Laudetur Iesus Christus!Sunday is the sixth Sunday after Pentecost and we share commentary on the orations (prayers) for Sunday’s Latin Mass: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2021/07/the-palpably-agricultural-and-mildly.html

Latin Masses This Week

• Wednesday July 12, 6pm – St. Ann (feast of St. John Gualbert, Abbot)
• Thursday July 13, 7pm – St. Thomas Aquinas (Feria, e.g. no feast day), Fatima Procession after Mass
• Friday July 14, 7am – St. Ann (feast of St. Bonaventure)

Next Sunday July 16 – Scapular Enrollments for the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel: Father will be enrolling people in the scapular at 12:10pm (prior to the Latin Mass) at St. Ann parish on Sunday July 16, the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. If one does not wear the scapular or practice the devotions, we highly encourage one to be enrolled – one’s salvation may depend on it. Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock in England, in 1251 A.D., and made this promise: “Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” https://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-powerful-brown-scapular-and-its-perennial-promises

Holy Face Devotions

• St. James, Concord– Mondays 10-10:30am in the cry room in the church
• St Mark – Mondays 5pm in the church (NOTE: For Monday July 17 only, the time will be 3:30pm)
• St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesdays 6am in the church
• St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am 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, in the 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 see the flyer below.

Latin Mass & Traditional News

• The Votive Mass of St. Thomas More: Today July 9, the Traditional Rite commemorates the martyrdom of Ss. Thomas More and Fisher, and Dr. Mike Foley has an informative write up (from last year) on the special votive Mass (suppressed this year due to it falling on a Sunday): https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2022/07/the-votive-mass-of-st-thomas-more.html#.YtOU84TMKHs

• The Book Latin Massgoers Have Been Waiting For: TAN Books has released a new children’s illustrated book on the Traditional Latin Mass entitled, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus: An Introductory Latin Missal for Children. To learn more see this article in the National Catholic Register: https://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-book-latin-massgoers-have-been-waiting-for The book can be purchased here: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/sanctus-sanctus-sanctus-an-introductory-latin-missal-for-children

• The Life of Sr. Mary Wilhelmina: Speaking of TAN Books, the local publisher just announced the publication of a book on the life Sister Mary Wilhelmina, the late foundress of the traditional Benedictine Abbey, Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Gower Missouri whose exhumed remains generated much attention earlier this spring. Setting that aside for the moment, TAN is accepting pre-orders on the book which comes out in September: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/sister-mary-wilhelmina/

• “Catholic” with a Capital C: the interesting history of the word “Catholic” to describe the Church: Fr. John Rickert, FSSP, has penned a brief history of the usage of the word “Catholic” and when it was first used to describe the followers of Christ: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2023/07/catholic-with-capital-c-interesting.html

• Soak up the wisdom of our diocese’s priests – with one click: Fr. Reid has released a podcast series in conjunction with TAN Books on the spirituality of St. Theresa of Avila and her classic book, The Interior Castle, which forms one of the pillars of the traditional spirituality of the Catholic faith. To learn more please see this article from the Catholic News Herald: https://catholicnewsherald.com/90-news/local/9405-soak-up-the-wisdom-of-our-diocese-s-priests-with-one-click

• A Treasury of Liturgical Art at St. Mary’s in Wausau, Wisconsin: The Liturgical Arts Journal just published a piece on the beautiful traditional architecture and sacred art of the famous St. Mary’s Oratory in Wausau, Wisconsin, which is staffed by the priests of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a congregation of priests that offer the Latin Mass exclusively. https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2023/07/a-treasury-of-liturgical-art-at-st.html

Feasts of July 8^th and 9^th

This weekend the Church, in the traditional rite, celebrated three great saints. On Saturday July 8, it was St. Elizabeth of Portugal, the great 13^th century queen who was of Spanish royal blood, and a grandniece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Today July 9, the Church commemorates (as a votive Mass, when not on a Sunday) the martyrdom of Ss. John Fisher and Thomas More. Both of these feasts do not occur on the actual dates of death as these historically fell during the ancient octave of Ss. Peter and Paul (June 29 – July 6), and were thus placed on the calendar immediately following. We share a few excerpts (from various sources) about these saints.

St. Elizabeth (Isabel) of Portugal

As she grew up, her father, admiring the natural abilities of his daughter, was wont to assert that Elizabeth would far outstrip in virtue all the women descended of the royal blood of Aragon; and so great was his veneration for her heavenly manner of life, her contempt of worldly ornaments, her abhorrence of pleasure, her assiduity in fasting, prayer, and works of charity, that he attributed to her merits alone the prosperity of his kingdom and estate. On account of her widespread reputation, her hand was sought by many princes; at length she was, with all the ceremonies of Holy Church, united in matrimony with Dionysius, king of Portugal.

In the married state she gave herself up to the exercise of virtue and the education of her children, striving, indeed, to please her husband, but still more to please God. For nearly half the year she lived on bread and water alone; and on one occasion when in an illness she had refused to take the wine prescribed by the physician, her water was miraculously changed into wine. She instantaneously cured a poor woman of a loathsome ulcer by kissing it. In the depth of winter she changed the money she was going to distribute to the poor into roses, in order to conceal it from the king. She gave sight to a virgin born blind, healed many other persons of grievous distempers by the mere sign of the Cross, and performed a great number of other miracles of a like nature. She built and amply endowed monasteries, hospitals, and churches. She was admirable for her zeal in composing the differences of kings, and unwearied in her efforts to alleviate the public and private miseries of mankind.

St. Elizabeth Queen of Portugal: https://fsspatl.com/liturgical-year/521-sanctoral-cycle/july/3201-july-8-st-elizabeth-queen-of-portugal

Ss. John Fisher and Thomas More

The following is a “loose” translation of Pope Pius XI’s sermon on the canonization of Ss. John Fisher and Thomas More in May 1935 (if we had time we would have invited the Latinists within our Community for an exact translation as it is an excellent sermon):

Peter’s boat, fiercely tossed by the waves, in which the Church is represented, cannot be shaken by any fear, nor broken by any storm; for Christ the Lord Himself, through His Vicar on earth, governs it and brings it safely to port, even if sometimes He seems to be sleeping to disciples of little faith. Indeed, in no age has there perhaps arisen so great a storm against the Catholic Church of Christ, as raged furiously against it in the sixteenth century, at which time England also, until then most faithful to the Apostolic See, which by right is the gift of Mary and Saint Peter ‘s patrimony it was called, disturbed that magnificent unity of Christian doctrine and the government of the Church, which is, of course, visible, the greatest proof of the holy faith. However, not even in that crisis did our Lord Jesus Christ suffer the tearing of his seamless garment, without giving the immaculate Bride the sure hope of a glorious restoration.

And indeed, how many strong men and women for the Catholic faith and the more powerful headship of the Roman Church , for which reason, as St. Irenaeus asserts, it is necessary to assemble the whole church, to be boldly asserted, they did not hesitate to meet death with shed blood; among whom stand out among the most illustrious the two most beloved sons of the English nation, one of whom is a sacred minister, the other an adornment and ornament to lay men, John Fisher (and Thomas More), continually recounting the true ancestral glory of the country, they now pray to God most earnestly for the most auspicious return to the unity of the faith and to the house of the Father. Indeed, to these most blessed Martyrs today, the most gracious God has granted us the supreme honors of Heaven, for whom we act in the supreme apostolic office, and to set forth to the faithful an example of piety, courage, and love especially towards the Apostolic See.

Informal translation (link here)

Latin Text: https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/la/apost_letters/documents/hf_p-xi_apl_19350519_saevis-agitata.html

Ss. John Fisher, Thomas More, and Isabel of Portugal, pray for us!