Blogger, semperfidelis is to undergo a major operation in the next few days. It had been postponed due to her “not being fit for purpose”. She emailed this morning to ask for everyone’s prayers.
Please pray for her.
“Cardinal Lienart is known to us as having been directly involved in the coup d’état on Oct. 13 1962, perpetrated at the initial session of Vatican II, to allow the Rhine countries (aka the liberal alliance) to dominate the run of the Council. This Cardinal asked Canon Descomets to hear his deathbed confession. The moribund Cardinal asked his confessor that his reputation be justly tarnished by making public his true hidden life, and so asked to bypass the seal of confession. But, careful to avoid a Church scandal, careful for his position and the privilege of keeping the old Mass, the Canon preferred to state a plain message:
‘You know, on his death bed, Cardinal Lienart said that, for him, humanly speaking, the Church was lost.’
The Canon also revealed the objectives of the Cardinal and his friends:
The first objective was to produce a rupture with the Mass which, without being truly invalid in its new form, could become so by defect of intention of the celebrant. The objective was easy to reach in that they had planned the dissolution of the priestly studies. Before long, the priests would finally cease to believe in the propitiatory value of the Holy Sacrifice, seeing in it only a ‘memorial’ or a ‘sacred meal.’
The second objective was to produce the rupture of the apostolic succession by modifying the rite of the Episcopal consecration. The power of jurisdiction was to be kept integral so as to keep the Church structure but not so with the power of Orders. So they produced the same maneuver as for the celebration of the Mass. [In fact, latest studies on the rite of the Episcopacy indicate beyond doubt the certain validity of the rite, which existed in the first centuries of the Church) - Ed: i.e. the second objective failed.
The third objective was to obtain the corruption of the entire body of the Bishops. Forced by conformism, by peer pressure, by political pressure, to accomplish acts contrary to their conscience, they would be deprived of God’s grace…their ministry would be sterile before long.
Let us not forget that this satanic plan had been concocted by authentic theologians, who knew exactly the vital strength of the Catholic Church. It is on Oct. 11, 1962 that John XXIII pronounced the opening discourse of the Council. But it was on Oct. 13 that Cardinal Lienart provoked the incident which led the Council into the path of rupture with Tradition. Oct. 13 is obviously the anniversary date of the great miracle of Fatima and of the fall of the sun – rather symbolic!” (Ed: the above extract taken from the bulletin of an SSPX USA church – thanks to Torkay for sending it).
Click here to read more about Vatican II
Now for some news- not unconnected with the above revelations. Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF), led by Stephen Brady, is, or rather was, an American lay group, so militant that they made the Catholic Truth team seem positively tame. Tame and, of course, therefore, likeable. Yip, they were that militant. Unlike Catholic Truth, RCF didn’t wait for information to be handed to them on a plate, they put adverts on their website, for information about this or that bishop; this or that priest… All to uncover the extent of the homosexual lifestyle within the USA Church. It was really thanks to the work of RCF, that much of the child abuse in the States came to light.
Now, however, they’re shutting up shop. Click here to read the letter explaining why, from Stephen Brady. Then click on ‘comments’ to tell us what you think. Has Stephen Brady reached the only possible conclusion for a Catholic living through this crisis in the Church?
N O T I C E S . . .
Click here to visit the one-off topics, Question & Answer thread (4)
(for previous Q & A threads – see archives)
Follow the simple instructions here if you wish to create an avatar, the little picture to go beside your username
Click here to make a prayer request
Click here to read the Jacinta (Betty) thread
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Below is an extract from an article, ironically entitled Call for a return to Faith and spiritual obedience published in today’s Scottish Catholic Observer, penned by the eminently disobedient, Bishop Philip Tartaglia. The SCO has yet to move into the 21st century; they do not publish all articles online (they struggle with sales in parishes, obviously) and so only the introduction to Bishop Tartaglia’s article is published on the SCO website, with an instruction to buy the hard copy if you want to read the rest. Don’t bother. Here’s (most of) the rest…
Bishop Tartaglia in his own – quite shocking – words…
“… Media coverage of the Pope’s visit has chosen to highlight liturgical issues, as if to suggest that preparation for the Pope’s visit will be marred by damaging splits in the Catholic community over the liturgy… The truth is that priests are not breaking down bishops’ doors to ask for training to celebrate Mass in the extraordinary form nor are many of them freely choosing to celebrate Mass in that form, as they might do, if they wished. Chatting to one of my younger priests about this matter, he said to me that he had no inclination to say Mass in the old form, even if he respected it for what it had been to many generations of Catholics. He said that he got his Faith and vocation to the priesthood from his experience of the Mass as it is, and he was happy with that.
It also has to be said that there is little spontaneous demand from Catholics for Mass in the extraordinary form. Such provision as there is, some of it long-standing, centrally located and prime-timed on a Sunday morning, is vastly under-used. Why would bishops put pressure on priests to celebrate a form of Mass they do not want to celebrate and for tiny numbers of the faithful too, when most parishes only have one priest who is fully occupied on Sundays and holy days providing Mass in the ordinary form? It just does not seem to make pastoral sense.
In my experience as a bishop, the case for Mass in the extraordinary form in Scotland is seriously weakened by militant ultra-traditional groupings (Ed: plural? really? Who are they?) who propagate the false doctrine that the Mass in the ordinary form and Mass in the extraordinary form are not one and the same Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and that Mass in the extraordinary form is superior to the ordinary form, which should be suppressed. They explicitly deny the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on ecumenism and on religious freedom. They also frequently and egregiously disrespect the memory of Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, and have the nerve to express huge reservations about the person and ministry of Pope Benedict XVI. What bishop would seriously want this kind of influence around his diocese? What bishop would want one of his priests or one of his parish churches associated with such a group? (Ed: what bishop would not alert his people to such unsavoury groups working within the Church? Who are these “militant, ultra-traditional groups”? I’d like to know to warn my friends in Paisley to have nothing to do with them. It would be, clearly, a charity to name these groups, not to say, an important episcopal duty to protect the faithful.)
These groups sometimes contend that the problems in the Church come from the liturgy and that all will be well if we go back to an earlier form of the liturgy. This is an erroneous and somewhat simplistic analysis. (Ed: phew! That lets us off the hook. We hold to no such simplistic analysis. We know that the restoration of the Mass is but one part of the solution to this terrible Church crisis – see our threads on Professor Groome, re-ordering of sanctuaries, priesthood etc. Phew! For a minute I thought he was having a go at Catholic Truth…)
The problems in the Church today do not come from the liturgy; they come from a lack of Faith and a spirit of disobedience.
And these are the result of hostile philosophical trends which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries, and which came to fruition in the 20th century.
These trends developed while we were celebrating Mass in an older form. Mass in the older form did not cause these trends nor prevent them developing. Similarly, Mass in the newer form did not cause the problems in today’s Church, even if the liturgy has sometimes focused these problems. Mass in whatever form nourishes the Faith of those who participate but may not prevent evil things from undermining the Church. Faith and holiness are the antidotes to the Church’s problems, not a wholesale return to an earlier form of the Mass.
Of course, none of that is to contradict or gainsay the rightness or the wisdom of the Pope’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum in which the Holy Father gives a very generous permission for the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form. And where priests wish to celebrate Mass in that form, they may freely do so both privately and publicly. But, as I read the Pope’s words, permission stops short of promotion.
The Pope’s document places no obligation on bishops to promote Mass in the extraordinary form. Mass in the ordinary form must remain the norm for our liturgies. When he issued his Motu Proprio in July 2007, the Holy Father promised a review after three years. The time for that review must be soon. If it takes place, one of the things I would hope to see clarified is precisely this point about permission, provision and promotion.
In the meantime, I, as a bishop, would certainly not attempt to dissuade one of my priests who on his own initiative chose to introduce that form of the Mass into public worship of his parish. (Ed: that, frankly, I do not believe. Having read Bishop Tartaglia’s letters to two separate, unconnected individuals, telling them, in words of one syllable, what he thinks of the old rite Mass and their request for it in the diocese, I simply do not believe him. Let any Paisley priest come forward and prove me wrong. Give me concrete details of arrangements to learn the TLM and a date for your first TLM – I’ll make a point of attending it myself. I repeat, I do not believe, for a second, that Bishop Tartaglia would not seek to dissuade any priest of his, who wished to offer the TLM on a regular basis, in his parish). But so far none has, and I can see why; they don’t sense any personal spiritual need to do it and they do not recognise any compelling pastoral need to do so. But if that should change, I will be the first to take due cognizance of that fact.
This is not to say that there are no problems with liturgical practice in Scotland, a point well made by some commentators…At the same time, I distance myself from the allegation reported in the media coverage that Mass is commonly celebrated by Scottish priests in a casual or sloppy way. Priests do not routinely deny the Church’s Faith in their homilies. Priests do not routinely set up unworthy liturgies. My experience of priests in my own diocese and elsewhere is that they try to offer worship which is celebrated according to liturgical norms, which is devout, which communicates the mysteries of the Catholic Faith, which is accessible and participative, and which includes the best music they have in their parish resources. In my experience, priests want to bring Christ to their people in the liturgy and in their pastoral activity.The liturgy remains a work-in-progress (emphasis added) but, in the main, priests celebrate it well. That’s why the people are not generally clamouring for something else.
So, when the Pope comes, everyone can be certain that any liturgy that the Holy Father celebrates in Scotland will include the best music, the best ceremonial, and the best liturgical practice that we can manage. But above all, the Pope’s Mass will make the living Christ present o his people.
St Aloysius has organised a special study day on 20th April with the world (in)famous dissenter, Professor Thomas Groome from the Jesuit University, Boston College, U.S.A.
The study day is titled, “To Teach as Jesus Did: Handing on the Faith in the 21st Century”. This day is for priests, teachers and catechists and is being “supported” by the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the Scottish Catholic Education Service, which, we presume, means they’re paying for it using your money. Else, who’s paying for Professor Groome’s flights and accommodation? And the rest?
The cost is £75 so it’s not inexpensive to hand your Faith away – still, the clergy and teachers can afford it.
In the evening Professor Groome will talk in St. Aloysius’ Church at 7.30pm on “What Keeps Us Catholic?”. This lecture is free. At least they’re not charging the rest of us, to rob us of our beloved Catholic Faith. Something, I suppose…
The irony of the title of Professor Groome’s evening lecture will not be lost on those who understand his systematic and very public dissent from many Church teachings. A dissent which you can read about if you click here
As you’ll have noted, in the link above, Archbishop Pell banned Groome’s books from being used in Catholics schools over there in Aussie-land, and forbade their sale in his churches. No such concerns here, though, since Groome’s books, we’re reliably informed, have been on the shelves of our teacher training college in Glasgow for quite some time.
We urge you to write to Archbishop Conti to complain about this misuse of funds, not to mention his abuse of your trust. The buck stops with him. It’s his archdiocese. He has approved this scandal which no doubt includes the use of Church funds to pay for it. We need to probe that (and we will) but there seems little, if any doubt, that “supporting” these scandalous lectures on how to lose the Catholic Faith (or what’s left of it in Glasgow) means that the archdiocese is coughing up the cash.
There are still, incredibly, some parents who send their children to Catholic schools in the expectation that they will be taught the Faith or, minimally, not be given a distorted version of it. To pay for a man to come from the other end of the world to preach heresy and dissent, or to, in any way whatsoever, “support” his efforts, is to quite deliberately betray that trust. Let us be clear. The ridiculous claim that the archbishop probably doesn’t know about Groome’s dissent, just doesn’t stand up to examination – in that case, he’s in the wrong job: it’s his duty to know. Everybody else knows. Nobody else is that ignorant. Thank goodness for “everybody” and “nobody” – don’t know where we’d be without them. Whatever which way you look at it, Archbishop Conti is slap, bang, wollop in the middle of the circle where it says “blame”.
Without delay, please write to:
Archbishop Mario Conti, 40 Newlands Road, Glasgow, G43 2JD
And don’t forget to tell him that you will not put another penny in any collection plate in the archdiocese, until you have his personal assurance that this proposed lecture(s) will not take place. The sheer cheek of it. The brass neck!
A few days ago, I was told that the sanctuary in the parish of St Catherine Laboure in Balornock, Glasgow, where I grew up, was about to be demolished by the current parish priest, Father Angus MacDonald. I checked out the parish website, and, sure enough, in the “Church Projects” section, there was a picture of the proposed new sanctuary. Click here to view
In case you missed it, here’s the text with the picture:
A Possible Vision of the Future? We continue to reflect on the arrangement of the Sanctuary of the Church and on how to make the best use of our gathering place of worship. Please view this treatment and let Father MacDonald know of your opinions.
I wasted no time in letting Father MacDonald know my opinion of this “treatment”. No time at all. He took his time replying, though, and it was an insulting reply. More on that in a moment.
Firstly, I can’t pretend that the sanctuary is perfect right now. It’s not. They removed the high altar years ago, but two key things remain which need to be protected: (1) the Blessed Sacrament in the centre of the sanctuary with a wooden backdrop and hood, with lighting, to highlight the Tabernacle; (2) the marble altar rails. As you can see from the proposed changes, both the backdrop/hood and the altar rails are set to disappear.
Unconfirmed rumour has it that Father MacDonald intends to remove the Tabernacle to a side altar, as he did in St Roch’s (oh yes, he’s got “previous” on this) and the reason the rumour is unconfirmed is because Father MacDonald is playing silly games and not answering my emailed questions. Instead, he replied to my first email by telling me how privileged I was to have St Catherine Laboure parish as part of my “faith story” (whatever that means) and that the people are the salt of the earth, or words to that effect. Calculated insult, I thought, but then, that’s me. To date, no reply to my follow up email.
Well, having failed to obtain answers to my simple questions, I went up there yesterday evening, to the Sunday evening (6.30 pm) Mass and after observing the usual novus ordo debacle, spoke to some parishioners, all of whom were adamant that the Blessed Sacrament would not be consigned to a side altar or side worship space or whatever it’s called. Innocents abroad.
Anyway, it got me thinking. I’d got it into my head that this sort of “re-ordering” was a thing of the past, that the revolutionaries had settled down with their hollow victory. They do have the churches, after all, albeit empty or with congregations easily mistaken for a Senior Citizens’ sing-a-long. But no. Here’s two parishes, within inches of each other (St Roch’s and St Catherine Laboure’s) victims of the “re-ordering” frenzy that is, after all, alive and well. Blow me. And here’s me thinking that, what with earthquakes and recessions, increased unemployment and a pensions crisis, the Archbishop of Glasgow would be warning his priests not to waste money on unnecessary projects. But then I remembered that other unnecessary project – the “refurbishment” of the cathedral, with its accompanying Italian Garden. Sigh.
The dishonesty,though! This proposed vandalism is being sold to the parishioners as a “restoration” – the notice in the bulletin said so and the big box with the words “Vision for the Future” and the website mock-up plastered over it, is billed as the “Restoration Fund” and placed in a prominent position at the front of the Church. None of the parishioners I spoke to realise that what Father MacDonald proposes is bulldozing, destroying, not “restoring”. They trust him. Yet, the fact is that if he wants to restore the sanctuary, he needs to reinstate the high altar – not remove the altar rails. One lady explained that the seating would be semi-circle (when the pews have been removed) because “that is more friendly”. Ridiculous? Did I say so? Don’t put words in my mouth…
If you know of any other churches in Scotland where this kind of ecclesiastical vandalism is being proposed, please let us know – and send photos. I took some photos in St Catherine’s which we hope to publish in the March edition, to highlight the “before” and “after” scenario, but right now the key thing to discuss is what to do now that we are faced with yet another set of perfectly good altar rails being chucked out with the garbage. And that, at exactly the same time that the Pope is making it very clear, by his own example, that he wants the faithful to kneel to receive Communion and to receive Communion on the tongue. This, I put it to you, is wicked. Wicked. Wickedly defiant. It is, in effect, telling the Pope to blankety blank off.
Click here to see some real restoration and then click on ‘comments’ to tell us what you think we can do about this uniquely Catholic crime.
What – if anything – does this destruction of the sanctuary tell us about the faith of the priest? And don’t gimme “judgmentalism, lack of charity” and other such nonsense, for asking the question. A church is a public place and a priest is a public figure. Better that we ask the questions now, than he is faced with them, cold, at his Judgment.
In any case, our first duty of charity is to God Himself; that is, in fact, by definition, what “charity” is – it is the love of God. And St Paul teaches us that if we have faith to move mountains, and knowledge to die for, it is as nothing unless we love God because if we truly love God, we will love – in a right-ordered way – everyone else. Thus, a priest who wishes to rip out the altar rails, to make it virtually impossible for me and others like me, to kneel for Communion, to demonstrate our love for God, to worship Him as Catholics have always worshipped Him – on our knees – begs the question: why?
I’ll be absolutely clear: I cannot believe that any priest involved in ripping out altar rails and demoting the Tabernacle, holds to Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist and Real Presence. I simply cannot square that circle. If you can, tell me how. I’d love to know your secret.
“I would like to ask forgiveness – in my own name and in the name of all of you, venerable and dear brothers in the Episcopate – for everything which, for whatever reason, through whatever human weakness, impatience or negligence, and also through at time partial, one-sided and erroneous application of the directives of the Second Vatican Council, may have caused scandal and disturbance concerning the interpretation of the doctrine and the veneration due to this great Sacrament.”
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Dominicae Cenae, 1980
FAIRFAX, VA – “Not all consumerism is bad. Consumerism is appropriate in the marketplace. It is good to be careful consumers, to exercise the freedom to choose within our budgets and personal tastes, and to protect ourselves from fraudulent or predatory businesses.
Consumerism becomes problematic, however, when we let it permeate the rest of our lives, for example, our approaches to government, Church, and even family. Consumerism corrupts government. Since the 1960s, citizens and politicians alike increasingly view government as a buffet of goods and services. Policy debates devolve into crass arguments about which politician can provide the greatest value for the least taxes. Appeals to the virtues of freedom and self-reliance are lost; civic duty becomes irrelevant.”
Click here to read the entire article
Dan Graham, celebrated American author, has written articles for Catholic Truth – two published, one to come in the March edition and more in the pipeline. Dan’s article comparing the novus ordo with the traditional rite of Mass was easily the single most popular article we’ve ever published and his study of the pre and post-Vatican II rites of the Sacrament of Penance was also a big hit with our readers. Dan’s third article for us is another terrific read and is scheduled for the March edition, so with that teaser, I’ll leave you to click on ‘comments’ with your thoughts on the dangers of consumerism. Do you agree with Dan or not?
“The Vatican is investigating an alleged miracle that could put the wartime pope Pius XII just one step away from canonisation. An unnamed person in Castellammare di Stabia in southern Italy has claimed to have been healed from cancer after praying to Pope Pius.” Click here to read more
A few weeks ago, our Treasurer (Miss McMoneypenny – Betty) was given the tragic news that, following her stroke at the beginning of August 2009, she would never walk again. Her family asked me not to publish this news at the time, as it was “taking some getting used to” – to put it mildly; Betty is still a young fifty-something.
Betty’s husband’s first thought was to take her on pilgrimage to Lourdes. The suggestion was also made, at that time, to pray to Pope Pius XII for a first class miracle – that is, a healing that is undeniably due to God’s intervention, in this case, through the intercession of Pope Pius XII.
The pilgrimage to Lourdes is scheduled to take place in July but there is nothing to stop us all praying – as from this moment – for that first class miracle through the intercession of Pope Pius XII. Let’s do all we can to push forward, the cause for the canonisation of this great Pope. We’ve defended him plenty on this blog so we’re hopeful of a result!
A few minutes ago I spoke with Betty. Still undergoing speech therapy, she was, nevertheless, able to communicate that she is very keen for me to post this thread. So, please, read the linked article on the first alleged miracle obtained by the unnamed person overseas, and then storm that corner of Heaven undoubtedly occupied by Pope Pius XII for a first class – “no question about it” – miracle for Betty/Miss McMoneypenny. Feel free to comment if you wish or to post any prayers or devotions that you think would be of interest or spiritual benefit.
Thank you all.
The Equality Bill, currently passing through the House of Lords, is very serious indeed, says Christian Concern For Our Nation. Listen to barrister, Andrea Williams and then act…
“THE Catholic Church last night vowed to challenge in court any move to legalise assisted suicide, after veteran MSP Margo MacDonald launched her right-to-die bill. The Church has questioned the legality of the proposed law that could introduce suicide clinics to Scotland and see those as young as 16 given the right to decide to have their lives ended.” Click here to read the Scotsman front page news report 22 January.
Why, I wonder, would “The Catholic Church” (in Scotland) suddenly threaten legal action to challenge assisted suicide legislation when, all these years, there’s been no legal threat to the abortion law? After all, people of 16 and over are capable of speaking for themselves, unlike the poor, entirely innocent, babies in the womb. So, why this particular piece of legislation and why now?
Oops! The Scots bishops’ ad limina visit is looming at the beginning of February and there’s a possible papal visit in the pipeline. Call me Msssss McCynical if you will, but I’m not sure this latest episcopal headline is due to any genuine concern for “life” issues. So, that’s double-standard number one.
Then read the report below, which a concerned reader in Edinburgh emailed – as did another concerned (former Anglican) reader in Wales. Seems this news is doing the rounds again (it was mentioned, in passing, on this blog before Christmas). Read the following, incredible report, and be aware of the fact that the Cardinal – and each and every other Scottish bishop – would sooner demolish every vacant church building in the land than hand it over to the Catholic Society of Saint Pius X.
Irony of ironies; the double-standard to beat all double-standards – Cardinal O’Brien is happy to help “traditional” Protestants, but not “traditional” Catholics – i.e. he’ll provide a place for Protestants who wish to resist the “liberals” but not Catholics. Disgraceful. Read the report from the grateful Protestant group below and reflect…
Traditionalist Anglicans in Scotland celebrate Christmas
Traditionalist Anglicans in Scotland are setting up a new community in Edinburgh. This is being made possible because of a generous offer from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh to provide a place of worship for their first service this Christmas Eve.
Canon Len Black, Regional Dean of Forward in Faith Scotland, the organisation which represents orthodox Anglicans world-wide, said, “This move has come about because of the rapid drift of the Scottish Episcopal Church away from the traditional faith, morals and practices of the universal Church.
We are most grateful to Cardinal Keith O’Brien for the generosity he has shown us in making a place of worship available, not just for Christmas but in the months ahead, as we seek to serve those Episcopalians who look to us for spiritual and sacramental support.” “When the Scottish Episcopal Church first decided to ordain women as priests some 15 years ago we were assured of a ‘valued and honoured place’ within the church ‘for all time to come’. That promise has not been honoured and today some of our people even find that they are being told they are no longer welcome in the churches in where they were baptised as infants.
Now we find that the provision we were hoping for from our own Church is being offered to all disaffected Anglicans by the Catholic Church.” “Episcopalians in Scotland have a long and rich history and liturgical tradition and the offer from the Catholic Church to enable us to take this tradition with us is something we and all traditionalists must consider carefully.” Cardinal O’Brien commented, “I am delighted to help provide a place of worship for these Traditionalist Anglicans, taking the lead from Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor Pope John Paul II.”
The first service – a Christmas Vigil Mass – is being held on Thursday 24th December at 7pm in the Chapel of the Convent of Mercy (St Catherine’s), 4 Lauriston Gardens, Tollcross, Edinburgh EH3 9HH – www.forwardinfaith.info/scotland.
Canon Len Black Forward in Faith Scotland Regional Dean
Click on ‘comments’ with your views on both of these issues, which centre, in large part, on the double-standards, confusion, whatever it is, of the Scottish Bishops. I haven’t noticed a lot of pro-abortion-voting Catholic MPs being taken to task, have you? Let alone, that abominable Act being challenged in the courts. There wasn’t so much as a murmur when the Civil Partnerships Bill make its smooth and very merry way through the House. And notice, too, how the Cardinal is careful to use not one, but two Popes to justify his unconscionable action in providing church premises for the Protestant “traditionalists”. I’ve not heard him quoting Pope Benedict on the liturgy, though, have you? Does Cardinal O’Brien really not see the irony in helping Protestants to escape the liberals in their ecclesial communities, while refusing to help Catholics do the same? If you see the irony, the double-standards, tell us, now.