SERIOUS AND GRAVE WARNING!!! ANTHONY PERLAS WITH SICK FETISH FOR LATIN MASS SYMBOLS ABUSES NAME OF LATIN MASS SOCIETY OF CANADA!!!

All involved in attending or participating in the Latin Mass. Please Read! Important warning of mentally ill or possible, demonically possessed, Anthony Perlas, fraudulently representing Latin Mass societies in USA and Canada.

Normally I do not delve into the darkest recesses of the (anti Church, Christ, Gospel, etc.) areas of Latin Mass culture that threaten to misrepresent he EF. I leave that to the Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists usually. However, I must agree with them on this occasion, as it seems a really sick, perverted, and in my opinion, possibly demonically possessed or drug-addled (or both?) individual is fraudulently posing himself and others as a "Latin mass society" in the USA and Canada. I wouldn't care about this, but because this has a strikingly similar name to a sincere society in Canada, an official chapter of Una Voce International, I must warn all of you NOT to allow Anthony Perlas to suck you into his gateway to Hell, disguised as a Latin Mass society. Thanks to Fr Z, I now realize this spiritual threat even extends into my country. 

The story is as follows: In the last couple of years, an individual named Anthony Perlas, became involved with a Latin Mass parish in Los Angeles, California, USA, under the pastor ship of Fr James Fryar. Said individual Perlas, even began receiving altar serving instruction here.

Eventually, Perlas began to expand into actual audio/visual media with a weekly rosary, and eventually even had the assistance of other men in private Catholic Media (even some of those I consider RMT bloggers) participate.

Things went well until recently, when Perlas created a webpage titled the "Latin Mass Society of the United States and Canada" webpage. I will not lead you there as contained within are vile perversions of the symbols of the Catholic Faith and Latin Mass, being adorned on models in pornographic photo shoots. Further, as identified on a picture on Fr Z's warning posts, the major symbol contains small but noticeable, inlaid swastikas in the logo, which of course speaks to Neo-Nazi worship.

Now, why should we be aware of this unwilling (or possibly, willing?) servant of evil? Here's why he is NOT in anyway, shape, or form, representing the Latin Mass, but rather the works of Satan:

1) As revealed by Steve Skojet on 1Peter5, in conversation on social media, this individual has believed that a Seraphim revealed itself to him by name. Perlas calls the seraphim(s) Seroptia. In our Catholic belief, we never are allowed to know the name of our angels, save those revealed in Scripture (the 3 archangels.) Revelation of a name is in fact a sign the fallen "angel" or even the daemon is really a servant of Satan.

2) Identification or glorification of Nazi-ism, and its ideals are absolutely contrary to the Catholic Faith. E.g. Genocide, subjective acknowledgement of human dignity and respect limited to certain creeds or religions, etc.

3) Pornography. Mortal Sin, and part of the deadly sin of Lust. Plain and simple.

4) True practitioners of the Catholic Faith, never mind the Latin Mass, would never consistently engage in such virile crimes of morality which are mortal sins against Christ. My point is not to ignore those rightfully deserving of my RMT title, or are hypocrites who attend the Latin Mass and commit immoral or Satanic behaviours with the TLM as a shield, but rather that these things are contrary to the Catholic Faith.

Here is where all the above applies to Canada. In Canada, the official lay man's Latin Mass association, Federation International Una Voce (FIUV), is represented by two officially listed chapters (possibly 3, however the website has not updated this yet.) The two chapters are the Vancouver Traditonal Mass Society, and the Latin Mass Society of Canada (LMSC.) The latter has its base city being Ottawa, Ontario. I covered the LMSC in one of my posts announcing Last year's Sacred Heart Mass for the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir.

Both chapters, can officially represent the FIUV in Canada, and according to FIUV's laws, use the FIUV's official logo and title "Una Voce." Any sub chapters cannot use the logo and/or name "Una Voce" unless the official chapter of FIUV in their country, has a constitution that extends to sub-chapters. Anyone else doing so legally abuses the name and/or logo Una Voce and its intellectual property, misrepresenting them.

While the LMSC has no official webpage yet, they do have a Facebook account. This fact makes it even more dangerous that Perlas is misrepresenting the Latin Mass and this society. So when people are looking for the Latin Mass society of the UK or Canada, they will encounter Perlas' fraudulent site and see his pornographic photos and heretical ramblings. Innocent believers will then get sucked into becoming a part of the Devil's snares and even his acts.

Therefore, on this side of the border in Canada, let me be the first to forewarn all readers of the following:

Although I, Julian Barkin, sole author of the Servinus Unum Deum website, in no way officially represent any parish, society, charity, or official Latin Mass society/organization, I hereby for the sake of all laity and Latin Mass organizations in Canada, especially for the Latin Mass Society of Canada, (and thus, Federation International Una Voce,) solemnly declare and warn, that the "Latin Mass Society of the United States and Canada" run by Anthony Perlas and associates, has ABSOLUTELY NO affiliation to any parish, society, organization, apostolate, website, etc. affiliated with the Latin Mass, in the country of Canada. Any affiliation with Perlas and his site, and the content within, is spiritually grave, and will expose you to moral and possible, demonic evil. 

Finally, let me also share the extent to what association with these kinds of individuals involves, from similar experience. It may also give you insight as to what and why this man is acting the way he does.

A good share of us key players in the Latin Mass in Toronto, used to work with an individual who would assist the Latin Mass via altar serving and web/social media. Unfortunately, this individual had a history of drug abuse tied to his youth, and personal problems that gave him an unnecessary cross. Although this individual likely has a genius IQ, his past drug use may have altered his application of such IQ.

When he started out, his efforts were genuine, and he became a central assistant in his home parish. He even helped create a website for his parish, using computer skills so few people (save programmers and those who study web design/database) have.

However as time proceeded, first he became the unfortunate target of the RMTs, in his efforts to reach out to people. However, the way in which he would communicate, with incessant, non-logical and incoherent, lengthy emails, did nothing in his favour to alleviate the situations. This grew worse when he got into e-mail and Facebook discussions/arguments over certain things with myself and others who were involved in the Latin Mass. Furthermore, this individual had trouble finding work, or even reused to seek even minimal-wage labour.

The end result was that he eventually angered many people in the community, even other parishioners who extended their hand, homes, or wallets out to him. Finally, after approximately 2.5-3 years of this behavior, both his priests (one doing the TLM) desperately tried to intervene, only to be rebuffed at every instance. The worst I witnessed which is publicly viewable as a lengthy audio recording, should you search the individual`s name and look for mp3 audio files, even has the individual speaking heresy (possibly under the influence of drugs in that period) , as well as admitting seeing hallucinations with skulls while hanging at a friend's place. With all efforts exhausted, at this individual was banned from his parish, and moved to another city, totally unrepentant of his actions.

My main point is this. These individuals do need our mercy and assistance. They have major problems in their lives such as drug abuse and maybe even, exposure to the demonic. Unfortunately, these individuals, without sufficient drug treatment and/or exorcism, wreak havoc on others physical and spiritual lives. Yes we are to exhaust our efforts to accommodate these individuals and `walk with them to Emmaus` as much as we can, but should they be resilient and unwilling to work on bettering themselves spiritually, and go down the path of self-destructive behaviour such as this, the end result is a lot of what I`ve described in my case, as well as Perlas. Worse, via the ``mercy`` route, one without seeking spiritual and material justice, these individuals eventually become occasions of sin to themselves and to others. Thus, we must dissociate from them, having done all we can. Actions, such as those of Perlas, are the end result. Drug induced or not ... these actions are of the Devil.

Therefore everyone, please send this out to all your friends and family if they have ANY association with the Latin Mass, especially in Canada. Also, if you are a member of any Latin Mass society, group, parish, etc. then please post this on your blog or website or bulletin, etc. Please just quote me as the source you found the information from, or if you choose one of the other links (e,g. Fr. Z, Skojet at 1Peter5,) please say their webiste or name as the source.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin

REPORT: Christ the King Solemn Latin Mass on Sunday Oct 25th, 2015 at Loretto Abbey Chapel.

Hello Everyone,

The St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir (SPGC) once again organized another beautiful and sacred Solemn Latin Mass in our Archdiocese of Toronto.

On this the Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form/Latin Mass calendar, and co-incidentally the 9th anniversary of the formation of the SPGC, we were blessed by the hospitality and generosity of the sisters of the Incarnate Word of Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) to have usage of their chapel, attached to Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School. Our Mass was 330pm in the afternoon this past Sunday, October 25th, 2015.

In preparation for this Mass, our servers met at St. Lawrence Martyr Catholic Church on the Friday evening prior, to go over their roles for the Mass. Practice went well, and all save our crucifer (due to work) were accounted for. With 7 servers in tow, including myself as First Acolyte and our Master of Ceremonies, we were organized and motivated to have a great Solemn Mass, fit with even torchbearers!!! In addition, some of these servers have had prior experience, be it assisting at St. Joseph Streetsville, St. Lawrence the Martyr, or other Latin Mass initiatives in Toronto.

As usual, the SPGC choir practiced after their 5:00pm Mass downtown at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the Redemptorist Parish and the National Shrine Church of Canada for Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The 5pm vigil is their regular Mass, by the way, where they provide hymns for the liturgy, and chant or sing in Latin the major response parts of the Novus Ordo Mass.

As for the day of, we arrived at 2pm to prepare the chapel for Mass, and to go over roles for the liturgy. We had some interesting issues to contend with:

• Some liturgical equipment was not provided for us (e.g. a "triple chain" thurible, acolyte candles ...) or was more "modern" (a processional cross with a resurrected Jesus/"Resurrefix")  but thankfully, most equipment that was lacking, was supplied by the choir, as well as a few editions of my own I've payed personally for, to be able to assist the choir and anyone else I do the Latin Mass with. Whatever was not of usual, we used the chapel equipment just the same. Regardless, here's the setup of the liturgical equipment:

The acolyte candles, gracefully provided by St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir. There were none readily available at the chapel! 

The lavabo bowl, washing cruets, and towel (yes, a real towel) from the chapel. As for those fancy cruets and the communion paten, those are from my personal liturgical stockpile. 

This little incense boat was part of my liturgical collection to be used for Masses. It has a little gold-coloured spoon inside too. 

A side view of the sediliae, as well as bells, aspergillum and aspergillus, with single chain censer and stand, lavabo bowl and jug with a towel (that's all there was), provided by the chapel. 

This, my friends, is a beautiful wooden tabernacle, made by one of the choir members. Turns out they do not just sing you know. They bear many a talent to glorify the Lord. Best part is that it is light weight, and can be used for the Latin Masses, when needed to replace one, if the main tabernacle is off to the side, or if we cannot use one, regardless of reason. Also present is one of three altar cards, of the set owned by the choir. 

Voila! The complete credence table complete with additions of chalice with veil, the humeral veil, and the Epistolarium, either from the Choir or from our clergy who celebrated the Mass. 

The completed front altar, set up for the Latin Mass. Unfortunately we were not allowed to use the high altar, as this has been set up by the media company for the daily mass recordings. 

A final view of the sanctuary from afar, and the lovely stained glass window and sanctuary of the chapel. This chapel was built in 1950 prior to Vatican II, and despite small changes that were standard at that time of the Council (e.g removal of altar rails), much of this is untouched! Just looked at the wooden crucifix and the reredos in the back! 

• Space. Wow ... well this is a chapel, not a full size church, so processing was somewhat of a challenge. The side rows were maximum two normal people's width, making maneuvering a little challenging. This also was a smaller sanctuary than normal, and I personally found this a challenge. There was barely any space between me, my chair, and the sediliae in front of me, so much so getting up and down to kneel, meant hitting the wood of my chair. Ugh.  

• A new caveat: Since last year, the Archdiocese of Toronto's daily Mass recordings have moved from St. Basil's in University of Toronto, to the chapel of Loretto Abbey for Monday to Saturday (daytime) Mass. You can view it here online at https://www.youtube.com/ user/dailymass. However, for us, we were told NOT to move any major items. If we moved something minor, it was put back in place. Because of this, we had to opt NOT to use their still intact high altar, and instead use the Novus Ordo Altar for the Mass. Usually most churches do not have high altars anymore, or renovated to make them non-usable, so we were not bothered by this fact. 

The Mass


Prior to the Mass, laity were provided with booklets, which contained the Propers and liturgical readings for the Mass in Latin and English, along with a copy of the hymn, "Sweet Sacrament Divine," to encourage vocal participation in the Latin Mass. Here's some pictures of the booklet:

These booklets also contained commentary on the feast day, from a famous traditional book, The Liturgical Year, by Dom Prosper Gueranger. 

With all the preparation and last minute directions for the servers, now in their location of the Mass, we proceeded ahead with the sacred liturgy. For the Mass, our clergy, all priests experienced with carrying out the Extraordinary Form in our Diocese were:

1. Fr. Jean- Pierre Pilon, formally trained by Fraternal Society of St. Peter; pastor of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Peterborough - Subdeacon (also, please see my January posting on his initiative, begun this year.)
2. Fr. Steven Szakaczki, Latin Mass Chaplain of the Archdiocese of Toronto, residing at St. Lawrence the Martyr - Deacon
3. Fr. Russell Ashe, Associate Latin Mass Chaplain working with Fr. Steven, assisting @ St. Lawrence the Martyr - Celebrant (Priest).

As for the Homily, this was said by our celebrant, Fr. Ashe. Between the echo-ey acoustics, being at the side vs. in front of Father, the good Father's accent (British?), and my poor sleeping habits, I'll admit that I do not remember the majority of the homily, but here's the small tidbits I remember, with links/additions where needed from sources, such as papal documents:

• Father began the Homily with a quote from Scripture, when Christ is being magnified in the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and God speak of him as in Luke 9:35: "....  “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” God clearly indicates the authority of His Divine Son in this passage. 
• Father than continued on to explain the origins of the feast day of Christ the King, in how it was established by Pope Pius XI in 1929, in the encyclical Quas Primas. 

• Part of the reason for Pope Pius XI releasing the exhortation, and establishing the feast day, was to combat religious laicism in society and the Church: whereby people would not acknowledge the Kingship of Christ as lord, or any God for that matter. This Feast day was to make public pronouncement in the Church, of the Lord as our Saviour, but also our Divine King whose kingdom is in Heaven. 

• Father also mentioned St. Joseph in the capacity of Christ the King. We do not usually connect kingship with St. Joseph normally, as we usually acknowledge him as St. Joseph the Worker. However, a father in a family relationship is a "king" of sorts. He is the natural leader; he rebukes, chastises, but he also loves and serves those whom are in his servitude or under is governance. Christ's Kingship is exactly like that, as being God Made Flesh, whereby like God Jesus is not a tyrant ruler judging us, but He is the Divine Lord and Father, rebuking, chastising when necessary, but also loving and leading us so that way we are led to proper governance, and proper salvation to Him. 

• In a way, we all share in the kingship of the Lord. Father Ashe reminded us of a particular portion of Vatican II, from the decree APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM, that  "...  the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world." (AA, 2)

• I also think that Father touched upon a point I remember from one of years' past Masses on Christ the King, the concept of self-governing one and rebelling against the King. When one accepts the "kingship" of self or the Devil, he is accepting one of anarchy and non-authority, being the sole governor of one's life. 

• Father also, in reference to this rebellion, commented on the war of the Angels and devils. Satan bucked this Divine kingship of the Lord, saying to him "Non-Serviam," meanwhile St. Michael, dutifully acknowledges Christ's Kingship, and having the name Michael signifies "quis et deus" which means in Latin "who is like God." I am not sure if Fr. had this planned, or he took inspiration from a couple of depictions of the archangel commander (see pictures below.)

Despite everything (ugh that chair!), we came out with a sacred, Solemn Latin Mass, and we even had the addition of the Asperges Rite as well as torchbearers!!! Also, considering that the school chapel was a bit out of the way from major streets (closest station is York Mills and you have to go up the hill to get close to it), we still had a good turnout of about 50 laity in our pews, and a couple of sisters were around while the Mass was going on. Also, a master of ceremonies from other Latin Mass initiatives in the Archdiocese attended our Mass! It was great to see our brothers in serving support us.

Hopefully, the choir will consider doing as usual, their offering of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Tuesday December 8th. I will definitely be reporting on this when I receive any official word from Surinder and the SPGC choir.

To conclude, some personal anecdotes and musings (and school spirit)
Occasionally, when these masses occur, some little interesting anecdotes or facets just happen, because of the site, or by the grace of the Lord. I would like to share a few of them with you.

To begin, my lovely fiancee finally made it out to a Solemn Latin Mass held by the choir!!! While I wished there had been a bigger crowd, regardless I was happy to see here there, and to know that she supports my endeavours, as I support hers (though I have to work on my temperance and stop being so critical of things and going "rah rah rah Latin Mass" too much.). In case you are curious about her, (e.g. a picture, a name) let`s just say that there`s a few things I hold close to the vest at the given moment. I decline from posting any information to her.

A second and third note, joined together. At one of my fiancee`s parishes she currently assists in Novus Ordo liturgies, as a ``jack of all trades`` (Server, MC, Sacristan, EMHC ...,) sometimes in multiple roles when short-handed, I have been blessed when she has been an EHMC to be able to receive communion from her. It`s a touching moment being served by the one you love, with the One Who LOVES TOTALLY, as she will best exemplify in this Sacrament of Marriage. Today, I had to do somewhat of a ``reverse role``, with me assisting the deacon (Fr. Pilon) in handing out communion to the lay faithful via holding the communion paten. My fiancee came up beside me, on the prie-deux to kneel and receive communion from Fr. Pilon as deacon. I of course was filled with glee seeing my beloved there, but then afterwards a thought occurred to me. Fr. Pilon and I (with of course Fr. Pilon as ordinary minister serving her the Sacred Body of Christ, so don`t misinterpret what I say.) ``served`` her, when normally I am the one being served Christ`s Body by her as an EMHC in the Novus Ordo Mass.

Then, it clicked to me. Here we are, both of us, having been served Christ`s Body, and are serving with Christ, in a literal and other sense, and also have assisted the other in being served. When I marry this golden gift of the Holy Family, my love of my life, we will be doing this in everything, with the sacrament of Marriage presenting ourselves to Christ. When a couple marries, this is their primary vocation, serving the Lord, and serving each other as He served us, and being his exemplar, as him with the Church to the world, for our salvation. In the Eucharist is his Love, served to us through the Church, HIS TOTALITY!!! Also, the couple is to help each other achieve salvation, and become saints through the Sacrament and lifetime of love. Wow, just wow. That was what, all of 2-3 seconds in the Latin Mass and I got that awesome insight??? The Latin Mass did that for me .... Deo Gratias.

Finally, as I was looking around the chapel of the Loretto sisters, I came across two poignant signs .....

 

The picture was outside of the Chapel. The statue is right above the entrance to the chapel, on the inside. 

Wow!!! These are magnificent depictions of St. Michael. What beauty! What strength!!! It turns out that in chatting with an IBVM sister who came by at the end of the Mass, she revealed that in the history of their order, their devotion or protection/patronage to St. Michael, goes as far back as England from when they came over.

In a related side note, (for any of you who are St. Michael's College School alumni/current SMCS students (BTW I'm an 2002 grad,)) the history of the "sister school" to St. Michael, is that St. Mike's TRUE sister school, was the Abbey. Holy Name of Mary College School in Mississauga changed that, but the Abbey was the sister school of St. Mikes for the longest time, with a history of social exchange (dances) as well as students applying to each other's dramatic productions, and even a cheer-leading squad for sports games, prior to the late 90's. They also have the "double blue" as part of their colour scheme for their kilts and uniforms, just like our school colours. To me ... the Abbey will always be the true sister school to St. Mike's.

So seeing these depictions of St. Michael, my devotion, this blog under St. Michael's patronage, and my alma mater's interesting history with the Abbey, one could say I had a lot of signage and connection with St. Michael that day. It was great to see his presence with us as we glorified the Lord, and made me ever more thankful for his patronage, and watch over us and the Abbey.

Finis

I hope you have enjoyed yet another report of the liturgical initiatives of the St. Patrick's Gregorian choir whom I serve with. If you attended the Mass of the 50 or so people, thank you for attending. May your souls have been uplifted to Heaven with the Saints and angels, and your soul nourished. Please stay tuned for the next offering from the choir. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

Final Reminder: Today (Sunday) October 25th Solemn Latin Mass 330pm At Loretto Abbey Catholic School Chapel!

This is a reminder that the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir will be organizing a Solemn Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form/1962 Missal) in the Roman Rite at 330 pm At Loretto Abbey Catholic School's chapel. The details are below:

Source: http://www.catholic.org/photos/photo.php?news=53291

• When: Sunday October 25th, 2015
• Location? Loretto Abbey Catholic School Chapel
• Address?  101 Mason Boulevard, Toronto, ON
• Start time? 3:30 pm
• Level of Mass: Solemn 
• Organizer: St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir under Surinder S. Mundra
• Primary Contact/Inquiries for Choir & Serving: 416 731 4485.  
• School Website:  https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/lorettoabbey/Pages/default.aspx
• Facebook event page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/875936455789124/
• Poster: 

In addition, when you attend this Latin Mass:

• Always and forever, you are partaking in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the foretaste of Heaven in the afterlife, where the Lord is praised and glorified alongside the angels and saints. You are nourished by the Holy Eucharist and many grages are bestowed upon you in the Holy Mass.

• THIS MASS COUNTS AS YOUR SUNDAY OBLIGATION. You do not need to attend another Mass before or after (though by all means, if you need to do your ministry at another parish for another Mass, do so. You are allowed to consume the Eucharist 2x in a 24 hour period.)

• Frequent attendees of the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir assisted Masses, will once again be graced with the presence of Fr. Jean-Pierre Pilon, the priest currently in the Diocese of Peterborough at The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who helped to implement a Latin Mass program at his church, and was trained and ordained within the Fraternal Society of St. Peter. He will be one of the three clergy roles, though is usually celebrant and/or homilist when he assist in the SPGC organized Masses. 

• The contingent of altar servers at this Mass is a complete, full contingent with crucifer, acolytes, thurifer, and even two torch-bearers! Some of our new servers already have experience attending and/or serving the EF!

So please, do attend, tell your friends and family, and come to Loretto Abbey's Chapel, who has graciously in past years been accommodating to the needs of the Latin Mass community. 

Also we ask when you do attend, that you contribute to the collection. The proceeds will be given to the Loretto Abbey community/sisters who look after the chapel, in gratitude for allowing another Latin Mass to take place in their beautiful chapel. 

Many thanks to the community of the Incarnate Word of the Blessed virgin Mary (IBVM) for allowing this to occur, the 2nd time the EF has happened to date in their chapel since the Novus Ordo. Deo Gratias!

Pax, Julian.  

Returning to St. James Catholic Church!!! The 1st Saturday Vigil Latin Novus Ordo Masses Have Resumed!!!!

Hello Everyone,

I have great liturgical news in our Archdiocese of Toronto!

Some of you may remember I have been promoting a non-Tridentine/1962 Mass effort in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The effort is a Latin Novus Ordo being held on the 1st Saturday vigil in the Novus Ordo of every month, at St. James Catholic Church in Toronto, excluding the summer months.

This series of initiatives is spearheaded by the pastor of St. James Catholic Church in Toronto, Fr. Ignacio Pinedo. Inspired by the works of the Oratorians of St. Phillip Neri (who hold the Latin Mass in Toronto at their two associated parishes), he started doing this once a month Novus Ordo in Latin. THIS, is truly what should have been widespread in parishes in the wake of Vatican II, and TRULY carries out all the liturgical goals of the Ecumenical Council.

The last post I did for the initiative was for their June 2015 offering. The posting is linked here. I also did a posting for their April 2015 offering, whereby I took photos of the parish and discussed my visit in March 2015 to attend this type of Mass I promote here on S.U.D.

I am proud to say that once again, with enough popular demand, St. James is doing the offerings again for the 2015-2016 year.

If you turn your attention to the Archdiocesan website, the offerings was listed as such for their Saturday, October 3rd offering:

Latin Mass Revisited

Saturday, October 3, 2015 5:00 pm to Saturday, October 3, 2015 7:00 pm

First Saturday of every month (Sept. to June) – 5 p.m.

St. James Parish
728 Annette St., Toronto

Rediscover the beauty of the solemn Latin Mass in this modern Eucharistic celebration. We will be celebrating the Mass using the original Latin text of the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal. (Note: this is not the Tridentine form of the Mass.)

Side-by-side Latin and English Missals will be provided for those attending. A true uplifting experience that is both ancient and new, bridging past and present.

EMAIL: st.james@sympatico.ca PHONE: 416-767-6451

According to the Calendar Year, the remaining dates where this will be offered are as follows:

• Saturday, November 7, 2015
• Saturday, December 5, 2015
• Saturday January 2, 2016
• Saturday, February 6. 2016
• Saturday March 5, 2016
• Saturday April 2, 2016
• Saturday May 7, 2016
• Saturday June 4, 2016

Currently, St. James' next offering of the Latin Novus Ordo is coming up as follows:

Saturday June 4, 2016 (LATIN NOVUS ORDO) - Saturday Vigil, Liturgy for 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Novus Ordo Calendar. 

St. James Roman Catholic Church - LATIN NOVUS ORDO, 

• Location: St. James Roman Catholic Church
• Address: 728 Annette St., Toronto, Ontario, CANGoogle Maps: https://plus.google.com/105912210603375556435/about?gl=ca&hl=en
• Time: CONFESSIONS 4pm EST
• MASS TIME IS 5:00 p.m. EST
• Contact info: 416 767 6451 or st.james@sympatico.ca

I do hope that, if you are as excited and appreciative about the history of our Church, seek spiritual nourishment, and a welcoming parish with people who are true, practicing Catholics, you will take advantage of this offering in the city, even foregoing your usual parish's offerings, just for this once a month visit.

Remember, the Church's mission, its New Evangelization, with the Reform of the Reform, can only be successful when you, the laity, become a vital part of it. Fr. Pinedo is only one priest, one man. We are many and outnumber him many times. The Church you seek and desire at the practical, everyday level, can only be obtained when you take an active part in correcting that which has gone astray, and promoting the True liturgical, and objective Faith of the Catholic Church. 

I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Updated: Friday March 3, 2016

More From His Eminence's Working Group at #Synod15!!! Part Two of Three!

Hello Everyone.

Well it turns out that there isn't only one document to be released by the working groups of the Synod. See, what I didn't get, was that they were breaking up the Lineamenta for the Synod into three parts, and critiquing portions of it at a time.

What this means for us is .... that His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, is not done! His working group, English/Anligcanus "D," was moderated once again by ++Collins, and another fine work was produced by his group, on October 14, 2015. Here's the second part of the working group information, reprinted from the Vatican Press Bulletins. I'll of course be adding my commentary in red text, and bold-facing the best parts.

Pax, Julian. 

Relatio – Circulus Anglicus “D”

Moderator: Card. COLLINS Thomas Christopher

Relator: S.E. Mons. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap. Charles Joseph

Members of English circle D reviewed Section II far more quickly than Section I. The material was simpler. So was working together and offering commentary and modi.

On the family and divine pedagogy, members thought the text’s reflections on the reading of Scripture should be strengthened. They stressed that as we listen to God’s word, we need to encounter it in the context of the Church, sacred tradition and the teaching authority of bishops. [YES!!! Absolutely. Scripture is important, especially in light of the topic of this Synod. What the other bishops are saying contravenes Scrpiture! It is the Word of God, how He reveals ourself to us with Christ as That Made Flesh. Much of what the Church does and teaches, is based on Scripture. If the base is shallow, how can we produce a worthy Synod exhortation?]

Many customs of reading Scripture already exist in the various cultures of our English-speaking group. Some should be incorporated into the text. Several group members promoted Lectio Divina, even when read within an inter-faith context. [Not surprised that Collins is part of this group that is saying this. He's been doing it now for 9 years in Toronto.] Others thought the Lectio Divina process too complex for people of today. Some bishops felt that we need to better understand the relationship between the newness of the Christian sacrament of matrimony and the natural structure of marriage built into God’s plan from the start. The natural marriage of our original parents had its own order of grace. 

The Instrumentum Laboris nowhere defines marriage. This is a serious defect. It causes ambiguity throughout the text. Most bishops agreed that the document should add the definition of marriage from Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes 48, as a correction. [Read this biggie on your own if you wish below. Point is that they have made a MAJOR statement here. While we must be respectful to our Holy Pontiff, unwavering in our obedience in matters of Faith and Morals (doctrine of infallibility from Vatican I,) and to examine his pastoral actions in the most charitable light, one criticism is that his papacy has been marred by ambiguous statements, with lack of context as to intended targets when he does make criticisms. Not only is this group repeating this valid fraternal concern of statements made under this papacy, they are following up with a reverse punch for a knockout by bringing this penultimate issue into definition ... with the very thing that these prelates love to throw around (and should be using in the true context of its design, not it's "false spirit") ... VATICAN II!!!! YES!!! That's right!!! One of the key "big 4" documents of Vatican II is being used right here!!!] The intimate partnership of married life and love has been established by the Creator and qualified by His laws, and is rooted in the conjugal covenant of irrevocable personal consent. Hence by that human act whereby spouses mutually bestow and accept each other a relationship arises which by divine will and in the eyes of society too is a lasting one. For the good of the spouses and their off-springs as well as of society, the existence of the sacred bond no longer depends on human decisions alone. For, God Himself is the author of matrimony, endowed as it is with various benefits and purposes. All of these have a very decisive bearing on the continuation of the human race, on the personal development and eternal destiny of the individual members of a family, and on the dignity, stability, peace and prosperity of the family itself and of human society as a whole. By their very nature, the institution of matrimony itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their ultimate crown. Thus a man and a woman, who by their compact of conjugal love "are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matt. 19:ff), render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions. Through this union they experience the meaning of their oneness and attain to it with growing perfection day by day. As a mutual gift of two persons, this intimate union and the good of the children impose total fidelity on the spouses and argue for an unbreakable oneness between them.[GS 48])

Taken as a whole, the text has many good insights on marriage. But the Catholic doctrine on marriage stretches over too many paragraphs. It needs to be brought together in a more concise, compelling way. One person felt the text’s grasp of Scripture could be improved by embracing newer scholarship. [Huh? What the heck is this? No way in heck do I want to return to the False Spirit of Vatican II!!!! This was exactly what was happening in academia land with regards to Biblical and Theological interpretation before the Council convened!!! This is something I learned from one of the most major secondary sources of material for Vatican II, "Letters from Vatican City" by Xavier Rynne (a.k.a. Fr. Francis Xavier Murphy.). I've read through the first volume completely, and I actually have all four volumes!. The rest is on my to do list.] The person worried that many of us were reading Scripture in too fundamentalist a manner, and other ways of interpreting Scripture might be more fruitful. Others disagreed [with Mr. solo Spirit of Vatican II]and thought that the understanding of Scripture in the text was adequate.

Some said the text needs to frame the notion of “indissolubility” more positively, rather than treating it as a burden. [YES!!! Of the three things that I learnt today in my first marriage class, for the couple to willingly accept marriage, they must agree to unity, indissolubility, and being open to procreation. Unfortunately, most clerics don't give two rat's keysters about that, and many people just want any good excuse to dump their partner if they want to have extra-marital sex, or cop out of their marriage for whatever reason. This notion of indissolubility must be refered to more positively, that it IS attainable, IS joyful, and leads to a fuller, happier life vs. a burden placed on the couple. IT IS ATTAINABLE AND THIS SHOULD BE STRESSED!!!] Others saw a danger in referring to Catholic teaching as simply an “ideal” to be pursued and honored but not practical for the living of daily life. They described this as an approach that implies that only the “pure” can live the Gospel, but not ordinary people. Some stressed that we should always speak of virtues, not just values. They are not the same thing. [A Ha!!! This group is attacking society's promotion of "values" a.k.a. relativist desires. Not to mention that society twists the values, even that ANY union of two people of whatever sex and species is a "value" and if you like it, it's your value and that's OK, yada yada.]

In the material on family and God’s salvific plan, the text lacks grounding in the Book of Tobit and the Song of Songs, which is vital to the Scriptural presentation of marriage. Bishops voiced concern that the document seems to present Mosaic divorce as one of the stages of God’s plan, yet we know that divorce is never part of God’s will for humanity, but was a consequence of original sin. [BOOYA!!!! A la the Kasperite principle. So they are divorced. Let's just give them some "remediation" like a course or something, and then we can violate scripture and tell them that their non-union is OK and that Jesus loves them and that the piece of bread isn't the almighty REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST THAT DEMANDS YOUR PREPARATION TO RECEIVE WILLINGLY! No, here the bishops are brave enough to say those bishops are incorrect, and that divorce thanks to Christ is NEVER OK!!! ]

In several of the document’s confusing passages, a better translation of the Italian text led to clarity. [Hmmm ... are they saying that the English translations of the texts have several problems??? And just who is making the English translation of the texts??? As much as I think the Katholic Krazy liar "Traditionalist" bloggers out there are off their rockers, they may have a grain of truth on this one .... ] Several bishops focused on the notion of “seeds of the Word” or “seeds of the Logos” in the world around us. In the tradition of the Church, this reflection – which dates back to Justin Martyr -- has always focused on cultural issues rather than on people’s personal lives. The text tends to treat irregular relationships as somehow also containing “seeds of the Word.” Some bishops felt this was inappropriate and misleading.

Some discussion ensued about the meaning of arranged marriages, where this practice still commonly occurs. Such marriages are sometimes seen as lacking the agreement of the persons being married. But what the practice more typically means is that whole families get involved in the entire process of marriage and family life. Various cultures believe that “families marry one another,” not just the individuals making marital promises. Some bishops saw this as a rich concept. It should be better appreciated.

Various bishops questioned the use of the expression “The Gospel of Family.” What does it actually mean? The text offers no answers. The expression comes from St. Pope John Paul’s Letter to Families 1994, number 23. [Seriously? Why wasn't there a footnote included like usual in the Vatican text of the document?]

Regarding No. 48 of the text, much discussion took place on the various forms of witness that families might give in living out their communion as a domestic church. Along with the ones listed in the document, the following were suggested:

The witness of holiness in prayer.

The witness of not being self-referential.

The witness of being sensitive to environmental issues.

The witness of simply living together in charity, in shared, everyday life.

Bishops felt that these actions should be seen as the fruit of baptism and confirmation. [Ta Da!!!! Wow!!! I wonder if My Eminence (RMTs, I don't care what you say, +Collins IS "MY" Cardinal Archbishop, Not +Prendergast of Ottawa, Not +Crosby of Hamilton, etc. I WILL USE "MY" and this is my blog. You don't like it, go put a bee in someone else's bonnet) brought up what I wrote to the Office of Communications back in February. I submitted a document to be used when the Archdiocese of Toronto made a call out for submissions for the Synod. This was my part of my key contribution: That the sacraments of Initiaion are VITAL to being able to participate and carry out the Sacrament/Vocation of marriage. I think I'll post it in a couple of days in a few parts, perhaps, if I have time ....] Some in our group spoke about the need for the text to list devotions that both enhance and express family life and spirituality. The rosary was central to the discussion; [The Devil HATES, HHAAAATTTESSSS Marriage!!! He hates that God used the marriage of an ordinary man and woman, to enter into our world, as the fruit of labour, from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Also others are saying that the Devil`s main battleground in future will be on marriage and the family. So no surprize, with the Rosary being one of the most powerful weapons against Satan that this would be said!!!] so was the importance of parents reading Scripture to children, and siblings reading Scripture together. Bishops stressed the value of families attending Sunday Eucharist and other liturgical celebrations together, and were surprised the text didn’t focus on this in greater detail. [YES!!!!!!! THE MASS IS VITAL TO THE DOMESTIC CHURCH!!! ARE WE NOT SURPRIZED THAT KIDS ARE POORLY CATECHIZED, AND PARENTS DON'T PASS THE FAITH PROPERLY? WHEN THEY DON'T GO TO MASS, AND TAKE THE KIDS, ESPECIALLY THE FATHERS, YOU WONDER WHY, EH?] Some suggested that various practices of popular piety be listed as concrete expressions of family devotions.

Various bishops noted the importance of women in the life of the Church and the need to focus more attention on giving them appropriate leadership roles. Some felt the document should be more sensitive to women abused by their husbands or within their families, and who therefore carry extra burdens. One person felt that exemplary families are sometimes difficult for people in painful circumstances to see as positive. Exemplary families may intimidate them rather than helping them to see the possibility of living that way themselves.

Bishops said the text should present the canonical reasons for separation of spouses and reasons for seeking an annulment. [a.k.a. MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR!] We need to be realistic about marital problems rather than simply encouraging people to stay together. Again, violence against women was a key part of the discussion.

One of the bishops emphasized that priests are not trained to be marriage counselors. If they present themselves as such, they risk legal problems for their local Churches. Priests should move away from marriage counseling and do clearly defined spiritual guidance instead.

On the question of why young people fear to marry, many bishops observed that young people are afraid to fail in any area of life. [I only paritially agree with this statement. Yes, they are afraid to fail financially speaking, that they cannot provide for a family. That is responsible, and I think that in the Social compendium of Catholic Social Teaching, one of the documents does touch this. However, I disagree. Men are dropping out of marriage because they do not want to be blindsided by women who were promiscuous (in the "hook up" culture) and brainwashed by radical feminist philosophy and society to begin with, only to find that no fault divorce and severe financial debt and child support payments await them from merciless courts. In addition, many are finding that it is better to co-habitate to "try things out" and then if the women is "compatible" then they marry. Also, others eventually just remain common in law, and it changes their taxes, not to mention keeps that revolving door open much later to leave the relationship. Finally, in terms of Church marriages, it seems the general trend is that they are NOT happening, while the number of young people becoming "nones" is rising. Therefore, with no affiliation to the Catholic Church, despite their sacraments, it is pointless to marry in the church. While they get it somewhat, I am sorry to say that group D struck out on this point .... unless this statement cannot cover the whole swath of what ALL the bishops said on this point.] Youth ministry in parishes and dioceses should help young couples understand the value of marriage. We need to focus on Pope John Paul’s exhortation not to be afraid and also to be aware that in the Gospel, Jesus took care of a young married couple whose marriage celebration was about to run out of wine. The Lord will always take care of young couples who trust in him in the way.

Circle D accepted this report unanimously. Our group is marked by great diversity and many different perspectives – 29 persons, 21 of them bishops, coming from 20 countries. Bishops made many suggestions for changes in the text. They will bring these forward in the various modi.

[01694-EN.01] [Original text: English]

Confirmed! Sunday October 25th Feast of Christ the King Solemn Latin Mass Organized by St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir!

It is finally confirmed!

Once again, the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir will be organizing a Solemn Latin Mass for the annual Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form. The Choir annually holds a Latin Mass on this feast day, as this is the anniversary that the choir was formed, with 2015 being the 9th anniversary of the choir`s formation.

The information for the next Latin Mass of the SPGC is as follows:

Source: http://www.catholic.org/photos/photo.php?news=53291

• When: Sunday October 25th, 2015
• Location? Loretto Abbey Catholic School Chapel
• Address?  101 Mason Boulevard, Toronto, ON
• Start time? 3:30 pm
• Level of Mass: Solemn 
• Organizer: St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir under Surinder S. Mundra
• Primary Contact/Inquiries for Choir & Serving: 416 731 4485.  
• School Website:  https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/lorettoabbey/Pages/default.aspx
• Facebook event page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/875936455789124/
• Poster: 

In addition, if you are a male that is interested in assisting at this event by altar serving, or if any young or adult male you know would be interested in serving, please contact me at torontotlmservers@gmail.com. I will put you in contact with the master of ceremonies of the choir for this Mass and you will receive contact information as well as printed serving materials, and in future, information as to a practice prior to the Latin Mass. Also, having served with them for a long time, I might be able to handle initial inquiries/contact in the interim, until the MC notifies you. 

Finally, for a sampling of prior organized events, involving the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the EF, of the Choir (with my assistance as an altar server), please see the following links:

My report for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2015 Mass: http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/2015/06/
report-solemn-latin-mass-for-feast-of.html

Photopost for the Sacred Heart 2015 Mass, featured on world renowned Traditional liturgy website, New Liturgical Movement: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2015/06/photopost-follow-up.html#.VYTR5vlVhBc


Please pass word onto your family and friends about this upcoming event. If there are any changes, I will post them and the choir will update their Facebook page as well. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

Finally! His Eminence Cardinal Thomas Collins' 3 Minute Intervention at #Synod15!

Skimming through blogs, I came to First Things, which is covering #Synod15 in an interesting style, akin to Fr. Francis Zavier Murphy with Vatican II.

Under a fictional pen name, Xavier Rynne II, an author is being given much information and coverage, of the Ordinary Synod on the Family 2015. While we don't know this reporter/editoralist's name, he/she is gaining a wealth of information, and even cardinals' own 3 minute speeches (the "interventions") published online. For more, including past articles, please see this website on first things: http://www.firstthings.com/tag/synod2015

Well .... Finally it is here!!! Allow me to be the first to bring the scoop to the SCCB!!!! His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, has finally given his 3 minute intervention in the Synod. While we were gobbling turkey this weekend, ++Collins delivered the the intervention on Saturday Oct 10. Xavier Rynne II has just included it as part of their latest report on First Things, given today this morning. I repost it here in full, to break the scoop.

If you choose to include it in your blog post, feel free to link to either one of our blogs (but if you choose mine, please credit First Things and XR2 for the original publishing, and S.U.D. for breaking the scoop.) 

Enjoy this good morning wakeup!!! Pax tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

Cardinal Collins on the Art of Accompaniment

The following intervention was given to the general assembly of the Synod of bishops on Saturday, October 10, by Cardinal Thomas Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto, with special reference to section 110 of the Synod’sInstrumentum Laboris:

We are called to accompany people with a compassion that challenges, and that leads to conversion and to a heart on fire for Christ. Here are some ways to do that:

1. Pastors, who must daily accompany their people in their struggles, should imitate Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and with clarity and charity preach the call to conversion, which is the foundation for the liberating message of Jesus “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

2. The Gospel message is entrusted to us; but our greater task is to form messengers, for all the faithful are called to the apostolate, especially parents entrusted with the evangelization of their children.

3. Men in particular need to be challenged in order to assume their responsibilities in society, so that the young are not deprived of paternal models to guide them along the sure path that can sustain their hope.

4. Young people should be presented with the fullness of God’s plan for human love, with all of its challenges and its invitation to heroic sanctity. Pastoral experience shows that they rise to this challenge with a reaction similar to the disciples of Emmaus: “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).

Our mission is to make disciples, but secular culture is more effective in unmaking them. This is nowhere more evident than in the secular vision of the family, of sexuality, of gender, of fidelity, and of the human person.

We must certainly start where people are at, in their subjective personal situations, and accompany them. But to do so with evangelical integrity, we must effectively share with them the objective truths of Sacred Scripture and Tradition, which challenge the secular assumptions that they draw in with the air they breathe. The goal is to form missionary disciples within the family who will evangelize the world.

“Go, make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). That is the mandate Jesus gives us at the end of the Gospel of Matthew. In Luke, on the road to Emmaus, he shows us how to do so.

First, he drew near, and accompanied his downcast disciples as they walked in the wrong direction, into the night. He started by asking questions about their present disposition and by listening to them, but he did not stop there. Instead, he challenged them with the Word of God: “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!” (Luke 24:25). His presentation of the objective vision of Scripture broke through their subjective self-absorption and, along with his loving presence, brought them to conversion. The disciples of Emmaus accepted the Word of God that challenged them, and asked Jesus to remain with them. When the Lord was made known to them in the Breaking of the Bread they changed direction and, with burning hearts, raced through the night to Jerusalem to bear joyful witness to the community gathered there.

UPDATE: MAGS IS GOING TO NASHVILLE!!!

Hello everyone,

So, remember my request for you to help my Catholic gal pal, Mags, go to Nashville to record some tracks for her new album?

The original post was here: http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/2015/09/help-my-catholic-gal-pal-maggie-aka.html

Well, sure enough, enough people came through up to the last day to help pitch in. MAGS IS GOING TO NASHVILLE TO RECORD SOME OF HER ALBUM TRACKS!!!!!

If anyone helped her out thanks to this blog, thank you for pitching in to help this bright young role model of the Church honour God through her talent of music. Thank you as well to taking a stand against the Radical Traditionalists, who thought they could shame this girl into darkness and despair, and abandon her music career. 

This is the kind of open camaraderie in the Church we need to see more of: Orthodox faithful supporting one another in promoting the future of the Church to develop and express their gifts to glorify the Lord. 

Yes, I know, Gregorian Chant is like the holiest thing ever invented in the Church, and Trads would prefer everyone sings chant, but we have to wake up and realize that there MUST be valid ways for our youth to express themselves as sons and daughters of God in the world, but not of it, as the future of the Church. If all we do is keep slamming down liturgies and rules in their faces, while being hypocrites of various kinds ourselves, then guaranteed, they will turn away from the Church, or stay in "nicey-nice" Novus Ordo land, when they deserved a better welcome to the WHOLE of Traditional Catholicism. 

For our young, Catholic artists in training, or amateurs, or professionals, if praising, adoring, and loving the Lord is through country music, or jazz, etc. as long as our artists do not take the route of the "former" Ms. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta who is now the Satan-loving Lady Gaga, then by all the means to show God how we Love Him, when our existence is unnecessary to His sustenance. 

MAGS, great to see you have not given up and are overcoming your adversity!!!! No go do a little honky tonk for us. Can't wait to see the finished project in the new year. 

Pax, Julian. 

Thank God for My Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins Leading Things!!! See His Working Group's Summary from Synod 2015!!!

Hello Everyone,

Well, in local quarters, I just got beaten a couple of minutes ago, as of 9:11AM EST by a Radical Misrepresenting Traditionalist blogger group, to the first scoop! While this is NOT His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins' 3 minute intervention speech, it is still with his inspiration.

In the 2014 Synod, the bishops got together in small working groups based on primary language and region (English/French/Italian + North America, or Africa, etc.) and released almost a summative statement, reflecting that group's values/thoughts on matters, etc.

News.Va has fully  released these texts today on the Internet for everyone to see. Taken from their media site, I post here, the full text of His Eminences' working group. I'll be commenting in red text and bold-facing important, shocking parts.

PAX! Julian.

[01661-EN.01] [Original text: English]

Relatio – Circulus Anglicus “D”
Moderator: Card. COLLINS Thomas Christopher
Relator: S.E. Mons. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap. Charles Joseph

Those of us taking part in Circle D are grateful to Pope Francis for calling for this synod, and we are honored to be part of the process. We also want to express our gratitude for the hard work embodied in the Instrumentum Laboris (IL). We suggest that the document should start just as we begin any celebration of the Mass – with a kind of Confiteor, putting ourselves in the midst of the failures of the members of the Church, rather than judging them from the outside. We need to acknowledge and ask forgiveness for our own mistakes as pastors, especially those that have undermined family life. [Whoa! First, there is already a mention of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Confiteor, and acknowledgement of man's sinfulness. Further, it seems that likely, the working group is referring to sexual abuse suffered by those at the hands of priests, but also pastoral abuse of power in parishes.]

We had two general observations:
First, while various elements of the IL are admirable, we found much of the text to be flawed or inadequate, especially in its theology, clarity, trust in the power of grace, its use of Scripture and its tendency to see the world through overwhelmingly Western eyes. [Wow! Seems like it's not just the traddie blogs criticizing the IL heavily. These bishops get it too! As for the "Western Eyes" comment, they are clearly referring to the general moral laxity attitude, such as being pro-homosexual, pro-communion for divorce and annulment, etc. I'm heavily impressed when they criticize the poor use or lack of Scripture and theology. They are hitting the core of it!!!] Second, we felt limited in our ability to respond by not knowing clearly who the audience of the document is. In other words, are we writing to the Holy Father, to families of the Church, or to the world?

Most of our group felt the IL should begin with hope rather than failures because a great many people already do successfully live the Gospel’s good news about marriage.[Thanks fellas! Finally, those faithful Catholics living our marriages are being given the respect and dignity they deserve! The majority of the Church is NOT divorcees, gays, etc. We are being misled by media, even dare I say it, Catholic media, to think otherwise.] Our group expressed concern that readers will simply ignore the document if it begins with a litany of negatives and social problems rather than a biblical vision of joy and confidence in the Word of God regarding the family. The huge cloud of challenges pervading the first section of the text unintentionally creates a sense of pastoral despair.

Several group members felt that Section II should precede Section I. Others supported the current arrangement of the text. A shared concern was that most people won’t read a dense or lengthy document. This makes the IL’s opening section vitally important; it needs to inspire as well as inform. Additionally -- recalling the work of Aparecida -- members stressed that the focus of the text should be on Jesus, through whom we describe and interpret the world’s present situation. We should always begin with Jesus.

If marriage is a vocation, which we believe it is, we can’t promote vocations by talking first about its problems.["Got it memorized?", to quote a fiery haired game character? MARRIAGE IS A VOCATION!!!]

As the Trinity is the source of reality, and because all communities originate in the community of the Trinity, some thought that the Trinity should be the document’s starting point.

Members noted that in his letters, St. Paul would often write a prologue of praise to people whose sins he would then critique. This was a common style in his epistles, and effective.

Our group thought there were a number of elements missing from the text: a serious reflection on gender ideology, more reflection on pastoral care for the differently-abled, the role of fathers and men as well as the role of women, and a deeper treatment of the destructive nature of pornography and other misuses of electronic technology.[That's right .... were talking about the FULL GAMUT HERE!!! Pro-lifers are often chastised for just caring about unborn babies only and NOT the full range of life. Not so here!!! This group, in caring about the differently-abled, are referring to those mentally and physically disabled people out there!!! And they are GETTING it with regards to the family: BOTH PARENTS apply here!!! FATHERS!!!! The now bastardized other half of the marriage thanks to society!!! And porno, but especially mentioning MISUSE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA!!!! Really!!! They are on their game. Just yesterday I discovered, thanks to a parish that puts its homilies up on YouTube, St. Joseph the Worker in Mississauga, that thousands of teenagers are now using a sexual hookup application, called "Tinder" to have casual sex with people in their local areas, since they lowered the age limit to 13 years of age!!! (see from 9:25 onward.) Sadly, not enough priests in the Church are caring about the sexual degeneration of our young people!!! We are being ignored!!! Not so with group D. THANK YOU YOUR EMINENCE!!!!]

Members criticized many of the paragraphs in the first section. Some thought the presentation was chaotic, without inherent logic. Sentences seemed to be tossed together without any organic connection to one another.

Some thought the text worked well because the family today does, in fact, face serious problems. That’s why we’re here at the synod: to deal with those problems;[But not in the way that the "lavender mafia" and Judas Iscariots occupying power in the Church want] and people who suffer want to see their reality touched by what we say. So it’s important to speak in a way that will draw people’s attention.

Still others thought that the text lacked anything that would attract people. If the document is destined to the general public, they felt that stories from family life, or the lives of the saints along with illustrations, should be included to make the material more compelling. They stressed the need to review the language of the document and ensure that it appeals to both men and women, leaving no one out.

Members worried that the English translation may not be faithful to the official Italian text.[As much as I hate to give leeway to those RMTs and conspiracy theorists, the English translations tend to have "errors" lost in translation, don't they? It's sad that to fight those errors, we have to get the Italian translation to prove Pope Francis isn't a heretic teaching false truths.] Others complained that many of the document’s statements were too general and not specific enough. Still others felt the text had many inaccurate generalizations, was verbose and repetitive.

Members said that some of the sections seemed narrow in scope and excessively inspired by West European and North American concerns, rather than a true presentation of the global situation. Some of the members thought that terms like “developing nations” and “advanced countries” were condescending and inappropriate for a Church document.[Deja Va with Cardinal Walter Kasper, anyone?] Others thought that the language of the text was too careful and politically correct, and because of that, the content was unclear and sometimes incoherent. Wonderfully good points were made in some paragraphs, but they were addressed too briefly and in a poorly developed manner. They seemed to be simply pulled together and listed, rather than presented logically.[Ok I'll just say it straight up. Have His Eminence ++Collins create all church documents from now on. There'd be clear teaching and orthodoxy in them. Enough with this P.C. garbage and weak sauce.]

Overall, members felt that Pope Francis and the people of the Church deserve a better text, one in which ideas are not lost in the confusion. Our group suggests that the text should be turned over to a single editor for clarification and refinement. The current material is obviously the work of a committee. Because of that, it lacks beauty, clarity and force.

Finally, members felt strongly that even in difficult situations, we need to underline the fact that many Christian families serve as a counter-witness to negative trends in the world by the way they faithfully live the Catholic vision of marriage and the family. These families need to be recognized, honored and encouraged by the document. Thus the first section of the IL text, which is about “observing” the facts, ought to highlight the good as well as the bad and the tragic. Heroic holiness is not a rare ideal and not merely “possible,” but common and lived vigorously in much of the world.[Thank you your Eminences, for not giving up on us. Thank you for your hope. Thank you! God Bless you group D.]