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Sunday After the Ascension

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Today is the Sunday after Ascension, and the 4th day within the ancient octave of the Ascension. We include a commentary on today’s propers for Sunday’s Mass: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2021/05/the-contextual-orations-of-sunday-after.html

Latin Masses This Week

  • Wednesday May 24 – 6pm, St. Ann (Feria after Ascension)
  • Thursday May 25 – 7pm, St. Thomas Aquinas (St. Gregory VII, Pope & Confessor)
  • Friday May 26 – 7am, St. Ann (St. Philip Neri, Confessor)
  • Saturday May 27 – 8am, St. Ann Respect Life Latin Mass (Vigil of Pentecost) (followed prayers at the abortion facility or a Holy Hour in the church)

Vigil of Pentecost: This Saturday May 27 will be a rare treat for Latin Mass attendees in Charlotte – the 8am St. Ann Latin Mass offered will be the Vigil of Pentecost, which will help prepare the faithful for the grand solemnity of Pentecost the next day. Prior to 1955, the Vigil of Pentecost was one of the richest liturgies of the year, serving as a “bookend” to the Easter Vigil, with folded chasubles, the reading of six Old Testament prophecies (compared to 12 prophecies in the ancient Easter Vigil), blessing of the Holy Water font, and baptisms (if there were catechumens). The 1962 Mass, which will be offered this Saturday, is much more simplified and abbreviated than the Pre-55 Vigil, but nonetheless will be a great gift for those able to attend.  

Wednesday May 24 – World Day of Prayer for Church in China: The universal Church sets May 24 as a day of prayer for the Church in China. Please consider offering a Rosary for the Chinese Catholics or pray this prayer by Pope Benedict XVI. To support the underground Church, please visit the Cardinal Kung Foundation: http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/

Cancellation: No First Saturday Latin Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas for Saturday June 3: Due to the transitional diaconate ordinations occurring on Saturday June 3 at St. Mark parish, Fr. Codd is unable to offer the 1st Saturday Latin Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas that morning. He and the other Latin Mass priests will be attending the ordination. Please pray for the men being ordained to both the diaconate and priesthood next month.

Feast of Corpus Christi – Thursday June 8: For the traditional feast day of Corpus Christi (Thursday after Trinity Sunday), St. Ann parish will be offering its annual Corpus Christi Latin Mass at 7pm, which will begin the parish’s annual 40 Hours of Adoration devotion.  St. Thomas Aquinas will also be offering its regular 7pm Latin Mass that evening as well.

Holy Face Devotions

  • St. James, Concord (*NEW*) – Mondays 10-10:30am in the cry room in the church
  • St Mark – **Monday May 22, 2pm** (Special time for this date only); Monday May 29, 5pm (resumes regular time)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesdays 6am in the main church
  • St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am now in the main church after the Novus Ordo Mass (uses the booklet/chaplet which takes 15-20 minutes)
  • St Michael the Archangel, Gastonia – Tuesdays, 9am, Main Church
  • Holy Spirit, Denver – Tuesdays 10-11am after the Novus Ordo Mass
  • Don’t see your parish? Why not organize one?

2023 Women’s Traditional Silent Retreat (July 21-23)

The Legion of Mary in Raleigh is sponsoring a traditional silent women’s retreat at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory, northwest of Charlotte from July 21-23. The retreat will feature Fr. Sean Kopczynski of the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, a Latin Mass order of priests in Kentucky. Masses will be offered each day. Cost is around $280 and the flyer is attached. To register or for more details please below flyer.

2023 Silent RetreatDownload

Traditional Days of Fasting During Ascensiontide & Pentecost

As many of our readers know, in the Traditional Latin Mass of 1962, there are several additional days of fasting and penance throughout the year (now just optional). Typically the day before a major feast day (Assumption, Pentecost, and Nativity) was a vigil day and a day of penance or fasting and partial abstinence, with meat only permitted once per day.

Additionally, as our readers may recall, the Ember Days, the 3 penitential days at the beginning of each season that offer thanksgiving and prayers for holiness, were the other periods of penance outside of Lent or Advent.  For the remainder of this month and into June, we have several of these optional days occurring. Though the below fasting/partial abstinence days are now voluntary, with all the problems occurring in the world (and in the Church), it may be worth participating in the traditional fasts if one is able to and has not done so before.

  • Vigil of Pentecost – Saturday May 27 (partial abstinence)
  • Whit Ember Wednesday – Wednesday May 31 (fasting, partial abstinence)
  • Whit Ember Friday – Friday June 2 (fasting and since its Friday, complete abstinence from meat)
  • Whit Ember Saturday – Saturday June 3 (fasting, partial abstinence)

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

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • What Does It Take to Build a Monastery?: In a brief video, the Carmelites Nuns of Fairfield, PA (who follow the traditional Carmelite Rite) have posted a quick video explaining what is necessary for the building of their monastery according to the ancient principles of St. Theresa of Avila: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SumgTjVzrcM To learn more about the Fairfield Carmelites or to support their building project visit: https://www.fairfieldcarmelites.org/
  • Pictures of a Pontifical Mass in Lancaster, Pennsylvania: The recently retired Bishop of Harrisburg, PA, H.E. Ronald Gainer, (whose diocese includes the above Fairfield Carmelite sisters), offered a Pontifical Latin Mass in Lancaster, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Latin Mass community at one of the parishes in the diocese. We share the beautiful photos here: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2023/05/pictures-of-pontifical-mass-in.html#.ZGlPBaXMKHs
  • Prayer: The Great Means of Perfection and Salvation – by St. Alphonsus Liguori: Last week, we shared the great doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Liguori’s book The Glories of Mary. This week, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP)’s bookstore, Fraternity Publications, providentially recommends another book by St. Alphonsus Liguori, his classic book, Prayer: The Great Means of Perfection and Salvation. The description notes that the book is “one of the most powerful and accessible primers on the art of prayer ever written”. To learn more about this book visit: https://fraternitypublications.com/product/prayer/

Saturday After the Ascension – Our Lady Queen of the Apostles

As May is the month of Mary, we share another excellent installment of Fr. William Rock’s (FSSP) study of Old Testament readings/prayers in the Traditional Latin Mass. Specifically, Fr. Rock noted that on the Saturday after the Ascension (yesterday), there is a special local feast of Our Lady, under the title of Queen of the Apostles, with an accompanying votive Mass that can be offered in her honor and includes Old Testament readings about holy women from the books of Judges (Debbora) and Judith who both represent a type of Our Lady. Fr. Rock also notes the timely placement of this feast to the period between Ascension and Pentecost, when Our Lady and the Apostles were, at that time period, praying together in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14). We share a few excerpts here:

After the military victory, Debbora sang an inspired song.  The Church draws from this song for the aforementioned Offertory Chant for the Mass of “Our Lady, Queen of Apostles:” “It is I, it is I who [quae] will sing to the Lord the God of Israel.  The valiant men ceased and rested in Israel until a mother arose in Israel.  The Lord chose new wars, and He Himself overthrew the gates of the enemies.”2  In the Latin, it is clear that it is a woman who is singing this song.  In the historical context, it is Debbora who is singing.  She sings of the warriors of Israel who did not engage with their enemies, who “ceased and rested,” until “a mother arose in Israel,” that is Debbora herself who rallied the troops and went with them into battle.  They were victorious over their oppressors because it was the Lord Who called them to battle and Who was with them.

Figuratively, it is the Blessed Virgin Mary who sings these lines; she is the Mother who arose in Israel.  For Debbora is a type, a prefiguring, or a foreshadowing of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Debbora was a mother in the Old Israel, and Mary is the Mother of the New Israel.  Mary and Debbora are both prophetesses – “for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luk 1:48).  Debbora judged, that is, ruled over the Old Israel.  The Blessed Virgin is the Queen Mother of the New Israel.  Debbora lent her support in a military campaign, the Blessed Virgin supports her subjects, her children, in their battles against their enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The valiant men can be seen as representing the Apostles, who “rested” in prayer with Our Lady, their common Mother, during these nine days of the Novena between the Ascension and Pentecost and then rose up and entered into the battle of founding and propagating the Church under the maternal gaze of Our Lady.  For the Apostles were strengthened by the coming of the Holy Ghost so that they might “faithfully serve God’s Majesty and propagate by word and example the glory of His Name,” as the Church requests on behalf of her children in the Collect (opening prayer) of the Mass of “Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles.”  For God Himself “overthrew the gates of the enemies” by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of His Son.

The other woman mentioned, Jahel, who killed the enemy general by a blow to the head, can also be seen as a type of Mary.  When enemies receive death at the hand of a woman in the Old Testament, the death comes from a blow to the head, for all of these valiant women, including Jahel, are types, foreshadowings of the Woman predicted in Genesis who will crush the head of the ancient serpent (Gen 3:15) – the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles: https://fssp.com/our-lady-queen-of-apostles/

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!