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One for the Brick by Brick file.I had a note from a friend in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, where the great Bishop Robert Finn presides.At St. Andrew the Apostle on the north side of KC, Fr. Vince Rogers has installed a new brand new Communion rail!My friend wrote: He has installed altar rails in most of not all of the parishes in which he has served over the past 15-20 years.He noted in his homily this morning, “So, why do I do this everywhere I go? It started when I was a seminarian at the NAC. Mother Teresa...

Because, he says, unrepentant public sinners could slip in among the faithful, and he does not want to back up their hypocrisy. The case of Catholic politicians who support abortion. ROME, May 9, 2013 – There is one particular in the Masses celebrated by Pope Francis that raises questions that have so far gone unanswered. At the moment of communion, pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio does not administer it himself, but allows others to give the consecrated host to the faithful. He sits down and waits for the distribution of the sacrament to be completed. The exceptions are very few. At...

I generally like one question at a time, but this was so… bizzare that it needs more attention.From a reader: This weekend, Father was having a series of talks during his Masses which spanned about fifteen minutes, and so he was late for one at another Church.The parish sister started the Mass with the full (including greeting) introductory rites and Liturgy of the Word.Father arrived at the offertory and then Mass continued as normal.This is a common, though not weekly, practice. [?!?]1) Is it still Mass?2) Does it satisfy the obligation of the faithful (and myself) to attend Sunday Mass?3) Is...

Vatican may prohibit female alter (sic) service By Michaels, Amanda Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2003Updated: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 11:09   Only nine years after the Vatican gave women permission to serve beside their male counterparts at the altar, a new proposal threatens to force them back into the crowd. On Sept. 23, the Italian Catholic monthly, "Jesus," released advanced text of an article featuring excerpts from a draft document, or directive, written by the Vatican congregations for Divine Worship and the Sacraments and for the Doctrine of the Faith. Distributed on June 5, the document was an expansion on the papal...

Dear Editor. I know and appreciate Sen. Tim Johnson’s position on guns and the Second Amendment. I would ask him to ask the progressive liberals he is in contact with who are antigun and anti second amendment why is it the progressive liberals acquire guns, then kill [movie goers] and children in schools'? Why are no conservative NRA members involved in mass shootings? Ft Hood Shooter: Reg­istered Democrat and Muslim. Columbine Shooters: Too young to vote … both families were Registered Democrats and progressive liberals. Virginia Tech shooter: Wrote hate mail to President Bush and to his staff. Registered Democrat....

>There have been some rumblings amongst traditionalist Catholics that Pope Francis is going to turn out to be a liturgical liberal. Apparently a few extremists are worried that Pope Benedict’s encouragement of the Latin Mass and his bringing back some of the older styles of clerical dress and papal customs are going to be thrown out in favor of happy clappy masses, clowns, balloons and big puppets.Everyone should stop and take a deep breath and get a sense of priorities. I am myself, on the more traditionalist side of the liturgy wars. I dislike anodyne, sentimental church music, a game...

Featured Term (selected at random):LATIN Originally the Italic dialect of ancient Rome. It was the ordinary language of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ, and Latin translations of the Bible were made as early as the second century. The liturgy was also celebrated in Latin (along with Coptic, Greek, and Ethiopic) since apostolic times. Latin gradually became the official language of the Western Church, and from the time of Tertullian (c. 160-c. 220) was used extensively in theological writing. A historic change took place at the Second Vatican Council, which declared that "the use of the Latin language...

Featured Term (selected at random):ALTAR CARDS Printed or manuscript cards placed on the altar and facing the priest during Mass. They were to help the memory of the celebrant when it was inconvenient to use the Missal. Three cards, center and two sides, were commonly used, though only one was prescribed. Still in use in some places, they are no longer required by the rubrics. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

L.A. Catholic's latest post on a The Tidings article reports on the "Missa Gaia"The print edition of the October 27 issue of The Tidings (the online edition is not posted on that paper's site, but you can click on this post's title tomorrow and presumably it will be) carries an article, "LMU Forum draws prominent environmentalists."The article is about this year's Bellarmine Forum, Oct. 29-Nov. 3, at Loyola Marymount U. in L.A. The theme is, "Earth to You: Do Something Now." The invitees include Bobby Kennedy Jr., Jean-Michel Cousteau and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard.St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), for whom the...

Featured Term (selected at random):RUBRICS Originally red titles of law announcements. They are the directive precepts or liturgical provisions found in the Missal, including the Sacramentary and lectionary, and in the ritual, to guide bishops, priests, or deacons in the Eucharistic liturgy, the administration of sacraments and sacramentals, and the preaching of the Word of God. Rubrics are printed in red and are either obligatory or merely directive, as the context makes amply clear. (Etym. Latin rubrica, red earth; title of law written in red; hence law instruction.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic...

Some decades ago the argument from authority was often invoked as we answered some question about the faith. It was often considered sufficient merely invoke the existence of a rule. And thus, to my nagging question, “Why should I have to go to mass?� my parents would often answer, “Because it’s a rule!� Other variations of the answer would be, “Because the Church says so,� or, “Because it’s in the Ten Commandments.�Never mind that there might actually be reasons that there was a rule, or a commandment. It was considered enough in those old days simply to say, “It is...

Occupy LA Sues Over Mass DetentionsA lawsuit was filed by Occupy protesters whose demonstration at City Hall last year was broken up by police By Jason Kandel | Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 | Updated 9:02 PM PST Occupy Los Angeles demonstrators are suing the city for what they said was an unlawful “shock and awe” attack on their civil rights when 1,400 police officers swept nearly 300 demonstrators from City Hall grounds more than a year ago. **SNIP** Five people are suing in a class action lawsuit that represents 292 people detained by officers in the raid. Court documents said...

NEW YORK MILLS, N.Y. (WKTV) - Abraham Dickan, 79, of Utica, was angry with the employees at AT&T in New York Mills - anger that he had shown them many times before, but never in the way he did on Thursday, May 27. Shortly before 1 p.m. on that Thursday afternoon, Dickan walked into the cellular phone store on Commercial Drive, with a .357 magnum in his hand, and a list in his pocket containing the six names of the AT&T store employees to which he was holding such deep anger, and planned to kill as a result. "The suspect...

If we do not get anything out of the Mass or very little because we are blocking the benefits or Divine Grace by our head and our heart. BLOCKING WITH OUR HEAD: We block ourselves from receiving Grace derived from the Holy Mass due to our head. Some main reasons: we get distracted or preoccupied; we find fault in priestly celebrant, crying babies, Mass order, readings, and other people talking or disrespectful in Mass, and so on; we do not know the details of the Mass and their implications; we do not know why we celebrate Mass; we cannot hear...

BROOKFIELD, Wis. – Deputies in Wisconsin are responding to reports of a shooting near a major mall in suburban Milwaukee. WISN-TV reports a mass shooting has taken place near the Brookfield Square Mall. A spokeswoman for a local hospital says it has received four patients from the shooting, none critical, and expects three more. A woman who answered the phone at the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department on Sunday told The Associated Press that deputies are looking for an active shooter.

“The white man was a good shot and the bullet from his Winchester passed through the body of Yaholar.” This simple sentence, describing Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren’s great-grandfather, John Crawford, may finally put a bullet not simply in the long dead corpse of Native American Louis Yaholar, but also of Warren’s supposed family mythology. It comes from a turn-of-the-20th-century news story uncovered by William Jacobi at Legal Insurrection, who explains the genealogical connection between this random incident of White-on-Native-American violence and Warren’s campaign: // But, while Warren thinks she has found a safe place in her family lore,...

The Cult to Stop Gun Rights Violence (CSGV) is all giddy this morning by an article in Mother Jones regarding mass shootings. Note that they are very specific about mass shootings instead of mass killings because it would derail their whole argument. It is the typical drivel we are used to read from such rags, but what really ticked me was More broadly, attempts by armed civilians to stop shooting rampages are rare—and successful ones even rarer. And one wonders why is that civilian attempts to stop mass shooters are rare. Maybe because Mass shootings are also rare? And because...

Bioterrorism and All Hazards Emergency Preparedness Illinois 9/14/2012 Region VII Hazards Emergency Preparedness Committee Presents In The Midst of Chaos Printable brochure http://www.regionviiems.com/forms/Midst%20of%20Chaos%20Flyer.pdf

Featured Term (selected at random):MISSALE ROMANUM Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI promulgating the new Roman Missal. The most significant features of this new missal are the addition of three new canons for the Mass, and the modification of the ritual. However, in each canon the Pope decreed that there be the same formula of consecration as follows: "We want the words to be pronounced thus: over the bread, "Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes; Hoc est enim corpus meum, quod pro vobis tradetur'; and over the chalice, 'Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et aeterni testamenti, qui pro...

Lately, the music director at our church has been “tickling the ivories� during the Consecration. While at the piano, in the front of church (naturally), he has been playing tunes, based on hymms for sure, on the piano during the entire Consecration (with a well timed pause during the elevation). It’s not irreverent, but it does sound like “lounge music“. [As the non-liturgical instrument, the piano, nearly always does.] I find it annoying, and keep wondering when Tony Bennett comes on stage (I’m kidding, of course). [Put a brandy snifter with a dollar bill on the piano next time...

Scientists at Cern will announce that the elusive Higgs boson 'God Particle' has been found at a press conference next week, it is believed. Five leading theoretical physicists have been invited to the event on Wednesday - sparking speculation that the particle has been discovered. Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider are expected to say they are 99.99 per cent certain it has been found - which is known as 'four sigma' level.

Election 2012: The truth is catching up with Elizabeth "Speaks With Forked Tongue" Warren, the lily-white Harvard leftist who falsely ID'd herself as a Cherokee "woman of color." Teepee Of Lies Professor Paleface's tall tale is crumbling, as the Washington Post and other national media weigh in at last on the mushrooming scandal. Warren is the Democrat running against GOP Sen. Scott Brown to take back Ted Kennedy's old seat. A close Obama aide, she opened his Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, while portraying herself as a straight-shooting populist. Her dissembling over the past five weeks, when the racial-preference scandal first...

They sue a Green Party politician for his statements about Bishop Williamson and their attitude to Islam

CARLISLE -- Looking to hit the spot with a savory ice cream at Great Brook Farm State Park this week? You may be out of luck. The park's popular ice-cream stand was unexpectedly shut down by state officials over the weekend, after the stand's operator made building improvements at the site without getting permission first. Mark Duffy, who has operated the dairy farm at the state-owned park for 26 years and has a lease with the state to run the stand, said armed Environmental Police officers showed up at stand on Friday evening and stood guard throughout the weekend, turning...

Sorry for the vanity, but I would very much like some advice. My daughter, her fiance, and I went down and talked to the cathedral's music director about the music for her wedding. We chose what we all think are some very nice pieces, and I made sure to confirm that no...less preferred music...would be snuck in. We received an e-mail from him today listing the music we had chosen, but calling for the Mystery of Faith -- “We Proclaim” -- and the Amen to come from the Heritage Mass, which is, the best I was able to confirm, put...

Vatican City, Apr 15, 2012 / 04:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Holy Mass is more than a historical re-enactment, Pope Benedict XVI said on April 15, Divine Mercy Sunday. “Christian worship is not just a commemoration of past events, or even a particular mystical, interior experience, but essentially an encounter with the Risen Lord,” he told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square prior to the midday recitation of the Regina Coeli prayer. For while Christ now “lives in the dimension of God, beyond space and time” he is still truly present in the midst of his creation as “he speaks to us...

Sunday Mass Readings of Fourth Sunday of Lent: http://new.usccb.org/bible/readings/031812-fourth-sunday-of-lent.cfm Dearest Lord: Your royal instrument said, “Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up (to rebuild Jerusalem) , and may his God be with him!" Oh, we were born in iniquities, our nature, which was once pristine, is now defiled with infidelity upon infidelity. It is perpetually true that the loss of charity and sanctifying beauty of our soul always come from infidelity, the refusal to worship the Lord our God. You have given so much grace and strong foundation, the Church, to guide...

Many Crisis readers are concerned at the reports that have begun to emerge regarding Fr. Marcel Guarnizo's denial of Communion to the alleged lesbian Barbara Johnson and the subsequent loss of his priestly faculties upon the authority of Cardinal Wuerl and communicated through a letter by Bishop Knestout, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.. Crisis has been granted permission by Fr. Marcel Guarnizo to publish his account of the event in the hopes that this may help Catholics discern with charity what has happened. Fr. Marcel Guarnizo's Statement of March 14, 2012:I would like to begin by...

An ordinary Sunday morning. No parish assignment, no preaching. So I decide to go to a church that celebrates the Latin Mass every Sunday at 11 AM. I knew it would be in Latin, but I wasn’t sure if it would be the old Tridentine or new post-Vatican II Latin Mass. Clearly it was Tridentine! One reason to attend was to see if I could feel comfortable being the main celebration of the Latin Mass. The church was half-filled, older men and women, some families with children, and a number of people in their 30’s who followed with their missals....

A Novena of Latin Masses will be offered by the contemplative branch of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate at their Ritiro Mariano Friary in Amandola, Italy. The intention of the Novena is for THE SANCTIFICATION OF ALL FAMILIES (or persons) enrolled in the Novena. The nine Masses will begin at the Easter Vigil Mass on April 7th and will conclude on Divine Mercy Sunday April 15th...

Featured Term (selected at random):GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY An ancient liturgical book, written sometime between the sixth and eighth centuries, but ascribed to Pope Gelasius I (reigned 492-96). It is the oldest known Roman Missal with the feasts arranged according to the ecclesiastical year, and certainly of pre-Gregorian origin. It contains the Roman Canon in practically its present form. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Q: My parish has a beautiful crucifix mounted on the wall behind the altar that has been a great aid in my prayer life. Unfortunately, I must pray without this aid during the seasons of Christmas and of Easter, as during these seasons the crucifix is completely covered. During Christmas, a star is placed above the crucifix with a tail that hangs down to completely cover it. Likewise, during Easter, a banner of the Risen Christ is hung over the crucifix so that it is hidden from view. I realize that "a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon...

 Revealing overlooked Roman Missal changes The new Roman Missal has dropped three eucharistic prayers and added one. Why? And an introduction By Barry Hudock - OSV Newsweekly, 12/11/2011 W.P. Wittman photo In all the hoopla leading up to the implementation of the new edition of the Roman Missal in the United States, most of the attention has focused on the new principles used to translate its contents from the original Latin to English. Though questions about “dynamic equivalence” or “formal equivalence” are important and interesting, other changes — arguably more important ones — have barely been mentioned. Here’s one: There’s a...

Coming up to one month after the introduction of the 3rd Roman Catholic Missal in English, despite all the resistance and misgivings about the changes in the English words to be much more closer to the original Latin language did not become a reality. Rather than an overblown resistance, the response has been very much welcoming, including from this Catholic.

Blessed Pope John XXIII, in the Apostolic Constitution Veterum Sapientia of 1962, strongly mandated the study and use of Latin in ecclesiastical studies, theology, the Liturgy, and as a prerequisite for priestly formation. This February, there is to be an International Convention in Rome to mark the 50th anniversary of Veterum Sapientia. I can't help thinking that after 50 years we are perhaps finally prepared to take the document of the Blessed Pope seriously. Here is one passage from the standard translation that you can find in various places on the internet: Of its very nature Latin is most suitable for promoting...

5. Midnight Mass is at midnight. One of the hoariest Catholic jokes — “What time is midnight Mass?” — is no longer so funny. Midnight Mass, traditionally the first celebration of the Christmas liturgy, is also when Saint Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus is read aloud. Recently, however, many churches have moved up their celebrations — first to 10 p.m., then to 8 p.m., and now as early as 4 p.m. Why? For one thing, churches are packed on Christmas Day. Second, the elderly and families with children may find it easier to attend services on the 24th,...

The Tradition of Midnight Mass   The History of Midnight Mass Throughout the years, Midnight Mass has been a popular Christmas Mass choice for many Catholics. But how did the tradition of this Mass begin?In the early history of the Church, vigils were held before every feast for the purpose of preparing for the feast itself. Mass would be held in the evening, followed by a period of prayer and contemplation. Solemn services were then held the next morning. As more feasts arose, the number of vigils kept was decreased. In the current Roman Calendar, there are six Masses...

Featured Term (selected at random):MASS The Sacrifice of the Eucharist as the central act of worship of the Catholic Church. The "Mass" is a late form of missio (sending), from which the faithful are sent to put into practice what they have learned and use the graces they have received in the Eucharistic liturgy. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "The same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, is present and offered in an unbloody manner." Consequently, the Mass is a truly propitiatory sacrifice,...

Missing the Missal’s Mass of Potential December 16th, 2011 by Louie VerrecchioAfter years of discussion, preparation and anticipation, the new English translation of the Roman Missal – Third Edition was officially implemented in the United States on November 27. The “reviews” are now starting to show up in newspapers, blogs, and other media. As I read them, it seems as though most of the “people in the pews” are either positive about the new text, or they are at the very least willing to approach the changes as an opportunity for spiritual growth.Some media outlets, however, are doing their level...

ROME, DEC. 13, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.Q: In the new translation of Mass according to the English-language Roman Missal, I find myself wondering about a certain lack of specificity in the Confiteor. The missal indicates that those reciting the prayer are to strike their breast at the point where they say, "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." I am old enough to remember the threefold striking of the breast in pre-Conciliar days, but wonder if this practice has been maintained elsewhere in the...

From Our Store: Essays in Apologetics, Volume I (eBook) What is finally emerging as the sticking point between the Vatican and the Society of Saint Pius X is the question of the assent owed to the Second Vatican Council. This is now the subject of an important essay in L’Osservatore Romano by one of the key negotiators for the Vatican, the vicar general of Opus Dei, Msgr. Fernando Ocariz. Note that there is a link to the full text at the end of our news story, which itself includes substantial quotations.I hate to say I told you so, but Msgr. Ocariz...

The White House has released this statement on Barney Frank's retirement from President Obama, who has been meeting with European Union leaders since around noon: "This country has never had a Congressman like Barney Frank, and the House of Representatives will not be the same without him. For over 30 years, Barney has been a fierce advocate for the people of Massachusetts and Americans everywhere who needed a voice. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of families and businesses and helped make housing more affordable. He has stood up for the rights of LGBT Americans and fought to end discrimination...

Third Edition of the Roman Missal - Credit: Mazur Rome, Italy, Nov 26, 2011 / 07:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As English-speaking Catholic parishes begin using the new translation of the Mass on the first Sunday of Advent, leading members of the hierarchy are predicting great gains for the Church.“I have a feeling that this will be a great moment for deepening people’s liturgical piety and liturgical spirituality,” said Cardinal Raymond Burke, a member of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship, in comments to CNA.“The prayers are much more beautiful and they carry with them a staying power,” observed Cardinal...

Parody videos satirize Warren’s polarizing traits in Mass. Senate race By Josh Lederman - 11/26/11 09:58 AM ET The “fake Elizabeth Warren” has a challenge for the real Elizabeth Warren: Embrace campaign finance reform. What started as a low-budget endeavor by a group of comedians to parody a campaign video has spread across the Internet and become the comic, exaggerated embodiment of everything liberals love and conservatives detest about this high-flying Senate candidate. Now, its creators are using their newfound platform to goad Warren’s campaign into prioritizing a political issue they care about. There was no foretelling that the videos...

Catholics across the nation may find themselves a little confused Sunday when the church begins to use a revised Mass. “I’ll be with everyone else next week (Nov. 27) – I’ll have to relearn the prayers, while this week I already know them,” Jeff Morrow said with a laugh, in an interview in The Christian Post. “Those who go to Mass only on Easter and Christmas are in for a little surprise,” said Morrow, assistant professor of theology at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology – Seton Hall, in New Jersey. The English liturgy, which has been in place for...

Missal 3.0 – Part 3 November 10th, 2011 by Justin SoutarEditor’s Note: On Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, the new English translation of the Roman Missal will be implemented in all Catholic parishes in the United States. Here we present part 3 of a five-part series about the new translation–and the reasons behind it. You can read part 2 here. Part 4 will appear next Thursday. Roman Missal 3.0When many of us first heard that a new English translation of the liturgy was being prepared, the news brought some angst. We’re used to the way Mass has been...

Missal 3.0 – Part 1 October 27th, 2011 by Justin SoutarEditor’s Note: On Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, the new English translation of the Roman Missal will be implemented in all Catholic parishes in the United States. Here we present part 1 of a five-part series about the new translation–and the reasons behind it. Part 2 will appear next Thursday. November 27, 2011 will be a historic day for the Roman Catholic Church across the English-speaking world. On that day the United States will join other English-speaking countries in implementing a new translation of the Third Typical Edition...

Such a small but highly significant thing, the chin paten. Its use is to catch a host that might drop or a particle from a host. As such it is another reminder of the real, true and substantial presence of Christ in even the smallest particle of the host. The chin paten helps ensure that not even a small particle drop.Today the communion, or “chin� paten is also symbolic. When one sees them today it is a pretty clear signal that “this is a more traditional parish.� Their use had declined, especially when communion in the hand became widespread, during...

 The long-awaited introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal on November 27, the First Sunday of Advent, offers the Church in the Anglophere an opportunity to reflect on the riches of the liturgy, its biblical vocabulary, and its virtually inexhaustible storehouse of images. Much of that vocabulary, and a great many of those images, were lost under the “dynamic equivalence” theory of translation; they have now been restored under the “formal equivalence” method of translating. Over the next years and decades, the Catholic Church will be reminded of just what a treasure-house of wonders the liturgy is.At the...

Ahlam Tamimi, sentenced to 16 life sentences for her involvement in the "Sbarro" suicide bombing on 9 August 2001 in Jerusalem, says she had no regrets and stressed she would, given the opportunity, do it again. "It was a calculated act, performed with conviction and faith in Allah," Tamini said in an interview posted on the Hamas website. "Jihad warriors are always ready to die as martyrs, to be arrested - or to succeed. I managed to overcome the barrier of prison and was released. Why should I repent?" Of those terrorists who remain in prison after the Gilad Shalit...