Dear friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christus! We have some updates as we proceed through the season of Septugesima (pre-lent).  This period which began last Sunday and runs through Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) is a time of preparation for Lent filled with a more somber tone. In fact you may have noticed Fr. Reid’s vestments were purple to denote the penitential time.   To learn more, please read Fisheaters’ summary on the Septugesima season.

As noted, here are the 5 main updates we wanted to share with you:

1. Candle Blessing this Sunday AND Tuesday: In the ancient calendar, this Tuesday February 2nd is the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Mother or commonly known as Candlemas (Mass by candle light) and on this feast there is an ancient custom to have candles blessed. While St. Ann will not be offering Candlemas this year Father Reid has generously agreed to bless candles on two days: After Sunday’s 12:30 Latin Massand after Tuesday’s 7:00am English Mass (the actual feast day). Please bring your candles to either Mass and Father will bless them immediately after Mass. On Sunday, we will set up a table where you can place them prior to Mass (Please place them on table before Sunday Mass).

2. First Friday Latin Mass on February 5th!!!: Thanks to Fr. Reid’s generosity and care for our souls, he will begin offering a First Friday Latin Mass on Friday February 5th at 7:00am (Low Mass). As you know First Friday devotions to the Sacred Heart are important to many who attend the Extraordinary Form (including making the 9 First Friday devotions). That is why we’re so excited Father Reid is offering this monthly Mass in the Extraordinary Form starting next Friday. We encourage all to make the extra sacrifice to attend this first devotional Mass.

3. Ash Wednesday: There is a Latin Mass scheduled for the morning of Ash Wednesday February 10^th at 7 AM (note morning, not evening). .

4. Next fellowship coffee February 14th: Come and meet your fellow parishioners and enjoy some coffee and snacks for the Feast of St. Valentine on Sunday February 14th (which is technically subjugated to the First Sunday of Lent).  We plan to have the coffee set up on the narthex after 12:30pm Latin Mass.

5. Parish mission February 14-17th, 7pm: Speaking of February 14th, this day also begins the Lenten parish mission at St. Ann’s, and Fr. Wolfgang Seitze of Opus Sanctorum Angelorum will be the providing the mission, on the topics of the Angels, Our Lady, and the Cross. Fr. Seitze offers both forms of the Mass, and he will offer a Latin Mass on Sunday and Wednesday during the Mission. Please make plans to attend.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christi!  Below are a few updates that are pertinent to coming days:

1. Liturgy & Lager Men’s Group:  Please join us tomorrow (Jan 20th)  after the 6pm Latin Mass at St. Ann Catholic Church.  A group of men from the parish are going out for a pint at Sir Edmond Halleys Pub [http://www.siredspub.com/].  No formal agenda … just a pint with fellow Catholic men.  We should start arriving at the pub around 7:00 PM … all priests and seminarians drink for free!!!

2. Epiphany Water Reminder:  Reminder that there is still a bunch of Epiphany Water remaining in the narthex at St. Ann.  Now that everyone has had ample chance to get a fair share, please feel free to come in with larger containers and finish it off … as supplies last.

3. First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Reminder that starting on Friday February 5th, St. Ann will be starting a First Friday Mass at 7:00am (I think).  Please keep an eye on the bulletin for confirmation on that time.

4. Article: Why Families Need the Traditional Parish:  Please forgive the self-promoting act of sharing an article that I wrote.  This was published this morning on the Liturgy Guy website that is run by our very own Brian Williams.  I wanted to share the content as it is relevant to any Latin Mass community:  The article is attached here: http://liturgyguy.com/2016/01/19/why-families-need-traditional-parishes/

5. March for Life Severe Weather Alert: According to meteorologists, there is a big snow storm that is headed for Washington DCthis coming Friday that will land right on top of the March for Life.  Everyone who is not going to the March for Life this year in Washington DC … I implore you to fast in some extra way this Friday for the marchers who will be suffering extra for the unborn.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our priests and our Community.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community

Laudetur Iesus Christus!  In the ancient Church calendar we have entered into the Octave of Epiphany which runs thru January 13th (Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord). The Christmas season then continues on a spiritual level until February 2nd, the Feast of the Purification/Candlemas. During this “Epiphanytide” it’s been customary for the faithful to have their homes blessed by a priest, and when a priest can’t be present (which is common), the father of the household can perform this blessing which we kindly attach.

Epiphany Blessing Kits

In the spirit of Epiphanytide, the Charlotte Latin Mass Community will distribute Epiphany Blessing Kits this Sunday after the 12:30pm Latin Mass. The kits includes Epiphany Holy Water, Blessed Chalk, Holy Salt.  The Epiphany Holy Water is actually located in the Holy Water Font in the narthex and you will need to bring your own container. The chalk and Holy Salt will come in a bag with some information.  As noted above, the Blessing prayers are attached as a PDF file.

A few questions (and some poorly worded answers)

1. What is Epiphany Holy Water? In short, it’s very powerful Holy Water and its blessing contains an exorcism prayer along with the Litany of the Saints. The entire blessing usually done on January 5th and takes 40 minutes. It can be used in the home blessing, your home’s holy water font, and used to ward off evil spirits or demons.

2. What is Blessed Chalk? This sacramental is used during the Epiphany Home blessing and you are to write the year and the initials of the 3 Magi over the door of your home to show Christ reigns in that home, and to keep away evil spirits.
3. What is Blessed Salt? – Although not tied directly to the Epiphany Blessing custom, it’s a powerful sacramental which can ward off demons and evil spirits. You can sprinkle it around your house during the blessing, take it with you when you travel (hotels), or even place in your food (at any time). Fisheaters has more information about it.
4. Why all the attention around Epiphany? It’s a big deal! 🙂 Epiphany is an important feast in the Church, and she provides her faithful with many graces during this Christmas season, including many sacramentals that help us on our journey to salvation. Many of the customs of Epiphany were forgotten and but now we are rediscovering them. The Roman Ritual book of 1962 (i.e. the Extraordinary Form rite) contain many of these traditional blessings throughout the year. In these troubled times, let us all make full use of the graces and gifts Holy Mother Church provides us.

There is a lot more to say about these 3 blessed Sacramentals, but the linked resources will be a good place to start. We hope to see you Sunday.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christus! As we eagerly anticipate the Nativity of Our Lord, please view the Latin Mass schedule for Christmas week and beyond.

Many Latin Masses this week: We are especially blessed to have 3 consecutive days of Latin Masses here in the Charlotte area, beginning with the normal Wednesday evening Masses at St. Ann and St. Thomas; followed by the Vigil of the Nativity on December 24th, and capping it off with Christmas Day Masses on December 25th. The only High Mass for Christmas will be on December 24th at St. Ann’s and as custom will feature the beautiful music from our St. Ann’s schola. We hope you can attend this beautiful Vigil Mass. Schedule is listed below.

Fasting on Christmas Eve: For those following the traditional practice of fasting & abstinence on Christmas Eve (in effect prior to 1965), you may be unaware that in 1959, Pope John XXIII granted an indult to all faithful the option to move their fast to December 23rd instead. We should note, that this practice of fasting on Dec. 23 or 24th is no longer binding and is just voluntary today as a pius practice (i.e. you’re not required to fast on either day under current rules). To learn more about the indult, please view this article.

Blessing of Wine on Sunday December 27th: Lastly we draw your attention to this Sunday’s 12:30pm Mass (St. Ann’s), which is both the 3rd Day in the Octave of Christmas and the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John is the patron saint of wine (who knew?!) and there is a custom on this day to have your wine blessed. All are invited to bring your wine and carefully leave them on or near the blessing table in the narthex before Mass. Immediately after Mass, Father will bless them. The blessed wine of course is drinkable and is a sacramental too. Here is a short custom about it from Fisheaters.com:

Though he (St. John) wasn’t martyred, it wasn’t for his enemies’ lack of trying. According to legend, he was served poisoned wine, but survived because he blessed the wine before he put it to his lips; the poison rose from the chalice in the shape of a serpent. In his happy memory, Catholics bring wine to church, which the priest blesses, turning it into a sacramental called the “Love of St. John.” Catholics use this sacramental wine for special occasions throughout the year and to give to the sick.

On that happy note, we present to you the Christmastide schedule:

1. . Wednesday, December 23^rd:   Regular Wednesday Latin Mass
   1. Ann: 6:00pm
   2. Thomas Aquinas: 7:00pm
2. . Thursday, December 24^th: (Ancient Feast of Ss. Adam and Eve)
   1. Vigil of the Nativity 6:30pm Latin Mass (Father Reid)
3. . Friday, December 25^th: Christmas day
   1. Sacred Heart (Salisbury): 8:30 am Low Mass (Father Ferguson, FSSP)
   2. Ann: 11:00 am Low Mass (Father Barone)
4. . Sunday, December 27^th:3rd day in the Octave of the Christmas (Feast of St. John)
5. . Friday, January 1^st: Octave Day of the Nativity 12:00 noon (First Friday & Feast of the Circumcision)
   1. Holy Day of Obligation
   2. Confessions prior to Mass (We believe confession will be offered from 10:15 – 11:45 – check bulletin this weekend)
6. . Wednesday, January 6^th: Epiphany
   1. Sacred Heart (Salisbury): 12:00 noon (Father Ferguson, FSSP)
   2. Thomas Aquinas: 7:00pm (A special Solemn High Masswith music provided the Carolina Catholic Chorale, orchestra and soloists directed by Thomas F. Savoy, director. Music: Spatzen-Messe (K.220) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.)
   3. Ann: 6:00pm

On behalf of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community, we want to extend our wishes for a joyous Christmastide to all our Latin Mass Community families, and express our gratitude to all our priests, seminarians, altar servers and music directors who helped give glory to God by offering, serving, chanting and promoting this beautiful and ancient liturgy. Let us also not forget to pray for our fellow Catholics in the Middle East and other areas who are suffering for their faith for yet another Christmas. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christus!  As we enter into the 3rd week of Advent, it’s also Ember Week, where 3 days (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) are set aside for prayer and fasting in the 1962 calendar (now optional under the current Canon Law Code). As Fisheaters.com states:

Four times a year, the Church sets aside three days to focus on God through His marvelous creation. These quarterly periods take place around the beginnings of the four natural seasons 1 that “like some virgins dancing in a circle, succeed one another with the happiest harmony,” as St. John Chrysostom wrote (see Readings below).

These four times are each kept on a successive Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and are known as “Ember Days,” or Quatuor Tempora, in Latin. The first of these four times comes in Winter, after the the Feast of St. Lucy; the second comes in Spring, the week after Ash Wednesday; the third comes in Summer, after Pentecost Sunday; and the last comes in Autumn, after Holy Cross Day.

These times are spent fasting and partially abstaining (voluntary since the new Code of Canon Law) in penance and with the intentions of thanking God for the gifts He gives us in nature and beseeching Him for the discipline to use them in moderation.

Ember Days are days favored for priestly ordinations, prayer for priests, first Communions, almsgiving and other penitential and charitable acts, and prayer for the souls in Purgatory.

Note that medieval lore says that during Embertides, the souls in Purgatory are allowed to appear visibly to those on earth who pray for them.

Because of the days’ focus on nature, they are also traditional times for women to pray for children and safe deliveries.

The Masses during the Ember Days also have special readings and prayers. If you have a 1962 daily missal, you may wish to take a closer look at the readings this week for these days.  As we hear much about “climate change” in the news, its important to actually learn how the Church traditionally gave thanks to God for creation- something missing in today’s discussion.  You can learn more by visiting Fisheaters.com or review this wonderful Ember Day document published by Prince of Peace Parish in Taylors, SC. And of course Wednesday’s 6pm Mass at St. Ann will be Ember Wednesday Mass.

Other events this week:

1) Liturgy and Lager after Mass this Wednesday: For the gents – our first Liturgy and Lager is after Wednesday’s 6pm Mass. We’ll go out to nearby Sir Edmond Halley’s after Mass and grab a drink or meal and have fellowship (beer is OK during Ember Days – see note at bottom of e-mail). All guys are welcome. Contact Chris if you have questions.

2) Rorate Mass 6:30am Saturday at St. Ann: One of the parish’s beautiful traditions. Never been to a Rorate Mass? See John Cosmos’ beautiful photos of St. Thomas’ Rorate Mass last Saturday.

3) Blessing Table after Mass this Sunday: A blessing table will be set up in the narthex so you can have religious items/gifts blessed by Fr. Reid after 12:30 Mass. Please place them on the table either prior to Mass (assume risks) or immediately after Mass so Father is not waiting. Items can be rosaries, medals, scapulars, statues, sacred art, candles, Holy water, Salt, oil, etc. (this is not exhaustive)

4) Coffee & donuts this past Sunday: Thanks to all who joined us Sunday. Judging by the crowd it was a great success! – no doubt thanks to St. Lucy’s intercession. If you have any feedback on the coffee and how to make it better let us know. Stay tuned for our January coffee.

===============
Drinking during Ember Day fast:

“Strictly speaking, whatever may be classified under the head of liquids may be taken as drink or medicine at any time of the day or night on fasting days. Hence, water, lemonade, soda, water,ginger ale, wine, beer and similar drinks may be taken on fasting days outside meal time even though such beverages may, to some extent, prove nutritious.”
[Taken  from New Advent article on Fasting:  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05789c.htm%5D

12-10-15 UPDATE:

Lastly, for those traveling north this weekend, Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro will also be offering its own Rorate Mass at 6am this Saturday morning Dec. 12th.

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Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

We have a busy few weeks ahead. Here is the latest news and events:

1) Mass schedule for this week: Just a reminder St. Ann will have a 7pm Missa Cantata tomorrow (Dec 8) for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. After Mass the parish is hosting its annual night for life from 8pm – midnight to pray for the unborn. From 11pm-midnight there will be a special Holy Hour of Reparation for the sins of abortion, contraception, euthanasia and same sex unions. Please try to make it at some point tomorrow evening.  Separately, on Wednesday, there will still be the regular 6pm Latin Mass this week.

2) St. Lucy’s coffee & donuts after Mass this Sunday: Please join us after Mass this Sunday December 13th, the Feast of St. Lucy (and Gaudete Sunday) as we host our first donuts & coffee in the narthex after the 12:30pm Mass. Please drop by for a few minutes and meet your fellow parishioners. To commemorate St. Lucy, we will also serve some cinnamon rolls which resemble a pastry called St. Lucy’s Cats (Lussekatter), a Swedish custom that honors this saint. You can learn more about St. Lucy customs and traditions at Fisheaters.com.

Looking ahead we have some important items of interest:

3) Liturgy & Lager December 16th: Our first Liturgy and Lager event for the gents. After Wednesday 6pm Latin Mass, we will gather at Sir Edmond Halley’s pub just down the street on Park Road for a drink or dinner. All men are welcome to join.

4) Rorate Mass: Saturday December 19th at 6:30am (yes AM) at St. Ann’s. A beautiful candlelit Latin Mass at dawn. If you never have been this annual tradition, it’s highly worth it. (St. Thomas Aquinas parish offers its Rorate Mass this Saturday at 6am).

5) Blessings table (tentative): On Sunday December 20th, we hope to have a blessings table in the narthex where you can have your religious gifts, items and sacramentals blessed by Father immediately after Mass. These items can include rosaries, sacred art, bibles, medals and other sacramentals. This is tentative so we’ll send confirmation next week and some more details.

May you have a Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12) – ora pro nobis!

Dear Friends of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community,

Laudetur Iesus Christus! I pray you are all doing well. I have a few updates related to the Latin Mass in Charlotte. But first I wanted to boast for a moment about the new mural at St. Ann Catholic Church. My schedule only allowed me to stop by St. Ann for a few minutes tonight, but I was amazed at how well it turned out. It really has transformed the sanctuary.

The mural was based on the famous Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (y. 1432), better known as the Ghent Altarpiece from Ghent Cathedral in Belgium. I don’t have any any photos to share, and my poor words will not do it justice … so you will have to join us for the Latin Mass this Sunday at 12:30pm to see if for yourself. Of course you could go anytime to see it, but to see this scene of adoration with the priest offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass facing Christ the Lamb will be quite a sight to behold.

1. Latin Mass Class: We received a great deal of positive feedback from people wanting to learn more about the Latin Mass, both the theology and the practical aspects of the Mass from a lay perspective. We are looking at a few options to organize some face-to-face catechesis and/or book studies, but in the mean time, we will be sharing a few good online resources that might be a good starting point.

The first video we will share was done by the Catholic News Service and is a short 4 minute video of Father Joseph Kramer of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Father Kramer gives a historical perspective of Church tradition and the development of the liturgy. I love Father Kramer … he is one of those people who could read out loud the phone book and I would find it interesting. The video link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLeomOG3bN8

2. There are a few upcoming Masses at St. Ann Catholic Church. Keep in mind that these dates and times can change, so check the bulletin as the dates get closer.
Tuesday Dec 1st: Requiem Mass for Gordon Reid (7:00pm)(location TBD)
Tuesday Dec 8th: Immaculate Conception (7:00 pm)
Saturday Dec 20th: Rorate Mass of our Lady in Advent (6:30 am … yes AM)
Thursday Dec 24th: Vigil of the Nativity (6:30 pm)

3. Liturgy and Lager (3rd Wednesdays): All men of good cheer are welcome. Starting next month on Wednesday December 18th and ongoing on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, we will be gathering together for a mens’ social hour. We will be meeting up for a pint after the Wednesday night 6:00 pm Latin Mass at St. Ann. There is a small pub about a half mile away called Sir Edmond Halley’s. The pub also has a food menu for those who want to order food. You don’t have to, but if you chose to join us for the whole evening, the schedule is as follows:
— 5:00 pm Holy Hour of Reparation at St. Ann
— 6:00 pm Latin Mass at St. Ann
— 7:00 pm Liturgy & Lager at Sir Edmond Halley’s
Sir Edmond Halley’s
4151 Park Road
Charlotte NC 28209

You don’t have to go to Mass in order to join us … but it will be good for you 🙂

November 1-8 offers us the ability to gain plenary indulgences for the poor souls in purgatory.