Seeking Advice on "Monastery Gifts"

In giving little gifts at Christmas time I would like to spend my money where it will benefit causes and concerns in which I believe. (I mean, I like Target and all, but I'd rather, say, The Rosary Shrine get what little lucre I have to spend.)

Generally, the recipients are of an age when consumables are best, (either because they are middle aged and have everything they need, or young and living in tight quarters.)

I have given people the Parish Book of Chant and the Adoremus Hymnal in the past, and St John Cantius CDs were found under many a Christmas tree over the past two years.

But this year I'd like to stick with edibles, or other consumables.

So, Mystic Monk Coffee, I know about, and practically having grown up in then nuns' back yard, everyone in my family already is familiar with the treasures of the Dominicans of Summit gift shop.

But not everyone drinks coffee, and you can't give someone soap every year or they'll start to think there's an ulterior motive.

And, this is going to sound odd, but if I am contributing in any way to a religious community, I want to know that they are not, well... whackjobs.

Anyone know about Genesee Abbey? The cakes look wonderful, but does anyone know anything about the monks? Are there practices orthodox and their cakes delish?

.

How about candy?
Anyone care to recommend some good, solid bunch of nuns who make chocolates?

Cartoonist Needed

The investigation of US Catholic religious sisters has inspried me with a wish to draw.

But I can't draw... well, I can draw, pretty well actually, but I can't cartoon, and I think someone needs to do a cartoon, of religious sisters... of a certain age? clad as might be expected, perhaps caught in a moment immediately post-terpsichorean? confronted by a circle of sad, serious, habitted sisters and other Catholic officials with looks of kindly consternation on their faces, speaking the language of the intervention: We love you, and don't want to lose you, you have to get help.

Because that is the real context of these investigations -- family and friends seeing communities with an addiction to secular values, vocations anorexia, spiritual unhealthiness, and wanting, NEEDING to help before its too late.

How very dependant on your point of view your.... well, your point of view is

Today the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus was released by the Vatican.

When the special structure for Anglicans who wished to enjoy full communion with the Church was announced in mid-October, it was made clear that an apostolic constitution, which would, (juridically, I believe,) detail the new structure was undergoing revisions but would be published within the next fews weeks.

So today the document appeared, and why does the religion writer for the Paper of Record think it was published?

The announcement seemed aimed at dampening recent debate about whether in creating a new Anglican rite within the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican had brought in a kind of Trojan horse — married former Anglican clergy — a practice that might someday normalize the acceptance of married Catholic priests.

To WHOM would it seem so?
Only someone so self-centered as to be unable to imagine that the Catholic Church's "aims" could possibly differ from his own.

Yeah, the Pope must have decided to do what he had already announced he would do several weeks ago because of the way I and my colleagues have gotten our knickers in a twist over it all since then, by focusing on what is among the least important aspects of the whole magilla, and, readily available facts to the contrary, insisting we knew the real reason the decision had been made in the first place.
Yeah, that's it.

Go, or don't go if you don't wanna, the Mass is ended, but feel free to stay and make some noise

Today was not a good day for me to read this, a plea, or at least a suggestion that Catholics not hightail it out of church before the postlude.

Really?

I can only dream of having the congregation leave.

The rudeness, the noise level is not to be believed.
And I don't mean to me, (although I feel bad for the choir,) I couldn't care less whether people listen to me play.
I refer to the disrespectful and irreverent demeanor in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, in God's holy tmeple.
The Bow-tied One offers that "it would only take one or two announcements in the homily to make the difference."

Ah, well, first it would take the homilist thinking that respectful silence was a good thing, or at least a better thing than never risking alienating parishioners by admonishing them, however gently.

And he himself would have to be a practitioner.

Once this weekend I was aware of extremely loud laughing and talking, (and by "aware", I mean I could hear and understand every word of the joke being told,) while I finished up, (half a verse of the final hymn and 35 seconds of organ voluntary.)

I went down stairs and whispered to the priest in the vestibule that I though his mic' was still on.
"Yes, probably," he waved me off nonchalantly and continued his conversation.

And that was the quiet Mass, not the one that had me contemplating how suitable the Missa Sousa would be for this bunch.

Letter to the Editor

Part of a letter, from a formerly Anglican priest, that ran in the N Y Times last week:

[The Time] describes Anglicans attracted to Rome as being against women’s and homosexual ordinations.

But this does not describe the real motivation for why priests like me reconcile with the Roman Catholic Church.

The main issue is the fact that the Anglican Church has no consistent doctrinal authority and often acts independently from the historical positions of the universal church.

In light of this, the ordination of women and practicing homosexuals is merely symptomatic of much more fundamental problems

It is so easy to caricature positions with which one disagrees by pretending that the straw that broke the camel's back was the entire load, and sound bite journalism will always go for the glib half-truth.
Nice to have someone who actually made the jump testify to the reasons driving the decision, (even if they aren't the sexy ones the paper wanted to use as the peg on which to hang their story.)

Small Victories

Catholics actually banded together to help acheive something that is actually consistent with Catholicism.

Pelosi, the first woman speaker and an ardent defender of abortion rights, had no choice but to do the unthinkable. To save the health care bill she had to give in to abortion opponents in her party and allow them to propose tight restrictions barring any insurance plan that is purchased with government subsidies from covering abortions.

The restrictions were necessary to win support for the overall bill from abortion opponents who threatened to scuttle the health care overhaul.

The results of that fight, waged heavily over two days, were evident as one liberal Democrat after another denounced the health care plan because of abortion restrictions, even though they were likely to hold their noses in the end and vote for the bill itself....

The fight over abortion foreshadows difficult soul searching in the months ahead as Democratic lawmakers confront deepening divisions among their caucus on issues like abortion rights and gun control.

Through the 1980s, the Democrats struggled over abortion. But by the 1990s, the share of Americans supportive of abortion rights had grown. Democrats lost their majorities for 12 years, leaving the most liberal and pro-abortion rights members in office. As a result it seemed to fade as a public issue. Now, however, Democrats once again have a large and diverse House majority, with more members from conservative-leaning districts where anti-abortion rights groups are active....

The sensitivity around the abortion fight — and the likelihood that it would not disappear from the health care debate — was evident from the start of floor proceedings on the health care bill on Saturday.

And it was part of the drama outside the Capitol as well. Roughly 300 protesters who rallied against the health care bill included a number of anti-abortion demonstrators with large placards showing grisly photos identified as aborted fetuses. Inside the building, House Democratic leaders had hoped to spend the day rallying their members around a historic vote. ...

Instead, Ms. Pelosi found her caucus caught up in the fierce dispute over abortion.

First, Ms. Pelosi met with leaders of the Pro-Choice Caucus, then she huddled with staff members from the bishops conferences, and with Mr. Stupak and two other leading Roman Catholic lawmakers, Representative Mike Doyle, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and Representative Brad Ellsworth, Democrat of Indiana.

The representatives of the nation’s bishops made clear they would fight the bill if there were not restrictions on abortion. In an extraordinary effort over the last 10 days, the bishops conference told priests across the country to talk about the legislation in church, mobilizing parishioners to contact Congress and to pray for the success of anti-abortion amendments.

The bishops sent out information to be “announced at all Masses” and included in parish bulletins, and urged priests and parishioners to tell House members: “Please support the Stupak Amendment that addresses essential pro-life concerns.” They added: “If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed.”

In the end the abortion opponents had the votes, and Ms. Pelosi yielded, allowing Mr. Stupak to offer his amendment.

All God's Children Got "Special Anxieties"

The California bishops passed a resolution affirming... er, thanking... well, maybe supporting...
What does "supporting" mean -- agreeing with? siding with? providing coffee and blankets?
It could mean so many things, it may end up meaning nothing.

The California bishops voted last week to pass a statement of support on behalf of U.S. women religious who are facing a Vatican investigation....

In the letter addressed “Dear Sisters” the cardinal writes:

“We are all aware of the special anxieties which surround our women religious these days,” wrote Mahony, “and I am writing to offer you my prayers of gratitude and my support for all of your members. The bishops of California met last week and passed a statement of support for all of you, and I am pleased to send a copy of that statement to you.”

He praises “the historical presence” of women religious in California beginning back in the 1800s. “I can honestly state that there would not exist our Catholic schools, hospitals, and social service outreach apostolates without you.”

The cardinal goes on to write that women religious in Los Angeles “opened the first hospital, established the first schools, and provided the first social services to those most in need.” He added that our “church’s history of outreach after the example of Jesus Christ and the Gospels would not exist today without your initiatives and creativity.”

Um, yes.

And that relates to what members of those orders as they exist today are doing, exactly how?

I was pretty sure we don't hold people responsible for what their predecessors did, for good or ill.

...then they came for the crucifixes?

I can not, of course, fully understand comprehend the manner in, and the the degree to which Christianity is part of the national psyche of Italy, but the outrage over a European court ruling against crucifixes in Italian schoolrooms seems genuine, principled and possibly useful, if it stirs Europeans Christians to deeper consideration of, and a resolve to strengthen their identity as, a society, a civilization whose roots are Christian.

I feel something of the sort in the American experience of Catholicism. Our nation's birth being so different, its experience of religions has been different, but I don't think it can be argued that while various branches of Christianity had more to do with our founding than secularists would like to admit, the Catholic Church has always been Other.

And the less Other it becomes, the less Catholic it becomes.

Sometimes Catholics have done it to themselves, so eager to kiss the the hindquarters of various goddesses: Prosperity, Political Power, Fame, Popularity...no, no, I'm just like one of you, I don't take orders from a foreign power, I don't let my club membership in the Catholic Club affect my judgement or opinions, I don't need time off on a Thursday to go to Mass, I don't need to forfeit the game on Sunday morning, I don't snap mackerel....

And sometimes it's done to us -- no, you can't say that at graduation, run an adoption agency that way, have a permit for that gathering, expect us to change the date for you, refuse to sell that, ....

I wonder at the locus of the tipping point, exactly when do we notice and protest? (Niemöller would know how to word the answer memorably.)

We so casually allow "superfluities" to be whittled away, picked away, bargained away.

Bit by tiny bit we acquiesce to the removal of what we might once have unquestioningly held to be an essential part of ourselves, but now seems mere ornamentation...

What a surprise, to sit in the chair at the salon, expecting a little trim to update our look, and in place of the hairdresser with his little scissors see the headsman approaching with his axe.

There's a Valid Reason for Attacks Against the OHC & A Church

Archbishop Dolan of New York blogs on the anything-but-even-handed manner in which the New York Times "reports" and opines on Catholicism.
He correctly names the "selective" outrage, and correctly declares that Orthodox Judaism, Islam, historically Black protestant denoms, etc. would never be subjected to such lop-sided scrutiny, and even, at times, such sheer, malicious, meretricious ugliness as the Catholic Church has been.
But there is a reason, Your Excellency.

Good people in search of the truth, and evil people in the employ, (whether they know he's their employer or not,) of the Enemy -- they all have good reason to focus on the Catholic Church.

Catholicism matters.

And it matters in a way that no other belief system does, or can.

All Souls

St John Cantius was packed, overflowing really, for the All Souls Mass, Extraordinary Form..
Fr Regis Barwig (sp?) was a stirring homilist.
He had a lovely point about how death is "passing over" not "passing on", and how in this life, music, (referencing the Mozart Requiem sung and played so well,) being the vehicle that helps us "pass over" into the presence of God.
I was there early, (went to Vespers, which reminds me, there was a marvelous hymn, have to look it up in the Hymnal 1940 tmw,) and shortly before Mass began I found myself surrounded by four or five dozen students from Notre Dame. There were also college groups from Wisconsin, and seminarians from Mundelein. Many large families with tiny but wellish behaved children...
So encouraging.
In the year since my brother died, it had somehow never occurred to me before, but as the Barber Adagio for Strings sounded after Mass, (it was played at my Father's funeral when I was a kid,) it struck me that they, he and my Father, were together.
And I though of a very sentimental poem I had heard recited once, where Christ, when He descends to the dead is greeted by one soul -- "How's Your Mother, Son?"
And I wept uncontrollably.

I'm glad I chose to spend the day as I did, I have great hope.

I wondered, would the Canons Regular, or any other Roman Catholic priests, for that matter, be entitled to celebrate the Anglican Use Rite? (probably not the correct terminology...)

Sadly, I am possessed of neither the equipment nor the skills, did not take, and cannot send, photos to TNLM of the black velvet shrouded catafalque and the orange-gold candles...

"Let us die with Christ, to live with Christ"

From today's Office of Readings:

We see that death is gain, life is loss. Paul says: For me life is Christ, and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body, and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We have a doctor to heal us; let us use the remedy he prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ.

This is from St Ambrose's writings on the death of his brother Satyrus.

The resonance for me is obvious.

Michael, you have my prayers today, if you need them, but if you don't -- intercede for me?

What did you go out to see?

What do you expect?
What are you seeking?
What do you hope to "get out of Mass"?

Bishop Vasa has a solid column on assimilating the coming changes to the Mass by finally assimilating the Mass, the essence of the Mass.

If there is one factor for the laity which will impact on the ease with which changes are accepted or the strength with which they are resisted it is our fundamental understanding of the nature and purpose of the Sacred Liturgy.
The frequency with which comments are heard such as, “I really like Father X’s Mass,” or “I find it very difficult to go to Father Y’s Mass,” or “That Mass did not do anything for me,” or the most common, “I don’t get anything out of the Mass” are all indicators of a certain understanding of the nature and purpose of the Sacred Liturgy.
Underlying these comments, and many more variations thereof, is a certain concept of the liturgy.
The proposed changes present us an opportunity to reflect, even in a significantly self critical way, on our understanding, or misunderstanding, of the meaning and purpose of the Sacred Liturgy.

...“Sunday is the pre-eminent day for the liturgical assembly, when the faithful gather ‘to listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the Passion, Resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks to God who ‘has begotten them again, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’ unto a living hope.’” (CCC, 1167) ...

the reason we gather is to “listen to the Word of God.” There is thus an importance placed on what God gives to us, His Word. We gather to hear it. We also gather to “take part in the Eucharist.” This involves much more than simply being present and receiving Holy Communion. Centrally, it involves “calling to mind the Passion, Resurrection and glory of the Lord Jesus” and giving thanks to God for the salvation which Jesus has won for us.

... it is not only the reader or the servers or the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion who participate in the Mass but rather everyone is able to fulfill the mandate of the council about “full, active and conscious participation.” This is so because an essential part of the “activity” is listening, offering, remembering, rejoicing, thanking. These are all interior actions. Without a doubt the participation also includes responding, singing, standing, kneeling, et cetera but these are to be external manifestations of the fact that we are participating interiorly because simply doing these things is not necessarily the same thing as actively participating. [emphasis added]

“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being.

The people will accept and benefit from the linguistic enrichments of the Liturgy.

If the Bishop Ts and Father Rs and musician Cs and catechist Ps of the world choose to work against that acceptance and those benefits, their dissent will have more impact on themselves than on the People of God as a whole.

Protestant Atheists

I read somewhere that there has been a "debate" or two lately ,(more likely, a "face-off,") between Christians and Professing Atheists, (or do I mean "professional atheists?").
Even devout believers in the former class feel their representatives were bested in the verbal battles, and some have called on the Holy Spirit for the rise of a paladin along the lines of G K Chesterton.

Clearly Father Hunwicke is the man for the job, erudite and posessed of a wit with which you could slice tomatoes, a killer instinct, and a stand-up's contempt for hecklers.

Some have seen in the most vocal of the professional atheists a reflection of the character Sandra Bullock or Reese Witherspoon, (or Doris Day, for that matter,) play(ed) in most of their comedies, that is the adult version of the second-grader who throws rocks at a boy in her class with such energy and persistence, that it is clear the emotion driving it is love.

So, will Richard Dawkins end up in a clinch with Rock Hudson... oops, I mean, the OHCAC by the last reel?

Fr Hunwicke takes a less romantic view:

Dawkins represents all that is most traditionally and quintessentially English. Other cultures have their atheists, but we are the only race, the only culture (if American readers try to horn in on my proud boast by claiming that they do to, I shall delete the comments) that has Protestant atheists.

In 1928, during the Prayer Book Revision Crisis, two Communist MPs, proud Marxists, consistently voted against the Proposed Book. When asked why it was a matter of such concern to atheists whether or not Anglican priests had the Blessed Sacrament reserved upon their Altars, the two replied that they were of course Protestant atheists.

(Stuart specialists will recall also the delightful vignette of Dear Nell leaning out of her carriage and crying to the rioting mob "Peace, Good People: I am the Protestant Whore".)

Because Protestantism is the ultimate, the fall-back superstition of the English; what really lies at the pulsating heart of our national identity. Atheism, like Theism for that matter, is only superficial; something that a Dawkins only wears to go to Church or for Encaenia; the tie you put on when your girl-friend invites you home to meet Daddy.

Deep down, we English couldn't care less whether God exists or not. That's just an arid question for philosophers and intellectuals. Dawkins himself thinks that "the Anglican Church", although it believes in God, is actually rather a nice organisation with "Christ-like compassion" and with a "saintly" Archbishop. No; what we English really hate - and hate with every fibre of our being - is CATHOLICS.

[A footnote in the field of textual criticism, which I am proud to have learned at the feet of the great George Kilpatrick, Dean Ireland Professor in this University: in the superb passage " that disgusting institution, the Roman Catholic Church, is dragging its flowing skirts in the dirt and touting for business like a common pimp", "pimp" is clearly a scribal corruption because pimps, as every feminist knows, are exploitative males, and males do not wear flowing skirts [we clergy do, but as we mince along in our homophobic yet pederastic quest of Altar Boys we always make sure that our soutanes never trail in the mud]. And the traditional topoi of the Scarlet Woman and the Whore of Babylon are clearly echoed here. Clearly one should emend to either "tart" or "whore". Since the passage is faintly archaic in its rhetoric and imagery, I prefer to conjecture "whore". At the very least, critical texts should obelise "pimp".]

I suppose I should have looked up "obelise" BEFORE I posted, but there you have it -- I am a rebel.
I might do something really out there today.
Like squeeze the toothpaste tube from the middle.

Oh yes, I'm bad.

Catholic? or Catholish

There is a piece of music I avoid programming because it attempts to replace a far better piece that is part of the great treasury of Catholic sacred music.

It just occurred to me that one reason the lesser composition may have gained currency is that it differs from the superior original by explicitly not addressing anyone as "saint", or asking for the intercession of "saints", per se; thus it makes itself more acceptable to our separated brethren and sisters.

You know, John and Mary and Thomas, they could just be your neighbors whose prayers you're seeking... and there's no far-fetched claims that some woman is "the Mother of God."

I was curious, was it like so much of the content of our "Catholic" hymnals, not expressive of explicitly Catholic theology precisely because its writers aren't Catholic, don't hold the Catholic Faith, or believe Catholic dogma and doctrine?

(There was a bit of a kerfuffle going on at the CMAA boards, as to whether it was appropriate for a Catholic parish to hire a non-Catholic music director.

How very persnickety! Why, we Catholics don't even insist that non-Catholics not write our sung theology for us!)

Anyway, in a cursory search I found nothing indicating the religious affiliation of the composer of the piece in question, but did find the name of the church for which he works.

It's website indicates that it might not be Catholic, though it is at least Catholish.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for us.

Relics via + Serratelli, and "Reformation Sunday"

As we approach All Saints, (oh, that reminds me, short digression...

I read what I think was a crackpot's rant, about Hallowe'en' candy being "cursed", and it occurred to me, wouldn't it be nice, regardless of your Butterfingers' provenance, if you blessed them, and prayed to God for His blessings on all the little porch monkeys whose teeth you'd be rotting and bellies you'd be discomfitting with it? sprinkle a little holy water or blessed salt on the, after all wrapped, candy? Just a thought...)

you might like to read what Bishop Serratelli, (head of the US CDW,) has to say on the subject of relics.

I can't seem to work the permalinks on the Peterson site, but his four columns on the subject can be accessed from the drop-down menu at the bottom of this page.

A taste:

Three important facts emerged from [the excavation of a tomb thought to be St Paul's.] First, the tomb contained traces of a precious linen cloth, purple in color and laminated with pure gold. This indicates the burial of someone highly esteemed and venerated. Second, the fragments of bones belonged to someone who lived in the first century. Third, the Basilica in honor of St. Paul was deliberately built over this tomb to which pilgrims have been coming from the beginning of the Christian era. This was no ordinary grave....

[Pope Benedict commented that] “an authentic scientific analysis seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul.”...

In the first century, Christians gave special respect to the tombs of martyrs. They adorned their graves with decorations to distinguish them from those of the other dead. On the anniversaries of their death, they would double the customary use of lamps near the tombs. They would also write inscriptions asking for the intercession of the martyr near the place of burial. Over the tombs of the more famous martyrs such as St. Peter and St. Paul, they built basilicas to mark the place of burial and to serve as a place of prayer. (cf. Paolinus Nolanus, Carmen 26 vv. 387-388; Prudentius, Peristephan. Hymn XI, vv. 195-210). In this way, both the resting place of the saints and their mortal remains were honored and treasured.

The tradition of respecting the remains of the saints is clearly witnessed at the very death of St. Polycarp (69 A.D.-155 A.D.). St. Polycarp was one of the immediate disciples of the Apostles.

[When he was martyred] the Christians gathered up his bones for burial. In a letter from the Church of Smyrna to the Church of Philomelium, the Smyrnaeans wrote, “We took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy, and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.”

From the first century until the 16th century, Christians continued this attitude of respecting the remains of the saints....

Hmmmm, the 16th century, the 16th century.... what, shall we say, disrupted or sought to disrupt the practice, d'you suppose?

Respect for the relics of the saints is one of the unbroken traditions that Catholics share with the Orthodox. ...
In Luther’s day, the castle church of Wittenberg boasted of many relics. On certain days, pilgrims would come to the church to ask for the intercession of the saints whose relics were placed on display. Great numbers would crowd the church as the feast of All Saints approached. No doubt, Luther made use of this ready audience when he posted his ninety-five propositions on the church’s door in 1517.

Luther was not favorable to the place of the saints in the life of the faithful. He spoke against the very idea of the intercession of the saints...

Theologians and pastors within the Catholic tradition have always recognized that misguided piety could lead to abuses in the use of relics. One of the most famous diatribes against the false use of relics came not from one the Reformers but from the Benedictine historian and theologian Guibert of Nogent (1055–1124). In his work De pignoribus sanctorum (On Saints and their Relics), he called for a close oversight of the use of relics. Nonetheless, he accepted their place within popular piety.

I wish the Bishop had expanded his theme a little more, and dealt more explicitly with how the veneration of relics relates to the Theology of the Body.

Anyway, these columns reminded me that I thoroughly agree with a certain CATHOLIC publication, that in giving liturgical advice suggested we find a way to celebrate Reformation Sunday.
I think we should do so by venerating the relics of the Saints.

p.s. Interesting that His Excellency mentions Lt. Col. George Custer and the other soldiers killed at Little Bighorn -- I once read an article, (in Smithsonian, IIRC,) that wrote of how the corpses at the battle were all mutilated, except for the body of one extraordinarily handsome (there was a photo, this was by anyone's standards,) Catholic officer, who bore the emblem of a papal knighthood.
It seems that some sort of mojo, whether that of Catholicism or that of physical beauty, was respected by the victors.

Verdi's Mass

Although his monumental Requiem is most well known of course,, Verdi wrote other Masses.

h/t to the Shrine of the Holy Whapping

I'm assuming it would have the following plot:

The Priest is a hunchback who mentors the subdeacon, a seminarian, with a shady past and unknown origins. We discover all this by the Kyrie. The graduale is the hit chant "La Nonna Immobile" [in honor of a particularly ferociously stolid Italian churchlady, no doubt. --MGA] By the time we get to the Credo we learn that the subdeacon is actually the schola director in disguise, as the two happen to be identical twins. Confusion ensues, but is merrily resolved. At the Sanctus we discover that the priest and the deacon were switched at ordination (Two hunchbacks--Take that, Rigoletto!), and a fight breaks out at the first step (see Fortescue, p. 47 for the staging of said fight). By the Agnus Dei the deacon has killed the priest (thurible fight!), and repeats the prayer of consecration to make the Mass valid. While he says the prayers, the subdeacon and schola director join in in perfect counterpoint. The people receive communion and the Mass concludes with "Ah! Ah! La Benedictio-oh-ne!" The sacred ministers recess.

And it's all staged by Zeffirelli, with costumes by Wippel. Like the Mass will be in heaven.

Me, I think Mass in heaven has vestments by Vionnet, (who is surely there?)

A bias-cut chasuble, gothic or baroque, would just hang so beautifully...

Pssst.... Credo in...

When I was planning our wedding, and hanging out a bit on wedding planning blogs and boards, one of my (numerous.... and you thought I didn't like animals!) betes noires was a fad, (happily short-lived,) of celebrants insisting the couple memorize their vows.

I suggested young people so beset tell the priest they'd try to do it if he would also commit to say the entire Mass without a Missal.

It was just a stupid idea.

We were professional actors yet neither Himself nor I would have dreamt of such a thing. With the nerves and heightened distractions of a wedding day, why give yourself the additional worry? especially since memorizing something to say in public is torture for the average person.

In fact, the prosepct of even reading in public alarms many, many people.

The ritual would not suffer one whit for being read, or, if need be, prompted silently by the one officiating.

In a funny synchronicity, the NY Times has run an article on the scandal or necessity, (depending on your point of view,) of mnemonic cheats and prompters in the theater, only a few days before The New Liturgical Movement informs us of the availability of "altar cards" for the Ordinary Form.

I had never thought much about them, before I knew that there were such things as canon laws and liturgical legislation about Missals, upon seeing such relics of the old Mass I assumed they were a substitute for a large, heavy, expensive book; or perhaps in larger print than the book which might be read from in the perfect world where we all have perfect eyesight.

It seems from the comment box, though, that some object to the use of these cards, at least in the OF, as being a violation of the rubrics.

But since the Vatican Press itself offers an altar card for the Novus Ordo, I think we can say that in some instances the cards are, in effect, the "Missal" that is among the items that "may be placed on the mensa of the altar."

I know in my parish there are pick-a-little-talk-a-little moments from time to time over the use of looseleaf notebook or, horrors! single sheets of paper at the ambo.
Often these are ostentatiously drawn from a groom's man's pocket, or laborioulsy unfolded and smoothed after being clutched in a second-grader's grimy hands.

But people unused to serving in liturgical ministries need to practice, and often write notes, pronunciations, or accent marks in the actual text from which they will proclaim, and surely we don't want them taking red crayons to the itcostsHOWmuch lectionary.

And that's not even getting into what the psalmist needs to be looking at to proclaim his assignment from scripture.... but I digress.

Since it seems that altar cards are indeed "permitted" in the Ordinary Form, my question is, can they be made by anyone?
Are they like the liturgical books, and ought to be produced only by publishing concerns with some sort of explicit commission, or at least permission, from TPTB?

It seems to me that creating altar cards would be a worthy project for an artist, and a wonderful gift, especially for a priest whose eye sight was ... well, doing what all our eyesight does.

Of course, the multiple Eucharistic Prayers, choices of acclamation, etc -- those could be an issue.

In the Era of Bad Liturgy and Bad Liturgical Art from which we are emerging such a suggestion would have been dangerous -- would we really have wanted the people responsible for tie-dyed vestments and bus station-worthy altar furniture to have been turned loose on altar cards?

But I believe object of great beauty might be made now -- I would love to commission a Daniel Mitsui, or a Matthew Alderman to design Altar Cards. (Yeah, when I win the lottery...)

Ooooh, but now that I think of it, though, what would prevent those with a ... well, let's say, "Hello Kitty aesthetic" from attempting the same endeavor?

Remembering those Precious Moments figurines, (I won't tell you where, even those with execrable taste are entitled to their good names, and that goes double for holy religious, I suppose,) I now see my idea needs a little more deliberation.

Incidentally, the reason for the title of this post? A priest I know, at his first Mass told the deacon to be sure to hand him a missallette at the presider's chair, so that he could read the Creed, he didn't trust his memory on a day so fraught with emotion.
He should have just asked for a whispered prompt -- when the moment came, missallette in hand but so filled with confidence that he felt no need to glance down at it, he boomed out, "I confess to Almighty God, and to you...."

Whither Bishops' Conference's Committees?

The USCCB will vote on new committee heads come their November General Assembly in Baltimore.

The following bishops were nominated for these positions....

2. The Committee on Divine Worship
Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

I think Bishop Serratelli has been doing a bang-up job.

Anyone know anything of + Aymond's liturgical predilections, proclivities and preferences?

Not to mention what he actually DOES?

Catholicism, Witchcraft, and Those Mean Ol' Colonizers

A piece in our diocesan paper, (originally from CNS, the de facto journal of the USCCB,) has an interesting take on the sometimes uneasy co-existence in Mexico of the Church and spell-peddling brujos.

[An anthropologist and archaeologist from Loyola informs us that,] "In many ways the Catholic Church is in competition with the brujos." ...

While [a local priest] acknowledges that pre-Hispanic and Catholic beliefs are intertwined in the area, [the Loyola guy] suggests the phenomenon is just a continuation of the Spanish conquest that began centuries ago. [emphasis added]

"It's in some ways an uncomfortable juxtaposition, and that juxtaposition has been simply played out since the Spaniards arrived," he said.

I confess to Almighty God, and you, my brothers and sisters, that this woman I know about has sinned, through her fault, In what she has done....

Why would priests or lay people be asking how they can get in on the Investigation of Women Religious, where can they go to officially register a complaint or provide evidence?

Like Mother Mary Clare isn't going to be swamped enough....

She has her work cut out for her in this In-- you know, those ag'in' it, are sniping that the Investigation is really an Inquisition.
I'd suggest it's more of an Intervention.

You know, for those in need of spiritual and ecclesiolgical Rehab.

Saving them from themselves, all those Sister Lindseys, and Sister Amys, and Sister Mackenzies...