Pray for Egypt

I have personal good news, but this is universal not so good news.  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/muslim-brotherhood-candidate-wins-run-off-spot-in-egyptian-presidential-election/

REALITY CHECK?????? Obama and Catholics in Chicago????

 A seminarian friend sent this to me today. 

Cynicism check time.

Amid polls showing that his efforts to regulate religious institutions have hurt his image among Catholics, President Barack Obama has begun touting his early ties to the church.

“My first job as a community organizer was with Catholic churches who taught me the power of kindness and commitment to others in neighborhoods,” he declared at a Hollywood fundraiser May 23.

“When I was a young community organizer, I was working with Catholic churches and they taught me that no government program can make as much of a difference as kindness and commitment on the part of neighbors and friends,” he said at a Colorado fundraiser earlier that day.

This new emphasis on his ties to the Catholic Church is a change from Obama’s previous speeches and fundraisers, where he did not mention that, early in his career, he was funded and supported by liberal Catholic officials in Chicago.

His Chicago supporters included a radical Catholic priest, Father Michael Pfleger, who has since been admonished by senior church officials for political advocacy.

Obama’s emphasis on his Catholic ties come as polls show a sharp drop in his support among swing-voting Catholics in battleground states after his February imposition of regulations on churches.

An April poll from Pew reported that Obama’s approval among non-Hispanic Catholics dropped from 45 percent in March to 37 percent in April, while support for Romney rose from 51 percent to 57 percent. That shift could swing the decision in critical swing-states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/24/obama-the-born-again-catholic/#ixzz1vu6S0EL8

On Monarchs and the Faith

This article from LifeSiteNews caught my eye after a discussion with two priests on to desire monarchies or to want republics-democracies. I shall copy the entire article here and then make a comment.

Abortion debate jeopardizes 900-year-old Liechtenstein dynasty

Peter Baklinski

Wed May 23 16:22 EST

Abortion

St. Louis IX

LIECHTENSTEIN, May 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein has threatened to step down from his royal duties if a citizen-led initiative to limit his vetoing power proves successful. The citizens’ initiative gained momentum last year when the 43 year-old prince threatened to veto the results of a referendum should the majority opt to legalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and in cases of fetal deformity.

Speaking to parliament in March, the prince, a devout Catholic and father of four, made it clear that for the Royal Family to continue its vision for the country, it must retain the royal power to veto legislation contrary to that vision.

“The royal family is not willing to undertake its political responsibilities unless the prince… has the necessary tools at his disposal,” said Prince Alois as reported by Agence France-Presse. “But if the people are no longer open to that, then the royal family will not want to undertake its political responsibilities and ... will completely withdraw from political life.”

Liechtenstein, with a population of 36,000 and a land area of 160 square kilometers, has a constitution that empowers the hereditary prince with the royal right of veto. The royal family and their princes have ruled the tiny country as an autonomous monarchy since the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806.

Abortion in Liechtenstein is illegal under current law. According to the Penal Code of 1987, whoever performs an abortion can be punished with up to one year in prison. If an abortion is performed for profit, the sentence is elevated to three years in prison. Abortions are permitted, however, when deemed necessary to prevent serious danger to the life of the pregnant woman or serious harm to her health, when the pregnant woman is under the age of fourteen and has not at any time been married to the man who impregnated her, or when performed to save the pregnant woman from immediate danger to her life that cannot otherwise be prevented.

Now, there are many Catholics who desire monarchies. The subject of a monarchy is more real in discussions here in Great Britain, where there actually is one. The monarch here is a symbol of national unity outside of party politics.

Children of Blessed Karl and Empress Zita

However, she is not a Catholic monarch, and one may argue as to the interpretation of her Christianity, of course, and when monarchies are discussed as an ideal, I try to imagine a real Catholic monarch, such as SS. Louis and Edward, Henry, Vladimir, Edmund, or even Blessed Emperor Karl. And, there are many more kings and queens who are canonized saints. However, we as a global nation have moved away from the training, the formation of Catholic monarchs, except perhaps in Liechtenstein. Would that all monarchs were so Catholic, so determined. Of course, we have the example of Blessed Karl, who offered up his life for his country so that it would not become socialist or communist. This is the heroism of the regal soul.

Blessed Karl, Zita and some of the children

St, Edmund King

In a world of secular leadership, where royal families have become watered down versions of their ancestors with regard to the Faith, can we ever hope for a true, Catholic, traditionalist monarch? I doubt it. What is good in theory may be the lost ideal of the loss of noblesse oblige in Europe. I personally know some people in a European country who are of royal blood. I am good friends of a person whose uncles and grandfathers include dukes and counts. These men and the duchess, who is about my age, are good Catholics. They decry the secularization of the modern world, but because of constitutional changes in their government, they will never have power or influence again. They have even lost influence in the Catholic world. They are, in their own country, in exile.

St. Henry King

Training no longer is passed down, even though attitudes may be in families that such leadership skills are necessary in the world. The qualities of leadership need to be inculcated in royal families. Training, as with the ancient order of knights, is both in the blood and in the discipline of raising children to rule. Much of this has been lost through a century of socialism and communism, bent on ruining the Catholic lines of succession. Also, the selfish pursuits of some monarchs, even emperors, have led to the weakening of their own faith and that of their families. One only look at the state of such families before World War One. That some of the families were persecuted to death, or experienced exile has created at least two saints. However, the impetus for leadership seems to have faded away.

The same is true of so many good families. Communism or socialism  took away their power and now, as the generations stream away from the long traditions of leadership training, their families have lost the strength of centuries of ruling. The realpolitik now is nationalism, or worse, global government. Those who want to change the increasing separation of Church and State, or the re-emergence of a strong, atheist communism, must stop dreaming for the past days of old and look at what is necessary now. I would hope, like the good prince above, that there are some who will grasp the nettle, and become unpopular because they believe in God, the Church and Country.

Perhaps the Traditional movement in the Church can create a new line of royals, one based on the True Faith. Only within the Church is this possible. And, I wonder, can the Novus Ordo produce royal saints? Just wondering.....To be continued.....            

Are you part of the New or Old Evangelization?

A few days ago, I put two maps on this blog of places where Christians and Catholics live. Here is another map of the weather this weekend. Any connection? If we are hot about the Faith, if we love God and that love of God spills over into our daily lives, we are part of the New Evangelization, which is really the old one. Like spreading the fire of love of the INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, which we have from baptism and confirmation, the heat wave spreads and spreads.

I consider the rosary as part of the Old Evangelization. If we all were faithful to saying our rosaries daily for those who need to convert, what a different world this would be. 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/memorial-weekend-heat-wave/65481 

Yesterday, in my long travels, I  lost my beautiful rosary in one of the several train stations through which I passed yesterday. You'all pray I can get another one. The one I have left is a glow-in-the-dark rosary I have had for a very long time. The other one was a high class rosary. It had red beads and was very beautiful. I pray that the person who finds it uses it with love. I would think that finding a rosary in Euston, or Birmingham New Street, or the other three country stations I have been in, would be impossible. Say the rosary for our young female Islamic girls whom we meet. Some of the most polite and sweetest young ladies I have met here in England are young Muslim girls. God bless them and protect them. There is the New Evangelization and the Old Evangelization.

I think, and some of you may disagree with me, that manners, politeness, not becoming angry at difficult people (especially on crowded trains), spreading joy and love instead of negativity, praising when it is due, especially to young people who have done something in the Faith, and the small everyday peace we can choose to exude, are all part of the Old Evangelization. I firmly believe that manners, for example, a lost art, were created not merely for social interaction but out of the concept of the common dignity of human beings. To be a Christian, is to be gentle and peaceful. This state of being, of course, demands daily conversion and purification within our souls.

I do both the New and the Old Evangelization. The New Evangelization could be praying outside of abortion clinics, real, true catechesis, and being open about one's Faith in the market place, setting up Catholic schools which really are Catholic, home schooling.

We are all, by our baptismal graces, called to evangelize. This call is not an option, but not all of us are warriors. Some are Joan of Arcs, some Little Flowers, some Zitas in the kitchen.

We must all accept our place in the Kingdom of God.

Hope some of you can stay cool in body this weekend, but hot in the Faith. The British do not believe in air conditioning.....and it is hot here as well. Amazing!

When does one leave a parish? A contentious subject...

A contentious subject....I am traveling today, so this is a strange day for posting. At this moment, I am standing in a friend's kitchen, having a quick cuppa before I catch yet another train to go into the heart of London.

I am thinking of a friend who has traveled throughout Africa with a stick, and I feel a bit like that today, except I have no stick.

One of the things I have discussing with Novus Ordo friends is when to stop being upset about all the abuses and/or attitudes of the laity and move to another parish in order to be peaceful.

This is something my parents never had to face, as all the Masses were the same. Perhaps Father, Mulligan might have been hard to get along with and talked too much about money, or perhaps Father John was too fuzzy in his sermons, but we knew that they were good men, and they said the Mass perfectly, with no interesting or surprising deviations.

The largest problem for my friends, with whom I had this conversation, were the laity, who, in this particular parish, did not get involved in anything, and I mean anything, not even coffee mornings, and the fact that when they did get involved, it was in the manner of talking in Church before and after Sunday Mass, very loudly.

Now, one cannot find the perfect parish this side of heaven, but when one starts making a list of things which need to be changed, and are not being changed, and will not be changed, it is time to move. This is a radical way of thinking for most of us who grew up in geographical parishes. We have an inbred reaction which states, "I must stay here", which is sometimes not the right decision.

However, to be part of a community is no longer an automatic response to merely going to Mass in one's parish. And, what is at stake is our immortal souls. I do not want to sound like a drama queen, but we cannot, as some of my friends have done to the detriment of their souls, become complainers and negative about all the things which may be wrong. I am not a believer in putting up and shutting up.
But, I am a strong believer in choosing one's battles. For example, in a parish where I was attending Mass, the priest was not saying all the proper bits of the new translation, seven months or so now into the change. I pointed this out twice, in letters, and finally, going to the assistant priest, I pointed out it was time I wrote to the bishop, and he took care of the situation. Some people in the pew were not happy, as they wanted to continue to use their old missals. Amazing. But, to me that was an important enough issue to address. The abuse has stopped and the Mass is now being said in the correct way. However, years ago, I had to leave a parish, after being involved in both RCIA and Adult Faith Formation, as the liberal laity involved took over the catechetical ministries and those of us who were "orthodox" could not hold onto our positions of either paid or volunteer work. That the priest chose these liberals, who were, actually heretical in their thinking on many issues, including contraception and marriage, did not help the situation. Some of us resigned because of the fact that we could not change the culture in that parish. So, we left the parish and went elsewhere. Sad, but true that sometimes factions occur which cannot be healed or changed. The priest did not want to deal with any doctrinal problems, such as the promulgation of the idea of women priests in faith formation classes and the denial of mortal or serious sin, or the use of contraceptives, etc. The priest may have been changed.

However, I would not move back into that parish, as the list of problems with the liturgy is still too long and as the deanery is covered by a religious order which is lax and liberal, I know what to expect . For my friends who are members of a similar, parish, this is a frustrating situation. I have suggested they find another spiritual home.

I find personally that the TLMs are without abuse. If one can move into a TLM community, that is always my advice, but this is geographically not always possible, even in Britain, where the distances are not like those in the States. I think of my friend, now deceased, who traveled for years to Chicago and back, almost four hours one way, to get to the Traditional Latin Mass. She would bundle her family into the van and go weekly. I would not have been able to afford that, but I am sure she is a saint for her efforts and zeal. Her husband was converted after years of stubborn resistance by her life.

Please God, let me find a regular TLM

One must go where one is fed. And, if the list of serious or irritating abuses becomes a hindrance to peace, Do not sweat the small stuff, but if the big, serious issues get to you, move.

Nothing is an Accident and a Bit of Samuel Johnson in the Mix

I am traveling today and thinking of the people I have met in the past year of teaching, writing, praying, doing whatever one does in Europe on limited resources.


What I have discovered, again, as if I needed reminding, that nothing happens by accident. The people we meet are always significant in our lives, and the places we go bear our little footsteps. God is in charge, of course, and if we are not like little, wonderful St. Therese, the Little Flower, staying within the confines of a very small parameter of families, friends, fellow sisters, in a small area of France, we still are under the great guidance of Providence.


I am grateful for all I have seen and learned and for whom I have met.


A small story from this website illustrates my point most dramatically. Ralph Beyer, the world famous artist who did the lettering at the entrance of Coventry Cathedral and who was influenced by my favorite, hands-down, artist David Jones, ended up working in the renewal of Coventry Cathedral for one reason-he had been imprisoned as a prisoner of war in Britain. When he was imprisoned during the war as an alien, he met the great Nickolaus Pevsner. Let this site tell the story for me.

Beyer was arrested as an enemy alien and housed in the internment camp at Huyton near Liverpool, which proved to be a stroke of remarkable fortune. Among the inmates was Nikolaus Pevsner, the writer on art and architecture. This acquaintance would later be renewed with decisive consequences for Beyer's career. Beyer's internment was short-lived: after three months he was able to join the Royal Pioneer Corps, in which he served throughout the war.

In 1950 Beyer moved to Cambridge to work first as a jobbing lettercutter, then, briefly, for the ex-Gill apprentice David Kindersley, who by then had set up his own workshop at Barton. It was in Cambridge that Beyer came across a magazine article with a photograph of a painted inscription by the poet and artist David Jones. Jones's very personal lettering recalled the naive early Christian catacomb carvings which had interested Beyer's father. Perhaps in a freer, less formal approach Beyer could use the lettercutting skills he had laboriously acquired and achieve something of the expressive intensity he had seen in the calligraphy and graphic work of Rudolf Koch, whom his father had championed.

In 1953 Beyer set up in London as a freelance inscriptional carver. Among the more routine jobs were two which allowed him to try out his new ideas: an inscription and line carvings on a slate altar, and cast concrete lettering around a church porch, both in the East End of London. In 1955, thanks to Pevsner, he was introduced to Basil Spence, architect of the projected new Coventry Cathedral. This would lead to the defining commission of his career, and one of the most significant works of hand lettercutting of the twentieth century.

Nearly all the lettering in Coventry cathedral was executed or designed by Beyer. The largest Artworks are the eight 'Tablets of the Word' on either side of the nave, and the huge metal floor inscription by the main entrance. Beyer's Coventry lettering, like the cathedral itself, was controversial. Nicolete Gray praised Beyer for his courage, and for departing from tired formulae, but criticised what she saw as a lack of 'seriousness' and any 'new and meaningful organization of his variable forms'.

After Coventry there would be other significant commissions among the lettercutter's staple of plaques, memorials, signs and commemorative stones. One of Beyer's personal favourites was a series of inscriptions in the Paul Tillich Park, New Harmony, Indiana, USA, some sandblasted, some hand-cut.

for Pentecost....

To all my friends and readers, there are NO accidents in God. Just as Beyer met Pevsner and was influenced by Gill and Jones, so we meet and are influenced by others for good, always for good if we are in God's Grace.

God bless you all, as I move my way through the outskirts of London. For Carol and Chris.

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
Boswell: Life

On Devotions and Ritual--Musings and Thoughts

A comment on another post brought up the question of rites in the Church as connected to local custom, or to devotion. Now, the Rites, which are enshrined in history and the earliest evangelization in the Church from the Apostles, are the approved ecclesiastical translations or versions of the Mass, including the Mass of St. John Chrysostom (and influences of St. Basil), which is used by several of the Byzantine communions, such as the Ruthenians and Ukrainians. Now, a Mass, the Liturgy of the Church, is not the same as a devotion. Devotions, such as the rosary or novenas, or individual prayers, have been associated with the Mass, but not part of the Mass. These properly belong before or after the Liturgy.

In the New Mass, which has just been promulgated, a clearer interpretation of the Latin has been given to the public. Hopefully, the thousands of aberrational additions, which occur daily in the world, and I see a few of these in Great Britain, will be cleared away through obedience to the new translation. A community cannot decide what it wants to do here and there. There is a logic and a ritual sense to every part of the Mass.

Of course, as a Latin Mass attender, when I can find one where I am, I prefer the ritual which has been the Mass of the Ages.

I think the confusion is the idea of inculturalization, which many of us feel destroyed not only the solemnity of the Mass, but changed the entire approach to the Mass. Too much culture is not the same as the Rites. What is the difference, one may ask? I think the answer would lie in one's understanding of Tradition. Tradition in the Church is that which has been handed down. The Church, that is the hierarchy, decides what is Tradition and what is not. Being a Catholic means trusting in this Tradition, obeying the limits and enjoying the freedom within that Tradition. Being all things to all men does not mean adding bits and pieces to a set form. That the form may have developed organically does not mean one confuses devotion with ritual.

As noted above, the Byzantine Liturgy is a written form, just as the Tridentine Mass is a written and approved form. I have been to many, many Byzantine Divine Liturgies, as a Byzantine myself, approved by the bishop as I was living in an area for several years which did not have an approved Latin Rite. I attended both the Ukrainian and Ruthenian Divine Liturgies. These were the same except for the language and the chants, as the Mass is the same. A language difference is not a devotional difference. A difference in chant modes is not a devotional difference. The Divine Liturgy is a formula of prayer and worship which has been revealed through the Tradition of the Church, and it is not a local difference added by the laity. And, as one partially from Eastern European background, I can assure one that the Byzantine Liturgy transcends nationalities.

The new Ordinariate Mass, which is in the making, will reflect the Anglo-Catholic heritage of the Church in England, but it will not include devotions, but that which is intrinsic to the Liturgy. One may call this Mass national, but it transcends that definition, as the Ordinariates are found worldwide. The Anglican Usage is also a form which I have attended, and the form is a ritual not devotional. There is a logic which forms ritual.

One of the grave errors following Vatican II has been the disrespect of the Eucharist with too many cultural invasions into the solemnity of the Mass. We all can list our nightmare scenarios.

Now, granted the topic was not such a horror as wild dancing, drums, or various types of feminist processions, but a beautiful prayer. The problem is not the devotion itself, but the change in the Liturgy to suit various groupings. This mindset, that the laity have a right to insert or change the set forms of the Liturgy, is the problem. The New Mass allows us all an opportunity to pull back from these aberrations to a set ritual. Perhaps the insertion of one prayer seems trivial, but the form of the Mass is compromised.

Now, if such permissions are granted locally, I think this begs the question as to whether we have a unified vision of worship or not. I have lived in many countries. I am distressed by the insertion of local customs into the Liturgy. This is one reason why I love the TLM. The Liturgy should be above and beyond my personal preferences for devotions. It should remain objective and not subjective, like the work of sublime revelation and art that it is. One must be able to judge the difference between devotions and parts of the Mass or Divine Liturgy intrinsic to the Sacrifice of Our Lord in the Eucharist.

Confirmation Series Two

As Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation, one of the questions asked of people who are getting married is whether they need to be confirmed first. Here is the Canon Law to set the record straight. 


from the 1983 Code of Canon Law: Text and Commentary

The text of the law:

Canon 1065 - 1. If they can do so without serious inconvenience, Catholics who have not yet received the sacrament of confirmation are to receive it before being admitted to marriage.

2. It is strongly recommended that those to be married approach the sacraments of penance and the Most Holy Eucharist so that they may fruitfully receive the sacrament of marriage.¹

^{Part of the reason for this is that Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation.} 

^{Here is the section to be examined today.} 

SECTION TWO
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER ONE
THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
ARTICLE 2
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION




1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.⁸⁹ For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."<sup>90




This unity has not been safeguarded in recent years, but the present Pope has made statements encouraging earlier Confirmation. Confirmation is the completion of Baptism. I would wonder why anyone would not want to enter into this completion. Such gifts are needed as well as a sharing in the Divine Life of Christ.</sup>

I. CONFIRMATION IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
1286 In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the hoped-for Messiah for his saving mission.⁹¹ The descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism by John was the sign that this was he who was to come, the Messiah, the Son of God.⁹² He was conceived of the Holy Spirit; his whole life and his whole mission are carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives him "without measure."⁹³


Even in the beginning of Christ's ministry do we see Him giving us a sign of the importance of this ministry. I hope I do not have to remind readers that it is a heresy to believe that Christ did not know who He was until this time-a Modernist heresy condemned, as Christ always knew He was God and Man and Messiah.


1287 This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people.⁹⁴ On several occasions Christ promised this outpouring of the Spirit,⁹⁵ a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost.⁹⁶ Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim "the mighty works of God," and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age.⁹⁷ Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn.⁹⁸


How wonderful that the Holy Trinity wants to come to us in the Indwelling of the Trinity into our souls. This great mystery allows us to have the chance for perfection in grace. Without these graces, we remain unable to reach our goal of eternal life and the more immediate goal of the Kingdom of God on earth, as members of the Catholic Church. I am reminded that the preaching, the catechesis is part of the process, a necessary part. 


1288 "From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. For this reason in the Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on of hands is listed among the first elements of Christian instruction. The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church."⁹⁹


The entire history of the Church has been the process of conversion, and new life given through the Apostolic Succession of the bishops and priests, down to the present age. When we are confirmed by the Bishop, or the appointed priest, we are assured of the continuity of teaching which is found in its fullness in the Catholic Church alone. This continuity is a great source of joy and the source of community for the Church. One might add that Protestant confirmations are therefore invalid and not sacramental, not efficacious. 


1289 Very early, the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands. This anointing highlights the name "Christian," which means "anointed" and derives from that of Christ himself whom God "anointed with the Holy Spirit."¹⁰⁰ This rite of anointing has continued ever since, in both East and West. For this reason the Eastern Churches call this sacrament Chrismation, anointing with chrism, or myron which means "chrism." In the West, the term Confirmation suggests that this sacrament both confirms and strengthens baptismal grace.


There should be no confusion as to charismation or confirmation as terms as these mean the same in that the outward sign of the sacrament is efficacious and does what it signifies. The laying of the hands, and the anointing with chrism impart sanctifying grace. We are body and soul and need these signs, which are the sacraments and not merely symbols.


to be continued....

Rorate Caeli News on SSPX

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/05/rome-sspx-fellay-speaks-in-vienna-words.html

Rome-SSPX - Fellay speaks in Vienna: the words of Pope Benedict XVI
Following his visit to Salzburg, the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), Bishop Bernard Fellay, was in Vienna yesterday, for confirmations of local faithful. He had additional words on the current relationship with Rome, including some words of Pope Benedict XVI:
"You have surely heard that, in the last few months, Rome has offered us a solution - we could rather say, a recognition.
"This structure that is being offered to the Society is in fact entirely appropriate. That is, if it actually takes place, you will feel absolutely no difference between now and afterwards. We will remain as we are, so to speak. The problem is the [existence of] safeguards: will it actually happen this way? The fear is great that we will be transformed. ...
"It is quite clear that this offer is also very, very controversial in the Church at large. I can assure you: It is the will of the Pope. This must not be doubted. But it is certainly not the will of everyone in the Church.
"Whether this will come to fruition depends on terms that are not yet clear terms. There are still points that remain unclear. It could happen that, in the upcoming days, weeks - it is very hard to ascertain this - the Pope will decide directly. It could be that he takes the case back to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. There is a lot of pressure in Rome. Which is why I couldn't say more than this. That is the current status.
"One must not think that things will be easy afterwards. To use the words of the Pope that describe the situation quite well: 'I know,' he said, 'that it would be easier both for the Society and for myself to leave the situation as it currently is.' This describes very well the situation, and also that the Pope himself knows that he, when he does it, will be attacked. And also that the situation will not be easy for us. That which will arise out of this situation will be with Rome or against it. Both of which will be difficult.
"Yet we have trust in the good God. He has guided us very well so far. We must not think that, praying so much, He would abandon us in the moment of greatest danger. That would be [a thought] against hope. We are counting on God's assistance. His will be done.

Confirmation Series One

I had decided to continue looking at the Sacraments of Initiation on this blog. As readers know, I have been looking carefully at Baptism, the greatly misunderstood sacrament. Today, I am starting a mini-series on Confirmation, another misunderstood sacrament.


Part of the misunderstanding is simply the lack of good catechesis. In addition, many lay persons are stuck in magical thinking, about which I have written many times here. To receive a sacrament is not  "to be saved", as in the Protestant idea of the fundamental option, either. See Veritatis Splendor for an update on that theological error. We have all the information we need online and in print to be educated Catholic adults.


Here follow a few points from the Church's teaching on Confirmation. And, I am reminded of St. Rita today, whose Secret in the 1962 Missal I have reads. "We pray thee, Lord, through the merits of Saint Rita, to pierce our hearts with the thorns of divine suffering; by the grace deliver us from all sin, and enable us to offer thee with pure hearts the sacrifice of praise through our Lord."


As in any of the sacraments, our hearts and minds are lifted up to God.


The CCC is a good place to start with some of the points relating to Confirmation. I cannot cover much today, but will write three or so posts this week. This is merely the first.


I am going to start a bit backwards, but as I was an RCIA coordinator and teacher in the past, this is where one starts. Not everyone can receive the sacrament of Confirmation. And, before all my Byzantine brothers and sisters chime in, let me say I agree one-hundred percent with the Sacraments of Initiation all being given together, in infancy, as done in the Eastern Rite. I wish we had not separated the Sacraments of Initiation.


Having said that and as this post in on the custom in the Latin Rite, let me continue by quoting the CCC.

IV. WHO CAN RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT?

1306 Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation.¹²³ Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time,"¹²⁴ for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete.

So the CCC admits initiation in incomplete without Confirmation. One, however, must be baptized with a Trinitarian baptism and not one made "in the Name of Jesus", which is happening more and more in non-denominational Christian communities. One must check this out, as sometimes I have discovered in the past, that my candidate needs to back-track to baptismal preparation.

1307 For centuries, Latin custom has indicated "the age of discretion" as the reference point for receiving Confirmation. But in danger of death children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion.¹²⁵

Very few Catholic parents realize that even before the traditional age of discretion, which is still seven in the Church, a child in the Latin Rite, under a threat of death, may be baptized. 

1308 Although Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity," we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need "ratification" to become effective. St. Thomas reminds us of this:

Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: "For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years. "Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.¹²⁶

This point must be emphasized, as the laity is confused here. Confirmation is not bar mitzvah or an adult appropriation of the Faith, as we must do that our entire lives. It is NOT a rite of passage. Confirmation is, again, a beginning sacrament for those who are being initiated into the Catholic Faith. We also underestimate the need for the virtuous life and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In this time, children more than ever need sanctifying grace.

1309 Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit - his actions, his gifts, and his biddings - in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands.¹²⁷

In diocese where I worked, Confirmation was at least a nine month, academic year process of teaching and initiation. Preparation cannot happen in a few weeks, as this is physically and mentally impossible, as well as spiritually dubious. Notice the last line, the community, that is the entire parish, but especially the family of the confirmand, takes responsibility for training. This cannot be left merely to the priest or religious education leader. The confirmand is part of a group which is practicing its Faith and is going out into that community to continue to feed that life of Faith in the community. I hear in England the phrase, "Oh, we lose the youth after Confirmation." If this is the case, either there was not enough preparation, or poor catechesis, or the youth were not in sanctifying grace to begin with and therefore, did not receive the graces of the sacrament. See below.

1310 To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace. One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strengthand graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act.¹²⁸

Perhaps this is my most important emphasis today. One must be in sanctifying grace to receive the sacrament. One must be a practicing Catholic. If one is not prepared to be a practicing Catholic and continue to be so after Confirmation, then the person is simply NOT ready to receive the sacrament. Again, there is no magic here. The sacraments are given without the framework of the life of the Church. One cannot receive grace in mortal sin and it is a mortal sin for a baptized Catholic not to be going to yearly Confession and weekly Mass on Sunday. 

This point is simply ignored in many areas, and it is, frankly, an abuse of the sacramental preparation and an misunderstanding of the theology of the sacraments.

1311 Candidates for Confirmation, as for Baptism, fittingly seek the spiritual help of a sponsor. To emphasize the unity of the two sacraments, it is appropriate that this be one of the baptismal godparents.¹²⁹

I know situations in parishes where a sponsor is literally grabbed by the priest or religious education coordinator before the Mass to stand as a sponsor. This is horrible. In some dioceses, there are sponsoring classes. and I when I was an RCIA coordinator, the sponsors came to the first few sessions with the candidates and came on one of the two retreats we had-one with those coming into the Church and the catechumens, and one which included the sponsors.

I understand the pressure from parents and in some parishes regarding Confirmation. But, I am reminded of Bonhoeffer on Cheap and Costly Grace. Either we do it right, or it is a travesty of our Faith. Confirmation is not a numbers game for a diocese to claim how many people have been confirmed in a year, nor is it a salve on the consciences of parents who just drop the kids off or sit in the car while classes are going on. I applaud the dioceses which have now included the parents in the Confirmation preparation. It is the only way, unless a young person, and I have known some as young as nine and eleven, come forward themselves for Confirmation and take the responsibility of living out the Catholic life after this sacrament.

Here is one parish with which I am familiar in name, as some of my family lived in this diocese and the process is similar in several parishes. The Confimation prep is a year. http://www.sfx-kc.org/index.php/sacraments/

St.Francis Xavier Parish offers preparation classes for the Sacrament of Confirmation for high school freshmen and sophomores (and older students), following the guidelines established by the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph, every other year. The next Confirmation Prep class will be offered during the 2011-2012 school year. Contact Mariann McCormally for more information

.Confirmation Documents for CONFIRMATION 2012

We offer an INTENSE preparation process for those young men and women

seeking to complete their initiation into the Catholic Christian church by the

Sacrament of Confirmation. This process includes: instruction, retreats and

prayer, and experiences of service and advocacy. Liturgical celebrations

and rituals at Sunday mass punctuate the transitions through the process.

What’s next?

+ a personal interview with one of the Confirmation team leaders

+ the choosing of a sponsor

+ participation in experiences of service and advocacy

+ Palm Sunday Reading of The Passion

Sunday, April 17, 2011

10:30 Mass

+ our first candidate session

Sunday, May 15, 2011

12:00 noon – 2:00 pm

+ a “Walking Retreat” and Sponsor-Candidate Event

Sunday, June 12, 2011

12:00 noon – 6:00 pm

…candidates will participate in a “walking retreat” on Pentecost Sunday

afternoon…we will return to the parish and be joined by the sponsors at 4:00

pm…our retreat afternoon will conclude with a shared meal…

+ Ignatius Day Celebration

Sunday, July 31, 2011

10:30 am Mass + PicnicCONFIRMATION 2012

…all classes will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church…

…12:00 noon- 2:00 pm…

Sunday, September 11, 2011 CLASS

Sunday, September 25, 2011 CLASS

Sunday, October 9, 2011 CLASS

Sunday, October 23, 2009 CLASS

Sunday, November 6, 2011 RITE OF ENROLLMENT and CLASS with SPONSORS

Sunday, November 20, 2011 CLASS (NCYC Pilgrims No-Penalty Absence)

Sunday, December 11, 2011 SFX CHRISTMAS COOKIE PROJECT

Sunday, January 8, 2012 CLASS

Sunday, January 22, 2012 CLASS

Sunday, February 12, 2012 CLASS

Sunday, February 26, 2012 RETREAT DAY

Sunday, March 4, 2012 RITE OF COVENANT and CLASS with SPONSORS

Sunday, March 25, 2012 CLASS and LETTER TO PASTOR DUE

Sunday, April 1, 2012 PALM SUNDAY PASSION READING at 10:30 Liturgy

Sunday, April 15, 2012 CLASS

Sunday, April 29, 2012 LAST CLASS

Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 7:15 pm REHEARSAL for CONFIRMATION CEREMONY

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 7:00 pm CELEBRATION OF CONFIRMATION

St. Francis Xavier Parish and Visitation Parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation

at St. Francis Xavier.

Goodbye to Kent

This is the last day of my vacation in Kent. Out of the thirty-five days I have been here, the sun has shone five days, the fog has taken over the area about ten days, and the rain has pelted down thirty days or so. But, the worst natural phenomenon has been the wind. Gale-like winds are blowing even as I write this post. One cannot walk on the cliff paths in the wind. The wind howls off the sea and sweeps into the fields, pushing the seagulls into safe havens, as they move away from the shore. I must admit that wind bothers me as I grew up in a tornado alley. Wind is not friendly. It has a mind of its own. I feel like the seagulls, which have moved inland to get away from the blasts. One landed on the roof here and cried as if to say, I do not want to be here. I wonder what this large, handsome bird thought of the hail three days ago? Do birds think about the weather, or do these animals just react?

Now, I am the type of animal to think and to make the most out of any situation. And, I was here to visit with friends, old and new, which I did. I have had a great time.

However, as a walker, I have been disappointed. Last year when I was here in May, the sun shone almost every day and the weather was mild. Some of the locals called it "boiling", but boiling to me would be Iowa heat of around 95 hot degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, not a nice 75. It has been cold here this year, on the coast. I can see France at the edge of the drive, and it must have been cold there are well. In fact, as I write, it is 51 and it will get down to 45 tonight. But, the warm weather is on the way, so I am told.

Therefore, I did what I usually do when vacations meet bad weather. I read. As I am working my way through all the novels of Dickens, I managed one (out of the four since November 3rd). I am also re-reading E. M. Forster, some novels of which I taught years ago. I read two books on St. John of the Cross, and several others mentioned on this blog, and some not mentioned dealing with political theory, St. Benedict. the CCC, the Bible, of course, yet another short life of St. Therese, several encyclicals, and more.

I did not walk as much on the cliffs as I wanted to do, but perhaps, next year.

Goodbye, Kent.

Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on

Under cloud and under star,

Yet feet that wandering have gone

Turn at last to home afar.

Eyes that fire and sword have seen

And horror in the halls of stone

Look at last on meadows green

And trees and hills they long have known.

J.R.R. Tolkien 

.