Tuesday 10 December 2019

Special Offering of Rorate Caeli Mass in Advent in the Archdiocese of Toronto Saturday December 14, 2019

Hello Everyone,

After a long absence, I come back to announce special offerings of the Extraordinary Form in our Archdiocese of Toronto, for a special kind of Latin Mass liturgy.

We now come upon the Liturgical season of Advent, anticipating the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. In the Latin Rite, a particular tradition of beauty in the Latin Mass (occasionally celebrated in today's Catholic church in some variation,) is the celebration of the Rorate Caeli Mass. I turn your attention to this simple explanation from the Fraternity of the Society of St. Peter, here. In addition, I attended one held at an Archdiocese of Toronto parish, last Advent season. See here for my report.

Of the most poignant notes that deserves repeating, is that this Mass is held early in the morning, in candlelight with no electricity on in the body of the Church. The basic symbolism is: the ushering in of the daylight as the Mass proceeds, corresponds to the rise of the Light of our Faith, that of Christ being born on Earth via the Blessed Virgin Mary. That is our journey through the season of Advent.

In addition, we are blessed in most of the world to have running electric power. However, what we gain in sight, we tend to lose in the stillness and calm of the darkness. The beauty of a candlelight Mass is that the overall atmosphere is one of calm and beauty, one that doesn't assault our senses of sight and sound, the way a fully lit body of a church with lights and full acoustic sound systems do. That makes it more conductive to prayer, including that taking place at the altar.

Normally, the Rorate Caeli is to be celebrated on a Saturday in the Season of Advent, whereby it is a Feria, which in layman's language, means "no one or nothing special is being celebrated at Mass today." A feria does exist this liturgical year, and so it can be allowed to be said. That date is Saturday, December 14, 2019. 

Thankfully, once again St. Mary's Polish Catholic Church will be offering the Rorate Caeli Mass, in the Archdiocese of Toronto on Saturday December 14th. The details are as follows:


 

St. Mary`s Polish Catholic Church, Toronto, ON (1996 Davenport Road, Toronto, ON.)

  • 7 AM starting time
  • Low Mass with Music  
  • Celebrant is likely the pastor, Fr. Kasimirez, or his replacement if he is still on sabbatical. 
I encourage you to attend the St. Mary`s offering, and be prepared to be amazed and swept away in a sea of serenity as you worship the Lord in candlelight darkness. Bring your family and friends.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

P.S. While I am aware there is a second offering that will be in Mississauga as a Missa Cantata, I cannot promote this offering on my blog, as 1) This offering is NOT being promoted officially through the Archdiocese of Toronto social media or a parish within the Archdiocese of Toronto (e.g. websites, blogs ...), and (2) Knowing where it is, and the offerings in past at the location, this offering is highly likely to involve Radically Traditionalist leadership in the offering of this liturgy. Some of those ``known`` leaders have attacked my closest friends and allies in the Latin Mass and I, directly and indirectly in past, from both sides of the laity and the clergy. Some supporters/members of this group also run social media on Internet/blog/other platforms that are anti-Francis and anti-Novus Ordo/regular Catholic Church. I cannot in good conscience and in keeping to my blog goals (see No. 2,) disclose the details and will say to look elsewhere on the internet for details. 

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