Gaudete Sunday at St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, CT

Pastor Fr. John Ringley was the celebrant at last night’s Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Mass setting was by Hildegard von Bingen sung by an all-women’s choir.

Wednesday, December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. The following churches will offer Traditional Masses. Please inform us of any Masses that are not listed.

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, Solemn Mass, 7 pm, Messe de Ste. Hildegarde (Hildegard of Bingen).

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Bridgeport, 7:45 am, 6 pm

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, Brookfield, CT, low Mass at 8:00PM. Fr. Donald Kloster, celebrant.

St. Emery Church, Fairfield, Solemn Mass 6 pm

St. Pius X, Fairfield, 7 pm

St. Patrick Parish and Oratory, Waterbury, low Mass 8 am, high Mass 6 pm.

St. Stanislaus, New Haven, Low Mass 5:30 pm.

St. Martha Church, Enfield, 7 pm

St. Michael the Archangel Church, Pawcatuck, Solemn High Mass at 6:00pm

New York

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, NY, 8 am and 6 pm

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, Low Mass 7 am, Low Mass 7:45 am; Missa Cantata 7 pm.

St. Josaphat Church, Bayside (Queens), 7 pm

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, Missa Cantata, 12:15 pm

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, NY (lower church), Missa Cantata 7 pm

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, low Mass, 7 pm

St. Rocco, Glen Cove (Long Island), 7 pm.

St. Matthew, Dix Hills (Long Island), 10:30 am

Sacred Heart, Esopus, 11 am

Holy Trinity, Poughkeepsie, Missa Cantata, 7 pm

St. Mary/St. Andrew, Ellenville, 7 pm

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, Missa Cantata, 7 pm, Fr John Perricone, celebrant.

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

Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock, 7 am, 9 am, 12 noon, 7 pm

Corpus Christi Church, South River, Missa Cantata at 7PM

Shrine Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, Missa Cantata, 7 pm

St. John the Baptist, Allentown, NJ, Solemn Mass, 7 pm

Preparatory Novena for the feast of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception recited today after the 10:15 Missa Cantata at Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Bridgeport, CT

The devil keeps popping up now and again in the most unlikely places. Pope Francis, of course, has accused his critics within the Church of directly doing the devil’s work – most recently, when speaking of EWTN in conversation with his Jesuit pals. Now the secular establishment in Germany has taken up his lead.

Recently, in a celebration of the work of Jurgen Habermas, the presenter of the panegyric, Jan Philipp Reemtsma, 1) did have one reservation. In 2004 Habermas and Cardinal Ratzinger has engaged in “dialogue” in an elaborately staged encounter before the media and select guests. Pro – Ratzinger sources like Peter Seewald’s book Benedikt XIV alleged that the two were in agreement as to the necessity of the continuing (if nebulous) role of religion in modern secular society. 2) According to Reemtsma, Habermas had thereby played Faust to Ratzinger’s Mephistopheles – and had entered into a pact with the devil. Indeed, like Lucifer, Pope Benedict also reeks of sulfur.

Habermas himself felt compelled to dispute this “accusation.” In no way had he acknowledged any continuing role for “pre-secular” thought (=Christianity) in modern society. Habermas denied any continuing dependency of secular thought on the “lost heritage” of religion. In fact he claimed that he argues for the complete separation of the two “dimensions.” 3)

It is a sad experience for Pope Benedict to still be denounced as a demon in his own country. And it must be even sadder to hear that his own attempt to “dialogue” with the German Left establishment has been completely and summarily rejected. But to point out that this meeting of the minds was a fantasy is only telling the truth! And I think Christianity has objectives going beyond seving as a launching pad for secular modernity and providing it intermittent moral advice.

1. A well-known wealthy member of the Left and of the establishment in Germany.
2. Seewald, Peter, Benedikt XIV: ein Leben at 737-38 (2020, Droemer Verlag, Munich)
3. A report on this affair can be found at Leven, Benjamin, “Wenn aus Ratzinger Mephisto wird,” (When Ratzinger turns into Mephisto), katholisch.de, 11/30/2021 ( apparently summarizing an article by the same author in Herder Korrrespondenz 12/2021)

The Church of the Holy Innocents will offer Rorate Masses at 6 am on the following dates:

*Friday, December 3 *Saturday, December 4 *Monday, December 6 *Tuesday, December 7 *Thursday, December 9 *Friday, December 10 *Saturday, December 11 *Monday, December 13 *Tuesday, December 14 *Wednesday, December 15 *Thursday, December 16