Answering Brother Ray

The following is taken from The Cross Reference, and answers Ray Grosswirth's 40 feces theses with clarity and precision. A major nod of the miter to The Cross Reference for doing something I had been planing on, but hadn't quite gotten around to.

This post is a response to Ray Grosswirth's "40 Theses on Mandated Clerical Celibacy" from his Toward a Progressive Catholic Church blog. (Note: this blog is not something I regularly read, but it was brought to my attention today, and this post in particular caught my eye.)

The numbers preceding my comments relate to his individual theses.  I'm not repeating his theses, and I try to make my responses self-contained, but you may need to read his post for mine to make sense.

1. In Luke 18:29, Jesus says that some of them have left even their wives to follow Him.  So while He did not require them to do so, it seems clear that some of them did.  (This should not be interpreted to mean that married men should separate from their wives to seek ordination, but that the demands of discipleship sometimes require us to make great personal sacrifices.)

2. What "natural law" does mandated celibacy violate? See Matt. 19:8-12 and 1 Cor. 7:32-34.

3. The argument that clerical celibacy "celebrates a male hierarchy and diminishes the role of women" is baseless, because you have provided no evidence for it.  In addition, this argument would fail immediately if celibate women could be ordained:  no longer would male hierarchy be celebrated and the role of women be diminished.

4. Celibacy is a gift from God and requires co-operation with His grace.  It can lead to other graces and good things; it is meant to be a spiritual help. (cf. Catechism 915)  On the other hand, celibacy can have disastrous results if the person attempting it is not disposed to practice it.  But just because something (e.g. celibacy) can lead to a negative result (e.g. sexual frustration and even abuse) among other positive results, that does not mean the thing is negative or bad or evil in and of itself.  Take free will as a more general example.

5. I'm not sure what you mean by the "primary beneficiary of mandated celibacy" being the hierarchy.

6. Not everyone is called to the ordained priesthood (cf. Catechism 1599); put another way, there are more vocations than simply the ordained priesthood.  Although these vocations differ, and some vocations are "higher" than others, a layman does not have less dignity (spiritual or otherwise) than a priest simply because one is a priest and the other is not.  Indeed, some laymen have more dignity than priests.

7. Celibacy is a higher calling than the married life, it is true.  Vatican II said as much:  "[Seminary students] ought rightly to acknowledge the duties and dignity of Christian matrimony, which is a sign of the love between Christ and the Church. Let them recognize, however, the surpassing excellence of virginity consecrated to Christ, so that with a maturely deliberate and generous choice they may consecrate themselves to the Lord by a complete gift of body and soul." (Optatam Totius 10)  But what does it mean for marriage to have a "secondary status"?  Is there something wrong with marriage, then, because it is not the most excellent?

8. It is true that during the first millennium of the Church there were married priests; there were also married bishops.  But the whole Church eventually moved away from married bishops (seen in both the East and the West) and the Western Church eventually moved away from married priests as well.  I would not call this "obscur[ing]" the past.  Could it be that the Church is closer to attaining something now than it was in its first millennium?

9. The commandment to "love one another" does not take on a "love only thy self" dimension in the midst of celibacy; this is another baseless claim.  Can you only love a person to whom you are married?  Can you only love another person well if you are married?

10. It is true that with less priests, the Eucharist is offered less frequently (both to God as a sacrifice and to the people as Holy Communion), and this is a very sad thing. But the solution is not necessarily to increase the number of people who can be priests; perhaps we are not nurturing those whom God is calling to the priesthood.

11. How is clerical celibacy a "state of subjective pacifism" for priests? How is a life of celibacy opposed to "active participation"?

12. Mandated celibacy could, I suppose, create an unhealthy fear of women; I don't have the statistics. I bet it does create a healthy fear of sexual temptation, though.

13. What about the married-and-divorced-and-remarried Catholics who are "on the sidelines" because of their decisions? Should the "policy" on remarriage be changed to accommodate them?

14. Same as #13. It should be pointed out that the Church has, to my knowledge, never permitted men ALREADY ordained to then marry. Eastern Catholic (and Orthodox) priests were married before they were ordained. The men who enter the priesthood should have been informed of the life they were entering and its demands; if they were not, shame on those in charge of their formation.

15. What evidence can you supply to support your claim that the "leadership roles" of women in the first four centuries were "distort[ed]" by the 5th century Church Fathers, let alone for the purpose of allowing a future mandate of celibacy?

16. Luckily, celibate priests need not be the "primary source" for marriage counseling. We have other married couples (include permanent deacons and their wives) to turn to. But still, a celibate priest could have some wisdom to share with those who are married. St. Paul did. (cf. Eph. 5)

17. Whatever St. Thomas Aquinas (or any other Church theologian -- Father or Doctor or whatever!) said about women being "misbegotten males", or other such nonsense, patently ignores the fact that God made man male and female in the beginning before there was sin at all. While the discipline of celibacy may have led to this conclusion, it does not strictly follow from it.

18. I do not know how well the "Fishers of Men" campaign succeeded (or how badly it failed). If it was "a dismal failure", there could be any number of reasons. Again, just because celibacy is counter-cultural or hard (to fathom or to live!) does not mean it is bad and should be done away with as an obligation of the priesthood.

19. Through the "pastoral provision" of Pope John Paul II, some married ministers from Protestant denominations who, upon entering the Catholic Church, discern that their ministry in their prior community was a response to a true priestly vocation, may request ordination in the Catholic Church. Some, not all, who request this receive it. I do not consider this "hypocrisy" any more than the fact that the Eastern Churches have married priests "hypocrisy".

20. It is not merely by the pope's authority that clerical celibacy is an obligation for priests in the Western Church; centuries of tradition, Scriptural admonitions, and experience also come into play. I personally think that the avenue of allowing individual bishops to permit married men to the priesthood is a poor one; maybe allowing individual bishops' conferences is better, but still, I am wary of it.

21. Women's ordination is completely out of the question, and advocates of a change in the discipline of clerical celibacy would do well to detach themselves from advocacy of women's ordination.

22. Scripture seems to say that Jesus was dining with "the twelve disciples" (i.e. the Apostles), not with His whole retinue. (Matt. 26:20; cf. Mark 14:17,20; Luke 22:14,30) These men were (by virtue of His words) priests. Married priests can confect the Eucharist too.

23. The miracle of turning water into wine at Cana was interpreted by the Church Fathers as a "blessing" of marriage (as a sacrament) by Jesus. Apart from His disciples who were present, I do not think the wedding guests recognized it as "a witnessing event" to "go out and preach the good news as an inclusive discipleship." This event has absolutely nothing to do (as far as I can see) with celibacy or the priesthood.

24. The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes has a Eucharistic character to it. Nevertheless, it itself was not the Eucharist. The feeding of the spiritually hungry is not solely the task of priests; celibacy is not a prerequisite for it.

25. The Holy Spirit descends upon the bread and wine when a validly ordained priest prays the epiclesis.

26. Again, women's ordination is out of the question.

27. Why did men stop feeling called to the priesthood? What caused the drop in vocations?

28. Some seminaries are experiencing growth. And men who are entering the seminary should be made aware early on (if they are not aware already) of the celibate life expected of a priest. (cf. Catechism 915)

29. Priests are not selected "on the sole basis of promised obedience to a bishop and a promise to live a celibate life." Seminary formation is far more comprehensive in breadth and depth than that.

30. No one says that mandated celibacy "give[s] a priest a special status" in God's Kingdom.

31. You can frame your desire for a policy of optional celibacy however you wish.

32. Not all priests are "victims of burn-out", and a married priest is not immune to burn-out either.

33. The Vatican's answer to the parish-closing situation is to challenge all of us to foster priestly vocations in our young men all the more fervently.

34. Clerical celibacy does have to do with theology, as any balanced reading on the topic would reveal. See Vatican II's documents for a start: Lumen Gentium 42; Optatam Totius 10; Perfectae Caritatis 12; Presbyterorum Ordinis 16.

35. Not being based on the Bible alone, the Catholic Church's tradition has taught us that Jesus was celibate; I would not expect He is a homosexual. But priestly celibacy is based not only on Jesus' example but on His teaching (see Matt. 19:8-12) and on that of St. Paul (see 1 Cor. 7:32-34).

36. I do not know how many priests are secretly living double lives of clandestine relationships, but they shall answer to God for it, whether or not their situation is revealed to the Church. Perhaps the question should be: why do some priests have such great difficulty with celibacy? Could there be some cultural or societal pressures or defects which cause or worsen this problem?

37. St. John the beloved Apostle was also at the foot of the cross. Jesus did not make St. Mary of Magdala, nor His Mother, a priest. Was Jesus committing acts of "injustice" thereby? Why is it necessarily injustice for the priesthood to be instituted for men only? Is it an injustice for motherhood to be instituted for women only, or fatherhood for men only?

38. Clerical celibacy is a discipline (or, as you put it, a "policy"), not a doctrine nor a dogma. Nevertheless, it is a discipline which demands our adherence to it. It is not forbidden to discuss the matter of celibacy, but that discussion cannot be carried out by/in disobedience. I agree that open and honest dialogue on this topic should be encouraged; but that dialogue requires honest education and catechesis.

39. "We want change, and we want it now!" is quite a revealing battle cry. It is certainly not one which sounds ready for "open and honest dialogue" which requires one to listen and learn. The Church could change its stance toward clerical celibacy, but it seems as though "those of [you] committed to reform" in the issues of clerical celibacy are completely unwilling to change your stance.

40. I do not believe that "mandatory celibacy is a hindrance" to the Gospel. I think that society (modern or not) is a hindrance far more than Church disciplines are or could be.

"End The Church Culture That Led to Abuse"

Today's Demagogue and Barnacle features an article penned by the would-be-theologian Mark Hare, whose musings on anything dealing with the Holy Catholic Church can be summarized as "Bishop Clark is divine" and "the old ways must die." His article is below, with my commentary.

A lot of Catholics are angry. (Good deduction, Sherlock.)
Some are incensed at what they see as a media attack on Pope Benedict XVI and other high-level Vatican officials for protecting pedophile priests.("They" as in "a lot of Catholics"? Shouldn't you include yourself, Mr. Hare, unless you are either not "incensed" or not Catholic"?)
Others, myself included, (Ah, here comes the "Me-Show" we can all expect from Mr. Hare) are far more disturbed by a pattern of paranoia and obfuscation by some in the pope's inner circle. (Paranoia? It's not paranoia when people really are out to get you, Mr. Hare. Just look at the news and tell me this isn't the case.)
The official preacher of the papal household delivered a Good Friday reflection comparing the media criticism of the pope to anti-Semitism. The church's chief exorcist charged that the devil "prompted" New York Times stories suggesting that the pope, as archbishop of Munich in 1980, may not have been sufficiently vigilant in preventing a pedophile priest from returning to parish ministry. (So now it comes to Mr. Hare to critique the Pope. Oh, rest assured, his credentials enable him to do just that - "columnist for Rochester, NY paper." Let us kneel before his awesome presence.)
Circling the wagons is the worst response; the pope and the hierarchy of the church are not the victims. (They are victims, Mr. Hare. How many innocent priests are labeled as pedophiles because a few idiots couldn't control themselves? How many bishops are now being slandered for doing the right thing, even though the media says they didn't? How many young men are being mocked and derided for their faith which prompts them to enter seminary or religious life? I can tell you, sir, it is vastly more than the children who have been abused. No one is saying "forget the kids," yet people seem all too willing to put words like this into the mouth of the Church. People like you, sir.)
It is painfully clear that the abuse was not an isolated American phenomenon. The criminal circle has widened to Europe, and I suspect that hundreds of allegations will become thousands.(I wonder how many of these cases hinge on a middle aged man who sees an opportunity to cash in on the contrived abuses of his past? Many of those who have come forward have not been abused - they have been goaded into action by the media and by gold-digging parents and spouses. This kind of behavior slanders the Church and wounds the true victims even more.)
Of course, the vast majority of priests and bishops (and certainly nuns) have given their lives to loving service. ("And certainly nuns"? What is this supposed to mean? Nuns are more pure than the priests and bishops? I tend to doubt that very much, Mr. Hare. How many nuns covered up abuses for the scandalous pastors? How many nuns physically attacked children in the classroom? Oh, you should not single out the nuns, sir. If anything, single out the new young people, men entering the priesthood, and women entering religious life, who are of the "new breed," the solid, God-fearing, and pure young people that you implicitly lump in with all the trash the Church must clear out.)
It is also true, as John Allen Jr., senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, ( "senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter". . . "Thou woulds't have no power against me, had it not been given to thee from above.") has written, that if Pope Benedict is "part of the problem ... He's also a major chapter in the solution." While he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was assigned responsibility for reviewing all cases of alleged abuse by priests. He is probably more familiar with the horrific details than anyone, Allen writes, and "he and his team approved direct administrative action in roughly 60 percent of the cases," Allen wrote in a New York Times (aka "Treason Times") op-ed piece. (Pope Benedict did not handle every single case that came through that office. That would have been impossible. When he did handle a case, personally, it was dealt with according to ecclesiastic and civil norms.)
As pope, Benedict has disciplined priests, met with victims and apologized for the harm done to them.
This damage, however, cannot be repaired with a new policy or an apology, or 20 apologies, or 100 apologies. Church culture protected criminal priests and silenced their young victims to avoid bringing shame and scandal to the institution; the result was both shame and scandal. (If you know the answer, why don't you go over to Rome and sort the Pope out individually? Oh, that's right, because your only venue is a liberal rag in an Upstate New York City.) Victims were twice victimized, and millions of Catholics have lost faith in the moral authority of the hierarchy. The "zero tolerance" policy of the U.S. Catholic bishops is a huge step forward, but there is no statute of limitations on contrition.
I do not believe that leaders of our church are indifferent to this tragedy. (Then why write this vociferous rubbish?) But every time a church official blames the media or anti-Catholicism or "petty gossip" for the crisis, I cringe. (Kind of like how I cringe every time I see that Mark Hare has written another piece attacking the institutions of Holy Mother Church.) The insular culture that so distorted the Gospel values remains intact.
As Timothy Shriver eloquently said in a Washington Post (can you cite any reputable pro-Church source, or are you only able to find what you want to in the liberal and anti-Catholic press? Convenient, isn't it?) op-ed piece last week, the only answer is conversion — a total change of heart, with God's help. The church teaches us that God's Spirit speaks to and through all of us, not just the hierarchy. (Right, but we aren't the ones who have intimate knowledge of the workings of God or the Church. Why consult a janitor when applying for college? It's the same thing. Lay people are generally not qualified for the kind of work required by things like this. We don't have the experience, the education, or the know-how.) I fear for the future of my church if its leaders do not listen to the many men and women (Don't you hate it when people use awkward language to make a political point?) whose lives, experience, and faithfulness could help them build a more welcoming, sensitive and accountable (accountable to whom, Mr. Hare? As of now, it's accountable to God, the Creator, not Bob the Created) church culture. That is what conversion requires.
Many of the Catholics I know struggle every day with our own sinfulness. We seek, as the church has taught us, contrite hearts. We expect no less from those who ask us to be faithful. (I guess the pity party's over, folks. And just when I was getting ready to pin the tail on the . . . donkey.)

And so, Mr. Hare tells us to "end the Church culture that led to abuse." I say "change the Church culture that led to liberal nut-jobs and Church-attacking 'Catholics' like Mark Hare."

Not One Shred of Evidence

The following comes from the EWTN blog, written by Raymond Arroyo, and posted in our circle of orthodoxy by Kelly. Nod of the miter at both of them.

The attacks leveled against Pope Benedict XVI get curiouser and curiouser.
Just so everyone is on the same page: first Benedict was accused of stopping a Church trial against a priest in Wisconsin. When that fizzled (because the priest died and the trial was apparently still ongoing) there were charges that he didn't act quickly enough to laicize priests (never mind the fact that the priests were indeed removed from ministry).
This past weekend, the AP thought they had found the smoking gun: a 1985 letter bearing Ratzinger's signature purportedly stalling the laicization of a priest. The AP got the story all wrong. Turns out the facts of the case exonerate Ratzinger entirely. For the record, Cardinal Ratzinger did not have authority over sex abuse cases until 2001. This case occurred in the late 80's. The rule of thumb on all these stories is that the local bishop is the first person responsible for punishing priestly offenders and the one charged with protecting his flock from these menaces. To imagine that the Pope has the ability or the manpower to oversee and police the actions of every cleric around the globe is an infantile delusion. He is not Santa Claus. If the Pontiff had such powers, do you actually think there would be so many teaching and liturgical lapses throughout the Church?
It should be said that mistakes were most certainly made in dealing with priestly offenders and that the process of laicization was absurdly poky. But why is the media attacking the man in the Vatican principally responsible for streamlining the laicization process? Why go after Ratzinger--one of the few high-ranking Vatican officials who vociferously pursued these sex offenders?

He goes on to explain how noted atheist is planning on arresting the Pope. I'm sure we've all heard the name "Richard Dawkins" at one point or another, so we all should all summarily know how he's one of these atheists who declares that all people should be tolerant . . . unless we're talking about Catholics. Then it's free admission day at the freak show. It truly is amazing how people get away with things that are this hate-filled. If the current scandal were with the Baptists, you would have massive demonstrations of our African-American brethren, all protesting the stereotypes that "blacks are Baptists" and (in this scenario) "Baptists are child rapers." It's ludicrous to think people would get away with that kind of slander! And yet, when it concerns the Roman Catholic Church, they do. They say these things, oppress us in society, and yet, when we lift a finger to defend ourselves, we are construed as belligerent.

Kind of makes you yearn for the days of the Inquisition, doesn't it?

 The entirety of the article is definitely worth a read, and can be accessed here.

Novena of Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI

I think we can rest assured that this prayer won't be used too much in the Diocese of Rochester, so I have decided to post it here for your use and dissemination.

The initiative comes from the Knights of Columbus, and is as follows:

Lord, source of eternal life and truth,
give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit
of courage and right judgment, a spirit
of knowledge and love. By governing
with fidelity those entrusted to his care,
may he, as successor to the Apostle
Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your
Church into a sacrament of unity, love
and peace for all the world. Amen.
V/ Let us pray for Benedict, the pope.
R/ May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.
V/ May your hand
be upon your holy servant.
R/ And upon your son,
whom you have anointed.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

I would encourage any priest or deacon or pastoral administrator who may be reading this to include it as a prayer for the faithful to be said before Mass begins or after Mass ends. What good is our love for the Pope if we don't act on it in a public and undeniable way?

Something to Entice You, Dear Friends

I have spoken with some of you, regarding yet another project the administrators of this site have embarked upon. We hope to have this done by our 1 Year Anniversary, which is on June 10, 2010.

What exactly is this project?

I'll summarize it without leading you to a full revelation. Let it suffice to say the following:

• At least 5 new authors, in addition to Dr. K, Choir Loft, and me
• A potential "DoR Wiki," with entries for parishes, personalities, and anything else pertinent to our mission
• We'll be an actual website now, not "just a blog"
• More coverage possibilities (i.e. in-depth reporting of the STA situation, special events, etc.)
• An events calendar, so you can keep up with when the next High Mass is at St. Stanislaus, or when things like the Sacred Music Colloquium will be going on

We are blessed by generosity and supprort in our endeavors, and we have all of you to thank for it. We will keep you informed as to when the transformation will take place.


Ray Grosswirth, here's your Third Vatican Council. Eat your heart out.

For Mary Rita and Sister Emily

I read your comments about the Tridentine Mass today and thought you might enjoy hearing the Agnus Dei that we did. It was borrowed from the motet by Tomas Luis Victoria named "O Magnum Mysterium". We took it down a whole step. The motet is most often sung at Christmas. Victoria is often referred to as the Spanish Palestrina. He used a lot of dissonance in his choral writing. Mysterious and melodic.

Under the Roman Sky

A new film will be coming out shortly which chronicles the truth about Pope Pius XII, the Jews of Rome, the efforts of the Church to save them, and the vicious anti-Catholic sentiments stirred up by the Nazi's and continued by our own faithless brothers and sisters. It is called "Under the Roman Sun," and shows Pope Pius XII as he really was, a man of highest virtue, who did more for the Jews in World War II than any other person. How dare people slander his name, and request (vainly) that he not be advanced into sainthood! How politically-warped are these people who would attack the man most responsible for the continued presence of Judaism in Rome?

Below is the trailer for the film. I would encourage you to watch it, and to spread word about this movie. The pope had a private screening of it two nights ago, so it definitely is worth watching once it comes out.

Tomorrow's "Vibrant Worship Service"

In conjunction with Divine Mercy Sunday, there will a Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Saint Stanislaus Church at 1:30 p.m., April 11th. The celebrant will be the Reverend Dennis Bonsignore. There will be two priests to hear confessions before Mass.

The ordinary parts of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei) will be from two Masses. Missa Phrygia by Cannicciari and Missa O Magnum Mysterium by Victoria. Propers will be in the Gregorian psalm tone.

Following the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Most Blessed Sacrament will be exposed with the hymn "O Salutaris Hostia" being sung. Next the congregation will sing the Divine Mercy Chaplet, followed by the Tantum Ergo, then we will pray the Divine Praises. The recessional hymn will be "Praise My Soul the King of Heaven".

Parking is across the street from the church or behind the church. There is a handicapped elevator in the rear of the church. Roaming security is provided.

Vibrant Worship Communities

I think we all know the liberal buzz-words for "strong parishes," words like "diverse," "vibrant," "inclusive," etc. Well, I have never seen true diversity at a liberal parish. Never. Sure, it looks diverse, but all we're really seeing is a group of hippies experiencing gender and race confusion.

However, if we take a look at the truly Catholic parishes, those overtly loyal to Rome, we see a different trend emerging, something called "genuine diversity," tempered with tangible strength. These parishes, St. Thomas the Apostle, Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Victory, St. Stanislaus/Latin Mass Community, attract vast amounts of people from different walks of life. While churches like Assumption may have thousands of people, how many have the devotion of those in the pews at OLV or STA? Not many, I am sad to say. The people at those wayward parishes have not been catechized properly - those at STA, for example, have.

So what does a vibrant worship community look like? Take a look at these photos from St. Thomas the Apostle this Good Friday:

This church is definitely not a dying community. To target a parish who can attract such large numbers, even for a cluster-celebration, is to have a very short-sighted notion of diocesan needs. If we're going to end up with a handful of super-churches, wouldn't it be wise to save the biggest church buildings? But no - we're saving the ones that are near and dear to the hearts of a handful of dottering old liberals.

Pray for the people of St. Thomas the Apostle, parishioners who are legitimately vibrant, legitimately diverse, and legitimately Catholic.

Anima Mea Liquefacta Est

My soul melted when my beloved spoke; I sought him, and found him not; I called, and he did not answer me. I adjure you, Oh daughters of Jesusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I languish with love. (Song of Songs, 5:6-8)

Our souls have melted when we heard His voice. When we take Him into our bodies at Holy Communion, when we hear His inspired word, we come to experience heaven, if only a minuscule and imperfect way. But when we seek Him, we do not always find Him. We go to Church to worship, and are confronted with pagan chicanery and liturgical abuse. The sacred is profaned, and the faith is diluted. We call out to Him in our adversity, and we cannot find Him, for His own have cast Him out, replacing His thrones on Earth, our tabernacles, with monuments to liberal ideology and felt banners. He is exiled to our closets and our darkest of corners. When we search for Him, we call out to each other, begging one another for help and relief. And yet we struggle to find Him. We yearn for Him, and in this yearning, experience an anguish that none but us may know or describe. We die for love of Him, and because of others' contempt for Him.

Is it right? Is it natural? That we, faithful Catholics, have found ourselves unwelcome in our own spiritual homes? That our leaders are publicly and joyfully disobeying Rome? That our efforts at sanctity are hindered by diocesan heterodoxy? Let us take our places with Our Lord, and stand by Him as the loving exiles that we are. He has been dethroned, and our hearts have been pillaged by those who take delight in causing fracture in His spouse, the Church.

When we hear Him speak, our souls melt out of the absolute joy and solace. Need we any more validation than this?

Tidings of Great Joy

Dear friends, this post marks the 1,000th post on this blog. In less than one year, we have formed a league of brethren, united in faithful solidarity to the Holy Mother Church, each individual professing by his or her actions a love for God, a love for His Son, and a love for His Son's Mystical Spouse. We have come together as a pained and besieged community. Indeed, we see the scars of battle in our comment boxes, where the faithful from all over the world recount their own grievances, their own losses, their own triumphs over perfidy.

As we go forth, in a genuine and faith-filled hope, we must keep in mind that what we are doing, our diligent pursuit of orthodoxy, our rooting out of faithlessness, our intolerance of error, is rooted firmly in the Church, through Her Scriptures and Her Sacred Tradition, so readily trample upon by the liberals in our midst. Aware of this, let us pause in our mission to read the words of the psalmist, who penned the following in the 75th Psalm:

2 We will praise you, O God: we will praise, and we will call upon your name. We will relate your wondrous works: 3 When I shall take a time, I will judge justices. 4 The earth is melted, and all that dwell therein: I have established the pillars thereof. 5 I said to the wicked: Do not act wickedly: and to the sinners: Lift not up the horn. 6 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not iniquity against God. 7 For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert hills: 8 For God is the judge. One he puts down, and another he lifts up: 9 For in the hand of the Lord10 But I will declare for ever: I will sing to the God of Jacob. 11 And I will break all the horns of sinners: but the horns of the just shall be exalted. there is a cup of strong wine full of mixture. And he has poured it out from this to that: but the dregs thereof are not emptied: all the sinners of the earth shall drink.

 May God bless you for your love of orthodoxy. May God uphold you in your defense of it. May God strengthen you in all adversity. 

Saints of Purity

As we are oppressed by our fellow citizens of the world for the crimes of a few despicable men, we should call to mind that Catholicism is a religion of purity. These priests profane the most sacred of callings, and slander the reputation of Christ's bride. I shudder to think what awaits them in this world and the next.

To give us strength in this time of difficulty, I thought I should share with you the story of St. Charles Lwanga and his companions. Read below:

For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day.

The Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn't reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga's court.

King Mwanga was a violent ruler and pedophile who forced himself on the young boys and men who served him as pages and attendants. The Christians at Mwanga's court who tried to protect the pages from King Mwanga.

The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga's court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mkasa (or Mukasa).

When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mkasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship. After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph's hands, he told them, "A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die." He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.

Charles Lwanga took over the instruction and leadership of the Christian community at court -- and the charge of keeping the young boys and men out of Mwanga's hands. Perhaps Joseph's plea for repentance had had some affect on Mwanga because the persecution died down for six months.

Anger and suspicion must have been simmering in Mwanga, however. In May 1886 he called one of his pages named Mwafu and asked what the page had been doing that kept him away from Mwanga. When the page replied that he had been receiving religious instruction from Denis Sebuggwawo, Mwanga's temper boiled over. He had Denis brought to him and killed him himself by thrusting a spear through his throat.

He then ordered that the royal compound be sealed and guarded so that no one could escape and summoned the country's executioners. Knowing what was coming, Charles Lwanga baptized four catechumens that night, including a thirteen-year-old named Kizito. The next morning Mwanga brought his whole court before him and separated the Christians from the rest by saying, "Those who do not pray stand by me, those who do pray stand over there." He demanded of the fifteen boys and young men (all under 25) if they were Christians and intended to remain Christians. When they answered "Yes" with strength and courage Mwanga condemned them to death.

He commanded that the group be taken on a 37 mile trek to the place of execution at Namugongo. The chief executioner begged one of the boys, his own son, Mabaga, to escape and hide but Mbaga refused. The cruelly-bound prisoners passed the home of the White Fathers on their way to execution. Father Lourdel remembered thirteen-year-old Kizito laughing and chattering. Lourdel almost fainted at the courage and joy these condemned converts, his friends, showed on their way to martyrdom. Three of these faithful were killed on road.

A Christian soldier named James Buzabaliawo was brought before the king. When Mwanga ordered him to be killed with the rest, James said, "Goodbye, then. I am going to Heaven, and I will pray to God for you." When a griefstricken Father Lourdel raised his hand in absolution as James passed, James lifted his own tied hands and pointed up to show that he knew he was going to heaven and would meet Father Lourdel there. With a smile he said to Lourdel, "Why are you so sad? This nothing to the joys you have taught us to look forward to."

Also condemned were Andrew Kagwa, a Kigowa chief, who had converted his wife and several others, and Matthias Murumba (or Kalemba) an assistant judge. The chief counsellor was so furious with Andrew that he proclaimed he wouldn't eat until he knew Andrew was dead. When the executioners hesitated Andrew egged them on by saying, "Don't keep your counsellor hungry -- kill me." When the same counsellor described what he was going to do with Matthias, he added, "No doubt his god will rescue him." "Yes," Matthias replied, "God will rescue me. But you will not see how he does it, because he will take my soul and leave you only my body." Matthias was cut up on the road and left to die -- it took him at least three days.

The original caravan reached Namugongo and the survivors were kept imprisoned for seven days. On June 3, they were brought out, wrapped in reed mats, and placed on the pyre. Mbaga was killed first by order of his father, the chief executioner, who had tried one last time to change his son's mind. The rest were burned to death. Thirteen Catholics and eleven Protestants died. They died calling on the name of Jesus and proclaiming, "You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls."

When the White Fathers were expelled from the country, the new Christians carried on their work, translating and printing the catechism into their natively language and giving secret instruction on the faith. Without priests, liturgy, and sacraments their faith, intelligence, courage, and wisdom kept the Catholic Church alive and growing in Uganda. When the White Fathers returned after King Mwanga's death, they found five hundred Christians and one thousand catchumens waiting for them. The twenty-two Catholic martyrs of the Uganda persecution were canonized.

Just a Couple Things

I have a couple things I would like to communicate to you, the readers.

The first thing is that we are planning some changes for the blog for our quickly approaching "One Year Anniversary" which is on June 10th. Please bear with us as we work out some kinks, and don't worry if comments disappear for a little bit, or if the site looks a little distorted. I'm not going to ruin the total surprise of what Dr. K and I are working out, but I will say that, as of now, it looks like we will be a pure "dot com" site, without needing to be tethered to Holy Mother Blogspot.

The second thing is more involved. Lately, we have had a string of angry, bitter, dissenting, argumentative comments left on the site. You are guests here. If you cannot behave yourselves, we will simply remove commenting. If you want to single out Dr. K, Choir Loft, or me, that's when you send an email to us. Do not post a comment unless it thoughtfully adds to the perpetual discussion we are having. I don't mind having comments questioning things. That's perfectly fine. However, I will not tolerate people "calling us out" or only commenting to draw out emotional responses from us and our readers.

I really don't get it. We put up facts and funnies, and without fail, we get angry comments. Why? Are people really that immature that they feel the need to have temper tantrums in public? I am a very tolerant person, but when you push, I'll push back. Do not do this.

You may be interested to know that the strings of anonymous and hate-filled comments come from just two or three people. Keep in mind that we have an average of 250-300 people reading each day. Why should I tolerate a couple bleating goats just so that I can sleep easy, knowing that I have celebrated diversity? From this time forth, if your tone is rude, angry, bitter, hateful, or argumentative, do not expect to see it up for long. How would you like it if your guests started arguing with you when you invited them into your home?

I am sorry for the vast majority of you who have read this, and have not contributed to my annoyance. These few commenters hide themselves behind anonymity, not to protect themselves as Dr. K and I do, but because they are cowards who are unable actually to discuss things civilly, relying instead on provoking the people of God to anger. Really folks, enough is enough.

By Their Fruits, Part III

The post which pertains to the recent attendance and financial figures from St. Anne may evoke an answer from the liberals such as, "These are tough times," or "the people give in different ways."

Then perhaps they can explain the following:

This parish is Our Lady of Victory, the "Church of the Loyal Remnant." Could it be that a parish that promotes reverent liturgy, such as OLV, actually grows and thrives, when a parish that promotes doubt and dissent, such as Saint Anne, grows feeble and dies? Could it be that the people are speaking politely to the Diocese, saying, "We prefer normalcy." Folks, Our Lady of Victory is doing what a parish should be. In most diocese across the United States, it wouldn't be "out of the norm" - chant and piety are supposed to be experienced at liturgy. Here, it is a special parish, and holds the future of the Diocese of Rochester in its filled-to-bursting pews. Isn't it a sad commentary on the politics in the DoR that a parish that is doing just what is prescribed, nothing more, nothing less, is labeled thus by the diocese:

The parish also has members from throughout Monroe County who are attracted by the parish's liturgical practice and theology

It's called "Roman Catholicism," friends. It's the same faith that is handed to us by Our Lord and our pontiff. To be able to count the loyal parishes of Rochester using our fingers is absolutely horrendous. Loyalty and obedience to Rome, in letter of the law and spirit of the law, is supposed to be unquestioned and commonplace. It used to be at Saint Anne. It used to be at Good Shepherd. It used to be at most parishes of the DoR. But over the past 40 years, a time of perpetual dissent and dissatisfaction, our parishes have fallen, one by one, into the trash heap of liberal failure. It's absolutely pathetic that there is surprise from people when you tell them about Our Lady of Victory, St. Stanislaus, Holy Spirit, etc . . . Orthodoxy should not be a surprise. It shouldn't be "something special to pull out for special feast days." No - it's the Roman Catholic Church. If you do not profess Her teachings, and if you dare to question Her authority in matters of the Sacraments, you are not Catholic. The Church tells us what to do and what not to do - it doesn't suggest things.


The Church has said NO to excessive and heterodox lay preaching.
The Church has said NO to liturgical dance.
The Church has said NO to women's ordination.
The Church has said NO to militant homosexuality.
The Church has said NO to "people music."



Learn it.

Live it.

Love it.

Progressives Destroy the Church

The Strife is O'er

We get another 50 days to celebrate Our Lord rising from the dead.

Photo Caption Contest

Please supply an appropriate comment. The winner will receive 5 Cleansing Fire Prayer Cards.

The Witch

Ben's recent C.S. Lewis comments made me start re-reading little chunks of the Narnia series. I have always been partial to the stories of Narnia, and remember reading them in elementary school. When I was perusing the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I stumbled upon this sentence spoken by Aslan, the metaphorical Christ figure in the series:

"If the witch understood the true meaning of sacrifice, she might have interpreted the Deep Magic differently, for when a willing victim who has committed no treachery, dies in a traitor’s stead, the stone table will crack and even death itself will turn backwards."

How many witches we have in Rochester, who profess to be all-wise and all-good, but who do not grasp the notion of sacrifice, especially in the context of the Holy Mass. These women (witches) and men (warlocks?)  who castrate our priests with their liberalism, and who spit with derision on anything Traditional, claim to be living as "Alleluia people." There can be no true celebration of Easter without a clear and absolute understanding of Our Lord's sacrifice. Even at our Easter Masses, we see Christ crucified in the Blessed Sacrament. So, yes, we are "Easter people," and "Alleluia is our song." However, we rejoice knowing the price paid by our God for our salvation, and, in knowing this, do His bidding in reenacting His sacrifice on the cross on our altars.

 Queen Jadis, Witch Queen of Narnia

Lewis also notes that when one "dies in a traitor's stead . . . death itself will turn backwards." How many of our priests have been ridiculed, and derided for orthodoxy, just to be replaced by women who appoint themselves "Pastoral Leaders" and perpetual lay preachers? How many priests have been "put in their place" by man-hating liberals who cannot bear to subjugate themselves to another person, let alone the Son of God? These women who show nothing but contempt to our priests, our noble, Tradition-minded priests, will soon find that the unending "death" that is the Diocese of Rochester will give way to a new resurrection of orthodoxy. All we need to do is wait till these hippies die off and ravenous moths eat their spotless, lily-white albs. In the words of General Patton, "All glory is fleeting." What we see now will all be gone and forgotten in time. We will someday get to the point where Christ's glory will reign over the "glory" we see now, a "glory" of failed politics, closing schools, new pipe organs, and forced clusterings.

And His glory, dear friends, is not fleeting.

"Viva Christo Rey!" - Bl. Miguel Pro, Mexican priest martyr, "Long live Christ the King!"

+RIP Abbot Gabriel Gibbs, OSB

A native of Hornell in Steuben County, Abbot Gabriel Gibbs was the first abbot of Saint Benedict's Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts. Abbot Gabriel was educated at the old Saint Andrews and Saint Bernard's seminaries in Rochester before joining the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He was a very, very kind and humble man

"I Say This Motivated by Christian Charity"

So began a DoR priest's Easter Sunday sermon. He continued by saying the following:

"I say this motivated by Christian charity. If you are a Catholic who has come back to the Church . . . Wait, let me rephrase that. If you are a Catholic who chose to walk out on the Church, and is now back at Mass, you are not in a state of grace. You must make a full sacramental confession before you receive Holy Communion."

What greater gift is there than a priest who will actually say to these twice-a-year Catholics that what they are doing is not okay? While it is excellent that these people are motivated to step into church, they must be motivated to do so Sunday after Sunday, month after month, year after year. However, they do not see the need to do so when they get the same message every Sunday they show up: "Jesus loves you just the way you are - don't change a thing." If that is true, then there's no need for Mass, is there? Also, when these people come to Mass, they are confronted with "liturgical irregularities,"  trite preaching, horrible music, much of it stuck in the years between 1965 and 1980, and no sense of the sacred. The Mass, for them, is something they "do" a couple times a year to pay-off the Lord of the Universe, the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.

So what can we do to get people coming to Mass with regularity? In the words of Fr. Rego, we must "Preach Hell." If the people have no sense of sin, there can be no sense of grace. If we return to the sacred at Mass, and have Gregorian Chant in lieu of tambourines and air guitars, and precious metals in place of clay, glass, and wooden  "sacred vessels," we will begin to see people asking questions like, "Why do we do this? What does it mean?" This is our springboard into proper liturgical catechesis, people. Restore a sense of the sacred, and the people will begin to realize that the Mass is not something casual and free-to-be-manipulated by anyone who chooses to do so. There will be a sense of awe, being at Mass and being completely powerless. The Mass is an experience of God, and for us to feel that there is no mystery, no mystical captivation, is to not fully comprehend the presence of God.

If more priests begin their Christmas and Easter sermons with words like this, I guarantee you, you will see people begin to question their complacency. After the priest made this announcement, at the end of Mass there were people lining up to do two things: 1. Confess their sins and 2. thank the priest for his explanation, because it "made me realize that I was in a state of grievous sin."

It's not hard. Get one or two good priests, get a solid group of the faithful, such as us, and coupled together, orthodoxy will once again reign supreme in the Diocese of Rochester. We are merely hibernating, friends. And the winter is almost over.

Resurrexit sicut dixit. Alleluia.

Holy Saturday - the Easter Vigil

Consider Well That Bleeding Visage

This Good Friday, I should like to ask you one simple question for your contemplation.

When you look at the face of Our Lord, bleeding copiously and reigning from the cross, can you honestly see reflected in his suffering the petty politicking we see in our daily lives, our liturgies, our work places? To love Christ Jesus is to find the value of His sufferings, and not bury them in shameful Masses, flawed theological musings, and intolerant speech.

Remember, dear friends, that Our Lord looked at St. John and declared, "Behold thy mother." In like manner, we must take Mary into our hearts, giving her those chambers once reserved for our callousness and greed. Furnish your soul for sacred things. Do not let it rot in the stew of iniquity. Whenever we are complicit in a Mass in which heinous abuses are perpetrated, we are the ones who jeer at Our Lord crucified. We are the ones shouting out to Pilate. We are the high priests who declared "we have no king but Caesar."

Look at Our Lord's bleeding face, and tell me: do you see reflected in His Divine suffering the casual and pompous nature of several of our Masses? Do these Masses actually capture the nature of His supreme sacrifice? They ought to, friends. Do not let the sufferings of Christ Jesus be in vain.

The Reproaches - Good Friday Meditation.

Taken from the Boston Catholic Journal with music below.

"My People, My People what Have I done to you, how have I offended you, answer me!"

The Sung Reproaches and Veneration of the uplifted Cross on Good Friday are surely the high point of the Good Friday liturgy. The familiar words and the haunting chant seem to penetrate the very marrow of our being as we experience the Suffering Savior saying to each one of us , and directly to our hearts, "My People, My People, what have I done to you, how have I offended you?"

The Reproaches are a set on antiphons and their responses representing the reproaches, the rebukes of Christ to His people.

Christ in the words of the reproaches rebukes us – by His great love he delivered us out of Egypt, out of our slavery and bondage, and how did we repay Him? We nailed Him to the Cross! We repaid His love with hatred and indifference, we repaid His generosity with meanness and spite, how well deserved we are of the reproaches of our God.

May these ancient words, this ancient liturgy, speak to our very souls, and at the end let us keep silence, for we have no answer, but sin, our sin is the only answer to Christ's cry, "My people, My people!"
And in the silence let us renew our sorrow and marvel at this God who loves us so much that He bled and died upon a Cross of shame that we would have life, life in Him.

The Reproaches



"My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you answer me!

I led you out of Egypt from slavery to freedom, but you have led your Savior, and nailed Him to a cross.

Hagios OTheos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

For forty years in safety, I led you through the desert, I fed you with my manna, I gave you your own land, but you have led your Savior, and nailed Him to a Cross.

Hagios O Theos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

O what more would you ask from me? I planted you, my vineyard, but sour grapes you gave me, and vinegar to drink, and you have pierced your Savior and pierced Him with a spear.

Hagios OTheos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

For you scourged your captors, their first born sons were taken, but you have taken scourges and brought them down on Me.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me!

From slavery to freedom I led you, drowned your captors. But I am taken captive and handed to your priests.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

Your path lay through the waters, I opened them before you, my side you have laid open and bared it with a spear.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

I led you, held securely, My fire and cloud before you, but you have led your Savior, hands bound to Pilate's court.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me!

I bore you up with manna, you bore me down and scourged me. I gave you saving water, but you gave me soured wine.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

The kings who reigned in Canaan, I struck way before you. But you have struck my crowned head, and struck it with a reed.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me !

I gave you a royal scepter but you gave me a thorn crown. I raised you up in power, but you raised me on the Cross.

Hagios OTheos, Hagios ichyros,
Hagios athanatos eleison himas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One , have mercy on us.

Another Missa Cantata on Easter Sunday

Our Schola Roffensis will be singing another Missa Cantata on Easter Sunday at St. Stanislaus Church at 1:30 p.m. We will be singing "Lux et origio" for the ordinary parts of the Mass and almost all full Gregorian propers.

Here is a sample of the Gloria from the Mass ordinary.



There will be a regular High Mass, with full choir,for Divine Mercy Sunday on the 11th of April.

Pray the Rosary on Good Friday

Imagine what might happen if every Catholic in the world would pray
a Rosary on the same day! We have an example in October of 1573,
when Europe was saved from the invasion of the mighty Turkish
fleet, by the praying of the Rosary by all Christians!

So, on Good Friday, let us all pray a Rosary for peace in the world and
the return of moral values into our communities. If possible, please
pray your Rosary between Noon and 3:00pm.

Also, please e-mail this message to every Catholic on your address list,
and ask them to pass it along to every Catholic on their lists. Let's
unite in praying one of the most powerful prayers in existence, for
these intentions, on one of the holiest days in our Church year.

SOURCE: http://www.overheardinthesacristy.net/?p=8271

Albs, Marty Haugen, Liturgical Dance

So much for a fresh and vital Church - from these things it looks as if it's stuck in the 1970's. Remember folks, the 70's died for a reason.

So, where do all three of these things occur in a hellish concoction of error? Yup, you guessed it, Bishop Clark's annual Chrism Mass. We have received information regarding what exactly went on there, so I will break it down into swallowable chunks for you:

• There was liturgical dance. An African American gentlemen wearing white pants and a white shirt flitted about the church and sanctuary of Sacred Heart Cathedral, adding to this "liturgical movement" very bizarre hand gestures which our noble informants cannot decipher.
• Bishop Clark, in his generally decent homily, started acknowledging different cultures, i.e. celebrating diversity. However, he added a new category of "culture" by saying, "Some of us are gay, some of us are straight." This was a random, unnecessary, and inappropriate statement. You don't need to do political pandering to gays when you're saying Mass. He's probably just getting excited about the next Rainbow Sash Mass.
• Sr. MaryAnn Binsack played the role of the she-monsignor, wearing her alb which complements her hair cut so nicely. Note that she stands for the consecration, just as many other of the women who like to play dress-up at Mass.
• For the Eucharistic Prayer, the whole Eucharistic Prayer, Bishop Clark was accompanied by piano. Our informant said it was like "Bishop Clark: the Musical." I was able to track down the precise setting used, and guess what? It's not chant. It's Marty Haugen's composition of the Eucharistic Prayer. Why do certain of the clergy insist on using this man's music? He's not even Catholic, but a Lutheran. I know Bach was a Lutheran, too, but he gave us the B Minor Mass - why don't we compare the two: click here for Haugen. I won't dirty this blog by embedding his rubbish. Below is a video containing highlights of the B Minor Mass. This is what Sacred Heart is capable of, what with that magnifictenly grotesque organ, the Eastman School of Music, etc. But no, we get someone playing the piano. Makes sense, doesn't it? Spend millions of dollars on the music at the cathedral, but then use a piano for the highest summit of the Mass. Yeah - no flaw in logic there.
• The only positive thing is that in the front row of the congregation was a woman with a head covering. As our informant said, maybe she will make some of the priests and deacons think twice about what they're doing.

I will be posting more details as they come in. Watch the Bach video to restore your sanity.

The Passion According to St. John

I found this beautiful gem on the website of Musica Sacra. This is a perfect example of what a continuity of reform, tempered with the richness of Tradition, really truly is. You will find the original, Gregorian chant melody, but the words are in English. It is to be sung with three people, preferably three ordained men, or at least, three liturgical ministers whose roles are legitimate and not made up for political reasons.

Click here to view this piece.

Here is a segment of the original Latin chant for the Passion, Passio Domini Nostri Iesu Christi.

Scratch a Liberal, Get a Nazi

I had a run-in recently with a priest who informed me that anyone who professes to be pro-life is, in fact, responsible for abortion. His argument was that if you vote for pro-choice politicians, you elect people who respect women, make them feel better about themselves, and make them less likely to murder their offspring. He said, "Even if Obama were born on Mars, I would have voted for him over McCain." This could turn into a post detailing how a Catholic cannot under any circumstance vote for a pro-choice candidate and remain in a state of grace. Instead, it will go somewhere else - into the deep, perverted psyche of liberals.

First of all, in this encounter, this priest interrupted me twice to make it sound as if I was condoning pro-choice politicians. He twisted my words to make them suit his political agenda. I tried to say, "The Catholic bishops have spoken precisely on the matter, and they condemn anyone who votes pro-choice." What I got out before his rude interjection was, "The Catholic bishops have spoken precisely on the matter, and they condemn anyone who votes . . . "

He thundered back, " . . . anyone who votes exclusively because of their stand on pro-choice politics." He then went on to say that no one really likes abortion - it's a necessary evil. So, let me get it straight - You're only in trouble with the Big Guy when you vote only because a person is pro-choice, ipso facto making you pro-abortion. But, in his view, "No one is pro-abortion." Note the contradiction? In his flawed reasoning, there is no room for sin because "the individual's conscience is the noblest thing involved in the abortion debate." Flawed logic all the way around, and built on rude interjections.

So, what made this priest, let's call him "Joe," react this way, shouting me down for the sake of his personal views?

It's ego.

Every single liberal, without exception, who does not permit the other side to voice its opinion (i.e. Joan Sobala, Nancy DeRycke, Barrack Obama) places more value in the "I" than the "we." A parishioner from St. Anne emailed me once with a "Me-Tally." In this tally, he counted the use of "I," "me," "my," and "mine," over 120 times in one of Joan's homilies. I think we find similar trends in the rhetoric of Prez Obama.

Note also how, when a genuine liberal is opposed, they turn vicious, playing dirty, unfair, and immorally. When parishioners confront these schismatic lay administraitors (TM), who always wins? The lay administrator. Without exception. These women claim the authority of the Church, while at the same time showing a complete rejection of this same authority. The same goes for this priest who declared, "I profess and love everything the Church teaches, and that's why I voted for Barrack Obama."

Liberals claim to be the abstract thinkers, the people who explore every alternative etc. However, they are closed minded and shallow, dealing in twisted absolutes and their own alter realities. Sure, you have to care for this unwilling mother, but not by letting her murder her child. That's ludicrous. In a similar way, liberals fail to grasp anything beside the present. "We now have health-care reform." Yes, we do, but in several years we will be crippled by debt and financial burdens.

Liberals put up this "nicey-nice" facade, but the instant you see through it and challenge their delusions, they turn, quite literally, into Nazis, imposing limitations on what you can and can't do (politically and liturgically).

Seeing as how this post in itself is a "scratch" to a liberal, I'm not going to have free commenting. They can't help themselves. For this one item, any comments you wish to make should be directed to me at cleansingfire@live.com.

See? Conservatives value free speech. We tell you when and for how long there will be a limitation. Try posting a comment at grosswirth.blogspot.com - see how far you get. So much for dialogue, eh?

Goodbye, Nancy - Hello Barb

From a friend of the blog comes this little bit of news: Barb Swiecki has been named the new "leader" of the Rush Henrietta cluster, which comprises Good Shepherd, Guardian Angels, and St. Joseph's in Rush. Mrs. DeRycke will be reassigned to another location. I fear deeply as to what this new location may be.

While Barb Swiecki is not as glaringly schismatic as Nancy DeRycke, the stark worship environment which she has cultivated at Guardian Angels is no shining trophy for either the loyal or the dissenting. However, I know several people at Guardian Angels who are firm, solid, orthodox Catholics who will do the right thing no matter how many women are vested and sitting in the sanctuary. Remember that Barb Swiecki is the pastoral administraitor (TM) who fired Fr. Peter Abas because it wasn't in their budget to pay a priest. If this kind of logic is what will rule the cluster, I tremble to think of how those parishes will end up.

If anyone reading this goes to any of these three parishes, please leave a comment and give us your perspective. Will this be better? Worse? Same? What horror stories have you witnessed or heard?

The cluster is still "uncertain" as to who the "Sacramental Minister" will be.

Every time I type "Sacramental Minister," a little piece of me dies. Can't we just call them "pastors"? Why hire a lay person and a priest, paying two full-time employees? Hire one priest, and have people of the parish do the rest. They will step forward - it's not as if we have an uncaring congregation in the diocese.

While doing some backgroung research, I stumbled across this on the website for St. Joseph's:

Beginning in 2007, our Three Parishes will work together to: •Continue those ministries described above, and look for ways to strengthen these and other ministries in which only two parishes currently collaborate. •Begin work on a joint Social Ministry Committee to study the documents and promote the Diocese of Rochester annual agenda, as well as to coordinate and facilitate social ministry programs/outreach currently offered by the three parishes. •Explore other needed social ministries. •Work toward a ministry to alienated Catholics. •Work toward greater collaboration with CYO (Catholic Youth Organization – Grades 5-12 ) programs.. •Share Pre-Cana Ministry. •Continued collaboration on Lenten Retreats beginning in 2008. •Explore ministry to Young Adults (18-35). •Make Vocation Awareness a priority.

Does anyone else notice the absolutely massive flaw here? The cluster states that they need to strengthen and maintain their "social ministries," participate more in CYO athetlics, collaborate on Lenten retreats, and "explore ministry" to young adults. Oh, and "Vocations Awareness" is a priority. Obviously not, if you list it after CYO and various other UNNECESSARY ministries. Sure, they're wonderful. But the priesthood is necessary. Maybe if these clusters put more emphasis on that, we wouldn't be in such a mess. Young men will answer the call if they're not treated like afterthoughts.

Also on their website is this projection for what, exactly, will happen in this year's assignments:

Number of Priests and Mass Schedules
2006-2010 There will continue to be 3 weekend Masses at each parish site.
2010: There will be two priests serving the three parishes.

•Before the reduction in the number of priests takes place in approximately June of 2010, all three parishes will reduce their Mass schedule to two Masses per weekend at each church site. •The times of the Masses will be determined by the pastoral planning team using consensus (Yeah . . . like that will happen) with input of all three parishes. •Daily Mass schedules will be determined in the same way at that time as well.

Anyone who has gone through a clustering process will know and agree that the debate over which Masses go and which Masses stay does two things: it serves to create a bitter and disunited congregation, and it breaks the resolve of those who fight tirelessly. By the end of this, there is too little steam left to actually push through any non-pastoral-administrator related matters. Do not waste your time bickering about Mass times - take what you get and save your strength for the coming fight, the future of your parishes.

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Update 3/29/10 (Dr. K): Good Shepherd parishioners have contacted us with information claiming that Ms. DeRycke referred to Ms. Swiecki as the new "Pastoral Leader" and the to-be-named priests who will serve the parishes as "Assisting Priests." Her departure is their gain.

The Liturgical Police Department

Call No Man Father

Missa Cantata

There will be a Gregorian Missa Cantata on Palm Sunday at Saint Stanislaus Church at 1:30 p.m. A Missa Cantata is a sung Mass without using the full Roman ritual that would include the Asperges. The use of the organ is very limited in keeping with the solemn nature of the Lenten season.

We need to take back our Church from Sister Carol Keehan types

The Treachery of a Nun, and a New Sidebar Feature

I was reading the National Review Online, and was stung by the following, my emphasis added:

President Obama will sign the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at 11:15 A.M. EST.

You can watch it live at the White House web site.

Jake Tapper reports that the president will use 20 pens to sign the bill, and that one each will go to POTUS will Democratic Senators Reid, Durbin, Baucus, Harkin, and Dodd; along with Representatives Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn, Miller, Waxman, Levin, Dingell, and Rangel. Pens will also go to Vice-President Biden, H&HS Secretary Sebelius White House legislative affairs assistant Phil Schiliro, White House health policy chief Nancy-Ann DeParle, Vicki Kennedy, and Sr. Carol Keehan.

"So," thought I, "why is she getting one of these metaphorical pieces of silver?

The American Papist has the answer.

The last pen he used, reports Daniel Foster, will be given to Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association.

Sr. Keehan, as most of you know, was a staunch ally of the Democrat efforts to push through their health care reform. She issued press releases on behalf of her organization asking representatives in Congress to pass the legislation, even without including abortion funding fixes (which they did). She met with Obama personally several days before the final vote in Congress, she contacted individual congressmen and assuaged their conscience that they could vote for the bill as-is, etc.

And, so, this brings me to the new Sidebar feature. It will be on the right (as is everything else on this blog), and will be titled, "Behold The Ranks of Judas." In it will be listed those Catholics who, though they profess to be truly Catholic, aren't. I will not presume to judge their motives or their souls - that's for God. I will, however, judge their actions. Judging actions is not the same thing as judging an individual, so do not comment here or anywhere saying, "You lack charity," "Love your enemies," "Judge not lest ye be judged." I'm getting tired of these faith-based phrases being twisted by the liberals into traps for those who defend the Faith. 

I will also refrain from putting anyone on this list who may be personally offended. We all know each other well enough, so there's no need to point fingers at others and ourselves. This is for the Church Universal, not the Church Rochesterian.

Passiontide - Bach's St. Matthew Passion

As we find ourselves confronting that hideous and blessed reality of Our Lord's passion, we should begin to place ourselves into a deeper realization of what Passiontide is about.

We are but one week away from Holy Thursday, the day upon which Our Lord gave us Himself in the Blessed Sacrament, the day upon which He gave us the priesthood, and the day upon which He was betrayed by Judas, one of his chosen Apostles. Our Lord does not prevent evil from happening to us or to Him, for if He were to intervene in every matter, He would strip us of our free will, which is the source of the sweetest discovery of God. Judas was chosen by God, elevated to his position by His divine will. However, Judas betrayed God, leading Him to that bloody death on the cross, re-enacted each and every day, upon every altar. Evil can be found everywhere, for the Evil One, the Prince of Darkness, uses our human weaknesses to attack us, weaknesses that destroy us and the Church. However, evil cannot win, for just three days after its absolute triumph, Jesus rose from the dead and ransomed our souls.

Sin and corruption are here, yes, but they are fleeting. Our Lord will not permit sin and iniquity to reign in His stead and in His name.

Below is the opening of Bach's masterful St. Matthew Passion, the translation of which is below the video.

German:
Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen,
Sehet - Wen? - den Bräutigam,
Seht ihn - Wie? - als wie ein Lamm!
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig
Am Stamm des Kreuzes geschlachtet,
Sehet, - Was? - seht die Geduld,
Allzeit erfunden geduldig,
Wiewohl du warest verachtet.
Seht - Wohin? - auf unsre Schuld;
All Sünd hast du getragen,
Sonst müßten wir verzagen.
Sehet ihn aus Lieb und Huld
Holz zum Kreuze selber tragen!
Erbarm dich unser, o Jesu !

English:
Come, ye daughters, share my mourning,
See ye ---(Faithful) whom? --- (Zion, et sim.) the bridegroom there,
See him --- how? --- just like a lamb!
O Lamb of God, unspotted
Upon the cross's branch slaughtered,
See ye, --- what? --- see him forbear,
Alway displayed in thy patience,
How greatly wast thou despiséd.
Look --- where, then? --- upon our guilt;
All sin hast thou borne for us,
Else we had lost all courage.
See how he with love and grace
Wood as cross himself now beareth!
Have mercy on us, O Jesus!

Nod of the Miter Goes to . . .

 . . . Fr. George Heyman for his review of "The Shack." This "assisting priest" has written a very to-the-point review of this novel, and also sets the record straight about noted anti-Catholic writer Dan Brown. He writes:

"It's a novel! I kept telling myself this is a novel. And it's not a very good one at that! William Young's The Shack fits into the nouveau genre of blending the religious and the fictitious in such a way that both canons of western literary tradition are equally offended in the process."

He goes on to say:

"The language is so mundane that the most challenging word in the English language in its two-hundred plus pages is the word 'expectancy.' In short, it's written at about the level of a Middle School Literature assignment."

He continues:

"Needless to say, Mack (the main character) ventures down to the shack . . . where he meets 'Papa' (who as you might expect turns out to be God, but now portrayed as a black woman stereotypically singing and baking), while Jesus is busy making furniture and Suraya (a Native American word for 'wind' - hence the Holy Spirit) turns out to be an Asian woman."

My personal opinion of this book is exceedingly low. It is not worth the paper on which it is printed. It is simple, trite, and un-challenging. At least the DaVinci Code had some blood and cassocks.

I would encourage you to read the rest of Fr. Heyman's review, found here in the Church of the Resurrection bulletin from Sunday: http://content.seekandfind.com/bulletins/06/0209/20100321.pdf