The Real Presence: Faith, Reverence, and Signs

“For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation.” (Mal. 1:11)

This article continues and expands the meditation begun in my previous post, The Mass as God’s Wonderful Promise and Gift. There, I focused on the Mass as a hidden treasure and the Eucharist as the greatest Gift God could give—God Himself. Here, I turn to a closely related theme: the Real Presence as a doctrine that demands living faith, visible reverence, and (at times) extraordinary signs by which our Lord has strengthened His Church when belief was attacked or mocked.

These reflections are drawn from and inspired by the nineteenth-century Redemptorist priest Father Michael Mueller (1825–1899), whose devotional and doctrinal works aimed to press Catholic truths into the imagination and conscience until a man is forced to ask: Do I actually believe what I say I believe? Mueller’s book on the Mass—first published in 1874 and recently re-typeset and edited—was warmly commended in its own day and deserves renewed attention in ours.

In adapting these meditations for publication here, I will rely far less on extended quotations and more on explanation and application. Still, Mueller’s voice will appear at key moments. I will format any direct quotation as a block quote so it can be footnoted easily.

I. Real Presence: The Doctrine That Reorders Everything

It is one thing to confess with the lips that Our Lord is present in the Blessed Sacrament. It is another to live as though it were true.

Catholics often speak—rightly—of the Mass as the unbloody renewal of Calvary. We know (at least in theory) that the Sacrifice of the Cross is made present sacramentally; that the Mass is true worship, true oblation, true sacrifice; and that the Eucharist is not merely a symbol or representation, but Jesus Christ Himself—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—under the sacramental veils.

And yet the modern world grows louder, more frantic, and more distracted by the day. Even for practicing Catholics, it becomes easy to treat the Mass as one more event on a weekly schedule: attended, fulfilled, and quickly forgotten. That shift does not happen all at once. It begins quietly: a loss of awe, a habit of distraction, a reduced sense of sin, and a practical assumption that the Eucharist is “holy,” yes—but not the kind of holiness that demands trembling reverence.

But if the Real Presence is true, then everything changes. The tabernacle is not a decorative box. It is not an ornament for the sanctuary. It is a throne. It is Bethlehem and Calvary and the Upper Room gathered into one hidden location where the God-Man truly dwells. If Christ is there, then a church is not merely a room for religious gathering; it is a sacred place because the King is present. And if the King is present, then every Catholic is bound not merely to “believe,” but to adore.

It is precisely because this doctrine reorders everything that the devil hates it and the world resists it. The Real Presence is not merely a comforting devotion; it is a declaration of divine authority. It says: God is here. God speaks. God reigns. God judges. God sanctifies. God demands worship. And for fallen man, that is intolerable unless he repents.

II. Christ Permits Evil to Draw From It a Greater Good

If the Eucharist is the heart of the Church, we might ask why God has permitted it to be attacked, denied, mocked, profaned, or treated casually—even among those who claim the name of Christian. Why allow heresy at all? Why allow irreverence to spread?

The Catholic answer is not that God wills evil. He does not. But He permits evil—and He permits it in such a way that, without compromising His holiness, He draws from it a greater good: the strengthening of the faithful, the purification of devotion, the exposure of error, the humiliation of pride, and the more brilliant vindication of truth.

This is the logic of the Cross. Our Lord allowed Judas to betray Him and Peter to fall. He allowed Himself to be scourged, mocked, and crucified. The malice was real; the injustice was real; yet the providence of God was greater still. From the darkest hour, God drew the world’s redemption.

So too in Eucharistic history: when belief grew cold, when heresy grew bold, and when the sacred mysteries were assaulted, God permitted trials. And at times of His choosing, He answered those trials with confirmations—sometimes quiet and interior, sometimes public and extraordinary—so that the faithful might be strengthened, the wavering corrected, and the proud rebuked.

This must be said clearly: miracles do not replace doctrine, and signs do not create faith. The Church’s authority is sufficient. Still, it has pleased God at certain times to grant remarkable confirmations—not because the Church needs spectacle, but because man’s heart is slow, forgetful, and often stubborn.

III. Corpus Christi and the Mercy of Public Adoration

One of the clearest examples of God drawing a greater good from an age of danger is the Feast of Corpus Christi. The feast is not a medieval embellishment. It is a providential response to the needs of the Church—especially when Eucharistic faith was challenged and devotion threatened.

The heart of Corpus Christi is remarkably simple: the Church publicly does what she always does interiorly—she confesses what she believes. The Eucharistic procession is a sermon preached without words: Christ is here. The same Lord Who once walked the roads of Judea now passes through our streets, not because He needs honor, but because we need to honor Him. Public worship becomes a form of reparation and a remedy for a forgetful world.

Mueller points to the purpose of Corpus Christi with characteristic directness:

“This means was the institution of the Feast of Corpus Christi.”

And he emphasizes why it mattered at the time it arose:

“It was instituted by divine inspiration in order that the Catholic doctrine might be strengthened by the institution of this festival, at a time when the faith of the world was growing cold and heresies were rife.”

Whether we consider the historical development of the feast or its enduring spiritual fruit, the lesson is the same: when faith is threatened, the Church does not retreat into ambiguity. She proclaims Christ more openly. The Host is lifted up not as a symbol, but as the living Lord. And the faithful are invited to order their interior life according to what the Church dares to confess in public: that Jesus Christ is truly present.

In our own day, Corpus Christi remains an essential anchor for authentic Eucharistic renewal. It teaches Catholics to worship outwardly what they claim to believe inwardly. It teaches that reverence is not optional; it is the natural language of faith.

IV. The Evils of Protestantism and the Assault on the Eucharist

To understand why the Church has clung so tightly to Eucharistic devotion—and why she has insisted upon clarity—we must speak honestly about what happens when the Real Presence is denied.

The Protestant revolt was not merely a dispute about external ceremonies or church governance. At its heart was a revolt against the sacrificial priesthood and the Eucharistic mystery. Once the Mass is denied as a true sacrifice, and once transubstantiation is rejected, the Eucharist is reduced—first to a symbol, then to an occasional memorial, and eventually to a matter of subjective meaning rather than objective reality.

And historically, the denial did not remain theoretical. Where the Eucharist was rejected, the fruits often followed: contempt for Catholic worship, ransacking of churches, ridicule of altars, destruction of sacred vessels, mockery of adoration, and the stripping away of the very instincts of reverence. When a culture abandons the truth that God is truly present among us—hidden under the sacramental veil—reverence collapses. And when reverence collapses, blasphemy and cruelty are never far behind.

This is why the Church has always treated Eucharistic doctrine as a matter of life and death, not as an item for polite ecumenical vagueness. If Christ is not truly present, then Catholic worship is superstition. But if Christ is truly present, then Protestantism is not merely “a different emphasis.” It is a denial of the Lord’s own words: “This is My Body.”

And because God is merciful even to the weak and wavering, He has sometimes granted extraordinary signs precisely in such ages—so that the faithful might be strengthened and the arrogant humbled.

V. Nicola Aubry and the Terrifying Clarity of Spiritual Warfare

Among the most arresting narratives Mueller presents is that of Nicola Aubry. Modern sensibilities do not like such stories. Yet the case teaches an unforgettable lesson: the devil knows the truth about the Eucharist even when heretics deny it; and Christ, in His sovereignty, can force even His enemies to confess what unbelief refuses to adore.

What is especially striking about this episode is that it is not presented as mere curiosity. It is doctrinal and moral. It reveals the hatred hell bears toward the Eucharist, and it highlights the authority Christ has placed in His Church.

Mueller frames the matter with a question that cuts to the heart of providence:

“Why this struggle between Our Lord and satan, since our divine Savior is his Lord and Master?”

His answer, in substance, is that God permitted the trial in order to sanctify, to instruct, to confirm Catholic doctrine, and to draw a greater good from what the devil intended for ruin. In this case, our Lord’s victory becomes a kind of living catechism: it teaches that Christ is present, that the Eucharist has power, and that even infernal hatred must yield before the King Who hides Himself under humble appearances.

One cannot read such accounts and still pretend that the Eucharist is a harmless symbol. The devil does not rage against symbols. He rages against reality. He rages against Christ’s sacramental Presence because the Eucharist is Christ’s nearness to man—Christ’s condescension, Christ’s mercy, Christ’s kingship, Christ’s claim upon souls.

This is why the Church has always insisted that reception of Holy Communion must be worthy: free from mortal sin, approached with reverence, prepared by repentance. The Eucharist is not a common thing. It is the Holy of Holies.

VI. The Power of Our Lord’s Body

Mueller repeatedly returns to a central point: the Host appears small, silent, unimpressive—but omnipotence is hidden there. The God-Man is not divided. Wherever He is present, His power and majesty are present, even if veiled.

He expresses the paradox plainly:

“So, when we look upon the Sacred Host it is true, we see there no mark of His Majesty… Yet, for all that, Jesus does not lack the power and means to manifest Himself in the Sacred Host as the Lord of Heaven and earth…”

This is precisely why Eucharistic devotion tests the sincerity of faith. God hides Himself so that man will be humbled, so that the soul will learn to prefer divine testimony over sensory evidence, and so that love may become pure—seeking God for God’s sake, not merely for the thrill of visible marvels.

Yet in mercy, God has at times allowed that veil to be partially lifted. Not because the ordinary Eucharist is “less real,” but because man’s heart is often forgetful. And when God grants such signs, they function like the miracles of Christ in the Gospel: they confirm doctrine, strengthen the faithful, and rebuke unbelief.

VII. The Miracle of Augsburg and Three Extraordinary Favors

Among the most sobering accounts is the miracle associated with Augsburg. While the details are striking, the spiritual meaning is even more striking: irreverence toward the Eucharist is never a small sin; and when Christ permits extraordinary confirmation, it is both mercy and warning.

The narrative involves sacrilege—a soul receiving Holy Communion and then committing a grave profanation by keeping the Host. Such a sin does not bring freedom; it brings misery. In the story, conscience becomes a torment until repentance returns. That alone is an important lesson: one cannot “possess” Christ as a talisman. The Eucharist is not a charm, and it does not tolerate being treated as an object.

When the Host is finally returned and the priest examines what had been hidden, the account describes a visible change—one meant to confirm, terrify, and instruct:

“On taking the two pieces of wax apart, he beheld, instead of the species of bread, human flesh, and even the muscular fibers.”

And again, the narrative emphasizes a further manifestation:

“the Sacred Host split at once in two… united by muscular fibers.”

Mueller presents this episode not as spectacle but as instruction. Such a miracle becomes, in effect, a catechism written in flesh rather than ink. It forces the question: if Christ’s Body is truly present, how dare we approach without reverence? How dare we receive in mortal sin? How dare we treat the altar casually? How dare we reduce the Eucharist to a symbol?

When Mueller speaks of “extraordinary favors” associated with such miracles, the point is not that we should chase marvels. The point is that God sometimes grants concrete confirmations to restore fear of God, to awaken repentance, and to strengthen faith where it has grown weak.

VIII. Eucharistic Miracles Still Today

There is a temptation to assume that Eucharistic miracles belong only to distant centuries. But the Church’s history repeatedly shows that God has sometimes granted such confirmations even in relatively recent times. The point is not to build a spirituality that depends on marvels; the point is to recognize that God is not absent from our age, even when unbelief is loud.

When such miracles occur, they function like the miracles of Christ in the Gospel: they confirm doctrine, strengthen the faithful, and expose the poverty of skepticism. They are signs of mercy—given not because the Church lacks evidence, but because hearts lack attention.

But perhaps the greatest “miracle” needed today is not that accidents visibly change, but that Catholics would recover Catholic instincts: silence, recollection, confession, reparation, and adoration. The Real Presence demands a real response. It calls us not merely to “attend Mass,” but to worship God with our whole heart, to repent of sin, and to receive Holy Communion worthily.

IX. Practical Application: What Eucharistic Faith Requires

If we want Eucharistic renewal in a serious sense, it will not be achieved merely by banners, slogans, or programs. It requires the restoration of Catholic life at its roots:

• Frequent confession, because the Eucharist is not a right but a Gift, and because mortal sin and Holy Communion cannot coexist.
• Reverent liturgy, because what we do at the altar teaches what we believe.
• Eucharistic adoration, because worship trains the soul to receive rightly and strengthens faith more than argument alone.
• Reparation, because the Eucharist has been denied, mocked, and abused, and love demands that we make amends.
• Doctrinal clarity, because confusion is not charity, and ambiguity does not save souls.

Corpus Christi teaches that public confession of faith matters. The history of Protestant denial teaches that the Eucharist is always contested. Nicola Aubry teaches that hell itself testifies to the Eucharist’s power. Augsburg teaches that irreverence wounds the soul and that Christ’s Body is truly present. And the broader witness of

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The Mass as God’s Wonderful Promise and Gift

“For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation.” (Mal. 1:11)

There are certain truths Catholics can confess with the lips for years, and yet never fully live with the heart. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is one of them.

We know (at least in theory) that the Mass is the supreme act of worship on earth; that it is the unbloody renewal of Calvary; that it is the true and propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ; that in the Eucharist Our Lord is present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—under the sacramental veils. And yet, as the modern world grows louder and more frenzied, it becomes easier—even for practicing Catholics—to treat the Mass as one more “event” on the weekly schedule: attended, fulfilled, and quickly forgotten.

This is precisely why the old Catholic writers remain so valuable. They do not merely repeat doctrine; they press it into the imagination and the conscience until we are forced to ask: Do I actually believe what I say I believe?

Among those writers stands Father Michael Mueller (1825–1899), a Redemptorist priest and prolific nineteenth-century author whose works aimed to explain and defend Catholic doctrine clearly, firmly, and devotionally. His book on the Mass—first published in 1874 and recently re-typeset and edited—was warmly commended in its own day and deserves renewed attention in ours. Mueller writes with the conviction of a priest who believes the Mass is not merely the heart of Catholic life, but the remedy for Catholic tepidity.

What follows is a single, consolidated meditation drawn from earlier installments published through Catholic Family News now adapted for publication here - focusing on three foundational themes: (1) the hidden treasure of the Mass, (2) the restless promise God fulfills in the Eucharist, and (3) the Eucharist as the greatest Gift God could give. In this revised form, I will rely less on extended quotations and more on explanation and application, while still allowing Mueller’s voice to appear at key moments.

I. The Mass as a Treasure Hiding in Plain Sight

Mueller begins with an image that is as haunting as it is fitting: the story of St. Alexius, who returned to his father’s house in poverty and obscurity, living unknown in the very place where he belonged. The parallel is obvious—and uncomfortable. Christ returns to His house as well. He comes to His Church. He comes to His altars. And He often remains “unknown,” not because He is absent, but because He is hidden.

This is not poetic exaggeration. Catholic doctrine compels us to admit something truly staggering: that the God Who created the galaxies makes Himself present—really present—under appearances so humble that even priests can grow accustomed to them, and even faithful laity can drift into routine.

Mueller captures this with striking force:

“God is a more hidden God in the Eucharist than anywhere else. His greatness lies concealed under the littleness of a host…”

The tragedy is not that Christ is hidden. The tragedy is that we can stand before the hidden God and remain unmoved.

Here we should pause and examine ourselves with honesty. How many times have we asked God for “clarity,” for “guidance,” for “something tangible”—while ignoring the greatest tangible gift He has already given? How many of us long to have lived at the time of Christ, to have seen Him, heard Him, watched Him work miracles—while giving little attention to the truth that the same Christ is present in our churches?

Indeed, the visible presence of Our Lord in Galilee was localized. But His Eucharistic presence is universal. He is not in one town only. He is present on countless altars across the world.

This is why the Mass is not merely a devotional practice among many; it is the central mystery around which Catholic life must be rebuilt.

II. Our Hearts Are Restless on Earth

Mueller’s first full chapter turns toward a reality every honest soul recognizes: nothing created fully satisfies the human heart.

We can fill life with work, travel, entertainment, projects, ambitions—even noble ones—and still discover, at surprising moments, that something remains missing. The world can distract us, but it cannot complete us.

This is not merely psychology; it is theology. The human soul is made for God. And therefore it bears within itself a kind of holy dissatisfaction until it rests in Him.

To illustrate this, Mueller draws upon the figure of King Solomon, who possessed what many modern men think would “solve” their unhappiness: wealth, beauty, achievement, pleasure, acclaim. And yet, after tasting it all, Solomon confesses it is “vanity and vexation of mind” (cf. Eccles. 2).

Solomon’s lesson is not that created goods are evil; it is that created goods are insufficient. They are not proportioned to the hunger of the immortal soul.

And this is where the Catholic Faith reveals something wondrous: God does not merely command the soul to seek Him from afar. He comes near. He comes so near that He gives Himself as Food.

The baptized Catholic in the state of grace already possesses an unimaginable dignity: God dwells in the soul through sanctifying grace. But the promise does not end there. God does not merely dwell in us spiritually; He gives Himself to us sacramentally in Holy Communion.

Thus the Eucharist is not an optional “extra” in the spiritual life. It is the divine answer to the heart’s deepest need.

III. The Wonderful Gift of God

If the Eucharist fulfills the soul’s hunger, we must ask the obvious question: What is this Gift, exactly? What happens at Mass? What do we receive in Holy Communion?

The answer is as simple as it is terrifying: we receive God.

At the consecration, the substance of bread and wine is changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. The appearances remain, but the reality is utterly transformed. This is not metaphor. This is not mere symbolism. This is the miracle of Transubstantiation, taught by the Church with unwavering clarity.

The Council of Trent condemned the idea that bread and wine remain alongside Christ’s Body and Blood. The Church’s teaching is not “both-and” (bread and Christ), but “change”: bread and wine become Christ.

And because Christ is not divided, whoever receives under one species receives the whole Christ—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. This is why the Church has always recognized that Communion under one kind is full Communion.

Here Mueller’s emphasis is especially important for our time: Christ is present in the Eucharist in a manner that is real and substantial, but sacramental and hidden—beyond the senses. This demands faith. It humbles the intellect. It tests whether we will accept the word of Christ and the teaching of His Church more than the testimony of our eyes.

And it brings us to a profoundly consoling truth: Our Lord did not leave us orphans.

At the Last Supper He promised He would remain with His own. The Eucharist is the fulfillment of that promise—not as a vague “spiritual memory,” but as a literal, objective, sacramental Presence.

The Mass, therefore, is not merely something we “attend.” It is something we are permitted to enter. The Upper Room is not locked in the past. Calvary is not distant. The gift of the Eucharist gathers all the mysteries of Christ into one living reality offered to the Father—and offered to us.

IV. A Word on the Passover and the “Completion” of the Sacrifice

One of the most illuminating ways to deepen Eucharistic faith is to see the Mass against its biblical backdrop: the Passover.

The Passover is not a random meal. It is liturgy. It is sacrifice. It is covenant. And Christ deliberately chose that setting to institute the New Covenant in His Blood.

Many have noted the traditional structure of the Passover meal, including the cups of wine associated with God’s promises to Israel. Without trying to force every detail, the overarching point is clear: the Last Supper is oriented toward Calvary, and Calvary completes what was begun in the Upper Room. The Mass holds this unity together—not by reenacting it as theater, but by making present the one Sacrifice in sacramental form.

This is why Catholics do not speak of “another sacrifice,” as though Christ must die again. Rather, the Mass is the same Sacrifice made present in an unbloody manner, applying its fruits to souls across time and space.

V. Practical Application: How to Live as Though We Believe This

All of this doctrine must land somewhere concrete—or it remains only an idea.

If the Mass is truly the Clean Oblation offered from sunrise to sunset; if the Eucharist is truly Christ Himself; if Holy Communion is truly God given to man—then the only reasonable response is reverence, gratitude, and conversion.

Here are a few direct, practical conclusions that follow:

• We should desire the Mass more than we desire entertainment. Not because joy is evil, but because the Mass is heaven touching earth.
• We should prepare for Mass and for Communion deliberately. Silence, recollection, custody of the eyes, and a sincere effort to reject venial sin are not “scruples”—they are sanity.
• We should fight distraction as a matter of love. If Christ is on the altar, then distraction is not merely “unfortunate”—it is a wound in friendship.
• We should recover Eucharistic devotion outside of Mass. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, time in adoration, and thanksgiving after Communion are not pious ornaments; they are how Catholic life becomes coherent.
• We should let the Eucharist reorder our priorities. The Mass is not something fit into life. Life is meant to be built around the Mass.

Conclusion

The modern world constantly tells us to look elsewhere: for fulfillment, for meaning, for rescue, for peace. The Mass quietly tells us the truth: Christ is here. The Sacrifice is here. The Gift is here. The Promise is here.

And so the question is not whether God has drawn near. The question is whether we will draw near to Him—with faith, with humility, and with a heart awakened. Let us conclude with the prayer I have used throughout this series, uniting ourselves to the Holy Sacrifice offered throughout the world:

Eternal Father, we humbly offer You our poor presence and that of the whole of humanity from the beginning to the end of the world at all the Masses that ever have or ever will be prayed. We offer You all the pains, sufferings, prayers, sacrifices, joys and relaxations of our lives, in union with those of our dear Lord Jesus here on earth. May the Most Precious Blood of Christ, all His blood and wounds and agony save us, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen!

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17th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum

Today, the Church observes the 17th anniversary of the publishing of Summorum Pontificum, the long-awaited motu proprio of Pope Benedict XVI replacing all former "indults" and declaring that the Tridentine Latin Mass was never abrogated and all priests had the right to offer this Mass at any time, in public or private, without any "permission" from a bishop. Despite the errors of Traditionis Custodes, the truth expressed in Summorum Ponitificum remains: the Rite of Mass that was celebrated for centuries leading up to the 2nd Vatican Council – was never abrogated and never can be.

Called the Mass of the Ages, the Most Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven, the Mass of John XXIII, the Tridentine Latin Mass, and most recently, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, this Mass truly is one of the most beautiful forms of worship for the Catholic Church. Below are links concerning the Tridentine Mass. On July 7, 2007, the motu proprio by Pope Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum, was issued, allowing wider usage of the Sacraments according to the 1962 Missal.

Quoting from the text, pay particular attention to the following line: "It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the Church."

The Traditional Latin Mass Is More Than Just “Mass in Latin”

It is all too common that Catholics unfamiliar with the Church’s Traditions may think that the Traditional Latin Mass is simply the same as the standard Novus Ordo Mass, albeit said in Latin and with the priest having his “back to the people." It is, after all, simply called the “Latin Mass” by many traditionalists. Yet even attendance at one Traditional Latin Mass (frequently referred to as the Tridentine Mass) shows this is not the case.

Indeed, the Tridentine Mass does have different externals – whether it be more ornate vestments, a more beautiful altar and associated decorations in the church, more beautiful and timeless chant, and other such externals. But the externals are not what separates the Tridentine Mass from the Novus Ordo. The battle for the restoration of the Tridentine Mass and the suppression of the Novus Ordo is not about externals – it is about restoring to God the worship He is due. And this is seen chiefly in the prayers and rubrics of the Mass itself which were radically changed in the 1960s. The single greatest source of these rubrics in the English language is The Celebration of Mass: A Study of the Rubrics of the Roman Missal,  which is available for purchase online.  

As a result, the movement to restore Tradition is not chiefly about the change in externals. There are Novus Ordo Masses said in Latin, in an ad orientem position, and with beautiful Gregorian chant, all offered in ornate parishes. Even if these are a rare exception to the norm, they are still vastly different from the Tridentine Mass due to the very prayers at the heart of the Mass. To understand why, an examination of the various prayers exorcised from the Tridentine Mass is in order. For a list of these changes, click here.

The Fight for the Tridentine Mass is a Fight for the Theology of the True Faith

Consequently, the fight for the Tridentine Mass is about far more than just the sacred language of Latin. We may refer to the Tridentine Mass as “the Latin Mass,” but when we do so, we are not fighting principally for the use of Latin or for the return of the externals which accompanied the Tridentine Mass. Yes, these externals are important and are worth fighting for, but what we fight for most is for the worthy worship of God, which is attacked by the watered-down prayers, replaced readings, and omitted prayers in the Novus Ordo. Even a Novus Ordo Mass said with external pomp and circumstance lacks these internals. It is, after all, more than just the “Latin” Mass. It is the Mass of the Ages, the Mass of the Saints, and the Most Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven that we seek to have restored to every altar in the entire world. 

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre famously said, "The Novus Ordo Missae, even when said with piety and respect for the liturgical rules, is impregnated with the spirit of Protestantism...it bears within it a poison harmful to the Faith." He was right, and the rotten fruits of fifty years show us this.

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List of Traditional Catholic Third Orders

The Church is comprised of many members, such as the Mystical Body of Christ. It is composed of priests, nuns, religious or ordered men and women, and lay people. Each person has a unique vocation from God. Let’s learn about many of the positions and roles in the Catholic Church hierarchy.

There are four major religious Orders in the Church, as well as many other branches. One is the Benedictines, who follow the Benedictine Rule. Their mission is “ora et labora” or work and pray. They can be either contemplative or active. Another Order is the Carmelites. They refer to themselves as the “Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They wear the brown scapular given by Our Lady to St. Simon Stock. They have the spirit of hermits and prefer silence and solitude. Another major Order is the Franciscans. The women’s branch is called the Poor Clares. Both are dedicated to “living the Gospel” and emphasize poverty and simplicity. Then, there are the Dominicans. They are very committed to learning and study whose mission is to share the fruit of their contemplation.

A Third Order is connected to a major Order, such as Third Order Franciscans. These individuals remain members of the laity, but they live by a rule of life (e.g., the Franciscans, Dominicans, Benedictines, etc). They may marry and have a family. But they make special promises to live in a holy way but do not make vows. They do not wear any specific clothing and go about life looking externally like an average Catholic in the pews.

During this period of crisis in the Church, committed Catholics who wish to join a Third Order that is in conformity with the Traditional Catholic Faith and not with Modernism thankfully have options. Here are some of those options:

Traditional Dominicans

There are two traditional Dominican Third Orders (i.e., The Third Order of Penance). There is a group loosely affiliated with the SSPX under Fr. Albert, which is the one that I'm a member of.  Fr. Albert, even though he has left the now-dissolved community in Belgium, still leads the SSPX-affiliated Third Order. The Third Order is very much still active with tertiaries around the country and in other non-US locations. More information can be found online.

The Resistance (i.e., SSPX-SO) has its own Third Order out of France as well. It is still very much active and going strong with tertiaries in the United States and abroad. More information can be found online. More information can be found online.

Traditional Benedictines

Since Benedict of Nursia (AD 480-547) began his monastic quest for God, ordinary Christians have sought guidance from his spiritual teachings. This led to the formation of a communal life where laypeople and secular clergy became affiliated with his communities, a tradition that persists to this day. The term 'oblate' derives from the Latin "oblatus," meaning "one who is offered." Oblates are Christians who affiliate themselves with a Benedictine community, dedicating themselves to God by striving to apply the Rule of St. Benedict to their lives as much as their circumstances allow.

The Monks of Nursia have a very active number of Oblates spread throughout the world. More information can be found online.

Traditional Franciscans

The Franciscan Third Order was established by St. Francis in 1221 to accommodate many married men, women, and diocesan clergy who wished to adopt his way of life but could not join the first or second orders. Within the Third Order of St. Francis, there is a distinction between the Third Order Regular and the Third Order Secular.

Some of these tertiaries eventually began living in communities, which evolved into a religious order that professes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. This order is now known as the Third Order Regular (TOR). Members of these communities, whether male or female, live together according to their gender. This branch of the Franciscan Family was officially founded in 1447 by a papal decree that united several groups.

The Third Order Secular (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis, in Latin), known as the Secular Franciscans, includes devout men and women who do not live in a religious community but lead their everyday lives in the world. Nevertheless, they regularly gather in community and profess vows, committing to live the Gospel following the example of Francis.

The Marian Friars Minor Third Order offers a traditional Catholic Franciscan option. There is also a Franciscan Third Order affiliated with the SSPX.

Traditional Carmelites

The Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Lay Carmelites, is a third order of the Carmelite Order of the Ancient Observance, established in 1476 by a bull from Pope Sixtus IV. It is a community of individuals who choose to live the Gospel in the spirit of the Carmelite Order and under its guidance.

The Traditional Lay Carmelites of Fatima are one option. 

Other Traditional Options

Besides the aforementioned religious orders, the SSPX has an active Third Order, as does the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, which is known as the Confraternity of St. Peter, and the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest has its own Lay Society, which is not strictly the same as a Third Order.

Do you know of any others? Share the details below in the comments box!

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Weekday Traditional Latin Mass and Eastern Rite Options In and Around Chicagoland

Photo of St. John Cantius on All Souls Day (c) A Catholic Life Blog, 2022

Traditional Latin Mass Options on the First Sunday of Each Month

The website "The Four Marks" has a great list of options of Traditional Latin Mass and Eastern Rite options in and around Chicagoland for the First Sunday of the month when the Tridentine Mass is forbidden in the Archdiocese of Chicago. After the draconian changes announced in January 2022, the number of TLM locations in the Archdiocese was significantly reduced. In addition to forbidding the TLM at several places which had offered it for many years, the TLM was forbidden at all parishes on the first Sunday of each month as well as Christmas, Easter Sunday, and Pentecost Sunday. I highly recommend using the list at The Four Marks for those dates.

Traditional Latin Mass Options for Other Sundays

The following TLM locations are available on most Sundays (except for the First Sunday of the month, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and Pentecost Sunday):

• St. John Cantius Church (Chicago): 7:30 AM Low Mass, 12:30 PM High Mass
• Saint James at Sag Bridge (Lemont): 12 PM
• Our Lady Immaculate (Oak Park): 9 AM (unaffected by the Archdiocese's persecution as this is an SSPX chapel)
• Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chapel (Elgin): 10 AM (unaffected by the Archdiocese's persecution as this is an independent chapel)

Weekday Traditional Latin Mass Options

For those looking for weekday Tridentine Mass options or Eastern Rite Liturgies, there are also options in Chicago or within relatively close 40-mile driving distance:

• St. John Cantius Church (Chicago): 8:00 AM Low Mass (Monday through Friday), 7:30 PM High Mass (Wednesday), 8:30 AM Low Mass (Saturday)
• St. Joseph Church (Rockdale): 7:30 AM Low Mass (Monday through Friday), 5:30 PM (Thursday), 8:00 AM Low Mass (Saturday)
• Our Lady Immaculate (Oak Park): 7:00 PM (First Fridays and certain feast days. Check the calendar before going).
• SSPX Priory (Chicago): This is at the priory and not at the Oak Park church: 11:00 AM (Monday), 7:15 AM Low Mass (Tuesday through Thursday), 7:15 AM Low Mass (Fridays except for First Fridays and special feasts). Check the calendar before going.

Weekday Eastern Rite Liturgy Options

For all of the Sunday options, see The Four Marks, as they are unaffected by the Archdiocese. Their regular Sunday Liturgies are available on all Sundays of the month. For weekday options, these options exist in close proximity to the city of Chicago:

• Mart Mariam Chaldean Catholic Church (Northbrook): 6:30 PM Divine Liturgy in Surath (Friday)
• St. John the Baptist Melkite Catholic Church
• St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Cathedral (Chicago): 8:30 AM Divine Liturgy in Malayalam (Monday through Friday), 7:00 PM Divine Liturgy in English (Monday through Friday), 8:30 AM Liturgy in Malayalam (Saturday).
• St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar Knanaya Catholic Church (Morton Grove): Divine Liturgies all in Malayalam: 8:15 AM (Monday through Friday), 7:00 PM (Monday through Thursday), 10:00 AM (Saturday). Divine Liturgy in English: 6:00 PM (Friday)
• St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral (Chicago): 5:00 PM Vespers (Saturday), 6:00 PM Matins (Saturday)
• SS. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago): 8:00 AM Divine Liturgy in Ukrainian (Monday through Friday), 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy in Ukrainian (Saturday)
• St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago): 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy in the Chapel (Monday - Friday), 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy in the Church (Saturday), 5:00 PM Vespers (Saturdays), 6:30 PM Vespers (Eve of Major Feasts)
• Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church (Palatine): Divine Liturgies: 8:00 AM (Monday through Friday), 9:00 AM (Saturday), 7:00 PM (Weekday Holy Days)
• St. George Byzantine Catholic Church (Aurora): 6:00 PM Divine Liturgy (Monday through Thursday), 1:00 PM Divine Liturgy (Friday)
• Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church (Homer Glen): 7:00 PM (Thursday and Holy Days)
• St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church (Whitting, IN): 5:00 PM Great Vespers (Saturday)

If you know of any other options, please leave the details in the comments section below.

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Observe the Anniversary of the Consecration of a Church

Consecration Cross on the Wall at St. John Cantius (Chicago, IL)

Traditionally, the anniversary of the consecration of a diocese’s cathedral is observed as a significant feastday in churches throughout the diocese. Written in 1908, the Catholic Encyclopedia underscores the importance of this anniversary:

“The anniversary of the consecration is kept solemnly as a double of the first class with an octave each recurring year, until the church falls into ruin or is profaned...Besides the anniversary of the consecration of individual or parish churches, the anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral of a diocese is celebrated as a double of the first class with an octave by the secular clergy living within the limits of the cathedral city...” 

Sadly, Pope Pius XII in "Cum nostra hac aetate" on March 23, 1955, abolished 15 Octaves in addition to the Octave for the Dedication of a Church, and particular octaves for patrons of various religious orders, countries, and dioceses. While the 1962 Missal retains the actual anniversary day of a church or the cathedral as a First-Class Feast, few observe these venerable observances any longer. If more people were to keep the anniversary of our parish and our cathedral as days of celebration in our families, would that not bring us in greater connection to the Church as a whole? How many of us even know the anniversary date when our parish or cathedral was consecrated?

One venerable tradition connecting us to the consecration is the lighting of the consecration crosses. Each of the twelve places on the wall which were anointed as part of the consecration candle on the spot which are lit on the anniversary of the consecration. 

Catholic churches are no ordinary buildings. We do not honor churches because they are museums or art galleries or works of art in themselves. Catholic churches are specifically consecrated and set aside for the worship of the True God alone.

It is so important that we honor and protect Catholic churches and help fund the construction of beautiful ones since God Himself dwells in them. He is truly present on the altar and in the tabernacle. For this reason, Catholics should piously make the sign of the Cross even when they drive past one, out of respect for the Real Presence. And we should visit them and pray before our Lord present in the Tabernacle whenever possible. Honor God by honoring that which is consecrated to Him. Honor your parishes and help us build up the kingdom of God brick by brick as we rediscover our venerable traditions.

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How the Traditional Latin Mass Reinforces Lent as a Fast

It is lamentable that so few Catholics keep the Traditional Lenten fast as practiced by our forefathers in the Faith for centuries. The Traditional Lenten fast - which was greatly watered down since the 1700s - generally constituted the following:

• Fasting applies for those age 18 or older (but not obligatory for those 60 years of age or older)
• Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: If possible, no solid food. Only black coffee, tea, or water.
• Mondays through Saturdays: Only one meal preferably after sunset or at least until not before 3 PM. A morning frustulum and evening collation (i.e. the two "snacks") are permitted but not required. No meat or animal products are allowed for anyone, regardless of age - that included even fish in the Early Church.
• Sundays: No meat or animal products allowed. Abstinence remained on Sundays even when fasting did not.
• Holy Week (except Good Friday which is covered above): Only Bread, Salt, and Herbs are permitted for the main meal. Frustulum and collation permitted (of bread, herbs, and salt) but omitted if possible.
• Holy Saturday: No food until Noon. Abstinence including from all animal products continues until Easter begins.

While we have happily seen an increase in the number of Traditional Latin Masses offered over the past decade, few Catholics have promoted a return to the fasting that our ancestors knew and practiced religiously. In fact, even the rules in place as of 1962 are substantially harder than what the average Catholic observes today. The laws of fasting and abstinence were as follows, as described in Moral Theology (copyright 1961) by Rev. Heribert Jone and adapted by Rev. Urban Adelman, for the “laws and customs of the United States of America”:

“Complete abstinence is to be observed on all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, the Vigils of Immaculate Conception and Christmas. Partial abstinence is to be observed on Ember Wednesdays and Saturdays and on the Vigil of Pentecost. Days of fast are all the weekdays of Lent, Ember Days, and the Vigil of Pentecost.”

One highly interesting liturgical facet particular to the season of Lent is that every Lenten feria has its own propers. That is, each day of Lent has its own Introit, Collect, Epistle reading, Gospel reading, Offertory verse, Communion verse, and Post Communion Prayer. Lent further adds a prayer over the people immediately after the Post Communion. Dom Gueranger notes:

"Each feria of Lent has a proper Mass; whereas, in Advent, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the lenten liturgy is a powerful means for our entering into the Church's spirit, since she hereby brings before us, under so many forms, the sentiments suited to this holy time... All this will provide us with most solid instruction; and as the selections from the Bible, which are each day brought before us, are not only some of the finest of the sacred volume, but are, moreover, singularly appropriate to Lent, their attentive perusal will be productive of a twofold advantage."

Now the actual text of the Lenten Masses underscores the importance of the Lenten fast and repeatedly refers to the fasting done by the Faithful at this time. The Church in Her liturgy assumes and expects the Faithful in attendance at the Traditional Latin Mass to at least be keeping the fasting rules in place as of 1962 - if not the more robust fasting practiced before the mitigations of the preceding centuries.

The Preface for instance not only underscores the ongoing 40-day bodily fast but also mentions some of the benefits of this healing remedy:

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: Who by this bodily fast dost curb our vices, lift our minds, strength and rewards bestow; through Christ our Lord. Through Whom Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the hosts of heaven with blessed Seraphim unite, exult, and celebrate. And we entreat that Thou wouldst bid our voices too be heard with theirs, singing with lowly praise...

The collect for Ash Wednesday also highlights that day as the beginning of the fast of Lent and not a mere one day fast:

Grant, O Lord, to Thy faithful people, that they may undertake with fitting piety this period of fasting, and complete it with steadfast devotion.

The collect for Friday after Ash Wednesday for instance continues the reference to the Lenten fast:

Further with Thy gracious favor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the fasts which we have begun: that the bodily observance which we keep, we may be able also to practice with sincere intention. 

And likewise with the collect for Saturday after Ash Wednesday:

O Lord, hearken to our supplications: and grant that we may celebrate with devout service this solemn fast, which Thou hast ordained for the healing both of soul and of body.

In the Mass Propers for the First Sunday of Lent, fasting is referenced in the Epistle while the Gospel reading recounts our Lord's forty days of fasting in the desert. And the collect, while not mentioning fasting, does mention abstinence, as our ancestors regularly kept abstinence even the Sundays of Lent up until the 1800s:

O God, Who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly observance of Lent: grant to Thy household, that what we strive to obtain from Thee by abstinence, we may achieve by good works.

Likewise, in the Divine Office, the ordinary of Lent refers to the bodily fast of Lent. It is a known peculiarity to the traditional Breviary that the ordinary of the Lenten season only begins with First Vespers for the First Sunday in Lent. The first four weekdays of Lent use the ordinary for time throughout the year, a holdover from ancient times before Ash Wednesday was established as the beginning of Lent. 

Starting therefore on the First Sunday of Lent, the prayers of the Breviary further underscore the traditional Lenten fast. In the hymn for Matins for this time, the hymn implores us to keep the Lenten fast. This hymn begins as follows:

The fast, as taught by holy lore, We keep in solemn course once more: The fast to all men known, and bound In forty days of yearly round. 

The law and seers that were of old In diverse ways this Lent foretold, Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide, In after ages sanctified. 

More sparing therefore let us make The words we speak, the food we take, Our sleep and mirth, —and closer barred Be every sense in holy guard. 

Avoid the evil thoughts that roll Like waters o’er the heedless soul; Nor let the foe occasion find Our souls in slavery to bind.

The little chapter of Terce taken from Joel 2:12-13 refers to fasting as does the antiphon of Sext: "With the armor of justice let us give ourselves to much patience and fasting." And the same can be seen in the hymn of Vespers which begins as follows:

O kind Creator, bow thine ear 

To mark the cry, to know the tear 

Before thy throne of mercy spent 

In this thy holy fast of Lent.

Turning again to the propers for the Mass, the references to fasting continue repeatedly and include the collect of Monday in the First Week of Lent; the Lesson, Collect, and Gospel for Ember Wednesday in Lent; the collect for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Second Week of Lent; the secret prayer for Thursday in the Second Week of Lent; and more. The collect for Friday in the Second Week of Lent for instance prays:

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that cleansed by this holy fast, we may arrive in the right dispositions at the holy feast which is to come.

By the third week of Lent the references continue to refer to the ongoing fast of Lent as expressed for instance in the collect for Monday in the Third Week of Lent:

Pour forth in Thy mercy, O Lord, we beseech Thee, Thy grace into our hearts: that as we abstain from bodily food, so we may also restrain our senses from hurtful excesses.  

The collect two days later on Wednesday asks pardon from God for those who are undertaking "wholesome fasting" who also "abstain from harmful vices."

Abstinence is explicitly mentioned in the collect for Thursday in the First Week of Lent. And temperance - which is strengthened by both fasting and abstinence - is mentioned by name in the collect on Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent. 

The Gradual on Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, which is the exact middle of the Lenten fast, is taken from Psalm 144 and references God providing "meat in due season," which is certainly a reference to the upcoming celebration of the Lord's Resurrection on Easter Sunday when abstinence ends. Hence, by the time Lent reaches its midpoint, the faithful have heard either exhortations or references to fasting in the collects over a dozen times. And it does not end there as the next day's collect on Friday in the Third Week of Lent asks God to "bless our fasts" with His gracious favor as "in body we abstain from food, so we may fast from sin in mind." Similar words occur in the collect for Saturday in the Third Week of Lent.

This is a mere sampling. References to fasting continue. In one more example, the collect for Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent prays:

O God, who through fasting grantest to the just the reward of their merits and to sinners forgiveness: have mercy on Thy clients, that confession of our guilt may enable us to obtain pardon for ours sins.

When Passiontide begins on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, the focus in the Breviary and the Mass shifts from the corporal punishment we bear for our sins to an awareness of the suffering we cause our Lord. But even with this focus change, fasting references do not end as seen in the collect for Monday of Passion Week:

Hallow our fasts, we beseech Thee, O Lord: and mercifully grant us the forgiveness of all our faults.

Consequently, the Church in Her Liturgy through both the propers of the Mass and through the Breviary references and expects the Christian faithful to be observing Lenten fasting and abstinence. These repeated references to the Lenten fast unequivocally illustrate how the Lenten fast should be kept by every one of fasting and/or abstinence age who attends the Tridentine Mass. To attend the Traditional Mass and to keep the watered-down, virtually non-existent fast prescribed in the 1983 Code of Canon Law would be schizophrenic. Keep the Traditional Lenten fast and all traditional fasts. 

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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List of Diocesan Patron Saints for Every Diocese in the United States

Who are the patron saints for your Diocese? Do you know if your Diocese has secondary patrons in addition to your primary patron? Did you know that your Diocese's patron saint might not be the same as the Cathedral's titular patron? I was disappointed to find no list online of the various patron saints for each of the Roman Catholic Dioceses in the United States. Since the feastdays of these patrons should be kept as first-class feasts in each diocese, they are important to honor in our prayers at Mass and in the Divine Office in the local churches. In fact, the primary patron saint for each diocese would have been a Holy Day of Obligation up until the time of St. Pius X's changes in 1911. As a result, I sought to create such a list.

The following list details the principal patrons, secondary patrons, and titular patrons for each Diocese. Unfortunately, not all dioceses listed a patron. Some records on sites like GCatholic.org were inaccurate. I have attempted to list patrons in the respective categories only if the Diocese's website or historical records mentioned the patron. Unfortunately, there is certainly the possibility of some error, so if you see anything questionable, please contact me to research. I thank those who offered assistance during this research.

It is my hope that through this project Catholics will better honor their diocesan patron(s) by praying the Divine Office in a festive manner on their feastday(s) and hearing Holy Mass on these days. For those who travel often, this list can be a helpful reference for the feastdays of other American Dioceses.

May Our Lord, Our Lady, and all of these holy patrons bring about a resurgence of Christendom and Tradition which always included the proper honoring of Diocesan patrons as well as the honoring of the anniversary of the Diocesan Cathedral.

Download the List by Clicking Here

What is the Difference Between a Patronal Feastday and a Titular Feast?

At other times, in order to show special devotion to some mystery, or to some manifestation of God's love, the church receives a name that will keep that mystery or mark of love always before the people of the parish. Thus churches are sometimes called after the Holy Trinity, the Precious Blood, the Assumption, or, as in our own case here, the church of the Sacred Heart. 

The intention in so naming churches is, in the case of a saint, that the people should have special love for that saint; that they should place themselves under his protection, and, by the study and imitation of his life, make themselves worthy of his intercession before God. That saint, in whose honor the church is named, becomes the patron saint of the place, and his feast is called the patronal feast. But when a church is named in honor of some mystery or mark of divine love or divine object, the people are supposed to have great veneration and love for the mystery, mark or object commemorated by the church's name: and the name of the mystery, mark, or object is called the title of the church, and when the anniversary of the feast comes around, it is called the titular feast.

Source: The Sacred Heart Review published on June 29, 1889

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Choosing Music for a Tridentine Requiem Mass

Some years ago I wrote a short article entitled "Choosing Music for a Tridentine Nuptial Mass." As a follow-up, I thought it worthwhile to consider some particulars on choosing music for a Tridentine Requiem (Funeral) Mass. First though a few key points:

1. Make sure you explicitly state in your will that you desire to have a Tridentine Requiem Mass and should not be given a Novus Ordo funeral for any reason. Use those words: "for any reason." For practical purposes, list the parishes or chapels you attend that could offer this and which you would find acceptable (e.g. a reverent priest who will pray for your soul, ample parking for those attending, driving distance not too drastic for people, distance not excessive from the funeral plot where you will be buried, etc).
2. Make it clear in your will that you are only to be buried and not cremated. Again state "for any reason." We know that cremation is not permitted for Catholics, despite what modern clergymen are prone to say.
3. Most importantly, appoint an executor for your will that you know will see to your final wishes. Even if you state that you wish to have a traditional Requiem Mass and be buried, it is possible for the executor to deny your wishes and have you cremated with no funeral. Appoint an executor who will undoubtedly see to the completion of your wishes. 

As to choosing the music to help your executor and the priest when it comes to your funeral, there is thankfully little that needs to be done. Most of the music is already mapped out for you.  There is an Ordinary proper to the Requiem and the Propers themselves leave little room for other musical selections.  At best, you can select Communion music since the Proper is relatively short.  

"Help, Lord, the Souls Which Thou Hast Made" is always a good choice, as it is about Purgatory.  "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" arr. by Virgil Thomson is a lovely setting of Psalm 23.  There is some flexibility with the procession out of the church as well.  The prescribed chant is "In Paradisum", which could be chanted or sung polyphonically or chorally. 

You may find these PDFs from the Institute of Christ the King very helpful as well.  The first is the burial service.  Typically there is no procession to the church, so you will want to start with the "Subvenite" as the processional piece and then proceed from there.  The second is the Ordinary and Propers for the Mass.  

Lastly, consider putting in your will a request for Gregorian Masses to be said immediately after your death. Indicate where and how to order them (here are some helpful links) and state the approximate cost of each. Other traditional orders beyond that list do offer Gregorian Masses and accept the stipend in the mail. Orders like the Traditional Carmelites in Clear Creek come to mind as doing so.

Many thanks to a long-time friend, Daniel, for his invaluable contributions here.

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Can A Valid Novus Ordo Mass Offend God? Are We Obligated to Attend It?

The Angelic Doctor goes on to summarize two ways in which worship directed to the True God is nevertheless evil. As to the first reason, St. Thomas Aquinas illustrates by way of example: “…in this way, at the time of the New Law, the mysteries of Christ being already accomplished, it is pernicious to make use of the ceremonies of the Old Law whereby the mysteries of Christ were foreshadowed as things to come: just as it would be pernicious for anyone to declare that Christ has yet to suffer.” Thus, observing seder meals, religious circumcision, abstaining from pork for religious reasons, etc. would now offend the True God.

As to the second example, the saint continues: “…falsehood in outward worship occurs on the part of the worshiper, and especially in common worship which is offered by ministers impersonating the whole Church. For even as he would be guilty of falsehood who would, in the name of another person, proffer things that are not committed to him, so too does a man incur the guilt of falsehood who, on the part of the Church, gives worship to God contrary to the manner established by the Church or divine authority, and according to ecclesiastical custom.”

Consequently, we can say that even valid worship offered by those who do so in a manner contrary to that established by the Church would offend God. This may be the case of a valid Catholic priest who ad libs the Missal and, while validly confecting the Holy Eucharist, mortally sins by intentionally neglecting the rubrics. This would also be the case of a valid Divine Liturgy offered by schismatic groups like the Orthodox Church. And this would certainly apply to rituals performed by heretical protestant denominations who do not follow the Church’s prescriptions, do not offer any valid Sacraments (exceptions aside ), and who teach a doctrine contrary to that taught by Christ our Lord.

Can A Valid Novus Ordo Mass Offend God?

Taken to the next logical question, we consider if it is possible for a valid Novus Ordo Mass to offend God. 

Even though it is possible for God to work good out of evil and lead to the Truth those in false religions, this does not make the Novus Ordo as praiseworthy or fitting for God. Rather, the defects in the Novus Ordo are not merely external but intrinsic in the prayers created for the New Rite of Mass.

The Holy Mass is the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The purpose of Mass is to be present at the Sacrifice of Christ that is made present again through the priesthood of Jesus Christ.  We worship God at Mass in the manner which He has established for His worship. We are present at Calvary.  Rather than merely remembering the life and death of Christ, we are present at it and partake of its eternal fruits which flow to us from the altar and during the Canon when the priest stands in the place of Christ and offers the Eternal Victim on the Altar to God.  We can further receive grace by partaking of the Holy Eucharist if we are Catholics in the state of grace. This view of the Mass as a propitiatory Sacrifice has been lost in the Novus Ordo and replaced by notions of community, where the priest is a presider, and many Catholics falsely view receiving Holy Communion as the purpose of going to Mass, rather than being present at the august sacrifice of the Eternal Victim.

As Archbishop Lefebvre noted in Chapter 4 of the Open Letter to Confused Catholics, the changes to the Mass in the offertory, the sermon, the canon, and elsewhere mimic the changes sought by Martin Luther! They are in their very core protestant, especially for instance in the newly created prayers of the Offertory which bear no similarity to the Offertory in the Tridentine Mass.

Of course, while any validly ordained priest may consecrate bread and wine using the words of consecration, even while omitting the rest of the Mass (which is done at times in cases of necessity for instance by priests who are imprisoned and can only smuggle in a small piece of bread and a small amount of wine), this is not the same as promoting and saying protestantized prayers. 

Jean Guitton, an intimate friend of Paul VI wrote: “The intention of Pope Paul VI with regard to what is commonly called the [New] Mass, was to reform the Catholic liturgy in such a way that it should almost coincide with the Protestant liturgy. There was with Pope Paul VI an ecumenical intention to remove, or, at least to correct, or, at least to relax, what was too Catholic in the traditional sense in the Mass and, I repeat, to get the Catholic Mass closer to the Calvinist Mass.” And we know that the Calvinists - and any protestants for that matter - do not have a valid rite of Mass and do not confect the Holy Eucharist.

The Faith is not defined by merely external actions. Archbishop Lefebvre rightfully criticized the Novus Ordo – even when accompanied by Latin, ad orientem postures, and the external appearance of piety.  Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted a set of doctrines and established His one True Church as the means of bringing about the conversion of souls and their salvation. He did not institute merely external gestures while telling His disciples to ad lib the rest. And on the opposite extreme, the Lord also did not teach His disciples the precise words for Sacramental validity and tell them that their external postures, garments, and actions were useless since only the internal mattered. Our Faith not only includes heart-felt prayers, works of charity, and pious devotions, but also includes rich liturgical music, elaborate cathedrals, and ornate vestments. Even the presence of Eucharistic miracles in Novus do not mean that the Novus Ordo is pleasing to God.

Are We Obligated to Ever Attend Offensive Worship?

More than mere validity is necessary in the worship of God. If validity was the only basis for whether worship was pleasing to God, Catholics would be able to have their children baptized by an Anglican minister or attend receive the valid Eucharist from schismatic Greek orthodox priests. Yet, we know that attending the worship of any other denomination is a sin against the First Commandment. 

Consequently, we have an obligation to seek out not only valid Masses but those which are offered according to the Church’s immemorial rubrics and customs. We should not feel obligated to attend a Novus Ordo Mass – even on Sundays or Holy Days – since attending them is often a grave danger to our spiritual lives. 

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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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What Does A "Privileged Altar" Mean?

On a recent trip to Old St. Mary's in Cincinnati, Ohio I noticed the high altar had the word "Altare Privilegiatum" or "Privileged Altar" on the front. 

The Catholic Encyclopedia written in 1907 describes what a privileged altar means:

An altar is said to be privileged when, in addition to the ordinary fruits of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, a plenary indulgence is also granted whenever Mass is celebrated thereon, the indulgence must be applied to the individual soul for whom Mass is offered. The privileged altar must be a fixed, or immovable, altar, but in a wider sense that is, it must be stationary or permanent, whether built on a solid foundation or attached to a wall or column, even though it be not consecrated, but have merely a consecrated stone (portable altar) inserted in its table. The privilege is annexed not to the altar-stone, but to the structure itself, by reason of the title which it bears, that is, of the mystery or saint to whom it is dedicated. Hence if the material of the altar be changed, if the altar be transferred to another place, if another altar be substituted for it in the same church, provided it retains the same title, and even if the altar is desecrated or profaned, the privilege is preserved. To gain the indulgence, the Mass must be a Mass of Requiem, whenever the rubrics permit it. If, on account of the superior rite of the feast of the day, or on account of the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, or for other reasons, a Requiem Mass cannot be celebrated, the indulgence may be gained by celebrating another Mass (S. C. Indulg., 11 April 1864). This privilege is of two kinds, local or real and personal. It is local or real when it is annexed to the altar as described above. Hence whoever the priest may be who celebrates Mass at such an altar, the indulgence is gained. It is personal when it is inherent in the priest, so that it does not depend on the altar, but on the priest who celebrates. Hence on whatever altar he may celebrate, whether it be a fixed or a portable one, and in whatever church he celebrates, the altar he uses is for the time being a privileged altar. On 2 November every altar is privileged. The bishops of the United States have the faculty (Facultates Extraordinariae C., fac. viii) of declaring privileged one altar in every church and public chapel or oratory, whether it be consecrated or not, of their dioceses, provided this privilege had not been previously granted to any other altar in such church under the same conditions.

This benefit of a privileged altar was also granted to certain priests where they celebrated Mass at and at least one of those instances was for priests who made the heroic act of charity. As the Purgatorian Manual states: "The Indult of a Privileged Altar, personally, every day in the year to all priests who shall have made this offering."

To summarize: A privileged altar is an altar where a plenary indulgence could be applied in favor of a particular soul in purgatory by the priest celebrating Holy Mass whenever Mass was celebrated there. This was an indulgence, over and above the graces and benefits normally flowing from the celebration of Mass. The “privilege” was attached to the place, not to the physical altar, and the privilege could also be given to a certain priest so that no matter where he celebrated a plenary could be gained! 

Sadly, Paul VI removed these privileges and countless other indulgences in 1967 in Indulgentiarum Doctrina. However, the validity of his actions remains questionable by some and, despite this, we should never stop having Masses offered for the dead and gaining indulgences for the faithful departed, especially during the month of November.

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Votive Mass of a Feast Formerly Celebrated on A Sunday

First, the general rubrics concerning when a Votive Mass may be offered in the Tridentine Mass are generally fairly well known. There are some changes that occurred in the 20th century up until 1962 so strictly speaking the 1962 rubrics will differ in some respects. The 1962 Rubrics may be viewed by clicking here. The Pre-1962 Rubrics may be viewed by clicking here.

In addition to these general rubrics, there is an interesting exception for certain feasts which were kept on Sundays up until the changes instituted under St. Pius X in 1911/1914. These Feasts were as follows:

• 2nd Sunday after Epiphany: Feast of the Holy Name (this had different Propers to the modern Feast)
• 3rd Sunday after Easter: Feast of St. Joseph
• 1st Sunday in July: The Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
• Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption: St. Joachim
• Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Feast of the Holy Name of Mary
• 3rd Sunday of September: Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• 1st Sunday of October: Feast of the Holy Rosary

In many places, the Feast of Corpus Christi, The Feast of the Sacred Heart, and The Feast of St. Peter and Paul were celebrated as an External Solemnity on the following Sunday. In fact, there was an obligation to do so in some places such as in the United States for the Sunday following Ss. Peter and Paul. Permissions to solemnize the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul on the Sunday following June 29th were given to the United States on December 19, 1840, and that of Corpus Christi on November 25, 1885.

The Local calendars and those for religious orders give even more examples. After the reforms, the feasts formerly fixed on a Sunday were transferred to a date or to a number of days after the Sunday. But for the good of the faithful, the Mass could be celebrated on its former day.

Other Local Feasts would also be celebrated as External Solemnities and would include:

• Dedication of the Cathedral Church.
• Titular of the Cathedral.
• Patron of the Diocese.
• Dedication of the Chapel / Church.
• Titular of the Chapel / Church.
• Patronal feast of the place.
• A first or second Class Feast in your Diocese or Country.

While it is unusual for External Solemnities to be celebrated on a day other than a Sunday the Rubrics allow this. External Solemnities can also be celebrated for altars/shrines in a Church dedicated to particular Saints. So in short if the Celebrant accepts that this celebration is for the good of the faithful, have an External Solemnity.

Source: Musica Sacra

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