Ad Orientem

"... When a general leads his troops into battle does he face them? When a representative of the people approaches the Ruler on their behalf does he face them? When a priest is going to the Lord on behalf of his people should he face them? When the priest is acting as the intermediary between the people and God he faces the Altar. When he is dispensing the gifts of God, or speaking to the people, he faces the people."

Source: Fr. Joseph Santos of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. The above mentioned quotation was part of an interview conducted by the "Traditional Latin Mass" blog. For the original source and the segments of the interview, please see the Traditional Latin Mass Blog.

Via A Faithful Rebel

Image Source: The New Liturgical Movement

Read more >>

Feastday of St. John Vianney

Today is the feastday of St. John Vianney, one of the greatest parish priests in the history of the Church. Read about his life and many of his spiritually-edifying writings in my post from last year.

St. John Vianney, ora pro nobis!!

Read more >>

On Friday, He Died

Read more >>

Updated: List of Feastdays

Over the course of the entire summer - and perhaps a few weeks of the Spring - I have worked to completely revise and update my list of Roman Catholic Feastdays. At last, today I was able to finish.

In the course of my editing, I added the entire Calendar of Saints according to the 1955 Calendar, used by many Traditional Catholics. The 1955 Calendar is very similar to the 1962 Calendar, which is also used by Traditionalists. Following this, I individually edited the post on each saint and added the information on the feastday according to both calendars. Since I was only able to work a few hours each day, this project has taken considerable time.

I hope that it is of value to my readers!

Read more >>

First Friday Devotion

Because today is the first Friday of the Month, many Catholic parishes will have special Masses today for the First Friday Devotion. The priest may choose to offer a Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart or may choose to say the Mass of the day. However, regardless of which propers are used for the Mass texts, we can still - and should - attend Mass today. We can fulfill the First Friday devotion by going to Mass and receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive Fridays.

Beginning on December 27, 1673, through 1675, Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque asking her to receive Him in Holy Communion on the first Friday of every month and to meditate on His passion from 11:00 PM to 12:00 midnight each Thursday. He also revealed to her twelve promises for all who are devoted to His Sacred Heart; he asked for a Feast of the Sacred Heart to be instituted in the liturgical calendar of the Church. Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque with twelve promises for those devoted to His Most Sacred Heart.

Pray the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart today

Promises for those devoted to the Sacred Heart:

1. "I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life."
2. "I will establish peace in their homes."
3. "I will comfort them in their afflictions."
4. "I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death."
5. "I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings."
6. "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy."
7. "Tepid souls shall grow fervent."
8. "Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection."
9. "I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored."
10. "I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts."
11. "Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out."
12. "I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

Please remember to pray for the unborn today and make an act of reparation to Our Lord. Remember, it was on Friday that Our Lord died and all Fridays in the year are days of penance.

Read more >>

Portiuncula Indulgence

What is Portiuncula? The following is an excerpt from Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure.

" The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned . Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars."

Today the chapel of Portiuncula is situated inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels roughly 5 km from Assisi, Italy.

The Indulgence:

"The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, bad been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence" (Source)

August 2nd is the feast of Portiuncula. A plenary indulgence is available to anyone who will

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before of after)

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd

3. Enter a parish church and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, and a pray of his/her own choosing for the intentions of the Pope.

Please tell every Catholic person you know that remission of the punishment for all sins committed from the day of baptism to the reception of the indulgence is available.

May the Merciful Jesus fill your heart with His gentle peace!

Note: An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. More information can be found at Indulgences.

Read more >>

Urgent Prayer Request

I have just received an urgent and grave request for prayers. A family is going through an extremely difficult time. Please say a prayer for them. Respecting their wishes, I will not go into detail on their problems; however, I do ask all of my readers to please pray for them.

Thank you and God Bless!

Read more >>

Summorum Pontificum Contact Database

The motu proprio has been released! The next step is to start putting the Catholic faithful who want to assist at the Traditional Mass in touch with Catholic priests who want to say the Traditional Mass. Please fill out the form below with your contact information so we can help you make a connection.

Please make sure to include your geographical information (it will be difficult to link you up with others in your area if you don't), as well as an email address so that you can be contacted when a match is found. Your information is private and will not be shared with anyone without your consent. Also, including your parish of registry will be very important for helping to connect people in the same parish who may be unaware of each other.

Image Source: Hallowedground

Read more >>

Traditional Propers: Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

Vestments: Green

INTROIT
Psalms 53: 6, 7
Behold God is my helper, and the Lord is the protector of my soul: turn back the evils upon my enemies, and cut them off in Thy truth, O Lord my protector. -- (Ps. 53. 3). Save me, O God, by Thy Name, and deliver me in Thy strength. V.: Glory be to the Father -- Behold God is my helper . . .

COLLECT - Let Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy suppliant people: and that Thou mayest grant their desire to those that seek, make them to ask such things as shall please Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

EPISTLE
I Corinthians 10: 6-13
Brethren, Let us not covet evil things, as they also coveted. Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them: as it is written "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and there fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents. Neither do you murmur, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them in figure, and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human: and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able; but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.

GRADUAL
Psalms 8: 2
O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is Thy Name in the whole earth! V.: For Thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens.

Alleluia, alleluia. V.(Ps. 58. 3). Deliver me from my enemies, O my God: and defend me from them that rise up against me. Alleluia

GOSPEL
Luke 19: 41-47

At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, seeing the city, He wept over it, saying: If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace: but now they are hidden from thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side; and beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee; and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation. And entering into the temple, He began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought, saying to them: It is written, "My house is a house of prayer." but you have made it a den of theives. And He was teaching daily in the temple.

OFFERTORY
Pslams 18: 9, 10, 11, 12
The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts, and His judgments sweeter than honey and the honey comb: for Thy servant keepeth them.

SECRET - Grant to us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may worthily frequent these Mysteries: for as often as the memorial of this Victim is celebrated, the work of our redemption is wrought. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost . .

PREFACE (Preface of the Most Holy Trinity) - It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out, with one voice saying:

COMMUNION
John 6: 57
He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him, saith the Lord.

POST COMMUNION - May the communion of Thy Sacrament, we beseech Thee, O Lord, bring to us cleansing and grant us unity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ . . .

Read more >>

Words of Inspiration: July 29

"Unless we are ready through His power to die in the likeness of His passion, His life is not in us" (St. Ignatius of Antioch).

Read more >>