Poll of French on Traditional Latin Mass

The pollsters at the CSA Institute, one of the most prestigious in France, were hired by the association Paix Liturgique to ask some questions regarding the Traditional rites of the Roman Church (CSA interviewed 1,007 people throughout the nation, 55% of which identified themselves as Catholics, on November 8, 2006; the results reflect the opinion of those who identified themselves as Catholics).

1) Do you believe it is desirable that Catholics may have the choice to, according to their sensibility, go to either the Traditional Mass in Latin with Gregorian chant or to the Modern Mass in French?

Yes: 65%
No: 13%
Do not care: 22%

2) If you had the occasion to occasionally go to a Mass in Latin with Gregorian [chant], what would you say?

I would go: 60%
I would not go: 39%
No answer: 1%

3) In your opinion, the fact that various kinds of celebrations of the Mass, one Traditional, in Latin and with Gregorian [chant], and the other modern in French, may be recognised by the Church would be...?

A good thing, because it allows for some diversity within the Church: 65%
A bad thing, because it risks provoking divisions within the Church: 31%
No answer: 4%

4) If a Mass in its Traditional form were celebrated, in Latin and with the permission of the Pope, close to your home, you would say...

I would go there frequently: 6%
I would go there occasionally: 31%
I do not know if I would got there or not: 12%
I would rarely go there: 29%
I would never go there: 22%

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Video on the Sarum Rite

This is a video of a Sarum Rite High Mass celebrated at Merton College, Oxford. It is a Mass celebrated on the Feast of Candlemas in 1997.

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Pray for Pope Benedict XVI

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Reading from the Diary of St. Faustina

"When a reluctance and a monotony as regards my duties begins to take possession of me, I remind myself that I am in the house of the Lord, where nothing is small and where the glory of the Church and the progress of many a soul depend on this small deed of mine, accomplished in a divinized way. Therefore there is nothing small in a religious congregation." (508)

"When my intentions are not recognized, but rather condemned, I am not too much surprised, for I know that it is only God who scrutinizes my heart. Truth will not die; the wounded heart will regain peace in due time, and my spirit is strengthened through adversities. I do not always listen to what my heart tells me, but I keep asking God for light; and when I feel I have regained my equilibrium, then I say more." (511)

"The day of the renewal of vows. The presence of God flooded my soul. During Holy Mass I saw Jesus, and He said to me, You are my great joy; your love and your humility make Me leave the heavenly throne and unite Myself with you. Love fills up the abyss that exists between My greatness and your nothingness." (512)

Read more from the Diary of St. Faustina

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US Bishops Renew Consecration of America to Immaculate Heart of Mary

This is a joyous day indeed! The United States has renewed its consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary! At noon today, November 11, 2006, the United States renewed its consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Archbishop Pietro Sambi celebrated the Mass at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., and Father Andrew Apostoli, a familiar face on EWTN, gave the homily. In that homily, Fr. Apostoli quoted John Paul ll by saying, "Fatima is more important today than it was in 1917."

Remember that John Paul ll was shot in 1981 on the anniversary of the beginning of the apparitions of Mary in Fatima, Portugal. Mehmet Ali Agca, the assasin that shot John Paul ll, said to John Paul ll: "I am a professional assassin and I don't miss. Whose feast day is it in your church today? That person saved you."

May Mary guard and guide our nation back to Her Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Let us all make an Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart, consecrating ourselves, our families, and our societies.

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More Information on Essential Classics Of Catholic Spirituality Collection

I'm not sure if anyone is interested, but here's more information:

I want to pass on this information I got from ProLifeSearch.com. It confirms that there will be a leather-bound, limited edition set too! Monday Nov 13th at 3:00 PM is the official "launch" date and time. Here's the information from them:

Concern #1. . . many people are concerned that since they can access many of these classics in text format online, what's the benefit of having our collection? We answered this question here:http://ecocs.blogspot.com/2006/10/concern-1.html

Concern #2. . . some people are worried that since they enjoy reading physical books, they may have a hard time with the electronic versions. We addressed this concern here:http://ecocs.blogspot.com/2006/11/concern-2.html

Sign up for the collection

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Antique Holy Cards by Thomas Craughwell

A few weeks ago I was happy to review Saints Behaving Badly by Thomas Craughwell for Double Day Publishing. Yesterday, I received a very interesting email from Thomas Craughwell, the popular Catholic author. Here is a part of the email that he sent me:

"While waiting for the book to come out, I started a sideline business with my family. Using antique holy cards from my own collection, I've started producing Christmas cards and blank note cards. If I do say so myself, they are pretty nice. Actually, they're gorgeous."

Here's the link to his site: www.antiqueholycards.com

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St. Leo the Great

Today is the Memorial of St. Leo the Great. See my article on him from last year for biographical information as well as a prayer for his intercession.

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Words of Inspiration: November 9, 2006

I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence within which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself." (Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity)

Make a little cell in your heart for Jesus of the Agony; take refuge there, when you hear Him outraged by men, try to make reparation; you, at least, love Him and keep your heart quite pure for Him. Oh! If you only knew how the good God love pure hearts! It is there that He loves to reign (Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity)

1 Peter 3:8-12

"Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. For: 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit, must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers'" (NAB)

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Pope Benedict XVI Reminds the Faithful That Mortal Sin Leads to Damnation

Photo Source: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY)

Nov. 06 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) reminded the faithful that mortal sin leads to damnation, in a sobering message at his Angelus audience on November 5.

The Pope devoted most of his Sunday audience to a reflection on the Christian understanding of death. An affluent society, he observed, often avoids the topic of death, but inevitably every mortal is brought face to face with this reality, which seems "radically hostile and contrary to our natural vocation to life and to happiness."

Through his redemptive suffering, the Pope continued, "Jesus revolutionized the meaning of death," making Christians realize that death is not a final end. Since the Resurrection, he continued, "death is not the same; it has been deprived of its sting."

However, the Holy Father remarked, there is a form of death that should be more fearsome to believers: the death of the soul in sin. "Indeed," said the Pope, "those who die in un-repented mortal sin, closed off from God's love by their prideful rejection, exclude themselves from the kingdom of life."

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