Laudetur Iesus Christus! As summer and the Season after Pentecost begins in earnest, we’re entering into a seemingly quieter time (liturgically speaking). However we do have some important events to share with you:

1. Liturgy & Fraternity: Wednesday June 15, after 6pm Mass the men can meet for a drink or dinner at Sir Edmond Halley’s, at the Park Road shopping center.

2. Coffee & Donuts after Mass: Sunday June 26 after the 12:30pm Mass. It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to chat after Mass, so the CLMC will be organizing coffee & donuts (and other snacks). If you’re able to help or bring a side dish/snack, let us know.

3. Sacred Music Class: Wednesday July 27th from 7-8:30pm. This second installment in our Latin Mass class series will be on Sacred Music for the Extraordinary Form, and will be taught by our own Stefano Monaco, member of the St. Ann’s Men’s schola which sings/chants at the 12:30pm Latin Mass. This will cover what Sacred Music is, where it came from and why we should sing it.

Please note this won’t be a “how to sing Gregorian Chant class”, but rather an overview of Sacred Music and why it’s important. As usual Latin Mass at 6pm, and a light dinner to be served after.

More details will follow but please save these dates.

Laudetur Iesus Christus! We have a major feast day (1st Class) this Friday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and by providence this year it falls on First Friday. As Fr. Reid noted in the bulletin, since First Friday traditions are rooted in the Sacred Heart, it’s an splendid day to attend Mass. Thankfully, Fr. Reid will offer a First Friday Latin Mass at 7am Friday morning at St. Ann.  For more information about the Sacred Heart devotions and the promises made to those who make the 9 consecutive First Fridays, please read here.

Mini-murals: Speaking of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, if you haven’t seen the new proposed mini-murals that will go over the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady’s statues, we invite you to take a look and consider financially supporting this effort to glorify God at our parish. You can view them here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskz5Pkz3

Young adult lunch: Lastly, for young adults in their 20s & 30s, the Latin Mass young adult lunch group will meet this Sunday after 12:30pm Mass. The group will meet in the narthex after Mass and head to a local restaurant for lunch and fellowship. The topic of discussion will be the Benedict Option: could it happen in Charlotte? Friends welcome.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christus!  We have some very important 1st-Class Feast Days coming up.  These announcements are also listed in the St. Ann’s Bulletin, so many are already aware of these.

Firstly however, I wanted to direct everyone’s attention to a great article on St. Ann’s Catholic Church that ran in the latest edition of Regina Magazine.  St. Ann’s was featured in the Amazing Parishes series that has been running in the magazine (Click Here).  The article was written by local St. Ann parishioner, Zach Levering.  Great job Zach!

1. Sunday May 22nd: Holy Trinity Sunday, 12:30pm (1st Class Feast):  On the traditional Liturgical Calendar, Trinity Sunday marks the official end of the Easter Season and the beginning of the Season after Pentecost.

2. Thursday May 26th: Feast of Corpus Christi, St. Ann’s 7:00pm (1st Class Feast): All around the world in Catholic countries, this Feast is a Holy Day of Obligation and in many places it is a national holiday where all businesses are closed and they have huge processions through the streets.  The United States is one of the few countries to downplay this Feast by transferring the obligation to the following Sunday.  What a great blessing that our Bishop and Pastor have such strong devotions to the Holy Eucharist.

   

3. 40-Hours Devotion (or Quarant’Ore) for Corpus Christi:  St. Ann’s will be hosting a 40-Hours devotion immediately following the Corpus Christi Mass on Thursday night.  There are sign up boards in the Narthex of St. Ann’s for people to sign up for one hour time blocks.  Please sign up!!!  The 40-Hours Devotion, introduced into Rome by St. Philip Neri in 1548, is the collective adoration of the exposed Eucharist for a period of 40-hours, in honor of the time Our Lord spent in the tomb (no single person is expected to spend 40-hours in adoration) [Excerpt from Fish Eaters].

4. Feast of the Sacred Heart, Friday, June 3rd, St. Ann’s 7:00am (1st Class Feast):  The Feast of the Sacred Heart falls 19 days after the Feast of Pentecost.  While it always falls on a Friday, this year we have the extra grace of it falling on a First Friday of the Month, which is tied to the First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart.There is an ancient tradition, whereby Catholics prepare for this Feast by beginning a Novena to the Sacred Heart on the Feast of Corpus Christi (Thursday May 26th) which is the Thursday of the week before. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart itself, we can gain a plenary indulgence by making an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart.  Friday June 3rd is also a great day to enthrone our homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  More information can be found on this page.

5. Calling all members of the Confraternity of St. Peter:  The Confraternity of St. Peter is a sodality of lay faithful who wish to unite themselves to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).  Rightly so, the FSSP leadership will not share out names, leaving it up to us to find each other, but we have been told that on aggregate, there are 62 members of the Confraternity in the greater metro-Charlotte area. A few of us who have already found each other, are talking about putting together some organized local events such as talk and reflections.  If you are currently a member (one of these 62 members) of the Confraternity, and would like to be involved in some local events, please send us an email via our webform and tell us your name.  If you are not a member currently but would like to join the Confraternity of St. Peter, please see the “How to Join” link on this page, and then also send me an email via our webform so we know who you are.

Laudetur Iesus Christus!  I have two updates that I wanted to share:

1. Liturgy & Fraternity (Date Change): The Liturgy & Fraternity group will not be meeting this week, as this week is an Ember Weekwhich is supposed to be penitential … so instead we will shift the meeting to the following Wednesday, May 25th after the Wednesday night Latin Mass at St. Ann (we meet up around 7pm).  All men are welcome.  There is a small pub about a half mile away called Sir Edmond Halley’s [4151 Park Road, Charlotte NC 28209].  The pub also has a good food menu for those who want to order food.  Look forward to seeing you there!

2. Latin Mass Attendance Commitment: Firstly, we have had a great amount of supportive responses to this request which is a great blessing.  In addition, I had a couple good questions from people, asking why attendance at the Latin Mass mattered any differently than at the Novus Ordo.  I thought it would be helpful to explain this in some more detail.

The current juridical formula governing the Extraordinary Form Mass, what some refer to as the Traditional Latin Mass, was instituted into Church Law in 2007 by the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum.  Unlike the Ordinary Form Mass, the Extraordinary Form obtains its particular rights through a request of the lay faithful and by their sustained attendance.  Of course a bishop or pastor could institute it on his own initiative, but in the case of the Latin Mass at St. Ann in Charlotte, it was instituted in response to a request of the faithful.  Church Law (Sum. Pont. Art. 5. § 1) refers to a coetus fidelium, which is Latin for a stable group of faithful, as being necessary to support such requests.  Church Law does not define any attendance number, which leaves it rather subjective.  A number that is sufficient for a current pastor or bishop, could be insufficient for the next.  One thing is certain, however, more is always better.

To restate our history, on August 15, 2011, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the anniversary of the founding of St. Ann Catholic Church, a stable group of faithful joined together to make a request for the Latin Mass.  This request was ultimately granted on February 10, 2013 — one day prior to the announcement of the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI.  We are so blessed to have a pastor and bishop who are so supportive of our spiritual needs.

When I equate attendance to the Latin Mass at St. Ann as a matter of “justice”, it is in the classical use of the term, which is more a matter of equity as opposed to one of judgement.  For example, if Mass attendance at St. Ann were to fall below a number that our pastor or bishop felt was too low, than either of them would have greater discretion to discontinue this Mass.  This is only reasonable.  If that were to occur, I am sure that many of the 1,400 people who are on this CLMC email list but who are not regularly attending the Latin Mass might feel some disappointment.  They might have wanted to have known ahead of time how important the attendance numbers were in this case.

I know that many people struggle with real difficulties with attending an afternoon Mass at this time slot and/or location.  There are some who live rather far away; or who may not have reliable transportation; or have a health concern.  For some, it might be imprudent to attend every week, but it might be reasonable to attend occasionally.  I gave the once per month figure as a example, but the right frequency for each family might be more or less — or it may not be practical to attend at all.  As in all things, let prudence be your guide.

For those who can not join us in person, in your charity, please include us in your prayer intentions!

Also note:

Feast of Corpus Christi May 26th: This magnificent feast will occur on Thursday May 26th and Fr. Reid is graciously offering a 7pm Mass that evening.

40 Hours of Adoration: Immediately after Corpus Christi Mass on the 26th will begin 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration. The sign up sheets are in the narthex and Father encourages all to sign up for a 30 minute slot.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community (CLMC),

Laudetur Iesus Christus on this the 99th anniversary of the First Apparition of Fatima!

Our Novena: As Thursday concluded our novena to St. Gregory (and Our Lady) for the Latin Mass faithful’s needs, we wanted to thank you for participating and praying with us for our needs. As you saw from the Ascension Mass, the beauty and awe that this liturgy conveys – how much greater off would Charlotte be if we had this frequently?

Sacred Heart Prayer Request: Our efforts however are not done as we have another prayer request for you – this time from our friends in the Salisbury Latin Mass Community.  They are preparing to address Bishop Jugis with their need/desire for the reestablishment of the weekly Sunday Latin Mass at Sacred Heart parish in Salisbury. Please join with them in praying a 30 day Litany to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (just pray the attached pray for 30 days) for this matter.  The prayer begins this Pentecost Sunday, May 14th (click here for the Litany).

Pentecost Plenary Indulgence: Speaking of Pentecost, we will have a beautiful treat on Sunday as Fr. Kauth (filling in for Fr. Reid) will lead the congregation in praying the Veni Creator Spiritus, which when prayed on Pentecost has a Plenary Indulgence attached to it. You won’t want to miss this Mass.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community (CLMC),

Laudetur Iesus Christus! Just a reminder that today Wednesday May 4th begins our Rosary novena to St. Gregory the Great, begging his intercession for the following intentions:

1. Full sacramental life in the Extraordinary Form for the Latin Mass faithful in Charlotte (more details here)
2. To send more priests for the Latin Mass faithful

The novena is simple, just pray 1 Rosary daily from May 4 – May 12th and recite the prayer to St. Gregory attached at the end of each rosary. Be sure to invoke Our Lady of Fatima’s intercession too as the novena ends the day before her feast.

Parents, please consider encouraging your children to pray too as their prayers are most efficacious (Matthew 18:3-4)

St. Gregory the Great and Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

Rosary Novena Prayer to St. Gregory the Great

1. Pray a Rosary each day beginning May 4 and ending May 12.
2. At the end of each Rosary, add this prayer:

St. Gregory, you are known for your zeal for the Catholic faith, love of liturgy, and compassion and mercy toward those in need.  Please help and guide us so that we may share in these virtues and thereby bring Jesus into the hearts of our families and all we encounter.  We especially ask for blessings on our parish family, our priests and our deacons.

I also ask that you graciously intercede for me before God so that I might be granted the special assistance and graces that I seek (full sacramental life in the Extraordinary Form for the Charlotte faithful and that Our Lord will send more Latin Mass priests to our diocese). 

Help me to live as a faithful child of God and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.  

St. Gregory the Great, pray for us.  

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Amen.

Laudetur Iesus Christus! We have a busy week at St. Ann’s for the Latin Mass devotees.  In fact, we’ll have 3 consecutive days of Latin Masses.

1. Wednesday: Vigil of the Ascension, 6pm:  As normal. Holy Hour from 5-6pm

2. Thursday: Ascension Thursday 7pm (not a Holy Day of Obligation). There will be a Solemn High Mass for this glorious feast and will feature music by the Carolina Catholic Chorale and Orchestra who will sing Antonio Caldara’s Mass in A.  This will be a rare treat as Caldara’s music is not in print and is the first time it will be sung in centuries–right here at St. Ann’s (Thanks Father Reid!). The music was re-created by Carolina Catholic Chorale director Tom Savoy so please make an effort to attend – you won’t regret it!

3. Friday: First Friday Latin Mass 7am: As normal.  Also to note, there will be a special Novus Ordo Mass, the St. Dominic Salvo altar boy Mass at 7pm as well. All are invited.

Novena Reminder: Lastly, just a reminder, the CLMC will begin its Rosary novena for full sacramental life (i.e. parish life) in the Extraordinary Form beginning this Wednesday May 4. Please consider joining us in praying to our new patron, St. Gregory the Great.

https://charlottelatinmass.org/2016/04/28/novena-for-the-latin-mass-community/

Rosary Novena Prayer to St. Gregory the Great

1. Pray a Rosary each day beginning May 4 and ending May 12.
2. At the end of each Rosary, add this prayer:

St. Gregory, you are known for your zeal for the Catholic faith, love of liturgy, and compassion and mercy toward those in need.  Please help and guide us so that we may share in these virtues and thereby bring Jesus into the hearts of our families and all we encounter.  We especially ask for blessings on our parish family, our priests and our deacons.

I also ask that you graciously intercede for me before God so that I might be granted the special assistance and graces that I seek (full sacramental life in the Extraordinary Form for the Charlotte faithful and that Our Lord will send more Latin Mass priests to our diocese). 

Help me to live as a faithful child of God and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.  

St. Gregory the Great pray for us.   Amen

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

This coming Friday April 29th is the Feast of St. Peter Martyr (or St. Peter of Verona), a 13th century Dominican Friar.  A disciple of St. Dominic, Pope Gregory IX appointed St. Peter as a general inquisitor to combat the Manichean heresy, and St. Peter defended the faith across Italy through his preaching. He was martyred in 1252.

In the Extraordinary Form, there is an ancient custom to honor St. Peter by having palm leaves blessed in his honor. Tradition holds that when these blessed palm leaves are made into crosses and buried in the four corners of one’s property, they are to guard against natural disasters.

While there is no Latin Mass on his feast day, Fr. Reid has generously agreed to bless St. Peter palms for us. We will be handing out these “blessed palm kits” on Sunday May 1st before and after the 12:30pm Latin Mass at St. Ann’s. Please stop by the Latin Mass table to pick them up while quantities last.

Also if you have time to help us prepare the kits, we’ll be meeting at 11am May 1st in the upstairs conference room of the Allen Center.

We leave you with a poem St. Thomas Aquinas composed about St. Peter Martyr.

Here silent is Christ’s Herald;
Here quenched, the People’s Light;
Here lies the martyred Champion
Who fought Faith’s holy fight.

The Voice the sheep heard gladly,
The light they loved to see
He fell beneath the weapons
Of graceless Cathari.

The Saviour crowns His Soldier;
His praise the people psalm.
The Faith he kept adorns him
With martyr’s fadeless palm.

His praise new marvels utter,
New light he spreads abroad
And now the whole wide city
Knows well the path to God.