Author: CLMC

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4th Sunday of Advent

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Today Sunday December 20th is the 4th Sunday of Advent, and as custom we provide a reflection on the Collect by Dr. Mike Foley:
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/12/the-indulgent-collect-of-fourth-sunday.html

Annual Blessing of Religious Objects/Gifts – Today Sunday December 20

Sunday December 20, St. Ann parish, after 12:30pm Latin Mass: Just a reminder,  as custom, the Sunday before Christmas, Father will kindly bless any religious objects/gifts immediately after 12:30pm Mass. This includes Rosaries, statues, images, scapulars, icons, chaplets, candles, crucifixes, medals, etc. This will be done in the traditional Latin blessing.

We will have a blessing table in the narthex to place your religious items prior to Mass beginning. We again want to emphasize – please have your items on the table before Mass begins. Please avoid placing any items on the table after Father begins his blessing – we can’t guarantee they are blessed.

Christmas Latin Mass Schedule

The great feast of the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord is this Friday. It’s a solemn 1st class feast so normal Friday penances are dispensed and you can have meat (see our note below about Christmas Eve fasting).

Christmas has 3 distinct Masses for the day, and priests are also allowed to offer 3 Masses to commemorate the birth of Our Savior. The first Mass is midnight, which marks Christ coming into the dark world at Bethlehem on December 25, 1 B.C.; Mass at dawn symbolizes the spiritual birth of Christ in our souls and Mass during the day represents eternal love of Christ for coming to us in the Incarnation.   To learn more about the traditional customs surrounding Christmas please visit: https://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas1.html and https://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas2.html

Some parishes are having signup Christmas Masses so check each parish website. We did confirm that no one will be turned away from St. Ann and there will have extra outdoor seating at Midnight Mass.

  • St. Ann, 12 midnight (Solemn High) & 11:00am (Low) Christmas Day (signup Mass – see parish website. There will also be outdoor seating available for those unable to sit inside/prefer not to sign up. All will have opportunity to receive Holy Communion)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas, 12 midnight
  • St. John the Baptist, Tryon, 12 midnight
  • St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country, Boone, NC, 12 midnight
  • Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 11:00am High & 1:00pm Low (signup Mass – see parish website)

For the rest of the Christmastide Latin Mass schedule – including Friday January 1 – please see our webpage which is updated frequently: https://charlottelatinmass.org/mass-times/

Dec. 23/24 – Fasting and Abstinence Note

Traditionally, Christmas Eve (the feast of Ss. Adam & Eve) was a day of fasting and abstinence, however that has been eliminated by the current code of canon law. However, for those who want to maintain this practice as a pious devotion, we share that in 1959, St. John XXIII allowed the Christmas Eve fast/abstinence to be transferred to today December 23. Hence if you’d like to follow this old practice, you are welcome to practice it on December 23 instead of the 24th. To learn more visit: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2011/12/anticipation-of-christmas-fast-to.html

December 21 – Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle

Monday December 21 is the traditional feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, who often gets overlooked due to the crowded liturgical schedule of Ember Week and Christmas. Yet this saint is not the least by any means, as tradition holds that St. Thomas evangelized not only India, but Persia including baptizing the 3 Magi; and also much of the globe – including the western hemisphere.  As custom each December 21, we share with you a great sermon posted by Sensus Fidelium, on St. Thomas the Apostle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1bBepndSGY

Dom Prosper Gueranger also has a reflection for this saint: https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/december/december-21-saint-thomas-apostle/

Epiphany Blessing of Water, Salt and Chalk January 5/6: 

  • Tuesday January 5, 6pm (Blessing only): Fr. Matthew Bean at St. Thomas Aquinas has announced he will be blessing Epiphany Water, salt and chalk on Tuesday January 5 (Vigil of Epiphany) at 6pm. There will not be a Mass that evening.
  • Wednesday January 6, 6pm (Mass & blessing): Reid will offer a 6pm High Mass at St. Ann, followed by the Epiphany Water, salt, and chalk blessing. All are invited to bring their filled water jugs (i.e. fill the water up prior to attending and Father will bless them). There will also be an Epiphany Holy Water font to draw from as well (while quantities last). Please note the blessing takes about 45 minutes.

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • Cardinal Burke’s Our Lady of Guadalupe sermon: His Eminence’s powerful sermon Marxism, the Chinese Communist party, COVID-19 and the Great Reset all that threatens the United States today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWENECMqRGU

As we first posted last Christmastide, the last two articles examines how the Traditional Latin Mass calendar keeps the celebration of Christmas going all the way to February 2nd. Sadly, many of these Christmas celebrations were made optional, suppressed, or deemphasized after Vatican II. The 2nd article provides a comparison of the two calendars to give you a better idea of the changes and how the Traditional Latin Mass maintains these beautiful traditions

If you’re saddened about how the secular world has taken over Christmas, and want to see this beautiful season restored, you can do no better than to attend the Traditional Latin Mass regularly (especially on Sundays) and keep these beautiful feasts and traditions alive. If you’re not attending the Latin Mass regularly, why not make it your New Year’s resolution? The above schedule gives you many opportunities to do so!

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Advent Embertide Update

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Blessed Advent Embertide. As noted in Sunday’s e-mail, this week (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) are the seasonal ember days – when the traditional Church sets aside 3 days each season for prayer, fasting and partial abstinence (the latter two now voluntary) to thank God for his gifts of creation and to use them in moderation. It’s a good time to also pray for sanctity for the upcoming season. Fisheaters has more commentary here: https://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent11.html

Ember Week Masses:

  • Ember Friday: St. Ann 7am (Low) & St. Mark, 12:30pm (Low)
  • Ember Saturday: NEW: St. Michael the Archangel, Gastonia 8:30am (Low)

New weekly Saturday Latin Mass at St. Michael

As noted above, we are pleased to report that a new weekly Saturday morning Latin Mass is starting up at St. Michael the Archangel. Fr. Rossi will offer a weekly 8:30am Low Mass on Saturdays. We understand he started doing it last weekend. This is good news and great to see the Latin Mass returning to St. Michael. Please offer prayers of thanksgiving for Fr. Rossi for generously offering this new Latin Mass time. The website is: https://stmccg.org/

Annual Blessing of Religious Objects – This Sunday December 20

This Sunday December 20, St. Ann parish, after 12:30pm Latin Mass: Just a reminder,  as custom, the Sunday before Christmas, Father will kindly bless any objects immediately after 12:30pm Mass. This includes Rosaries, statues, images, scapulars, icons, chaplets, candles, crucifixes, medals, etc. This will be done in the traditional Latin blessing. We should have the table

We will have a blessing table in the narthex to place your religious items prior to Mass beginning. We again want to emphasize – please have your items on the table before Mass begins. Please do not place any items on the table after Father begins his blessing – we can’t guarantee they are blessed.

Prayers for Our Nation

Lastly, speaking of prayer, please continue to pray the Rosary for our nation and let us continue to heed Father Reid’s advice on the day after Election Day: dig in and continue to pray.

Things remain unsettled and now is the time to continue praying. These are ominous times, but as we Catholics know, the Light of the World comes at the darkest time of the year, and God ultimately reigns over this world.

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Gaudete Sunday

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Saturday was the great feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when Our Lady appeared in Mexico to St. Juan Diego and eventually lead to the Mass conversion of millions of Mexicans, putting an end to the human sacrifices committed by the Aztecs. We thank everyone who attended yesterday’s Rorate Mass at St. Ann.

On Sunday, the Church will celebrate the 3rd Sunday in Advent, otherwise known as Gaudete Sunday, taken from the first words of the Introit. The priest wears Rose colored vestments to indicate hope during this penitential time that Christ in his Incarnation is coming. Dr. Mike Foley has the commentary on Sunday’s Collect: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/12/the-accommodating-collect-of-third.html

Christmas Schedule

Speaking of Christmas, we again post the Christmas Latin Mass schedule as we know it:

  • St. Ann, 12 midnight (Solemn High) & 11:00am (Low) Christmas Day (signup Mass – see parish website. There will also be outdoor seating available for those unable to/prefer not to signup. All will have opportunity to receive Holy Communion)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas, 12 midnight
  • St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country, Boone, NC, 12 midnight
  • St. John the Baptist, Tryon, NC, 12 midnight
  • Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 11:00am High & 1:00pm Low (signup Mass – see parish website)

Other Masses during Christmastide please visit our Mass Times webpage: https://charlottelatinmass.org/mass-times/

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Governor’s executive order does not apply to attending Mass or traveling to Mass. You are free (and always have been) to travel to Mass at any time. As a reminder, we post Fr. Ripperger’s article noting how the Church is superior to the state.

Advent Embertide this week:

This Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are the seasonal ember days – when the traditional Church sets aside 3 days each season for prayer, fasting and partial abstinence (the later now voluntary) to thank God for his gifts of creation and to use them in moderation. It’s a good time to also pray for sanctity for the upcoming season. Fisheaters has more commentary here:
https://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent11.html

Ember Week Masses:

Wednesday: St. Ann, 6pm (Low)

Friday: St. Ann 7am (Low) & St. Mark, 12:30pm (Low)

Saturday: None scheduled diocesan parishes in/near Charlotte, sadly

Annual Blessing of Religious Objects

Sunday December 20, St. Ann parish, after 12:30pm Latin Mass: As custom the Sunday before Christmas, Father will kindly bless any objects immediately after 12:30pm Mass. We will have a table in the narthex to place your religious items prior to Mass beginning.

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • Bishop Schneider & other bishops on the morality of vaccines: We are grateful that is there now a push to teach the Church’s traditional teachings when it comes to associating with abortion connected vaccines. Last week we highlighted Pamela Acker’s new book (see below) on a Catholic perspective on vaccinations, and this week we are pleased to share Bishop Schneider’s letter (co-signed by several bishops) on why the Church should stay away from vaccines that were in anyway connected to abortion (whether derived from OR tested on). This is an excellent article by true shepherds of our Church: https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/fetzen-fliegen/item/5189-bishop-schneider-strickland-on-the-morality-of-vaccines
  • Year of St. Joseph declared for the Church: December 8 marked the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being named universal patron of the Church. As such, Pope Francis has declared the next 12 months the year of St. Joseph (our diocese had an early start) and has made available many plenary indulgences. Rorate Caeli blog lists some of them here:
    https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2020/12/many-plenary-indulgences-available.html
  • Archbishop Vigano’s recent reflections and commentary:
  • With Paris Theaters Closed, Church Is the Only Show in Town: Rorate Caeli blog shared a New York Times article that tells how some Parisians hungering some type of “theater” have opted to attend Mass, and specifically the Traditional Latin Mass. Although its incorrect (profane?) to look at the Mass as theater, it is interesting how some people are being drawn back to the faith is these stormy times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/theater/paris-church-lockdown.html
  • New book on the traditional Catholic view of vaccinations: If there is one book to give this Christmas, it’s this book by Pamela Acker: Vaccination: A Catholic Perspective.  Miss Acker, as some of you may recall, is a biologist who worked on vaccines and spoke at St. Mark parish a year ago at the Evolution & the Culture of Death conference (co-sponsored by the CLMC). Her new book looks into vaccination, its safety record, the science, and the theological perspective.

Drawing upon the latest research in the field, Miss Acker elucidates the many problematic aspects of vaccination as currently practiced and explains how they flow out of a materialistic, mechanistic, evolution-based understanding of the human person which tends to see man as a collection of parts rather than as a divinely-designed body-soul composite.  With powerful examples she shows how the evolution-based approach to the study of disease has had disastrous consequences for scientific and medical research and has supported the maintenance of inadequate criteria for evaluating the efficacy and the dangers of vaccination as currently practiced.

The book went on sale Tuesday December 8: https://www.kolbecenter.org/product/vaccination-a-catholic-perspective/

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Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Tomorrow Tuesday December 8 is the patronal feast of the United States, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Here are the Masses around the region:

Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Tuesday December 8

Tuesday is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast day for the United States since 1846. If the U.S. were a Catholic Country (which we pray it will be someday), December 8 would be essentially our national feast day or holy day (e.g. holiday).  Our national shrine in Washington is named after this title of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and sits at the highest elevation in U.S. capital city. For more on this splendid feast day visit: https://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent5.html

As Fr. Reid noted in Sunday’s bulletin, while Tuesday is not a holy day of obligation (due to the Bishop’s lifting of the Mass obligation), if you are in good health, Father encourages you to attend Mass. We have at least five Latin Masses offered in diocesan parishes tomorrow:

    • St. Ann, 6:00pm, Solemn High Mass
    • St. Jude, Sapphire Valley, 12pm (Presumably Low) (this is Fr. Barone’s parish 3 hours west of Charlotte – call parish to re-confirm)
    • St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country, Boone, 6:00pm (Low or High Mass)
    • St. John the Baptist, Tryon, 6:30pm, (Presumably High Mass)
    • Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 7:00pm, High Mass

Rorate Mass Saturday December 12 (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

  • St. Ann, 6:30am, Solemn High Mass (A Rorate Mass is a beautiful candlelight Latin Mass at dawn to herald the arrival of the Light of the World at Christmas, and to honor Our Lady)

Annual Blessing of Religious objects – Sunday December 20 

  • Annual Blessing of all religious items after the St. Ann Sunday 12:30pm Latin Mass. Please bring your items to the narthex prior to Mass.

Friday January 1 – Feast of the Circumcision  

  • St. Ann, 9am (Tentative time)
  • St. Mark, 12:30pm, (High)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas, (High)

Wednesday January 6 – Feast of the Epiphany 

  • St. Ann parish – 6pm High Mass followed by blessing of water, chalk, and salt. Please bring your filled water bottles or containers, salt, and chalk. The blessing usually takes 45 minutes.

Reflections on the Immaculate Conception & America: Lastly, with tomorrow being our nation’s patronal feast day, we include an article by the FSSP about Fr. Jacques Marquette, the great 17th century Jesuit missionary of the upper Midwest: https://fssp.com/a-corona-worth-spreading/

Fr. Marquette had a devotion to the Immaculate Conception and even composed a prayer which we paste below. You may wish to pray this tomorrow, and pray for the conversion of our entire nation to the Catholic Church. As Pope Leo XIII wrote about our nation in 1895, the current state of the Catholic Church in America is not ideal:

… [I]t would be very erroneous to draw the conclusion that in America is to be sought the type of the most desirable status of the Church, or that it would be universally lawful or expedient for State and Church to be, as in America, dissevered and divorced. The fact that Catholicity with you is in good condition, nay, is even enjoying a prosperous growth, is by all means to be attributed to the fecundity with which God has endowed His Church, in virtue of which unless men or circumstances interfere, she spontaneously expands and propagates herself; but she would bring forth more abundant fruits if, in addition to liberty, she enjoyed the favor of the laws and the patronage of the public authority. – Pope Leo XIII, Longinqua, January 6, 1895

Prayer to the Immaculate Conception (composed by Fr. Marquette):

Pray 1 Our Father and 1 Hail Mary 

Pray 4 times these words: Hail Daughter of God the Father, Hail Mother of God the Son, Hail Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Hail Temple of the entire Trinity. Through thy holy virginity and Immaculate Conception, o Virgin most pure, cleanse my heart and my flesh. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost  

Concluding with the Glory Be (pray in full three times).

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2nd Sunday of Advent

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent (and the feast of St. Nicholas), and as custom Dr. Mike Foley has a reflection for this Sunday’s Collect: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/12/the-heartfelt-collect-for-second-sunday.html

Additionally, Dom Prosper Gueranger has a reflection on St. Nicholas, the bishop and confessor: https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/december/december-6-st-nicholas-bishop-of-myra-and-confessor/

Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Tuesday December 8

Tuesday is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast day for the United States since 1846. If the U.S. were a Catholic Country (which we pray it will be someday), December 8 would essentially be our national feast day or holy day (e.g. holiday).  Our national shrine in Washington is named after this title of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and sits at the highest elevation in U.S. capital. For more on this splendid feast day visit: https://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent5.html

Unfortunately (and tragically), Bishop Jugis has not reinstated the obligation to attend Sunday Mass (or holy days), so this sadly is not a “Holy Day of Obligation”. However, like on Sundays, are still called to keep the day holy, and one can do no better than by attending a Traditional Latin Mass that evening:

Tuesday December 8 (Immaculate Conception)

    • St. Ann, 6:00pm, Solemn High Mass
    • St. Jude, Sapphire Valley, 12pm (Presumably Low) (this is Fr. Barone’s parish 3 hours west of Charlotte – call parish to re-confirm)
    • St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country, Boone, 6:00pm (Low or High Mass)
    • St. John the Baptist, Tryon, 6:30pm, (Presumably High Mass)
    • Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 7:00pm, High Mass

Rorate Mass Saturday December 12 (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

  • St. Ann, 6:30am, Solemn High Mass

Christmastide Schedule

Please see the current Christmastide Schedule for the region.  We will update any new Masses as they are announced.

  • Friday December 25 (Christmas):
    • St. Ann, 12 midnight (High) & 11:00am Christmas Day (Low)
    • St. Thomas Aquinas, 12 midnight (High)
    • Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 11:00am (High) & 1:00pm (Low)
  • Friday January 1 (Feast of the Circumcision):
    • Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 12 midnight (High)
    • St. Ann, Time TBD (9am tentatively)
    • St. Mark, 12:30pm (High Mass)
    • St. Thomas Aquinas, 7:00pm (High Mass)
  • Wednesday January 6 (Epiphany):
    • St. Ann, 6pm

Website Reminder: Just a reminder that we post our prior e-mail announcements on the CLMC website in case you need to review a prior e-nail announcement. We also typically list special Advent/Christmas/Holy Week schedules and Masses on our “Mass Times” page. Our website is www.charlottelatinmass.org

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • New book on the traditional Catholic view of vaccinations: If there is one book to give this Christmas, it’s this book by Pamela Acker: Vaccination: A Catholic Perspective.  Miss Acker, as some of you may recall, is a biologist who worked on vaccines and spoke at St. Mark parish a year ago at the Evolution & the Culture of Death conference (co-sponsored by the CLMC). Her new book looks into vaccination, its safety record, the science, and the theological perspective.

    Drawing upon the latest research in the field, Miss Acker elucidates the many problematic aspects of vaccination as currently practiced and explains how they flow out of a materialistic, mechanistic, evolution-based understanding of the human person which tends to see man as a collection of parts rather than as a divinely-designed body-soul composite.  With powerful examples she shows how the evolution-based approach to the study of disease has had disastrous consequences for scientific and medical research and has supported the maintenance of inadequate criteria for evaluating the efficacy and the dangers of vaccination as currently practiced.

    The book goes on sale this Tuesday December 8: https://www.kolbecenter.org/product/vaccination-a-catholic-perspective/

  • Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux Abbey in France Demonstrates Their Olive Oil Production Process: A reader shared with us a great video on Le Barroux Abbey, a traditional Benedictine abbey in France which also makes olive oil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6bddk8I5vI (as a reminder, let us consider praying for cloistered religious to come to Western NC, as our diocese is spiritually vulnerable without cloistered nuns and monks praying and sacrificing daily for our priests and society).
  • ‘Sold out to Satan’: Viganò unloads on coronavirus ‘pseudo-health regime’: Archbishop Viganò pens another edifying letter identifying the sanitary revolutionaries pushing to re-shape society.

This Great Reset, desired by the globalist elite, represents the final revolution with which to create a shapeless and anonymous mass of slaves connected to the internet, confined to the house, threatened by an endless series of pandemics designed by those who already have the miraculous vaccine ready. 

Faced with such a massive and coordinated deployment of forces we remain astonished, bewildered by the impudence of those who are telling us, in essence, that we must silently accept the dictatorship of a faceless power group, because that is how the group has decided.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/sold-out-to-satan-vigano-unloads-on-coronavirus-pseudo-health-regime

Advent Reflections by Dom Prosper Gueranger, OSB

Lastly, we close with a few Advent reflections by the great Benedictine liturgist, Dom Prosper Gueranger from this week to better place ourselves in the context of Advent and preparing for Christ’s coming at Christmas. We especially draw your attention to the December 3rd reflection which eerily parallels our times:

  • December 1: Four thousand years of expectation preceded that coming, and they are expressed by the four weeks of Advent, which we must spend before we come to the glorious festivity of our Lord’s Nativity. Let us reflect upon the holy impatience of the saints of the old Testament, and how they handed down, from age to age, the grand hope, which was to be but hope to them, since they were not to see it realized.
  • December 2 (Feast of St. Bibiana): We will to-day consider the state of nature at this season of the year. The earth is stripped of her wonted verdure, the flowers are gone, the fruits are fallen, the leaves are torn from the trees and scattered by the wind, and every living thing stiffens with the cold. It seems as though the hand of death had touched creation. We see the sun rise after the long night of his absence; and scarcely have we felt his warmth at noon, than he sets again, and leaves us in the chilly darkness. Each day he shortens his visit. Is the world to become sunless, and are men to live out the rest of life in gloom? The old pagans, who witnessed this struggle between light and darkness, and feared the sun was going to leave them, dedicated the twenty-fifth day of December, the winter solstice, to the worship of the sun. After this day their hopes revived on seeing the glorious luminary again mounting up in the sky, and gradually regaining his triumphant position.

We Christians can have no such feelings as these; our light is the true faith, which tells us that there is a Sun to be sought for which never sets, and is never eclipsed. Having Him, we care little for the absence of any other brightness; nay, all other light, without Him, can only lead us astray.

  • December 3 (Feast of St. Francis Xavier): Let us consider the wretched condition of the human race, at the time of Christ’s coming into the world. The diminution of truths[3] is emphatically expressed by the little light which the earth enjoys at this season of the year. The ancient traditions are gradually becoming extinct; the Creator is not acknowledged, even in the very work of His hands; everything has been made God, except the God who made all things. This frightful pantheism produces the vilest immorality, both in society at large, and in individuals. There are no rights acknowledged, save that of might. Lust, avarice, and theft, are honoured by men in the gods of their altars. There is no such thing as family, for divorce and infanticide are legalized; mankind is degraded by a general system of slavery; nations are being exterminated by endless wars. The human race is in the last extreme of misery; and unless the hand that created it reform it, it must needs sink a prey to crime and bloodshed.

There are indeed some few just men still left upon the earth, and they struggle against the torrent of universal degradation; but they cannot save the world; the world despises them, and God will not accept their merits as a palliation of the hideous leprosy which covers the earth. All flesh has corrupted its way, and is more guilty than even in the days of the deluge: and yet, a second destruction of the universe would but manifest anew the justice of God; it is time that a deluge of His divine mercy should flood the universe, and that He who made man, should come down and heal him. Come then, O eternal Son of God! give life again to this dead body; heal all its wounds; purify it; let grace superabound, where sin before abounded; and having converted the world to Thy holy law, Thou wilt have proved to all ages that Thou, who camest, wast in very truth the Word of the Father; for as none but a God could create the world, so none but the same omnipotent God could save it from satan and sin, and restore it to justice and holiness.

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1st Sunday of Advent

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Sunday begins the new liturgical year and the season of Advent – the penitential season to prepare for Christ’s Incarnation at Christmas.  Dr. Mike Foley notes the providential timing of the Collect for the 1st Sunday of Advent with the Church in crisis: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/11/the-tempestuous-collect-for-first.html

Sunday Latin Masses in Charlotte

  • St. Thomas Aquinas: 11:30am High Mass
  • St. Ann: 12:30pm High Mass

Advent & Christmas Schedule

We will be posting the special Latin Masses during Advent on our webpage here: https://charlottelatinmass.org/mass-times/

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • Feast of St. Cecilia: Last Sunday 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, elections, 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: Monday November 23, was the feast of St. Clement, the 4th Dom Gueranger has a fascinating story that confirms Papal Primacy. A controversy broke out in the Church of Corinth during Clement’s reign, and while St. John was still alive and nearby in Ephesus, the Corinth Church wrote to Pope Clement in Rome for his assistance:
    • 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: Wednesday Nov. 25 was the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria who was taken off the calendar in 1969 when the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced but then 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 many great saints who were unjustly removed in 1969 including St. Christopher, St. Philomena – the Novus Ordo’s loss is our gain!)

COVID & Catholic Perspective on Vaccines

  • New Book on the Traditional Catholic View of Vaccinations: If there is one book to give this Christmas, it’s this book by Pamela Acker: Vaccination: A Catholic Perspective. Miss Acker, as some of you may recall, is a biologist who worked on vaccines and spoke at St. Mark parish a year ago at the Evolution & the Culture of Death conference (co-sponsored by the CLMC). Her new book looks into vaccination, its safety record, the science, and the theological perspective.
    • Drawing upon the latest research in the field, Miss Acker elucidates the many problematic aspects of vaccination as currently practiced and explains how they flow out of a materialistic, mechanistic, evolution-based understanding of the human person which tends to see man as a collection of parts rather than as a divinely-designed body-soul composite. With powerful examples she shows how the evolution-based approach to the study of disease has had disastrous consequences for scientific and medical research and has supported the maintenance of inadequate criteria for evaluating the efficacy and the dangers of vaccination as currently practiced.
    • The book goes on sale December 8: https://www.kolbecenter.org/product/vaccination-a-catholic-perspective/
  • Bishop Schneider on the COVID situation: This is an older article from October but very timely. Our friend, His Excellency, noted that Catholics should not blindly follow the COVID protocols as the sanitary dictatorship is using COVID as a means for a “One World Government”. He encourages Catholics to resist the absurdities of these protocols that place the temporal needs above the supernatural. He also warns against COVID-19 vaccines derived from aborted fetal tissue. Perhaps helpful as we hear of more COVID edicts in our own state, and around the world: https://www.cfnews.org.uk/bishop-christians-must-refuse-covid-vaccine-derived-from-aborted-babies-even-if-it-means-martyrdom/

Lastly, if you’re wanting to begin to research more about aborted derived vaccines (and those which aren’t), we refer you to Children of God for Life, which has a listing of both COVID and other vaccines which contain aborted fetal tissue (see “Vaccine” tab): https://cogforlife.org/

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Thanksgiving Week Update

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Wednesday November 25 6pm Low Mass at St. Ann was just canceled late Wednesday afternoon.

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Blessed Feast of St. John of the Cross, the great Spanish Carmelite mystic, doctor of the Church, and contemporary of St. Theresa of Avila, and author of the dark night of the soul. Years ago Fr. Reid (a Third Order Carmelite himself), gave a great homily (which we can’t find online) on these two Carmelite saints and how their lives intertwined, and the suffering they both endured. Instead, we share with you Dom Prosper Gueranger’s reflection today:
https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/november/november-24-st-john-of-the-cross-confessor/

Thanksgiving Week Mass Schedule

  • Wednesday Nov. 25, St. Ann: 6pm Low Mass (Now canceled)
  • Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, St. Thomas Aquinas: 7pm Mass canceled due to Thanksgiving
  • Friday, Nov. 27, St. Ann: 7am Mass canceled
  • Friday, Nov. 27, St. Mark: 12:30pm scheduled as normal
  • Saturday, Nov. 28, St. Ann: 4th Saturday Respect Life Mass canceled

Veterum Sapientia Institute Kick-off

Thank you to everyone who attended the Veterum Sapientia Institute kick-off on Sunday.  We hope to have more to share about this initiative in the weeks and months ahead. If you’ve missed the kick-off event, please see the video recorded by Sensus Fidelium: https://youtu.be/W3LpammSy1c

Rorate Masses

This Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent, and as such we have a special Masses and events to share this season. Notably, the Rorate Masses – a candlelight Latin Mass at dawn to herald the arrival of the Light of the World and honor the Blessed Mother (Very beautiful Mass if you never have attended)

  • Saturday December 5: St. Thomas Aquinas, 6:00am
  • Saturday December 5: Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro, 6:00am
  • Saturday December 12 (also the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe): St. Ann, 6:30am

Feast of the Immaculate Conception 

  • Tuesday December 8: St. Ann, 6:00pm, Solemn High Mass

Feast of the Nativity (Christmas)

  • Friday December 25: St. Ann, 12 midnight

Annual Blessing of Religious Objects & Gifts

Sunday December 20, after 12:30pm Mass at St. Ann: Each Sunday before Christmas, the CLMC sponsors an annual blessing of religious objects and gifts. Fr. Reid has again generously agreed to bless religious objects according to the traditional blessing (Rituale Romanum) after the 12:30pm Mass. Please plan to bring religious objects such as sacramentals, statues, medals, Rosaries, chaplets prior to Mass (we will have a table in the narthex) and Father will bless them immediately afterwards.

The Mythical Thanksgiving Indult

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving Day holiday, we again share with you a magnificent piece by former St. Ann choir member, Sharon Kabel, who examined the mysterious legend of the Friday-After-Thanksgiving Indult, supposedly granted by Pope Pius XII to allow American Catholics to eat meat on the day after Thanksgiving. It should be stated this is a moot point now since the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the US Bishops Conference has sadly allowed a “substitution” for Friday abstinence. Anyhow, for traditionalists, this is an occasionally debated each Thanksgiving and Sharon does good research to find out the truth: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/11/on-mythical-pius-xii-thanksgiving.html

Support Traditional Carmelites

Lastly, since today is a great Carmelite feast day of St. John of the Cross, if you are looking to support a Carmelite religious order that offers the Latin Mass, you can look no further than the Carmelite Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Fairfield, PA. These Hermits subsist solely on almsgiving and many of you may remember them when they visited us in Charlotte a few years ago. They are a traditional order and offer the Traditional Carmelite Mass exclusively (similar to our Traditional Mass, but with a few variations. To learn more about them and support them, please visit:
https://www.eremitaednmc.org/donate/

We also wanted to share with you some excellent traditional & Catholic aspects surrounding the American Thanksgiving holiday, which was actually Catholic in origin. We share them below.

Thanksgiving Book

First, a member of our community (and the St. Ann Respect Life Coordinator), Mary Richardson, just wrote a wonderful children’s booklet on the Catholic origins of the first Catholic Thanksgiving on American soil which occurred years earlier than the Protestant Thanksgiving in Plymouth. It also contains some suggested traditions to sanctify the day and includes prayers from the votive Mass of Thanksgiving (not connected to the American holiday but certainly appropriate). It’s great book to read to children tomorrow and can be printed out on legal size paper. (We link a PDF copy to this post here)

Thanksgiving Day Mass: Thanks or No Thanks?

Speaking of Catholic traditions for Thanksgiving Day (above), Dr. Mike Foley explores the question further by providing an excellent liturgical history of the Catholic effort “baptize” the secular Thanksgiving holiday and where the Church has fallen short. Dr. Foley draws heavily upon Fr. Thomas Kocik’s article from 2009 (second article). Also of note is how the feast of St. Martin (Martinmas) on November 11 may have influenced the use of turkey.

Thanksgiving History: Catholic Origins

While the American Thanksgiving holiday is protestant in origin, the first true Thanksgiving was actually Catholic in origin, and held 50 years earlier in newly discovered San Augustine, Florida in 1565 by Spanish explorers. Their priest offered Mass (TLM of course) – the first on American soil, and then held a feast. Here are a few articles that explain the origins:

On behalf of the CLMC, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

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Last Sunday After Pentecost

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Yesterday was the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Mother to the Temple and we provide more history on this minor Marian feast day below. Today is the Last Sunday After Pentecost. Below are this weekend’s updates:

SPECIAL EVENT – TODAY Sunday 2pm: Veterum Sapientia Institute Kickoff with Fr. Barone

Today Sunday November 22nd,  Fr. Jason Barone, returns to St. Ann parish to unveil the new Veterum Sapientia Institute.  As you may recall Fr. Barone is a Latinist and gave an excellent talk to the CLMC in 2017 on the language of Latin. Now come join us to learn about this new institute he is forming with Dr. Eric Hewett, and Dr. Nancy Llewellyn. This will be great interest not just for clergy but for laity. Please join us for Latin Mass at 12:30pm and the kick-off at 2pm:

Sunday November 22 – 2pm (after 12:30pm Latin Mass)

St. Ann Parish Center (3635 Park Road, Charlotte)

Veterum Sapientia Institute – Kickoff event with Fr. Jason Barone

Presentation on Pope John Paul XXIII’s encyclical Veterum Sapientia (on the Promotion of the Study of Latin)

Refreshments and snacks will be served

Learn more: www.veterumsapientia.org (event will be live streamed on the website)

Last Sunday After Pentecost – Sunday November 22

The Last (or 24th) Sunday after Pentecost is when the Church focuses on the end of the world, as the liturgical year is also symbolic of the history of the Church. As custom, Dr. Mike Foley has a reflection for this Sunday and notes how this Sunday prepares us for Advent season, which in its own way, prepares us for Christ’s 2nd coming. We should also note, today’s feast day of the Presentation of the Blessed Mother also prepares us for Advent, as it marks the one of the beginnings of the Incarnation history (see our Presentation section below): Dr. Foley’s reflection:
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/11/the-stirring-collect-for-last-sunday.html

  • St. Thomas Aquinas: 11:30am High Mass
  • St. Ann: 12:30pm High Mass

Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – November 21

The Presentation of the Blessed Mother, often an overlooked Marian feast day was, as Dom Prosper Gueranger noted, instituted later in the Latin Church’s history (locally the 14th century and universally in the 16th century). With Mary’s “sojourn” beginning in the Old Testament times, this feast helps us in a sense helps us to prepare for end of the Old Covenant, and prepares us, via Advent, for the Incarnation, which was at that point only years away. Dom Gueranger’s reflection: https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/november/november-21-the-presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/

  • Lastly, tradition holds that St. Joachim and Anne (the Blessed Mother’s parents), lived near the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. Today there is a beautiful church of St. Anne (operated by the French) near the remnants of the pool where according to tradition in the crypt, either St. Anne was born or the Blessed Mother. We attach a few photos of the Church and pool.

Other Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • Powerful Intercessors for November – The Poor Souls in Purgatory: This month, one powerful intercessor we heartily encourage all to pray to are the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This is especially noteworthy because not only is November dedicated to the Poor Souls, but due to COVID-19, the Vatican extended, through November 30, the “novena” where one can obtain a plenary indulgence for a soul in purgatory. We encourage everyone to take full advantage of this special grace (which does not come often in the Church’s 2000 year history). To obtain the indulgence each day is simple: Any day this month receive Holy Communion, visit a cemetery, offer prayers for the dead, and for the Holy Father (with confession before or after 20 days). Doing so can spring a soul out of purgatory each day. Something to consider for the 9 days left in November.
  • Viva Cristo Rey – Blessed Miguel Pro: Speaking of intercessors, this Monday November 23rd is the 93rd anniversary of Blessed Miguel Pro’s martyrdom. He was a Jesuit priest (we need more Jesuits like him!) in Mexico during the Masonic-Communist revolution of the 1920s, which closed many churches (sound familiar?) and also executed priests. Blessed Miguel Pro frequently offered clandestine Masses for the underground Church until he was arrested in 1927. Upon his execution on November 23, he forgave his enemies and famously extended his arms and shouted the cry of the Mexican Cristeros (the Catholic counter-revolutionaries): Viva Cristo Rey! (Long Live Christ the King). Although not on the Extraordinary Form calendar, we can hope one day he will be as the Cristeros and the priests of the underground Mexican church enjoy much interest among traditionalists.
  • Excellent article on the Kingship of Christ: Speaking of Christ the King, tomorrow in the modern calendar is the “new” feast of Christ the King. In response to the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Europe, a British author penned an wonderful summary on the Church’s traditional teaching on the Kingship of Christ and how the Bishops should not have to “ask permission” to re-open their Churches – something we’ve covered many times this summer. Read more here: https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/have-church-lockdowns-uncrowned-christ-the-king
  • New book on the Vendee Martyrdom: Speaking of Catholic counter-revolutionaries which resisted a Masonic regime, Notre Dame press has re-released a book recommended to us by Sensus Fidelium, on the Vendee Martyrs in France, who defended the Church and King in the Vendee region against the French Revolution – many of these brave Catholics were massacred horrifically. The book is called: A French Genocide: The Vendée by Reynald Secher
  • The Mythical Thanksgiving Indult by Pope Pius XII: Lastly as we prepare for the Thanksgiving Day holiday (unless the government cancels it), we share with you a magnificent piece by former St. Ann choir member, Sharon Kabel, who examined the mysterious legend of the Friday-After-Thanksgiving Indult, supposedly granted by Pope Pius XII to allow American Catholics to eat meat on the day after Thanksgiving. It should be stated this is a moot point now since the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the US Bishops Conference has sadly allowed a “substitution” for Friday abstinence. Anyhow, for traditionalists, this is an occasionally debated each Thanksgiving and Sharon does good research to find out the truth: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/11/on-mythical-pius-xii-thanksgiving.html
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SPECIAL EVENT – This Sunday 2pm: Veterum Sapientia Institute Kickoff

Announcing the Veterum Sapientia Institute – this Sunday 2pm (after Latin Mass) at St. Ann parish

Laudetur Iesus Christus! This Sunday November 22nd we are pleased to announce a major event we will be co-hosting Sunday with Father Jason Barone, who returns to St. Ann parish to unveil a new Veterum Sapientia Institute.

As you may recall Fr. Barone is a Latinist and gave an excellent talk before the CLMC in 2017 on the language of Latin. Now come join us to learn about this new institute he is forming with Dr. Eric Hewett, and Dr. Nancy Llewellyn. This will be great interest not just for clergy but for laity. Please read and invite your friends and family:

Sunday November 22 – 2pm (after 12:30pm Latin Mass)

Veterum Sapientia Institute – Kickoff event with Fr. Jason Barone

Presentation on Pope John Paul XXIII’s Veterum Sapientia encyclical (on Latin)

St. Ann Parish Center (3635 Park Road, Charlotte)

Refreshments and snacks will be served

Learn more: www.veterumsapientia.org

Please read their important announcement and invite all your friends and family to attend.

We are contacting you because you have in the past participated in or expressed interest in our Veterum Sapientia week-long courses on ecclesiastical Latin.  We wish to inform you that we have founded the Veterum Sapientia Institute (VSI) to continue this work of promoting and teaching Latin and Greek in the Catholic world, particularly to seminarians, priests, and religious, desired by Pope Saint John XXIII.

We will hold our first public event at 2 PM EST on Sunday, November 22nd at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC. It will be a presentation on the Apostolic Constitution Veterum Sapientia, its reception, other authoritative documents on Latin, and VSI’s plans to respond to the Church’s unchanged desire for Latin and Greek education. Feel free to attend in person or view our live-streaming online.  Please visit our homepage at www.veterumsapientia.org on Sunday for a link to the live-stream.

 In January, we will begin offering ten-week courses online covering both ecclesiastical Latin and Greek.  We encourage you to take a look at our course offerings. We also intend to develop many online resources for both clerics and laity.  For more information on course offerings, resources, and live-streaming, please visit www.veterumsapientia.org.

Lastly, please consider spreading the word about VSI, be it to clerics or interested laity, to potential students or potential donors. We are on all the major social media platforms. With your assistance, we hope to help the Church fulfil her own vision for Latin and Greek!

Sincerely,

Fr. Jason Barone

Dr. Eric Hewett

Dr. Nancy Llewellyn

P.S.: We invite you to join our mailing list at https://veterumsapientia.com/mailing-list-sign-up/ if you are interested in receiving future updates on our activities.

We also invite you to follow us on social media:

www.facebook.com/vetsapinst/

www.instagram.com/vetsapinst/

www.twitter.com/vetsapinst/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDfJ5zqc84uVCuiw4EiaE-w 

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6th Sunday After Epiphany (Resumed)

Laudetur Iesus Christus! This Sunday (depending on the parish) we will travel back in liturgical time to mark the 6th Sunday after Epiphany.

Sunday November 15 – 6th Sunday After Epiphany

While the pagan merchants of the world are busy putting up “Christmas” decorations and offering “holiday” sales, today the traditional Mass liturgically resumes the Epiphanytide (Christmas) season with the 6th Sunday after Epiphany. Most years, the final few Sundays after Epiphany are “pre-empted” in February by due to the start of the pre-Lent season of Septuagesima and Easter’s changing date each year. There is also typically a gap in Sundays in November, so the Church fills these pre-empted Sundays before the last/24th Sunday after Pentecost (which is next Sunday). Dr. Mike Foley bridges both this Sunday and next with a reflection on the propers: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/11/reasonable-meditation-and-collect-for.html

  • St. Thomas Aquinas: 11:30am High Mass
  • St. Ann: 12:30pm High Mass

Mass Cancellation next Friday November 20: Per Fr. Reid, the 7am Latin Mass next Friday November 20 is canceled. There will be a 12:30pm Latin Mass at St. Mark.

Stay the Course: Fr. Chad Ripperger’s analysis on the Election and the Diabolical

Stay the course: Please continue praying the Rosary, making sacrifices for our nation, and tuning out the media. There is a battle for our nation’s soul that is much bigger than the election and as Fr. Reid noted last week, God is ultimately in charge, and engaged in this period of time (when is He not?).  Especially noteworthy however, was an interview exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger gave last week about our nation’s situation. He indicated that the current upheaval in our land reminds him of when that a demon is about to be exorcised from a possessed person, the demon rages with even more ferocity than ever.  You can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKrLr4jW0Eo

Fr. Ripperger suggests stepping up the prayers, especially against the diabolical. He suggests two extra prayers, which the laity can pray (we attach them here).

  1. Binding prayer to consecrate all external goods (including the election) to the Blessed Mother (this takes them away from the grasp of the demons)
  2. Prayer to ask Christ to send away any evil spirits related to the election or President

Please consider adding these to your prayers.

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • SAVE THE DATE – Sunday November 22nd: Fr. Barone returns to St. Ann to unveil a new Latin Institute: On Sunday, November 22nd, at 2:00 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Allen Center, St. Ann’s will host the first public announcement of a new Latin institute. The Veterum Sapientia Institute (VSI), named after Pope John XXIII’s 1962 Apostolic Constitution, which defended and promoted the study of Latin in seminaries, comes as the natural fruit of the eight annual conferences hosted in the Charlotte area. The goal of VSI is to provide Latin and Greek studies via online classes and in-person intensive programs to any priest, seminarian, or religious in the world. We also hope to respond to the needs of the lay faithful, such as homeschool families and Latin Mass attendees. I hope to see you on the 22nd for refreshments and a few brief presentations. ~ Fr. Barone
  • 9 Ways Catholics Should Respond to the Threat of COVID-19 Church Shutdowns: With the threat of a second immoral lockdown on the horizon (will the Health Dictatorship cancel Christmas?), Msgr. Charles Pope proposed some ways the Bishops can fight the Marxist lockdowns and defend Christ and His Church: https://www.ncregister.com/blog/9-ways