St. Francis Caracciolo

Double (1955 Calendar): June 4

Three things made Francis of Caracciolo stand out from his wealthy Neapolitan friends: he was powerfully drawn to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, he fasted every Saturday in honor of the Virgin Mary, and he had a generous love for the poor. When he was seriously ill at the age of twenty-two with leprosy, he vowed that if he were cured he would devote himself to the service of God and his fellow men. In 1587 he was ordained priest and joined the confraternity of the Bianchi della Giustizia (The White Robes of Justice), whose object was to assist condemned criminals to die holy deaths.

He was one of the founders of the order of Minor Clerks Regular. Francis instituted perpetual adoration as one of the works of his order. To the three usual vows a fourth is added, namely, that its members must not aspire to ecclesiastical dignities outside the order nor seek them within it. Perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is kept up by rotation, and self-mortification is practiced. The motto of the order "Ad majorem Resurgentis gloriam" ("to the greater glory of the Risen One") was chosen because Francis and Augustine Adorno made their profession at Naples on Low Sunday, April 9, 1589. Upon making his profession, Caracciolo took the name Francis in honor of the saint of Assisi.

Like Saint Thomas Aquinas, a relative on his mother's side, his purity was angelic, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.  His frequent motto was "Zelus domus tuae comedit me" (Zeal for thy House has consumed me).  He died in A.D. 1608. When his body was opened after death, his heart was found as it were burnt up, and those words imprinted around it: ‘Zelus domus Tuae comedit me’ (Zeal for thy House has consumed me).

Collect:

O God, who didst adorn blessed Francis, the founder of a new Order, with zeal for prayer and love of penance, grant that Thy servants may make such progress by imitating him, that through constancy in prayer and bodily mortification they may deserve to attain heavenly glory. Through our Lord . . .

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Ordains 5 Men

On Saturday, June 1, 2013, five deacons of the Fraternity of St. Peter were raised to the Sacred Priesthood of Christ by His Excellency, Bishop James D. Conley, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The newly ordained priests of the Fraternity are:

Father Michael Passo
Father Joseph DeGuzman
Father Anthony Uy
Father Kevin Young
Father Charles Vreeland

Deacon Massimo Botta, native of Rome, will be Ordained on Saturday, June 22, 2013, in the Fraternity parish in Rome, Santa Trinita dei Pelligrini. Please keep him in your prayers.

Image Source: FSSP

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Cardinal Kasper: Ambiguities Deliberately Inserted into Vatican II Documents

Here is exactly what Cardinal Kaspar said – stunning, absolutely stunning: 

“In many places, they had to find compromise formulas, in which, often, the positions of the majority are located immediately next to those of the minority, designed to delimit them. Thus, the conciliar texts themselves have a huge potential for conflict, open the door to a selective reception in either direction.”

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Corpus Christi Serving Notes

The Corpus Christi procession in the south-eastern town of Przemysl. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
With the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi tomorrow, I'm pleased that our friends over at Romanitas Press have put together serving notes for those saying the Traditional Latin Mass for Corpus Christi.  Pass these documents along to any sacristans, servers, or priests that you think may benefit from this. Click here to read their ceremonial notes.

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Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces (Mass in Some Places)

The Feast of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces

According to Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, “Our Holy Mother the Church-approved during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XV the proper Mass and Office of Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces.” The Saint Andrew’s Daily Missal (1945) lists it as May 31.  

The Angelus Press missal says, “May 31 was the usual date for this Mass until the institution of the Feast of Our Lady Queen; since 1956 the day will probably vary with the Diocese.” Fr. Rock, FSSP notes the following due to the Feast of the Queenship of Mary added in 1956: "In the 1962 Roman Missal, the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of All Saints and Mother of Fair Love and the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces are listed under May 8th along with the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Beatae Mariae Virginis D. N. a S. Corde lesu)."

While not yet a dogma of the Faith, Mary has "Mediatrix of All Graces" is widely held by the Church.

Concerning this feastday in the Dominican Rite:

Interestingly, this feast never made its way into the liturgical calendar of the Roman Rite.  It is included in the 1962 Roman Missal as an optional feast, for use in certain places and diocese.  As best as I can tell, it first appeared on the Dominican liturgical calendar in the 1940's, and it moved around a bit until it finally landed on May 8 in the 1961 calendar.  The 1949 Completotori Libellus has the feast on May 31.  The 1955 English translation of the Dominican Martyrology has the feast on May 31.  The 1959 St. Dominic Missal has it on June 7.  [In the Post Vatican II Dominican Calendar], it has been removed from the calendar of the Order, which now celebrates the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary on May 8. Source: Brevarium SOP

Christ as the One Meditator 

Concerning the title of Mediatrix, Fr. Reginald Garrigou‑Lagrange, O.P. discusses the office of mediator:

"The office of mediator belongs fully only to Jesus, the Man‑God, Who alone could reconcile us with God by offering Him, on behalf of men, the infinite sacrifice of the Cross, which is perpetuated in Holy Mass. He alone, as Head of mankind, could merit for us in justice the grace of salvation and apply it to those who do not reject His saving action. It is as man that He is mediator, but as a Man in Whom humanity is united hypostatically to the Word and endowed with the fullness of grace, the grace of Headship, which overflows on men. As St. Paul puts it: 'For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave Himself for a redemption for all, a testimony in due times' (I Tim. ii, 56). \

"But, St. Thomas adds: 'there is no reason why there should not be, after Christ, other secondary mediators between God and men, who co‑operate in uniting them in a ministerial and dispositive manner.’ Such mediators dispose men for the action of the principal Mediator, or transmit it, but always in dependence on His merits.”

Our Lady as the Mediator with the Mediator

Why, though, is our Lady the Mediatrix of All Graces? Why her specifically? St. Pius X stated why: "By the communion of sorrows and of will between Christ and Mary she merited to become the dispenser of all the benefits which Jesus acquired for us by shedding His Blood" (Ad Diem Illium). This resonates with what Pope Leo XIII had previously affirmed: "It may be affirmed that, according to God's will, nothing comes to us without going through Mary's hands. Just as no one can approach the Almighty Father except through the Son, so no one can approach the Almighty Father except through the Son, so no one can approach Christ except through His Mother" (Octobri Mense)

St. John Vianney's words from a few centuries before these holy pontiffs bear similar testimony: "All the saints have a great devotion to Our Lady: no grace comes from Heaven without passing through her hands. We cannot go into a house without speaking to the doorkeeper. Well, the Holy Virgin is the doorkeeper of Heaven.”

For more information see Is There a Mediator with the "One Mediator Between God and Man"? based on the writings of St. Louis de Montfort

Litany to Our Lady Mediatrix of all Graces

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us!
Mother of God, and our Mother, pray for us!
True Mother of the living, pray for us!
Mother regenerating men in Christ unto God, pray for us!
Mother of piety and of grace, pray for us!
Mother of pardon and remission, pray for us!
Partner in human redemption, pray for us!
Recoverer of a lost world, pray for us!
Recoverer of the ages, pray for us!
Petitioner of all graces, pray for us!
Suppliant all-powerful, pray for us!
Advocate with thy Son for thy sons, pray for us!
Obtainer of the divine mercy, pray for us!
Dispenser of heavenly treasures, pray for us!
Handmaid of divine blessings, pray for us!
Fullness of grace to overflow upon all, pray for us!
Succor of the Church Militant, pray for us!
Ready helper of those in peril, pray for us!
Devoted consoler of the sorrowful, pray for us!
Conqueress of all error, pray for us!
Protectress of the world, pray for us!
Impregnable protection, pray for us!
Propitiation of the divine wrath, pray for us!
Refuge of all the unhappy, pray for us!
Shelter of orphans, pray for us!
Assured safety of the faithful, pray for us!
Hope of all who despair, pray for us!
Stay of the falling, pray for us!
Uplifter of the fallen, pray for us!
Cheer and comfort of the dying, pray for us!
Peace and joy of mankind, pray for us!
Our life, our sweetness and our hope, pray for us!
Gate of Paradise, pray for us!
Mystical stair of Jacob, pray for us!
Key of the heavenly kingdom, pray for us!
Channel of divine graces, pray for us!
Throne of divine clemency, pray for us!
Fountain of living waters, pray for us!
Fountain sealed by the Holy Spirit, pray for us!
Unfailing stream of mercy, pray for us!
Asylum of the erring, pray for us!
Haven of the shipwrecked, pray for us!
Shining star of the sea, pray for us!
Light of those who sit in darkness, pray for us!
Chamber of spiritual nuptials, pray for us!
Mediatrix of men with God, pray for us!
Mediatrix after the Mediator, pray for us!
Mediatrix reconciling us to the Son, pray for us!
Mediatrix of sinners, staunch and true, pray for us!
Mediatrix of all beneath the sky, pray for us!
Mediatrix ever pleading for us, pray for us!
Mediatrix set between Christ and His Church, pray for us!
Mediatrix who hast found favor with God, pray for us!
Mediatrix to win salvation for the world, pray for us!
Mediatrix of the mysteries of God, pray for us!
Mediatrix of all graces, pray for us!

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, our powerful Mediatrix,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

Let us Pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, our Mediator with the Father, Who hast deigned to appoint the Blessed Virgin, Thy Mother, to be our Mother also and our Mediatrix with Thee, graciously grant that whosoever goes to Thee in quest of blessings may be gladdened by obtaining them all through her, Thou Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

Prayer of Petition
 
O Ever-Virgin Mother of God and Mediatrix of Grace who art the House of Gold within which dwells thy Son, our Mediator, Jesus Christ, we humbly beseech thee to grant our requests for our salvation and the salvation of the entire world. (Here pause and make your requests) Keep us close to the Vicar of thy Son in the unity of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church. Hear our prayer and grant the requests we make to thee.

St. Joseph, Intercede for us.
St. Jude Thaddeus, Pray for us.
St. Mary of Cleophas, Pray for us.
St. Philip Neri, Pray for us.
St. Louis Grignion de Montfort, Pray for us.
St. Maximillian Kolbe, Pray for us.

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Christ Acts through the Liturgy: Why the Fight for the Mass Still Matters

Source: Christ Acts through the Liturgy: Why the Fight for the Mass Still Matters by Mark Riddle.

It has been almost six years since Pope Benedict XVI issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Despite deficiencies in the text (two forms of one rite, for example), the point of this motu proprio – that the Traditional Latin Mass had never been abrogated – sent shockwaves through the entire Catholic world.

Traditional Catholics had argued for decades that the traditional Mass had never been abrogated; in return they were met with scorn, ridicule, and accusations of disobedience from the corners of the “conservative” Catholic world, ever eager to be in the right. Thus, despite the noted deficiencies in the text, Summorum Pontificum was, and remains to this day, an incredibly controversial text. This is not because of the juridical questions directly, but because of the clear statement that the ancient liturgical rite of Rome, which had formed countless saints, and which the reformers sought to kill, had never been abrogated.

Fast forward over five years to March 13, 2013. Benedict XVI, having announced his abdication in early February, had renounced the burden of that office, leading to the election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, who would take the name Francis. In the uncertainty that followed, the question of the liturgy returned increasingly to the fore of Catholic discourse.

Continue Reading...

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Corpus Christi Procession: France 1960

In honor of the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi, I present the following video of Corpus Christi (in color) from France in 1960.

Sacris solemniis juncta sint gaudia,
Et ex praecordiis sonent praeconia;
Recedant vetera, nova sint omnia,
Corda, voces et opera.

Great is the festive day, joyful and jubilant,
Let us with loving hearts offer the song of praise;
Freed from the sinful past, may we renew in grace
 All our thoughts and words and deeds.

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St. Joan of Arc (Mass in Some Places)

Today, May 30th, the Feast of St. Joan of Arc is celebrated in certain parts of the world.  Recall that today is the Feast of St. Felix I on the Universal Calendar (unless a higher ranking feast from the sanctoral cycle falls on this day).  The Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes the history of this feast: "At last the cause of her beatification was introduced upon the occasion of an appeal addressed to the Holy See, in 1869, by Mgr Dupanloup, Bishop of Orléans, and, after passing through all its stages and being duly confirmed by the necessary miracles, the process ended in the decree being published by Pius X on 11 April 1909. A Mass and Office of St. Joan, taken from the "Commune Virginum," with "proper" prayers, have been approved by the Holy See for use in the Diocese of Orléans.  St. Joan was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV."

The Traditional Matins Reading for where her feast is celebrated:

Joan of Arc was born in the town of Domrémy (which was once in the diocese of Toul, but belongs now to that of Saint Dié) in the year of our Lord 1412. Her parents were noted for their virtue and piety. When she was but thirteen years old, and knew nothing but house work, field work, and the first elements of religion, she learnt that God had chosen her to deliver France from her enemies and restore the kingdom to its former independence. She enjoyed familiar intercourse with the Archangel Michael and SS Catherine and Margaret, who, during five years, instructed her how to fulfill her mission. Then, desiring to obey the command of God, she addressed herself to the governor of Vaucouleurs, who, after having several times repulsed her, at length gave her an escort to take her to King Charles.

Following in all things the divine commands, she overcame all the difficulties of the long journey, and arrived at Chinon in Touraine, where she furnished the king with proofs that her mission was from God. She proceeded to Orleans, and in a few days inflicted three defeats on the enemy, relieved the town, and raised her banner aloft in triumph. Then, after other military successes in which the assistance of God was clearly manifested, she brought Charles to Rheims, where he was solemnly crowned king. She would not rest even then, but, having learnt from her heavenly voices that God would permit her to fall into the hands of the enemy, she went bravely on to meet what was to befall her.

She was taken prisoner at Compiègne, sold to the English, and sent to Rouen for trial. She had to defend herself against many accusations, but her purity was never impugned. She suffered all things with patience for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. The wicked judges who tried this gentle and innocent virgin condemned her to be burnt. So, fortified by the Holy Eucharist, which she had long desired, and her eyes fixed upon the Cross, while she constantly murmured the name of Jesus, she took her flight to heaven on May 30, in the nineteenth year of her age. The Holy Roman Church which she had always loved, and to which she had often appealed, undertook, under Pope Calixtus III, her rehabilitation, and towards the end of the nineteenth century, Leo XIII gave permission for the introduction of the cause of beatification. Finally, after diligent examination and approbation of fresh miracles Pius X inscribed her among the Blessed, and permitted the dioceses of France to keep the feast with a special Office and Mass.

Collect Prayer:

O God, you have chosen Saint Joan of Arc to defend her country against the invading enemy. Through her intercession, grant that we may work for justice and live in peace. We pray through Jesus Christ, your son, living and reigning with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Secret Prayer:

O Lord, on this feast of Saint Joan of Arc, accept this pure offering of the victim who is our salvation. Grant that we may love you in all things and more than all things so that we may live for the praise of your glory. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Post Communion Prayer:

You have strengthened us, O Lord, with bread from heaven from which Saint Joan of Arc so frequently found light and comfort. May this heavenly nourishment sustain us in the service of our brothers and sisters. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

SemiDouble (1955 Calendar): May 29

Born with the name of Catherine in 1566, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi received a religious upbringing. She was initially sent to the Monastery of St. John as a boarder at age 14, but was taken back home by her family who opposed her religious vocation and wanted her to marry well. They eventually gave in, and Catherine became a Carmelite of the Ancient Observance at 16, taking the name Sister Mary Magdalen.

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was endowed with the gift of prophecy and lived as a mystic.  In 1598 she became the mistress of novices, and she was chosen as subprioress in 1604.  She would hold this position until her death of natural causes on May 25, 1607.  The final three years of her life were filled with intense bodily and mental suffering but the saint prayed to suffer more.  She led a hidden life of prayer and self-denial, praying particularly for the renewal of the Church and encouraging the sisters in holiness. 

She foretold the elevation of Pope Leo XI in a prophecy shortly before her death.

Traditional Reading at Matins:

Mary Magdalen was born at Florence of the illustrious family of the Pazzi. It might be said of her that she entered the way of perfection when a babe. When ten years of age she took a vow of perpetual virginity; and having taken the habit in the Carmelite Monas tery of Our Lady of the Angels, she became a model of every virtue. Such was her purity, that she was entirely ignorant of everything that is opposed to that virtue. She was commanded by God to fast on bread and water for five years, Sundays alone excepted, on which she might partake of Lenten diet. She mortified her body by a hair-shirt, discipline, cold, abstinence, watching, want, and every kind of suffering.

Such was the ardour of divine love that burned within her, that not being able to bear the heat, she was obliged to temper it by applying cold water to her breast. She was frequently in a state of rapture, and the wonderful ecstasies she had were almost daily. In these states, she was permitted to penetrate into heavenly mysteries, and was favoured by God with extraordinary graces. Thus strengthened, she had to endure a long combat with the princes of darkness, as also aridity and desolation of spirit, abandonment by all creatures, and divers temptations: God so willed it, that she might become a model of invincible patience and profound humility.

She was remarkable for her charity towards others. She would frequently sit up the whole night, either doing the work of the sisters, or waiting upon the sick, whose sores she sometimes healed by sucking the wounds. She wept bitterly over the perdition of infidels and sinners, and offered to suffer every sort of torment so that they might be saved. Several years before her death she heroically besought our Lord to take from her the heavenly delights wherewith he favoured her; and was frequently heard saying these words: ‘To suffer; not to die.' At length, worn out by a long and most painful illness, she passed hence to her Spouse, on the twenty-fifth of May, in the year 1607, having completed the forty-first year of her age. Many miracles having been wrought by her merits, both before and after death, she was canonized by Pope Clement the Ninth. Her body is, even to this day, preserved from corruption.

Collect:

O God, lover of chastity, who didst inflame the blessed Virgin, Mary Magdalen, with love for Thee and didst adorn her with heavenly gifts, grant that as we honor her on this festal day, so may we follow her in purity and love. Through our Lord . . .

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Dom Guéranger: The End of the Movable Liturgical Cycle

From

The Liturgical Year

by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The series of the mysteries is now complete, and the movable cycle of the liturgy has come to its close. We first passed, during Advent, the four weeks, which represented the four thousand years spent by mankind in entreating the eternal Father to send His Son. Our Emmanuel at length came down; we shared in the joys of His Birth, in the dolours of His Passion, in the glory of His Resurrection, in the triumph of His Ascension. Lastly, we have witnessed the descent of the Holy Ghost upon us, and we know that He is to abide with us to the last. Holy Church has assisted us throughout the whole of this sublime drama, which contains the work of our salvation. Her heavenly canticles, her magnificent ceremonies, have instructed us day by day, enabling us to follow and understand each feast and season. Blessed by this mother for the care wherewith she has placed all these great mysteries before us, thus giving us light and love! Blessed by the sacred liturgy, which has brought us so much consolation and encouragement! We have now to pass through the immovable portion of the cycle: we shall find sublime spiritual episodes, worthy of all our attention. Let us, then, prepare to resume our journey: let us take fresh courage in the thought that the Holy Ghost will direct our steps, and, by the sacred liturgy, of which He is the inspirer, will continue to throw open to us treasures of precept and example.

Please join me in continuing to follow the Traditional Feast Days of the pre-1955 calendar through my continuously updated post on Catholic Feast Days.

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