BREAKING! POPE FRANCIS SUMMONS EMERGENCY MEETING FOR CARDINALS, TAKES SOME AWAY FROM SACRA LITURGIA ROME 2013

Seeing my Facebook Feed, Catholic Chapter House just linked to THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxtF6RWQGk&feature=youtu.be

This is a special update from "That guy", Michael Voris of what he calls his media network ChurchMilitantTV. Go look it up yourself, as I do not support the work of what he does. I personally think he is a "RadTrad" (The rest of you can go disagree in your own little corners of the blogosphere and real life. My blog, my opinion. Canada hasn't barred free speech legally yet).

HOWEVER, the saying is "a broken clock is correct twice a day", and well, it turns out Pope Francis just summoned all available Cardinals of the Curia for an emergency meeting away from a conference in Rome for the Latin Liturgy and things related to it called Sacra Liturgica. Voris is present for this conference. The video is 8:46pm Rome time and Italy is about 6 hours ahead of Toronto, so this was reported 2:46pm EST here in Toronto.

Voris isn't sure, but, according to a rumour, perhaps this is to be the radical change that most people were hoping for out of Pope Francis. The rumour is there's going to be some radical change in the Curia!

Does this have any credence whatsoever, or is Voris being his usual, controversial self and making life harder for Traditional Catholics? Well .... Remember that concert that Pope Francis missed ... the great Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, Holy Internet Father of all that is Traditional and Holy in the Catholic Blogosphere (who is present for this conference too, unsurprisingly), commented on the concert snafoo here:

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/06/pope-no-show/

Initially, Fr. Z. said this before his sources gave him updates: ".... The other part of me, however, the Romanized part, is wondering if the Holy Father didn’t use an occasion when he knew where all of his “handlers” were going to be, and how long they would be there, to have a one-on-one meeting with someone who knows what is going on in the Vatican and where the reform is most necessary. After those years in Rome I have a conspiratorial streak. Either way, the Pope is keeping everyone guessing, and – in the Curia – on edge...."

While his information leads him to say that apparently Pope Francis did not meet with anyone of importance or controversy, other sources like Vatican Insider co-support this, saying he was hard at work in his 'Papal Office' here: http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/papa-el-papa-pope-25886/ .

Further I found this article as well about what the Pope and his 8 (now apparently 9?) Cardinal advisory team are getting to work on: http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/vaticano-vatican-el-papa-pope-25947/. This caught my ears! ".... The Pope encouraged reflection on the new evangelisation, using Paul VI’s Evangelii nuntiandi as inspiration and an awareness of the fact that society’s conditions force us to rethink our methods  and to try to think of how to bring the Christian message to the people of today. "

So .... with the other articles above .... Perhaps Voris is right ..... POPE FRANCIS JUST MIGHT BE STARTING TO LAY THE SMACKDOWN ON SOME CORRUPT VATICAN RUDY POO GIABRONE!!!  (to borrow from WWE wrestler and actor, Dwayne ``The Rock`` Johnson)

All I can say, is that we should be continuing to monitor this from good sources, and perhaps when I wake up, something exciting will be waiting for the Church on my blog feed or Fr. Z, or even ``That Guy``, Voris.

Pax Tibi Christi, I`m Julian Barkin.

Update to Latin Mass This Saturday June 29, 2013. NOT PARISH held but TTMS-SPONSORED Latin Mass

Update to the posting for the Mass at St. Joseph's "Streetsville" in Mississauga

Due to the available information that was at my disposal on the internet for the Masses at the time of THIS posting for the Solemn Latin Mass, it seemed as if this would have been the first Toronto Archdiocesan Latin Mass without the co-operation of the established Latin Mass parish programs (E.g. Oratorians of St. Phillip Neri, St. Lawrence the Martyr), or an Extraordinary Form choir (e.g. St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir, Toronto Traditional Mass Society).

In addition, the pictures of the poster on the internet did not have additional information I have obtained today, and I have not seen any posters at my respective Parishes for Sunday Mass, nor bulletin inserts promoting this Mass. This event is also NOT on the Archdiocesan News and event webpage.

NEW INFORMATION

I found the following text today on the blog called WITNESS at http://torontocatholicwitness.blogspot.ca/, of whom I extend a "Hat tip" to for the update:

"This coming Saturday, June 29th, the Toronto Traditiona Mass Society-Una Voce Toronto is pleased to host a Solemn Latin Mass at 11 A.M. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church (5440, Durie Road, Mississauga)."

Therefore, this mass will NOT be a Toronto Archdiocesan "solo" effort for the Latin Mass. It is a Solemn Latin Mass organized by the Toronto Traditional Mass Society. As of Today, June 25, 2013, there is still, no ordinary, diocesan parish in the core of the Archdiocese of Toronto that has chosen to hold a Latin Mass without the assistance of a current EF parish or a Latin Mass choir, outside of their normal Novus Ordo Masses.

THEREFORE, I STAND CORRECTED, though I will NOT change the content of my original posting. The same jubilations and accolades will be given to whatever parish does this in the future. If there has been misleading of anyone, I did not tend to mislead you, and I myself thought similar before this new information was brought to light. Please notify your friends and family if they were misinformed it was not an EF choir organized or primary EF base parish Mass.

Regardless, please view my now UPDATED Solemn Latin Mass Summer 2013 posting here for the details if you are interested in going. Please continue to support the Tridentine Latin Mass/Extraordinary Form in the Archdiocese of Toronto, one of the most VITAL tools to the New Evangelization.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

SOLEMN LATIN/EF/1962 MASS SATURDAY JUNE 29 2013 11AM ST JOSEPH'S MISSASSAUGA

Hello Everyone. May I have your attention please:

There will be a Solemn Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form/Tridentine Latin Mass/1962 Mass this Saturday, June 29, 11am, at St. Joseph's "Streetsville" in Missassauga, Ontario.

Here is the poster for the event: 

Here are the abridged details:

Where? St. Joseph's Catholic Church "Streetsvile", Missassauga, ON

When? Saturday June 29, 11AM. 

Address: 5440 Durie Road, Missassauga, ON

Parish Website: http://stjosephchurchstreetsville.blogspot.ca/

Parish Contact: 905-826-2766 (Request Fr. Kim De Sousa who will be of the clergy in the Mass for inquiries.)

I will say that this is truly exceptional and a joyous blessing for the Archdiocese of Toronto! With my experience participating in the Latin Mass (May 2011 onward), I will say that to my knowledge, up until now, in the core of the diocese (excluding the outskirts or "suffragan" dioceses),  Latin Masses have been held  only in the designated Latin Mass parishes (e.g. SLTM or the Oratorian ones, the temporary FSSP mission sadly ended by the diocese in 2010 at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Scarborough), or organized by Choirs/Societies in other parishes that have allowed the TLM to occur. This is not what was intended for the Latin Mass, under the governance of ++Collins, and gives a poor appearance and misconception that it's only "on special occasions/in EF parishes" where this is welcome. NEWS FLASH! THAT'S WRONG! NOT ANYMORE!!!! 

NEVER, have I witnessed until now, a regular, ordinary, Novus Ordo diocesan parish in the core of the Archdiocese of Toronto, hold a frequent or random Latin Mass, not as a special parish devoted to the EF (via a program or a designated parish,) and/or without aid from an organized society or choir. Unless otherwise notified (feel free to inform me charitably!) May I declare that THIS IS THE FIRST INSTANCE SINCE SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM that a major core parish in the Archdiocese of Toronto, has held a Latin Mass according to the guidelines of Summorum Pontificum and Ecclesiae Unitatem, free-standing!!!!

With this declaration, I must highly congratulate and give my salutations to St. Joseph's for doing so. This is trailblazing in light of what our Holy Father Emeritus, Benedict XVI, worked so hard to achieve for Holy Mother Church, the New Evangelization, as well as for our Archdiocese of Toronto. 

The faithful of the Church, of whom many have not been able to experience solid, orthodox worship, untainted by the sentiments of secular society/the Devil (e.g. Jesus loves everybody, and as long as you are "nice" you are a good person), are truly being fed and spiritually nourished by liturgies such as this. The more parishes, priests, and laity that do this and word towards this goal, are carrying out the necessary Evangelical Catholicism, needed to combat spiritual apathy and anti-Catholic sentiments in this modern era.

The youth and young adults, who are not indulging in the secular means of society and are truly seeking such aforementioned worship and the Truth, DO want more of this, and are more and more gravitating to this form of the Mass in the Roman Rite, and parishes with solid, reverent liturgy (even in the Novus Ordo/Vernacular Masses). I myself am witness to this: Even in my Novus Ordo efforts, I abandoned my former parish due to such a lack of spiritual nourishment. I went to my current parish (of which you can find out where in an archived post), which is feeding me spiritually, and has many great signs under its current pastorship of spiritual fruits and the TRUE meaning off all contained in Vatican II in effect.  

While I so desire to attend this Mass, I am forced to work Friday night Night, despite a request for the whole weekend off (with apologies from management. Unfortunately, full timers are GUARANTEED every other weekend off, and luck has it most had Friday off). However, anyone who is attending, can you kindly please tell me how it went, provide me details of the event, or at the most, be willing to write a full report??? You will be credited by full name or a pseudo-name on here for your report or information. 

Bottom line: I encourage you, to please attend this blessed and reverent Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, on a critical feast day in the Church, in the Extraordinary Form. Further, please spread the word via every possible form of media in your possession (e-mail, phone ....) and get as many people as possible to go. 

Pax tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

Latin Mass Boat Bearer and Cross Bearer serving positions Version 2.0

Hello Everyone,

I have completed the new addition to the posting about the Boat Bearer and Cross Bearer serving positions in the Latin Mass.

The new post has bullet points from a book I got from Shawn Tribe, (formerly Editor) of New Liturgical Movement from one of his sales. It's an ``Alcuin Club edition`` book called Cross and Crucifix by C.E. Pocknee. You might only find this book on Ebay or theological libraries, as it was printed in 1962. It contains a section on the history of the Crucifix and another chapter on the development of the Crucifix itself and its presence in Christianity.

The post is complete, and you can once again view it here with the new additions: http://torontotlmserving.blogspot.ca/2013/04/latin-mass-serving-roles-boat-bearer.html

Pax, Julian.

Highlight: Fr Z. Highlights Excellent Article About Music and Liturgy, Especially "Guitars" in Liturgy from The American Spectator

Hello Everyone.

I found something really interesting on my blogfeed today, with a Hat Tip to Fr. Zuhlsdorf of WDTPRS.

I usually stay on the serving end of things with regard to the Latin Mass. However, I do know that music in liturgy is always a topic that comes up with Conservative/Traditional Catholics, especially Latin Mass goers.  Whether it comes to preference, rigidity, validity, complaining about the folk choir or other liturgy at St. happy-clappy-elsewhere parish you abandoned, etc. I know this is an issue within traditional Catholicism, even among the laity.

Therefore, I am highlighting an article from a Patrick O`Hannigan of an american magazine/site called The American Spectator. The article is titled "Can we save the Liturgy?" The link for the article is here. Fr Z even musingly has the title of his post: "When ‘Guitar Masses’ became a chew toy between traditionalists and progressives." Ooooh Father, you are quite snippy and curt eh?

Please read the article and do enjoy. Meantime I have wanted to get to a book I got from Shawn Tribe, (formerly Editor) of New Liturgical Movement from one of his sales. It's an ``Àlcuin Club edition`` book called Cross and Crucifix by C.E. Pocknee. It`s got a section on the history of the Crucifix and I`ve been dying to add that to the Crucifer section of my Latin Mass serving posts.

Pax, Julian.

Sudden Surge with one Post or Spam-botting? Why so many for Christmas Mass in over 2 days?

Hey Everyone.

So um, over the last day or two, I have been getting a HUGE surge of hits for the Christmas Mass Post I made to report on the Latin High Mass I did with St. Lawrence the Martyr, Scarborough for Christmas this past year (2012).

My question is, why am I getting these sudden spikes? I don't recall promoting this post I did months ago recently ... Don't suppose anyone can fill me in?

That, or perhaps I'm being spam-botted. Pax. Julian.

Pope Francis' latest Words: Questions and Concerns and Truth All in One. Pure Truth, or a Possible Pattern?

Hello Everyone.

BIG BOLDED WARNING!: I AM BEING CURT IN THIS POST, AND I KNOW "SPIES" WATCH MY BLOG AND HAVE SYMPATHY FOR RADICAL TRADITIONALIST GROUPS. SHOULD YOU REPORT BACK TO YOUR MASTERS AND YOU OR THEY, OR OTHERS INVOLVED, DARE TO SEND ME OR MY FRIENDS THREATENING E-MAILS OR ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS, I WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH THEM AND MY LAWYER AND MAYBE THE POLICE! CAN'T REMAIN IN CONTROL? CLICK ON AND MOVE ON. ITS A "FREE" COUNTRY ON THE INTERNET. I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY REQUESTS TO REMOVE MATERIAL. 

I am going to be open, and frank in this post, so the warning was needed.

So once again, as per usual, the Pope gave a nice Fervorino in the Daily Mass he holds in the Sancta Maria chapel in the Vatican. Today's theme: Prudence with Words. Today's Fervorino comes to us from the primary (but secondary) source that is Vatican Radio. Find the summary Here: http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/06/13/pope_at_mass:_the_grace_not_to_speak_ill_of_others/en1-701107

Some of you who have come to my blog may have seen my last post and I applauded the Holy Father's gusto to tackle both the RadTrads and the Lie-beral facets (slash self-serving New Agey facets hiding in the institutional) Church. Both serve the Church poorly and provide hypocritical examples of what it means to be a solid, Orthodox, and Traditional Catholic (or rather what it is NOT). However, with today's newest Fervorino, I wonder if there is a pattern brewing and perhaps, a little bias? I feel like this Fervorino combined with my last post is a double edged sword.

I'll be looking at the full text here and putting in my analysis/opinion of today's text with concerns. Good stuff will be bold-faced. The underlined commentary is where I am placing my concern.

Pope at Mass: The grace not to speak ill of others 

(Vatican Radio) May the Lord grant us the grace to watch our tongues and be careful of what we say of others, because through our weakness and sin, we often find it easier to insult and denigrate than say or do good. This was the lesson at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily Thursday morning at Mass, which he celebrated in his native Spanish. Greeting the men and women who work at Argentina’s embassies and consulates to Italy and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization in Rome, Pope Francis noted “It’s the first time I have celebrated Mass in Spanish since February 26th!, adding “it feels good!”. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3 

As is tradition, Pope Francis’ homily was inspired by the Gospel of the day, in particular Christ’s words to his disciples "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven." 

Nice! What is the Gospel for Today's Novus Ordo?

Matthew 5:20-26 (NRSV-CE)

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven

21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement ' 

22 but I say to you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says 'You fool! shall be liable to the hell of fire. 

23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 

24 leave your gift there before the altar and go first to be reconciled to your bother, and then come and offer your gift. 

25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; 

26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny."

Uh, wow. There is some serious stuff going on here. Look I may not be part of the Magisterium as a young adult male lay Catholic, but Jesus is really getting down to business here even on the surface:

1) Don't be like the Pharisees, who put the law verbatim and strict observance it to the point of forsaking the works part of faith (like in James Ch. 2). This general point is repeated many times in various situations including interacting with the Jewish authorities themselves.

2) Gossip, slander, detraction, etc. Falls under the 5th commandment of "You Shall Not Kill", and that is serious business as we usually understand killing to be murder. Will expand a bit below .....

3) Direct insult = Fires of Hell????? I'm going to expand on this one below, with number 2 .....

Clearly, this is a Gospel chock full of serious business from our Lord Jesus. Some might think that just because you use words and do not thrust an implement or use a firearm, that this isn't "killing" the person, but  I disagree with those sentiments, and truly, to think that is against the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ as outlined here in this very Gospel. 

Practical example will illustrate this. Do any you remember this recent suicide last year? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Amanda_Todd/ Amanda was a teenager in British Columbia, Canada, who was bullied TO THE POINT OF SUICIDE! The nutshell story: In grade 7 while making "friends" on the Internet, she was foolish enough to show a picture of her naked breasts to an online "boy-friend" and unfortunately, this guy tried to blackmail her to do a "show" or he would release these photos to her friends. Now, the threat in a sense is stupid because unless you are a pro/semi-genius hacker or are part of her school community and know her friends, this is an idle threat. 2 years and another school later, the photos resurfaced on the Internet. This act of cyber-bullying resulted in "... anxiety, depression, and panic disorder due to the experience. Her family moved to a new home, where Todd later stated that she began using drugs and alcohol." Moving to a new school didn't help. She became bullied now physically by other girls in her school and failed at a suicide attempt where she downed bleach. To make matters worse, she was once again cyber-bullied online that she should have succeeded at her attempt. She did, sadly eventually, commit suicide. Worse, even after her death, "trolls" on the Internet still insulted her post-mortem. 

What's my take home message? Bullying, harassment, slander, and detraction is RIGHTFULLY GROUPED UNDER THE 5TH COMMANDMENT, as it kills the person. Such constant actions eventually can, and likely will, lead that person to commit sins to themselves, or others. How many a time, especially in the USA have boys (and possibly girls, soon if not now?) have gone on killing sprees with the weapons? Hear of Harris and Klebold, the Columbine Massacre, in the 90's? One or both of them were bullied and retreated to violent video games, and eventually, a massacre of their classmates. 

And even if these people do not "die" by suicide or become murderers themselves, the psychological/mental and possible physical damage dealt will last for one's life, even with proper psychological counselling. THEY MAY NEVER RECOVER AND LEAD LESS PRODUCTIVE LIVES, were they not to have been bullied and supported by their peers and their adult role models. 

Now, about directly insulting a person = Fires of Hell? Well look above. There's more than one way to get a person to die, whether it is by their own hand or by yours. In addition, for those who take their own life by your bullying, it can take the form of some of the 9 ways to being an accessory to another's sin: By counsel  and by command (as in Amanda Todd's case, doing the bleach thing again), BY PROVOCATION!!!, and for those adults who fail to assist the bullied in Schools (and unionized boards), by defense of the ill done. The other ways, FYI, are: by consent, by praise or flattery, by concealment, by partaking, and by silence. 

Finally, the Pope Himself in a Fervorino/Homily last month himself calls out these nefarious acts himself: "Calumny ... is worse than sin - it is the direct expression of Satan." That's right, the Pope has declared purposeful lying to destroy one's being an act of Satan. Not surprising  considering it's a violation of the commandment. Regardless what way it is approached, OT or New Testament, it's bloody serious. Finally, let's continue .....

The Pope noted how this Gospel follows the Gospel of the Beatitudes and Jesus promise that He had not come to dissolve the law but to fulfill it. Pope Francis said that Christ wants “reform in continuity: from the [planting of the ] seed up to the fruit”.

Pope Francis warned that anyone who "enters Christian life" will have “greater demands made of them than others" and not “greater advantages". He said Jesus mentions some of these demands, in particular the problem of “bad relations among brethren". If our heart harbors “bad feelings” towards our brothers, the Pope said, "something is not working and we must convert, we must change." Pope Francis noted that "anger towards a brother is an insult, it’s something almost deathly ", "it kills him." He then observed that, especially in the Latin tradition, there is a "wonderful creativity" in inventing epithets. But, he cautioned, "when this epithet is friendly this is fine, the problem is when there is another kind of epithet”, when the "mechanism of insult" comes into play, which is "a form of denigration of others." 

Once again, the Pope is stressing that being Catholic is much more than just showing up Christmas and Easter. One of his most recent Fervorinos a week or two ago also covered this same important point. Just because we are Catholic, should not be giving us a superiority complex. 

It is good and proper, and not prideful, to know that the Catholic Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, and through Jesus Christ as he dictated in the Gospel`s He is the Truth and the Light, the Way to Salvation in the fullest completion of what was given to our Jewish brethen. What he is most likely speaking out against are those lukewarm `c`atholics, Those who just go to Mass at Christmas and Easter, or just weekly, and do nothing else to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. 

In addition, just being Catholic does not give us the Golden Ticket to heaven. Other passages in the Bible have proven, as well as the Catechism`s doctrines on Mortal Sin, that we can loose this path to salvation, that is our Sanctifying Grace. To believe such is heresy of "once saved/baptized is always saved", is also called `Predestination`. Not to mention common-sense wise it`s a foolish belief. Take that oh-so famous example of Hitler. If he was Christian, or let's make him Christian`` and got Baptized with the Trinitarian Formula, and did the Holocaust, he still goes to Heaven??? Most people with common sense would say "No. After that mass genocide he deserves it? HECK NO!!!" Now replace Hitler with any other Christian or Catholic. Now as for the lukewarm "c"atholics who are just "nice?" Check out the Book of Revelation. Yes, it's an official book of the Bible, and despite the whole "it was just about the Church's early history", it's still the Word of God as Scripture. 

As for that next bold-faced comment, didn't I say earlier that you don't need to directly be the wielder of a weapon to kill a person? Well the Pope beat me to it. Even he says that words can kill a person, if not directly, it kills them eventually via psychological trauma. It kills their souls. 

I'll tackle the underlined issue separately in its own section. 

“Y no hace falta ir al psicologo...”

Pope Francis continued: “There is no need to go to a psychologist to know that when we denigrates another person it is because we are unable to grow up and need to belittle others, to feel more important." This, he said, is "an ugly mechanism". Jesus, "with all the simplicity says: "Do not speak ill of one another. Do not denigrate one another. Do not belittle one another”. The Pope noted, "in the end we are all travelling on the same road", "we are all travelling on that road that will take us to the very end." Therefore "if we do not choose a fraternal path, it will end badly, for the person who insults and the insulted". The Pope noted that "if we are not able to keep our tongues in check, we lose”. “Natural aggression, that of Cain toward Abel, repeats itself throughout history." Pope Francis observed that it is not that we are bad, rather "we are weak and sinners." That's why it is "much easier", to "resolve a situation with an insult, with slander, defamation instead of resolving it with good means".

The bold-faced line that the Pope is saying, has been discussed so much that it is now commonplace knowledge. A good portion of the reasoning behind bullying is to make yourself feel superior in your life when one is not inferior. It gives you power over another individual and makes you feel "good". Really? is there anything positive from it? Joy, Happiness, Gratitude? No. Just anger, maybe envy, and even short-term self satisfaction. Further, bullies who will do it long term, might just end up on the repeat end of the stick someday when a "bigger" bully comes along, be it the law (police, lawsuit, etc.) or someone physically bigger who will be more than happy to actually kill you, or in the case of the Columbine shooting, buy munitions and firearms to the tune of "We're not gonna take it, anymore!" Further, would you, embracing this lifestyle, like to be with other people who because of your actions, or share your modus operandi, want to always be looking over your shoulder as to who will be your downfall in your career or physically? The expression here is "you live by the sword, you die by the sword," whether that sword is physical or not. 

As for the 2nd boldfaced comment, I really enjoy that line. It is so true. We humans are weak and are sinners in His Holy church. We should be taking the high road and striving to holiness (sainthood), but oh how we often fail! He is so right? It is much easier to use sins to solve a problem or quell a bad feeling/fear. Why should we help a person who just might do something better than I or get more fame or fortune or good things than I (ENVY!) when I can do calumny and slander and detract from his character, make him afraid, and get rid of the roadblock to MY progress? Why help him? He'll be better than me!

“Yo quisiera pedir al Señor que...”

Pope Francis concluded: “I would ask the Lord to give us all the grace to watch our tongues, to watch what we say about others." “It is a small penance - he added - but it bears a lot of fruit." "Sometimes, we go hungry and think, ‘What a pity I didn’t taste the fruit of a tasty comment against another person." But, he said, "that hunger bears fruit in the long run is good for us." That's why we ask the Lord for this grace: to adapt our lives "to this new law, which is the law of meekness, the law of love, the law of peace, and at least 'prune' our tongues a little, ‘prune’ the comments that we make of others and outbursts that lead us to an easy anger or insult. May the Lord grant us all this grace".

MY CONCERN

What our Holy Father is saying Correctly in this Statement

I will start with this last underlined and bold-faced comment, and lead into my concern, which might be unfounded or simply stupid temptations from the Devil, but might be concerning for those of us who embark on the road of Traditional Catholicism. 

The last bold-faced comment here greatly summarized the fervorino, and therefore, the main message of the homily today. We should definitely be pruning our tongues about others in anger, or insult, whether it is rightly justified or not. This is something I wholeheartedly agree with, and we should all be too, those of us who embark on Traditional Catholicism. 

I agree with our Holy Father on what he has said in this regard: One of the most unfortunate barriers that still floats around Traditional Catholic circles, are these sad sins of gossip, calumny, and detraction. The targets are many: "Novus Ordo" Catholics, bishops, cardinals, even average lay people. Regardless of the target, this is one of the unfortunate stereotypes that get slapped onto us as Traditional (or Traditional-supporting)

Catholics. Most of this is ill-willed, but sadly, there are still some of those who perpetuate these stereotypes. And unfortunately, these stereotypes are the ones that are carrying the most "weight" on the Traditional Catholic Blogosphere." Those ones, are the postings and examples, that get noticed by most Catholics and the hierarchy in the institutional Church. 

One example was the Society of St. Pius X, when their "superior" Fellay Came to Canada, administered sacramentally INVALID AND ILLICIT confirmations to those in the Toronto Chapel, and further, made a speech which featured anti-Semitic remarks. While there was clarification from their end, anyone who has seen the history of the SSPX has known that such things have gone hand in hand, and that kicking Wilson out of the group was to "save face". Other examples have not come from the society, but rather other "Traditional" blogs. Some of them, allow extreme anti-clerical or anti-Vatican II viewpoints. Others lightly, or directly, insult members of the (Arch/)diocesan chanceries and not in a charitable "spiritual"-with-valid -concern type of manner either. 

Sadly, it is these actions that are reaching the ears and eyes of the higher members of Church hierarchy besides pastors of parishes. And you wonder why they are reluctant to let the EF grow and why it only gives parish pastors credence to disallow celebration of the EF, even just their spaces for valid and licit diocesan worship! And parish priests talk with each other too you know. All it takes is some RadTrad's actions in person or online to reach the ears of a parish priest, whether it`s their own ears or by ``gossip`` and then they cower to the stereotype thinking "All Trads are Bad. Novus Ordo Good." When other clergy or EF groups inside their parish or outside, ask kindly for their parishes to hold Latin Masses (NOT EVEN FOR THEIR DIRECT HELP OR THEIR SERVERS TO BE PART OF THE MASS), those priests will kick out ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH TRADITIONAL CATHOLICISM thanks to the bad example of our peers who ignored the words of our Holy Father. 

This is why I side with the Pope of this one, mostly. In addition, I myself, in my journey in the EF Rite, have also seen this first hand and experienced the consequences of these bad examples. In a way I am thankful that the Lord opened my eyes, and made me realize that there is a proper and Gospel-appropriate way to go about Traditional Catholicism, and that He has shown me why such criticism is lobbied at us for our honest love for the Extraordinary Form. Now in case you want to know my personal stuff ..... NO! Out of respect for the EF community in general, I am not going to use my blog as a soapbox for that stuff. That is only for private ears whom I feel can handle my personal experience and I trust not to be calumnous or detracting themselves with such information. Critical exceptions will only be made, should I need to (1) legally defend myself or my allies against calumnous action with legal counsel (e.g. as a defendant or witness in a lawsuit or against criminal charges), should someone engage in abusing the legal system as a weapon for personal gain, and (2) Necessary calling out of spiritual and moral evil for the sake of souls. Such an instance of proclamation of sins for the benefit of souls should only be a last resort when secular channels of authority AND the princes of our Church fail to listen to reason and even commit accessory to sin by concealment, silence, and defense of the ill done. An example of necessary calling out of moral/spiritual evil for the sake of the souls of the faithful, is Fr. Matthew Despard's tell all e-book about homosexuality plaguing seminaries in Scotland, the co-working of the institutional Church hierarchy to work against proper catechesis of the souls of the faithful, and the DE-recruitment of true and honest soldiers for Christ in his Church (and consequently, the promoted recruitment of potential teen boy rapists (ephebophiles) into normal parish life and the hierarchy). Clearly such action was necessary, and led to Pope Francis beginning investigation into the matters, as well as no new bishops being elected to sees in the the country. In fact, the very diocese Fr. Despard works in (Motherwell), is now vacant as the bishop tendered his resignation (no doubt due to the work of Fr. Despard). 

However .....

What I fear is possibly, going on or being now frequently expressed in the Holy Father's homilies/audiences, etc.

It is exactly what I have described above which is starting to become a concern in my mind as a young adult, EF-supporting (and altar serving) male in the Catholic Church. 

Perhaps you remember my last posting about Pope Francis from the private audience with members of some group. I got a couple of comments too. In this posting, I titled it that Pope Francis has his head screwed on right. When I wrote this, I was correct in saying that he will not bend to the far right of Traditional Catholicism (e.g SSPX, SSPV, Rad Trads) nor give into radical Liberalism, as has been noted in his history prior to becoming Pope Francis (e.g. rejected liberal theology as a Jesuit and got ostracized by others in his order.). However, while we should be thankful for his doctrinal and dogmatic conservatism (which must be true of the Church, else the dogma of Infallibility is false and so is the Church) and his stance against hard-line extremes of the Church, I can't help but notice a repeat pattern between my last post and some of his fervorinos. I once again highlight the part where it concerns RadTrads:

"I share with you two concerns. One is the Pelagian current that there is in the Church at this moment. There are some restorationist groups. I know some, it fell upon me to receive them in Buenos Aires. And one feels as if one goes back 60 years! Before the Council... One feels in 1940... An anecdote, just to illustrate this, it is not to laugh at it, I took it with respect, but it concerns me; when I was elected, I received a letter from one of these groups, and they said: "Your Holiness, we offer you this spiritual treasure: 3,525 rosaries." Why don't they say, 'we pray for you, we ask...', but this thing of counting... And these groups return to practices and to disciplines that I lived through - not you, because you are not old - to disciplines, to things that in that moment took place, but not now, they do not exist today..."

Personally, I think this practice is ridiculous as a whole. Perhaps if it is needed to teach a young child routine for practicing prayer and establishing good behaviour (practices most adults lack with regard to junk food, exercise, etc.), then maybe for a young child to a certain point. Even so, a family or two-person rosary at a set time, like before bed, can also achieve the same end without the means of the treasure sheet. But this trend is tied into Radical Traditionalism and IS practiced in these groups, as I linked to in my post. Now, I boldfaced this part in the above citation because it tells us that the Pope has had to deal with Radical Traditionalism as a whole in his prior experience. Further, I wouldn't be surprised if he has read the briefs from Ecclesia Dei dealing with the SSPX negotiations to get caught up on the matter. However, let's tie that boldfaced comment into what I have underlined here: 

".... He then observed that, especially in the Latin tradition, there is a "wonderful creativity" in inventing epithets. But, he cautioned, "when this epithet is friendly this is fine, the problem is when there is another kind of epithet”, when the "mechanism of insult" comes into play, which is "a form of denigration of others ...." 

"... the law of peace, and at least 'prune' our tongues a little, ‘prune’ the comments that we make of others and outbursts that lead us to an easy anger or insult. May the Lord grant us all this grace".

Notice that it is mentioned the "Latin" tradition, not the Byzantine or the Maronite .... no, it is the Latin Tradition with its two forms. Further, the epithet comments, are, sadly, the very behaviour I have discussed above that has been prominent amongst RadTrads, whether it is light or directly blunt. Again: While it is valid, and even under canon law, for the faithful (and clergy like Fr. Despard) to speak against moral evils damaging the souls of the faithful, especially when all proper channels have been exhausted for whatever reasons, not every post or comment or behaviour has been proper in this way, and unfortunately, gives credence for the Holy Father and clergy to (misguidedly, but correctly in a certain sense thanks to a few outspoken members,) slap on the stereoptype for those of us who partake in the EF. 

When we combine the audience quote in red, the underlined above, AND other messages from the Holy Father in his fervorinos, his Jesuit education (and generally, the modern Jesuits do not care much for the liturgy as other things in their charism or orders' focus), AND his dealings with traditionalist groups in the red bolded portion, one has to wonder if sadly ... because of the actions of the few .... the Pope is caving into the stereotype of the Rad Trad when it comes to those involved with the EF. 

Now look, he does not totally hate us. In fact, one of my earlier posts shows here that he will not overturn Summorum Pontificum. Clearly, he knows that generally the faithful who partake in the EF are not all RadTrads. Still, common themes plus history seem to be giving us not good signs. I don't want to be paranoid, but one cannot be blind and just "pay, pray, and obey". Look where that has gotten us in terms of Catechesis in education. I am worried in a certain sense, and I am not the only one in the EF community who shares valid and proper concern. Perhaps we all have gotten too comfy and spoiled with Benedict Emeritus XVI, and to paraphrase Fr. Zuhlsdorf with regard to expanding the EF, it's time to take the training wheels of the bike and get peddling! With or without the Holy Father's examples or not. 

Concluding Remarks

I guess what I can say about this, in the end, is that what he is saying is powerful in his fervorinos. Many of these messages ring true for all Catholics and clearly he's no spiritual wimp! However, I would hope that because of the actions of a few, or those voices in public that misrepresent those who partake and aid in the EF, he is not harbouring sentiments against us. As people, sometimes we let those emotional sentiments or thoughts slip in our communication and behavior. If more fervorinos and homilies come out like this, this will make me highly concerned for the Latin Mass. With Benedict, we had a great strength in that he was leading by example with regard to traditional Catholic liturgy and the EF. If this becomes a trend for our Holy Father, it will become much more difficult to promote traditional liturgy with the EF, or even generally in the Latin Rite. 

If I could sit down with our Holy Father for 5-10 minutes, here's what I'd say regarding all this:"

Your Holiness, Thank you for having an audience with me, A young Male Catholic. I want to discuss with you about your powerful fervorinos and also, something of concern to me, as a partaker and altar server in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. What you are preaching in your "Fervorinos" in the Sancta Maria are excellent! You are really not afraid to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord never encouraged those who followed him to "play nice" and He knew His very Way to Salvation (and our choice to TRULY follow Him) would be like the very sword of division described in the Gospel of Matthew. Please keep doing that, but with a caution I must discuss.

I understand that in your prior history as Cardinal Bergoglio, before your Papacy, you had to deal with "RadTrads" and/or Traditional Catholics. Not all of us, Father, have been true to the example of the Gospel. Even myself at times, have acted like the Pharisees, and sadly, it is those who have not acted as true Traditional Catholics, who have been like "a noisy gong." It is these examples in person and on the Internet that have embarrassed those of us who partake in this form of the Rite, and as a consequence, have resulted in much opposition from priests, bishops, and even our own family and friends. 

Your Holiness. I apologize on behalf of those who have exhibited the stereotype behaviours that "liberals" accuse us of, and make people fear the EF and Traditional Catholicism. However your Holiness, please do not let these poor examples cloud your preaching and vision for the Church. The EF and those of us who are within it, are in majority among your loving and great servants to Holy Mother Church. Yes, there are Novus Ordo Catholics who are faithful servants to the Lord and the Church, but it cannot be denied that the EF and those of us in it are heralds of the Gospel and vital to the New Evangelization! And the Young People! We are becoming curious to this form of the Roman Rite not given to us in our childhoods and want to discover  this "Hidden Treasure" as St. Leonard's self-titled book calls it! Even my friends are coming to these masses. Young people like myself!

When you use certain words and phrases, even to describe a certain sin or general behaviour in your preaching and your discussions with others, and it goes on the Internet, we find out, and it hurts us. When the wrong words are chosen, they will be used by our enemies to paint us with a "Scarlett Letter" and for even good-hearted Catholics to shun us, just because of the example of a few. 

If you truly are hurt deep down because of some of our actions, again, I apologize, and like the Fervorino you made on June 13, here I come to apologize to you, my brother, leaving my gift at the altar, on behalf of us. But please, do work with us, with, others, with our Lord Jesus and let those hurts be healed!

Please your Holiness, please help us. We are just as vital and as important to the Church as the other Catholic in other rites and the Novus Ordo too! We truly love you and will serve Holy Mother Church. Please, do try your absolute best, to be cautionary with your words, and not to give our enemies the fuel that will smear us more, and even, commit the very murderous act of calumny, the work of the Devil, in vilifying us. You said it yourself. Please Holy Father, help us. 

Everyone, please pray for our Holy Father, and if you partake in the EF community, please do your best to be the light of the world, and the salt of the earth, and work to ensure that it is the truth about us that is prominent, and not the sins or poor examples of certain members. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian. 

P.S. Do you think that I am off my rocker or that there is some valid concern here? Any evidence to support or deny what I have said? I will encourage valid commentary and discussion IF you have at least a pseudo-name blogger or other profile (no anonymous postings), but as per my bold warning, don't try anything calumnous or detracting.

P.P.S. Um, I kind of feel like I am speaking in the manner of the Holy Father above. Is he having an influence on me? Or am I channeling what I read once, that to help people listen to you, speak in a similar manner (without mockery) and thought pattern like them, but keeping your message solid? 

Pope Francis Has his Head Screwed Right when it Comes to the Faith. Neither RadTrad nor Plays Favourites with the Lie-berals

BIG BOLDED WARNING!: I AM BEING CURT IN THIS POST, AND I KNOW "SPIES" WATCH MY BLOG AND HAVE SYMPATHY FOR RADICAL TRADITIONALIST GROUPS. SHOULD YOU REPORT BACK TO YOUR MASTERS AND YOU OR THEY, OR OTHERS INVOLVED, DARE TO SEND ME OR MY FRIENDS THREATENING E-MAILS OR ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS, I WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH THEM AND MY LAWYER AND MAYBE THE POLICE! CAN'T REMAIN IN CONTROL? CLICK ON AND MOVE ON. ITS A "FREE" COUNTRY ON THE INTERNET. I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY REQUESTS TO REMOVE MATERIAL. 

Hello Everyone,

I usually don't like to repost things from this site, considering it is known for harbouring Radical Traditionalist symapthies (at least in its comboxes, though a couple of months ago it got in a pickle with a anti-semitic sympathizer). However, I post information today to make a point that we have a balanced, proper Pope who respects PROPER worship and Tradition in the Church, and rightly criticizes those radical elements on both "spectrums" if you will.

Long story short, he had a private audience, and rightfully took aim at both sides of the spectrum of radical liberalism and traditionalism in these comments at the link above:

"I share with you two concerns. One is the Pelagian current that there is in the Church at this moment. There are some restorationist groups. I know some, it fell upon me to receive them in Buenos Aires. And one feels as if one goes back 60 years! Before the Council... One feels in 1940... An anecdote, just to illustrate this, it is not to laugh at it, I took it with respect, but it concerns me; when I was elected, I received a letter from one of these groups, and they said: "Your Holiness, we offer you this spiritual treasure: 3,525 rosaries." Why don't they say, 'we pray for you, we ask...', but this thing of counting... And these groups return to practices and to disciplines that I lived through - not you, because you are not old - to disciplines, to things that in that moment took place, but not now, they do not exist today..."

If you are wondering what this is about here, this is highly likely about the SSPX and other more radical traditional Catholic Groups. I would not be surprised if they are the group being referred to above. They do this, even with their youth in their little "Eucharistic Crusade" clubs. Really, they make you count your spiritual "treasures" and mark it on a treasure sheet and have a little magazine for the club with paper version of said sheet. Think I am nuts? See archived HERE for Canada's branch of the SSPX for the little "knights" in training. And you can get your very own treasure sheet here from its archives.

Think about this logically also. He has lived through or is familiar with the practices of such groups from his life experience in the Church. Also, he's likely gone over all the details with Benedict XVI or has access to accounts and documents alongside Ecclesia Dei with regards to the now stalled negotiations with SSPX. Now as Pope Francis, who cannot err in Faith and Morals, if he truly knows something is of spiritual concern, then it must be something pertinent. Fine maybe he won't do the Latin Mass, but this is more than just having a form of a liturgy in a specific rite. While I think that priests and laity who think that Traditional Catholic practices are "not valid to contemporary catholic worship" are haters of the Latin Mass (hopefully miseducated) and that excuse is offensive to me as a young Catholic, clearly the Pope isn't stupid and knows we are dealing with a different time. Turning back the clock in 1962 to a crystal clean image that these societies portray are NOT going to 100% counter the world, and in fact might harm those involved. Do a websearch for Ex-SSPX or people who've left and you'll see why. 

".... The second [concern] is for a Gnostic current. Those Pantheisms... Both are elite currents, but this one is of a more educated elite... I heard of a superior general that prompted the sisters of her congregation to not pray in the morning, but to spiritually bathe in the cosmos, things like that... They concern me because they ignore the incarnation! And the Son of God became our flesh, the Word was made flesh, and in Latin America we have flesh abundantly [de tirar al techo]! What happens to the poor, their pains, this is our flesh..."

YES! A pox on both your houses! The left are wrong when they think they have an ally in the Pope. But c'mon, point blank, this bathing in the cosmos garbage is stupid. However, this is highly concerning for the Pope and rightly so! "They concern me because they ignore the incarnation!" This is HERESY! Specifically Gnosticism, the denial of Jesus' Human nature, which extends to his incarnation! If you don't believe that you are for sure NOT even Christian! Why you couldn't even be Muslim either, as they at least acknowledge Jesus' was human, though a great prophet. More than that this is stupid New Age, feel good, theology, which  can lead one to a dark hole of spiritual emptiness and even possibly the occult. Finally, check the 1983 Code of Canon Law, for Heresy is one of the 8 or 9 ways someone excommunicates themselves automatically just by doing the act, latae sententiae. But then again relativists who make religion fit their selfish lifestyles don't believe in the devil and demons. News Flash ... the Pope does!

Therefore, all I can say is .... GO POPE FRANCIS. THANK THE LORD YOU KNOW HOW ONE SHOULD BE IN THEIR FAITH .... GLAD TRADS. :)

Pax, Julian. 

Some, Like, Whoa points: Holy Family and other little chestnuts

Hello Everyone,

I waited till after the Latin Mass of Sacred Heart to post this, because I wanted the Mass left up to promote the EF on my blog and Society of Canadian of Catholic Bloggers. So, here's some cool things that happened with me and on the Catholic Blogosphere recently:

1) I went to Holy Family Parkdale, Toronto, for the EF High Mass at 11am last Sunday (2nd after Pentecost at SPN HF, Corpus Christi in the Novus Ordo). This is a parish that is staffed by the Oratorian Fathers (of St. Phillip Neri, the title being SPN at the end of a priest's name). The parishes of Holy Family and St. Vincent De Paul are the parishes under their governance and is the home of the EF for the West/Central Toronto in the core of the Archdiocese. Fun fact: SVDP was holding the Latin Masses under special privilege called an indult, granted specifically by John Paul II himself under his papacy!

 It was a Missa Cantata with a full complement of servers and a small choir of all men. While there:

• It was the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel: Luke 14: 16-24. The main message in the homily: Don't forsake Jesus for all other things. Your eternal salvation is priority! Even little urgent tasks here and there add up till you just don't care about the Lord. To paraphrase McDonalds (TM) before they used "I'm lovin' it", Christ was saying to us "Have you cared about Me today?" 
• There was more than a few families with more than 2 children, and there were decently dressed, as well as the young ladies were wearing mantillas! The youth are with the Latin Mass!
• It's been a while since I did Sunday TLM there, great to be back!
• Got to see old acquaintances and some of the Oratorian students there. Met a new face or two. I even saw one of my U of T Newman Center friends! 
• Out of the full complement of altar servers, there was only one St. Phillip Neri Oratory student who was boat bearer/MC. The other servers were young boys/men! Great to see so many young servers!

2) I wanted to pray the rosary, but couldn't find a seat at the back of their 1230pm Novus Ordo mass. So I stood. Today was the Corpus Christi Sunday in the Ordinary Form (it is this past Thursday May 30 in the EF). While I didn't get to pray in the body of the Church, the priest there had some bang on things in his Homily! And there were numerous young children in the pews with their families. Here's what I, and those fortunate young children got to hear:

• Number one thing: You cannot take the Eucharist in Mortal Sin! It is compounding Mortal Sin on Mortal Sin! Yes, I realize the Oratory is like the gold standard of Novus Ordo Masses, but honestly, how many Novus Ordo priests have the guts to talk to children about Mortal Sin??? Not many at all!!!
• He quoted from Vatican II which lists the Eucharist as the source and summit of our Faith. Great to hear that. 
• He also mentioned that all the other sacraments tie into the Eucharist in the Mass. 
• He spoke about Eucharistic Adoration briefly! It's becoming quite popular among the youth of my, and the generation below me, so kudos to the priest for adding that in.

3) Here's something that requires ATTENTION. It crosses over to both the Novus Ordo and EF realms, and should be directed to all music ministers, parish priests, and liturgists: MARTY HAUGEN IS NOT A CATHOLIC AND PURPOSELY HAS ANTI-CATHOLIC SENTIMENTS IN HIS HYMNS!!! I did not say it. Please see THIS! revelation and why parish music as a whole for lack of a better word "sucks." (Hint: it was NOT VATICAN II!) More importantly, spread this like the plague on the internet and among your friends and parishes!

4) GREAT NEWS!!!! The Vatican has heard the requests of the faithful for the Pope's powerful "Fervorinos"/weeday homilies when he does not do his audiences or Sunday Masses. These homilies have tackled everything from Faith without works, being joyful on one's faith and not a sourpuss or hypocrite, and even calling out the Evil One himself by name!!! THEY HAVE LISTENED!!!! They now have the summaries of the Pope's Fervorinos when he does Mass in the Sanctae Domae Chapel on the following page on the Vatican Website: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/cotidie/2013/index_en.htm/. The summaries are printed in L'osservatore Romano and reposted on the Vatican website. ADMG! One note: The Vatican is slower to update their page vs. Vatican Radio and News.Va. If you want everything right after the day of the homily, then go there. Still this is a big improvement for the Vatican!!!

5) I'd like to promote something Novus Ordo. If you have read my "About" page, I feel it is highly critical as part of the New Evangelization and my mandate to be a voice of my generation and the one below it, and we should be highly ministering to those generations and reaching out to them. Youth Ministry, done with respect to the Magisterium and orthodox Catholic teaching, can really make a difference in the faith life of young people. Examples are in parish structured youth ministries (e.g. EDGE, LIFETEEN), and other initiatives like Totus Tuus, which is held in the Summer in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Further, these programs are also producing teachers who are not false in their faith who apply to our separate school system/Private Catholic schools.

However, starting out in youth ministry, or achieving said orthodoxy, might not work without the necessary tools and experience (or for that matter, you might need something to merit getting said initial experience). Therefore, I am promoting a youth ministry course called the Canadian Certificate for Youth Ministry Studies, co-sponsored by the Redemptorist Fathers and the University of St. Michael's College School with University of Toronto. It is an 8-course certification program requiring a combination of 2-day seminars and accompanying assignments (with a 5 month period due to practical components) per course. The link for this summer's courses in Toronto are here. It would be a great opportunity to begin the CCYMS program as the courses offered are the first two in the logical order of the 8 courses (first 4 are foundations courses in ideally the first year, the last 4 are specific facets of ministry in ideally the 2nd year of the courses). I personally might take this program myself, though that will depend on a possible future employment opportunity I applied for.

6) Most importantly, please see my Post-Latin Mass Report of the St. Pat's Sacred Heart Mass from Last Friday the 6th June, which was held at St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, Scarborough, ON. Here. It's similar in structure as last time, but I do them as a labour of love and because these Masses DESERVE to be reported on. All efforts deserve recognition in the EF of the Roman Rite.

Pax, Julian.

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.