ask our good Mother in Heaven to protect you and to keep you all in her Immaculate Heart.

Menzingen, October 23, 2008, on the feast of St. Anthony-Mary Claret

+Bernard Fellay

SSPX Pilgrimage to Lourdes

2008-11-06T02:26:00.000-08:00

Some woderful pictures of the Society's pilgimage to Lourdes

Archbishop Raymond Burk, on Benedict XVI's Reform of the Reform

2008-11-06T01:48:00.000-08:00

Archbishop Raymond Burke, the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in an interview given to Inside the Vatican Magazine, confirmed the Sovereign Pontiff's intentions toward the reform of the liturgy, indeed by stating that with the release of Summorum Pontificum, the intended result is the influence of the extraordinary on the ordinary, this is already evident in the changes that have already been made at the Vatican and elsewhere around the globe.

"7. You were also very supportive of groups in St Louis, wishing to make use of Summorum Pontificum. With the looser restrictions in the celebration of the Old Mass, is the movement for tradition likely to grow, and what effect is this likely to have on the liturgical reform?

Pope Benedict XVI has made clear his reasons for the promulgation of Summorum Pontificum, among which is the enrichment of the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite through the celebration of the Extraordinary Form. Such enrichment will be natural, since the Ordinary Form developed organically from what is now the Extraordinary Form. The more that the faithful come to appreciate the Extraordinary Form, the more they will also come to understand the profound reality of every celebration of the Holy Mass, whether in the Extraordinary or Ordinary Form. If I understand the Holy Father correctly, with time, a further reform of the Sacred Liturgy may take place, which more fully draws upon the richness of the Extraordinary Form. The legislation given in Summorum Pontificum, I am convinced, will foster greatly the liturgical reform which was the goal of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council."

Update on the effects of the Rosary Crusade,Decree for the removal of excommunications on the Pope's desk?

2008-11-04T04:09:00.000-08:00

"Monday, November 03, 2008
IMPORTANT

From Spanish blog La Cigüeña de la Torre:

On the Holy Father's bureau stands a prepared decree which will lift that of excommunion, of 1988, which applied to the consecrating [Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer] and consecrated bishops [Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Alfonso de Galarreta, and Richard Williamson]. I mean removing the decree, and not absolving of the excommunication.

The thesis of the subjective element, extenuating or mitigating of fault, and, therefore, of the penalty, according to Canons 1323, 4 and 7, and 1324, 1, 8, and 3, has prevailed.

The information sounds highly credible, it matches recent events (including the Rosary Crusade), and Spanish conservative Catholic lawyer Francisco José Fernández de la Cigoña usually only posts on future events (such as the nomination of Bishops) when he is truly certain of the matter. Nonetheless, even if the information is accurate, there is no way of knowing when the Holy Father will sign the document, or when it will be made public.

The referenced canons of the Code of Canon Law (CIC) are the following:

Can. 1323 The following are not subject to a penalty when they have violated a law or precept:
...
4/ a person who acted coerced by grave fear, even if only relatively grave, or due to necessity or grave inconvenience unless the act is intrinsically evil or tends to the harm of souls;
...
7/ a person who without negligence thought that one of the circumstances mentioned in nn. 4 or 5 was present.

Can. 1324 §1. The perpetrator of a violation is not exempt from a penalty, but the penalty established by law or precept must be tempered or a penance employed in its place if the delict was committed:
...
8/ by a person who thought in culpable error that one of the circumstances mentioned in can. 1323, nn. 4 or 5 was present;
...
§3. In the circumstances mentioned in §1, the accused is not bound by a latae sententiae penalty"

Urgent Prayers Needed!

2008-10-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Of your charity , I ask of you all to please keep in your prayers three Salesian priests and an as of yet unknown number of students who were violently attacked yesterday evening at St. John Bosco retreat house in Daleside, south of Johannesburg. Fr's. Coleman, Ivo and Bruno were stabbed and beaten , Fr. J.Coleman's condition still remains serious.

Unfortunately such an event is not a uncommon occurrence here South Africa, and clearly shows the extent of the depravity which pervades throughout South African culture, indeed we are living in a Godless society. I beg you to please keep in your prayers, not only these three priests but also their attackers, who as of yet remain at large. We pray that our Lady , Help of Christians, may bring the light of Christ into their hearts.

In all humility forgive me

2008-10-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

Reading through one of the comments left on the blog relating to a specific article, I was kindly made aware of one of my spelling mistakes.

I ask you as the readers of this blog to please excuse the occasional mishap when it comes to my spelling or grammar. Strange, you wouldn't believe that I graduated as a English major!

And so, please in the future, if it so happens that I misspell something or use the incorrect grammar, please contact me so that I may rectify it.

English with many other things came on a boat with my ancestors, so I beg you to forgive my sometimes careless use of the language.

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin

Monsignur Jan Jaworski , 22 June 1920 - 8 October 2008

2008-10-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

Apostle of the Divine Mercy
Protanary Apostolic
Beloved Son of the Polish People

Requesicant in Pace!

From Bl.John XXIII on the Study of Latin

2008-10-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

On the Promotion of the Study of Latin

by Pope John XXIII

The wisdom of the ancient world, enshrined in Greek and Roman literature, and the truly memorable teaching of ancient peoples, served, surely, to herald the dawn of the Gospel which Gods Son, "the judge and teacher of grace and truth, the light and guide of the human race,"1 proclaimed on earth.

Such was the view of the Church Fathers and Doctors. In these outstanding literary monuments of antiquity, they recognized mans spiritual preparation for the supernatural riches which Jesus Christ communicated to mankind "to give history its fulfilment."2

Thus the inauguration of Christianity did not mean the obliteration of mans past achievements. Nothing was lost that was in any way true, just, noble and beautiful.

Venerable languages

The Church has ever held the literary evidences of this wisdom in the highest esteem. She values especially the Greek and Latin languages in which wisdom itself is cloaked, as it were, in a vesture of gold. She has likewise welcomed the use of other venerable languages, which flourished in the East. For these too have had no little influence on the progress of humanity and civilization. By their use in sacred liturgies and in versions of Holy Scripture, they have remained in force in certain regions even to the present day, bearing constant witness to the living voice of antiquity.

A primary place

But amid this variety of languages a primary place must surely be given to that language which had its origins in Latium, and later proved so admirable a means for the spreading of Christianity throughout the West.

And since in Gods special Providence this language united so many nations together under the authority of the Roman Empire— and that for so many centuries— it also became the rightful language of the Apostolic See.3 Preserved for posterity, it proved to be a bond of unity for the Christian peoples of Europe.

The nature of Latin

Of its very nature Latin is most suitable for promoting every form of culture among peoples. It gives rise to no jealousies. It does not favor any one nation, but presents itself with equal impartiality to all and is equally acceptable to all.

Nor must we overlook the characteristic nobility of Latin for mal structure. Its "concise, varied and harmonious style, full of majesty and dignity"4 makes for singular clarity and impressiveness of expression.

Preservation of Latin by the Holy See

For these reasons the Apostolic See has always been at pains to preserve Latin, deeming it worthy of being used in the exercise of her teaching authority "as the splendid vesture of her heavenly doctrine and sacred laws."5 She further requires her sacred ministers to use it, for by so doing they are the better able, wherever they may be, to acquaint themselves with the mind of the Holy See on any matter, and communicate the more easily with Rome and with one another.

Thus the "knowledge and use of this language," so intimately bound up with the Church's life, "is important not so much on cultural or literary grounds, as for religious reasons."6 These are the words of Our Predecessor Pius XI, who conducted a scientific inquiry into this whole subject, and indicated three qualities of the Latin language which harmonize to a remarkable degree with the Church's nature. "For the Church, precisely because it embraces all nations and is destined to endure to the end of time . . of its very nature requires a language which is universal, immutable, and non vernacular."7

Universal

Since "every Church must assemble round the Roman Church,"8 and since the Supreme Pontiffs have "true episcopal power, ordinary and immediate, over each and every Church and each and every Pastor, as well as over the faith-full"9 of every rite and language, it seems particularly desirable that the instrument of mutual communication be uniform and universal, especially between the Apostolic See and the Churches which use the same Latin rite.

When, therefore, the Roman Pontiffs wish to instruct the Catholic world, or when the Congregations of the Roman Curia handle matters or draw up decrees which concern the whole body of the faithful, they invariably make use of Latin, for this is a maternal voice acceptable to countless nations.

Immutable

Furthermore, the Church's language must be not only universal but also immutable. Modern languages are liable to change, and no single one of them is superior to the others in authority. Thus if the truths of the Catholic Church were entrusted to an unspecified number of them, the meaning of these truths, varied as they are, would not be manifested to everyone with sufficient clarity and precision. There would, moreover, be no language which could serve as a common and constant norm by which to gauge the exact meaning of other renderings.

But Latin is indeed such a language. It is set and unchanging. it has long since ceased to be affected by those alterations in the meaning of words which are the normal result of daily, popular use. Certain Latin words, it is true, acquired new meanings as Christian teaching developed and needed to be explained and defended, but these new meanings have long since become accepted and firmly established.

Non-vernacular

Finally, the Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.

In addition, the Latin language "can be called truly catholic."10 It has been consecrated through constant use by the Apostolic See, the mother and teacher of all Churches, and must be esteemed "a treasure . . . of incomparable worth."11. It is a general passport to the proper understanding of the Christian writers of antiquity and the documents of the Church's teaching.12 It is also a most effective bond, binding the Church of today with that of the past and of the future in wonderful continuity.

Educational value of Latin

There can be no doubt as to the formative and educational value either of the language of the Romans or of great literature generally. It is a most effective training for the pliant minds of youth. It exercises, matures and perfects the principal faculties of mind and spirit. It sharpens the wits and gives keenness of judgment. It helps the young mind to grasp things accurately and develop a true sense of values. It is also a means for teaching highly intelligent thought and speech.

A natural result

It will be quite clear from these considerations why the Roman Pontiffs have so often extolled the excellence and importance of Latin, and why they have prescribed its study and use by the secular and regular clergy, forecasting the dangers that would result from its neglect.

A resolve to uphold Latin

And We also, impelled by the weightiest of reasons—the same as those which prompted Our Predecessors and provincial synods 13—are fully determined to restore this language to its position of honor, and to do all We can to promote its study and use. The employment of Latin has recently been contested in many quarters, and many are asking what the mind of the Apostolic See is in this matter. We have therefore decided to issue the timely directives contained in this document, so as to ensure that the ancient and uninterrupted use of Latin be maintained and, where necessary, restored.

We believe that We made Our own views on this subject sufficiently clear when We said to a number of eminent Latin scholars:

"It is a matter of regret that so many people, unaccountably dazzled by the marvelous progress of science, are taking it upon themselves to oust or restrict the study of Latin and other kindred subjects. . . . Yet, in spite of the urgent need for science, Our own view is that the very contrary policy should be followed. The greatest impression is made on the mind by those things which correspond more closely to mans nature and dignity. And therefore the greatest zeal should be shown in the acquisition of whatever educates and ennobles the mind. Otherwise poor mortal creatures may well become like the machines they build—cold, hard, and devoid of love."14

PROVISIONS FOR THE PROMOTION OF LATIN STUDIES

With the foregoing considerations in mind, to which We have given careful thought, We now, in the full consciousness of Our Office and in virtue of Our authority, decree and command the following:

Responsibility for enforcement

1.Bishops and superiors-general of religious orders shall take pains to ensure that in their seminaries and in their schools where adolescents are trained for the priesthood, all shall studiously observe the Apostolic Sees decision in this matter and obey these Our prescriptions most carefully.

2.In the exercise of their paternal care they shall be on their guard lest anyone under their jurisdiction, eager for revolutionary changes, writes against the use of Latin in the teaching of the higher sacred studies or in the liturgy, or through prejudice makes light of the Holy Sees will in this regard or interprets it falsely.

Study of Latin as a prerequisite

3. As is laid down in Canon Law (can. 1364) or commanded by Our Predecessors, before Church students begin their ecclesiastical studies proper they shall be given a sufficiently lengthy course of instruction in Latin by highly competent masters, following a method designed to teach them the language with the utmost accuracy. "And that too for this reason:

lest later on, when they begin their major studies . . . they are unable by reason of their ignorance of the language to gain a full understanding of the doctrines or take part in those scholastic disputations which constitute so excellent an intellectual training for young men in the defense of the faith." 15

We wish the same rule to apply to those whom God calls to the priesthood at a more advanced age, and whose classical studies have either been neglected or conducted too superficially. No one is to be admitted to the study of philosophy or theology except he be thoroughly grounded in this language and capable of using it.

Traditional curriculum to be restored

4. Wherever the study of Latin has suffered partial eclipse through the assimilation of the academic program to that which obtains in State public schools, with the result that the instruction given is no longer so thorough and well-grounded as formerly, there the traditional method of teaching this language shall be completely restored. Such is Our will, and there should be no doubt in anyone's mind about the necessity of keeping a strict watch over the course of studies followed by Church students; and that not only as regards the number and kinds of subjects they study, but also as regards the length of time devoted to the teaching of these subjects.

Should circumstances of time and place demand the addition of other subjects to the curriculum besides the usual ones, then either the course of studies must be lengthened, or these additional subjects must be condensed or their study relegated to another time.

Sacred sciences to be taught in Latin

5. In accordance with numerous previous instructions, the major sacred sciences shall be taught in Latin, which, as we know from many centuries of use, "must be considered most suitable for explaining with the utmost facility and clarity the most difficult and profound ideas and concepts."16 For apart from the fact that it has long since been enriched with a vocabulary of appropriate and unequivocal terms, best calculated to safeguard the integrity of the Catholic faith, it also serves in no slight measure to prune away useless verbiage.

Hence professors of these sciences in universities or seminaries are required to speak Latin and to make use of textbooks writ ten in Latin. If ignorance of Latin makes it difficult for some to obey these instructions, they shall gradually be replaced by professors who are suited to this task. Any difficulties that may be advanced by students or professors must be overcome by the patient insistence of the bishops or religious superiors, and the good will of the professors.

A Latin Academy

6. Since Latin is the Church's living language, it must be adequate to daily increasing linguistic requirements. It must be furnished with new words that are apt and suitable for expressing modern things, words that will be uniform and universal in their application. and constructed in conformity with the genius of the ancient Latin tongue. Such was the method followed by the sacred Fathers and the best writers among the scholastics.

To this end, therefore, We com mission the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities to set up a Latin Academy staffed by an international body of Latin and Greek professors. The principal aim of this Academy—like the national academies founded to promote their respective languages— will be to superintend the proper development of Latin, augmenting the Latin lexicon where necessary with words which conform to the particular character and color of the language.

It will also conduct schools for the study of Latin of every era, particularly the Christian one. The aim of these schools will be to impart a fuller understanding of Latin and the ability to use it and to write it with proper elegance. They will exist for those who are destined to teach Latin in seminaries and ecclesiastical colleges, or to write decrees and judgments or conduct correspondence in the ministries of the Holy See, diocesan curias, and the offices of religious orders.

The teaching of Greek

7. Latin is closely allied to Greek both in formal structure and in the importance of its extant writings. Hence — as Our Predecessors have frequently ordained—future ministers of the altar must be instructed in Greek in the lower and middle schools. Thus when they come to study the higher sciences—and especially if they are aiming for a degree in Sacred Scripture or theology— they will be enabled to follow the Greek sources of scholastic philosophy and understand them correctly; and not only these, but also the original texts of Sacred Scripture, the liturgy, and the sacred Fathers.17

A syllabus for the teaching of Latin

8. We further commission the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities to prepare a syllabus for the teaching of Latin which all shall faithfully observe. The syllabus will be designed to give those who follow it an adequate understanding of the language and its use. Episcopal boards may indeed rearrange this syllabus if circumstances warrant, but they must never curtail it or alter its nature. Ordinaries may not take it upon themselves to put their own proposals into effect until these have been examined and approved by the Sacred Congregation.

Finally, in virtue of Our apostolic authority, We will and command that all the decisions, decrees, proclamations and recommendations of this Our Constitution remain firmly established and ratified, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, however worthy of special note.

Given at Rome, at St. Peters, on the feast of St. Peters Throne on the 22nd day of February in the year 1962, the fourth of Our pontificate.

JOHN PP. XXIII

BLOGGING SABATICAL..(STUDY LEAVE)

2008-10-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

From yours truly, I hope to be back as soon as the exams end, please do note however that if any important developments take place they will be posted.

Please Keep me in your prayers

Calvin

The Holy Father sets the standard once again

2008-10-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

A few pictures, of the Cappella Papale for Death of Pius XII

50 YEARS AGO TODAY

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The "last Prince of God" passed to his eternal reward , may his soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

RAMPANT ABUSES ELLICIT A RESPONSE FROM ROME!

2008-10-08T04:10:00.000-07:00

(Click on image to enlarge)

Roma locuta est, causa finita est! , im not too sure as to the correct saying but indeed it is wonderful to see that Rome still has the final say, when it comes to the day to day ordering of Holy Mother Church.

The a copy of the above letter was recived by myself this afternoon, and is a general response by the congregation for devine worship and the dicipline of the sacraments, to the reports of one of the specific liturgical (even to go so far as to say heretical) abuses which run rampant throught all South African dioceses.

The letter is written in response to reports of laity and certain deacons within the clergy who 'administer' the 'oil of gladness' , at 'healing services'. This practice has been the cause of concern of many of the faithful and indeed has lead some to believe that such a practice is on par with or the same as, the official sacramental form of annointing, which takes place more specificaly within the context of its Sacramental form of Extreme Unction etc.

As mentioned previously, it is an example of but one of the many, many abuses which are to be found in almost every Roman Catholic Parish. Thanking God that something has been done, in so far as Rome has responded to im sure, many resports of such abuses by the faithful. However it remains to be seen how the local ordinaries will enforce this.

Nevertheless, one can still breath a sigh of relief that Rome still has the final say, all that remains is to force those who perpetrate such abuses to stop.

One things for sure, the Charismatics wont be happy!

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin James

POST SCRIPT

Note, The above mentioned document is signed by none other than one of the leading curial members of the " Reform of the Reform", as promoted by the Soverign Pontiff himself, His Excellency Archbishop Malcom Ranjith

Pretoria Latin Mass Group on its way

2008-10-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 27th of last month, a meeting was held at St.John Fisher Catholic Church , in Lynwood Pretoria with the aim of organising a group who wish to restore the Extraodinary Form in their own archdiocese. It was a great comfort to see that there are still those who desire to regain their lost liturgical heritage, and most importantly that there are still priests who would be willing to provide for their needs.

As of yet, not much can be said about any substantial gains with regard to actualy having the TLM celebrated once again in an official capacity, however, the effort is still in its infancy and has to "crawl before it can walk". Nonetheless, one can be at least greatful for the fact that their specific cause has not been met with the usual hostility that many are indeed faced with when presenting such a request, that their specific spiritual needs be met.

It was quite dissapointing when we found out that Monsigneur no longer wished to be a part of this great initiative, however in my own personal capacity, I do not wish to force any member of the clergy to do something that would be against his own will.

In his own words, he stated repeatedly that he did not see a "felt need" which would promt him to provide the extraordinary form of the Mass for those who so desired it.

As of yet and as can be expected, those who have been exposed to the traditional liturgy and are now fighting for its reintroduction are quite small. Those who have not been exposed to the TLM, are even smaller in number.

Nevertheless, in uniting ourselves with our fellow Catholics we must continue to turn to God in prayer in the hope that our spiritual heritage might one day be restored herein South Africa, in its official diocesan capacity.

I must state however, that the Traditinal Mass and Sacraments have been provided here in South Africa for quite some time, even going as far back just after the time of the changes of 1969. I am here refering to the Priests of and those who worked closely with the Society of St. Pius X.

In going back to what I mentioned previously, we need to firstly consolidate ourselves as traditional Catholics here in South Africa under one banner, and with the help of God we need to expose the great benefits and graces contained within the traditional liturgy to those who have had no contact with it or have not been in contact with it for a number of years.

It was suggested that, in order to gain futher exposure for this specific initiative, anouncements would be made at the Mass notices as well as included into the parish bulletins of those Priests who were obliging to the effort.

Summorum Pontificum Johannesburg will continue to promote and support this effort, when possible. Updates will be posted concerning this specific initiative.

Calvin James Montgomery
President

Press release of the SACBC, concerning the current political situation

2008-09-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Pretoria.

Media Statement by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI,
President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC).

"Politics and politicians are meant to serve the wider interests of the whole community.

There is no doubt that rivalry and discord in the governing party have hindered its ability to serve the whole community in recent months. It is now time for the new leaders to focus on the urgent needs and demands of our people, especially the poor.

No matter what people may feel about the changes that have taken place in our country’s political leadership and about the various personalities involved, the fact that such changes are possible is a very positive reflection of the growth of a democratic culture. In particular, we commend President Mbeki for the dignified and statesmanlike manner in which he has acceded to the wishes of the majority in his party’s leadership.

When the time comes for the new leadership of the ANC, whoever they may be, to step aside, we trust that they will do so with the same humility and accountability that President Mbeki has shown.

We welcome indications that mature leaders are exerting a calming influence on some of their more impetuous colleagues. Threats or predictions of violence, insulting personal attacks, and the use of intemperate language, cannot serve the national interest.

Similarly, those in the governing party who have seen fit to manipulate or undermine the Courts, the Constitution, and the independent organs of State, such as the National Prosecuting Authority, must realize that they are attacking the very fabric of our young democracy.

We urge our new political office-bearers to work towards re-building confidence in the leadership of our country, by going beyond the divisions that have become evident over the last months. A new unity must be established, and to achieve this there must be no ‘witch-hunts’ and settling of scores.

Corruption, nepotism, and self-advancement have no place in a democracy; we hope and trust that government will demonstrate a renewed commitment to eradicate these evils, which have seriously diverted us from our national struggle to build a better life for our people. To this end, we add our voice to the calls for a judicial commission of enquiry into all aspects of the arms deal, which has rightly been described as a ‘cancer’ eating away at our society.

The people of South Africa should not be unduly worried about these developments, even though change of any kind is often unsettling. The general election that will be held less than a year from now will allow us all the opportunity of expressing our approval or disapproval of these changes. It is the duty of every citizen to think carefully about the political situation and to vote in a way that promotes the common good of all.

Finally, we wish President Mbeki well and assure him that his many achievements, especially in placing the concerns and hopes of our continent firmly on the world’s agenda, will not be forgotten."

Issued on behalf of Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI, President of the SACBC, by Fr Chris Townsend, Information Officer of the SACBC. For more information or Media enquiries, Please contact Fr Chris Townsend

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Zimbabwe

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Rev.Fr. Gendron SSPX, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass last year on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Latin formation in African Seminary

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Article taken from " Rorate Caeli"

"And in Africa...

The following is from a report which appears on the blog of Fr. Bernard Pellabeuf who has just taken a position as a professor of Latin for the seminary at Natitingou in the north of Benin.

At the minor seminary of Saint Pierre there are seventy-eight seminarians (who from their earliest years have) been introduced to Latin. The Mass in Latin is offered every Thursday. In all the seminaries of Benin, there is a Mass in Latin offered every week. I will ensure 19 hours of Latin per week.

Monsignor N'koué, the bishop of Natitingou, is very committed to the promotion of the liturgy in Latin. He has, for example, had the opportunity to celebrate Mass according to the Tridentine missal in Rome during one of the recent CIEL conventions. He invited the Sisters of the Benedictine Abbey of Joucques (diocese of Aix en Provence) who have their liturgy in Latin, to establish a community in his diocese. And he is particularly keen on ensuring that seminarians are learning Latin in accordance with canon law.

He created a personal parish for the faithful who wish to have Mass in the pre-counciliar Missal. The pastor, Father Denis Le Pivain, who built Saint Jean-Baptiste Church, consulted with Monsignor N'Koué about the orientation of the altar which he wanted to position so that Mass could be said on either side. The Bishop asked that the altar be constructed all the way against the wall.

In short, the Diocese of Natitingou is a laboratory where one can see the accuracy of Benedict XVI’s positions - especially in terms of liturgy.

Merci à Gatien, Le Forum Catholique "

Yet another quiet victory for Summorum Pontificum and the "Reform of the Reform"

2008-09-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

"One Parish's Progress in Implementing the Reform of the Reform

by Deborah Morlani

Parish priests are often found wondering what sort of steps they might make in their parishes in the context of a new liturgical movement. This will vary depending upon the particular circumstances, but one parish in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, has given us an inspiring example of putting the reform of the reform into action.

There are really four points to focus upon in what Our Lady of Perpetual Help has accomplished, and very much in the spirit of Pope Benedict XVI, it involves both the older and new forms of the Roman liturgy. A former pastor began the liturgical restorations in the 1990's and it continues on by the current parish priest, Fr. Clyde Timberlake Meares.

The first, completed in the 1990's, is the restoration of the former high altar and reredos that sadly, like so many North American parishes, had been removed following the Second Vatican Council. Fortunately, rather than being destroyed, the altar was merely stored in the basement. The altar and reredos were pulled out of the dusty basement of the church and restored to its historical place within the sanctuary of the church.

The second, is the restoration of historical vestments from the pre-conciliar era that were displayed behind glass as pieces of parish history. Thankfully, these too were restored to proper liturgical use.

It strikes me that there is something allegorical in these restorations, very much related to the mind of the Pope as expressed in his motu proprio. Namely that these elements of our tradition are not to be pushed aside as though they are museum pieces and no longer relevant, but that these things have a place within liturgical worship today and very much ought to be a part of the lived liturgical experience, for there ought to be no rupture in this regard. Their reclamation at this parish to divine use in the liturgy is a great inspiration and source of joy.

Further, not only were these elements of sacred art restored to this parish, but also a third and very important step that has been taken is the restoration of the usus antiquior to parish life on a weekly basis. (On a related note, this past week the parish also celebrated, for the first time in 4 decades, a Requiem Mass according to the 1962 Missale Romanum.)

Finally, a fourth endeavour, which is still ongoing, is the project of restoring traditional forms of sacred music including Gregorian chant to the modern Roman liturgy. To accomplish this a new music director, Penny Silvers (known from the blog Argent of the Tiber), was hired with the specific intent of helping to implement the reform of the reform at the parish. Amongst other things, she has formed a schola and has begun to introduce chant into both the Ordinary and the Propers of the Mass.

Overall, there has been an encouraging and positive response from the faithful at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. The efforts of this parish can hopefully serve as a source of inspiration to others in actively pursuing the necessary work of re-enchanting parish liturgical life."

Article taken from "The New Liturgical Movement"

Benedict XVI on Pius XII, the Pastor Angelicus

2008-09-19T06:31:00.001-07:00

Article Courtesy of "Rorate Caeli"

"Pope Benedict XVI received today representatives of the "Pave the Way Foundation", an interreligious organization which has recently held a symposium on the papacy of Pius XII, of most glorious memory. These are Pope Benedict's words:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to meet with you at the conclusion of the important symposium organized by the Pave the Way Foundation. I know that many eminent scholars have participated in this reflection on the numerous works of my beloved predecessor - the Servant of God Pope Pius XII - accomplished during the difficult period around the time of the second world war. I warmly welcome each of you especially Mr Gary Krupp, President of the Foundation, whom I thank for the kind words expressed on your behalf. I am grateful to him for informing me how your work has been undertaken during the symposium. You have analyzed without bias the events of history and concerned yourselves only with seeking the truth. I also greet those accompanying you on this visit, as well as your family members and loved ones at home.

The focus of your study has been the person and the tireless pastoral and humanitarian work of Pius XII, Pastor Angelicus. Fifty years have passed since his pious death here at Castel Gandolfo early on the ninth of October 1958, after a debilitating disease. This anniversary provides an important opportunity to deepen our knowledge of him, to meditate on his rich teaching and to analyze thoroughly his activities. So much has been written and said of him during these last five decades and not all of the genuine facets of his diverse pastoral activity have been examined in a just light. The aim of your symposium has been precisely to address some of these deficiencies, conducting a careful and documented examination of many of his interventions, especially those in favour of the Jews who in those years were being targeted all over Europe, in accordance with the criminal plan of those who wanted to eliminate them from the face of the earth. When one draws close to this noble Pope, free from ideological prejudices, in addition to being struck by his lofty spiritual and human character one is also captivated by the example of his life and the extraordinary richness of his teaching. One can also come to appreciate the human wisdom and pastoral intensity which guided him in his long years of ministry, especially in providing organized assistance to the Jewish people.

Thanks to the vast quantity of documented material which you have gathered, supported by many authoritative testimonies, your symposium offers to the public forum the possibility of knowing more fully what Pius XII achieved for the Jews persecuted by the Nazi and fascist regimes. One understands, then, that wherever possible he spared no effort in intervening in their favour either directly or through instructions given to other individuals or to institutions of the Catholic Church. In the proceedings of your convention you have also drawn attention to his many interventions, made secretly and silently, precisely because, given the concrete situation of that difficult historical moment, only in this way was it possible to avoid the worst and save the greatest number of Jews.

This courageous and paternal dedication was recognized and appreciated during and after the terrible world conflict by Jewish communities and individuals who showed their gratitude for what the Pope had done for them. One need only recall Pius XII’s meeting on the 29th of November 1945 with eighty delegates of German concentration camps who during a special Audience granted to them at the Vatican, wished to thank him personally for his generosity to them during the terrible period of Nazi-fascist persecution.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your visit and for the research you have undertaken. Thanks also to the Pave the Way Foundation for its ongoing activity in promoting relationships and dialogue between religions, as witnesses of peace, charity and reconciliation. It is my great hope that this year, which marks the fiftieth-anniversary of my venerated predecessor’s death, will provide the opportunity to promote in-depth studies of various aspects of his life and his works in order to come to know the historical truth, overcoming every remaining prejudice. With these sentiments I invoke upon you and the proceedings of your symposium an abundance of divine blessings.
Benedict XVI
Meeting with the participants of the "Pave the Way Foundation" symposium
September 18, 2008

Another great South African Blog, on the Tridentine Mass!

2008-09-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Here you will find the web address for the newly added blog.

http://tridentinesa.blogspot.com/

Deatails can be seen in the links column if you scroll down the page.

Many Thanks

Calvin James Montgomery
President

The Ancient Roman Rite and Secularization

2008-09-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

From "The New Liturgical Movement"

Article by: Roberto de Mattei

"The ritual dimension is a constituent dimension of the birth and development of the European and Christian society of the first centuries. The word traditio, in its original sense, refers to the handing over of the symbola fidei, that is those verbal formulas, confirmed by the ecclesiastical Authority, or-dained for the public profession of the Faith. The traditio is expressed in the handing over of the truths destined to form the depositum fidei, but is also a searching for ways in which these truths are trans-mitted, a searching for symbols and rites that effectively express these truths. Every truth in fact trans-lates into a liturgy, according to the well-known formula of Prosper of Aquitaine, lex orandi, lex cre-dendi (or legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi; De Vocation omnium gentium, 1, 12).

The description of the Eucharist on Sunday bequeathed to us by St. Justin (Justin, Apologia, 61-62, 65-67) attests to us, even before the year 165, the ritual practices of the Roman Church, "in which - as Saint Irenaeus wrote - the tradition come down from the apostles was faithfully kept "(Adversus hae-reses, ii, 3).

In this sense, Europe was born also around a liturgical tradition. Christopher Dawson notes, not wrongly, that after the fall of the Roman Empire of the West, the sacred order of the liturgy remained intact in the chaos and the liturgy constituted the principal link of interior unity of the society.

The liturgy was at the same time the seat of Tradition and the seat of Faith, because within it Faith and Tradition met and reconciled with each other. To Pope Damasus, elected Bishop of Rome in 366, we owe the first exposition of the concept of Petrinitas, as a principle of ecclesiastical hierarchical order. But the assertion of the Roman primacy, under Damasus and his successors, runs, as one can say, par-allel to the assertion of the Roman liturgical order, the definitive configuration of which occurred be-tween the fourth and the sixth century, culminating in the creation of the Liber Sacramentorum of Gregory the Great.

The Damaso-Gregorian liturgy - as Monsignor Klaus Gamber recalls - was imposing itself progressively in the West, and it is that which now Benedict XVI proposes and offers anew to the Church."

From Paris and Lourdes, the Lesson of the "Liturgist" Pope

2008-09-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

"From Paris and Lourdes, the Lesson of the "Liturgist" Pope
On his trip to France, Benedict XVI did not only defend the ancient rite of the Mass. He also explained and demonstrated repeatedly what he believes to be the authentic meaning of the Catholic liturgy of today and always. And, about sacred music, he said...

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, September 16, 2008 – In the three Masses celebrated during his trip to Paris and Lourdes, Benedict XVI followed the post-conciliar rite. But he intentionally enriched it with elements characteristic of the old rite: the cross at the center of the altar, communion given to the faithful on the tongue, while kneeling, the sacredness of the whole.

The reciprocal "enrichment" between the two rites is the main objective that impelled Benedict XVI to promulgate, in 2007, the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum," which liberalized the use of the ancient rite of the Mass, according to the Roman missal of 1962.

The opponents of the motu proprio maintain, instead, that the use of the ancient rite does not enrich, but rather cancels out the achievements of Vatican Council II as a whole. The French bishops have been among those most critical of the pope's initiative, before and after the promulgation of the motu proprio.

On Sunday, September 14, meeting the bishops of France in Lourdes, Pope Joseph Ratzinger did not fail to urge them to be pastors welcoming of all, including the faithful who feel themselves most "at home" with the ancient rite.

The pope had anticipated these ideas about the two rites of the Mass in responding to journalists during his flight to France, on Friday, September 12.

But Benedict XVI said much more on the subject during the four days of his trip to Paris and Lourdes.

In his lecture on September 12, at the Collége des Bernardins, he explained the emergence of great Western music, in the monasteries of the Middle Ages, in terms that require reflection on the diminishing quality of today's liturgical music, and on the necessity of revitalizing it in keeping with its original meaning.

In his homily for vespers at the cathedral of Notre-Dame, he called for a "beauty" in the earthly liturgies that will bring them closer to the liturgies of heaven. And he exhorted priests to be faithful to the daily prayer of the liturgy of the hours.

In the homily for the Mass on the Esplanade des Invalides, on September 13, he addressed the doctrine of the Eucharist and of the "real presence" of the body and blood of Christ in very demanding words, requiring that the Mass be celebrated with a sense of sacredness that has been largely missing in recent decades.

And Benedict XVI again returned to this "real presence" in the concluding meditation of the Eucharistic procession in Lourdes, on the evening of September 14. With a passage dedicated to those who "cannot – or cannot yet – receive Jesus in the Sacrament, but can contemplate Him with faith and love and express our desire finally to be united with Him." Among these can be counted the divorced and remarried Catholics, to whom the Church does not give communion. But their "desire," the pope said, "has great value in God’s presence."

To these calls to return to the authentic spirit of the liturgy, Benedict XVI also added, on September 14 in Lourdes, an illustration of the profound meaning of the Angelus Domini, the Marian prayer that he recites in public every Sunday at midday.

Here is what Benedict XVI said day by day, on each one of these points:

On the Mass in the ancient rite

From the press conference on the papal plane, September 12, 2008

Q: What do you say to those in France who are worried that the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" is a step backward with regards to the great institutions of the Second Vatican Council?

A: It is baseless fear; because this motu proprio is simply an act of tolerance, with a pastoral objective, for people who have been formed in this liturgy, who love it, who know it, who want to live with this liturgy. It is a small group, because it supposes an education in Latin, a formation in a certain type of culture. But it seems to me a normal requirement of faith and pastoral practice for a bishop of our Church to have love and forbearance for these people and allow them to live with this liturgy.

There is no opposition between the liturgy renewed by Vatican II and this liturgy. Every day, the council Fathers celebrated the Mass following the old rite and at the same time they conceived a natural development for the liturgy throughout this century, since the liturgy is a living reality, which develops and keeps its identity within its development. So there is certainly a difference of emphasis, but a single fundamental identity that excludes any contradiction or antagonism between a renewed liturgy and the preceding liturgy.

I believe there is a possibility for both types to be enriched. On the one hand, the friends of the old liturgy can and should know the new saints, the new prefaces of the liturgy, etc. But on the other hand, the new liturgy emphasizes the common participation, but it is not just the assembly of a particular community, but rather it is always an act of the universal Church, in communion with all the believers of all time, an act of adoration. In this sense, it seems to me that there is a mutual enrichment, and it is clear that the renewed liturgy is the ordinary liturgy of our time.

On the emergence of great Western music

From the lecture at the Collège des Bernardins, Paris, September 12, 2008

The psalms also contain frequent instructions about how they should be sung and accompanied by instruments. For prayer that issues from the word of God, speech is not enough: music is required. Two chants from the Christian liturgy come from biblical texts in which they are placed on the lips of angels: the "Gloria", which is sung by the angels at the birth of Jesus, and the "Sanctus", which according to Isaiah 6 is the cry of the seraphim who stand directly before God. Christian worship is therefore an invitation to sing with the angels, and thus to lead the word to its highest destination. Once again, Jean Leclercq says on this subject: “The monks had to find melodies which translate into music the acceptance by redeemed man of the mysteries that he celebrates. The few surviving capitula from Cluny thus show the Christological symbols of the individual modes” (cf. ibid. p. 229).

For Benedict, the words of the Psalm: "coram angelis psallam Tibi, Domine" – in the presence of the angels, I will sing your praise (cf. 138:1) – are the decisive rule governing the prayer and chant of the monks. What this expresses is the awareness that in communal prayer one is singing in the presence of the entire heavenly court, and is thereby measured according to the very highest standards: that one is praying and singing in such a way as to harmonize with the music of the noble spirits who were considered the originators of the harmony of the cosmos, the music of the spheres.

From this perspective one can understand the seriousness of a remark by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who used an expression from the Platonic tradition handed down by Augustine, to pass judgement on the poor singing of monks, which for him was evidently very far from being a mishap of only minor importance. He describes the confusion resulting from a poorly executed chant as a falling into the “zone of dissimilarity” – the "regio dissimilitudinis". Augustine had borrowed this phrase from Platonic philosophy, in order to designate his condition prior to conversion (cf. Confessions, VII, 10.16): man, who is created in God’s likeness, falls in his godforsakenness into the “zone of dissimilarity” – into a remoteness from God, in which he no longer reflects him, and so has become dissimilar not only to God, but to himself, to what being human truly is. Bernard is certainly putting it strongly when he uses this phrase, which indicates man’s falling away from himself, to describe bad singing by monks. But it shows how seriously he viewed the matter. It shows that the culture of singing is also the culture of being, and that the monks have to pray and sing in a manner commensurate with the grandeur of the word handed down to them, with its claim on true beauty.

This intrinsic requirement of speaking with God and singing of him with words he himself has given, is what gave rise to the great tradition of Western music. It was not a form of private “creativity”, in which the individual leaves a memorial to himself and makes self-representation his essential criterion. Rather it is about vigilantly recognizing with the “ears of the heart” the inner laws of the music of creation, the archetypes of music that the Creator built into his world and into men, and thus discovering music that is worthy of God, and at the same time truly worthy of man, music whose worthiness resounds in purity.

On the liturgy of the hours

From the homily for vespers at the cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris, September 12, 2008

The Son of God took flesh in the womb of a woman, a virgin. Your cathedral is a living hymn of stone and light in praise of that act, unique in the annals of human history: the eternal Word of God entering our history in the fulness of time to redeem us by his self-offering in the sacrifice of the Cross. Our earthly liturgies, entirely ordered to the celebration of this unique act within history, will never fully express its infinite meaning. Certainly, the beauty of our celebrations can never be sufficiently cultivated, fostered and refined, for nothing can be too beautiful for God, who is himself infinite Beauty. Yet our earthly liturgies will never be more than a pale reflection of the liturgy celebrated in the Jerusalem on high, the goal of our pilgrimage on earth. May our own celebrations nonetheless resemble that liturgy as closely as possible and grant us a foretaste of it!

Even now the word of God is given to us as the soul of our apostolate, the soul of our priestly life. Each morning the word awakens us. Each morning the Lord himself "opens our ear" (cf. Is 50:5) through the psalms in the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer. Throughout the day, the word of God becomes the substance of the prayer of the whole Church, as she bears witness in this way to her fidelity to Christ. In the celebrated phrase of Saint Jerome, to be taken up in the XII Assembly of the Synod of Bishops next month: "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" (Prol. in Is.). Dear brother priests, do not be afraid to spend much time reading and meditating on the Scriptures and praying the Divine Office! Almost without your knowing it, God’s word, read and pondered in the Church, acts upon you and transforms you. As the manifestation of divine Wisdom, if that word becomes your life "companion", it will be your "good counsellor" and an "encouragement in cares and grief" (Wis 8:9).

On the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

From the homily for the Mass on the Esplanade des Invalides, Paris, September 13, 2008

How do we reach God? How do we manage to discover or rediscover him whom man seeks at the deepest core of himself, even though he so often forgets him? Saint Paul asks us to make use not only of our reason, but above all our faith in order to discover him. Now, what does faith say to us? The bread that we break is a communion with the Body of Christ. The cup of blessing which we bless is a communion with the Blood of Christ. This extraordinary revelation comes to us from Christ and has been transmitted to us by the Apostles and by the whole Church for almost two thousand years: Christ instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist on the evening of Holy Thursday. He wanted his sacrifice to be presented anew, in an unbloody manner, every time a priest repeats the words of consecration over the bread and wine. Millions of times over the last twenty centuries, in the humblest chapels and in the most magnificent basilicas and cathedrals, the risen Lord has given himself to his people, thus becoming, in the famous expression of Saint Augustine, "more intimate to us than we are to ourselves" (cf. Confessions, III, 6, 11).

Brothers and sisters, let us give the greatest veneration to the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, the Blessed Sacrament of the real presence of the Lord to his Church and to all humanity. Let us take every opportunity to show him our respect and our love! Let us give him the greatest marks of honour! Through our words, our silences, and our gestures, let us never allow our faith in the risen Christ, present in the Eucharist, to lose its savour in us or around us! As Saint John Chrysostom said magnificently, "Let us behold the ineffable generosity of God and all the good things that he enables us to enjoy, when we offer him this cup, when we receive communion, thanking him for having delivered the human race from error, for having brought close to him those who were far away, for having made, out of those who were without hope and without God in the world, a people of brothers, fellow heirs with the Son of God" (Homily 24 on the First Letter to the Corinthians, 1). "In fact", he continues, "what is in the cup is precisely what flowed from his side, and it is of this that we partake" (ibid.). There is not only partaking and sharing, there is "union", says the Doctor whose name means "golden mouth".

The Mass is the sacrifice of thanksgiving par excellence, the one which allows us to unite our own thanksgiving to that of the Saviour, the Eternal Son of the Father. It also makes its own appeal to us to shun idols, for, as Saint Paul insists, "you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons" (1 Cor 10:21). The Mass invites us to discern what, in ourselves, is obedient to the Spirit of God and what, in ourselves, is attuned to the spirit of evil. In the Mass, we want to belong only to Christ and we take up with gratitude – with thanksgiving – the cry of the psalmist: "How shall I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?" (Ps 116:12). Yes, how can I give thanks to the Lord for the life he has given me? The answer to the psalmist’s question is found in the psalm itself, since the word of God responds graciously to its own questions. How else could we render thanks to the Lord for all his goodness to us if not by attending to his own words: "I will raise the cup of salvation, I will call on the name of the Lord" (Ps 116:13)?

To raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, is that not the very best way of "shunning idols", as Saint Paul asks us to do? Every time the Mass is celebrated, every time Christ makes himself sacramentally present in his Church, the work of our salvation is accomplished. Hence to celebrate the Eucharist means to recognize that God alone has the power to grant us the fullness of joy and teach us true values, eternal values that will never pass away. God is present on the altar, but he is also present on the altar of our heart when, as we receive communion, we receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist. He alone teaches us to shun idols, the illusions of our minds.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, who can raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord in the name of the entire people of God, except the priest, ordained for this purpose by his Bishop? At this point, dear inhabitants of Paris and the outlying regions, but also those of you who have come from the rest of France and from neighbouring countries, allow me to issue an appeal, confident in the faith and generosity of the young people who are considering a religious or priestly vocation: do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ! Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests at the heart of the Church! Nothing will ever replace a Mass for the salvation of the world!

On the prayer of the Angelus Domini

From the midday Angelus message, Lourdes, September 14, 2008

Every day, praying the Angelus gives us the opportunity to meditate for a few moments, in the midst of all our activities, on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. At noon, when the first hours of the day are already beginning to weigh us down with fatigue, our availability and our generosity are renewed by the contemplation of Mary’s "yes". This clear and unreserved "yes" is rooted in the mystery of Mary’s freedom, a total and entire freedom before God, completely separated from any complicity with sin, thanks to the privilege of her Immaculate Conception.

This privilege given to Mary, which sets her apart from our common condition, does not distance her from us, but on the contrary, it brings her closer. While sin divides, separating us from one another, Mary’s purity makes her infinitely close to our hearts, attentive to each of us and desirous of our true good. You see it here in Lourdes, as in all Marian shrines; immense crowds come thronging to Mary’s feet to entrust to her their most intimate thoughts, their most heartfelt wishes. That which many, either because of embarrassment or modesty, do not confide to their nearest and dearest, they confide to her who is all pure, to her Immaculate Heart: with simplicity, without frills, in truth. Before Mary, by virtue of her very purity, man does not hesitate to reveal his weakness, to express his questions and his doubts, to formulate his most secret hopes and desires. The Virgin Mary’s maternal love disarms all pride; it renders man capable of seeing himself as he is, and it inspires in him the desire to be converted so as to give glory to God.

Thus, Mary shows us the right way to come to the Lord. She teaches us to approach him in truth and simplicity. Thanks to her, we discover that the Christian faith is not a burden: it is like a wing which enables us to fly higher, so as to take refuge in God’s embrace.

The life and faith of believers make it clear that the grace of the Immaculate Conception given to Mary is not merely a personal grace, but a grace for all, a grace given to the entire people of God. In Mary, the Church can already contemplate what she is called to become. Every believer can contemplate, here and now, the perfect fulfilment of his or her own vocation. May each of you always remain full of thanksgiving for what the Lord has chosen to reveal of his plan of salvation through the mystery of Mary: a mystery in which we are involved most intimately since, from the height of the Cross which we celebrate and exalt today, it is revealed to us through the words of Jesus himself that his Mother is our Mother. Inasmuch as we are sons and daughters of Mary, we can profit from all the graces given to her; the incomparable dignity that came to her through her Immaculate Conception shines brightly over us, her children.

More on the Mass in the ancient rite

From the address to the bishops of France, Lourdes, September 14, 2008

Liturgical worship is the supreme expression of priestly and episcopal life, just as it is of catechetical teaching. Your duty to sanctify the faithful people, dear brothers, is indispensable for the growth of the Church. In the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, I was led to set out the conditions in which this duty is to be exercised, with regard to the possibility of using the missal of Blessed John XXIII (1962) in addition to that of Pope Paul VI (1970). Some fruits of these new arrangements have already been seen, and I hope that, thanks be to God, the necessary pacification of spirits is already taking place. I am aware of your difficulties, but I do not doubt that, within a reasonable time, you can find solutions satisfactory for all, lest the seamless tunic of Christ be further torn. Everyone has a place in the Church. Every person, without exception, should be able to feel at home, and never rejected. God, who loves all men and women and wishes none to be lost, entrusts us with this mission by appointing us shepherds of his sheep. We can only thank him for the honour and the trust that he has placed in us. Let us therefore strive always to be servants of unity.

More on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

From the concluding meditation for the Eucharistic procession, Lourdes, September 14, 2008

The sacred host is the living, efficacious and real sacrament of the eternal presence of the saviour of mankind to his Church. [...] An immense crowd of witnesses is invisibly present beside us, very close to this blessed grotto and in front of this church that the Virgin Mary wanted to be built; the crowd of all those men and women who have contemplated, venerated, adored the real presence of him who gave himself to us even to the last drop of blood; the crowd of all those men and women who have spent hours in adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. [...] Saint Pierre-Julien Eymard tells us everything when he cries out: "The holy Eucharist is Jesus Christ, past, present and future."

Jesus Christ, past, in the historical truth of the evening in the Upper Room, to which every celebration of holy Mass leads us back.

Jesus Christ, present, because he said to us: "Take and eat of this, all of you, this is my body, this is my blood." "This is", in the present, here and now, as in every here and now throughout human history. The real presence, the presence which surpasses our poor lips, our poor hearts, our poor thoughts. The presence offered for us to gaze upon as we do here, this evening, close to the grotto where Mary revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception.

The Eucharist is also Jesus Christ, future, Jesus Christ to come. When we contemplate the sacred host, his glorious transfigured and risen Body, we contemplate what we shall contemplate in eternity, where we shall discover that the whole world has been carried by its Creator during every second of its history. Each time we consume him, but also each time we contemplate him, we proclaim him until he comes again, "donec veniat". That is why we receive him with infinite respect.

Some of us cannot – or cannot yet – receive Him in the Sacrament, but we can contemplate Him with faith and love and express our desire finally to be united with Him. This desire has great value in God’s presence: such people await his return more ardently; they await Jesus Christ who must come again.

__________

The itinerary and speeches of Benedict XVI's trip to Paris and Lourdes, on the Vatican website:

> Apostolic Journey to France, september 12-15, 2008

More South Africans joining the cause!

2008-09-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

At long last, there are others out ther like me! I need not feel so alone in this quest. I can only pray with the help of our Blessed Mother, we may begin again 'to restore all things in Christ'.

Here are their links:
http://southafricancatholic.blogspot.com/

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Calvin

Message from the FSSPX - District of France

2008-09-12T07:23:00.001-07:00

On the occasion of the Supreme Pontiff’s visit to our country, we pledge our unwavering commitment to the Apostolic See. We are pleased that Pope Benedict XVI comes before the Grotto on the one hundred-fiftieth anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes - so dear to the heart of the French and indeed to all Catholics. With Chaplet and Rosary let us pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary that the successor of Peter, in this era when the government of the Church is incredibly difficult to ensure, can find in Lourdes enlightenment and strength to recognize, denounce, and eradicate conciliar errors which are in essence the cause of the crisis of the Church.

Pray that the Catholic Faith, outside which no one can be saved, be given to souls and that Christ the King reign once again over countries and societies.

Abbot Régis de Cacqueray-Valménier
Superior of the District of France

Catholics to petition the SACBC, on wider use of the Tridentine Mass

2008-09-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I have just read and signed the online petition: "Wider provision of the Tridentine Latin Mass in South Africa" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petitionservice, at:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/tlm777/

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and considersigning yourself.

Best wishes,

Calvin James Montgomery

On the Holy Fathers upcoming visit to France

2008-09-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

(Translated Article, taken from the 'New Liturgical Movement')

Why the Pope Renews With the Traditional Liturgy

By Jean-Marie Guénois, special envoy to Rome

Catholics will discover Saturday at Les Invalides the Return of Forgotten Practices.

In the sacristy, it is he who watches over the vestments of Benedict XVI. The pope enters, they exchange a smile, already focused on the Mass which the Successor of Peter is preparing to celebrate. Monsignor Guido Marini, a young Italian prelate of 43 years, is the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations. His childlike face shows a very precise look. No detail seems to escape him. Thin, tall, he respectfully assists the pope in putting on his vestments. Then come a time of prayer. The Mass can begin.

Saturday morning, behind the altar installed on the Esplanade des Invalides, Monsignor Guido Marini in the same way will help Pope Benedict XVI. In October 2007 he himself appointed the young prelate to this more than sensitive position. He is in charge to order, down to the second, the Masses of the Pope: from the choice of vestments and liturgical accessories to the singing, not forgetting the choice of chalices and through to postures of the body. It is the formal style of the celebration of the Eucharist which rests in his hands. When one knows the commitment of Benedict XVI to beautiful liturgy, he could not have randomly selected the one who has replaced another Marini, Piero Marini, whose face is better known as he was the Master of Celebrations of John Paul II for two decades. Indeed, the master of ceremonies is always within two steps of the Pope during major celebrations.

A Cross at the Centre of the Altar

An exposed position, therefore, media-wise and even more so ecclesially. The young Guido Marini knows something about that. In recent months, he concentrates on him praise but also criticism. He embodies the return of tradition. The reason are the liturgical "innovations" for the Mass of the Pope, which are all resumptions of elements forgotten in recent years. But it is true that in matters of liturgy the smallest symbol is fraught with meaning.

So Parisians, Saturday morning, and those who follow the Mass in Lourdes, Sunday and Monday morning, will not be surprised to see that the Pope will give Communion in the mouth of the faithful kneeling, except of course if the person is physically prevented. That Benedict XVI, another example, no longer systematically carries the famous silver pastoral staff of John Paul II, a Christ on the Cross, a work by Lello Scorzelli made in the 1960s for Paul VI, but a Greek cross [note: not actually correct, it really is a Latin cross] without a corpus which was in the hands of Pius IX (pope from 1846 to 1878). That a stately cross will return to the centre of the altar from which it had been withdrawn, under Pope John Paul II, for a matter of television images. That the thousands of consecrated hosts will be contained in ciboria of precious metals and not in clay ones. One should also mention the use, for the great Feasts, of old papal mitres, richly decorated and which had lain sleeping among the treasures of the Vatican. And the use, in certain circumstances, of the papal throne…

So many "novelties" which reassure some, but trouble part of the Church, or even annoy those who denounce this as "a step backwards". It is said that certain people were somewhat shocked by these requests, when Monsignor Guido Marini came to prepare, in mid-June, the Pope's voyage this week. Regarding, in particular, the question of communion in the mouth kneeling.

If Monsignor Guido Marini is not for nothing in these developments, it would betry poor knowledge of the operation of the Holy See to imagine that he is the sole person responsible for this. Particularly since there is in the Catholic Church a "ministry" in charge of these issues: the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. If he advises, the Pope decides. It is therefore Benedict XVI himself who wishes this new course. The choice of this master of papal liturgical celebrations has been recommended to him by his Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the number 2 of the Holy See, whose master of ceremonies Monsignor Guido Marini was when he was archbishop of Genoa, a priest noticed there for his pastoral charisma, of a mild temperament and attentive to everyone, qualities he has not lost apparently in the Vatican. He holds a double doctorate in law, civil and canonical, and a litentiate degree in psychology of communication.

In his bright office at the Vatican, at the corner of St. Peter's Square, Msgr. Marini explains: "Benedict XVI wants to emphasize that the norms for distributing Communion in the Catholic Church are still in force. One has indeed forgotten that the distribution of Holy Communion in the hand is due to an indult, an exception, one might say, given by the Holy See to the episcopal conferences that request it." He recognizes that Benedict XVI has a "preference" for communion in the mouth but that "the use of this modality does not detract from the other modality, to receive the host in hand." However, he observes, "to receive the host in the mouth highlights the truth of the Real Presence in the Eucharist, it helps the devotion of the faithful and introduces more easily into the sense of mystery. So many aspects it is important to stress today and urgent to recover." Nothing, therefore, of a papal fantasy. These changes in liturgical forms are part of a clear vision of Benedict XVI and explicitly expressed in Rome by several interlocutors close to him: "To achieve, ultimately, a liturgical synthesis between the Mass of Paul VI and that which tradition can contribute to it as enrichment."

As for the method to get there, it refuses the trails of a new liturgical war, but it intends to rely on "teaching" and "patience". Still according to the proponents of this issue, the Pope intends to counterpoise "by example" the "deficiencies" that he has always denounced since the 1970s: the lack of "recollectedness" and "silence"; the loss of the "sense of the sacred", which he also calls the "cosmic" sense of the liturgical celebration where, according to Catholic theology, and also Orthodox by the way, "God Himself, through the Incarnation of the Son, makes Himself really present in the consecrated host."

"Serving the Sense of the Sacred"

Monsignor Guido Marini is formal: "It is not a battle between the old and the modern, much less between the preconciliar and the conciliar ones. This kind of problematical ideology is today outdated. The old and new belong to the same liturgical treasure of the Church. The liturgical celebration must be the celebration of the sacred mystery, of the crucified and risen Lord. It is our task to find, in the heritage of the liturgy, a continuity to serve this sense of the sacred." And he points out, in passing, that many focus on the four or five developments of recent months without seeing that he works just as much with the "legacy" of his predecessors, among whom Archbishop Piero Marini. "There is no break with what was being done before," he assures. As for the use of the papal throne or old mitres, it is not systematic [in the sense of "exclusive"]: they are used "only on some solemnities."

No rupture, certainly, but this movement of gentle reform of the liturgy, as symbolic as it may be in its appearances, is firmly rooted in the thought of Benedict XVI. He has never hidden anything before becoming pope. In his memoirs, My Life, Memoirs 1927-1977 [published in English as "Milestones"], published ten years ago in France at Fayard, Joseph Ratzinger showed his colours regarding the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council which he had lived at the age of 40: "I was dismayed," he wrote, "at the ban on the old Missal, since such a development had never been seen in the history of liturgy. (…) A renewal of liturgical awareness, a liturgical reconciliation that again recognizes the unity of the history of the liturgy and that understands Vatican II, not as a breach, but as a stage of development: these things are urgently needed for the life of the Church. I am convinced that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing today is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the liturgy (…) This is why we need a new liturgical movement which will call to life the real heritage of the Council." As a fine connoisseur of Roman life says, Fr. Federico Lombardi, an experienced Jesuit who heads Vatican Radio and the Press Office, one must be wary of "interpretations" that would lead to consider these developments as a revolution. But everything suggests that this "new liturgical movement" is well and truly launched. Benedict XVI does not envisage disseminating it by way of regulations, but by the force of example.

Chapel of Marist Brothers , Marian College Linmeyer Johannesburg

2008-09-04T12:59:00.001-07:00

This Chapel, was and still is one of my favorite places of Sanctuary. It is the School chapel of Marist Brothers College in Linmeyer, South of Johannesburg. I attended the school for both my primary and secondary education.

The School itself 'prides' itself in the fact that the Alar seen here, was that same one used in and by the original Marist Brothers Sacred Heart College in Koch St. Johannesburg Central. The Koch st Marist Brothers were the first all Boys school in the City, and were situated in Kock St up to 1965, when the old school closed its doors and re- opened them the following yearin Linmeyer futher south of the city.

I am proud and indeed honoured to have spent my Schooling here, an have become part of the Marist tradition within my family , my paternal grandfather having attended St. Aloysios in Cape Town, both my Father and my Uncle later attending at Marist Brothers College Limeyer.

The Altar is Marble and bears the carvings of the Sacred Heart and two Doves which flank it.

It is a dream to see the Traditional liturgy, or the Benedictine styled Novous Ordo celebrated here.

St. Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers
Pray for Us!

Pope finally launches crackdown on world's largest illicit Catholic shrine and suspends 'dubious' priest

2008-09-04T03:09:00.000-07:00

"By Simon Caldwell
Last updated at 10:03 PM on 03rd September 2008

Crackdown: Pope Benedict XVI has authorised 'severe cautionary and disciplinary measures' against Father Tomislav Vlasic
The Pope has begun a crackdown on the world’s largest illicit Catholic shrine – by suspending the priest at the centre of claims that the Virgin Mary has appeared more than 40,000 times.

Benedict XVI has authorised ‘severe cautionary and disciplinary measures’ against Father Tomislav Vlasic, the former ‘spiritual director’ to six children who said Our Lady was appearing to them at Medjugorje in Bosnia.

The Franciscan priest has been suspended after he refused to cooperate into claims of scandalous sexual immorality ‘aggravated by mystical motivations’.

He has also been accused of ‘the diffusion of dubious doctrine, manipulation of consciences, suspected mysticism and disobedience towards legitimately issued orders’, and is suspected of heresy and schism.

Father Vlasic was a central figure in promoting the apparitions that allegedly began in 1981 and continue to this day.

In 1984 he boasted to Pope John Paul II that he was the one ‘who through divine providence guides the seers of Medjugorje’ and the visionaries even said that the Virgin had told them he was a living saint.

But the Bosnian cleric later took a back seat when it emerged that he had fathered a child with a nun called Sister Rufina, and that he refused to leave his order to marry her but instead begged her not to expose him.

Father Vlasic then moved to Parma, Italy, where he set up a mixed male and female religious community, called Queen of Peace, which was dedicated to the Medjugorje apparitions.

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Medjugorje has grown to become the most visited unauthorised Catholic shrine in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims a year, including many from the UK and Ireland.

Manipulated? pilgrims pray in Medjugorje, Bosnia

But the local bishops are convinced the claims are bogus and in 2006 complained directly to Pope Benedict.

This led to a Vatican investigation which turned the spotlight on the role of Father Vlasic.

The priest has now been suspended by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith after he refused to cooperate with the inquiry into his conduct, instead ‘justifying himself by citing his zealous activity’ in initiating religious communities and building churches the Medjugorje area.

The decree confirming his suspension was signed with the Pope’s approval by Cardinal William Levada, head of CDF, and Father Jose Carballo, the Minister General of the Franciscan Minor Order.

It confines Father Vlasic to a Francisan monastery in Italy and bans him from contact with the Queen of Peace community, or with his lawyers without permission from his superior.

He is banned from making public appearances, preaching and hearing confessions and he will be required to make a solemn profession of the Catholic faith.

The Vatican has warned Father Vlasic that he will be excommunicated if he violates any of the prohibitions.

The action was taken earlier this year but was made public this week by the Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, at the request of the Vatican, to make local people to be aware of the priest’s status.

Father Vlasic is the second spiritual adviser to the seers to be suspended from his ministry. The other, Father Jozo Zovko, was suspended by Bishop Peric in 2004.

Strong belief: About 20,000 pilgrims at Medjugorje in 2001 celebrating the twentieth anniversary of when six children said they had seen the virgin there

It represents a massive blow to millions of Medjugorje followers worldwide who were hoping that the Vatican investigation would legitimise the shrine.

Earlier this year, Italian Bishop Andrea Gemma denounced the Medjugorje claims as the ‘work of the Demon’ and predicted that ‘soon the Vatican will intervene with something explosive to unmask once and for all who is behind this deceit’.

The phenomenon began on 25 June 1981 when six children – Mirjana Dragićević, Marija Pavlović, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Ivanka Ivanković and Jakov Colo – told a priest they had seen the Virgin on a hillside near their town.

Three Church commissions failed to find evidence to support their claims and the bishops of the former Yugoslavia finally declared that ‘it cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations’.

In 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict – banned pilgrimages to the site, but this has been widely ignored.

Instead the seers have grown wealthy as a result of their claims – and so has their town, which has boomed as a result of the ‘Madonna gold rush’.

Some today own smart executive houses with immaculate gardens, double garages and security gates, and one has a tennis court.

They also own expensive cars and have married – one of them, Ivan Dragicevic, to an American former beauty queen"
Atricle taken from 'Mail Online'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1052230/Pope-finally-launches-crackdown-worlds-largest-illicit-Catholic-shrine-suspends-dubious-priest.html#

From the Liturgical Conference in Hungary

2008-08-31T03:34:00.000-07:00

Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Ancient Use of the Roman rite at the parish church of St. Teresa of Avila

More on 'Summorum Pontificum'

2008-08-31T03:28:00.000-07:00

Evaluating the Meaning of a Movement
Abbé de Cacqueray FSSPX speaks about Summorum Pontificum

Over the past year, conflicting judgments have been issued concerning the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum promulgated in July 2007. In hindsight it is possible to have a clearer picture.

It seems to me that the fundamental point to properly interpret it is to recognize it as the inauguration of a movement on the liturgy and, hence, the Church itself (Lex orandi, lex credendi). Only by evaluating the meaning and scope of this movement can one express a fair and justified judgment.

A movement must have a point of departure. What was the situation of the liturgy in June 2007? The overwhelming, almost total domination of the so-called Mass of Pope Paul VI, and the almost complete elimination of the traditional Mass which was regarded as totally obsolete if not outright prohibited.

Responding to this situation were two very small groups. On the one hand, the "traditionalists" who consistently said that the traditional Mass was not and could not be prohibited and who never accepted the Mass of Paul VI and were severely persecuted by ecclesiastical authorities. On the other hand the "Ecclesia Dei" faction which, by the grace of a few exceptional laws, was permitted under restrictive conditions to celebrate the traditional Mass on the premise of spiritual preference.

The first article of the Motu Proprio is clearly unacceptable: the traditional Mass and the Mass of Paul VI are "two usages of the one Roman rite." But this is only a starting point.

However from this (catastrophic) state of things, the Motu Proprio goes on to pave the way much more widely for the celebration of the traditional Mass than anything that had been done up until then.

“[T]he Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by Bl. John XXIII is to be […] given due honour for its venerable and ancient usage”; “It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated”; “[E]ach Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal published by Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962”; “For such celebrations […], the priest has no need for permission from the Apostolic See or from his Ordinary” etc.

Further (from the pope's letter): "I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted.”

The Motu Proprio opens a door to the traditional liturgy for anyone, and they are many, who have been unlawfully deprived of it for the past forty years.

This of course, does not concern those who have always known that the traditional Mass can not be prohibited, and therefore have attended it with a clear conscience. For this minority, the "traditionalists", to employ the Motu Proprio would be a step backwards: it would admit that the Mass of Paul VI carries "the same dignity" as that of the traditional Mass which they have always denied.

However, those who have known only the Mass of Paul VI and, given the propaganda, have been convinced up until now that the traditional Mass was prohibited or bad; are now afforded access to this Mass through the Motu Proprio and may begin to discover its riches.

This is the essential meaning of the movement launched by the Motu Proprio: A possibility for all baptized who have been deprived of it for decades, to see for the first time the traditional liturgy of the Church and get re-accustomed to it - a gradual but humanly necessary beginning, at least in terms of the liturgical crisis.

The French bishops (in particular) who do everything to block, restrict, and distort the Motu Proprio, were not mistaken.

Therefore let us not ourselves be mistaken.

Abbé Régis de Cacqueray †, Supérieur du District de France

La Porte Latine

Article taken taken from 'RORATE CAELI'

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/

GOD GRANT US HOLY PRIESTS!

2008-08-26T10:40:00.001-07:00

Pope St. Pius X

2008-08-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Beautiful old Altar of St. Patricks, a Lost Heritage

2008-08-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

The Beautiful old Altar of St. Patricks La Rochelle,(my home parish), consecrated by the late and saintly Bishop Cox O.M.I, in memory of all those fallen in the first Great War.

The picture dates from the year 1969 taken by my Grandfather on the occasion of my Mothers First Holy Communion, toward the end of this same year, this beautiful church was demolished and this beautiful terracotta masterpiece was lost to history.

The Sad conseqences of the implementation of the supposed 'directives' of Vatican II.

Some Memories from Good Old St. Patricks La Rochelle

2008-08-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

BEATI TO BE

2008-08-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

Taken From the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff:

"The Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff announces that in the next months the Rites of Beatification of the following Servants of God will take place:

LOUIS MARTIN AND ZÉLIE MARIE GUÉRIN, laypeople, spouses and parents: Sunday, October 19th, 2008, in Lisieux (France), in the Basilica of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, at 10 a.m."

Pope wants TLM to be available in every Parish

2008-08-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

From Times OnlineJune 17, 2008

Pope says old-rite Latin Mass should be on offer in every Catholic parish

The Vatican is writing to seminaries to request all student priests are trained in how to say the Tridentine Mass, a liturgy abandoned for Mass in the vernacular in the 1960s

Pope Benedict XVI wants every parish in the West to offer believers the Mass in the Tridentine or Gregorian Rite, the Latin-language liturgy used until the 1960s by every Catholic church in the world.

The Vatican is now writing to seminaries to ask that student priests be required to learn the rite, which, in widescale liturgical changes following the modernising church council Vatican II (1962-5), was largely replaced by Mass in the vernacular.

The Pope wishes every parish to offer both rites for Sunday Mass, an eminent Vatican Cardinal announced in London on Saturday. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, said: “The Holy Father is willing to offer to all the people this possibility, not only for the few groups who demand it but so that everybody knows this way of celebrating the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.”

It was a “gift” and a “treasure,” Castrillon Hoyos said, hours before celebrating a Tridentine liturgy attended by some 1,500 worshippers at Westminster Cathedral on June 14. “This kind of worship is so noble, so beautiful – the deepest theologians’ way to express our faith. The worship, the music, the architecture, the painting, makes a whole that is a treasure.”

He attacked claims by Catholics who claim the Tridentine revival is a step backwards liturgically, saying: “Others think that the Holy Father is going against the Second Vatican Council. That is absolute ignorance. The Fathers of the Council, never celebrated a Mass other than the Gregorian one. It [the Novus Ordo] came after the Council … The Holy Father, who is a theologian and who was in the preparation for the Council, is acting exactly in the way of the Council, offering with freedom the different kinds of celebration.”

He added: "The experience of these 40 years has not always been so good. Many people abandoned the sense of adoration (of God)…There is (now) an atmosphere that makes it possible for these abuses and that atmosphere must be changed,” he said in English. “It is not a matter of confrontation but of dialogue — fraternal dialogue — making efforts to understand the precious things contained in the new and the old rites.”

Used worldwide in Catholic parishes from 1570 until the 1960s, the Tridentine Rite also differs in key aspects from the modern Catholic liturgy. In the modern Mass, a priest will face the congregants, in the Tridentine Rite, he will pray facing the altar, traditionally placed facing East, towards Jerusalem, and thus the direction of the place from which Christ is believed to have ascended to heaven.

In July 2007. Benedict XVI announced that every priest who wished to do so might celebrate Mass in the Tridentine Rite – without requiring, as had previously been the case, permission from their local bishop.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos added: “Today for many bishops it is difficult because they don’t have priests who don’t know Latin.Many seminaries give very few hours to Latin – not enough to give the necessary preparation to celebrate in a good way the Extraordinary Form.”

The Feast of the Assumption around the world.

2008-08-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Ranjith,(two last pictures) celebrating the Holy Sacrifice. Seen here imparting the Pontifical Blessing. Note, the 'Ordinary Form' or the Mass of Paul VI was celebrated , 'ad orientem' i.e. facing the liturgical east. Also worth noting is that the vesture of the Archbishop as well as that of the Altar, here seen in what has come to be known as the 'Benedictine' arrangement. Another important factor was seen at the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament at communion, following the example of the Holy Father Himself , Archbishop Ranjith employed the use of Kneelers at which the faithful communicated whilst kneeling and on the toungue.

Seen also in the 3rd last photograph is the Celebration of the the Feast of the Assumption on Papa Stronsay by Rev.Fr. Anthony Mary F.S.S.R, here is seen the Tridentine Latin Mass or the 'Extraordinary Form' of the Roman Rite.

Seen in the first photographs, is that of the Assumption Grotto in which is seen the celebration of the feast of the Assumption which also was a celebration of their parishes patronal feast.

A PRAYER FOR OUR COUNTRIES PATRONAL FEAST

2008-08-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Prayer for South Africa

Almighty, Eternal God, Who desireth the salvation of all mankind, look down in thy mercy upon the people of South Africa and bring them all to the light of the Gospel and the Unity of Faith.
Teach us to walk in the footsteps of thy Son, Jesus Christ, that we may be his worthy deciples in the love we bear one another, and in our zeal for His kingdom of Justice, of truth and of peace.

Who livest and reignest for ever and ever.
Amen.

Queen, assumed into Heaven, Patroness of South Africa

PRAY FOR US.

Act of Consecration to Mary, the Patroness of South Africa
( to be made on August 15th or the following day)

O Immaculate Virgin, Blessed Mother of God, look down upon thy children gathered at thy feet. We know, O glorious Mother, how the sword of sorrow pierced thy heart when thy Son Jesus died on Calvary
before thine eyes.We rejoice that, for thy devoted life and sufferings bravely borne, Almighty God bestowed upon thee the reward of thy glorious Assumption.

We honour thee whom God honoured when, thine earthly sojourn ended, He raised up thy pure and spotless body, that holy temple of the word made flesh and joined itwith thy soulin everlasting bliss. O Queen, assumed into Heaven, with one voice we acclaim thee our Heavenly Patroness, and with fillial love we consecrate to thee our country and our people.

Through thy prayers, O gracious Mother, may thy Son be known and loved throughout South Africa; may His Kingdom flourish in our land, a Kingdom of justice, truth and peace.
Teach us to follow in his footsteps, firm in the faith, obedient to his law, subjecting soul and body to His holy sway. That when our mortal life is ended, we may gaze upon his facein heaven and share, as thou, O Blessed Mother, dost already, the glory of His Resurrection.

Amen.

On A Good Confession

2008-08-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

Guide to Confession

"The minister to whom confession is made is the delegate of Christ, Who is the Judge of the living and the dead."

- St Thomas Aquinas
(Excerpt taken from Catholic Home and Garden)

Please Follow the Link Here to read More

http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/confession.htm

A Truly wonderful read, for a truly Miraculous Sacrament!

Mass in Lourdes

2008-08-09T03:31:00.001-07:00

Photograph, courtesy of 'The New Liturgical Movement'

The letter mentioned in the Previous Post

2008-08-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG

50 Von Brandis St
Turffontein
2190
Johannesburg
Republic of South Africa

Most Reverend Father Feast of the Transfiguration

Greetings to you in the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts

I pray that this correspondence finds you in good health. The purpose of this letter is to inform you as Parish Priest, that there exists here in the Archdiocese a forum for Catholics who, are attached to or would find interest in the Tridentine Latin Mass, i.e. the ‘extraordinary form’ of the Roman Rite as decreed in the Holy Fathers Moto Proprio, ‘Summorum Pontificum’.

The forum is named in accordance with the Moto Proprio of the Supreme Pontiff, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and exists so as to provide a point of reference and general forum for the aforementioned faithful and clergy alike, and is aimed at gathering such people into a specific group intended for the promotion of the extraordinary form here in the Archdiocese.

Thus Father, would it be at all possible for you to include into your Parish Bulletin or notices a few points which I have included here, for which it is intended that any Catholic here in the Archdiocese to become aware that there is a body in place which would accommodate their interests.

Therefore, please be so kind as to allow for the following to be made known to the faithful of your parish.

“TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS AND SACRAMENTS JOHANNESBURG

Any Catholic residing here in the Archdiocese who wishes to join our cause in establishing a Latin Mass Group is invited to contact us at “SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG”, please with your relevant details. This is imperative so as to allow us to create a data base of all those interested and thus enable us to inform you of the forthcoming Latin Mass which should be taking place in the near feature.

If you would like to get in contact with me regarding the Latin Mass here in Johannesburg or more importantly questions concerning our quest to establish the Traditional Mass and Sacraments here in the Archdiocese, please feel free to do so at:

Physical Address
50 Von Brandis St, Turffontein 2190
Johannesburg, Gauteng
Republic of South Africa

Web Address

http://summorumpontificumjhb.blogspot.com/

Or via telephone at

(CELLULAR)
076 350 2278

(HOME)
011 683 3938”

I would much appreciate this gesture on your behalf as the shepherd of souls in your own parish, in recognizing this specific spiritual need of a large portion of the faithful.
The invitation is however not restricted only to lay persons but you as a member of the clergy as well.

I look forward to hearing from either yourself, or at least some of your parishioners

I remain, Father, your humble servant in Christ and our Good Mother

Mr. Calvin James Montgomery B.A (Wits)

PRESIDENT AND EDITOR

“SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG”

Proposed letter to all Archdiocesan Parishes in preparation for the Return of the Mass here in Johannesburg

2008-08-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends in Christ

A little news on our behalf, in a short while I shall be compiling a letter to be sent to all parishes in the Archdiocese; telling of ourselves, as well as inviting all Johannesburg Catholics interested in our cause to join us.This is in preparation for when the TLM will again be offered by our generous Priest friend.

As soon as the aforementioned letter is completed it shall be posted posthaste.

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin James
President and EDITOR

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG

The case of the Tridentine Mass, and the ‘Reform of the Reform’ of the liturgy of Paul VI as promoted in the Papacy of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

2008-08-01T04:38:00.000-07:00

( A Rough Draft of something I intend to expand on and complete, as you can see it is in its begining stages)

The resurgence of interest in the Catholic liturgy since the Second Vatican Council may be seen as one of the few true developments and implementations of the council documents within the 40 year time span since the close of the council itself. It seems as if the true ‘spirit’ of the council is only now starting to emerge, in the sense that, the ‘organic’ evolution and development of the Latin rite liturgy is now receiving greater focus and consequential to this is seen in the revision or ‘reform’ the current state of the liturgy within the church under the current reign of the supreme Pontiff, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

The purpose of this paper therfore, is intended, as a means of high-lighting the latest developments from Rome, as well as a means by which those unaware of such developments may align the liturgy within their own parochial contexts closer to that of Rome herself. Firstly, the case and cause of the Tridentine Mass shall be attended to and commented upon with reference to our own specific situation here in Southern Africa as well as across the globe. Secondly, the situation currently termed the ‘Reform of the Reform’ of the Latin rite liturgy according to the missal of Pope Paul VI as well as providing basic guidelines for the implementation of the “reform of the reform”

1. A General Overview

“The Constitution Missale Romanum – neither orders the use of the new Missal nor forbids the use of the old one ”, such a view held almost three decades ago was termed definitively as schismatic, today however in the wake of the Moto Proprio of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, entitled “Summorum Pontificum”, such a view is now the solemn magesterium of Holy Mother Church. The real counter-action to the slander laid against faithful and religious alike, attached to this venerable Missal, was seen within the declaration made by the Holy Father himself, that “This liturgy has never been abrogated”.

Following the introduction of the New Order of Mass- Novus Ordo Missae- in 1969, the entire Catholic world was torn into two camps, those who welcomed the new revision of the Catholic liturgy and breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that the new dispensation allowed for a “greater freedom” within the church and her liturgy, and those who felt that their faith had been betrayed by the very people who were supposed to ensure its survival. This second group of people, who could not, out of good conscience accept the reforms imposed upon them by the agents of Vatican II, gathered themselves together to form what would become the worldwide traditionalist movement that we see today.

It goes without question that the Church as it exists today 2000 years since its foundation by Christ himself, again finds herself in a state of crisis. Those who deny the existence of such a situation need not look further than the Pope himself for a validation of this point, “Ratzinger has summed up the experience of the council by saying that while “a leap forward” had been expected, there soon came a “process of decline” . This “process of decline” as identified by the then Cardinal Ratzinger, has become self evident in all spheres of the Church most especially in her liturgy. The Liturgy is the life of the Church, the centre point around which everything draws its nourishment.

Thus, one can after a short time of observation, conclude that there exists a vast divide between the pre-concilliar church and the post-concilliar church, the crisis itself is made evident in the statistics which themselves tell of a decline in the church in a manner not seen before. The term Apostasy, seems befitting as a means of identifying the current crisis. Obviously, such a comment is not in any sense a generalisation; however the fact remains that a vast majority of the Catholic world has lost the faith. It seems as if, were it not for the second group of Catholics mentioned previously, the Church would have found herself today in an unconceivable condition.

Thus, with the restoration of the Tridentine Mass, to its full rights within the Church, it is hoped that the current crisis might in some way begin to be counteracted. As, certain high ranking members of the traditionalist movement have pointed out, that the crisis of faith within the church will not be solved “over night”, so to speak. Rather, it will take a few generations from here until we see the restoration of the faith. The Tridentine mass itself, cannot exist without sound catholic doctrine, this is a fact and understandably so in that the Mass itself is an expression of that same doctrine. The Purpose of the Mass since the time of its codification at the Council of Trent by Pope St. Pius V was to defend and ossify catholic doctrine from the errors of Protestantism.

Thus the same holds true for the errors which are abound today within the bride of Christ. The errors condemned time and time again by the Holy Pontiffs up to and including the last prince of God, Venerable Pope Pius XII. Doctrinal errors of the faith have to be corrected before any advancement is made toward the eventual triumph of the Immaculate heart.

2. The Tridentine Latin Mass The Missal of Bl. Pope John XXIII 1962

Taking the above into account, it goes without question to understand why the Mass according to the Missal of Bl. Pope John XXIII (St. Pius V), was deemed “the most beautiful thing this side of heaven”. This Mass, the eternal Mass, has a certain ‘staying power’; by this one intends to insinuate that the Mass of Pius V would have been soon forgotten as a distant memory if its benefits and the graces it provides were absent, however this is obviously not the case. Even today almost forty years since the introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae, the Tridentine Latin Mass still is able to have a far reaching effect on those who, like myself, were not privileged enough to have been raised with this Mass and the Sacraments. It has sustained the church for over five centuries, nourished the souls of all the faithful and raised up numerous amounts of sainted individuals.

Those who after the reforms of 1969, chose rather to adhere to this venerable liturgy, have grown from strength to strength with regard to maintaining the Catholic faith as it was and ever shall be. The reinstating of the Tridentine Latin Mass to its full rights therfore is the first step in the battle to the re-establishing the doctrinal integrity of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, for undoubtedly a necessary prerequisite for the Tridentine Latin Mass is true Catholic doctrine .

One thus begins to question, what then is the doctrine of Holy Mother Church which the Mass so requires?

Firstly, the Missal of 1962 and the Missal of 1969 are vastly different in comparison, in terms of the doctrinal discrepancies which abound in the latter. Cardinals Ottiavani and Bacci, in their capacity as Princes of the Church, submitted a document to Pope Paul VI concerning this particular subject, in which they detailed how the New Mass was a “departure from the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church”

( to be continued - I invite any readers to make a comment on the above)

Truer words have never been spoken!

2008-07-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

"We belong to the Church militant; and She is militant because on earth the powers of darkness are ever restless to encompass Her destruction." -Pius XII, AD 1953

"If you're not a thorn in somebody's side, you aren't doing Christianity right." Mother Angelica

"Ignorance is no excuse when we have neglected to learn what we are obliged to know."St. Ambrose

"The persistence of Mary about the dangers which threaten the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in Her liturgy, Her theology and Her soul." Pope Pius XII

"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, before the Knights of Columbus, June of 1972.

Some Laughter....

2008-07-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

Bishop Athanasius, Mass 'ad orientem'

2008-07-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sacrament Divine!

DOMINUS MEUS ET DEUS MEUS!

If only this were the case here in South Africa

Our Lady, Queen Assumed into Heaven Patroness of South Africa

2008-07-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

PRAY FOR US,WHO HAVE RECORSE TO THEE!

The Holy Fathers Mass in Sydney Cathedral

2008-07-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Ordinary Form), in Sydney Cathedral.

Note: Traditional Vesture of the Holy Father and his Assistants
Traditional or "Benedictine" Altar arrangement

Please Consult the 'New Liturgical Movement' For more Details

2008-07-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Rev. Fr. A. Esposito SSPX, Offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Priory, Roodepoort Johannesburg.

Again thanking God for his Traditional Priests!

Thoughts on Tradition in South Africa

2008-07-18T02:28:00.000-07:00

Its has been a few weeks since my last personal Post, studies and home life are far more demanding. It has been quite some time now in thinking about the revival or reestablishment rather of tradition here in South Africa. In saying this, I obviously take into account that Tradition has indeed been surviving here in South Africa for quite some time, fostered and defended by the Society of St. Pius X.

It is sad yet a expected result to see the hostility that Catholics show to their own kind and the "brotherly love" that they show to open heretics and formal schismatics! There is but one True Faith, one Name by which we must all be saved - Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church.

I must say that in my journey toward finding True faith, I thank God in his wonderful providence that he provided someone like the late Archbishop Marcel Lefevre to spearhead a movement which would lead toward the ultimate regeneration of the True faith, despite the many attacks laid against him.

I do not profess to be a scholar on the subject of tradition, yet I cannot deny that throughout my entire Novous Ordo - Post Conciliar Life, I felt a huge void in my spiritual life. Its seems understandable to me to see why so many young people leave the faith or become indifferent to it. There is nothing solid about the last 40 years of post conciliar reform, The Church of God finds herself in a crisis of faith, consequential to this and as a obvious result one finds the basic structure of the society we live in devastatingly changed.

The poison that has filtered its way into everyday life is claiming its casualties and the results of this battle are as clear as daylight. God himself, his true and eternal presence - body blood soul and divinity- is relegated to some obscure corner even within his own church! This current order of things cannot be accepted, we as the faithful must fight to keep the faith, we cannot allow for this devastation to perpetuate itself.

The situation here in South Africa is nothing different to anywhere else in the modern world that we see pervades to a large extent, the crisis itself becomes apparent considering things such as "catholic" schooling, the immense abuses which abound liturgically etc, empty churches, deserted religious houses and seminaries.

When we take a look at the traditionalist movement as a whole, we a presented with a vastly different picture thriving and fruitful Catholic schooling, a faithful adherence to the liturgical traditions of the church, churches filled to capacity not forgetting the religious houses and seminaries which are filled to capacity!

This is a simple observation, and yet one begins to draw a certain conclusion. The life and survival of the Church of Christ lies within the unbroken tradition of the Faith, handed down from generation to generation and still holds the same effect on an individual as it did with the first apostles.

We commit ourselves therefore, to bring about the Reign of the two Glorious hearts of Jesus and Mary Immaculate.

In Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin James

The Story of Johannesburg's Cathedral of Christ the King

2008-07-17T14:28:00.002-07:00

By Fr J E Brady OMI

"Later on we might do the beautiful and the grand and then we mean to do it right well"-these words were written sixty-five years ago by the priest, Father Aloysius Schoch O.M.I., who built the Kerk St. Pro-Cathedral to be a future Parish Hall but to serve as a Church until the building of the Cathedral proper. He hoped to realise this plan on the adjoining stands within the decade, but it is only today that the Cathedral of Christ the King has been realised on a completely new site. In a few months time Johannesburg will celebrate its seventy-fifth birthday. The Church has played an important part in the development of this metropolis and the opening and dedication of the New Cathedral of Christ the King, will be for all a vision realised, a dream come true, a promise fulfilled, a long series of sacrifices rewarded. The story of the events of the past three quarters of a century must be of interest to all, if for no other reason that they may appreciate the solid foundations laid by the pioneers and the manner in which the next generation has built upon those foundations.

Beginnings

While visits were made across the Vaal River in the early fifties by pioneer missionaries, Fr. Juaquin da Santa Rita Montanha (from Mozambique) and Fr. Hoenderwanger, O. Praem (from Fauresmith) our story really begins in 1870 when freedom of Catholic Worship was granted in the South African Republic, and Fr. Le Bihan O.M.I, established the first mission in Potchefstroom, the former Capital.

With the finding of gold in the Eastern Transvaal (1875) Fr. Walsh, O.M.I, came from Natal and built a small Church at Pilgrims Rest and later at Lydenburg. It was Bishop Jolivet O.M.I, of Natal who journeyed by post cart to Pretoria (1877) and dedicated the new mission in the Capital to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Almost a decade later when the diggers travelled from the Diamond Fields with the exciting news that gold had been found in Barberton and De Kaap they little realised that they were crossing over the richest gold mine in the world-the hidden goldfields of the Witwatersrand.

The following year an outcrop of gold bearing rock was found by chance at Langlaagte and in the September (1886) President Kruger declared the fields "a public digging", it was thus the mining camp was born. As the news spread prospectors came from all parts of South Africa and even from overseas to seek their fortune on the "Ridge of White Waters". As the numbers increased visits were made by the Oblate Fathers in Pretoria and in February 1887 arrangements were made to say Mass for the Catholics among the prospectors.

First Mass

A very significant entry is found in the diary of Fr. L. Trabaud, O.M.I, on February 19th. "I set out at 9.30 in the conveyance of Mr. Guerin for the Goldfields of the Witwatersrand. We were five travellers, Mr. Coleman a Jew, Mr. James-a Wesleyan Minister, a Salvation Army Officer, a young man and myself. I stayed with Mrs. Brennan who had prepared a comfortable place for me.

"February 20th. Sunday-I said the first Mass that has ever been celebrated on this plateau, open veldt up to the present. A reed hut, the Bakery of the Camp, is put at my disposal by Mr. Whelan of Bloemfontein. There were thirty-three Catholics present." The exact site of this first Mass is lost to us. But it was situated in Ferreira's Camp to the west of the present City Hall. By April there were over sixty people present when Fr. Trabaud again visited the Camp to say Mass in the house of Mr. Kennedy-to-day this site is marked by the New Magistrate's Court. The following month, Fr. Mongi-noux, the first Prefect Apostolic of the Transvaal, travelled over from Pretoria to take up residence on the Goldfields and he tells us that "the town they are building is to be called Johannesburg."

We get a good picture of prevailing conditions in the account which follows. "The beginnings of the new mission were rough and ready, the work overwhelming. One had to search among this motley crowd of diggers for those who were Catholics and then plead with them lest in the mad rush for gold they should forget their religious duties. Saturdays were particularly tiring. Where will we have Mass tomorrow? That was the question that had to be answered. We had no actual Church and we moved about, choosing some sort of spot that would be central for the miners to attend. Today, one would fix on an unfinished storeroom, next Sunday a stable and so on. Having decided on the place we had to notify the people by going the rounds of the camp."

In the light of the many Churches and our magnificent Cathedral in the city today, it is well we realise that it was only seventy-five years ago that primitive conditions prevailed.

First Church

Thanks to the generosity of the miners, Protestants as well as Catholics, Fr. Monginoux was able to buy a piece of ground and to build a small Church, with a three-roomed dwelling for the priest on one side, and a temporary Convent and School room adjoining, for the Holy Family Sisters whom he hoped to get from Natal.
Once again we are indebted to the diary written by Fr. Trabaud for the following interesting details of the first Church on the Witwatersrand, August 20-21st 1887. It reads as follows: "Fr. de Lacy, myself and Arthur Knight (the latter was a boarder at Loreto Convent School, his father was proprietor of one of the early mines on the Goldfields) set out for Johannesburg in a private vehicle about 10 a.m. We arrived at 5 p.m. We found Fr. Monginoux making the final details for the decoration of the School-Chapel which had been built on the corner of Fox and Smal Streets. The small convent which is attached to it is nearly finished. The neighbourhood is still just bare veldt, but the town is growing rapidly.

August 21st was the feast of St. Joachim, the patron of Pope Leo XIII (then reigning Pontiff). As the mission began on February 20th the anniversary of the election of His Holiness, Fr. Monginoux gave the name of St Leo, as the second patron. The ceremony of Blessing the new Church began at 11 a.m. and ended at 2 o'clock. We dined at the home of Messrs. J. and W. Quinn." Within the next week Fr. S. Hammer O.M.I, arrived from Kimberley to be Parish Priest.

Second Church

Within five years these buildings were quite inadequate and a large Church and presbytery were built on the diagonally opposite corner-Main and Von Weilligh Streets. These buildings were standing until three years ago. Meanwhile the former first Church provided accommodation for the ever increasing number of school children.
In 1895 the Holy Family Sisters acquired a former Club and adjoining ground in End Street and the decision was made to sell the whole block, Fox, Smal, Main and Von Weilligh and build a large and more permanent edifice near the Convent.

There is a story of those early days which will be of particular interest to the Kerk Street parishioners today.

Picture Johannesburg at that time. Its eastern boundary and hence the name was End Street: to the west was Fordsburg, where a small Church had been erected in Crown Road-1891. Doornfontein was then the residential area of the town. Towards the close of 1890 Father Monginoux, was returning to the Presbytery in Fox Street, after visiting some of his parishioncrs in in Doornfontein. He crossed over the open space now bounded by Kerk, Gold, Pritchard and Nugget Streets. Its size, locality etc. immediately struck him as ideal for a Church site. With a prayer in his heart, he took a medal of Our Lady from his pocket and pushed it into the ground, driving it in with his walking stick.

Two years passed by and in 1892, Fr. Monginoux was succeeded by Fr. A. Schoch. One of the new Prefect's first duties was the choice of a new and larger site for a Church. He built the second Church already referred to on the corner of Main and Von Weilligh Streets, but three years later the whole block was acquired by Castle Brewery, and Providence guided him in the choice of the new site to the one for which Fr. Monginoux had offered that fervent prayer.

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Kerk Street Church, the Church and Presbytery erected in Kerk Street was quite an ambitious building for the early days of the mining town.

The foundation stone was blessed and laid by Bishop Jolivet O.M.I. is this small stone that has been now transferred to the Cathedral and set into the wall at the main entrance in Saratoga Avenue.

The details of that ceremony will be of interest to us of the next generation. The date was Sunday June 7th. Solemn High Mass was sung that morning in the Convent School Hall in End Street by Fr. Van Laar with Fathers de Lacy and Tresch as Deacon and Sub-deacon. His Lordship presided and after the Mass administered Confirmation to some forty candidates. At 3.30 p.m. a large crowd gathered within the walls of the new Church, and two stones, one for the Church and another for the Presbytery, were blessed and placed in position by the Bishop. In his speech Fr. Van Laar spoke of how fitting it was that the pioneer missionary in the Transvaal, His Lordship, should have performed this ceremony and expressed the regret of all present at the unavoidable absence of Fr. Schoch

to whose zeal and organising ability the erection of the buildings were due. Fr. Schoch was away in German West Africa preparing for the arrival of the first Oblate Missionaries.

We are told that over £300 was placed by the people on the foundation stone towards the Building Fund.

On Sunday, November 15th the new Church dedicated under the title of the Immaculate Conception was solemnly opened. Bishop Anthony Gaughren O.M.I, of Kimberley, performed the ceremony and preached.

A third ceremony took place on June 27th of the following year, the solemn blessing and inauguration of the new organ. This time Fr. Schoch was present and paid tribute to the excellent work of the choir under Mr. J. P. O'Rielly in their rendering of the Church's music and through whose efforts the funds for the new organ had been collected.

Such were the beginnings of the Kerk St. Pro-Cathedral which for over sixty years has been the Mother Church of the city and whose memories will be forever imprinted upon the minds of tens of thousands of Catholics throughout South Africa.

Plans for Cathedral

With the establishment of the Union of South Africa, conditions generally became more permanent. Johannesburg, due to the development of the many mines, grew rapidly into a town, then a city extending itself into new suburbs on every side. It became increasingly difficult for the priests to keep up with the expansion; however, small Churches were established to meet the needs of the growing population both European and non-European.
Meanwhile the idea of a Cathedral to replace the temporary edifice in Kerk Street was not lost sight of but like every Mother, the Pro-Cathedral sacrificed itself for her young. It is true to say that had the Bishop acted otherwise many opportunities of excellent sites and subsequent facilities for our people would have been lost.

A motor car drive from Clarendon Circle in either a north easterly or north westerly direction, and the pin pointing of our Churches, Convents, Colleges and Institutions today is proof positive of the wisdom of the pioneer priests. While the collection of funds for a Cathedral had commenced before the turn of the century it was only in 1937, on the occasion of the celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Johannesburg's first Mass, that Bishop D. O'Leary made known his ambitious plans for a Cathedral, on the Kerk Street site.

The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 meant the postponement of his ideas and before it was over Bishop O'Leary sold half of the Kerk Street block with a view to purchasing a more central site for the Cathedral.

It is to his successor, Bishop W. P. Whelan, now Archbishop of Bloemfontein, that we owe the debt of gratitude for purchasing the site on Saratoga Avenue, just off End Street, well served by the City Transport, with facilities for parking and with a commanding position below the Berea.

Meanwhile the task of building up a sum of money for the Cathedral Fund was redoubled and here tribute must be given to Very Rev. Fr. J. G. Braniff, Administrator, for his untir|ng and most successful efforts in this direction. Bishop Whelan entrusted the plans for a Cathedral on the new site to Mr. Gregory of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In 1954 came the news of the appointment of His Lordship to be Archbishop of Bloemfontein and the transfer of Bishop Boyle from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg. Almost from the date of his arrival Bishop Boyle was most enthusiastic about the building of the Cathedral as soon as possible.

Various changes were made in the former plan, undertaken by Mr. Gregory's son, Mr. Brian Gregory B.A., A.R.I.B.A., M.R.I.A., and all the preliminaries having been gone through, the foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid by Bishop O'Leary, and blessed by Bishop Boyle on June 29th, 1958, the Centenary Year of the Apparitions of Our Blessed Lady at Lourdes. On that occasion Bishop Boyle remarked how fitting it was that the ceremony should take place on the feasts of Saints Peter and Paul. "As this building is for us a confession of faith in the Divinity of Christ, of trust in His promises, an indication of our love and sign of our loyalty, as a practical proof we are erecting our Cathedral to His honour and glory.

"We are particularly happy to have with us today and to take an active part in this ceremony, Bishop O'Leary whose desire it always had been to have a Cathedral in this city and we are indeed happy that he will have this desire realised," concluded His Lordship. Alas it was not to be. Within a few weeks following this ceremony Bishop O'Leary passed to his reward. His remains are to be reinterred in the crypt of the Cathedral.

During the last two years the work of building has gone on continually. Every Catholic and many other citizens too, have taken an interest in the progress made and as the shell of the edifice reached completion it was with pride that all looked forward to the opening ceremony.

This then is the story of the Cathedral of Christ the King in our City. Elsewhere in this brochure there are detailed descriptions and explanations of its many features. Here is a story of visions and dreams, of untold sacrifices, that with God's help has been brought to reality.

As we of our time feel grateful to the pioneers so future generations will, we trust, offer a fervent prayer for the part we have played and in turn through the years they will enhance, embellish and ultimately complete this House of God in the City of Gold.

Let us hope we have fulfilled the promise made by Father Schoch over sixty years ago "Later on we might do the beautiful and the grand and then we mean to do it right well."

2008-07-17T14:28:00.001-07:00

Tabernacle of the Most High

2008-07-17T08:54:00.001-07:00

Mother of the Redeemer and Tabernacle of the Most High, we greet you. In the first instant of your life God made you the sanctuary of his presence. The Son of God found in you a dwelling place on earth. You received Jesus with undivided heart and became one with him.

Mary, Mother of Christ and our Mother, may we become more worthy tabernacles of God by your prayer. Show us Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Implore your Son to grant us conversion of heart.

Mary, our Mother we thank you. Together with you we give all glory and honour to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

"Suffer Little Children to come unto me, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"

2008-07-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

Per, Ipsum et Cum Ipso et in Ipso

2008-07-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

" THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM , IN HIM.."

A Vision of St. Don Bosco

2008-07-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the prophecies associated with Don Bosco came to him during dreams, but just as in Matthew's Gospel where the process of Joseph being instructed by angels during dreams is described it is clear that Don Bosco's experiences were more than the sort of dreams most of us have when asleep.

Most of his dreams were concerned with the direction both he and his order, the Salesians, were to take in the future, and in particular with the boys who lived at his oratory in Turin. He would often speak to them just before they went to bed, sometimes predicting that one of their number would die within a certain period, but without indicating which.

On 30 May 1862 Don Bosco at his 'Good Night' talk told his boys, and the young clerics he was training, about a dream he had dreamt a few nights previously: he actually described it as a parable or allegory. Strictly speaking a parable is a general story with a deeper meaning, but one in which the points of the story may not all be significant, while in an allegory every detail is important and meaningful. In the case of Don Bosco's dream it is difficult to know just how significant each point is. After some preliminary remarks he went on to describe what he had seen:

"Try to picture yourselves with me on the seashore, or, better still, on an outlying cliff with no other land in sight. The vast expanse of water is covered with a formidable array of ships in battle formation, prows fitted with sharp spear-like beaks capable of breaking through any defence. All are heavily armed with cannons, incendiary bombs, and firearms of all sorts - even books - and are heading toward one stately ship, mightier than them all. As they try to close in, they try to ram it, set it afire, and cripple it as much as possible.

"This stately vessel is shielded by a flotilla escort. Winds and waves are with the enemy. In this midst of this endless sea, two solid columns, a short distance apart, soar high into the sky: one is surmounted by a statue of the Immaculate Virgin at whose feet a large inscription reads: Help of Christians; the other, far loftier and sturdier, supports a [Communion] Host of proportionate size and bears beneath it the inscription Salvation of believers.

"The flagship commander - the Roman Pontiff [the Pope]- seeing the enemy's fury and his auxiliary ships very grave predicament, summons his captains to a conference. However, as they discuss their strategy, a furious storm breaks out and they must return to their ships. When the storm abates, the Pope again summons his captains as the flagship keeps on its course. But the storm rages again. Standing at the helm, the Pope strains every muscle to steer his ship between the two columns from whose summits hang many anchors and strong hooks linked to chains.

"The entire enemy fleet closes in to intercept and sink the flagship at all costs. They bombard it with everything they have: books and pamphlets, incendiary bombs, firearms, cannons. The battle rages ever more furious. Beaked prows ram the flagship again and again, but to no avail, as, unscathed and undaunted, it keeps on its course. At times a formidable ram splinters a gaping hole into its hull, but, immediately, a breeze from the two columns instantly seals the gash.

"Meanwhile, enemy cannons blow up, firearms and beaks fall to pieces, ships crack up and sink to the bottom. In blind fury the enemy takes to hand-to-hand combat, cursing and blaspheming. Suddenly the Pope falls, seriously wounded. He is instantly helped up but, struck down a second time, dies. A shout of victory rises from the enemy and wild rejoicing sweeps their ships. But no sooner is the Pope dead than another takes his place. The captains of the auxiliary ships elected him so quickly that the news of the Pope's death coincides with that of his successor's election. The enemy's self-assurance wanes.

"Breaking through all resistance, the new Pope steers his ship safely between the two columns and moors it to the two columns; first to the one surmounted by the Host, and then to the other, topped by the statue of the Virgin. At this point something unexpected happens. The enemy ships panic and disperse, colliding with and scuttling each other. Some auxiliary ships which had gallantly fought alongside their flagship are the first to tie up at the two columns.

"Many others, which had fearfully kept far away from the fight, stand still, cautiously waiting until the wrecked enemy ships vanish under the waves. Then, they too head for the two columns, tie up at the swinging hooks, and ride safe and tranquil beside their flagship. A great calm now covers the sea."

At this point Don Bosco asked one of the priests present for his views. He replied that he thought that the flagship symbolised the Church headed by the Pope, with the ships representing mankind and the sea as an image of the world. The ships defending the flagship he equated with the laity and the attackers with those trying to destroy the Church, while the two columns represented devotion to Mary and the Eucharist.

He did not mention the death of the Pope and neither did Don Bosco in his reply, in which he agreed with what the priest had said, while adding that the enemy ships symbolised persecutions:

"Very grave trials await the Church. What we have suffered so far is almost nothing compared to what is going to happen. The enemies of the Church are symbolised by the ships which strive their utmost to sink the flagship. Only two things can save us in such a grave hour: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion. Let us do our very best to use these two means and have others use them everywhere."

Not surprisingly this contents of this dream amazed all those listening, and four of those present wrote down what they had heard. Two wrote the next day, 31 May and two some time later, but all four narratives agree substantially. Such small differences as were found can be explained on the basis that it is impossible to get every detail when remembering and writing a spoken narrative.

One point that did cause some argument amongst those who had been present was over whether there had been two popes as commander of the flagship as in the above account, or, as some thought, three. This point was made clearer in 1886 when one of those who had heard the dream recounted in 1862 returned to the Oratory.

At dinner with Don Bosco he began to narrate the dream and was quite certain that two popes had fallen, since he was sure that after the first was struck down the captains of the other ships had said, 'Let's hurry, We can quickly replace him'; on the second occasion he maintained that they had said nothing. Don Bosco seemed to back up this version of events by calling attention to what was being said, and so its probable that we are dealing with three popes in the account.

Those who had written down the dream were convinced that it was a genuine vision and prophecy, although Don Bosco's immediate aim was probably to encourage his boys to pray more fervently for the Church and the Pope, as well as to indicate the importance of devotion to Mary and the Blessed Sacrament.

We may be living part way through Don Bosco's vision, but as in all genuine prophecy before its fulfilment, there is quite a degree of uncertainty and ambiguity, and it would be foolish to attempt to come to definite conclusions at this stage. The important point is the way in which the end of the vision points to what would seem to be the world-wide triumph of the Church, a triumph which will be recognised by all, but one which is only gained after much suffering.

The emphasis on the role of Mary, Help of Christians, and the Blessed Sacrament, are also significant especially with regard to the message given at Fatima when Mary promised a period of peace for the world following troubled times, paralleled by the 'great calm' of Don Bosco's dream.

Sources: E. M. Brown, Ed., Dreams, Visions and Prophecies of Don Bosco, (Don Bosco Publications, New Rochelle, 1986); Sexton, Dominic Savio, Schoolboy Saint.

Christ the King, the Social Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ

2008-07-03T11:26:00.002-07:00

The Social Kingship of Christ

From Modernism and its rejection of the social claims of Jesus Christ to relativism and the collapse of Christianity in Europe – Pope Benedict sees the connection. Do the English and Welsh bishops? Their recent decision to abandon three Holy Days of Obligation suggests they are committed to a religious minimalism which makes the fewest possible demands on their declining congregations. Fortunately, the thousands of young folk who annually make the arduous Chartres Pilgrimage as part of the new evangelisation called for by John Paul II think differently. Gino D'Oca introduces the concept of Christ’s Social Kingship and what it means for us today.

“Cujus regni non erit finis” (...of whose kingdom there shall be no end).

We live in an increasingly morally relativist and thus permissive society, one in which all attitudes and lifestyles must be accommodated in the name of liberty, equality and dignity. (However, this ‘dignity’ is false. The foundation of genuine dignity is in fact truth. Through his knowledge of truth man obeys God, and only then can he obtain perfection, the most dignified state possible. If he drifts away from truth, something that is always likely in a climate in which all abominations are tolerated or even embraced, then his ability to obtain perfection is obliterated.) This deluded ‘philosophy’, best termed Modernism, sanctions all the contemporary evils that cry to heaven for vengeance, from capitalist-fuelled materialism to widespread personal immodesty.

Attempting to define Modernism in specific terms is impossible, for error by its very nature is disordered and evolves, in contrast to the timeless and constant qualities of truth. Nonetheless, A. Cavallanti (in Modernismo e Modernisti, Brescia, 1907) describes its core essence as “a morbid state of conscience…that professes manifold ideals, opinions, and tendencies. From time to time these tendencies work out into systems, that are to renew the basis and superstructure of society, politics, philosophy, theology…” The Catholic publicist M. Périn (1815-1905) tells us that the ultimate aim of the modernist is “the ambition to eliminate God from all social life.”

A Modernist mindset

Of course, one need only ask receptive Catholics, even those least doctrinally versed, and they will often respond that this ‘vanquishing of God’ from society is the phenomenon they most strongly associate with our times. Interestingly, Pope St Pius X’s words from 1907 seen even more relevant today: “Modernism leads to atheism and to the annihilation of all religion. The error of Protestantism made the first step on this path; that of Modernism makes the second; atheism makes the next.” (Pascendi Dominici Gregis)

Modernism was born at the French Revolution, since it was then that many of those principles which the Church had rebuked as outrageous, were first unleashed with full force under the motto of “liberty, equality and fraternity”.

How does this slogan manifest itself in reality? Liberty: freedom from any supernatural order, freedom of expression and thought, thus a rejection of Church teachings; equality: a belief that no one religion is true, all are equally valid or invalid; fraternity: the submission to a general consensus that takes into account opinions based solely on these versions of liberty and equality.

Thus the aim of Freemasonry, or those adhering to its principles such as modernists and present-day liberals, was to apply in the social, political and ecclesiastical spheres a rationalist, free-thinking, and subjectivist ideology, eventually resulting in the deification of man, and emancipation from the Church. And therefore it is not surprising that the separation of the Church and state in Catholic lands was the most triumphant accomplishment of those motivated by these masonic ideals.

It was partly in response to the vicious and highly concerted modernist movement, that in 1925 Pope Pius XI published the encyclical Quas Primas to institute a feast to be celebrated by the Universal Church on the last Sunday in October, the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. His Holiness speaks of the usefulness of feasts: “Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God’s teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life” (Quas Primas, § 21). And then specifically of the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King:

The annual and universal celebration of the feast…will draw attention to the evils which anti-clericalism has brought upon society in drawing men away from Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights.’

Our Lord Jesus Christ as King

Christ exercised three principal offices during His time on earth; that of teacher, priest and pastor. As teacher, He sought to free mankind from the slavery of its ignorance that persists to the delight of the master of deception, Satan: “He that committeth sin is from the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John, 3: 8). As priest, Our Lord offered Himself on the cross as a true and proper sacrifice to bring about man’s reconciliation with God: “You are not redeemed with corruptible things…But with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter, 1:18-19). Finally, as pastor, that is lawgiver and judge, He showed mankind the right path to salvation, as Pius XI tells us: “Not only do the gospels tell us that he made laws, but they present him to us in the act of making them. Those who keep them show their love for their Divine Master, and he promises that they shall remain in his love” (Quas Primas, § 14). In our recitation of the Nicene Creed we reaffirm our belief in, and obedience to, the eternal Kingdom over which Christ as king exercises this pastoral office, “of whose Kingdom there shall be no end.”

Devotion to Christ as king has been apparent from apostolic times. In the Old Testament, notably in the psalms, (see also the testimony of the prophet Isaias, IX, 6-7), we read the prophesies of the messianic kingship. Whilst even at the Annunciation the royal dignity of Christ is made explicit by the angel: “And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever” (Luke, 1: 32). Likewise as He enters Jerusalem on an ass, that first Palm Sunday, he is received by the disciples as a king; ‘Blessed be the king who cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, and glory on high’ (Luke, 19: 38). And as His earthy ministry draws to a close, He professes Himself king before Pilate, and stresses the divine nature of His royal office: “My kingdom is not of this world…Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born” (John 18: 36).

In Quas Primas Pius XI provides two reasons why Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly king. The first relates to the hypostatic union, that is the unity of the divine and human natures in the one person of Christ. Through this union He bridges the gap between heaven and earth, a point reiterated by St Augustine: “Lo, thou art far from God, O man, and God is far above man. Between them the God-man placed Himself” (Sermon on the New Testament, LXXXI). Therefore, since Our Lord is God, He is king. However, His empire eclipses all earthly realms formed by man-made constitutions, for He is king of all creation, heaven and earth.

The second reason given is on account of His work of redemption, one which was of course only adequate due to the hypostatic union. By the shedding of His precious blood on Calvary He conquered all souls (1 John 2: 2; 1 Tim. 2: 6 etc). Thus since we were both created and redeemed by Him, we are by right His subjects.

Christ as King in society

A belief in, for want of a less over-used term, a politically correct brand of religious liberty leads men to think that there can and should exist a separation of the Church from any matters of the state. True liberty means the freedom of the soul to seize and adhere to truth. There is nothing at all charitable about telling other religions that they offer another means of salvation. The Holy Ghost does not choose for there to be separated churches and ecclesial communities, it is men that decide such. As St Augustine states regarding separated and heretical Donatists, ‘It [baptism] does not belong to you. That which is yours are your bad sentiments and sacrilegious practices; and that you have the impiety to separate yourselves from us’ (De Baptismo Contra Donatistas). Consequently, only the true Church of Christ, the Roman Church, has the right of say in civil matters. Those who support a politically correct ‘ecumenism’ tend to deny a unity of Church and State because in practice they place all faiths on the same level, and so they declare that no one religion can exert its teachings over another.

Those who deny ecclesiastical authority in civil matters are, to quote St Paul, like the pagans, “a law unto themselves” (Rom. 2: 14-15). And alas it is these men that form our contemporary civil governments, men who dethrone Christ and effectively march under the three-pronged Masonic banner.

One of the worst examples of a civil government having as its foundation a Godless system was the former Soviet Union. And even after its collapse seventeen years ago, the moral degeneration of Russian society continues unabated. The realities of modern Russia are a record abortion rate – five to six per woman; rampant alcoholism; widespread premature death; an AIDS epidemic; terrifying levels of child abuse and prostitution, and ever increasing financial criminality, not to mention crippling poverty.

Pope Pius XI saw the rise of Communism and other regimes of terror, and stressed to the world that Christ alone is the rightful claimant to dominion over our lives, not deluded men:

His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptised persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ…Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society’ (Quas Primas, § 18).

Nowadays, the reality is that believers cannot rely upon civil authorities to uphold satisfactorily the moral law – the present times speak for themselves. Our societies will not be able to continue on this phoney and perilous path which ignores the truth that it is the teaching of Christ alone that is the instrument of world peace and justice; “And all creation being made subject to His dominion He might deliver…a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace” (Preface for the Mass of Christ the King, Traditional Rite).

However, let us not delude ourselves into thinking that all followers of Christ today accept His social kingship. Many Christians are deceived by the subjectivist climate that now prevails, and believe that the Church ought to stay out of political matters, leaving each individual ‘free’ to follow his own code of morality, or even dogma! They ignore the fact that the Church in fulfilling her proper role has from the earliest times had an impact upon every aspect of life, and that faith in its true sense – a complete assent to the revealed truths of God – can only be realised through its being a way of life, or a manner of being in, and thinking about, the world. Evidence of this is the fact that Our Lord did not simply preach moral precepts demanded by God, but actually exercised them. A saint, Pope Pius X, did his utmost to safeguard fallen and weak-willed mankind by exercising the authority of the Church’s Ordinary Magisterium to express doctrinally the fact that a severance of the Church of Christ from civil affairs “is a thesis absolutely false, [and] a most pernicious error…” (Vehementer Nos, 11 February 1906).

Christ as King in our lives

In his encyclical Pius XI also describes how we ought to make Christ king in our own lives. Christ must become king of our thoughts precisely because He is God, and thus truth. In addition not only is He king of our minds, but also of all nature. Consequently, in making Him the king of our will we must also strive to obey the law of God that is inscribed on our hearts, submitting ourselves to His precepts of love and charity. (The author of nature, God, has imprinted and engraved a law into the souls of all His rational creatures permitting them to reject evil and embrace good. See for example Romans, 2: 15.) Evidently the ways of the Kingdom of Christ are not the ways of the world; we call to mind Our Lord’s words when in dialogue with His disciples: “You are not of the world; I chose you out of the world” (John 15: 19).

A rejection of the Social Kingship of Christ by men, including many in the Church, has helped the spirit of atheism to penetrate little by little into all domains. Secularism, which is nothing less than an expression of an atheistic or agnostic belief system, is the order of the day. However we must not forget that to be on Christ’s side means to share with Him in all the opposition and humiliation that He so acceptingly endured: “If we suffer with Him we may also be glorified with Him’ (Rom. 8: 15-17). In defending our stance against modern evils and the insults of the enemies of Christ, we must hold steadfast to the Church’s teachings, which cannot be abstracted from their source, God.

I end with the words of Pius XI, discussing the distressing results of uncrowning Christ:

The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences…we lament them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretence of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin (Quas Primas, § 24).

[Taken from "Mass of Ages" November 2006, The Latin Mass Society's quarterly magazine]

Cardinal Castrillion Satisfied with SSPX answer

2008-07-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

SSPX will give heed to the five points
From the blog of Andrea Tornielli (Vatican correspondent for Il Giornale):

I have learned from secure sources that, contrary to what has appeared in certain articles, the response of the Fraternity [of Saint Pius X - FSSPX/SSPX] to the letter of Cardinal Castrillón has not in fact been negative. The Cardinal is satisfied with it, has responded to Fellay, and has promptly delivered the letter of the Fraternity to Benedict XVI. After the deadline of the end of June, the Lefebvrists [sic] ask for time but - it seems - they will respect the five points.

Our Lady of LaSalette

2008-07-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

"The Church will be in eclipse . . ."

"Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of Anti-Christ. . . "

Our Lady of LaSalette to Melanie Calvat - 1846

Reform of the Reform, Changes to the Mass of Paul VI

2008-07-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ignazio Ingrao, religious correspondent for Italian weekly Panorama, reports the following:

BENEDICT CHANGES THE MASS - THE STUDY OF THE NEW LITURGY ASSIGNED TO THE CONGREGATION FOR WORSHIP

The rite of the Mass could change. According to some indiscretions, Benedict XVI has charged the Congregation for Divine Worship to study some modifications in the liturgy.

In particular, the Pope is said to have the intention to restore Latin for the formula for the Eucharistic consecration within the Mass in the "vernacular language", i.e. the one celebrated in the different national languages. The same could happen to the formulae of Baptism, Confirmation, Confession and of the other sacraments. In addition, the exchange of peace among the faithful during the Mass, which today takes place prior to the distribution of the Eucharist, could be anticipated (as in the Ambrosian rite) to the offertory so as not to disturb the recollection that precedes Communion.

These would be changes which would be added to the changes in the liturgy and regarding sacred vestments which the Pope, together with his Master of Ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini, has made in recent months, to recover ancient traditions: the restoration of the crucifix at the center of the altar, the distribution of Communion to the faithful in the mouth while kneeling, the recovery of the pastoral staff of Pius IX (the ferula), the changing of the style of pallium (the strip of white wool with red crosses worn by the Pope), the restoration of the papal throne used in the Consistory and the celebration of Mass with the back to the assembly, as happened in January in the Sistine Chapel.

Many of the Council Fathers believed that this would be order of the reformed Mass: most parts in the vernacular and the (one and only) Roman Canon kept in Latin. In fact, the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium did not seem to foresee the use of the vernacular during the Canon (cf. SC 36, 2; 54).

[Translation by Gregor Kollmorgen for The New Liturgical Movement./Tip: Papa Ratzinger blog.]

Transapline Redemptorists in Good standing with Rome

2008-07-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

This text is taken from the following link:
http://papastronsay.blogspot.com/2008/07/canonical-good-standing.html

"1 July, 2008
Feast of the Precious Blood

My dear friends,

I am happy to inform you that last June 18th, before Cardinal Castrillon and the members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in Rome, I humbly petitioned the Holy See on my own behalf and on behalf of the monastery council for our priestly suspensions to be lifted.On June 26th I received word that the Holy See had granted our petition. All canonical censures have been lifted.Our community now truly rejoices in undisputed and peaceful posession of Communion with the Holy See because our priests are now in canonical good standing.

We are very grateful to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for issuing, last July, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which called us to come into undisputed and peaceful Communion with him.Now we have that undisputed communion! It is a pearl of great price; a treasure hidden in the field; a sweetness that cannot be imagined by those who have not tasted it or who have not known it, now for many years. Its value cannot be fully expressed in earthly language and therefore we hope that all traditional priests who have not yet done so, will answer Pope Benedict's call to enjoy the grace of peaceful and undisputed communion with him.

Believe us, the price to pay is nothing; even all the angry voices that have shouted against us and calumniated us are as nothing when weighed in the scales against undisputed communion with the Vicar of Christ; others have died for it; what are raucous voices?We publicly thank all those souls who have prayed for us over the last months; some of you have truly stormed heaven for us. You have kept us afloat. We are deeply grateful.

Especially we thank that priest who was unknown to us, until June 16th when he wrote in fraternal support. Where did he come from? Why us? But he told us of the number of Masses, Offices, prayers and sacrifices he had personally said for us; he had also enlisted the prayers of contemplatives and Third Order societies and had a great number of people fervently praying for us with an abundance of prayers. We were amazed! Thank you Father! Thank you also to that brave person who, so kindly wrote to us to say that if he said any more prayers for us he would be floating! What wonderful people! Thank you! Looking to the future, the next stage will be to have our community canonically erected.

So please, dear friends, keep praying for us, there will be many crosses to bear; but they will be yokes sweetened by the grace of these last days.
We assure you all of our very best wishes.

Your devoted servant,
Fr. Michael Mary, C.SS.R.Vicar General"

A CALL TO URGENT PRAYER

2008-06-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Friends,

I call you all to join with me in praying for the will of God to be done, with regard to the ultimatum which Rome has sent to his Exellency Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X.

It is a tense moment for us all, however, adding to the countless prayers which are being offered by the faithful- the perpetual Rosary crusade- we place the entire situation in our Good Mothers Hands.

Pater Noster, fiat voluntuas tua!
Sancte Mariae, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis!

A Lost Heritage - A personal historiography

2008-06-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is a snap of my aunt’s First communion, which she recievied on the feast of Christ the King 1956. The Priest seen distributing the Blessed Sacrament is the late Fr. P. Hogan O.M.I. This is the parish from which our family originally originates. My Grandfather being associated with the Parish for well over 50 years, he and his elder sister- and duly both of his younger siblings, ‘converted’, or as he puts it as due to‘ conviction’ rather for the Catholic faith, from Anglicanism, when he was 19years old in 1954.
Since this time my family has had an intricate history with the parish, up until recently when we decided that the Novus ordo reforms had been taken to the extremes, most especially with the frequent occurrence of what our fellow parishioners deem “charismatic masses” – the night that I decided to leave was during the celebration of one of these masses in which the visiting priest equated the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, to that of his presence sacred scripture. I was the last of my family to receive baptism at the parish, a month following my birth on the 6th March 1987, thankfully by a relatively well minded O.M.I priest, Fr. B. Connelly who celebrated my mother and fathers nuptial mass at the parish on the 1st September 1984.

The original church, as seen above was once deemed to be the “model” parish in the diocese at the time, a title which was understandably deserved, considering the fervor and devotion of the various members of the parish, the period in question could be said to be the heyday of catholic culture in the city of Johannesburg. It is during this period of the 1950’s when such things as the Corpus Christi Procession would take place annually, St. Patrick’s hosting the event due to its close proximity to the Rand Show Grounds, where such ceremonies took place. Also seen in the parishes jurisdiction was the visit of the world renowned Fr. P. Peyton, apostle of the Rosary. I am privileged to say that my grandfather possesses a rosary blessed by him at the time of his visit. Such was the life of catholic people who lived in these Southern Suburbs.

This same ‘catholic culture’ was further enhanced by various other aspects. Firstly, by the large catholic population living in the area and its surrounds, in the early years of the parish its jurisdiction covered all the areas south of Johannesburg; one relates the story of one of its Parish priests, the well known Fr. L. Peron who would ride his bicycle from the parish in La Rochelle to Heidelburg, a town some 50km + away in order to carry out his parochial visits as well as to celebrate Mass for those Catholics resident there. The likes of such zealous priests have yet to be seen!

Those other aspects which influenced the vibrant catholic culture found in these suburbs are seen in the effects of Catholic Schooling in the area. The King Williams Town Dominican sisters established residence in the area since its first settlement in 1906, a small two bed roomed cottage which stood adjacent to the first tin and iron church in 6th Street served as the first ‘ St. Roses’ convent. The church at this time served two purposes, namely during the week as the convent school house and on the weekends and holydays as the parish church. The first priests were supplied by the then Pro- Cathedral in Kerk St. Doornfontein.

The parish grew drastically and soon gave reason for a new church to be built, however in the final attainment of this objective the admirable characteristics of the once ‘model’ parish have been seemingly lost to history. ( to be continued)

INTROIBO AD ALTARE DEI

2008-06-12T12:41:00.001-07:00

Thank God for his Traditional Priests