Friday, November 26, 2021
Commemoration of St. Peter of Alexandria

St. Peter of Alexandria (right) alongside Pope St. Clement whose feastday was on November 23rd.

November 26th is the Feast of St. Sylvester the Abbot. It is in addition also the feastday of St. Peter of Alexandria, the Patriarch of Alexandria, who was one of the first martyrs for combating the heresy of Arius. He was martyred because of his adherence to the True Faith in 310 AD. Eusebius wrote that Patriarch Peter was "a divine model of the Christian teacher." Severus of Ashmumeen describes the moment when the Patriarch was martyred: 

And he took off his omophorion, and bared his neck, which was pure before the Lord, and said to them: "Do as you have been commanded." But the soldiers feared that trouble would befall them because of him. So they looked one at another, and not one of them dared to cut off his head, because of the dread which had fallen upon them. Then they took counsel together and said: "To him that cuts off his head each one of us will give five denarii". Now they were six persons; and one of them had some money; so he took out five and twenty denarii from among the coins and said: "He that will go up to him, and cut off his head, shall receive this money from me and from the four others". So one of the men went forward, and summoned up his courage, and cut off the head of the holy martyr and patriarch Peter; that day being the 29th of Hatur.

In the Divine Office, a Commemoration is made of him.  Likewise, a Commemoration is made for him at all Masses (per the 1954 rubrics) and at Low Mass only (per the 1962 rubrics).

While it is easy to forget the many celebrated saints who were removed from the New Calendar in1969, it is even more so the case for saints who were previously only commemorated. May we not forget to invoke their patronage and thank God for their example from their past actions while also thanking God for their intercession now from Heaven.

Collect:

O Lord, graciously accept the gifts we offer You in honor of Your blessed martyr bishop Peter and help us find in them unending assistance. Through our Lord . . .

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Tuesday, November 16, 2021
In These Times of Crisis, Support a Unique Traditional Diocese!

Friends of Campos, Inc. is launching their second fundraiser of 2021 to support the traditional Catholic seminary and institutions of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney in Campos, Brazil.

This unique traditional Catholic diocese cares for over 30,000 parishioners in 14 parishes. The people are also served by an array of private schools, religious associations, and charitable services. Though the region is spiritually rich, Brazil remains a poor country, and every dollar donated makes a big difference!

Our Advent 2021 fundraiser will help buy food and pharmacy items for the seminary and largest convent; desks and chairs for the seminary; computer workstations for the seminary and convent; and musical instruments for the sacred music program at the convent. For details on the project, click here to visit their website.

Please help them reach our Christmas goal of $20,000 USD!  Donate today!

Please keep them in your prayers and share this appeal with friends and family. The seminarians and sisters pray for their benefactors, and a monthly Mass is offered at the seminary in thanksgiving for the supporters of Friends of Campos.

Particular prayer requests are always welcome (click here to send yours). For more information about Friends of Campos, Inc., visit their website.

God reward you for your help!



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Saturday, November 13, 2021
All Norbertine Saints

"The saints don’t need us to honor them. Our devotion adds nothing to what they already have. When we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, whenever I think of them, I feel inflamed by a tremendous yearning. . . So let us long for those who long for us. Let us hurry to meet those who await us. And let us ask those who envision our coming to intervene for us" (Saint Bernard).

Today is kept by the Canons Regular of PrĂ©montrĂ© (i.e. the Premonstratensians also known as the Norbertines) the Feast of All Saints of the Premonstratensian Order. Living a worldly life, St. Norbert decided to receive Holy Orders only as part of a career move. St. Nobert joined the Benedictines at Siegburg and after a narrow escape from death, took his vows seriously and experienced an interior conversion. Ordained a priest in 1115 AD, St. Norbert accepted the duty of preaching, particularly in France and Germany. St. Norbert founded a religious community of Augustinian canons at Premontre, France, who became known as the Norbertines or Premonstratensians.

As described in The Life of Saint Norbert:

Norbert established a clergy dedicated to the ideals of the Gospel and the apostolic Church. They were chaste and poor. They wore the clothing and the symbols of the new man; that is to say, they wore "the religious habit and exhibited the dignity proper to the priesthood." Norbert asked them "to live according to the norms of the Scriptures with Christ as their model. 

The priests lived in community, where they continued the work of the apostles. When Norbert was appointed as archbishop, he urged his brothers to carry the faith to the lands of the Wends. 

Faith was the outstanding virtue of Norbert's life, as charity had been the hallmark of Bernard of Clairvaux. Affable and charming, amiable to one and all, he was at ease in the company of the humble and the great alike. Finally, he was a most eloquent preacher; after long meditation he would preach the word of God and with his fiery eloquence purged vices, refined virtues and filled souls of good will with the warmth of wisdom.

Like other Orders which keep feastdays in honor of their saints sometime during the month of November, today's Feast of the Norbertines should further inspire us to pray for the success of Traditional Norbertines active in our world today. May the intercession of all Norbertines in Heaven help them - and us - to spread the Catholic Faith, to do penance, and to one day save our souls.

Visit Norbertine Vocations for the list of all saints of the Order.

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Friday, November 12, 2021
Prayer for the Election of a Pope

May the Lord send us a truly holy Pontiff who will restore all things in Christ and see to the resurrection of the Church in light of the grave scandals and loss of Faith which have afflicted Her for more than 50 years.

Latin:

Supplici, Domine, humilitate deposcimus: ut sacrosanctae Romanae Ecclesiae concedat Pontificem illum tua immensa pietas; qui et pio in nos studio semper tibi placitus, et tuo populo pro salubri regimine sit assidue ad gloriam tui nominis reverendus. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritu Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.

English:

O Lord, with suppliant humility, we entreat Thee, that in Thy boundless mercy Thou wouldst grant the most Holy Roman Church a Pontiff, who by his zeal for us may be pleasing to Thee, and by his good government may be ever honoured by Thy people for the glory of Thy name.

Source: Missa pro eligendo Summo Ponti

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Thursday, November 11, 2021
Support My Patreon Account


I have been blessed to be involved in Catholic apologetics now for many years. I have been writing here for "A Catholic Life" since 2004, for CatechismClass.com since 2009, for Catholic Family News since 2018, for the Fatima Center since 2018, for Latin Mass Magazine since 2020, and for 1P5 since 2021. 

But I have plenty of other plans in store for the future. I want to explore podcasts and video creations, especially to turn my series of articles on fasting and abstinence into video content for YouTube and/or Vimeo. 

And I have dozens of other articles on my shortlist to research and write so that more Catholics can learn about forgotten aspects of our Faith. Here are some of my articles on unknown topics just this year:


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Tuesday, November 9, 2021
2022 Traditional Catholic Fasting and Abstinence Calendar

Click to enlarge

As a follow-up to the significant research I have done in regard to Traditional (both Roman and Eastern) Catholic fasting and abstinence, I have put together a 2022 fasting and abstinence calendar for my own devotional purposes. I share it here so that anyone who wishes to better observe the Church's precepts may do so. As our Lady of Fatima has pleaded with us to advance in prayer and penance, fasting beyond the mere minimum should be the aspiration for all Catholics who are physically able to do so.

Traditional Catholic Fasting Rules:

Fasting: Fasting refers to how much food we eat. It means taking only one meal during a calendar day. The meal should be an average-sized meal as overeating at the one meal is against the spirit of the fast. Fasting generally means that the meal is to be taken later in the day. Along with the one meal, up to two snacks (technically called either a collation or frustulum) are permitted. These are optional, not required. Added up together, they may not equal the size of the one meal. No other snacking throughout the day is permitted. Fasting does not affect liquids, aside from the Eucharistic Fast which is a separate matter.

Abstinence: Abstinence in this context refers to not eating meat. Meat refers to the fleshmeat of mammals or fowl. Beef, poultry, lamb, etc are all forbidden on days of abstinence. Abstinence does not currently prohibit animal byproducts like dairy (e.g. cheese, butter, milk) or eggs, but in times past they were prohibited. Fish is permitted along with shellfish and other cold-blooded animals like alligators. In times past, days of fast were always days of abstinence as well; however, not all days of abstinence were days of mandatory fasting.

Partial Abstinence: Partial Abstinence refers to eating meat only at the principal meal of the day. Days of partial abstinence do not permit meat to be eaten as part of the collation or the frustulum. Partial abstinence started only in 1741 under Pope Benedict XIV as a concession and as part of a gradual weakening of discipline. Beforehand, days of abstinence were days of complete abstinence.

Fasting, therefore, refers to the quantity of food and the frequency of eating. Abstinence refers to what may or may not be eaten.

Calendar Notes:

1. Partial Abstinence is a modern invention and is not part of this calendar. Abstinence is always full, never partial. 

2. All Days of Lent aside from Sundays are days of fasting and abstinence. Sundays are days only of abstinence.

3. For Lent only abstinence refers to all animal products (e.g. dairy, butter, eggs) in addition to meat. This includes Sundays.

4. January 22nd is in the USA only an obligatory day of penance for offenses against the dignity of human life.

5. This calendar keeps the 1954 Roman Catholic Calendar and the pre-1917 practice of anticipating Vigils on Saturday that fall on Sunday in a given year.

6. Major Fasts: Great Lent (March 2 - April 16), Apostles Fast (June 13 - June 28), Dormition Fast (Aug 1 - Aug 14), St. Martin's Lent (Nov 14 - Dec 24).

7. Dominican Specific Fasting Days: April 29, August 3, and October 6 are not on the calendar but will be observed by Dominican Tertiary per the 1923 Rule (the last one before Vatican II). Same with all Fridays of the year which Dominicans are asked to keep as days of fasting.

8. Days of fasting generally include all of the Major Fasts as noted above in addition to the following days when they fall outside of those periods: Ember Days, Vigils of the Apostles, and Vigils for Major Feasts. Rogation Days were often days of abstinence but not fast.

9. Saturday Abstinence used to be obligatory year-round with some exceptions for days "as often as no major solemnity (e.g. Christmas) occurs on Saturday, or no infirmity serves to cancel the obligation.” One exception granted in some places was for all Saturdays of the Christmas Season to be exempted.

10. Above all, this calendar goes far beyond the mere "minimums" which are virtually non-existent and attempts to present concrete ways for Catholics to actually fast in the manner as our forefathers did.

Not listed but certainly recommendable based on the Early Church's practice of Wednesday penance (and based on the wishes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), would be to also observe abstinence year-round on Wednesdays (beyond the dates noted on the calendar). Such a practice would be commendable on all additional Wednesdays of the year with exemptions when either a Holy Day of Obligation, Former Holy Day of Obligation, or First Class Feast falls.

For those interested in understanding the various ways fasting and abstinence have changed over time, please explore the archives regarding fasting and abstinence. And for those looking for ideas on what to make to eat on fasting days, the Lenten Cookbook produced by Sophia Institute Press has a section on vegan recipes that is worth checking out.

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