On Friday, June 15, the 6PM Mass at Holy Innocents will be a Sung Requiem Mass to commemorate the centennial celebration of the death of Joyce Kilmer, Catholic poet. After the Mass, Fr. Stravinskas will give a lecture in the parish hall on Catholic poetry.

Corpus Christi Procession at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in New York. Below, an outdoor altar set up. (Photos courtesy of Teddy Thongratnachat)

Above and below: Corpus Christi procession at St. Joseph’s Church in Albany. Photo courtesy of the Extraordinary Form in Albany Diocese Facebook page.

Sung Mass for the Novena to the Sacred Heart last night at Visitation Monastery in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of Art Bryan Manabat. Mr. Manabat reports: “The mural over the altar depicts the revelation of Our Lord’s Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun. About 100 faithful in attendance, not counting the sisters at the monastery hidden in the chapel wing to the right of the sanctuary. Servers included a seminarian and NYPD officer. Fr. Saffron preached about how Our Lord’s side was pierced with a lance by the blind Roman soldier Longinus, who according to tradition was healed of his cataracts when the blood and water poured over his eyes. Father prayed that Our Lord likewise remove any spiritual cataracts due to sin and false theology plaguing the Church.”

Statue of the Sacred Heart in St. Agnes Church, Broolyn

This Friday, June 8, is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The following churches have scheduled Traditional Masses:

St. Mary Church, Greenwich, CT, Missa Cantata, 7:30 pm followed by Exposition, Litany of the Sacred Heart and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, Low Mass, 7:30 am.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, Bridgeport, CT, 7:45 am, 6 pm.

Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, Solemn Mass, 7:30 pm followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart, Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Benediction.

Holy Innocents Church, New York,  Missa Cantata, 6 pm

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, West Orange, NJ, low Mass, 7 pm

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, External solemnity on Sunday, June 10, Missa Cantata 3 pm.

(Above) Statue of Joan of Arc attending the consecration of the French King – which she had made possible – in Reims cathedral.

Joan of Arc was once a ubiquitous presence in Catholic – and even non-Catholic –  life: innumerable books, sculptures and paintings,  movies with Ingrid Bergman and Jean Seberg and before those Dreyer’s silent  masterpiece. Why she even had her own Classics comic book! While on the secular side,  more films have  appeared in relatively recent years, in the Church itself the Maid of Orleans  virtually disappeared from the consciousness of the faithful after the Council. Is it because her deeds of war are now out of sync with the novel quasi-pacifist line adopted in various degrees by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis?

From the collect for this feast :

Deus, qui beatam Ioannam virginem ad fidem ac patriam tuendam mirabiliter suscitasti… 

(O God who wonderfully raised up the blessed virgin Joan  to preserve the faith and fatherland…

(The secret prayer is even more specifically  laudatory of Joan’s “undertaking the perils of war to expel the enemies“)

On Wednesday evening a group of the faithful set about to repair this neglect and rekindle devotion to this remarkable saint. The St Hugh of Cluny Society sponsored this mass – and a couple of us (including the celebrant) had hurried down to Brooklyn  from far off Norwalk(and Columbus Circle).

The mass took place in the grand church of St. Agnes in South Brooklyn (Carroll Gardens). Built and decorated between 1904 and around 1913 this church is of cathedral dimensions. It is a fitting shrine to St Agnes; such a great contrast to the pathetic sanctuary near Grand Central in Manhattan! Signs of neglect, however, are found here, there and everywhere – yet thankfully some repairs seem to be in process.

The windows – many having imposing dimensions – were made in Munich by the firm of F.X. Zettler. In the nave is an unusual cycle of the legend of St Agnes.

A mass in such a vast old church produces remarkable effects: the darkness of the evening hour, the chant alternating with silence, the pervasive odor of the incense, the solemn ceremonial – all these lead one’s thoughts back to the Gothic cathedrals of Northern France (like Reims) where Joan herself had prayed. Of course, Reims and her sisters stand nearly empty nowadays….

(Above)A schola under the direction of David Adam Smith supplied the remarkable musical setting.

For Fr. Cipolla’s sermon see HERE.

Fr. Leo Joseph Camurati, O.P., offered his first traditional Mass this Sunday at the Church of St. Agnes in New York. Photo courtesy of Diana Yuan.

Monsignor Gilles Wach, Prior General of the Institute of Christ the King celebrated Solemn High Mass and the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity in Saints Cyril and Methodius Oratory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Photo courtesy of Institute of Christ the King

The Feast of Corpus Christi is on Thursday May 31 this year.  Many churches will celebrate the external solemnity on Sunday, June 3.

Thursday May 31

Church of St. Pius X, Fairfield, CT:  Solemn Mass at 7 pm. A procession in the church and benediction will follow the Mass. Fr. Timothy Iannacone will be the celebrant, with Fr. Michael Novajosky as deacon and Fr. Donal Kloster as subdeacon. The pastor of St. Pius X, Fr. Samuel Kachuba, will give the sermon.

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, Low Mass at 7:30 am  (St. Mary’s will offer a Solemn Mass and procession on the external solemnity, Sunday at 10 am)

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, CT, 6 pm followed by a procession

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Pontifical Shrine, New York, NY, Solemn Mass, 7 pm followed by outdoor procession and benediction.

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, NY, 6 pm.  Immediately following the Mass, there will be an outdoor Procession (with triple Benediction) around midtown Manhattan. This year will be Holy Innocents’ 9th annual outdoor Blessed Sacrament Procession for this traditional celebration.  Newly ordained Fr. Leo Joseph Camurati will be the Celebrant of this Solemn Mass. At the end of the Mass and Procession, Fr. Leo Joseph will confer his priestly blessing.

St. Mary’s Church, Roslyn Harbor, NY, Missa Cantata, 7 p,

St. Anthony of Padua Church, Jersey City, NJ, 7 pm followed by procession and benediction.

Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, Pequannock, NJ, 7 am, , 8 am, 7 pm

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, West Orange, NJ, 9 am, 7 pm

St. Catherine Laboure, Middletown, NJ, 9 am

Sunday, June 3, External Solemnity

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, Solemn Mass, 10 am (note time change) followed by a procession through the neighborhood and benediction.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Bridgeport, CT, Outdoor Corpus Christi procession after the 10:15 Mass.

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, CT, Missa Cantata, 2 pm

Our Lady of Peace, Brooklyn, Solemn Mass at 9:30 am with an outdoor procession and annual Communion breakfast.  Celebrant will be Bishop James Massa.

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, Missa Cantata, 3 pm, procession and benediction.

St. John the Baptist Church, Allentown, NJ,  12:30 pm followed by a procession and the annual parish picnic

Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, Pequannock, NJ, 11 am followed by a procession

Saint Agnes Church in Manhattan is pleased to announce that Father Leo Camurati, O.P. will offer his first Solemn Mass in the traditional Roman Rite at the church on Sunday, May 27th, at 9am. The Mass will be followed by a coffee and cake reception and Fr. Camurati’s bestowing of First Blessings in the undercroft of the church.