by

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Sunday is the 11th Sunday after Pentecost and the seventh day within the ancient octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We share commentary for Sunday’s Mass: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/08/god-has-piety-collect-for-eleventh.html

Latin Masses this Week

  • Monday August 22 – feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Octave of the Assumption). Sadly there are no Latin Masses in Charlotte this day but below we share Dom Gueranger’s reflection on this feast.
  • Wednesday August 24 – 6pm St. Ann: St. Bartholomew (Apostle)
  • Thursday August 25 – 7pm St. Thomas Aquinas: St. Louis IX (King and Confessor) (see commentary on St. Louis below)
  • Friday August 26 –7am (St. Ann), 12:30pm (St. Mark): Feria
  • Saturday August 27 – 8am St Ann (Respect Life Latin Mass): St. Joseph Calasanctius (Confessor)

Scheduling Notes

  • Respect Life Latin Mass – Saturday August 27: As noted above, St. Ann parish will offer an 8am Latin Mass for an end to abortion, and afterwards there will be prayers at the abortion facility, and a Holy Hour of Reparation in the church (for those unable to travel)
  • First Saturday Time Change – September 3: The normal 10am first Saturday Latin Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas will be moved to 8:30am for September 3rd only. This is due to St. Thomas Aquinas hosting Dr. Kwasniewski for a talk on the Eucharist at 9:30am followed by Q&A (this is separate from the CLMC’s event the night before): All are welcome to attend. To learn more about this Saturday talk visit: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2022/08/dr-kwasniewskis-north-carolina-lecture.html#.YwG5SRzMKHs
  • Daily Latin Masses Return to Prince of Peace Parish: We are pleased to report that Prince of Peace Parish in Taylors, SC (2 hours southwest of Charlotte), after a summer hiatus, has resumed its daily 12 noon Latin Masses (8am Saturdays). Prince of Peace is the only parish in all the Carolinas to offer the Latin Mass everyday. May God reward them!

Suffering Latin Mass Families Needed

Preserve the Latin Mass, founded to help defend the Latin Mass – and promoted from the pulpit and bulletins at St. Ann parish – is putting out a new video series entitled Suffering Faithful Video Series to highlight the suffering caused by bishops who have implemented Traditiones Custodes (TC) in their diocese.  The cancellation/restriction of the Latin Mass and accompanying sacraments causes spiritual pain, loss, distrust, division, and the alienation of the faithful from their bishops. Preserve the Latin Mass needs the faithful who are suffering under TC to create and send video testimonials  The video testimonials will be professionally edited and prepared for distribution by their video production team.

The goal is to encourage bishops to reverse their TC implementations. The Suffering Faithful video testimonial submissions should include the following:

  • Please provide 3-10 minutes of clear (video and audio) testimonial from an individual or family
  • Please share how you discovered the Latin Mass and how the Latin Mass has affected your life.
  • Please share the circumstances around the implementation of Traditionis Custodes in your Diocese.  Please name your bishop.
  • Please share how the cancelation/restriction of the Latin Mass and accompanying Sacraments has caused you, your family, and your community to experience suffering.
  • Please consider including a heartful plea for your bishop to restore the Latin Mass and accompanying sacraments.
  • To upload a video visit this website: https://app.videopeel.com/c/xqdbbpgm
  • Questions or to submit a testimonial, contact: info(at)preservethelatinmass.org

TWO WEEKS AWAY: Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Returns to Charlotte – September 2nd, 7pm

The CLMC is hosting Dr. Peter Kwasniewski to offer a special lecture for the CLMC, entitled: The Primacy of Tradition and Obedience to the Truth. Friday September 2, Aquinas Hall (St. Thomas Aquinas Parish), 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte.

5:30pm Cocktails/Meet & Greet

7pm Lecture

7:45pm Panel Discussion & Q&A

9pm Book Signing

This free lecture will be a sequel to his talk to us last November, and build upon his new book, True Obedience in the Church. Moreover, the event will also feature a special panel discussion which includes Dr. Kwasniewski and two other noted liturgical writers, Greg DiPippo from the New Liturgical Movement, and Christopher Owens of the Veterum Sapientia Institute (The Latin Institute co-founded by Fr. Barone). The panel will answer your questions about the future of the Latin Mass. It will be moderated by the CLMC’s own Brian Williams.  Please invite your friends and spread the word.

Bishop Jugis Invites Dominican Sisters of Ann Arbor to Greensboro: In a major shift in diocesan policy, His Excellency Bishop Jugis has extended an invitation to the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, to serve at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro. This was announced in prior weeks and published in today’s bulletin. Although these Dominican Sisters have no connection to the Latin Mass (as far as we know), this invitation to an outside religious order is a significant change for the diocese. In prior years, when advocating for more Latin Masses to the diocese, the CLMC was truthfully told by several diocesan priests that Bishop Jugis and the diocese will not invite new religious orders into the diocese because the laity’s spiritual needs can be met with diocesan clergy. Today’s announcement clearly indicates that that policy has changed. The CLMC welcomes this new policy and prays that these are yet some of the fruits borne by the Synod – specifically that the diocese appears more open to alternative pastoral solutions (see question #2).  Please continue to pray for Bishop Jugis as he charts this new path.

Holy Face Devotions & New Book

The primary purpose of the Holy Face apostolate is to 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.  It should be noted that Communists hate the Latin Mass. To help counter communists and opponents of the Latin Mass, the CLMC faithful is invited to participate. The schedule is as follows:

  • St. Mark – Mondays 2-3pm
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesdays 6am in the main church
  • St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am in the chapel after the Novus Ordo Mass (uses the booklet which takes 15-20 minutes)
  • Don’t see your parish? Why not organize one?

New Book on the Holy Face Devotion: TAN Books has just announced a new book on the Holy Face devotion by Fr. Lawrence Carney, a Latin Mass priest in Missouri who is chaplain to the Benedictines of Mary. The book is entitled The Secret of the Holy Face: The Devotion Destined to Save Society. If you want to learn more about this powerful devotion, please visit: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/tan-books/pre-order/the-secret-of-the-holy-face/

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • 50 Years Ago Today: Paul VI’s (Attempted) Abolition of the Subdiaconate and Minor Orders: Dr. Kwasniewski (who will be visiting in less than two weeks), has commemorated the dark anniversary of when Pope St. Paul VI abolished the minor orders for seminarians. These minor orders were porter, exorcist, lector, and acolyte. These were important steps along the way to the major orders which include subdeacon, deacon, and priesthood. Today only the traditional religious communities such as the Fraternity of St. Peter, Institute of Christ the King, etc. receive minor orders. Dr. Kwasniewski’s article explains why this abolishment is a tragic loss for the church and should be reversed: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2022/08/50-years-ago-today-paul-vis-attempted.html#.YvshLxzMKHs
  • Liturgical Diversity and My First Ordinariate Mass: OnePeterFive posts an interesting article about the Anglican Ordinariate Mass that was approved by Pope Benedict XVI and in doing so gives a helpful background on the diversity of liturgical rites within the Roman Rite. This is helpful in understanding this when we hear calls from Rome that the Novus Ordo is the “unique expression of the Roman Rite” – even though there are many Rites within the Latin Church (Dominican Rite, Benedictine Rite, Ambrosian Rite of Milan, etc.). Although we don’t agree with every point made in the article, it’s an interesting read: https://onepeterfive.com/liturgical-diversity-and-my-first-ordinariate-mass/

    CLMC comment: Let us pray that the Traditional Latin Mass will be declared the expression of the Roman Rite someday, separate from the Novus Ordo, with its own bishops, priests, dioceses, and parishes. The Traditional Diocese of Campos, Brazil, is just one path towards this goal: https://www.friendsofcampos.org/story.html
  • Finishing Off Traditionalists — Article by Enrico Roccagiachini: This is an inspiring article about the destructive plan the modernists have for the Latin Mass faithful – to eliminate and suppress who attend the Traditional Latin Mass – and why it will eventually fail. The liturgical revolutionaries can’t understand that their 1960s revolution has failed, and how they are growing old and dying off, and in an act of desperation, they will try (and ultimately fail) to suppress the Latin Mass. But there’s more and it is a warning for our conservative Novus Ordo friends: You’re next:

And so, that brings us to the present moment. The first ones in the crosshairs can only be the liturgical traditionalists, because it is easy to find them and hit them. But then it must include also all the others, the “fanatics” of orthodoxy and of perfect continuity, wherever they are nested and however they are camouflaged—even if they are perfectly aligned with the Novus Ordo.

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-final-solution-article-by-enrico.html#more

CLMC comment: If the revolutionaries do intend to suppress not only the Latin Mass, but all elements of tradition and orthodoxy found in some Novus Ordo parishes, Charlotte may soon say farewell to altar rails, Latin chants, Benedictine altar arrangements, cassocks, incense, and conservative hymns at these Novus Ordo parishes. Those will all be banished if the revolutionaries succeed in suppressing the Latin Mass in Charlotte. Knowing what is coming, what will the Novus Ordo clergy of the diocese do?

  • Purity of Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Monday is the feast of the Immaculate Heart, and Cardinal Burke continues his meditations on the Blessed Mother, which we include below: https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/purity-of-heart-immaculate-heart

    Today, in a world that has grown secularized and hostile to His Law written upon our hearts, the purity of Mary’s Immaculate Heart is our model of faith, hope and charity. She is our model of intimacy with God Who has desired intimate union with us from the beginning when He made us His creatures in His own image and after His own likeness (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 273; Gn 1, 26-27). “For in Mary’s faith, first at the Annunciation and then fully at the foot of the Cross, an interior space was reopened within humanity which the eternal Father can fill ‘with every spiritual blessing.’

We also share Dom Prosper Gueranger’s reflection for Monday (also the octave of the Assumption): https://sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/august/august-22-the-octave-of-the-assumption/

Feast of St. Louis IX – Thursday August 25

As Americans watch the “great experiment”, known as its representative republic go into meltdown through corruption, immorality, and all sorts of nefarious deeds and poor leadership, the Church this week presents the faithful with an refreshing example of what a virtuous leader and truly Catholic government can look like. Such a government can truly benefit all people and create the most ideal civic and temporal conditions to help facilitate the salvation of many souls. This example is St. Louis IX, the great 13th century king of France, a king of justice, peace, and sanctity – mirroring the True Monarch, Christ the King. He was a devout man who reigned over a just government that helped all peoples, promoted and lived the virtues of the faith, and honorably served in two crusades against the Saracens (Muslims) who seized the Holy Land and near east from the Church and her flock. His coronation, like Blessed Karl (the last Catholic monarch of Europe) was done according to the official Coronation Mass, where the king is wedded to his land and people in a special Mass.

August 25 – St. Louis, King of France, Confessor ~ Dom Prosper Gueranger

While Catholic monarchies are often seen today as backwards and antiquated, only foolish moderns would look at today’s “advanced” world of democracy and its embodied masonic “values” of abortion, sodomy, usury, poverty, godlessness, religious freedom for erroneous sects, free speech for heresy and the profane, and endless revolutionary wars on terror (or viruses), as examples of “progress” for God and mankind.   As Pope Pius XI wrote in Quas Primas, the 1925 encyclical which established the feast of Christ the King:

“With God and Jesus Christ,” we said, “excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation.”

As Fr. Christian noted in his 2016 Christ the King talk, quoting historian Charles Coulombe, more people died for wars of “democracies” since the bloody French Revolution, than all who died in wars between Catholic monarchs:

Feast of Christ the King 2016

Additionally, we should keep in mind that this age of republics and democracies, like life itself, is merely fleeting, and will eventually pass away – perhaps sooner than we think.  In fact, many venerable, blessed and saints –  including St. John Vianney and St. Louis de Montfort, have predicted that during the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, there would be a restoration of the Catholic monarchy, especially in France, with a Holy King who would restore Christendom and work with a Holy Pope, who would refute all the errors of these modern times. Taylor Marshall explains further in this informative video:

How fitting that a city in the cradle of America is named not after a democratic free-thinker, but one of the greatest Catholic monarch in history. 

To commemorate this feast, St. Thomas Aquinas will be offering its regular 7pm Latin Mass on August 25.  St. Louis IX and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for America and her conversion to the Church!  

What Mass are you attending Sunday?

by

Marian Reflection at St. Thomas Aquinas tonight 7pm

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Today is the fourth day within the ancient Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To commemorate this Marian week, St. Thomas Aquinas parish has been organizing a series of talks each evening on the Blessed Virgin Mary by priests in the diocese. Tonight, Fr. Matthew Kauth will speak the topic “Cause of Our Salvation”. The reflection will be given as part of the sermon and it begins with the 7pm Latin Mass.

by

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost (Assumption Masses)

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Sunday is vigil of the Assumption (suppressed when it falls on a Sunday) and the 10th Sunday after Pentecost.  The Church now moves on from last Sunday’s meditation on the destruction of the Temple to now unveiling herself to all the nations with the new sacrifice offered by Christ, as Dom Prosper Gueranger writes in The Liturgical Year:

The considerateness wherewith the Church had, so far, treated the Synagogue, would henceforward be unmeaning. As the beautiful queen and bride, she is now at full liberty to show herself to all the nations, subdue their wild instincts by the power of the Spirit, unify them in Christ Jesus, and put them by faith into the substantial, though not visible, possession of those eternal realities which had been foreshadowed by the Law of types and figures.

https://sensusfidelium.us/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/the-time-after-pentecost/tenth-sunday-after-pentecost/

Additionally, the readings/prayers for Mass focuses on humility which is explained in this commentary: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/08/running-humble-tenth-sunday-after.html#.Xy9rGn57nwc  

Feast of the Assumption – Monday August 15

The feast of the Assumption is not a holy day of obligation this year in the US due to it falling on a Monday (per the USCCB), but why not make it a personal holy day of obligation and attend Latin Mass and honor Our Lady?

Latin Masses this Week

  • Wednesday August 17, 6pm – St. Ann: Feast of St. Hyacinth
  • Thursday August 18, 7pm – St Thomas Aquinas: Feria
  • Friday August 19, 7am St. Ann or 12:30pm St. Mark: Feast of St. John Eudes

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Returns to Charlotte – September 2nd, 7pm

The CLMC is hosting Dr. Peter Kwasniewski to offer a special lecture for the CLMC, entitled: The Primacy of Tradition and Obedience to the Truth. Friday September 2, Aquinas Hall (St. Thomas Aquinas Parish), 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte.

5:30pm Cocktails/Meet & Greet

7pm Lecture

7:45pm Panel Discussion & Q&A

9pm Book Signing

This free lecture will be a sequel to his talk to us last November, and build upon his new book, True Obedience in the Church. Moreover, the event will also feature a special panel discussion which includes Dr. Kwasniewski and two other noted liturgical writers, Greg DiPippo from the New Liturgical Movement, and Christopher Owens of the Veterum Sapientia Institute (The Latin Institute co-founded by Fr. Barone). The panel will answer your questions about the future of the Latin Mass. It will be moderated by the CLMC’s own Brian Williams.  Please invite your friends and spread the word.

Holy Face Devotions & New Book

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.  It should be noted that Communists hate the Latin Mass. The schedule is as follows:

  • St. Mark – Mondays 2-3pm
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesdays 6am in the main church
  • St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am in the chapel after the Novus Ordo Mass (uses the booklet which takes 15-20 minutes)
  • Don’t see your parish? Why not organize one?

New Book on the Holy Face Devotion: TAN Books has just announced a new book on the Holy Face devotion by Fr. Lawrence Carney, a Latin Mass priest in Missouri who is chaplain to the Benedictines of Mary. The book is entitled The Secret of the Holy Face: The Devotion Destined to Save Society. If you want to learn more about this powerful devotion, please visit: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/tan-books/pre-order/the-secret-of-the-holy-face/

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • What They Requested, What They Expected, and What Happened: Council Fathers on the Latin Roman Canon: The evidence continues to mount, and be documented, that the Novus Ordo Mass, and other changes, were not what the Vatican II Council fathers asked for or even wanted. As Dr. Peter Kwasniewski shows, even bishops who wanted the Mass in the vernacular language still wanted the Roman Canon of the Mass to remain in Latin. This is documented in the response these bishops gave the Council ahead of the votes. Did the committee that designed the Novus Ordo Mass actually listen to the Vatican II Council fathers? You be the judge:  https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2022/08/what-they-requested-what-they-expected.html#.YvHYvhzMKHs

CLMC comment: What can a priest or bishop do about this? See next article below.

  • If a law isn’t accepted, it is essentially no law at all: Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (e.g. Fr. Z) has a helpful article which reminds us that a law is not a law if the group ignores it. He interestingly notes how most bishops and the Church have never fully received the Novus Ordo Mass, instead embracing liturgical abuses of the Mass, while others are gravitating towards the Traditional Mass – something the Church has recognized through various decrees and official decisions over the last 50 years. What does this mean for the current restrictions on the Latin Mass (e.g. Traditiones Custodes)? If more clergy ignore Traditiones Custodes, it perhaps won’t be enforceable as a law. This seems to be happening as we note below. https://wdtprs.com/2022/08/if-a-law-isnt-accepted-it-is-essentially-no-law-at-all-traditionis-time-will-tell-novus-ordo-time-has-told/

Bishops and the Traditional Latin Mass – Cutting Through the Fear (Part II)

Last week we began to document the quiet but growing support occurring in the episcopacy for the Traditional Latin Mass and how more bishops are standing up for the Mass of Ages and cutting through the rigidity of the Traditiones Custodes fear-machine. We are pleased to provide more examples, showing that dioceses like Arlington and Washington, which severely restricted the Latin Mass, are actually outliers:

  • Providence (RI): This past week, Rhode Island bishop, Thomas Tobin, tweeted support for traditional Latin Mass attendees and traditional liturgies: “I am convinced that if the Church is to prosper in the present age, it cannot hesitate to embrace and support traditional Catholics, traditional liturgies and traditional moral values.” https://twitter.com/ThomasJTobin1/status/1558098786798522370

These examples serve as an excellent reminder to continue praying for the bishops – a growing number of them continue to support – and even offer – the Latin Mass.

Yet some may still wonder if it’s time to head for the hills, lay low, or run for cover. Yet if these bishops and Cardinals aren’t running away, why should we?

Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 8:26)

What Mass are you attending Sunday?

by

Feast of St. Philomena (August 11)

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Blessed feast of St. Philomena, the Wonderworker (August 11), a 3rd century martyr (possibly earlier) whose relics were rediscovered in the Roman catacombs in the early 1800s. Her feast is not currently on the calendar and in fact when it was, it was only a local feast day, not universal. Still, she remains a popular saint today, and was a powerful intercessor for St. John Vianney (whose feast day was eight days prior to today). Many others had devotion to her including Pope St. Pius X, and many miracles occurred with the translation of her relics from Rome to Mugnano (Italy) in 1803. What the Church knows about her comes from her appearance to a Dominican Nun in 1833:

Philomena the Saint

St. Philomena Resources

Local St. Philomena Devotions

  • St. Mark Parish in Huntersville features a stained glass window on the west transept of St. John Vianney who is holding an image of St. Philomena
  • St. Elizabeth in Boone has just installed a custom made statue of the saint in the side chapel
  • The CLMC features a small statue of St. Philomena on our welcome table in the St. Ann narthex on Sundays

There is also a Latin Mass this evening at 7pm at St. Thomas Aquinas parish. Although not offered for her feast day, one could offer intentions that she be restored to the liturgical calendar (and universally!)

St. Philomena, pray for us!


by

St. Laurence the Martyr

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Today Tuesday August 9 is the vigil of St. Laurence (or Lawrence) the Martyr, a day of penance and preparation for tomorrow’s feast day honoring the deacon who was martyred on the gridiron. St. Laurence’s martyrdom was also preceded six days prior by the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus II, making St. Laurence the highest ranking clergy in Rome at that time. Incidentally, this vigil day also commemorates St. Romanus, a soldier that St. Laurence converted shortly before his martyrdom.

Tomorrow’s feast day retains its importance in the Church as it is one of the few feast days that still retains its own vigil the day prior, similar to the vigil of the Assumption (August 14), Vigil of the Nativity (December 24), etc. This is not to be confused in the Novus Ordo with the concept of anticipatory Masses, which are offered the evening before a feast or Sunday. As Greg DiPippo in the New Liturgical Movement notes, a vigil retains its own liturgical day with its own set of reading and prospers, and has violet vestments:

Latin Mass – Feast of St. Laurence:

Tomorrow Wednesday August 10 there will be the regular 6pm Latin Mass at St. Ann parish, which has a statue of the deacon-martyr in the main church.

Importance of the Feast of St. Laurence

Some may ask – why is the Church giving extra attention to one of the many important martyrs who died in Rome? As Dom Prosper Gueranger explains, it was St. Laurence’s heroic martyrdom which brought about the end of paganism in Rome, allowing its eventually conversion to the Catholic faith:

Just as Peter and Paul are the riches, not of Rome alone, but of the whole world, so Laurence is called the honor of the world, for he, as it were, personified the courage of martyrdom. At the beginning of this month, we saw Stephen himself come to blend his dignity of Protomartyr with the glory of Sixtus II’s deacon, by sharing his tomb. In Laurence, it seemed that both the struggle and the victory of martyrdom reached their highest point; persecution, it is true, was renewed during the next half century, and made many victims, yet his triumph was considered as the death-blow to paganism.

“The devil,” says Prudentius, “struggled fiercely with God’s witness, but he was himself wounded and prostrated forever. The death of Christ’s martyr gave the death-blow to the worship of idols, and from that day Vesta was powerless to prevent her temple from being deserted. All these Roman citizens, brought up in the superstitions taught by Numa, hasten, O Christ, to thy courts, singing hymns to thy martyr. Illustrious senators, flamens and priests of Lupercus venerate the tombs of Apostles and Saints. We see patricians and matrons of the noblest families vowing to God the children in whom their hopes are centered. The Pontiff of the idols, whose brow but yesterday was bound with sacred fillet, now signs himself with the cross, and the Vestal Virgin Claudia visits thy sanctuary, O Laurence.”

August 10 – Saint Laurence, Deacon and Martyr ~ Dom Prosper Gueranger

Traditions for the feast of St. Laurence

There are some customs and traditions that accompany the feast of St. Laurence and are described in these articles:

In closing, we share the words of the poet Prudentius, who is quoted by Dom Gueranger in The Liturgical Year, for August 10:

“Once the mother of false gods, but now the bride of Christ, O Rome, it is through Laurence thou art victorious! Thou hadst conquered haughty monarchs and subjected nations to thine empire; but though thou hadst overcome barbarism, thy glory was incomplete till thou hadst vanquished the unclean idols. This was Laurence’s victory, a combat bloody yet not tumultuous like those of Camillus or of Cesar; it was the contest of faith, wherein self is immolated, and death is overcome by death. What words, what praises suffice to celebrate such a death? How can I worthily sing so great a martyrdom.”

St. Laurence, pray for us, pray for Rome!

by

Ninth Sunday After Pentecost (The Fall of Jerusalem)

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Sunday is the 9th Sunday after Pentecost, in which the church also subtly marks the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. We provide several references and commentaries in the section below.

Masses today: Sunday August 7 is also is 1st Sunday, and there will be a 4pm Latin Mass at Sacred Heart parish in Salisbury. There will of course be the regular 12:30pm Latin Mass at St. Ann parish as well.

Diocesan Latin Masses This Week

  • Wednesday August 10 – Feast of St. Lawrence, St. Ann 6pm
  • Thursday August 11 – Feria, St. Thomas Aquinas, 7pm (prior to 1960, it was the feast of St. Philomena in some localities)
  • Friday August 12 – St. Clare, St. Ann, 7am, St. Mark 12:30pm

The Tears of St. Lawrence Meteor Shower: St. Lawrence’s feast day is an important feast day and there is a special meteor shower that occurs around his feast day and bears his name. To learn more and how to view it visit: https://www.fisheaters.com/stlawrence.html  (Another meteor shower also is tied to St. Lucy’s feast day of December 13)

Other feasts this week: August the 11th is the feast of St. Philomena, the Wonderworker and Martyr. Sadly her feast day was removed in 1960, but since many in our community has a devotion to her, there is nothing preventing us from attending a Latin Mass this day and praying for her feast day to be restored. To learn more please visit her shrine and gift shop at: http://philomena.us/

Feast of the Assumption Latin Masses (Monday August 15)

  • 7am, St. Ann parish
  • 6pm, Our Lady of Grace parish, Greensboro, NC (2 hours north of Charlotte)
  • 6:30pm (followed by a Marian procession) , Our Lady of the Lake, Chapin, SC, 195 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC (2 hours south of Charlotte)
  • 7pm, Solemn High Mass, Prince of Peace parish, Taylors, SC 1209 Brushy Creek Road, Taylors, SC (2 hours southwest of Charlotte

The feast of the Assumption is not a holy day of obligation this year in the US due to it falling on a Monday (per the USCCB), but why not make it a personal holy day of obligation and attend Latin Mass and honor Our Lady?

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Returns to Charlotte – September 2nd, 7pm

The CLMC is pleased to announce that Dr. Peter Kwasniewski will return to Charlotte next month to offer a special lecture for the CLMC, entitled:

The Primacy of Tradition and Obedience to the Truth

Friday September 2

Aquinas Hall (St. Thomas Aquinas Parish), 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte

5:30pm Cocktails/Meet & Greet

7pm Lecture

7:45pm Panel Discussion & Q&A

9pm Book Signing

This lecture will be a sequel to his talk to us last November, and build upon his new book, True Obedience in the Church. Moreover, the event will also feature a special panel discussion which includes Dr. Kwasniewski and two other noted liturgical writers including Greg DiPippo from the New Liturgical Movement, and Christopher Owens of the Veterum Sapientia Institute (The Latin Institute co-founded by Fr. Barone). The panel will answer your questions about the future of the Latin Mass. It will be moderated by the CLMC’s own Brian Williams.  Please invite your friends and spread the word.

dr.-peter-kwasniewski-september-2022Download

The Fall of Jerusalem

This fateful event, prophesized by Our Lord (Luke 19:41-48) and commemorated this Sunday, was one of the more horrific sieges in history.  Dom Prosper Gueranger noted that the Temple of Jerusalem flowed with blood, most of its inhabitants killed, not just by Roman soldiers from without, but by the lawless, unspeakable violence of Jewish Zealots (upon their own people) from within inside the city walls. Further north, the sea of Galilee turned red as bodies piled up along the shoreline after that Jewish revolt was crushed by the Romans. Jewish historian Josephus had reported that years prior to the siege, residents of Jerusalem would see signs in the sky including a flaming meteorite/sword and chariots foretelling the pending doom (Luke 21:11). The Catholics, seeing the signs, were spared the terror as they remembered Christ’s prophecy (Luke 21:21, Matthew 11:21-24), and escaped to safe harbor.

As Dr. Mike Foley notes in his article below: “The destruction of the Temple is a stern reminder of divine chastisement and the need for our repentance and conversion. As St Paul teaches in the day’s Epistle (1 Cor. 10, 6-13), we must never think we stand on our own, lest we fall.”. For a fuller account of the siege please see these articles:

We close this section with Gueranger’s sober warning of the fall of Jerusalem and its meaning for the Church today:

Terrible lesson, all this! The Church learned it, and never forgot it:—the lesson that no blessing, no past holiness, is, of itself, a guarantee that the place thus favored will not afterwards draw down on itself desecration and destruction!

Holy Face Devotions & New Book

Tired of the attacks on the Latin Mass and its devotees? Why not push back by praying the powerful Holy Face devotion of reparation? 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.  It should be noted that Communists hate the Latin Mass. The schedule is as follows:

  • St. Mark – Mondays 2-3pm
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesdays 6am in the main church
  • St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am in the chapel after the Novus Ordo Mass (uses the booklet which takes 15-20 minutes)

New Book on the Holy Face Devotion: TAN Books has just announce a new book on the Holy Face devotion by Fr. Lawrence Carney, a Latin Mass priest in Missouri who is chaplain to the Benedictines of Mary. The book is entitled The Secret of the Holy Face: The Devotion Destined to Save Society. If you want to learn more about this powerful devotion, please visit: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/tan-books/pre-order/the-secret-of-the-holy-face/

Supporting Sensus Fidelium: Last week we featured the new Catholic alternative to YouTube, SCTV (Sensus Fidelium TV), developed in part by Sensus Fidelium, the online Catholic apostolate. The great work of this apostolate doesn’t come free and as such, for those whose lives have been touched by the work of Sensus Fidelium, we encourage those whose lives have been touched by the work of Sensus Fidelium, to consider supporting it financially, if you choose: https://sensusfidelium.com/

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • How Goodwill Was Squandered: Occasionally one may stumble upon the fabled “unicorn” of all liturgies – the completely reverent Novus Ordo Mass (chant, ad orientum, Communion on the tongue only, etc.). At this encounter, there is a temptation to think that if these rare (unicorn) Novus Ordo Masses were offered in every parish, there would be no need for the Traditional Latin Mass. This is untrue, but this article in Rorate Caeli does note that there would be a lot more goodwill between traditionalists and Church hierarchy if they actually did care about curbing abuses in the Novus Ordo Mass (instead of suppressing the Latin Mass): https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2022/08/how-goodwill-was-squandered.html#more
  • The Welcome Demise of Enforced Optimism: As sobriety sets into the post-conciliar Church, where many conservatives have finally realized that the Church has not reached the springtime, Dr. Kwasniewski welcomes the demise of the faux-optimist that followed the Vatican II Council: https://onepeterfive.com/welcome-demise-enforced-optimism/
  • Fighting the Church may lead you right out of the Church: Catholic World Report has a sobering article of the few high profile Catholics who left the Catholic faith after being frustrated with the Church’s in action on various moral and liturgical issues. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2022/08/03/fighting-the-church-may-lead-you-right-out-of-the-church/

    CLMC comment: Will the recent restrictions on the Latin Mass cause some Latin Mass faithful, weak in their faith, to abandon Catholicism? What can faithful bishops, clergy and dioceses do to help prevent this and save the souls of their faithful?

Bishops and the Traditional Latin Mass – Cutting Through the Fear

There has been much angst over the restrictions announced in Arlington, Washington DC, Savannah, and supposedly in Chicago.  So much that one may believe that all bishops are caving and imposing draconian restrictions due alleged pressure from Rome. Yet is that really true? Let’s take a look:

  • San Francisco – On July 1, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone offered a beautiful Pontifical Solemn High  Mass to commemorate California’s own St. Junipero Serra, the founder of many of the Franciscan mission churches in the 18th century. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoUM-gKBeiQ&t=2478s
  • Newark (NJ) – On July 16, Bishop Emeritus of Paterson (NJ), Arthur Serratelli offered a Pontifical Latin Mass in his home parish in the Archdiocese of Newark for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2022/08/recent-celebrations-of-our-lady-of-mt.html#.Yu9U2RzMKHt
  • Dallas – On July 26, Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas paid a visit to the Latin Mass parish and participated in solemn vespers: https://materdeiparish.com/bishop-burns-visit/
  • Atlanta –  On Saturday June 4, at the very hour that Archbishop Hartmayer visited our diocese to confer diaconate ordinations, in Bishop Jugis’ absence, his Auxiliary Bishop Bernard Shlesinger was offering a Pontifical Mass and Traditional Confirmations at the Latin Mass parish in Atlanta – the metropolitan see of Charlotte (e.g. our archdiocese).

These are but recent examples, but a look back further shows that the Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago Joseph Perry offered a Pontifical Mass for the feast of the Assumption 2021, and even more, Bishop Peter Libasci of Manchester, NH erected a Latin Mass only – personal parish, both weeks following Traditiones Custodes. Some may wonder if its time to head for the hills, lay low, or run for cover. Yet these bishops aren’t running. Why should we?

Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 8:26)

What Mass are you attending Sunday?

by

SAVE THE DATE: Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Returns to Charlotte – Friday September 2, 7pm

Laudetur Iesus Christus! There has been much concerning news about the Latin Mass in recent weeks, however, today we are pleased to announce that our friend, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski will return to Charlotte next month to offer a special lecture for the CLMC, entitled:

The Primacy of Tradition and Obedience to the Truth

Friday September 2

Aquinas Hall (St. Thomas Aquinas Parish), 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte

5:30pm Cocktails/Meet & Greet

7pm Lecture

7:45pm Panel Discussion with Q&A

9pm Book Signing

This lecture will be a sequel to his talk to us last November, and build upon his new book, True Obedience in the Church. Moreover, the event will also feature a special panel discussion which includes Dr. Kwasniewski, and two other noted liturgical writers, Greg DiPippo from the New Liturgical Movement, and Christopher Owens of the Veterum Sapientia Institute (Fr. Barone’s Latin Institute). The panel will be there to answer your questions about the future of the Latin Mass. It will be moderated by the CLMC’s own Brian Williams.

The event is free and all are invited to the meet & greet reception prior.  We attach a flyer for the event.

dr.-peter-kwasniewski-september-2022Download
by

Portiuncula Plenary Indulgence Tomorrow August 2nd

Laudetur Iesus Christus and blessed feast of the Holy Maccabees (see article here)! As noted in our weekend update, tomorrow Tuesday August 2nd, is the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the great doctor of moral theology. It is also a day when the Church offers a special plenary indulgence called the Portiuncula Indulgence, which commemorates the little chapel where St. Francis of Assisi discovered his vocation.

Portiuncula Indulgence

The indulgence was originally only available to those who visited the chapel in Italy, but now extends to the universal church.  The indulgence can be made any time after Vespers this evening Monday August 1st and before sundown on Tuesday August 2nd.  A plenary indulgence is available under the usual conditions:

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before of after)

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd

3. Enter a parish church and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, and a pray of his/her own choosing for the intentions of the Pope

Please see this link for more details: https://sensusfidelium.com/2019/07/29/portiuncula-indulgence-from-vespers-august-1st-to-sundown-on-august-2nd/

First Sunday Latin Mass in Salisbury: Sunday August 7 will also see the monthly 4pm First Sunday Latin Mass offered at Sacred Heart parish in Salisbury. Fr. Michael Carlson (St. Mark parish) will offer the Mass. Attendees are invited to join the a pot luck social following Mass in Brincefield Hall, which is in the building to your right as you exit the church.  Bring a favorite dish, hors d’oeuvres or dessert to share. For questions or to signup for the Salisbury Latin Mass Community’s e-mail list visit: www.salisburylmc.org

Supporting Sensus Fidelium

Lastly, in our weekend update, we shared the amazing new Catholic TV platform Sensus Fidelium TV (SFTV) created by Sensus Fidelium, the online traditional Catholic apostolate founded by Steve Cunningham who along with his family lives and attends the Latin Mass here in Charlotte. This apostolate has helped keep the flame of tradition and the Latin Mass burning strong in the souls of so many (including converts) thanks to the great Latin Mass sermons and catechesis hosted on its many platforms.  Sensus Fidlium is a great Catholic response to the “cancel culture” and the new TV platform takes it to a new level. This won’t be canceled by Big Tech or Rome anytime soon.

However, from its website to the new SFTV platform, running these programs naturally incur some costs. The CLMC doesn’t make pitches for donations often, but if you’ve benefited from Sensus Fidelium’s work and programs over the years (like Fr. Ripperger’s talks), this may be worthy of your support (it is for us). The contact info is below:  

Sensus Fidelium

PO Box 189

McAdenville, North Carolina 28101

Online donation page: https://sensusfidelium.tv/ (see “Donate” link on right corner or click here)

BTW, have you viewed exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger’s latest conference yet? If not, you can begin to watch Part I on SFTV here: https://sensusfidelium.tv/watch/duties-of-the-church-2022-conference-1-of-3-fr-ripperger_7nj1FCQOyay2iVq.html (more videos in Sunday’s update)

by

Eight Sunday After Pentecost

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Sunday is the eight Sunday after Pentecost, and the readings, and particularly the Divine Office this week focuses on Solomon’s building of the Temple (whose destruction will be told next Sunday).  As custom we provide commentary on the Collect for Sunday’s Mass: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/07/what-the-eighth-sunday-after-pentecost.html    

Diocesan Latin Masses This Week

Community News

  • No 1st Saturday Latin Mass in Charlotte Diocese on Saturday August 6:  The Diocese of Charlotte has directed all parishes to cancel Masses on Saturday August 6 – including the three diocesan 1st Saturday Latin Masses* – so people can attend the Eucharistic Congress. Sadly, despite the CLMC’s hand-delivered letter to Bishop Jugis at the Synod requesting a Latin Mass at the Eucharistic Congress, the laity’s needs have again been neglected by the Chancery (who were entrusted with our letter).  It’s been said that people can make their 1st Saturday Mass/devotion at the Novus Ordo Mass offered at the conclusion of the Congress (e.g. the anticipatory Mass). Sadly, this insensitive policy, perhaps done by accident, not only excludes Latin Mass faithful who have concerns about Eucharistic sacrilege at such mega-liturgies, but also discriminates against the poor faithful who may not be able to afford the fuel costs to travel from remote parts of the diocese to attend the Congress, and for the frail or those uncomfortable driving into the congested labyrinth of streets and parking garages of Uptown Charlotte. Most of all however, it denies the honor and reparation due to Our Lady which would have been offered by the many who now will be unable to receive Holy Communion and fulfill the first Saturday devotions under this arrangement. This is an unfortunate spiritual situation that could have been (and still could be) averted with some simple pastoral solicitude within the diocese. In years past, the Congress has been a beautiful source of unity, but in more difficult times has sowed some division and perpetuates the perception that the Chancery ignores or filters the needs of the laity. Please pray to Our Lady of Fatima for a last minute miracle.

*The CLMC did inquire about an earlier 1st Saturday Latin Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas, but it was not feasible. There will not be 1st Saturday Latin Masses in Boone or Tryon either.

  • Holy Face Devotions: Tired of the attacks on the Latin Mass? Why not push back by praying the powerful Holy Face devotion of reparation? 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.  It should be noted that Communists hate the Latin Mass. The schedule is as follows:
  • St. Mark – Mondays 2-3pm
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesdays 6am in the main church
  • St. Ann – Tuesdays 7:30am in the chapel after the Novus Ordo Mass (uses the booklet which takes 15-20 minutes)
  • Feast of the Assumption – Monday August 15: So far the only announced Latin Masses for the feast of the Assumption are:
    6:30pm Latin Mass followed by a Marian Procession at Our Lady of the Lake Parish, 195 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC (2 hours south of Charlotte).
    7:00pm Solemn High Latin Mass – Prince of Peace Parish, Taylors, SC, 1209 Brushy Creek Road, Taylors, SC, 9am (2 hours southwest of Charlotte).

    If more Latin Masses are announced we will share them.

Latin Mass & Traditional News

  • Diocese of Arlington Cancels Many Latin Masses: Last week we noted how St. John the Baptist parish in Front Royal, VA, in the diocese of Arlington, now offers a Traditional Latin Mass daily. While this is good news, the diocese of Arlington – one of the most beloved “conservative” diocese in the U.S., that was “friendly to Latin Mass” has decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by now canceling many other Latin Masses at multiple parishes and consolidating them into just a few locations, such as Front Royal. We provide Rorate Caeli’s post on the matter: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2022/07/segregation-is-restored-in-diocese-of.html#more

CLMC comment: This may sound surprising, but traditionalists shouldn’t see this as a persecution as much as an opportunity – specifically, a much needed exodus plan. Ultimately, the Latin Mass and Novus Ordo cannot exist peacefully in the same parish building over the long term as this framework can lead to divisions. Moreover the Latin Mass has a full liturgical calendar along with customs and culture that needs to be unfurled, and is frequently blocked or limited by the natural needs of the Novus Ordo community. Latin Masses deserve their own dedicated chapels and priests. Eastern Rite Communities face a similar situation as they retain their own liturgical calendar, rituals, customs and traditions. Do not they deserve their own church someday? To answer that question, we share a helpful explanation from the website of St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar parish, which was established in 2017 right here in Charlotte:

  • “The desire to have our own place to celebrate mass in Syro-Malabar rite has been growing among the community members for a long time. We need a church facility to congregate, share in friendship & common bonds with others in the community. This will enable us to receive the sacraments in our traditional way, celebrate our traditional activities like annual retreat, perunnal, etc. Which is not imaginable in other churches under diocese of Charlotte. Introducing the next generation to the “Traditional values with which we all grew up” is invaluable by any measures to many community members.”

The CLMC couldn’t have said it better. If it’s acceptable for an Eastern Rite Catholic Community in Charlotte to have its own church building, why not a Traditional Latin Mass Community?

Sensus Fidelium TV launches with New Fr. Ripperger Conference

Sensus Fidelium, the online Catholic apostolate, which features thousands of traditional sermons, spiritual meditations, and Dom Gueranger’s commentaries, and is based here in Charlotte and run by our friend Steve Cunningham, has now launched its most important endeavor to date, a new online TV platform called Sensus Fidelium TV: https://sensusfidelium.tv/

To kick-off the new medium, it has just posted an excellent conference given by traditional theologian and exorcist, Fr. Chad Ripperger, who founded a society of traditional exorcists. To see all four videos (which are excellent), please click on the links:

Early August Feasts & Commemorations

  • Portiuncula Indulgence this Tuesday August 2nd: This Tuesday is the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the great doctor of moral theology. It is also a day when the Church offers a special plenary indulgence called the Portiuncula Indulgence, which commemorates the little chapel where St. Francis of Assisi discovered his vocation. The indulgence was originally only available to those who visited the chapel in Italy, but now extends to the universal church.  The indulgence can be made any time after Vespers on Monday August 1st and before sundown on Tuesday August 2nd.  A plenary indulgence is available under the usual conditions – please see this link for details: https://sensusfidelium.com/2019/07/29/portiuncula-indulgence-from-vespers-august-1st-to-sundown-on-august-2nd/
  • August 6 – the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord: This feast marks when Our Lord took Ss. Peter, James and John up to Mt. Tabor where they saw Our Lord glorified, along with Moses and Elijah. To learn more about the traditions of this feast day visit Fisheaters.com: https://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterpentecost5.html

Feast of the Holy Maccabees – August 1st

The second commemoration of August 1st is an often overlooked feast day, that of the Holy Maccabees – the only Old Testament saints listed in the universal 1962 calendar (The Carmelites do commemorate another Old Testament great, the Prophet Elijah).  These seven holy Maccabee brothers were martyred defending the rights of God and for His public worship in a pagan culture. Their relics are actually buried in the same church that houses the chains of St. Peter. For more on the liturgical aspects of this feast day visit: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2018/08/the-feast-of-holy-maccabees.html#.XyOweX57nwc

It’s also a good time to be thankful for the many of the modern day Maccabees in the Church (some who have passed on to their eternal reward) who in the dark/confusing liturgical days of the 1970s and 1980s defended, sacrificed and suffered for the Traditional Mass when most in the Church were opposed to it. Yet their perseverance through the years (1971 Agatha Christie indult, 1984 Quattuor Abhinc Annos indult, and 1988 Ecclesiae Dei Moto Proprio, and 2007 Summorum Pontificum Moto Proprio), has enabled us to benefit from their sacrifices here in Charlotte each Sunday and on select weekdays. 

The Maccabean Saints give us much to reflect on as another persecution of the Traditional Latin Mass is occurring.

Here are some select commentaries on the Maccabees:

Dom Prosper Gueranger writes:

The sacred cause of which they were the champions, their strength of soul under the tortures, their sublime answers to the executioners, were so evidently the type reproduced by the later Martyrs, that the Fathers of the first centuries with one accord claimed for the Christian Church these heroes of the synagogue, who could have gained such courage from no other source than their faith in the Christ to come. For this reason they alone of all the holy persons of the ancient covenant have found a place on the Christian cycle; all the Martyrologies and Calendars of East and West attest the universality of their cultus, while its antiquity is such as to rival that of St. Peter’s chains in that same basilica of Eudoxia where their precious relics lie.

August 1 – Saint Peter’s Chains ~ Dom Prosper Gueranger

Their faith is also echoed in a sermon given by a New York priest in 2017:

First, we see how important it is to fight against assimilation into a pagan culture. Initially, the Jews of that time were subjected to a “soft” persecution, which offered them rewards for abandoning the traditions of their fathers (for example, circumcision and refusal to eat pork). When that didn’t work, “hard” persecution ensued. Don’t we find the same modus operandi today? How many would-be Catholic politicians have sold their Catholic souls for acceptability in a political party of death, which also promotes a vision of marriage inimical to both the natural law and divine revelation? How many Catholics work in offices and public service in this city yet are completely unknown as Catholics since their lifestyle blends in seamlessly with that of the secular culture (or anti-culture)? In effect, they are content to be crypto-Catholics, even though Our Lord commanded us: “What you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops” (Mt 10:27).

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/08/01/lessons-from-the-holy-maccabees/

As we are now entering into another period of liturgical persecution, we may consider praying that may God send us more modern day Maccabees – especially among the clergy.

The Maccabees of the 1970s and 1980s helped preserve the Traditional Latin Mass for this generation. What Mass are you attending Sunday?