We Who Are Entombed in Gold

 

The following poem is from G.K. Chesterton. I should like to think of what he would have to say if he were to regard the Diocese of Rochester in its current state. Note the subtleties.
_____________________

O God of earth and altar,

Bow down and hear our cry,

Our earthly rulers falter,

Our people drift and die;

The walls of gold entomb us,

The swords of scorn divide,

Take not thy thunder from us,

But take away our pride.

From all that terror teaches,

From lies of tongue and pen,

From all the easy speeches

That comfort cruel men,

From sale and profanation

Of honour and the sword,

From sleep and from damnation,

Deliver us, good Lord.

Tie in a living tether

The prince and priest and thrall,

Bind all our lives together,

Smite us and save us all;

In ire and exultation

Aflame with faith, and free,

Lift up a living nation,

A single sword to thee.

- G.K. Chesterton
 
 

Father Baker Celebrates Christmas Mass, 1933

This video, without sound, shows Father Nelson Baker offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The video was filmed at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, south of Buffalo. Father Baker (actually he was a Monsignor) founded and built the Basilica in thanksgiving to Our Lady of Victory for blessings received to build and maintain his orphanage and other works of charity. There is a link at the bottom so you can read more about Father Baker's life story. He is currently "on the road to sainthood". If you haven't visited the Basilica, I highly suggest that you do




Click on the link to read about Father Baker's life.

http://ourladyofvictory.org/FatherBaker/Welcome.html

Another link to the Basilica.

http://olv-bvs.org/ourladyofvictory/Basilica/Welcome.html

NY Priest - Archdiocesan Vocations

The video below is from the vocations program of the Archdiocese of New York. Anyone who has lingering doubts about Archbishop Dolan and his orthodoxy, just watch this. It's rare that such a short video has such an emotional impact.

Nod of the Miter Goes to . . .

. . . Rich, over at Ten Reasons, for his glowing review of our most esteemed friend's new book, Forward in Hope. Allow me to quote Mr. Leonardi:

Potential readers should realize that Bishop Clark presides over perhaps the most dissent-filled diocese in the nation. His unique approach to lay ministry, which includes illicitly appointing two members of the Women's Ordination Conference as "pastors" over parish clusters, has resulted in an unparalleled vocations crisis (bingo). From 1995 to 2005, the Diocese of Rochester lost over 45% of its priests, a figure unmatched virtually anywhere in the United States. Indeed, priests aren't even priests in Rochester; they are called "sacramental ministers." While Mass attendance stabilized or increased in most parts of the Church in America last decade, it is in free-fall in Rochester, dropping almost 25% since 2002. Read this book to learn what not to do.

Behold Treachery

A rather blunt announcement has been made regarding the Irondequoit parishes. The following is from the St. Margaret Mary bulletin:

Please note, this isn't the official "recommendation." It's basically the cluster's way of saying what they've decided without actually saying they've decided. I'm getting awfully sick of these games these people are playing. It's shameful what they're trying to pull.

When will the diocese wake up and see that this kind of forced clustering doesn't work. It destroys parishes with great potential and strength while showing an absolute favoritism towards the more left-leaning churches. First Our Lady of Lourdes "took over" St. Anne. Now Christ the King has bullied St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Salome into subjugation. How can people still cling to the naive presumption that everyone will just smile and say "okey dokey" and go to a parish which was actively trying to close their original one? I can guarantee that if St. Anne closes, there will not be a massive influx of people into the Lourdes community. Our Lady of Victory and Latin Mass, yes. Dens of liberalism and error, no.

People of St. Thomas and St. Salome - please email me with anything you'd like to have posted. The address is cleansingfire@live.com. This is your chance to speak out. And I think we all know that Cleansing Fire has more credibility than the IPPG does.

Please sign petition for super bowl prolife ad‏

The evil babykillers know of plans to air this ad and are devilishly pressuring the network to change their mind.

https://secure.lifesitenews.com/np/clients/lifesitenews_us/campaign.jsp?campaign=20

Hear My Prayer, Lord

As the time for the announcement of closures comes nigh upon us, I think we should take time to focus on two things:

Rochester is NOT the Church. Rochester is just one backwards and betrayed diocese in the entire world. There is hope - it may not be here, but it exists elsewhere in the Church. The only things keeping us from a true and genuine realization of hope for the Church is the carelessness with which some of Her children tend to Her. There is hope, and it doesn't lay in clustering, closing, or consolidating.

We are right. There is no discussion regarding this. We have followed what Rome has said. We have borne every injury which has been directed towards us. And we have done so honorably. Not one of us has fled to the cloak of Satan for fear of what his cancerous influence has confronted us with here in Rochester. We have stayed true to God and the Church, to the King of All, Jesus Christ, and His Spotless Bride, the Holy Mother Church. Woe to them that fetter Her with the sins of liberalism. "Surely it would be better for them had they not been born."

Felix Mendelssohn wrote a piece adapted from the 55th Psalm which he called "Hear My Prayer, Lord." I think the words are particuarly meaningful for us who are beset by error and greed, two vices which masquerade as virtues to unknowing eyes.

“Hear my prayer, O God, incline Thine ear!
Thyself from my petition do not hide.
Take heed to me! Hear how in prayer I mourn to Thee,
Without Thee all is dark, I have no guide.
The enemy shouteth, The godless come fast!
Iniquity, hatred, upon me they cast!
The wicked oppress me, Ah where shall I fly?
Perplexed and bewildered, O God, hear my cry!
My heart is sorely pained, within my breast,
my soul with deathly terror is oppressed,
trembling and fearfulness up on me fall,
with horror overwhelmed, Lord, hear me call,

O for the wings, for the wings of a dove!
Far away, far away would I rove!
In the wilderness build me a nest,
and remain there forever at rest."

Nod of the Miter goes to . . .

. . .our dear friends in Auburn for putting on a theatrical production portraying the life of St. John Vianney. Fr. Frank Lioi and St. Mary's in Auburn are hosting this event which is open to the public for nominal charge. Please try to attend - it looks like something we'd all enjoy. More information is on the flier below:

Mass in Time of War

The famous composer Haydn wrote eight Masses for the Esterhazy family, royalty from Austria. The following video is a clip of one of these Masses, titled "Missa in Tempore Belli," "Mass in Time of War." Enjoy the Austrian splendor.

My Two Cents

Just to follow what the good Doctor said, I thought I should clarify one little thing from the perspective of the "FutureChurch" folks. Their website, the page to which Dr. K linked, has the following on it:

FutureChurch advocates for opening ordination to all the baptized. Didn't
Jesus ordain only men?
In fact, Jesus did not ordain anyone. Ordination was a practice that started to occur decades later in church history. Jesus had both male and female disciples (see "Jesus and Women" link).

So what was the Last Supper, if not the Institition of the Eucharist and the Priesthood? Was it some posh dinner-party? And note, at the Last Supper there were only Apostles - the whole group following Our Lord was not in that room, nor could they have fit. According to the writings of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, a mystic, Mary, the Mother of the Lord, and the other key women were actually having a meal in a separate room at that time, considering what was to be:

Our Lord cut up another lamb, which was carried to the holy women in one of the buildings of the court, where they were seated at table. The Apostles ate some more vegetables and lettuce. The countenance of our Divine Saviour bore an indescribable expression of serenity and recollection, greater than I had ever before seen. He bade the Apostles forget all their cares. The Blessed Virgin also, as she sat at table with the other women, looked most placid and calm. When the other women came up, and took hold of her veil to make her turn round and speak to them, her every movement expressed the sweetest self-control and placidity of spirit.

At the Last Supper, Our Lord gave us not only Himself, but the seeds of His Church - our first bishops. Of course it bears little resemblance to current sacramental ceremonies - it was a Jewish Passover meal, not a Catholic Ordination Mass. (Although, in truth, it was. Outer vestiges and inner meaning merge with ease when Our Lord so chooses. We do not choose. He does.)

So, yes, Jesus did have male and female followers, "man and woman He created them," but these were not those who were with Him through the hours of his dolorous Passion. The Apostles partook of the First Eucharist, and were given the task of sacerdotal (priest) and episcopal (bishop) ministries. If you deny this, you deny the legitimacy of the first Pope, Peter, Bishop of Rome. If Jesus didn't ordain them, if he didn't start the ever-growing chain of laying-on-of-hands, then who did? I guess it had to be Mary Magdalene. (I trademark that idea, Dan Brown. If there's a novel in this, it's not going to be yours.)

Just Between Us

Just when you think error couldn't compound error, this comes out. From our very dear Sr. Sobala's weekly "Just Between Us" column in her cluster bulletin, comes this hypocritical article.

Several things should have jumped out at you. Let's start at the very beginning.

"It is an historic scandal that Christianity ever got divided." Good deduction, Sherlock. Maybe that's why we shouldn't go around and say things that go contrary to the will of the Church? Straight from the horse's mouth we read the word "scandal." Sr. Joan admits, whole-heartedly and without hesitation that a "divided" Church is a "scandal." I find it pathetic that one of the foremost women promoting disunity in the Diocese of Rochester opens her weekly reflection with such rhetoric.

So we then go on to read about a "covenant" signed by Bishop Clark and the local Episcopalian ordinary which, the good sister proudly declares, is a "jewel." Now I'm all for peaceful-interaction with other religions. However, when you say you're open to the other religion, that's where problems come into play. You should be open to accepting that individual's culture, but not open to professing their faith or nullifying your own. Of course, I give credit to Sr. Sobala for actually saying the word "Catholic," but to "gather together" with the purpose of "enriching each tradition" is shameful. Our Tradition is rich enough without yielding to those who deny the authority of the supreme pontiff. 

Then again, Sr. Joan occasionally preaches at the Episcopalian parish she mentions, St. Thomas. And when she does, she is vested in her alb and, this is the clincher, receives communion. There is a clear line separating ecumenical dialogue and ecumenical blending. She has crossed it. I have spoken with two of the altar boys from that parish, and they both said, "that lady (Joan) is a Catholic nun, but she preaches at our parish. I don't get that." Even the Protestants don't understand what she's doing. Then again, in the spirit of her "Good Shepherd Sunday Homily," we are the erring sheep, and she is the Good Shepherd who will carry us to enlightenment. We should bow before her Masters' degree in Divinity.

So, in her spirit of "Christian unity," we should gather all Christians together, regardless at to their allegiance to the True Church, and have one massive communion service. That's disdainful. That's heresy. As Pope Paul VI boldly declared to the World Council of Churches, "SUMUS PETRUS." "We are Peter." What a sublime statement of Catholic faith. And for a pope whose image is more "left" than most, this is truly a message. We are to engage in prayers for Christian unity, of course. But we are the Church. We are waiting for them, not the other way around.

Sr. Joan, perhaps you should have pride for what you have, the Catholic Church? I pray that, someday, you can appreciate the vast and immense treasure which is Tradition. And I mean that sincerely.

Something Fun

Prove thineselves.

Take the quiz.

New Cleansing Fire Gifts

As per the request from Anonymous regarding my crozier "mightily stinging the skin of the perfidious," I designed a new T-shirt for your enjoyment. Below is our entire store. Remember: the Church gets the profits.



make custom gifts at Zazzle

Perhaps It's an Explanation

I was considering why people feel the need to form fringe groups and schismatic faith communities. In response, I found a quote from G.K. Chesterton.

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."

You know you're on the right path when it's difficult. Ever notice how the parishes that preach sin and the like never want for parishioners? But when you preach about how everyone's a child of God (which I'm not denying), and how everyone's loved by Brother Jesus, and you strip away the "why" and "how" aspects, these parishes fail.

And of course there are numerous parishes of apathy, avoiding "the Church wars." Regarding war, in general, Chesterton also declared, "How quickly revolutions grow old; and, worse still, respectable." How true, sir. How true.

Just a Note

I have had a string of comments posted which have flaunted an open contempt for the office of bishop, the Magisterial teachings of the Church, the Pope, past popes, etc. And these are coming from both ends of the spectrum. These things, attacking individuals, showing open contempt towards the reforms of the Church (i.e. return of Latin Mass, new translations, sign of peace), disrespecting episcopal offices - all of these are unwanted and unnecessary.

People accuse us, from time to time, of being anti-Bishop Clark. I should like to clarify that point, even though I have repeatedly done so. We have such respect for the office of the bishop that we rise up to defend it. The man is different from his office. Remember, folks, we have had popes who were openly contemptuous towards Tradition. Just because they were validly-named popes does not mean that the people should have rolled over in the face of abuses of power.

Follow the teachings of the Church - everything follows safely from that. I don't need half-cocked homosexuals spamming us with their statements of contempt for the will of the Church as manifested through the Magisterium. For goodness sake, we don't need that kind of liberal trash being disseminated through this site.

After all, from what I have been told, my crozier stings mightily when it strikes the skin of the perfidious.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei

In keeping with our Austrian theme for this month, I present you now with Mozart's "Sancta Maria, Mater Dei," K. 273. It's a beautiful piece, and is performed in a magnificent European church.

When Goodly Men Retire

This month, the Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Bertone, turned 75. In accordance with Canon Law, the Cardinal submitted his letter of resignation. This is the story as reported by EWTN:

VATICAN CITY, 22 JAN 2010 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon L'Osservatore Romano newspaper published a Letter from the Holy Father, dated 15 January, in which he reiterates his confidence in Cardinal Tariciso Bertone S.D.B. as secretary of State. On 2 December 2009 Cardinal Bertone reached the age of 75 and presented his resignation from office, in accordance with the norms of Canon Law.
In his Letter Benedict XVI expresses his thanks to the cardinal, recalling "the long course of our collaboration, which began with your work as consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"My thoughts also go to the delicate work you undertook to establish dialogue with Msgr. Lefebvre", the Holy Father adds, before going on to recall how John Paul II called Cardinal Bertone to work in the Roman Curia, where he "competently and generously filled the position of secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Those were intense and demanding years during which important doctrinal and disciplinary documents were issued", he writes.
The Holy Father also speaks of his admiration for the cardinal's "sensus fidei", his doctrinal and canonical knowledge and his "humanitas" which, writes the Pope, "helped us to experience a real family atmosphere in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, united to a firm and determined discipline in the workplace".
And Benedict XVI concludes his Letter: "All these qualities were the motive that led me to decide, in the summer of 2006, to appoint you as my secretary of State, and they are the reasons why, also for the future, I do not wish to forgo your vital collaboration". 

Look at the words I emphasized: confidence, Msgr.Lefebvre, competently, doctrinal and disciplinary documents, doctrinal and canonical knowledge, firm and determined discipline. 

Not one could apply to the Diocese of Rochester. At least, not in the way Pope Benedict uses the words. Pope Benedict worked for reconciliation with Lefebvre and the SSPX, and continues to do so. In Rochester, Bishop Clark reaches out to groups that don't even claim to be Catholic - i.e. Chrust Unity Church and their pride-filled dancer who flitted around the cathedral. Sure, the DoR has confidence - but only in lay women, not ordained men. The DoR isn't competent. There are doctrinal documents in the DoR, but administrators (administraitors) boldly and incorrectly assert that "they trump those of Rome." There is doctrinal and canonical knowledge, but it is warped with age, and encrusted with political agendas of the left. There is discipline in Rochester, of coure. It's the same discipline that exiles orthodox priests to failing  parishes of poverty while the liberal, nay, the outright schismatic priests are rewarded with cushy jobs in affluent parishes. I'd like to see a loyal priest in a parish like St. Louis. Can you imagine the results?

A Smack of the Crozier Goes To . . .

. . . pro-football for not supplying the priesthood with any vocations. You may be asking yourself, "why is Gen doing this? What's he talking about?" Well, allow me to explain myself a little further by stating that I am giving a nod of the miter to pro-baseball.

No, I have not gone insane. I'm just reading the headlines:

"A's Prospect Leaving Baseball for Call of the Priesthood"

The entire story, as reported by Yahoo! Sports:

Well, here's a story you don't see every day.Grant Desme, a 23-year-old minor league outfielder in Oakland's system, is retiring from baseball to follow a calling into the Catholic priesthood.
The story was first reported by Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi — perhaps appropriately with that first name of his — and this isn't a case of a struggling player going through an early-life crisis. Desme was ranked the A's eighth-best prospect by Baseball America after hitting .288 with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs in A ball in 2009 and he was just named MVP of the Arizona Fall League.
Desme might have even been a late-season callup to the big league club in 2010. Our Y! Sports 2010 fantasy guide has him ranked the 40th-best minor-league prospect for near-term fantasy purpose. However, ESPN's Rob Neyer disagrees, saying that he didn't see Desme as a future star by the Bay.
Susan Slusser has more on Desme's decision to leave playing against the Padres and Cardinals so he can start praying with other padres and cardinals at a Catholic seminary in Orange County. He said the news came as bit of a shock to Billy Beane, but that the Oakland GM and entire A's system have been supportive of his decision.

"I'm doing well in baseball. But I had to get down to the bottom of things, to what was good in my life, what I wanted to do with my life. Baseball is a good thing, but that felt selfish of me when I felt that God was calling me more. It took awhile to trust that and open up to it and aim full steam toward him ... I love the game, but I'm going to aspire to higher things."

Desme spoke with Baseball America last year about baseball being only "a game" and we wish him success on his spiritual path. In a selfish age when churches struggle to recruit young male Americans, his sacrifice of possible riches is a very admirable thing.

There's another joke to be made about Padres, Cardinals, and Angels, but I lack the initiative to make it. It's Saturday.

Reminder

Tridentine High Mass today, Sunday at 1:30 at St. Stanislaus Church. See more information below.

Moved by Grace

The beautiful St. Gerard's Church in Buffalo will be dismantled and moved down south to Norcross, Georgia. Courtesy of the New Liturgical Movement website, I found this website about the move.

Let's pray that as our churches closes in the DoR, that a Catholic Church needing a new church will factor beauty into their decision and not just utility. That is what the current pastor in Georgia wanted "something beautiful." St. Gerard is a miniature replica of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. St. Gerard's is built in the Renaissance Revivial style of the Roman basilica

http://www.movedbygrace.com/

And, if you like church architecture, here is a link to other churches (Catholic and non-Catholic) in Buffalo.
http://www.buffaloah.com/a/bamch.html

At its height, the city of Buffalo was about 80% Catholic and Rochester was a little less than half of that. We do have some gems in Rochester but, seriously folks, if you want to see some magnificent churches, go to Buffalo.