"God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world.
"We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." ~ Closing Prayer for 12 December, Liturgy of the Hours
As today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I did a little searching on the subject and came across several fine finds. (An aside: Another bit to add to the "Everywhere You Go, Franciscans!" file: It was a Franciscan friar, Bishop Juan Zumárraga, OFM, to whom St. Juan Diego displayed his tilma.)
For a quick overview on Our Lady of Guadalupe, see The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, helpfully provided by the ever-awesome Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (who have placed themselves under the protection and guidance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, btw).
Check out this a super-short clip (25 seconds) of the interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico City) on YouTube:
basilica guadalupe
And for All Things Guadalupe, check out Our Lady of Guadalupe, which provides extensive information about Our Lady of Guadalupe along with other aspects of Marian devotion. I especially like the picture gallery; there's an awesomeSt. Michael statue shown there! Seriously, anyone know how we can order a (small) replica of that sucker?!
Just the other day, there was a clipping included with one of my Franciscan newsletters that featured tips on how to "keep Christ in Christmas". Lots of good suggestions, so I'm passing some on here, plus a few others I've found elsewhere. And yes, I know that technically, we're not even in Advent (02-24 December) yet, let alone the Christmas season proper (25 December until the Baptism of Our Lord, this year on 13 January), but in our secularized culture, it's been Christmastime since just after Thanksgiving. :-P
Share and enjoy! :-)
Wish people "Merry Christmas", instead of "Happy Holidays".
Use postage stamps with a religious theme.
Buy and send religious Christmas cards.
Instead of rushing to mail your Christmas cards before 25 December, wait until after the 25th -- the Christmas season proper -- to do so. This will allow you to take a bit more time and be more relaxed as you send out messages of peace and love.
Buy and use an Advent calendar.
During Advent, have your children place a straw in the crèche for each good deed they do as a gift to Baby Jesus.
Since today is the day Franciscans commemorate All Souls of the Seraphic Order (we'll celebrate the Feast of All Saints of the Seraphic Order on 29 November), I thought it'd be in keeping with things to share a Franciscan Litany of All Saints. What better way to pray for all the souls of our Order than by asking our sainted Franciscan brothers and sisters to join in?
I've seen a few different litanies while a-Googlin', and this particular one is from the Secular Franciscan Companion (pp. 266-276), 1987 edition. This version lists only the canonized Franciscan saints as of the edition's 1987 publication date, a total of 125. (Please pardon any typos/goofs -- this was a lot to type! If you catch any errors, please lemme know and I'll fix 'em.)
A Franciscan Litany of All Saints
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. God, the Father, have mercy on us. God, the Son, have mercy on us. God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, the Immaculate Conception, Queen of the Franciscan Order, pray for us. Holy Father Francis, pray for us.
All you holy martyrs of the Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saints Berard, Accursius, Adjutus, Otto, and Peter, Protomartyrs, pray for us. Saints Daniel, Angelo, Domnus, Hugolinus, Leo, Nicholas, and Samuel, Martyrs of Africa, pray for us. Saints Nicholas Tavelic, Deodat of Aquitaine, Peter of Narbonne, and Stephen of Cuneo, Martyrs of the Holy Land, pray for us. Saint Thomas More, Martyr of England, pray for us. Saints Nicholas Pick, Anthony Hornaer, Anthony of Weert, Cornelius, Francis, Godfrey, Jerome, Nicasius, Peter, Theodoric, Willehad, Martyrs of Holland, pray for us. Saints Peter Baptist Blasquez, Martin de Aguirre, Francis Blanco, Philip of Jesus of Mexico, Gonzalo García of India, and you holy seventeen Japanese members of the Third Order, Saints Anthony of Nagasaki, Bonaventure, Cosmas, Francis of Fahelante, Francis of Miyako, Gabriel, Joachim, John, Leo, Louis, Matthias, Michael, Paul Ibaraki, Paul Zuzuki, Peter, Thomas Danki, and Thomas Kosaki, Protomartyrs of Japan, pray for us. Saints John Jones and John Wall, Martyrs of England, pray for us. Saints Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Protomartyr of the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, pray for us. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr of Auschwitz, pray for us.
All you holy priests of the First Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Gospel and Wonderworker, pray for us. Saint Bonaventure, Seraphic Doctor, pray for us. Saint Benvenute of Osimo, Bishop, pray for us. Saint Louis of Tolouse, Bishop, pray for us. Saint Bernardine of Siena, pray for us. Saint John Capistran, pray for us. Saint Peter Regalado, pray for us. Saint James of the March, pray for us. Saint Peter of Alcantara, pray for us. Saint Francis Solano, pray for us. Saint Joseph of Leonissa, pray for us. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church, pray for us. Saint Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us. Saint Pacificus of San Severino, pray for us. Saint John Joseph of the Cross, pray for us. Saint Theophilus of Corte, pray for us. Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, pray for us. Saint Leopold Mandic, pray for us.
All you holy lay brothers of the First Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saint Didacus of Alcalá, pray for us. Saint Salvator of Horta, pray for us. Saint Felix of Cantalice, pray for us. Saint Benedict the Black, pray for us. Saint Paschal Baylon, pray for us. Saint Seraphim of Montegranaro, pray for us. Saint Charles of Sezze, pray for us. Saint Ignatius Laconi, pray for us. Saint Francis Camporosso, pray for us. Saint Conrad of Parzham, pray for us.
All you holy virgins of the Second Franciscan Order, pray for us. Holy Mother Clare of Assisi, pray for us. Saint Agnes of Assisi, pray for us. Saint Colette of Corbie, pray for us. Saint Catherine of Bologna, pray for us. Saint Veronica Giuliani, pray for us.
All you holy priests of the Third Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saint Yves of Brittany, pray for us. Saint Charles Borromeo, pray for us. Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, pray for us. Saint Vincent Palotti, Founder, pray for us. Saint John Mary Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, pray for us. Saint Joseph Cafasso, pray for us. Saint Michael Garicoits, pray for us. Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Founder, pray for us. Saint John Bosco, Founder, pray for us. Saint Pius X, Pope, pray for us.
All you holy foundresses of religious congregations who were members of the Third Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saint Bridget of Sweden, pray for us. Saint Jane of Valois, pray for us. Saint Angela Merici, pray for us. Saint Mary Bartholomea Capitanio, pray for us. Saint Mary Magdalen Postel, pray for us. Saint Vincentia Gerosa, pray for us. Saint Joachima de Mas y de Vedruna, pray for us. Saint Mary Josepha Rossello, pray for us. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.
All you holy men of the Third Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saint Ferdinand, King of Castile and Leon, pray for us. Saint Louis, King of France, Patron of the Third Order, pray for us. Saint Elzear of Sabran, pray for us. Saint Roch of Montpellier, pray for us. Saint Conrad of Piacenza, Hermit, pray for us.
All you holy women of the Third Franciscan Order, pray for us. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Third Order, pray for us. Saint Rose of Viterbo, Virgin, pray for us. Saint Zita of Lucca, Virgin, pray for us. Saint Margaret of Cortona, pray for us. Saint Clare of Montefalco, Virgin and Religious, pray for us. Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for us. Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us. Saint Frances of Rome, pray for us. Saint Catherine of Genoa, pray for us. Saint Hyacintha Mariscotti, Virgin and Religious, pray for us. Saint Mariana of Jesus of Quito, Virgin, pray for us. Saint Mary Frances of the Five Wounds, Virgin, pray for us.
All you holy Cordbearers of St. Francis, pray for us. Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop, pray for us. Saint Joseph Calasanctius, Founder, pray for us. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, pray for us. Saint Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin and Religious, pray for us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Let us pray: Almighty everlasting God, we thank You for granting us the joy of honoring our holy Father Francis and his sainted followers and enjoying the protection of their unceasing prayers. Grant us also the grace to imitate their example and so attain their fellowship in eternal glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We finally did it. After 9 years of growing angst and frustration, we officially switched parishes.
Actually, it's more like we left over a year ago, but we just now made it official by registering at the parish we've been attending, and notifying the old one of our departure. I was on my old parish's web site committee, and so it made things a little awkward when I told them I was stepping down. Thankfully, they didn't press for details at the last committee meeting I attended (this past Monday). While I won't miss the parish in the slightest, I will miss a few folks on that committee.
Ah, well. At least now it's done and over with, and we can move on.
It was just too difficult and exhausting to stay at Old Parish, as it was a hotbed of dissent and heterodoxy. The first major sign of trouble was when folks proposed building a labyrinth. (We wrote a letter of protest, and apparently enough other people complained that the idea was nixed.) Then we began picking up on lots of other craptastical junk. Like: liturgical abuses abounding with regular frequency; the pastor spouting approval for books by notorious dissenters during homilies; dissenting publications in the parish library (National Catholic Reporter, St. Anthony Messenger, you get the idea); and the bulletin frequently publishing heterodox claptrap about the liturgy, advertising -- and defending -- meetings for Call To Action on parish property, promoting seminars with dissenters and New Age gurus/topics ...
How'd we find New Parish? When discussing the insanity of Old Parish with one of my Franciscan sisters, she highly recommended us visiting what is now our new parish. New Parish has a 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration chapel, does NOT have any liturgical abuse (thank you, Lord!), and treats the Consecration with reverence (!) -- the first Mass we attended there, we both thought we were gonna faint when they actually rang the bells at the Consecration!
The pastor regularly speaks of the dangers of mortal sin (!), NOT with hellfire-and-brimstone ranting, but in a realistic, "Hey, don't do that" kind of way. His homilies INSTRUCT us on the faith and the Church. He actually calls out what kind of stuff is immoral and sinful. He includes praying for an end to abortion in the intentions EVERY Mass. He doesn't pull punches or gloss over the truth to make everyone feel happy and spout I'm-OK-you're-OK-let's-all-hold-hands-now-and-sing, in his weekly bulletin articles.
And New Parish has lots of immigrants from Poland, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Mexico. We have Polish and Spanish Masses, which is splendid.
We've also noted that, while Old Parish was pretty damned wealthy, New Parish is exceedingly poor. It's very much reinforcing our past experiences of rich parishes breeding stupidity and heterodoxy, and poor ones being faithful and solid. Interesting. So, while Husband Mike and I are happy to tithe at New Parish, we find ourselves hoping that it doesn't get too well-off.
And, I swear it wasn't intentional, but the name of our new parish is "St. Joseph the Worker".
Holy cow, this is a lovely site and great resource on the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite: The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius have launched a new site, Sancta Missa, with online tutorials and guides for all the rubrics. "Future projects include extensive tutorials for leaning the Requiem Mass, Missa Cantata or High Mass, Solemn High Mass, and hopefully, Pontifical Solemn Mass, Baptism Rite, and other timeless treasures of the Catholic liturgy. Each new addition requires extensive research and hours of videotaping, audio recording, and photo taking."
Not only do I appreciate the aim of the site, but dang, it looks gooooood. Seriously, I can't remember the last time (or, frankly, if ever) I've seen such a well-designed Catholic web site. It positively oozes reverence thanks to the color scheme, fonts, and graphics. Stunning, absolutely stunning.
M'kay, so in addition to all the great commentary and resources out there on B16's Summorum Pontificum, there's an equally large amount of delightful humor and banter surrounding the document an' what it all means. My reactions to the following gems ranged from smirking to outright guffawing. Share and enjoy!
First up, Barbara Nicolosi does a hilarious job of eviscerating the predictable hand-wringing from Kumbaya Catholics in Isn't it hard for you to kick against the goad? I almost had a case of the hiccups when I finished readin' it. Also check out her post, Not a Motu too soon.... Her "PS" is a keeper:
"In: Smells and bells and lingua Latina, baby! Out: Rubrics as suggestions. So five minutes ago: The faith community as god. Phrase to try and work into conversation this week: lex orandi needs to flow from lex credendi"
Second: Check out the following clip -- brilliant! (And I love all the B16 shots. :::happy sigh:::)
"[Card. Ricard] 2. Not all priests are adequately prepared for this. They lack formation. [Fr. Z.] Priests are smart. We can learn. I will teach any priest how to say the older Mass and help him with Latin. This is not astrophysics."
And last but definitely not least is Fr. Philip N. Powell's gut-splitting The Six Stages of Dissenting from the M.P., where he predicts the stages of behavior to expect from the Kumbaya Catholics:
"Stage Six: Conferences. Lots of conferences. With lots of famous Names. And Big Faces. All bleating from the podium about the death of the 'Spirit of Vatican Two.' Whining. Lots of whining. A few fits. The occasional tantrum. Probably a protest--before the collective Geritol starts to work. More whining. And dire predictions about the inevitable return of Evil Nuns with Rulers and ... GASP! ... a little beauty and reverence to the liturgy."
The world would be such a dreary place without them Dominicans!
Lots of great commentary out there on Summorum Pontificum, in which the Pope broadens the use of 1962 Roman Missal! (Unoffical English translation; official translation pending.) Of all the good stuff, the following two are my faves (so far).
First, author and blogger Amy Welborn has this great tip sheet on what the Summorum Pontificum does and does NOT say. Because, of course, the mainstream media always majorly mucks this stuff up, and their coverage this time is no exception.
Second is Phil Lawler's splendid analysis of the Summorum Pontificum. His explanation that "there are not two different rites, but two different forms of the Roman rite: the ordinary form, according to the current Roman Missal, and the extraordinary form, which uses the Missal that was in universal use prior to the liturgical changes that followed the Second Vatican Council" is particularly helpful. (B16's writing is pretty clear on this point, but Lawler's wording makes it especially so.)
Also: "In the long term, one suspects, the Pope sees a convergence of the two forms, bringing about the true organic reform of the liturgy that Vatican II envisioned."
And Lawler's observation on the current tension between those preferring different forms of the rite is spot-on:
"To be fair one must acknowledge that although many bishops have shown themselves unfriendly toward tradition-minded Catholics-- despite the pleas of John Paul II in Ecclesia Dei -- some traditionalists have been every bit as unfriendly in their attitude toward their bishops. Some traditionalists pounce on any opportunity to criticize the new liturgy, and a few -- a minority, certainly, but a very outspoken and divisive minority -- question whether the Novus Ordo liturgy is valid. The response to Summorum Pontificum in traditionalist circles will be another key test. If the motu proprio is warmly welcomed, that positive response might encourage bishops toward a generous implementation; if traditionalists fall into a pattern of carping criticism, bishops will feel that their hostility is justified."
Frankly, I've always found it jarring in the blogosphere (and in live conversation) when folks hurl around the terms "Novus Ordo" and "TLM" like hand grenades. Way too often, both terms have devolved into bitter "us-versus-them" connotations (I swear, with some folks, you can practically see the disdain when they write "Novus Ordo" or "TLM"), and that's just plain wrong.
I sincerely hope that with the allowances made for both forms of the Roman rite, we begin to see the unity and healing B16's trying to bring about.
Today's Seder meal wasn't setting for 1st Eucharist
Jes' had to share this informative read; ya learn something new every day! While you're there, do check out the rest o' Father's blog -- most splendiferous!
While not on the Church's universal calendar, the Feast of the Espousals -- customarily celebrated on 23 January -- has been observed as a particular feast in various forms since 1416, and it's a splendid way to honor the sanctity of marriage, so perfectly embodied in Mary and Joseph's union. Given the continued attacks on marriage and family all around us, meditating on the very real marriage of these Holy Spouses is especially valuable.
Studying the history of this feast -- and so many devotions and movements associated with Joseph -- tickles me to no end, since yet again, Franciscans play a role in its development! (Everywhere you look, Franciscans!) You can read a detailed history here; I've quoted some bits below:
"During the twentieth century the Feast of the Espousals on January 23 continued to be found in more particular calendars: St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, 1913; Marello's Oblates of St. Joseph, 1921; the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada, 1940; and Murialdo's Congregation of St. Joseph, 1946. ... In Vienna, Austria, the Piarist Church of the Espousals, which includes a Corradini sculpture of Mary and Joseph being blessed by the high priest, was named a minor basilica in 1949.
"In 1961 the Sacred Congregation of Rites issued an instruction that removed from particular calendars numerous particular feasts, including the Feast of the Espousals of Mary and St. Joseph, except in places where the feasts have a special connection with the place itself. In the post Vatican II period of liturgical renewal, the feast is again being permitted for particular liturgical calendars. In 1989, for example, the Oblates of St. Joseph obtained permission to celebrate on January 23 "The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph" with the liturgical rank of "Feast," and full proper texts, including a preface:
" 'You give the Church the joy of celebrating the feast of the Holy Spouses, Mary and Joseph: in her, full of grace and worthy Mother of your Son, you signify the beginning of the Church, resplendently beautiful bride of Christ; you chose him, the wise and faithful servant, as Husband of the Virgin Mother of God, and made him head of your family, to guard as a father your only Son, conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, our Lord.' " ~ from "Liturgical Feasts of St. Joseph in the 19th and 20th Centuries", by Fr. Larry M. Toschi, OSJ in Saint Joseph Studies (Fr. Larry M. Toschi, OSJ; Editor)
"God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world.
