THE GENERATIONAL BACKLASH AGAINST KUMBAYA CATHOLICISM

Excerpts from washingtonpost.com:"Catholics don't argue about abortion or the death penalty nearly as much as they argue about what music is sung (or not sung, or used to be sung) at their local Sunday Mass. It was ever thus -- at least since the 1960s, when Sister first shortened her habit, strummed a G7 chord and, to hear some Catholics tell it, all heck broke loose.
"Among his more fastidious devotees, Pope Benedict XVI is valued most for the fact that he is not Casey Kasem, and Mass is no place for a hit parade, and church is most relevant when it is serious. ...Do not hold your breath waiting for "One Bread, Read More...
THE LATIN MASS BRINGING MANY BACK TO THE CHURCH

Here are excerpts of a very interesting article on the changes that are taking place as a result of the return of the Tridentine latin mass. As indicated by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos entire religious communities seem to be returning to the Church as a result of Summorum Pontificum.
Vatican City, Mar 31, 2008 / 09:50 am (CNA).- "In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, explained that Pope Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum,” which liberalized the use of the Tridentine Mass, is not a return to the past and has brought many separated brethren back into full communion with the Church.
During the interview, Cardinal Castrillon explained that the Pope’s letter, which renewed the possibility of celebrating the Mass according to the ancient rite, has led many Catholics to request to be received back into communion with the Church.
“In Spain,” he said, “the Oasis of Jesus the Priest, an entire cloistered monastery of 30 Read More...
"THIS IS BABEL"

We are all witnessing the growing persecution of the Church in what were once Christian nations. These nations are slowly taking on a fascist character that seeks to stamp out religion and religious expression. In Canada a so-called human rights commission is in hot pursuit of truth teller Mark Steyn for Islamophobia and Catholic Insight Magazine for homophobia. In Spain a Protestant is being investigated by the government for attempting to "cure" homosexuality while a Catholic cleric is likewise being investigated for comments that are seen as offending homosexuals.
The pace at which religious hatred is growing is alarming. But this was all prophesied by good and holy men and women throughout the centuries. They all hauntingly repeat that a great chastisement will occur due to the loss of the Faith. The Catholic Church in particular will have much to suffer. Islam is predicted to be used as one instrument of chastisement. But the enemies of Christ Read More...
THE FAILURE OF THE SECULARIZATION AND MUNDANIZATION OF THE LITURGY
Thanks to Marshall for recommending the following article. By the way, Marshall has decided to pursue the priesthood and to further his cause financially he has designed some very nice products at Zazzle. Please pray for him and remember his designs when Christmas shopping.
Excerpts from Una Voce by Prof. Mattei's Fontgombault: "The Mass, which is the sacred action par excellence, has always been regulated by a rite, which is to say, its ordo, according to the words of Saint Augustine: "totum agendi ordinem, quem universa per orbem servat Ecclesia." With the liturgical reform, the essence of the Sacrament which remains valid and retains its efficacy, did not change, but, according to the expression of Cardinal Ratzinger, a new rite was "fabricated" ex novo.
"The rite, of which the classic definition goes back to Servio (Mos institutus religiosis caeremoniis consecratus), is not in fact the sacred action but the norm which guides the unfolding of this action. It can be defined as the whole of the formulas and practical norms which must be observed in order to accomplish a specific Read More...
POPE GETS RADICAL IN ORDER TO BEGIN THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION

Here is a very interesting article from the Times Online about Pope Benedict and his ambitious commitment to reform and liberation of the Latin liturgy. This, despite attempts from many bishops including those in England and Wales to halt the reform. It seems his pontificate is having a tremendous impact on many break-away groups including the conservative Traditional Anglican Communion.
"Two and a half years after the name "Josephum" came booming down from the balcony of St Peter's, making liberal Catholics weep with rage, Pope Benedict XVI is revealing his programme of reform. And it is breathtakingly ambitious.
The 80-year-old Pontiff is planning a purification of the Roman liturgy in which decades of trendy innovations will be swept away. This recovery of the sacred is intended to draw Catholics closer to the Orthodox and ultimately to heal the 1,000 year Great Schism. But it is also designed to attract vast numbers of conservative Anglicans, who will be offered the protection of the Holy Father if they covert en masse.
The liberal cardinals don't like the sound of it at all.
Ever since the shock of Benedict's election, they have been Read More...
MASSIVE APPEAL TO LATIN TRADITION

Since July, when a decree from Pope Benedict XVI lifted decades-old restrictions on celebrating the Tridentine Mass, seven churches in the Washington metropolitan area have added the liturgy to their weekly Sunday schedules.
"I love the Latin Mass," said Audrey Kunkel, 20, of Cincinnati. "It"s amazing to think that I"m attending the same Mass that has formed saints throughout the centuries."
In contrast to the New Order Mass, which has been in use since the Second Vatican Council in 1969 and is typically celebrated in vernacular languages such as English, the Tridentine Mass is "contemplative, mysterious, sacred, transcendent, and [younger people are] drawn to it," said the Rev. Franklyn McAfee, pastor of St. John the Beloved in McLean. "Gregorian chant is the opposite of rap, and I believe this is a refreshing change for them."
Susan Gibbs, the director of communications from the Archdiocese of Washington, said the attraction demonstrated by the young adults is "very interesting."
Besides the liturgy"s rich historical content and spiritual Read More...
ITALIAN BISHOP FORBIDS LATIN MASS DESPITE POPE'S MOTU PROPRIO

Naples, Sep. 17, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Bishop Raffaele Nogaro of Caserta, Italy forbade the celebrate of the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass on Sunday, September 15, despite the permission granted by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) for all priests to use the older liturgical form.
The Italian daily Il Messagero reports that Bishop Nogaro ordered Msgr. Giovanni Battista Gionta to cancel plans for a Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal at the Shrine of St. Anne. Msgr. Gionta, who had scheduled the Mass at the request of local Catholics, posted a note at the shrine to announce that he was changing plans. "I obey the bishop," he explained.
Il Messagero said that Bishop Nogaro ordered the cancellation of the Mass "so as not to set a precedent." The bishop said that he was taking action to help his people pray properly, since "to mumble in Latin serves no purpose."
Elsewhere in Italy the effective date Read More...