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Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Laudetur Iesus Christus and blessed feast of the Holy Name of Mary! Sunday is both the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, and the 16th Sunday After Pentecost, and as custom, we provide Dr. Mike Foley’s commentary on this week’s collect: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/09/the-overstepping-collect-of-sixteenth.html

Upcoming Feast Days

This weekend we are in the middle of the ancient octave of the Blessed Mother’s nativity (September 8) which concludes this Wednesday September 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

Ember Days Next Week (September 22, 24 and 25)

The week after the Holy Cross and week before the feast of St. Michael the Archangel on September 29 (Michaelmas) are the autumn Ember Days, the 3-day penitential period during the change of seasons where the faithful offer thanks to God for his creation and gifts, and to pray for sanctification in the upcoming season. Traditionally, these are days of fasting and partial abstinence (meat at only one meal, except Friday which is full abstinence) – though the fasting is now voluntary.  The Ember days next week are Wednesday September 22, Friday September 24, and Saturday September 25. To learn more visit: https://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterpentecost8.html

Eucharistic Congress Events – Saturday September 18

St. Ann: The parish will be offering a 12 noon High Mass followed by a Eucharistic Procession, and Eucharistic Adoration until 4:15pm. Confessions will also be heard after Mass until 4:15pm .

St. Thomas Aquinas: As mentioned Wednesday, St. Thomas Aquinas parish is organizing an in-person Eucharistic Congress on Saturday September 18.  Of note to traditionalists, will be a 9:45am Eucharistic Procession, followed by chanting of sacred music by St. Joseph College Seminarians at 10:15am. There will not be a Latin Mass at this Congress, but there are other events that may interest to some of our readers. We attach an image the flyer and will share more information as it becomes available (or at other parishes).

Benedictus Weekly “Missal” Is Now Available

A new weekly Latin Mass publication called Benedictus is now available. We’re hearing rave reviews about it.It’s a weekly Latin Mass missal, similar to the Magnificat daily in the Novus Ordo. Benedictus contains the propers for each day in chronological order (no flipping around like the full missals) and also contain reflection and beautiful sacred art. It’s helpful especially for newcomers to the Latin Mass. To learn more visit: https://praybenedictus.com/

Religious Exemptions for Vaccines

Obtaining a Religious Exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine: As a reminder, the Carolina Family Coalition (CFC), a non-profit founded by Catholic pro-life leaders in Charlotte to defend the family against the secular culture, has published some helpful information on how to obtain a religious exemption (see link below). Link: https://www.prolifecharlotte.org/obtaining-a-religious-exemption/

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer Documentary: A New Zealand television network has recently published an edifying documentary on a traditional order of priests and monks who offer the Latin Mass exclusively and minister to a few parishes in remote parts of the world. Based on a remote island north of Scotland, they also have monasteries or parishes in New Zealand and Australia. They also publish the beautiful and colorful quarterly newspaper aptly entitled Catholic. They were in irregular canonical status prior to 2008, but once Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio came out, they were entered in full communion: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2021/09/sons-of-most-holy-redeemer-documentary.html | Website: http://papastronsay.com  (Blog: http://papastronsay.blogspot.com/)

    CLMC note: Is there any need to worry about the future of the Latin Mass when places like this exist? Latin Mass is the future.
  • Pray for Monica – Australia’s first political prisoner on Australian Soil: While most Catholics in the Carolinas have figured the COVID-19 lockdowns are over, that is hardly the case in places like Australia or New Zealand where the Marxist government has gone into full Soviet checkpoint mode. To bring this persecution to light, the Remnant has an important article about a young women who resisted this Australian lockdown and drove beyond the 5 kilometer travel limit imposed on many Australians (yes they are restricted from driving beyond 5K). That women, happens to be Monica Smit, a traditional Catholic, who promoted the Christus Rex pilgrimage in Australia, and is now being held in prison as far as we know: https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/5571-australia-s-first-political-prisoner-on-australian-soil

    CLMC note: For those who think COVID is merely a virus, a review of Monica’s arrest video may provide a different perspective and portend what may be coming to the Carolinas when vaccine mandates are fully required (with no religious exemptions) or another “variant” is discovered.
  • Libera Nos A Malo – Considerations on the Great Reset and the New World Order: No CLMC e-mail seems to be complete without insight and reflection of the “signs of the times” by either Archbishop Viganò or Bishop Schneider. In this tour-de-force article, the Archbishop gives us an instructive spiritual explanation of the moment we are now facing in the world and in the Church:

This war, whose outcomes have been decided “ab æterno” with the inexorable defeat of Satan and the Antichrist and the overwhelming victory of the Woman encircled with the stars, is now approaching its conclusion. This is why the forces of darkness are so wild at present, so impatient to cancel the name of Our Lord from the earth, to not only destroy his tangible presence in our cities by tearing down churches, demolishing crosses, and suppressing Christian holidays; but also by eliminating memory, cancelling Christian civilization, adulterating its teaching, and debasing its worship. And in order to do this, the presence of a faithful and courageous Hierarchy, ready to suffer martyrdom in order to defend Christian faith and moral teaching, is certainly an obstacle…

…Everything that we know, discover, and understand about the global conspiracy currently unfolding shows us a tremendous reality that is also at the same time sharp and clearly-defined: there are two sides, the side of God and the side of Satan, the side of the children of Light and the side of the children of darkness. It is not possible to come to terms with the Enemy, nor is it possible to serve two masters (Mt 6:24). The words of Our Lord must be engraved in our minds: “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Mt 12:30)… Where Christ reigns, peace, harmony and justice reign; where Christ does not reign, Satan is a tyrant. Let us consider this well, whenever we have to choose whether to make agreements with the adversary in the name of a false peaceful coexistence!

Father Z. Comments on Pope Francis’ “Two Rites” Remarks

Lastly, Pope Francis gave an interview recently in which he provided more explanation on why he issued his Motu Proprio, Traditionis Custodes, and offered a perplexing but interesting comment on his decision. He compared the Traditional Latin Mass priest to be in the similar situation as a bi-ritual priest (a priest who offers both an Eastern Rite liturgy, like the Ukrainian Liturgy and the Roman Liturgy, like the Novus Ordo or TLM). He also noted that his Motu Proprio needed to be issued to ensure that Latin Mass communities have a priest who not only meets their liturgical needs, but also spiritual or pastoral needs. While these can be concerning comments depending on how one views the Pope’s intent, it does however raise the question – is the Traditional Latin Mass a distinct Roman rite which would necessitate its own set of priests and bishop, chapels, etc.? Here are the Pope’s comments (emphasis ours):

After this motu proprio, a priest who wants to celebrate that is not in the same condition as before—that it was for nostalgia, for desire, &c.— and so he has to ask permission from Rome. A kind of permission for bi-ritualism, which is given only by Rome. [Like] a priest who celebrates in the Eastern Rite and the Latin Rite, he is bi-ritual but with the permission of Rome. That is to say, until today, the previous ones continue but a little bit organized. Moreover, asking that there be a priest who is in charge not only of the liturgy but also of the spiritual life of that community.

Father John Zuhlsdorf (Father Z) picks up on this in his analysis of this paragraph (emphasis ours):

Okay, this says what we have known all along.  There is not one Roman Rite, there are two. Summorum was a juridical document which treated the two Rites as if they were one.  That was a deft move and it worked well for a while.  However, there were some inherent problems in that approach, since it glossed over a reality that needed to be confronted.  Finally, after some years, that reality was being confronted (e.g., in the exploration of the pre-55 Triduum, which put a magnifying glass on the whole of the “reform”) and the result was terrifying to the Left and to the discontinuity and rupture camp, who still dominate the seats of power in the Church.

ZISK: In an interview, Francis talks about “Traditionis custodes”, how he views it, what it means, why he did it. Wherein Fr. Z comments.

CLMC note: Although the short term future of the Latin Mass, in some places, is unclear, these comments do bring to the forefront an issue that needs to be resolved: Is the Novus Ordo and Traditional Latin Mass completely separate rites?

If they are, what Mass are you going today? The Traditional Roman Rite or the New Order?