Immaculate Conception at Gricigliano

by Shawn Tribe

The ICRSS seminary near Florence has up a number of pictures from their festal celebrations for the Immaculate Conception.

Here are a few, including some nice views of seminary life on feast days as well.

Catholic culture and liturgical life is made up both of the splendour of the liturgy itself, which is primary, and secondarily from other celebrations which surround these days. (cf. my piece on this, Re-learning the Keeping of Feast Days and Festivals).

Seeing full celebrations such as these are a very great thing indeed. They help to create powerful associations and memories (particularly beneficial for children, but even for adults) and also help the liturgy of the Church to further penetrate into our lives. Be it a seminary or be it a parish or home, we should strive to attain these things to the levels we can for feast days that are of particular importance to us as a family, as a parish, or so on. In many cases this will no doubt mean beginning these customs anew.

(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement)

news from Scandinavia

There is a new Finnish website devoted to the activities and visits of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in Finland. There is also a homepage for the Saint Gregory Society, which will continue to be the general point of reference for traditional liturgy in Finland.

The independent blog Summorum also continues to provide news of various items of Catholic interest in Finland.

The Finnish Catholics also ask our prayer for a good new Bishop for Finland - let us pray for a Bishop who is an enthusiastic teacher of the faith and is willing to support and encourage the traditional liturgy in Finland.

From the Summorum blog, here is a clip of Pilvi Listo playing part of Francois Couperin's Messe Pour les Paroisses at the Agricola Church in Helsinki:



Meanwhile, for 3.5 years, the Institute of Christ the King has been visiting Sweden, with the blessing of the Bishop of Stockholm, H.E. Anders Arborelius, OCD. Msgr Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute, has met with His Lordship twice. Most of the time, it is Father Marcus Künkel who comes for Mass. There have already been weddings and baptisms in the "usus antiquior". In Rome, one the the Swedish diocesan seminarians helps serving the Institute´s mass on Sundays and feasts.

Beside these visits, there are now, thanks to "Summorum pontificum", three diocesan priests and two Religious (a Franciscan and a young Dominican) who regularly celebrate holy Mass in the classical rite. Mass in the traditional rite is presently being celebrated regularly in Stockholm, Göteborg (Gothenburg), Jonsered and Lund.

One may visit the website of the Association to the Memory of Cardinal Dante, where a certain amount of information and Mass schedules are given also in English and French. The Association is working torwards a renaissance of the Gregorian liturgy and Gregorian chant in Sweden.

The Association also keeps a blog, available here.

IBP Seminary Pilgrimage to Lisieux

The Basilica at Lisieux

On Friday, 5th December, the Seminary of the Institute of the Good Shepherd made a pilgrimage to the Basilica at Lisieux, built over the tomb of St. Therese of Lisieux, 'the Little Flower' who became a Doctor of the Church because of her writings on 'the little Way'.

Mass in the Crypt of the Basilica

Surely, St. Therese, as well as being Patroness of the Missions is a heavenly Patroness of Vocations. Throughout her short life she strived to discern and to live a vocation. When her elder sisters Pauline, Marie and Leonie left the devout home of the Martin family to become enclosed nuns, Therese felt compelled to follow, even to the extent of approaching Pope Leo XIII, while on a pilgrimage to Rome, to beg him to allow her to enter Carmel before the canonical age. Her zeal was admirable but her docility to authority was exemplary: "Well, my child, do what the superiors decide" was the Pope's reply and it was not until a year later that she was received as a postulant.

Gospel of the Mass

In proposing her 'Little Way', St. Therese proposes to us the eternal truth that sanctity is the vocation of every Catholic. She wrote: "Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."

Seminarian Pilgrims and Schola

St. Therese made her religious profession on 8th September, 1890, at the age of 17. That is, upon the same day, the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, precisely 116 years before the foundation of the Institute of the Good Shepherd.

The Relics of Bl. Louis and Bl. Zelie Martin
In the Crypt of the Basilica at Lisieux

The Beatification, on 19th October last, of both of her parents, Blessed Louis and Blessed Zelie Martin is a sign, also, of the call to sanctification in the married state and to sanctification within the Catholic family founded upon Marriage.

The tomb of St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese died on 30th September, 1897 at the age of 24 years. She had written: “Until the end of the world, I will spend my heaven doing good upon the earth" and "I will let fall from Heaven... a shower of Roses". Let those Roses be faithful and persevering vocations!

Images taken from the website of the Seminary of Saint Vincent de Paul, IBP: http://www.seminairesaintvincent.fr/

Catholic bloggers wanted

a message from John Mallon

John Mallon is trying to assemble an email list of Blogs in the English speaking world, especially in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. He is currently working as Contributing Editor for Inside the Vatican magazine, doing media relations for Human Life International, and assisting at the Envoy Institute in a promotional capacity. He has two degrees in theology and frequently has items of interest to Catholic Bloggers worldwide. With 25 years of experience in the Catholic Press, he has found that major secular outlets are often closed to these messages. If you have or know of Blogs that would be interested in receiving press releases and other pertinent materials for your Blogs, he would very much appreciate getting a mailing list of these blogs for this purpose. This is not spam. Anyone not wishing to receive these materials will be removed from the list immediately upon request. Catholic Blogs are absolutely critical for spreading credible information on the Church. This mailing list could serve as a News Agency supplying news and other information to Catholic Blogs.

It is absolutely maddening trying to harvest emails off of Blogs, where people won't post their emails. He is only interested in people who want to receive these messages, not bothering anyone.

For more on John Mallon please visit his website at: johnmallon.net

Please let me know if you can help.

Thanks & God bless you,

John Mallon
johnmallon at mac.com

German Trappists Return to Usus Antiquior

by Gregor Kollmorgen

From the website of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei comes a very important announcement (NLM translation):

The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei has, on November 21st, 2008, communicated to the Most Reverend Abbot Fr Josef Vollberg O.C.S.O. of the Abbey of Mariawald in Germany (diocese of Aachen) the privilege conceded by the Holy Father of a complete return to the Liturgy and the Observance in use in the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) until 1963/64.

Fr Abbot Josef Vollberg himself had in fact presented to the Holy Father a plea to be allowed to return to the Liturgy and the Observance according to the "usus" of Monte Cistello (Rome 1964), approved by the Holy See.

This is quite momentous. As far as I am aware, this is the first such instance of a monastic community returning wholesale to the usus antiquior. Not only is this significant in and of itself - after all, they have 14 monks, almost as many as, for instance, the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (the former Transalpine Redemptorists) , but also in terms of a possible inspiration for other monastic communities/orders to take this step, which is, it bears reminding, expressly foreseen in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum (Art. 3). Lastly, it is excellent that they revive their own rite, which is, if I'm not mistaken, essentially the Cistercian Rite.

To the left you can see the abbey church of Mariawald, to the right Abbot Vollberg with the Holy Father in June this year. The Abbey of Mariawald is the only Trappist monastery in Germany.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

[See Rorate Cæli for another report from kreuz.net.]

Le Barroux Member of Benedictine Confederation

by Gregor Kollmorgen

From September 18th to 27th, 2008, the Congress of Benedictine Abbots took place in Rome. In addition to reelecting Dom Notker Wolf as Abbot Primate of the Benedictins for another four year term, the Confoederatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti, the Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict, admitted to its memembership the Abbey of Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux (it also is listed now on the Confederation's website here). The abbey, which is attached to (a slightly modified form of) the usus antiquior, continues to depend from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. As the source for this news, the website of the French Bishops' Conference, puts it:

This integration manifests that this community pursues its way of belonging to the normal structures of the Church and of fraternal collaboration with the monasteries of the Benedictine family.

This is very welcome news as it is a sign that the Older Use is becoming a normal part of the life of the Church as it rightfully should be.

(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement)

First Mass of a Priest of the Institute of the Good Shepherd

A First solemn Mass was celebrated by newly ordained M. l'Abbé Stefano Carusi, IBP, in the Cathedral of Camerino, 18 October 2008, in the presence of His Excellency, Archbishop Francesco Giovanni Brugnaro, Archbishop of Camerino-San Severino Marche, who encouraged the young Priest during his homily.

The Entrance into the Cathedral

The city of Camarino was given to the De Varano family in the 13th Century. The University was founded in 1336. The last of the De Varano were killed under Cesare Borgia in 1502 and by 1545, the city had come within the Papal States. The Archdiocese, elevated to Metropolitan status in 1797 and united with San Severino in 1986, has a splendid number of Sanctuaries honouring Our Lady. Camerino was the cradle of the Capuchin Order.

The Ministers enter the Cathedral

The present Cathedral of Camarino was built in the early 19th Century to replace the Cathedral that had fallen into ruins in 1799, while revolutionary armies swept across Italy. It contains a 13th Century wooden crucifix and a 15th century image of Our Lady of Mercy, as well as the 'Arch of St. Ansovinus', who was bishop of Camerino in the 9th Century.

The Gloria of the Mass

The Episcopal Vicar of Camerino, Msgr. Blanchi, and members of the venerable chapter of the cathedral were also present in choir for the Mass.

The Assistant Priest was Don Francesco Gregori, pastor of the Cathedral; Deacon of the Mass was Don Matteo, IBP; Sub-deacon of the Mass was Don Ugo, IBP; Master of Ceremonies was Giorgio Lenzi, seminarian of the IBP; thurifer was Edward Van der Berg, of the London Oratory.

The Offertory of the Mass

The "Cappella del Duomo" beautifully interpreted the Missa Pontificalis of Perosi, before a crowd of faithful, many members of the Confraternities of the city, and members of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Knights of Malta

This young Priest was ordained for the Institut du Bon Pasteur, the Institute of the Good Shepherd, which was erected as a Society of Apostolic Live of Pontifical Right on the beautiful feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, 8th September, 2006. In its Statutes, as approved by the Holy See, the Traditional Latin or Gregorian Liturgy is given to the Institute as its proper Rite, not merely an indulgence or exception.

The Ministers after Mass

The Institute has grown in only two years from the five founders to twenty members and about thirty seminarians. The Church of St. Eloi in Bordeaux is the Mother House of the Institute and it has Churches also at the Centre Saint-Paul in Paris, just north of the Louvre, at the Chapel of 'Bon-Jesus' at Marsailles, and two abandoned Parish Churches at Courtalaine and Ramboise, as well as foundations in Chilie, Colombia and Poland.

A Member of the one of the Confraternities of Camarino

Receives the Priest's 'First Blessing'

The Institute maintains two houses of formation, it's Seminary of Saint Vincent de Paul at Courtalain to the South West of Paris, outside Chartres, in a property formerly belonging to the Marquis de Gontaut Biron, and a House of Studies in Rome, close to the Vatican.

Ministers and Acolytes with the Archbishop after Mass

Interestingly, the Marquises de Gontaut Biron are related, through the Princesse de Marnay who married Charles de Gontaut-Biron, Marquis de Gontaut Biron et de Saint-Blancard, in 1837, to Cesare Borgia. However, of greater note is the lineal descent of the House of Gontaut from Geoffroi, Seigneur de Biron in the 12th Century.

The title of Duc du Biron, created in 1598 for Charles de Gontaut, both Marshal and Admiral of France, became extinct by the execution of Armand-Louis de Gontaut who, having participated in the Revolution and commanded an army against the heros of the Vendée, fell victim to the reign of terror. The arms of the House are a simple quartering of red and gold.

The Seminary of Saint Vincent de Paul can be contacted at:

Séminaire Saint Vincent de Paul,
18, place Alexandre Rillié,
28290 Courtalain,
FRANCE.
http://www.seminairesaintvincent.fr/

Carmelite Sisters of the Transfiguration

[Please to note: At the request of the initiators, we give you notice that the Carmelite Sisters of the Transfiguration initiative was unsuccessful and efforts to establish this group have been discontinued.  We maintain this post in the hope that it may inspire others to take up the cause of traditional religious life for women. "Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost." Jn vi, 12 Ed.]

A new initiative in traditional religious life, the Carmelite Sisters of the Transfiguration, as they hope to be called, have established a blog to draw together kindred souls who may wish to be formed in the great Carmelite tradition as a semi-contemplative congregation of sisters devoted both to prayer and to the apostolic work of educating Catholic young ladies.

St. M. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

One of the inspiriations for their apostolate is the words of St. M. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, known in the world as Edith Stein, in her essay Problems of Womens' Education:

"If we can institute an independent Catholic system of education for girls, we shall be defending in this way not only the threatened position of women in cultural life but also we shall be taking part in the great struggle of the spirit against materialism and biologism in the struggle for Christ's kingdom against all unchristian and anti-Christian movements and trends."

The first step, that of making the decision to begin, has been taken, and the next step of gathering the future sisters into a programme of formation, is envisaged.

The Spiritual Life of the sisters will be grounded in the traditional Divine Office of the Breviarium ordinis fratrum Beatissimae Virginis Mariae de Monte Carmelo and the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite Mass - perhaps the Carmelite Rite one day! Other particular devotions will be the Seven Sorrows of Mary and the Most Holy Rosary.

Carmelite Sisters in Traditional Habit
(not the Sisters of the Transfiguration)*

*A kind visitor has advised us that this photo is actually of the Servant of God, Mother M. Angeline Teresa McCrory, O.Carm., and her Companions. Mother Angeline is the Foundress of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and her cause for Beatification and Canonization is before the Holy See in Rome. For further information you can go to: www.carmelitesisters.com.

Benedictines of the Immaculate

The Benedictines of the Immaculate are a new traditional community of Benedictines of strict observance in Liguria, Italy. They were founded on July 2nd 2008, in Villatalla, a small Italian village located in Liguria on the height of Imperia, very near to Vintimmille and on French border.

This community was founded by two monks coming from the Abbey of Our Lady of the Annnunciation, Le Barroux (France), at the request of Monsignor Mario Oliveri, bishop of Albenga-Imperia.

Benedettini dell'Immacolata
Casa Santa Caterina da Siena
I-18020 VILLATALLA (IM)
ITALIA

Email: benedett.immacolata at alice.it

More information, including a schedule of services, can be found on their blog here.

FSSP Vocations Retreat in England

"Please support me with your prayer, and I will be happy to do the same in the recollection of the retreat, invoking divine power on each one of you, on your families and your communities."

-- Pope Benedict XVI, 25 Feb. 2007

Retreats preached at Douai Abbey (Berks., UK) by Fr Armand de Malleray, of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter

Vocation Retreat (2 nights)
7-9 January 2009

Starts Wednesday 7th January 2009 at 2pm –
ends Friday 9th January 2009 at 11am

Theme: "Ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest." (Mt 9,38)
Retreat for celibate men, age 16-40 [Vocations video]

Cost: £70 - to cover:
1-Accommodation: single room with en-suite bathroom, full board. The Guest Master suggests a donation of £58.75 per person.
2-Retreat Master’s expenses: a minimum £11.25 per person expected.
N.B. special reduction for students: £45 everything included.

Schedule: Silent retreat (inside the premises); meals with table reading on the theme of the retreat or music; includes a one-hour conference in the morning and in the afternoon; coffee-break; walks around the Abbey; possibility of private meeting with the Retreat Master and of confession; daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite; other devotions possible (Rosary, meditation).

Possibility of attending some of the monks prayers (Douai Abbey is a community of monks of the English Benedictine Congregation).

Location: Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton RG7 5TQ, Berkshire, United Kingdom (about 1 hour west from London). Website: www.douaiabbey.org.uk

By car: Douai Abbey is situated 1 mile north of the A4 about half way between Reading and Newbury in Berkshire. The turn off the A4 is about 6 miles from M4 Junction 12.

By rail: the nearest station is called MIDGHAM, but it is actually in Woolhampton village: trains from London Paddington, Reading & Newbury. A lift from and to the railway station can be arranged directly with the Guest Master (tel.: 0118 971 5399).

The building is equipped for wheel chairs.

Booking and contact: Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP, 179 Elgar Rd, Reading RG2 0DH, Berks – Tel.: 0118 987 5819 – E-mail: malleray[at]fssp.org. Website: www.fssp.org.uk

N.B. Your payment will take place at the Abbey during the retreat. Deposit has already been paid. No other payment required.

To make a donation to help others – especially students – attend the retreat: please use contact above (£ cheques made payable to "FSSP England" – please mention then "Retreat Sponsoring". Thank you very much).

New Edition of the Roman Breviary Ready to Order

by Gregor Kollmorgen

The website about the new edition of the Breviarium Romanum is now online at http://www.breviariumromanum.com complete with an order form.

This is the new edition I first mentioned in this post. While the website offers all the information you want, I'll just highlight a few things.

The Breviary fully complies with the rubrics of the usus antiquior, i.e. the codex rubricarum of 1960, and is canonically approved by the Bishop of Eichstätt, Germany.

The text of the psalms is that of the Vulgate (Gallican psalter).

It comes in two volumes in flexible leather covers, which I find a particularly practical feature which is sadly only rarely found in books these days:


It is a newly typeset edition (not a reprint), arranged in the traditional, two-column Breviary layout, and will have several other traditional features of the art of liturgical book-binding, arrangement and typesetting in the tradition of the great German liturgical publisher, Friedrich Pustet.



You can download more sample pages here.

It will also include four insert cards for each volume with the most frequent texts.

The price for the complete set will be EUR 198, i.e. as per today USD 252.28, plus shipping.

Now this Breviary edition is expected to be ready for shipping by the end of November/early December. Orders will be carried out in the order of their placement. Early orders should therefore arrive in time for Christmas even in the US by airmail.

In the interest of full disclosure I will again say that I have been involved in this project, although in a very minor role, by proofreading; my interest, however, is entirely liturgical, I will not receive any remuneration form the proceeds whatsoever.

You can read the preface to the Breviary by His Excellency the Most Reverend Gregor Maria Hanke OSB, Bishop of Eichstätt, here.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Official Images from the FSSP's 20th Anniversary Celebrations

The New Liturgical Movement has published official images from the FSSP's 20th Anniversary Celebrations in Rome.