Laudetur Iesus Christus! Greetings on this fourth day in the Octave of Pentecost and during the Whit Embertide week. 

As our readers may recall, the Ember Days are the 3 penitential days in the 1962 calendar, occurring at the beginning of each season, that offer thanksgiving for God’s gift of creation, and prayers for holiness in the upcoming season.  Incidentally, the traditional Latin Mass calendar actually has many feasts and customs devoted to the land, agriculture and creation which are worth exploring further sometime.

This week are the Whit Ember Days for the summer season which follows Pentecost and occurs on the following dates below.  Though the below fasting/partial abstinence days are now voluntary, with all the sin occurring in the world (and in the Church), it may be worth participating in the traditional fasts if you have not done so before.

• Whit Ember Wednesday – Wednesday June 8 (fasting, partial abstinence), St. Ann, 6pm Low Mass
• Whit Ember Friday – Friday June 10 (fasting and since its Friday, complete abstinence from meat), St. Ann, 7am Low Mass; St. Mark 12:30pm Low Mass
• Whit Ember Saturday – Saturday June 11 (fasting, partial abstinence), no diocesan Latin Masses in Charlotte scheduled

The “Whit Ember” days are named after Whit Sunday (“white”), which was an ancient name for Pentecost Sunday and the robes worn by catechumens that day. To learn more about the Whit Ember days visit: https://www.fisheaters.com/customseastertide8.html

If you do consider fasting & partial abstinence for the Ember Days, please consider offering it up for our priests, bishop, a restoration of the Latin Mass, and that the diocese will be open to the needs of the Latin Mass faithful this weekend at the final diocesan Synod.