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Feast of St. Mark from the Basilica of San Marco, Venice
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Pope: Importance of the Mass in Priestly Life and Mission
This past Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI ordained nine men coming from the various Roman seminaries. In the course of this, the Pope offered the following thoughts (as summarized and quoted by VIS) about the important links between the priestly mission and the celebration of the Mass [NLM emphases]:
Read more here: VIS![]()
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Benedict XVI also mentioned the formula used at the moment of consigning the bread and wine to the new priests: "Receive the offer of the holy people for the Eucharistic sacrifice. Understand what you do, imitate what you administer; conform your life to the mystery of the cross of Christ the Lord". These words, he said, "underline the fact that, for priests, celebrating Mass every day does not mean merely undertaking a ritual function, but accomplishing a mission which involves all of existence, in communion with the risen Christ Who continues to enact the redeeming sacrifice in His Church".
The Holy Father went on to note that "Eucharistic and sacrificial aspects are inseparable from the pastoral aspect, of which they are the nucleus of truth and salvific strength upon which the effectiveness of all activity depends. ... The preaching, works and other activities which the Church carries out with her many initiatives would lose their salvific fruitfulness if the celebration of Christ's sacrifice were lacking. This celebration is entrusted to ordained priests. ... Only through the 'door' of the Paschal sacrifice can men and women of all times and places enter eternal life. It is through this 'holy path' that they can make the exodus which leads them to the 'promised land' of true freedom, to the 'green fields' of endless peace and joy.
Read more here: VIS
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A Traditional Western Icon - From the Rheinau Psalter
After my references to Western icons and also my assertion of the importance of re-establishing the gothic style as living traditions, people have been asking me to give examples of the images I am talking about. I am going to do a regular series of features of such examples in order to promote these styles. My hope is that we in the West will follow the remarkable work of the Russians and Greeks who reestablished the iconographic tradition in the Eastern Church in the middle of the 20th century (figures such as Ouspensky and Kontoglou).The first stage in doing this is the artistic study - copying with understanding - of the works of a past tradition. And then the second stage, if this is to become a truly living tradition, is the creation of new works that are consistent with the core timeless principles of the tradition. The great achievement of our Eastern brethren is to moved through to the second stage. In the West our artistic heritage is richer (in the sense that we not only have iconographic tradition, but also the gothic and the baroque as authentic and complementary sacred art traditions). This means that in once sense, given there are three traditions, the task ahead is greater but in another, because we can follow the methods used by the Russians and Greeks (and more recently Copts with Dr Stephane Rene doing great work) it is less because we can use the principles that they used.
We have made a start at this effort in cultural reform at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts and my classes there now focus on these Western forms. What is interesting is to see how the students take to these forms very happily and seem to enjoy creating them. As a result they are producing some of the best work I have seen students of mine produce. (I will post some of their work at the end of the semester once they have finished their projects). My sense is that just seems more natural to us Western Catholics to paint like images like this than to paint Eastern icons. Similarly, the Way of Beauty Summer Atelier (see here for details), which is offering an icon-painting summer school will focus on these forms, which come from illuminated manuscripts. These are excellent examples to study if you are a beginner because they are strongly line based, rather than relying on the modelling of form through gradual blending of tone and colour. This latter requires sophisticated handling of the paint which is very difficult in egg tempera, the medium used. We use egg tempera paint on high quality watercolour paper to replicate these manuscript images.
The image shown here is a remarkable plate from a 13th-century German psalter. Rheinau is the town in Germany where it was created. The artist's name is unknown. It is consistent with the iconographic prototype. The draughtsmanship is wonderful. I love the contrast between the sure smooth flow of the lines that describe the human forms, which contrast with the vigorous angular handling of those lines which describe the drapery. Artists today could learn from this, because this use of a faceting in the description of drapery helps to give the image a greater strength and less sentimental feel. Sentimentality is the scourge of modern sacred art. This device is not limited to iconographic or gothic art - even Bernini used it when he sculpted drapery in the baroque era. Note also how the Rheinau image conforms to the Western preference for patterned borders (which is not unknown but certainly less common in the Eastern variants).
Some might question the ideas this is iconographic by pointing the fact that some of the figures are in profile (not seen in icons usually). However, it seems to me that the artist is being selective in accordance with the iconographic convention. The two figures who have halos, Christ and St Peter are not in profile. All the other figures, with Judas most prominent, are part of the crowd of men who are arresting Christ. These are not saints and so this is indicated not only by the absense of halos but also by drawing them in profile.
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Online Liturgical Resources
For those of you who are interested in the sacred liturgy, in particular older liturgical books, you should spend a little time searching through Google Books which has a number of older missals available. Here, for example, are a 16th and 17th century edition of the Missal of the rite of Lyons which Gregory recently dug up.
1556 Lyons Missal
1620 Lyons Missal
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1620 Lyons Missal
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Solemn Mass Offered in Presence of Bishop of Pasig, the Philippines
One of our readers shares news and photos of a Solemn Mass in the usus antiquior offered in the presence of the Bishop of Pasig, the Most Reverend Mylo Hubert C. Vergara on May 1st in the diocesan Cathedral of Pasig.
The celebrant was Fr. Mark Emman Sese, Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Pasig and Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Assisting him were Rev. Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo from the Diocese of Cubao and Rev. Fr. Elijah Ma. Pantorilla, OFMConv., as subdeacon and deacon respectively.
The servers were members of the Acolythorum Fraternitas Sanctae Crucis, a group servers made up from different parishes within the diocese of Pasig who come together to serve at an EF Mass offered every Sunday in a chapel of the Cathedral.
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Photographs by Gerald Cenir and John Neilbert Tuazon
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The celebrant was Fr. Mark Emman Sese, Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Pasig and Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Assisting him were Rev. Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo from the Diocese of Cubao and Rev. Fr. Elijah Ma. Pantorilla, OFMConv., as subdeacon and deacon respectively.
The servers were members of the Acolythorum Fraternitas Sanctae Crucis, a group servers made up from different parishes within the diocese of Pasig who come together to serve at an EF Mass offered every Sunday in a chapel of the Cathedral.
Photographs by Gerald Cenir and John Neilbert Tuazon
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The Cathedral: A Home for the Liturgy of the Hours
One of the principal problems in discussing new cathedral designs (or renovations, such as the still-in-the-news Crystal Cathedral) is that, whether the proposed project is "modernistic" or "traditional," most of the time the criteria used to conceptualize it are only tenuously related to the historic notion of what constitutes a cathedral and the liturgy it houses. I have said this several times in the past, but most American cathedrals are essentially overgrown parish churches, and this paradigm has so ensconced itself in our liturgical consciousness that many bishops see their cathedrals as model parish churches for their diocese. The sentiments that go into such a notion are laudable and perhaps even necessary in the short term, but are something of a red herring. The question that must be asked about these edifices, and even many of America’s pre-conciliar cathedrals, is not just, “Is this a fitting style?” but “ What makes a church a cathedral?” It is instructive to compare the liturgical milieu that informed Westminster Cathedral’s establishment in 1895, with that of a typical large American diocese. Part of the problem is of course a diminshed sense of the differences between mass as celebrated by a bishop (though which is still laid out in the Ordinary Form's Ceremonial of Bishops) and a priest's mass, but these are ultimately matters of degree rather than quality. The most significant difference, in my mind, lies in the inclusion or exclusion of the Liturgy of the Hours as prayed by a community.
From the date of its establishment, the prayer of the Church—as embodied by the singing of the daily Divine Office—was inextricably intertwined with the design of the new cathedral. Cardinal Vaughn saw the Office as essential to the efficacy of “a live Cathedral,” a missionary presence at the heart of a very secular city, “functioning […] on behalf of others and winning them graces.” In the foundational documents of the College of Chaplains he established specifically to carry out this liturgical apostolate, he argued that this public prayer was “the highest function of the apostolic calling.” In this regard, Westminster Cathedral started out not much different than our own standard American cathedral. Being a mission territory, America got out of the habit of having cathedral chapters capable of singing the Office. In Britain, with the cathedral canons of Westminster being largely a notional or honorary body at their founding (mostly busy parish priests seldom meeting together in common), the College of Chaplains were founded specifically to take their place. To this day, Morning and Evening Prayer are sung daily in the cathedral, along with a daily solemn mass and several simpler masses. By way of comparison, St. Patrick’s in New York, America’s best-known cathedral, does not perform the Divine Office at all; neither does St. Matthew’s in Washington, D.C., SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, Holy Name in Chicago and the new cathedrals of Oakland, Houston and Los Angeles. Sunday vespers are, admittedly, sung at Holy Cross in Boston and at St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, along with daily Morning Prayer during the week. In an age when diocesan budgets are stretched to the breaking point, this may not be much of a surprise. Cathedrals have made it their priority to serve as mass factories for workers, tourists, and the local parish community. There is a great deal of logic to such an approach, providing the opportunity for tightly-scheduled weekday commuters to have access to daily mass, and I certainly laud them for their efforts in this area. However, Cardinal Vaughn’s somewhat different thoughts on the subject are worth considering at this point, as communicated by Doyle in his centenary history of Westminster Cathedral:![]()
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From the date of its establishment, the prayer of the Church—as embodied by the singing of the daily Divine Office—was inextricably intertwined with the design of the new cathedral. Cardinal Vaughn saw the Office as essential to the efficacy of “a live Cathedral,” a missionary presence at the heart of a very secular city, “functioning […] on behalf of others and winning them graces.” In the foundational documents of the College of Chaplains he established specifically to carry out this liturgical apostolate, he argued that this public prayer was “the highest function of the apostolic calling.” In this regard, Westminster Cathedral started out not much different than our own standard American cathedral. Being a mission territory, America got out of the habit of having cathedral chapters capable of singing the Office. In Britain, with the cathedral canons of Westminster being largely a notional or honorary body at their founding (mostly busy parish priests seldom meeting together in common), the College of Chaplains were founded specifically to take their place. To this day, Morning and Evening Prayer are sung daily in the cathedral, along with a daily solemn mass and several simpler masses. By way of comparison, St. Patrick’s in New York, America’s best-known cathedral, does not perform the Divine Office at all; neither does St. Matthew’s in Washington, D.C., SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, Holy Name in Chicago and the new cathedrals of Oakland, Houston and Los Angeles. Sunday vespers are, admittedly, sung at Holy Cross in Boston and at St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, along with daily Morning Prayer during the week. In an age when diocesan budgets are stretched to the breaking point, this may not be much of a surprise. Cathedrals have made it their priority to serve as mass factories for workers, tourists, and the local parish community. There is a great deal of logic to such an approach, providing the opportunity for tightly-scheduled weekday commuters to have access to daily mass, and I certainly laud them for their efforts in this area. However, Cardinal Vaughn’s somewhat different thoughts on the subject are worth considering at this point, as communicated by Doyle in his centenary history of Westminster Cathedral:
Where Vaughn departed from the usual message was in insisting that the duty of prayer could be discharged by priests’ devoting themselves to the public liturgical prayer of the Church – indeed, he argued that this was ‘the highest function of the apostolic calling.’ To support his case, he pointed to the long tradition […] of having the Divine Office performed daily in cathedrals. This tradition had been lost in many places, so that ‘a mournful silence reigns in place of the daily chant of the Office[.]’[…] ‘The daily presence of the clergy in choir … gathered in spirit around the Queen of Apostles […] will secure the victory in many a battle with sin and error […].’However, besides the spiritual graces attendant on placing the full Office at the heart of a diocesan community, there is also considerable evangelical and apostolic merit to the practice. With our urban centers coming to life again as families, gentrifying pioneers, artists and would-be artists move back downtown (many frequently unchurched but not immune to the beauty of holiness), such a living, breathing exemplar of the movement of sanctified time could be a lightning-rod for an explosion of religious revival. It would also represent a tangible way of fulfilling the Second Vatican Council's goal of encouraging the faithful to regularly participate in the Liturgy of the Hours, and the twentieth-century Liturgical Movement's desire to transform the Office into more than a perfunctory priestly duty. It is not that this ideal is impossible--like Chesterton said of the Christian life of faith, "It has been found difficult and left untried." The Council recommended:
Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the Divine Office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually. (Par. 100)If this is true of parish churches, how much more it should be of the cathedral church of every diocese! Whether such a project would be attempted by the laity under the supervision of the rector, by a special college of chaplains in the manner of Westminster, or even by an attached religious house, it is difficult to say; all have logistical difficulties. Vaughn himself initially attempted to outsource the public celebration of the Office to both French and English Benedictines, but found it too difficult. This essay merely proposes the idea--not a detailed plan. I am not saying such an action would be easy, or, with parish closings and priest shortages, even prudent in many locations. But if it could be attempted in just one place by a visionary bishop, I have no doubt the Holy Spirit would ensure spectacular would occur.
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Missa Cantata, Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts
Always interested in liturgical activities at our Catholic academic institutions, I was interested to hear of a Missa Cantata which was offered on May 1st at Holy Cross College in Worcester Massachusetts by Fr. David Philipson. The Mass was organized by one of the seniors at Holy Cross.
I was also quite interested in the chapel with its beautiful altar and ciborium.
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I was also quite interested in the chapel with its beautiful altar and ciborium.
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Executive Director of ICEL on "The Future of the Liturgy"
Fr. Ray Blake recently posted a video of a conference given by Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, Executive Director of ICEL, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the parish church of St. Mary Magdalen in Brighton.
Monsignor Wadsworth spoke on the subject of "The Future of the Liturgy."
Our congratulations to Fr. Blake and his parish on the occasion of their 150th anniversary. Here is Msgr. Wadsworth's talk:
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Monsignor Wadsworth spoke on the subject of "The Future of the Liturgy."
Our congratulations to Fr. Blake and his parish on the occasion of their 150th anniversary. Here is Msgr. Wadsworth's talk:
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More News from the Oratory-in-Formation in Cincinnati
Further to our recent stories on the new Oratory-in-formation in Cincinnati, here is another recent story of the community from The Catholic Beat:
Read the entire story here: Future Oratorians Celebrate![]()
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Future Oratorians Celebrate
Fr. Edoardo Cerrato, CO, Procurator General of the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome, celebrating Mass in the Ordinary Form, but in Latin, with Deacon Jon-Paul Bevak (left) and Ashley Paver (right)
Why should Cincinnati be home to an Oratory, a community of priests who swear a vow of stability to a particular area and live both an active life in the wider community and a communal life committed to prayer and spiritual discipline? Archbishop Schnurr’s answer is, “If it was important to St. Philip Neri, it’s important to us.”
Saturday night the Community-in-Formation of the Order of St. Philip Neri in Cincinnati celebrated the formal inception of their project with Archbishop Schnurr, Bishop Binzer, several hundred friends and supporters, and representatives of the Oratory in Rome. Following Mass and a dinner at Our Lady of The Holy Spirit Center, the Community-in-formation shared the news that they have a future home, and that eight men have already contacted them about possible vocations.
“My dear brothers and sisters,” said The Very Rev. Edoardo Cerrato CO, Procurator General of the Congregation of the Oratory in Rome, “It is with great joy that I give you this news: A new community is being established in this part of the country.” It will be the eighth Oratory in the United States, the latest in a type of communal priestly life created by St. Philip Neri in 1575 and still attracting men today.
Calling it a “momentous occasion,” Fr. Mario Aviles, CO, the Oratory’s delegate, said that he “has been privileged by God’s grace to see the very beginning of this journey” and to be overseeing its progress. Archbishop Schnurr said that life of an Oratorian is one example of the way the “New Evangelization” called for by Bl. Pope John Paul II is being expressed today. It is attractive to many young priests who want to live together with other priests of a similar age, which is a benefit to them, but that it also benefits Cincinnati by bringing the Archdiocese men who make a commitment to the city, to evangelization, and to being assigned as needed.
“I have no doubt,” Archbishop Schnurr said to the crowd, “that the Oratory will produce many blessings to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.”
The future Oratorians — Fr. Lawrence Juarez, currently Parochial Vicar of Old St. Mary’s Church in Over-the-Rhine; Deacon Jon-Paul Bevak, who will be ordained in May; and Br. Adrian Hilton, a student at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary of the West — will be based in Over-the-Rhine, where Fr. Juarez has lived and worked since coming to Cincinnati to join the late Fr. Al Lauer’s ministry. A building committee purchased two houses across from the Church to renovate as the Oratory’s “Pious House,” where the priests will live and carry out a daily regimen of prayers.
Read the entire story here: Future Oratorians Celebrate
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Rito Ambrosiano Antico and the Seminarians of the ICRSS
Recently a Mass was offered according to the ancient Ambrosian rite by Msgr. Attilio Cavalli -- a canon of the Cathedral of Milan -- in the parish church of San Siro Misinto. Attending the Mass were a number of the seminarians of the Institute of Christ the King.
If we can get more photos for you, we certainly will publish them. In the meantime, here are two which came our way.
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As many of our readers already know, Ambrosian Canons have the privilege of the use of certain pontificals as seen here. Also take note of "ferula" -- the staff with orb atop it. For more on these and other Ambrosian traditions, see Nicola de Grandi's various posts here on NLM.
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If we can get more photos for you, we certainly will publish them. In the meantime, here are two which came our way.
As many of our readers already know, Ambrosian Canons have the privilege of the use of certain pontificals as seen here. Also take note of "ferula" -- the staff with orb atop it. For more on these and other Ambrosian traditions, see Nicola de Grandi's various posts here on NLM.
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Should an Artist Copy from Photographs?
Shortly after moving the US I was contacted by someone I knew when I was studying in Florence. He contacted me because he had just converted to Catholicism and was keen to tell me about it. When I met him Martinho Correia had been teaching the academic method at one of the ateliers in Florence. It was good to hear from him again especially with such good news! More recently Martinho told me about a two-week course he was offering, now back in his home town Calgary in Canada called Painting People from Photos. You can see the details here.This raises the question as to whether or not an artist should paint from photographs? Many of those who were trained to paint from nature in ateliers would say categorically, no! to a highly trained artist working from photographs feels like cheating; and there is the sense too that the proper way to represent something is to percieve it directly (even though practically no icon is painted through direct apprehension of the saint).
I always used to think this until I reluctantly had to admit that if I had to make a living as a portrait painter I would probably have to paint from photographs some of the time. The advantage of photographs is that you don't require the sitter to be available as much and so you can produce a cheaper portrait. Also it is one solution to the problem of trying to painting subjects that won't sit still, such as children or animals - although perhaps if I had the skill of Sargent this wouldn't be a problem. I wonder also if part of the reason for my objecting to this comes from an instinctive reaction against modernity and the idea of a machine do what used to done by hand?
On reflection, however, the only way to judge this is by the quality of the end result. If the final painting created by copying a photograph is indistinguishable from (or even superior to) that painted directly from a sitter, then all well and good.
There are some who think that the means is important, even if you can't tell the difference in the end. I do not hold to this (provided that the means doesn't lead the artist into sin). There is a similar discussion in regard to icon painting: many tell me that the artist must work from a dark to light (starting with a dark base colour and building the highlights on top) because it mirrors the theological point that the light overcomes the darkness. Aidan Hart firmly lays this to rest in his recently published book. He describes how modern X-ray analysis has shown that many ancient icons weren't painted in this way. Hart himself has put aside the light-from-dark method (along with its accompanying theology) for another on the grounds that he can paint icons of equal quality faster so sell more. This is an important consideration for a working artist.
So back to photographs. The question that remains is this: can an artist produce equal results to those produced by observing directly from nature? The lens of a camera processes the image differently from that in the eye (its a bit like the difference between a wide angle lens and magnifying glass) and so a photograph looks different to a painting from nature. The stylistic elements of the baroque are developed so that when the eye sees the two-dimensional painting, the information as presented to and utilised by the mind, is the same as if it were looking at the three-dimensional object. Therefore, it is conceivable that an artist who understands these differences could adapt a photograph so that it contains those painterly qualities.
If we look at Martinho's examples below, he is most definitely not just copying the photograph. The background for example is totally different and has been skillfully applied so that light and dark contrasts vary according to the local tonal value of the subject. He would not know how to do this if were not highly knowledgable about traditional portraiture.
It is concievable that a new form could develop out of this, in which some photographic elements are retained, and some are changed. Even this is not a bad thing necessarily. Photography is a legitimate art form, so why not this hybrid?
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Rare Art Nouveau Influenced Vestments
We have shown other vestments from the art nouveau period, and for some while I've intended to share with our readers this photo which show an admittedly less spectacular example, but one nonetheless worth showing given the rarity of such examples.
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5th Sunday of Easter, Simple English Propers
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Key SSPX Figures Lining Up?
From Andrea Tornielli at Vatican Insider yesterday:
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Lefebvrians await “yes” answer from Pope
The process for the Society of St. Pius X’s return to full communion with Rome is expected to be concluded by the end of May
Andrea Tornielli
The response sent to the Vatican on 17 April by Bishop Bernard Fellay will be examined in the next few days by the cardinal and bishop members in Ordinary Session of the Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith, commonly known as Feria Quarta; their decision will then be submitted to Benedict XVI. The process which should lead the Society of St. Pius X – founded by Mgr. Lefebvre - to return to full communion with the Catholic Church is expected to conclude by the end of May. Twenty four years have passed since the illegitimate consecrations that led to the split from Rome and the excommunication of the traditionalist archbishop and four priests whom he ordained bishops without the Pope’s approval. When the final decision is announced, the content of the doctrinal preamble - that the Holy See presented Fellay and the Fraternity with and which the Fraternity’s leader sent back to Rome proposing some minor modifications - will also be published.
In recent days, statements by some authoritative figures of the Society of St. Pius X have multiplied, particularly from the Lefebvrian wing that is more favourable towards the Society’s return to full communion with the Catholic Church. In a public conference in Hattersheim, Germany, Fellay’s First Assistant Fr. Niklaus Pfluger, said that under the current circumstances, the Fraternity’s superior does not “believe it is possible to turn down the Pope’s proposal.” He said that straying from the Pope’s wishes would lead to Sedevacantism. Pfluger pointed out that there is still some disagreement between the Holy See and the Fraternity and the latter claims the right to freely criticise certain points contained in the conciliar documents. He recalled how in 1988, Lefebvre had signed a doctrinal agreement with the Holy See which contained “many more (doctrinal Ed.)concessions by the Fraternity than those Benedict XVI is asking for today.”
The former superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Fr. Franz Schmidberger, wrote an equally important editorial in the May issue of the Fraternity’s monthly magazine which says: “The fact that Rome is now calling us back from the exile we were forced into in 1975 - with the abrogation of the” Fraternity’s canonical “approval”, and “set in stone in 1988 with the degree ordering the excommunication “ of consecrating and consecrated bishops” - “is an act of justice and undoubtedly an act of authentic pastoral care by Benedict XVI.” Even more important, is the editorial of another historical member of the Fraternity, Fr. Michele Simoulin, which was published in the May issue of the Seignadou bulletin published by the Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes priory. Fr. Simoulin also talks about the agreement reached between Lefebvre and Ratzinger in 1988, explaining that the version of the doctrinal preamble presented at the time was not the reason for the split; the real reason was a more practical one. Indeed, Lefebvre did not trust the Vatican’s reassurance regarding the possibility of consecrating a bishop as his successor: “The reason has nothing to do with doctrine or the statute presented to the Fraternity,” Fr. Simoulin wrote. “The reason why the process came to a halt was to do with the date of consecration of the conceded bishop.”
About the objections among Lefebvrians who do not want an agreement with Rome, Fr. Simoulin recalled that when Ratzinger “became Pope he told us that the Tridentine mass has never been abrogated (7 July 2007: “Hence it is licit to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass in accordance with the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated”); he reinstated our four bishops (21January 2009); he allowed us to hold doctrinal discussions for two years, things which Mgr. Lefebvre did not demand back in 1988. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Mgr. Fellay obtained more than what Mgr. Lefebvre had asked for, despite not having the status or moral authority to do so. So should we demand more of Mgr. Lefebvre and Mgr. Fellay?” Simoulin concluded stressing that today’s situation is different from what it was in 1975 and 1988 and those who claim the opposite do so because they reject “any form of reconciliation with Rome” perhaps showing “alack of faith in the sanctity of the Church.” “The Society of St. Pius X is not the Church and cannot respect the legacy of its founder who by conserving its spirit shows his love for the Church and his wish to serve it as a loving son.”
Reading over the doctrinal part of the “protocol of accord” signed by Lefebvre on 5 May 1988, is useful in understanding part of the content of the doctrinal preamble frequently discussed in recent months. The content of this preamble has remained confidential because of the potential need for modifications or alterations to the expressions used within it – changes which were foreseen from the start. The founder of the Fraternity promised loyalty to the Pope, stating that he “accepted the doctrine on the ecclesiastical magisterium contained in point no. 25 of the dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council and adherence to it.” In relation to the dissent on certain conciliar passages, he stated: “In relation to certain points that are taught by the Second Vatican Council or that relate to later reforms of the liturgy and the law which do not appear to us easily reconcilable with tradition, we are making efforts to adopt a positive attitude and to communicate with the Apostolic See, a voiding any controversy.” Lefebvre also stated that he “recognise[d] the validity of the sacrifice of the mass and the sacraments celebrated with the aim of following what the Church does, according to the rites described in the typical editions of the Roman missal and the rituals for the sacraments promulgated by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II.” Finally, he promised “to respect the Church’s common discipline and ecclesiastical laws.”
As was also the case in 1988, the agreement reached with then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger set down in black and white that there were “certain points” which Lefebvrians considered as not “easily reconcilable with tradition”. But this dissent should not have prevented full communion. Forty four years ago, events took a different path: a schism formed and there were some excommunications. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, this wound could finally be healed.
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Opera Familia Christi - Fourth Sunday After Easter
The following photos were taken yesterday and come from the chapel of the Palazzo Altemps in Rome, wherein the anniversary of the priestly ordination of Msgr. Giuseppe Canovai of the association Opera Familia Christi was also celebrated.
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Photos reprinted with permission
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Juventutem Chapter Established in Michigan
There is a new Juventutem chapter in the Detroit, Michigan area. Read the story in Michigan Catholic: Young adult group shows love for Latin Mass.
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More on the Ambrosian Rite and the ICRSS Seminarians
Last Friday we made brief mention of a Mass offered according to the ancient Ambrosian liturgical books by Msgr. Attilio Cavalli -- a canon of the Cathedral of Milan -- in the parish church of San Siro Misinto. We had also noted that in attendance were a number of the seminarians of the Institute of Christ the King.
Further photos have now come our way and, as promised, we wished to publish a few more of them.
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Further photos have now come our way and, as promised, we wished to publish a few more of them.
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Other Modern: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
It has been awhile since we've dipped in "the other modern" and I wanted to share with you some of the interesting artwork of a parish church in Bilthoven, the Netherlands -- near Utrecht -- Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
As noted by the Church Art Property Foundation in the Netherlands, the artwork of this church was primarily undertaken under the direction of Father Herman Hoffman Dijck (pastor from 1928 to 1947) who established contacts with the Instituut voor Kerkelijke Kunst Sint Bonifacius in Amsterdam to this end. That institute was founded in 1931 and, like many which came within the context of the Liturgical Movement, sought to move away from the catalogue and more sentimentalist art of the 19th and early 20th centuries, while also engaging modernity.
That context aside, what I first and primarily wished to share with our readers are these murals in the Lady Chapel of Bilthoven, done by the artist François Mes.
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Stunning work and to great effect in my estimation. They show a modernity which has clear linkages to our tradition in various regards. I believe they are very well suited to their intended sacred and liturgical purpose -- not to mention being very beautiful in their own right. (The painted brickwork also lends very nicely to the overall effect.)
Beyond Mes's work, there are other artistic features of this church that are also worth considering. Here is an example of the terracotta statuary of Adam Winter (who executed seventeen such statues for the church):
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Here too is some of his work as seen on the pulpit in terracotta relief:
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A reliquary by Ernst Voorhoeve:
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Otto van Rees painted various biblical scenes to ornament the parish baptistery:
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And finally, here is a sample of the Stations of the Cross as painted by Lambert Simon:
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Photos: Stichting Kerkelijk Kunstbezit in Nederland, OLV Bilthoven![]()
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As noted by the Church Art Property Foundation in the Netherlands, the artwork of this church was primarily undertaken under the direction of Father Herman Hoffman Dijck (pastor from 1928 to 1947) who established contacts with the Instituut voor Kerkelijke Kunst Sint Bonifacius in Amsterdam to this end. That institute was founded in 1931 and, like many which came within the context of the Liturgical Movement, sought to move away from the catalogue and more sentimentalist art of the 19th and early 20th centuries, while also engaging modernity.
That context aside, what I first and primarily wished to share with our readers are these murals in the Lady Chapel of Bilthoven, done by the artist François Mes.
Stunning work and to great effect in my estimation. They show a modernity which has clear linkages to our tradition in various regards. I believe they are very well suited to their intended sacred and liturgical purpose -- not to mention being very beautiful in their own right. (The painted brickwork also lends very nicely to the overall effect.)
Beyond Mes's work, there are other artistic features of this church that are also worth considering. Here is an example of the terracotta statuary of Adam Winter (who executed seventeen such statues for the church):
Here too is some of his work as seen on the pulpit in terracotta relief:
A reliquary by Ernst Voorhoeve:
Otto van Rees painted various biblical scenes to ornament the parish baptistery:
And finally, here is a sample of the Stations of the Cross as painted by Lambert Simon:
Photos: Stichting Kerkelijk Kunstbezit in Nederland, OLV Bilthoven
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Cardinal Burke at the London Oratory
Here is an event worth noting, particularly if you are in the London area. If you're not in the London area, NLM is hoping and intending to provide photographs of this event.
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FSSP in Ottawa Moving to Historic St. Anne's
Back in early March of this year, we brought to our readers attention the story of the possible move of the FSSP church in Ottawa, St. Clement's, to the historic French-Canadian church of St. Anne: The New FSSP Church in Ottawa?We are pleased to be able to provide an update on this.
It has been officially announced by the Archdiocese of Ottawa that this move is in fact occurring. From the press release:
Fr. Philip Creurer, FSSP, pastor of St. Clement’s, said: “As parish priest, I have accepted their recommendation and now present before Archbishop Terrence Prendergast our decision to move St. Clement Parish to Ste-Anne church. On behalf of parishioners, I thank Archbishop Prendergast for his pastoral concern in offering this historic and beautiful church to our parish”.
Archbishop Prendergast commented: "I am very grateful to Fr. Creurer and the parishioners of St. Clement for this decision which is a step in faith. I share the joy of many in our Catholic community in knowing that Ste-Anne church, which is one of the patrimonial gems of our archdiocese, will continue to be a vibrant and living witness of our faith."
In addition, the Ottawa Citizen carries an article on the move: With Latin mass, a parish secures its future by drawing from the past.
They report that the first Mass will be held in the church on June 3rd.
Photograph by: Kelly Egan, The Ottawa Citizen
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