Dear friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community (CLMC),

Laudetur Iesus Christus! We have a few updates to share as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Thanksgiving Mass cancellation tomorrow

The Thursday 7pm Latin Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas is canceled tomorrow due to Thanksgiving.

4^th Saturday Respect Life Latin Mass

As custom, there will be a Latin Mass at 8am this Saturday at St. Ann for the end of abortion

Advent/Christmas Schedule & Mass Time Correction

• We share the Advent/Christmas schedule as currently announced: https://charlottelatinmass.org/mass-times/
• Correction: We incorrectly advertised a Saturday December 4 Rorate Mass at St. John the Baptist in Tryon as beginning at 6:30am. The Mass is actually at 6:00am

Catholic Thanksgiving History

To learn more about the Catholic traditions that influenced the U.S. Thanksgiving, please visit Sunday’s post: https://charlottelatinmass.org/2021/11/21/last-sunday-after-pentecost-advent-christmas-schedule/

Late November Feast Days

This week as the liturgical year winds down, the traditional calendar has some unique feasts in late November. We share a few along with some helpful background both spiritually and historically.

• Feast of St. Cecilia: This past Monday November 22 was the feast of St. Cecilia, the patron of musicians. Dom Prosper Gueranger had a great reflection on her life and noted she can be an excellent saint to overcome fear. Since many people are anxious or have fear over our country, COVID, vaccine mandates, problems in the Church, etc. – she might be a good saint to have recourse to:

• …Without doubt, this zeal is not extinct; it still works in some, and its fruits rejoice and console the Church; but why does it slumber so profoundly in so many hearts which God had prepared to be its active centres? The cause is unhappily to be traced to that general coldness, produced by effeminacy, which might be taken by itself alone as the type of the age; but we must add thereto another sentiment, proceeding from the same source, which would suffice, if of long duration, to render the debasement of a nation incurable. This sentiment is fear; and it may be said to extend at present to its utmost limit. Men fear the loss of goods or position, fear the loss of comforts and ease, fear the loss of life. Needless to say, nothing can be more enervating, and consequently more dangerous to the world, than this humiliating pre-occupation but above all, we must confess that it is anything but Christian. Have we forgotten that we are merely pilgrims on this earth? And has the hope of future good died out of our hearts? Caecilia will teach us how to rid ourselves of this sentiment of fear. In her days, life was less secure than now. There certainly was then some reason to fear; and yet Christians were so courageous, that the powerful pagans often trembled at the words of their victims. https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/november/november-22-st-caecilia-virgin-martyr/

• Feast of Pope St. Clement I: Tuesday November 23, was the feast of St. Clement, the 4^th Pope. Dom Gueranger has a fascinating story that confirms Papal Primacy. A controversy broke out in the early Church of Corinth during Clement’s reign when St. John was still alive and nearby in Ephesus, yet the Corinth Church wrote to Pope Clement in Rome for his assistance, demonstrating papal authority:  

• The Corinthians at last felt the necessity of putting an end to a disorder, which might be prejudicial to the extension of the Christian faith; and for this purpose, it was requisite to seek assistance from outside. The Apostles had all departed this life, except St. John, who was still the light of the Church. It was no great distance from Corinth to Ephesus, where the Apostle resided; yet it was not to Ephesus but to Rome that the Church of Corinth turned.  Clement examined the case referred to his judgment by that Church, and sent to Corinth five commissaries to represent the Apostolic See. https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/november/november-23-st-clement-i-pope-and-martyr/

• Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria:  Tomorrow, Thursday November 25 is the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria who was taken off the calendar in 1969 when the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced but later restored by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002 (it always remained on the Traditional Calendar). She is one of the 14 Holy Helpers, and as this article notes, perhaps a good recourse against Protestant heretics: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/11/st-catherine-of-alexandria-in-counter.html (As a reminder the TLM calendar has several saints who were unjustly removed in 1969 including St. Christopher, St. Philomena – the Novus Ordo’s loss is our gain!)
• The Miraculous Medal: Saturday November 27 is the optional feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. To learn more about this feast day visit Fisheaters.com: https://www.fisheaters.com/miraculousmedal.html

God Bless and happy Thanksgiving,