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Third Sunday After Easter (Apparition of St. Michael)

Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere! Sunday is the Third Sunday after Easter, and as custom we provide Dr. Mike Foley’s commentary on the orations for the Mass: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2021/04/the-joyful-orations-of-third-sunday.html

St. Peter of Verona Palms Available at St. Ann today (12:30pm Mass)

As noted in last Sunday’s update, we have blessed St. Peter of Verona palms available for those who did not receive them in prior years. When buried on one’s property, tradition holds that they protect against natural disasters.  To learn more visit our update from last year: https://charlottelatinmass.org/2021/04/29/feasts-of-ss-peter-of-verona-and-joseph-the-workman/

Relics of St. Bernadette Coming to Linville, NC:

St. Bernadette parish in Linville (2 hours northwest of Charlotte) will be hosting the relics of its patron, St. Bernadette provided by the Sanctuary in Lourdes, France starting tomorrow Monday May 9 – 11.  This will probably be one of the most important relics visiting the diocese in recent years – perhaps exceeding St. Maria Goretti’s relics a few years ago. To attend, one needs to be familiar with the special transportation setup for the relic visit. To learn more visit and about the parking arrangements please visit: https://www.catholicnewsherald.com/88-news/fp/8166-lourdes-to-linville  or visit: www.lourdestolinville.org

Holy Face Devotions

Three parishes in Charlotte now offer the Holy Face devotions – a timely and powerful devotion to combat communism (among which abortion is its “anti-sacrament”). As background, in 1843, Sr. Mary of St. Peter, a Carmelite nun in the monastery in Tours, France, received a series of revelations from Jesus telling her that reparation for certain sins were an imperative, and that it was to be done through devotion to the Holy Face.  The primary purpose of this apostolate is to, by praying certain prayers, make reparation for the sins committed against the first three Commandments of the Lord: The denial of God by atheism (communism), blasphemy, and the profanation of Sundays and Holy Days. Devotion to the Holy Face has been referred to as the devotion for Jesus Crucified.  The schedule is as follows:

  • St. Mark – Mondays 2-3pm (however on Monday May 9, due to a funeral it will be offered from 3-4pm)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas (new!) – Tuesdays 6am in the main church
  • St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am in the chapel after the Novus Ordo Mass

Latin Mass & Traditional News

Why Ecclesia Dei Communities Should Avoid Concelebrating the Chrism Mass: Our friend, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski (whom the CLMC hosted last November) has penned an excellent piece explaining why Ecclesia Dei communities such as the Institute of the Good Shepherd, Fraternity of St. Peter, or Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, whose priests offer the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively in various dioceses, should not stray from liturgical tradition and be forced to join a concelebration for a diocese’s Novus Ordo Chrism Mass during Holy Week: https://onepeterfive.com/why-ecclesia-dei-communities-should-avoid-concelebrating-the-chrism-mass/

Forgotten Customs of May, Month of Mary: With May being the month of Our Lady, readers may find this article from OnePeterFive helpful in learning some of the traditions for this month: https://onepeterfive.com/forgotten-customs-of-may-month-of-mary/

Enter His Courts With Praise: Liturgical Reverence for Christ the King: Dr. Kwasniewski also gave a talk recently in New Jersey outlining the courtliness of the Traditional Latin Mass, and how it honors the kingship of Christ: https://www.newliturgicalmovementorg/2022/05/enter-his-courts-with-praise-liturgical.html#.YnDRPtPMKHs

May 11 – Feast of St. Philip and St. James the Less, Apostles: In the 1962 calendar, this Wednesday May 11 is the feast of Ss. Philip and James, apostles of Our Lord. In more ancient times, the feast was actually commemorated on May 1. We share Dom Prosper Gueranger’s entry for these two inspiring  saints and apostles: “Two of the favored witnesses of our beloved Jesus’ Resurrection come before us on this first day of May. Philip and James are here, bearing testimony to us, that their Master is truly risen from the dead, that they have seen him, that they have touched him, that they have conversed with him, during these forty days. And, that we may have no doubt as to the truth of their testimony, they hold in their hands the instruments of the martyrdom they underwent for asserting that Jesus, after having suffered death, came to life again and rose from the grave. Philip is leaning upon the cross to which he was fastened, as Jesus had been; James is holding the club wherewith he was struck dead.” https://sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/may/may-1-st-philip-and-st-james-the-less-apostles/

The Truth About Communion in the Hand – Part 1 – by John Vennari: Often times traditionalists are blamed for being “against” the Vatican II, typically by someone who marvels at the Novus Ordo Mass, with its most distinguishing (and offensive) feature: Communion in the hand. Yet the late John Vennari, one of the early defenders of the Latin Mass explains,  “Communion in the hand is not mentioned in a single document of the Second Vatican Council, nor was it mentioned during any of the debates during the Council. In all sixteen documents of Vatican II, there is no mention of Communion in the hand. Before the Second Vatican Council, there is no historic record of bishops, priests or laity petitioning anyone for the introduction of Communion in the hand. Quite to the contrary, anyone who was raised in the pre-Vatican II Church will distinctly remember being taught that it was sacrilegious for anyone but the priest to touch the sacred host.” Vennari goes on to explain how Communion in the hand was introduced by disobedience and deceipt:https://oltyn.org/2022/04/29/the-truth-about-communion-in-the-hand-part-1/

CLMC note: Among many things, Communion in the hand is one of the reasons why a dual-form parish whereby the Latin Mass and Novus Ordo are offered in the same parish (as in Charlotte), is simply untenable in the long run. At one Mass, parishioners (perhaps some in ignorance or unaware of this grave problem) receive Communion on the hand, but as Vennari points out, the practice creates two forms of sacrilege, or at least scandal. First the communicants touch the Host with their hands despite traditional Church teaching to the contrary; second, in many cases, the Host often leaves tiny Particles of Jesus that fall from the hand to the floor, and is trampled upon by the next several Communicants. What is worse however is that we Latin Mass attendees who receive Communion on the tongue and abhor such practices may also be forced to possibly trample upon tiny Particles of Our Lord if they were left on the floor from prior Novus Ordo Masses. At a dedicated chapel where the Latin Mass is offered exclusively this simply does not happen as Communion is distributed only on the tongue. Please consider praying for a resolution to the problematic dual-form liturgical framework that exists in many dioceses including Charlotte, or at the very least that Communion in the hand will be ceased immediately (it’s not sin to eliminate it!).

For further education we recommend the following three sources, especially Dr. Kwasniewski’s history on the topic:

Sunday May 8 – Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel

In the ancient Pre-55 missal, today May 8 was the feast of the apparition of St. Michael the Archangel on Mt. Gargano, Italy, where around 490, St. Michael appeared to a bishop in a cave on the mount, and declared the grounds holy (the rocks of the cave are considered “relics” of St. Michael). Another time, on May 8, St. Michael appeared again to the bishop, and eventually the bishop decided to build a church dedicated to the saint, which still exists today (and one can also request relics from this sanctuary): https://www.santuariosanmichele.it/ Incidentally, the other feast of St. Michael, on September 29, was established to mark the dedication of a different, basilica, that of St. Michael in Rome.

A Catholic World Report article provides additional historical background: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/05/07/calling-upon-st-michael-the-archangel-on-mount-gargano/

In closing, as the Church is besieged by diabolical attacks from within, and from without, we share Dom Prosper Gueranger’s inspiring commentary on St. Michael who among his many titles is Guardian Angel of the Church:

Guardian Angel of Holy Church! now is the time for thee to exert all the might of thine arm. Satan is furious in his efforts against the noble Spouse of thy Master; brandish thy bright sword, and give battle to this implacable enemy. The Kingdom of Christ is shaken to its very foundations. Rome is in danger of seeing the Vicar of Christ dethroned within her walls. Is it that the reign of the Man of Sin is about to be proclaimed on the earth? Are we near that Last Day, when this guilty world having been destroyed by fire, thou art to exercise, in the name of the Sovereign Judge, the terrible office of separating the goats from the sheep?—If this earth is still to exist; if the mission of the Church is not yet completed; is it not time for thee, O Michael! to show the Dragon of hell that he may not, with impunity, insult on this earth the God who created it, who redeemed it, and whose name is King of kings, and Lord of lord? The torrent of error and crime is unceasingly dragging the world to the brink of the precipice; save it, O glorious Archangel, by confounding the dark plots which are laid for its destruction!

https://sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/may/may-8-the-apparition-of-st-michael-the-archangel/

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in praelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperat illi Deus; supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen.

St. Michael, Guardian Angel of the Church, pray for us!

What Mass are you attending Sunday?