“Of all the sacred mysteries bequeathed to us by Our Lord and Saviour—there is none more comparable to the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist; so, for no crime is there a heavier punishment to be feared from God than for unholy …
Category: Sacraments
Marriage: Cross and Crown
Looking to my own experience and that of so many married friends and acquaintances, it is hard to escape the conclusion that marriage is the most difficult vocation in the world. This is not to say that it does not …
Calendar Clues: Pope Francis and the Lex Orandi of Papal Maximalism
For all his interest in the liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI made not a single change to the Calendarium Romanum of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite. Even after declaring John of Avila and Hildegard of Bingen to be doctors …
Surveying Sacraments: a Global Snapshot of Traditional Weddings
Catholic with a small c, my catechism taught me, means universal. Our Faith’s long history, unique claim to the Truth, and geographic spread make it an ideal and never-ending source of visual projects. Daniel M. Koenemann’s cheering article on the …
Why I Couldn’t Go Back… to the Novus Ordo
On March 8, 2012, the Jesuit magazine America published an article by Fr. Peter Schineller entitled “The Tridentine Mass: Why I Couldn’t Go Back.” For years, I’ve noticed that America actually pays to promote this article in online searches so …
The Consolation of Maps: The Geography of the Latin Mass
It is said that the knowledge of Church history is a consolation. Most often this is meant in the sense that, for those who are troubled about the Church in the present age, all you have to do is look …
My First Experience of a Pre-1955 Holy Triduum
Recently, I bumped into a friend who expressed her surprise that 2019 was the first time I had ever attended the pre-1955 (i.e., ancient or unreformed) Holy Week liturgies. She was under the impression that someone who travels, reads, thinks, …
Holy Week: Get Your Full Ticket’s Worth
Imagine you’re in a movie theater watching the latest blockbuster, thoroughly captivated by the plots and subplots, the beautiful faces and lush scenery as the movie progresses inexorably toward its climax. Your cell phone alerts you to an incoming call. …
Benedictus: A Brilliant New Resource for the Old Rite
As the Vatican continues its bizarre feud with the venerable Roman Rite, going so far as to prohibit the offering of the Ancient Mass in St. Peter’s upper basilica (the very Mass for which that basilica was built), it is …
Vatican Suppresses Private Masses at St. Peter’s Basilica – Priests Respond
This morning, I awoke to a message from an associate in Asia. He writes: “I know you don’t want to write negative stuff anymore, but this is terrible. No more private Masses in St. Peter’s. So many altars will be …
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