291 and still counting!

A massive 'thank you' to all those who have responded to my request for a rosary (or Memorare) to be said for the intercession of Our Lady of the Taper at Cardigan, for the return of the Tridentine Latin Mass to this part of West Wales.

291 rosaries or equivalent have been pledged and these will be laid at the feet of Our Blessed Mother at Cardigan on Sunday 4th December at 3pm - the last Mass to be celebrated here at the National Shrine of Wales - stunning isn't it?

Surely the National Shrine should
have a regular Latin Mass?

Furthermore - the rosaries offered will form a spiritual bouquet that will be presented to the Bishop of Menevia, Bishop Thomas Burns for both his personal intentions and for the return of the Mass.

Brick by brick, rosary by rosary, the Mass will return - but, a few more rosaries would be much appreciated - please email 1 or whatever number you wish to donate (1 is good) to: r.collinsassoc@btinternet.com or, leave a note in my comment box.

We, the members of The Confraternity of the Holy Cross, will have a Mass said for the intentions of all donors - thank you!

It takes courage to stand in front of a firing squad....

...without a sign of fear. In fact, it takes more than courage, it takes above all else, faith. Especially if you stand with your back to a wall after refusing the customary blindfold and proclaim “Viva Cristo Rey!” in ringing tones.

Bl Miguel Pro whose
feast it is today, and
who died 23rd
November 1927

Two seconds later the volley of shots rings out and a martyr’s crown is won in the only way possible, by giving up one’s life for love of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world.

Miguel Pro was born in Mexico on 13th January 1891 and received the baptismal names of José Ramón Miguel Agustín.  His father was manager of a mine and young Miguel had ten siblings.

Life was relatively hard in the Pro household but Miguel showed, from an early age, a sincere sense of spirituality and a strong and mischievous sense of humour.

Dubbed ‘Miguelito’ and, when he was a little older, ‘Cocol,’ he played joke after joke on his brothers and sisters but never with any malice.

By 1911, Miguel had determined on a life dedicated to Christ, not an easy decision to take as Mexico was descending into one of the worst periods of persecutions of the faith since the Reformation. He joined the Jesuit order but within three years he had to flee with his fellow seminarians to California and then to Spain in order to continue his studies in peace and safety.

He was ordained in Belgium in 1925 and lost no time in returning to his beloved Mexico despite knowing full well the perils he faced under the persecutions instigated by the dictator, President Calles.

Immediately, he went underground to carry out his ministry. He travelled the country, hearing confessions, celebrating Holy Mass and taking the Blessed Sacrament to the sick and the infirm.

He had many narrow escapes; once when celebrating Mass in a house that was raided. Fr Pro donned a policeman’s outfit and  coolly walked out through the cordon, telling the officers on guard: "It's about time you caught that rascal Pro".

On another occasion, while being pursued, he took the arm of a startled young woman passing by, stuck a cigar in his teeth and engaged her in close conversation. The police raced past the couple leaving Fr Pro space in which to escape.

His daring and his dedication soon made him a legend, popping up on all sorts of occasions and in all sorts of disguises; he took on the mantle of a clerical Scarlet Pimpernel and the authorities put a price on his head. They wanted this man above all others.

The making of a martyr, captured on film

In the end they caught him along with his brother Roberto.

Fr Pro was taken out of the prison into the yard and put up against a wall. He took out his rosary and knelt in a brief prayer after refusing to be blindfolded. Standing, he held out his arms in the form of a cross’ and proclaimed “Viva Cristo Rey.”

The firing squad did their duty and an officer delivered a single shot to the body as a coup de gras.

This clip is from a film about Blessed Miguel Pro……keep the tissues handy!

                    

                                PRAYER OF BLESSED MIGUEL PRO

Say this prayer if you are sick or troubled or…just say it anyway!

Does our life become, from day to day, more painful, oppressive, more replete with afflictions? Blessed be He a thousand times who desires it so. If life be harder, love makes it also stronger, and only this love, grounded on suffering, can carry the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Love without egotism, without relying on self, but enkindling in the depth of the heart an ardent thirst to love and suffer for all those around us: a thirst that neither misfortune nor contempt can extinguish….I believe, O Lord; but strengthen my faith…. Heart of Jesus, I love Thee; but increase my love. Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee; but give greater vigour to my confidence. Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee; but so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee. Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine; but take care of my promise so that I may be able to put it in practice even unto the complete sacrifice of my life.

Bl Miguel Pro

Graham Greene wrote an account of Fr Pro in his excellent book 'The Lawless Roads'

It's altar girls again!

Apparently this topic is guaranteed to send one's visitor stats through the roof but, in my view it's more likely to lead to combox meltdown.

The priest is free to decide
against altar girls if he so wishes

Christine on Laudem Gloriae has linked on it but, cleverly avoided making a comment although, anyone who reads her blog knows which way the wind blows on LG.

The link leads to The Washington Post news report on Corpus Christi Parish Church in Loudon County where the Parish Priest has said "Enough" to female altar servers. Good for him!

I wish some strong soul would also say "Enough" to wrinklies on the sanctuary (me included, much as I love serving).
You see, in my little book of curmudgeonly prejudices, I believe that altar servers should be aged betwixt 5 and, say, 21.

Older servers have a great deal of wisdom to impart and they should continue to do this..but for Heaven's sake, leave the way clear for young men to shine.

I have yet to see a young altar server given any duty other than holding a candle or acting as boat boy (with the incense). That is pretty insulting to youth in my book.

I was taught to MC at the age of eleven* by a very enlightened Westminster priest called Father Bushey. Others of that age quickly followed and a pattern was set. The older servers were pensioned off; I know that sounds unkind but it's rather like having a wonderful church choir with a member or two who cannot find a note at any price. It would not be tolerated. They would be (kindly, one hopes) asked to man the Piety Stall or, whatever.

* Those who have seen me MC recently may be mystified why, having had so much experience, I am  fumbling and stumbling in my duties today.....but...it's an age thing Dear! And, I also blame V2 for lasering my memory into a stodge of grey porridge.

So, there we are.....how to upset both the pro girl camp and the revered oldie camp in one swift go!

Next?

Crackdown on Ugly Churches

"Is there life on Mars?/Whoah-oh..."

Happy St Cecila's Day. Ora pro nobis. I'm sure she despises both rock and protest songs.

The Catholic Herald today draws our attention to an article by Andrea Tornielli on a new Vatican commission being set up to combat the rise of ugly modern Church buildings. There are so many images on Google from which one could choose, aren't there?

What a glorious monument to modernism they are...

'A team has been set up, to put a stop to garage style churches, boldly shaped structures that risk denaturing modern places for Catholic worship. Its task is also to promote singing that really helps the celebration of mass. The “Liturgical art and sacred music commission” will be established by the Congregation for Divine Worship over the coming weeks. This will not be just any office, but a true and proper team, whose task will be to collaborate with the commissions in charge of evaluating construction projects for churches of various dioceses. The team will also be responsible for the further study of music and singing that accompany the celebration of mass.

Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Benedict XVI, consider this work as “very urgent”. The reality is staring everyone in the eyes: in recent decades, churches have been substituted by buildings that resemble multi purpose halls. Too often, architects, even the more famous ones, do not use the Catholic liturgy as a starting point and thus end up producing avant-garde constructions that look like anything but a church. These buildings composed of cement cubes, glass boxes, crazy shapes and confused spaces, remind people of anything but the mystery and sacredness of a church. Tabernacles are semi hidden, leading faithful on a real treasure hunt and sacred images are almost inexistent. The new commission’s regulations will be written up over the next few days and will give precise instructions to dioceses. It will only be responsible for liturgical art, not for sacred art in general; and this also goes for liturgical music and singing too. The judicial powers of the Congregation for Divine Worship will have the power to act.

As is known, last 27 September, Benedict XVI transferred jurisdiction of two areas, from the Congregation for the Divine Worship to the Rota Romana (the Holy See’s Court of Appeal), under the motu proprio Quaerit simper...'

For full article click here.

Purgatory

If by God's great mercy we go to Purgatory, is our tenure there because of our offenses against the Divine Justice or is it because we were not humble and docile enough to the Holy Spirit to pray, in times of temptation and, indeed, at all times?

Sin is repulsive to God and His Justice demands that we make reparation in the next life for our sins. However, I'm just wondering whether we really go to Purgatory for our offenses, when surely the root of all our sins is our neglect of humble prayer which is the source of friendship with God and the only source of any obedience to His will.

Surely, if there were any way to avoid the pains of Purgatory, we would seek ways in which to do so, even though our nature is perverse and we can choose to abandon prayer, the very life of the spirit. It is this freedom of the will that means that we can obtain salvation at the last or our perdition. We are inclined to push God to the periphery of our existence but the Catholic Faith teaches us that it is by no means impossible for us to become true men and women of prayer and to 'pray without ceasing'.

One gets the impression from the lives of the Saints that their whole existence was powered by prayer from the rising of the sun to its setting. I am gradually getting more disciplined at saying morning and night prayer, but, in between, as anyone who has been reading the blog the past day or two will be able to tell, it is a Haily Mary there and an Our Father there. It is all very sporadic, hence my asking advice about the Office. Those I know who pray the Office emanate an inner peace and quiet confidence in God. The examples of the Saints show us that they are not so much 'supermen' but humble men who learned to rely no longer on themselves at all, having discovered their different weaknesses, but instead entrusted themselves to God's love and providence at every moment.

St Augustine of Hippo tells us that our hearts can have no rest until they rest in God. This is our daily experience and yet there are some whose love for God leads them into a deep life of prayer - it is that prayer that becomes the driving force of their love, their thoughts, words and actions. I don't doubt that we go to Purgatory to 'serve time' for our offenses. Neither am I suggesting 'sinlessness' is something with which we are graced or that we shall obtain within this life.  However, I know men and women of great, frequent and fervent prayer and they are inspirational, not necessarily in what they do, but in who and what they are. Their great love for God is borne out of their humilty and perhaps constant awareness of their own dependence on God in perhaps every waking hour.  They are those who can say, 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me'.

Saints teach us that faith is caught, not taught and that the 'just shall live by faith'.  Saints go to Heaven really because of their intimate friendship with God, a friendship which is nourished and nurtured through prayer. We can do nothing of ourselves and it is this friendship that leads to 'good works' which, without faith and prayer, become empty and devoid of the love in which they find meaning. If we should desire the things of Heaven, then we must be willing to accept poverty of heart and dependence on God. Whenever I fall into grave sin, one of the first things I think is, 'I should have prayed, hang on, I could have prayed'. I wonder if the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for whom we should pray, think that too.

So, as is obvious, I am not actually very good at praying, but I'm becoming more aware of the fact that, as the Catechism teaches, 'It is always possible to pray'. For those who are admit they are stubborn-hearted, like I, then this truth of the Faith should be encouraging. It is, always and at all times, everywhere, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, it is always possible to pray, even if our nature is so perverse that we can go nearly a whole day without conversing with or petitioning God. How strange we are and what a great mystery Faith is. And I will admit it. Even now I am thinking, 'Yes, I will, yes, I will, after this blog post, as if this blog post is more important than prayer!'

Normal Service Will Resume Shortly...

I'd like to dedicate this song to all those named in it. I hope this does not offend those of the faithful who were recruited to the CV project because it isn't aimed at them. This song is about how many are 'called' but few are 'chosen' in the Church.

Apparently His Grace, the Archbishop of Westminster, has expressed his 'disappointment' over the Government's plans to redefine marriage. Isn't 'disappointed' how you feel when you don't get a job or when Arsenal slip to 6th in the league or something?

Catholic Voices

Catholic Voices?

What’s that?

On the TV and the radio

Its sounding flat

Oh they’ve all been media trained

But there’s something they lack

You don’t need a script to tell the truth

Where’s Paul Priest, James Preece, me and Mac?

We enjoyed the Papal Visit oh but looking back

It would have been nice to tell the media that

‘We love the Pope and have you got a problem with that?’

We got Austen

We got Jack

Oh but smooth operators don’t win any Souls back

You need some people who love the Faith and Pope and don’t hold back

Why were we left out?
Do they think we’re deranged?

Catholic voices!

O Can you hear them?

O Catholic voices!

Where are they when you need them?

Catholic Voices!

We’re limited in choices, dear

Whooah oh

Catholic voices!

O Can you hear them?

O Catholic voices!

Where are they when you need them?

Catholic Voices!

We’re limited in choice this year

Whooah oh

Magic Circle?

What’s that?

It’s the management of the Church by liberal Bishops and

The choices of the new appointees on the terna that

Is given to the Nuncio

So what’s up with that?

The chance of getting men who are loyal to the Pope is fat

Holy, potential Bishops ignored like leprotic cats

Do they think that this is some kind of game?

Catholic voices!

O Can you hear them?

O Catholic voices!

Where are they when you need them?

Catholic Voices!

We’re limited in choices, dear

Whooah oh

Catholic voices!

O Can you hear them?

O Catholic voices!

Where are they when you need them?

Catholic Voices!

We’re limited in choice this year

Whooah oh

Ah well

Who knows whats down the road?

Maybe 'Gay Masses' will appear in the heart of Soho

If they continue we’ll be told to hold our tongue, you know

And we’re the ones labelled insane!

Catholic Voices?

What’s that?

It’s a way of sidelining critics of liturgical tat

And vocal critics of Episcopal choices that

Have led to the decline of the Faith!

Catholic voices!

O Can you hear them?

O Catholic voices!

Where are they when you need them?

Catholic Voices!

We’re limited in choices, dear

Whooah oh

Catholic voices!

O Can you hear them?

O Catholic voices!

Where are they when you need them?

Catholic Voices!

We’re limited in choice this year

Whooah oh

(Repeat)

We're limited in choices this year
We're limited in choices this year
We're limited in choices this year
We're limited in choices this year

We Can't Talk to Young People About Salvation...

...but we can sing about it.

The good news is the message of Salvation. The bad news is that over in Italy, as Rorate Caeli reports, even the dead are still being denied a funeral in the traditional Rite and that, as Linen on the Hedgrow reports, West Wales is about to lose its only Traditional Latin Mass. Let's do as he asks and pray a Rosary for its continuation. Meanwhile, here is an anonymous Catholic law student who attends the Traditional Latin Mass rapping. You can't hear all the vocals but you get the general gist. He talks about sin and Salvation too...It must just be Bishops who don't believe it can really be discussed, then...