(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.

Solemn Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi on Thursday, May 31 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.

Music will include the Missa Caça by Cristobal Morales, “Gustate et Videte” by Giovanni Matteo Asola and the “Ave Verum” by William Byrd.

Immediately following the Mass at Holy Innocents, 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.

Our Society will be sponsoring a Solemn Mass at St. Agnes Church in Brooklyn for the Feast of St. Joan of Arc on Wednesday,  May 30 at 7 pm.

A historic church lovingly called the “Cathedral of Brooklyn,” by locals,  St. Agnes is located at 433 Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens. This will be the first Traditional Mass in this church since the Second Vatican Council.

The F & G trains and the B57 buses are a short walk from the church on the next street over (Smith Street).

Solemn Latin High Mass will be offered at the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, Stamford, Connecticut, on Friday, May 18, 2018 at 7PM for the persecuted Church in China.
Your prayers, sacrifices and Masses for the Church in China are especially urgent now.

Saturday was a perfect day for the Lepanto conference. It was the feast of St Pius V, with whose support the famous battle was fought. It was the same St Pius V who codified the traditional Roman rite, which was so beautifully celebrated at this conference. And to have all this take place amid the grandeur of  the basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, CT – the next best thing to a Roman basilica in America!

The vicar general of the archdiocese of Hartford in his 1930 history of the Catholic church in Connecticut described Immaculate Conception church as the “unquestionably the finest parish church in New England.” Apparently it was planned and built entirely on the local, parish level.

The conference downstairs was well attended. But for the solemn Mass at 1:10 many more people showed up.

The music was performed by Viri Galilei – a mens’ amateur schola – under the direction of David Hughes. it’s just one of the musical groups at St Mary’s parish, Norwalk.

A procession with a relic of St Pius followed the liturgy. Waterbury, like most Connecticut mill towns whose industries fled decades ago, is quiet on weekends. But this Saturday afternoon, the stillness surrounding the town’s old green was unexpectedly interrupted by the harmonious tones of plainchant.

(Above) It was heartening to see the banner of the Holy Roman Empire flying once more – this time in procession through an old New England mill town. (it was also used by the Holy League at Lepanto). We have covered the increasing number of concerts in New York City in recent years in which music of the empire has been performed – and identified as such. we hope to further this recovery of interest in the history and culture of this ancient Christian commonwealth.

It was a great honor for the Society of St Hugh of Cluny to sponsor this event. Our congratulations to the organizers of the conference, and we look forward to the second annual Lepanto conference next year!