Solemn Requiem Mass sub-topic: Catafalque

Latin Mass Altar Serving: Requiem Mass Sub-Topic: Catafalque

Catafalque (cat-a-fal-quay)

In a Requiem Mass for the deceased, the casket is present in the center of the main aisle before the Sanctuary, surrounded by six candles (that differ from ordinary acolyte candles). 

If there is to be no body of the deceased in the Mass, as on the Solemnity of All Souls Day, or a Requiem Mass of rememberance where the deceased are not present, what takes the place of the casket is an object called the Catafalque. 

As to what the Catafalque is, Fr. Robert Pasley, the Chaplain of the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) describes it as such:

" .... The catafalque is either an empty casket or a wooden form made to look like a casket that is covered by the black pall and surrounded by six unbleached (orange) candles (when they are available); it is a symbolic representation of the deceased. When it is present, the priest sings the absolution for the deceased as if the body was present. The body was the Temple of the Holy Spirit and must be shown the greatest respect, even symbolically ...." (Pasley R. in Oost-Zinner)

The symbolism of the use of the catafalque, 

" ... calls to mind the stark reality of death and judgment, but in contrast, the hope of God’s mercy and redemption. We offer the absolution for the dead and we pray that we will be prepared for death. We realistically and vividly face the reality of death and just as realistically and vividly we profess our belief in the Resurrection. Our faith is strong―even stronger―by meditating upon the death we know will come to all of us." (Pasley R. in Oost-Zinner)

As described above, in addition to the catafalque box itself, lie six candles of more simplistic design which will surround the sides of the casket, four near the corners of the casket, and two at the center of the left and right side. For your interest a hobbyist-craftsman in the Archdiocese of Toronto was commissioned to build a set for a Solemn Requiem Mass and his process can be seen here. 

Works Cited

Pasley, R. in Oost-Zinner. Things can Convey Spiritual Realities. The Chant Cafe. [http://www.chantcafe.com/2013/06/things-can-convey-spiritual-realities.html]. Retrieved 09 Jun 2013. 

Post Latin Mass Report: St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart

Hello Everyone,

This past Friday evening, June 7, the St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir once again organized and sponsored a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The Mass was held at 7pm at St. Lawrence the Martyr (SLTM) Catholic Church is Scarborough, ON in the evening on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Solemn Mass became this week's Friday parish Latin Mass, as normally a Low Latin Mass is said at SLTM on Fridays outside of Lent in that timeslot.

The choir, led by Surinder S. Mundra, organizes these Solemn Masses in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and arranges the order of the musical pieces and chant for the Mass. In addition, the choir trains young men to serve for the Masses, such as myself, whom aid the clergy in offering their Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. St. Pat's is always welcome to accept young men wishing to serve in the EF, and is open to the general Catholic public. These Masses are offered every few months in the Archdiocese in parishes that are open to hosting the EF. The choir also is open to working with others who are open to collaboration in the Extraordinary Form or other facets with traditional Catholicism (e.g. Gregorian Chant, Classical music).

Between Masses, any priests and servers who serve with the choir are encouraged to continue serving the Latin Mass in their own parishes, communities, or with other parishes/efforts to maintain their skills and abilities. They are not discouraged from doing serving as an inferior minister (altar server) or clergy elsewhere, and/or Masses held by other Latin Mass efforts in the diocese, regardless of the organizers. The same goes with laity who attend the Masses. The SPGC welcomes those from every EF-supporting community, and as always, anyone who is interested in the Latin Mass whether it is their first occasion or one of many occasions.

The choir was grateful once again for the support from St. Lawrence the Martyr, who encourages the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in the Archdiocese in a charitable and joyful manner. The parish assisted the choir in holding the Mass by providing the location to hold the Solemn Mass, and also assisted in the Mass via the Deacon role through SLTM's Latin Mass Chaplain Fr. Steven Szakaczki, and veteran servers Robin Cheung and Brian Izzard.

The Solemn Mass had the following roster for servers and clergy:
Celebrant: Fr. J. Pilon, Diocese of Peterborough
Deacon: Fr. Steven Szakaczki, Latin Mass Chaplain of SLTM
Sub-Deacon: Fr. Russell Asch, Archdiocese of Toronto. Ordained in 2011, Associate Pastor of St. Patrick`s Markham, ON. Catholic Register has a brief but interesting biography on their website here.
MC: Robin L.M. Cheung, Veteran Server, SLTM
Acolyte 1: DDS, St. Pat's (Name withheld, minor under 18).
Acolyte 2: Me (Julian Barkin), St. Pat's and occasionally SLTM on request
Thurifer: Brian Izzard, SLTM
Cross Bearer: L.A, New joinee to St. Pat's. (Name withheld by consideration for privacy)
Boat Bearer: Derrick Shim, core group of SLTM EF servers.

Some Minor notes:
- Once again it was great to have Fr. Pilon and Asch be part of the clergy in their roles. They are diocesan priests in their respective dioceses. It is always awesome to see diocesan priests take an active role in this vital liturgy for the New Evangelization! Seeing diocesan priests is really encouraging to a young individual like myself.
- This Mass was the first time that Robin has been assigned the MC role in the EF. Robin has been serving with the parish, primarily in the weekday low masses as well as Sunday Masses and Sunday EF benedictions.
- A couple of new people have joined the lovely St. Patrick`s Gregorian choir, including another young lady! Welcome!
- Prior to the Mass was the end of Eucharistic Benediction and Adoration. The server`s area had been converted into a lovely little Adoration Chapel. I ducked into the chapel before a few minutes to pray before the Mass. I got a couple of treats. First, Fr. Liam Gavigan, a priest who has been ESSENTIAL to the EF in our Archdiocese, through his holding of the Latin Mass even before Summorum Pontificum, and who has trained some of those who train today`s servers, was doing the ending Benediction. Second, he said the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart, in addition to the usual prayers that go with Adoration and Benediction.

The Mass
As usual, here are some pictures of the setup of the Altar and some other minor facets of the Church prior to the Mass. No pictures are taken during the Mass by any members of the choir during the Mass due to respect for the sacred liturgy. It is not an entertainment event! If any media will be taken, it may by video for the purposes of altar server training. Here was my usual round of Sanctuary photos:

Epistle Side of the Altar. The Bells were later moved to the Gospel Side near Acolyte 1

Center Aisle and Altar from a Distance. Now with beautiful new Altar Rails! Finally we got the pleasure of using them!

Sedilia and Lower Chairs, as well as the Credence Table in the back. Epistle Side of the Altar.

As for the actual Mass, as usual, things progressed in a solemn and reverent manner by our clergy. The choir sang beautiful, uplifting chant and pieces in the Mass and our new young lady to the choir apparently received the solo for the gradual/Alleluia, or the piece leading into the Gospel.:

The Homily
Being an acolyte, I was privy to hearing the whole homily from start to finish. Here are the main points of what Fr. Pilon had to preach to us for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, though I admit my memory is shoddy between the stress I experienced prior and during Mass, coupled with coming off night shift. I have taken a bit of liberty here to fill in and connect some main points:

• To Begin the homily, the Sacred Heart of Jesus was, actually, the living breathing organ when he was in the flesh on earth. 
• It was a beating heart of flesh, that beat as baby Jesus was held against his father, St. Joseph, and his mother, Blessed Virgin Mary. They felt his little heartbeat when He was a babe. 
• When we think of the heart, we point to it physically, but our emotions and affects refer to more than the physical organ. 
• When we say something insulting with emotion and/or intent, or speak down to someone, the evil action affects us more than just corporally so. It affects our "hearts", our person-hood and being, and is the opposite of love. 
• Christ's love for us is represented in his Sacred Heart, the heart that gave out beating as he sacrificed himself for our sins on the Cross. That act was the ultimate act of love for us, the ultimate act of mercy for us. 
• The Latin for mercy is miserecordiae. The word is separated into two root words. Misere which is misery, and cordiae which can come from "corda" which is "heart". [Editor: like as in Sursum Corda]. Mercy is connected to the heart.
• Christ's Sacred heart is depicted [Editor: like in my First Friday devotion to the sacred heart posting] with a large laceration to the heart. This laceration is from the spear wound inflicted by the Roman soldier [regardless whether it "represents the wound" or it was actually lacerated at Jesus' death]. 
• [Editor: One could say Fr. Pilon took a page out of our Jesuit Holy Father Francis' book on homiletics, with the three word pattern to teach a lesson:] His Sacred Heart keeps that very wound, and it remains open for you to enter into His Heart, His ultimate Love. To do so, it will require three things:
• Humility: Sadly these days, psychologists in this world brush off things and make us "feel ok" about ourselves, that many of our sins and actions are not wrong, and can be rationalized. Further, many people commit sins and rationalize them away. They are prideful. We need to realize that the sins we do are continually attacking and stabbing at Jesus' Heart. We must say "what I am doing is sinful and wrong, and not of the Love of Christ."
• Shame: We should be shameful and sorrowful for our acts. They should not be hidden [mostly] behind excuses and mental disorders, etc. We must, despite our shortcomings or deficits in life, be willing to admit our sins we've inflicted on the Lord's Heart, and be ready to detest what we done and know they are sinful. [This includes detachment from sin]
• Sorrow: We must be sorrowful for our sins. We must be sad for the sins we commit, knowing the nature of them and how they wound our Lord, and that they hurt his Sacred Heart. Further we must feel sorrow at those who sin against His Heart and commit such actions, as those sins too hurt our Lord's Sacred Heart. 
• May we come to desire His love in the Form of his Sacred Heart. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee!!!

A fine Homily. I just wish my mind was less foggy to remember the rest of it.

Despite some serving mistakes, we together nonetheless proceeded in a beautiful and solemn liturgy, learnt a number of practical applications for future, and granted to those present an EF mass in our Archdiocese. Afterwards a reception was held downstairs in the parish hall with some celebratory sweets. It was a feast day after all! 

I would like to congratulate the St. Patrick's Choir, and to those new members to the choir for partaking in the liturgy through your voices. Thank you`s are also extended to the servers of SLTM for assisting St. Patrick's. Especially, Robin Cheung, veteran server, is to be commended for his first time role as a Master of Ceremonies. His serving was excellent for a first-time role, and it is great to see that his hard work and training under Fr. Steven has paid off admirably.

I'd also like to thank those of you who attended whether this is your normal form of the Roman Rite, or this was your first time, or perhaps you were even from another highly liturgically orthodox Christian faith/rite (e.g. Anglican Rite). I hope that you were able to worship our Lord in beautiful reverence and solemnity, honouring Him on this sacred feast day devoted to his Sacred Heart. If you honestly loved this form of the Mass and would like to attend more frequently in the core o the diocese, I encourage you to look for the regular offerings under the page on the right side of this blog and to attend, be it for your Sunday obligation, or even on weekdays. That or just e-mail me if you would rather get a direct message and assistance to lead you in the right direction.

In addition, should you, or if you have a child or young man who was inspired by our service at the altar as servers and wants to do it, I can personally assist you with pursuing Latin Mass altar serving. My e-mail is under the "contact information" page. Please provide both an email and a phone number to contact you. This info can also be passed onto the SPGC should you specifically want to work with the choir. As a final note, should any of the attendees for this Mass, have snuck in shapshots with your cellphone cameras, you can send them into my e-mail address. I will display them in this post. 

UPDATE JUNE 11, 2013
Someone took a camera picture of the incensing at the Offertory. See me there on the far right. The Master of Ceremonies is whom in most EF serving guides removes the Missal from the Gospel side for incensing. However, I reverted to what I did last time at the St. Joseph's Mass: AC2 removes altar Missal (I suppose it's an alternate role not set in stone, or at the discretion of your MC) and well, got a little surprised. Thankfully I reverted to orans position and left at a suitable time. Next time, I'll make sure to discuss finer points in the liturgy with my MC. Hey, it's a learning curve.

Once again, Thank you, and keep spreading the word of the Latin Mass. Pax Tibi Christ, Julian Barkin.

P.S. For your pleasure:

This is side by side, the Novus Ordo Missal (2011) with a biretta of one of the clergy. This is a clear example of the two forms of the Roman Rite side by side. Feel free to copy and paste with description at will! This is symbolically Pope Benedict XVI`s meaning of the two forms mutually enriching each other! I thought this was too cool not to photograph. Pax. 

REMINDER: SOLEMN EF LATIN MASS AT ST LAWRENCE THE MARTYR SCARBOROUGH, ON, TOMORROW FRI JUNE 7 AT 7PM

ANNOUNCEMENT: SOLEMN LATIN MASS AT ST LAWRENCE THE MARTYR FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2013 7pm

Hello everyone. 

A Solemn Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite will be occuring this Friday, June 7, 2013, at 7pm, in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The details of the Mass are As follows:

• 7:00 pm start time
• Location: St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church, Scarborough, ON
• Address: 2210 Lawrence Avenue East. (Kennedy Rd. and Lawrence Ave. E.)
• Parish Website: http://stlawrencemartyr.org/
• Parish Contact: (416) 759-9359
• Parish Email: StLawrence_Martyr@Rogers.Com
• Level of Mass: Missa Solemnis
• Clergy:
• Celebrant: Fr. Pilon (Jean-Pierre from Peterborough???)
• Deacon: Fr. Steven Szakaczki, Latin Mass Chaplain of St. Lawrence Martyr
• Sub-Deacon:  Fr. Russell Asch
• Organizer: St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir under Surinder S. Mundra
• SPGC Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RestoreTheLatinMassAndGregorianChant
• EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/505141059521382/
• Contact for SPGC: 416 731 4485 
• Poster

All efforts of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite are worth supporting in our archdiocese, and are deserving of coverage, especially as this is the Year of Faith, and a vital part of the New Evangelization!

All are welcome to worship the Lord, in the midst of beautiful reverence and solemnity that is contained within the Latin Mass. PLEASE pass this posting onto friends and family and positively spread the word of this Solemn Latin Mass.

Pax, Julian. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: Practice for Latin Mass Serving Group Announcement for May

Hello Everyone,

In case some of you were questioning what happened to the monthly practice over the last two months, simple explanations:

1) March: The last friday of the month was Good Friday. 'Nuff said.

2) April: Quite frankly I was caught up in my work priorities and other things in my personal life and needed to step back a bit from Latin Mass stuff. I was also quite exhausted thanks to said other issues. Nothing like a part time job at all hours with requests for help to wear you out.

So no, to those who think it has tanked and died, WRONG! The group is back on, and will be having a practice tomorrow, May 31, at 8pm at St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church, Scarborough, ON.  

Where: St. Lawrence the Martyr, 2210 Lawrence Ave. E, Scarborough, ON. It is closest to St. Lawrence Ave. E + Kennedy Rd. TTC access via Kennedy Station 43/43B bus and a 10 min walk west on L.A.E.

The focus of this practice will be the Solemn Latin Mass. We will be working in tandem with St. Lawrence the Martyr parish and the St. Patrick`s Gregorian Choir, as the next Solemn Latin Mass in the core of the Archdiocese of Toronto will be the evening of next Friday, June 7, at 7pm at St. Lawrence the Martyr. In this practice, roles will be assigned to servers who desire to serve the Solemn Mass. We will go through a run through of the serving portions of the Mass as a refresher to all who attend, but in addition to teach new roles to servers who are new to the Mass, or who have been "promoted" to a more demanding role in serving.

The serving group is always looking for new servers! If you are an adult or young man who wants to start serving, please come to the practice and send me your contact information, both an e-mail AND a cell or home phone number (or that of your parents in addition to your own if you are a minor under 18) to torontotlmservers@gmail.com. I will also be forwarding your contact information to the organizers of the SPGC choir so they may contact you for further/future Masses and to know who will ACTUALLY be serving next friday. 

In addition, if you want to do serving outside of the group, via a Latin Mass parish and/or a Solemn Latin Mass choir in the diocese as well. I will forward your information onto the organizers, or give you information for one of the Latin Mass parishes in the diocese. Please submit all information by e-mail, not by comment boxes (more for your privacy).

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Highlight: Antiphon Catholic Academic Journal for Orthodox/Traditional Catholic issues

Hello Everyone,

I would like to highlight a site on the internet for a Catholic-Academic-Theological journal which while not specific to the Extraordinary Form, nonetheless contains many articles concerning the EF, including contributions from many well-known advocated for Traditional Catholicism and the EF, e.g. Canon Lawyer Edward Peters, Cardinal Ranjith, ...

The website for the journal is http://www.liturgysociety.org/antiphon/ and contains a number of articles that are "samples" of the content of the journal for free reading, some concerning important issues or works being discussed in Traditional Catholicism. Have a read, please! They even ship to Canada and have a unique subscription price for Canadians. Do support this publication.

Hat tip to New Liturgical Movement for putting this on their blog, and popping up in my blog feed.

Pax, Julian.

Breaking News!!! Pope Rejects Anti-Latin Mass sentiments of bishops of Apulia, Italy, and will not Destroy Summorum Pontificum!

Hello Everyone.

Breaking news from my Blog Feed.

Summary: Some bishops from some region of Italy came for an ad limina visit to Rome. They presented concerns about their diocese. One bishop, of Conversano and Monopoli, declared that the Mass in the old rite was creating "division." Reading between the lines they want the Pope to nullify Summorum Pontificum and kill the Latin Mass or at least to give control back to the Bishops.

So what did the Holy Father do? Just as expected from a doctrinally and dogmatically traditional Pope, from a man who now is in the seat of the Bishop or Rome who MUST respect the tradition of the Church: He told them in essence that SP will NOT be deleted, and that they must be watchful for RadTrad groups and organizations, "extremists."

See here at New Liturgical Movement: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2013/05/pope-francis-and-motu-proprio-summorum.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNewLiturgicalMovement+%28New+Liturgical+Movement%29

See. The Pope truly does respect the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. He's not going to do anything to it, at least while Benedict Emeritus XVI is alive.

Pax Julian.

P.S. Don't forget to view my last post on the Devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The Devotion to the Sacred Heart: First Fridays

Hello Everyone.

This post is a bit special to me, as I am going to write about a devotion topic that I have participated in and has since held a place in my prayer life: The Sacred Heart of Jesus. More specifically, this post will be devoted to the practice of the First Fridays. This post is even more relevant, as Friday June 7, 2013 is the feast day devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Form liturgical calendars.

I will begin with some introduction and some history behind the devotion, and then will go through what is necessary to do the devotion and the indulgences/promises attached to the devotion.

Introduction: The Sacred Heart of Jesus and History behind the Devotion

What is the Sacred Heart of Jesus? It is commonly depicted as Jesus' literal heart, however it has the addition of two key components: The crown of thorns that is around the top perimeter of his heart, as well as a cross, the one he was crucified on, atop his heart. (This is not to be confused with the Immaculate Heart of Mary which usually has flowers around it and seven swords in it, representing the Seven Sorrows of Mary.)  Flames often surround the cross of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and some depictions also include a diagonal laceration, from being impaled by the spear of the Roman soldier ``Longinus?``, where out came blood and water from the wound. Here's an example:

Source unknown. 

While yes it is depicted as his literal heart of his incarnate body, it has more meaning than being his circulatory organ.

Theological History
Christ himself in the Gospel of John 7:37-39 says this: "And on the last and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and let him drink that believeth in Me. As the Scripture saith: Out of his heart there shall flow rivers of living waters.' Now this He said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in Him."(3). This was made all the more prominent and came true literally when the Roman soldier ("Longinus"???) pierced the side of Christ with his spear, and out poured out blood and water from the wound. Whether it pierced Jesus' actual organ of the heart, it is uncertain.

As is commonly used in literature and poetry, the heart is the organ associated with the deepest of emotions, especially that of love. In the pre-Vatican II encyclical, Haurietas Aquas, by Pius XII, which is devoted to the Sacred Heart, he describes to us more deeply what the Sacred Heart of Jesus is about and why veneration and devotion is to be rightly given:

" .... Holy Writ declares that between divine charity, which must burn in the souls of Christians, and the Holy Spirit, Who is certainly Love Itself, there exists the closest bond, which clearly shows all of us, venerable brethren, the intimate nature of that worship which must be paid to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. If we consider its special nature it is beyond question that this devotion is an act of religion of high order; it demands of us a complete and unreserved determination to devote and consecrate ourselves to the love of the divine Redeemer, Whose wounded Heart is its living token and symbol. It is equally clear, but at a higher level, that this same devotion provides us with a most powerful means of repaying the divine Lord by our own. (6, H.A.) ...."

".... The other reason which refers in a particular manner to the Heart of the divine Redeemer, and likewise demands in a special way that the highest form of worship be paid to it, arises from the fact that His Heart, more than all the other members of His body, is the natural sign and symbol of His boundless love for the human race. "There is in the Sacred Heart," as Our predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII, pointed out, "the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return ...."(16)"
(22, H.A.)

And so, the Sacred Heart of Jesus ...

" .... 55. is a symbol of that divine love which He shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit but which He, the Word made flesh, alone manifests through a weak and perishable body, since "in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily."(52) 56. It is, besides, the symbol of that burning love which, infused into His soul, enriches the human will of Christ and enlightens and governs its acts by the most perfect knowledge derived both from the beatific vision and that which is directly infused.(53) 57. And finally - and this in a more natural and direct way - it is the symbol also of sensible love, since the body of Jesus Christ, formed by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, possesses full powers of feelings and perception, in fact, more so than any other human body (54) .... " (55-57, H.A.)

Devotional History
The actual devotion of the Sacred heart that is practiced, originates with Saint Mary Margaret Alacoque in the late 1600's. From 1673-1675, the saint received a series of visions of our Lord, revealing to her his Sacred Heart. Jesus asked her in these visions to spread devotion of his Heart throughout the whole church, as reparation for sins and offenses against our Lord. (8, First Fridays and First Saturdays)

At the center of the revelations are twelve promises, made to her by Jesus. For those who consecrate themselves and make reparation to His Sacred Heart:

1. He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. He will establish peace in their homes.
3. He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honoured. (I have provided one above, though there are paper, gold-painted cross cards that seem to be popular for this purpose.)
10. He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.
12. In the excessive mercy of His heart, that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving the sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Of course, these promises are also bestowed onto the faithful who engage in this practice, not just St. Mary.

The Devotion of the Sacred Heart

1. The actual devotion of the sacred heart consists of going to Mass on the First Friday of the month for nine consecutive months, and receiving the Eucharist in the state of sanctifying grace. You MUST do this consecutively for nine months, without any break in the practice. I have found no document, be it in Church Law, Catechism, Papal/Vatican writings, nor writings from trusted Catholic sources that allow for such an interruption other wise, even for valid and legitimate reasons. Not even a priests' dispensation can allow for a valid break.Communion MUST be received on this particular day of the Month. The practice cannot be delegated to another day.

2. They must be done in honour of His Sacred Heart, and thus one must practice devotion to the Heart and have a great love for Christ.

3. Note: This devotion will not dispense you from obligations or from exercising vigilance necessary for leading a good life and overcoming temptation. You will however be bestowed graced to carry out obligations and persevere to the end.

In addition, associated with the devotion is Eucharistic Adoration before or after the Mass. Unfortunately, when it is done after, those parishes that do this tend to schedule confession then, not before the Mass, which deprives people from the ability to receive the Eucharist in the state of grace and perform the devotion. You absolutely cannot receive the Eucharist in the state of Mortal Sin, so you deprive the faithful of the ability to do this practice. Any clergy reading my blog, PLEASE do confession before the Mass, be it with or without Adoration!

Regardless, the beauty of having Eucharistic Adoration attached to this devotion, is that one can receive additional indulgences, which when obtained, remit the temporal effects of sins. A half hour of Eucharistic Adoration minimum, qualifies for the indulgent act. Better yet if one removes themselves from sin completely, the indulgence is plenary, or full.

Indulgences are obtained when one receives confession and communion within 8 days of the indulgent act, prays for the intentions of the Holy Father (which can be at minimum one of the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be), and removes oneself from attachment to all sin. An analogy I use is that sin is like a sticky snail. When we go to confession, we take the snail from his shell and boot him off your skin. However, that shell is taking up space on you. Think of that shell is the time in purgatory one will need to spend to become purified in such a state to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Indulgences remove the temporal effects of sin, that is, that shell is now removed from your body, and thus the complete effects of sin are removed from you, though how many and how much time is reduced is unknown.

Finally, while this is not a mandatory part of the devotion, there are also associated with the Sacred Heart of Jesus the Acts of Consecration and Reparation to the Sacred Heart. They are as follows:.

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.

I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
 I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants.

Amen.

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart

O sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for me is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Your alter (in Your presence) eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Your loving Heart is everywhere subject.

 Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying for from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow You, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Your Law. We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against You; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against You and Your Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Your Vicar on earth and Your priest are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Your Divine Love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which You have founded. Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Your divine honor, the satisfaction You once made to Your eternal Father on the cross and which You continue to renews daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of Your grace, for all neglect of Your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent other from offending You and to bring as many as possible to follow You.

 O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowing gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to You, so that we may one day come to that happy home, where You with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God, world without end. Amen.

Summary:
Therefore, to do this devotion to the Sacred Heart, you must do the following:
1. Be in the state of Sanctifying grace to receive the Eucharist worthily on First Friday. So go to confession, especially if you have one or more Mortal Sins on your soul. Without true repentance and ceasing of the situation, you will obviously not be able to receive the Eucharist in certain situations (e.g. co-habitation, 2nd marriage if 1st was not annulled, masturbation with/without pornography ...)

2. You must attend Mass on First Friday and receive the Eucharist in the state of sanctifying grace, for 9 consecutive months, with no break in between occasions. 

3. For the promises to be fulfilled, you must be promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart, whether it be by taking about the devotion, generally why you love the Sacred Heart of the lord, prayer to the Sacred Heart, etc.

In addition to these conditions,
3. You may also attend , and should, the Eucharistic Adoration that comes before and after the Mass. Under the usual conditions of Confession, Communion, and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (at minimum 1x Our Father, 1x Hail Mary, and 1x Glory be, or a specific prayer for His intentions), PLUS a minimum of 1/2 hour of adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, you will gain an indulgence aside from the usual benefits and graces.

4. While it is not absolutely necessary according to numerous sources, some recommend the addition of the Act of Reparation and Consecration to the Sacred Heart to be said during those First Friday sessions. I say, do it.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Works Cited
Pius XII. Encyclical of Pope Pius XII Haurietas Aquas On the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. May 15, 1956. [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_15051956_haurietis-aquas_en.html]. Retrieved 2013 May 28.

Catholic Truth Society. First Fridays and First Saturdays The Devotions Explained. Catholic Truth Society: London, UK. 2008.

ATTENTION: Latin Mass Transfer in Kinkora, ON to London, ON for Latin Mass in Kitchener-Waterloo-London Area

Hello Everyone.

While I do not frequently cover the outskirts of the Archdiocese or other dioceses' efforts for the purposes of this blog, "start-ups" and, may the Lord forbid them, closings of Latin Mass efforts, should be duly noted for the sake of documentation and making it known we care, regardless of area of the diocese.

In addition, I know some of you, be you university students who travel to London area universities for your education, or some of you from this diocese, travel(ed) to the Latin Mass in Kinkora on occasion or during your academic year. 

From the Facebook page of Vox Cantoris (a.k.a. David Domet, choirmaster of Toronto Traditional Mass Society), comes this highly important update:

"Effective July 1, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite will cease at St. Patrick's Kinkora in the Diocese of London." 

" However, Bishop Ronald Fabbro has long desired that the Mass be in a more permanent location in the seat of the Diocese, the City of London." 

"Therefore: the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass will be transferred to London, Ontario. New location: John Paul II High School Chapel. New time: Each Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

beginning in September it will be permanently celebrated at Regina Mundi. College (High School Chapel)." 

"Coordinator: Fr. Paul Nicholson (assisted by: Fr. John Johnson, Fr. Ross Bartley, Fr. Tom Ferrera, Fr. Ray Lawhead, and Fr. Theo Pinto). That's right six, SIX diocesan priests from the Diocese of London will celebrate the Holy Mass on a rotation. It will continue to be a full Sung Mass and the opportunity will now arise for Solemn Mass on occasion. The TTMS-UNA VOCE TORONTO gives thanks to the LORD for the blessings of Father Nicholson and these priests of the Diocese and especially to Bishop Ronald Fabbro for his pastoral care of the 100 people who attend at Kinkora weekly, many who travel from over 1 hour away, including the City of London."

This is likely because Fr. Paul Nicholson has been allowed to have a similar or the same type of online/in-person ministry as well known priest, Fr. Robert Barron of the "Catholicism" DVD series that has been shown in many different parishes. Fr. Nicholson has a website that is under development but will expand to include more content (hopefully), here: www.fatherpaulnicholson.com

Please pass on the information to those attendees in the Kitchener-Waterloo-London area, or whom are known to attend the masses here on occasions. 

Pax, Julian. 

GASP! FRANCIS WAGES WAR WITH THE DEVIL IN PUBLIC!!!!

Hello Everyone.

Let me tell you, Francis is one Pope who does not take spiritual warfare lightly. Constantly in his fervorinos, covered only by Vatican Radio or News.Va (which forwards the articles from Vatican Radio), he has been not afraid to mention the Evil One and all his false lies and promises in this post-modern, secular world. He's no joke when it comes to the four last things, especially Hell and the Evil One, who rules that domain (not by choice or God's commission. St. Michael bested him in battle and speared him down to that infernal abyss).

This past Sunday when he celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Square, he took things to the next level, in public, exorcising  or at least started the process of exorcising 4 demons possessing a man in the public square. Here's the link covering this story from the Associated Press:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_POPE_AND_THE_DEVIL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-05-21-10-08-39

Also, there is a YouTube video that has appeared here. The text is in Spanish, but once can clearly see what was taking place in the square here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9XHYFiAH4hY

May 21, 6:31 PM EDT

Read the article and watch the video for yourself. Clearly, this was no ordinary reaction to the prayer, and further, the Vatican's lead exorcist Fr. Amorth, well known after his commentary on the Anthony Hopkins led movie, The Rite, completed the act with a true, full exorcism of the man yesterday. So hopefully those demons were vanquished (unless those demons are in it for a long haul. Considering this man was involved in the pro-abortion industry, I wouldn't be surprised.)

Seriously everyone, this is no flimsy pope. This Pope, might just be one of the most gutsy and fearless Popes that we have come to have line our Papacy. A humble man from outside of Europe, who doesn't indulge in the trappings of his cohorts, now is becoming one of the fiercest fighters against our biggest enemy. More and more he is seeming like the right man at the right time, for how our world is disintegrating into savagery and inhumanity at the Evil One's manipulation and lies, he is becoming the biggest example of Spiritual Combat!

Ever see those children's shows, or movies, where a regular joe or young boy is plucked from obscurity into the heat of a war against an evil overlord or an empire, and becomes the champion and mightiest fighter of them all? You know, like Star Wars with Luke Skywalker being the One to bring balance to the Force? Well it sounds just like that.

Pax. Julian.

NEW PAGE ON RIGHT SIDE! Long Term Project Regarding Vatican II Documents

Hey Everyone,

Check out the new page on the right hand side of my blog. The link to it is here:

http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/p/long-term-project-vatican-ii.html

And you get to help out too! Don't expect a lot in a short time, but it's something to work on after being inspired by a Fr. Z post today. I'll be reminding you about this from time to time.

Pax, Julian.

Off the Beaten Path: Concerns About Modern Education. I think it's time to go Private or Homeschool.

Hello Everyone,

I will have to put my Latin Mass stuff and other items on the back burner mostly, as I took on extra shifts at work for various purposes for the next 2 weeks. However, keep checking online every often for updates to my Summer Latin Mass post for special offerings. The next offering is June 7. Check the post out.

This post though, received some inspiration from Fr. John Zuhlsdorf. He had this to say today: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/05/ramifications-of-the-new-normal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wdtprs%
2FDhFa+%28Fr.+Z%27s+Blog+-+What+Does+The+Prayer+Really+Say%3F%29


I was also checking out my Blogger feed, and I found this article with the Windsor Star here:
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/05/10/are-kids-still-learning-the-basics/


Looking into the Windsor Star Article, the fact that an article is covering the issue of what kids learning in school, should bring concern alone in our minds, be us current or future parents. This isn`t just a sentiment shared with Catholic parents though. Even secular people, as said in the beginning of this article, are wondering what is going on at times with our system, with our children not even being able to learn the 3 basic `R`s: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic:

``When parent Nikki Pilutti walked into her daughter Jill’s Grade 3 class and saw “Lerning” misspelled prominently on the board, it drove home what she’s long believed. Like many parents raised on weekly spelling tests, grammar work sheets and multiplication times tables, she contends the basics aren’t getting the attention they deserve.``

So then, what are our young little future _(insert six figure salary career here)`s learning then? Well they are apparently still learning the "basics" but our wounderful education systems deem the old school drilling methods archaic. So new methods are now employed:

"Students at Dougall elementary don’t use the old spellers ... the vocabulary list in Kathy Freeman’s Grade 1-2 class. Environment, garbage, carbon and pollution were among the dozen or so words these six- and seven-year-olds were learning to spell and write. The words all come from their study of polar bears, a subject the kids themselves chose, but which incorporates all kinds of curriculum requirements for their grades. After learning throughout the week about polar bears and how their survival is threatened by climate change, they each wrote letters – edited and corrected – to Prime Minister Stephen Harper asking him to help.  Last week, they focused on space, studying reports from Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield aboard the International Space Station. The inquiry included forays into math, science, writing and reading."

Alright, while I think it's cool for astronaut Chris Hatfield to share his experiences from space and encourage students to think about higher level sciences related to astronomy (e.g. physics), the bolded text I've highlighted has shown where the emphasis is these days in education. The emphasis is not on can these kids do X, but can they be liberal/socialist change agents in the world? Listen, I am for proper social justice in the right context of the Catholic Church, and over the decades the Church has written documents for social justice in the Social Compendium of the Catholic Church. However, what is demonstrated above is that the education system is being used as a breeding ground to turn these students into climate change or environmental zealots by their educational overlords (e.g. teachers, the education ministers under our liberal provincial governments). Sadly, this is what's being emphasized in the education curriculum across the grades, that there is a noticeable, detrimental effect being seen in our children:

".... “They don’t focus as much on the phonics and the repetition of doing your addition and subtraction over and over and over again,”  said Pillutti, a LaSalle mom who takes her two kids to a Kumon tutoring program to supplement their regular school .... with old-time, back-to-basics education. “They drill them,” she said, ... He’s not counting on his fingers, he just knows, says Pilutti. “They don’t get that at school.”

``.... It’s a sentiment felt by an army of parents who are complaining their kids can’t spell, have terrible grammar and don’t know their times table. In response, tutoring centres have sprouted up across the city. Scott Sylvestre started with one Kumon and 20 students in 1996. Today he has two locations and 300 kids ....``

".... When Amanda Coughlin was supply teaching a Grade 7-8  class few years ago, about 75 per cent of the students did not know the times table. When it comes to one of the basics, teachers teach it and move on, and the kids who haven’t grasped it are “kind of left hanging,” said Coughlin, whose tutoring service is called There and Back Again, a reference to her back-to-basics approach."

That third paragraph has me especially concerned. I thought that the purpose of education was to give our young pupils a better life and to allow them to become smarter and more able to contribute to their society. Instead it seems that it is doing the opposite, producing illiterate and less intelligent kids who might be great at protesting social causes on a sidewalk, but could likely not special "social justice" on paper. Worse, technological devices with auto-correct doesn't even give those students the chance to know their typing/writing skills contain errors. And what's with kids about to go into high school not knowing how to do even basic math or writing??? I should not have to pay extra money, on top of the taxes the governments suck out of me for either the public school or separate school systems, to pay for additional tutoring to fix what I am paying the educational system to do in the first place! Seriously, the economy is in the toilet and most people overall are going to have less spare cash to throw around, even for necessary supplements like this! Plus, those students that get left behind these days are more often boys than girls, and you wonder why they are retreating to video games, where at least they can get stuff and feel temporarily like their protagonists in the games: capable of even basic tasks and feats they cannot do in their regular lives. 

Catholics: An Additional Element of Failure
What is from the article above is only just the tip of the iceburg if you happen to be a Catholic who actually cares about their faith and the education system that is supposed to be nurturing their faith, while giving the same ``education" that public schools are. The environment is just one example of social indoctrination the governments and the teachers in them are imposing on our students. This is happening in the Catholic system as well. Fr. Z's article clearly expressed this sentiment, and my very province in Canada was an example that was brought up in the commentary box on his site. 

In Ontario, we had the passing last year of the infamous Bill 13 by the Liberal government, led by the reviled Dalton McGuinty and at that time, Lesbian, pro-homosexual and anti-Catholic minister Kathleen Wynne, with the latter now leading the Liberal Party of Ontario. This bill was an ``anti-bullying```bill for education, but DID NOT protect the rights of Catholic/Separate schools. It had no legal provisions or clauses to ensure that the rights of Catholic students to practice and live their Faith were valued. Because of that, Catholic schools now must have Gay-Straight alliances that violate the consciences and the central beliefs of Catholics everywhere. Don't believe me: Read this recent article about the efforts to encourage the Catholic Board to defend against this onslaught: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/toronto-catholic-board-trustee-new-motion-to-overturn-gay-clubs-enforcement. When you have a system that is publicly funded by the government, a Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms that is wielded as a weapon by biased Human Rights Councils, a government and education minister hell bent on implementing a radical social agenda that violates the rights of Catholics and even social AND moral conservatives, you have a system that either forces your kids to obey them, or they and you will answer to the law.

So what does this boil down to? Well if you are a parent or future parent and want your kids to be taught the basic and necessary life skills, you will trust less and less in the formalized education system these days. Your kids will NOT get the same education you received in past generations and you must supplement in some way, even the most basic skills. Further if you are a TRUE CATHOLIC FAMILY, not one who is CINO or "catholic in name only" and you want your child to be educated in the faith, you will have much more against you. You really only have two good options: Homeschooling, or private catholic school. However with the way the world is going, those options might even become against the law of the almighty State, as is now in Germany, as exemplified in the case of the Romeike family, who sought asylum into the USA for the freedom to educate their children not in the government system (which is clearly anti-Catholic)  http://www.hslda.org/legal/cases/romeike.asp?src=slide&slide=Romeike_05-14-2013_decision&pos=1

Honestly, this world is getting darker, and I fear for the safety of my future children, if the Lord blesses me ever with a future wife and family.

Pax, Julian.  

Brief reflection on Blog Stats: Purpose Accomplished

Hello Everyone.

I just wanted to show you some of the stats I obtained through my blogger analysis. Over a week's worth of stats, ending today, here's the top ten search terms that have led to my blog:

latin mass locations in gta	3
latin mass toronto	3
epiphany blessing	2
steven szakaczki	2
what mass srvers must known	1
+"latin mass" hypocrisy	1
catholic church altar items	1
clerical vestments	1
deep bow	1
extraordinary form • altar set-up to gospel	1

This is great. Save that weird hypocrisy hit, This means people are wanting to attend the Latin Mass, learn about Catholic traditions or specific objects, and parts or people pertaining to the Extraordinary Form. There is a need for such online coverage and people are wanting this information out there.

Here's the specific post viewings for this week:

Posts

Entry	Pageviews
Starter Points II - General Altar Knowledge that S... 13 Jan 2013	28
LATIN MASSES FOR ASCENSION OF JESUS THIS THURSDAY ... 7 May 2013	23
Latin Masses for Feast Days and Solemnities in the... 7 May 2013	15
Starter Points II - General Actions Servers Will D... 11 Dec 2012	10
Latin Mass Serving Roles: The Boat Bearer AND the ... 19 Apr 2013	8

As you can see, 3 of the top 5 viewings are for my altar serving information postings on how to serve the Latin Mass. The biggest, is my most popular serving post of all time, the General Altar Knowledge/Starter Points II part 2/3 posting. Second was my listings of the additional Latin Masses by organizations/parishes for the Feast of the Ascension this past Thursday in the EF liturgical Calendar.

This blog clearly is serving its purpose, and I am glad for that. It's filling that niche that people want in the Church, or your sheer curiosity. I just hope you are acting on that knowledge and contributing to the Extraordinary Form in your Sunday/daily worship or entering into altar serving. Thank you for stopping by.

Happy Ascension Sunday (Ordinary Form) or Sunday after the Ascension (Extraordinary Form).

Pax, Julian Barkin