I wish to bring to your attention some recent action right up here in Fairfield County, CT.  The Convent of the Sacred Heart (aka “Sacred Heart Greenwich”) is a local institution that functions as a high-priced finishing school for the daughters of the well-to-do while maintaining some kind of nebulous Catholic identity. In that regard, it resembles its Manhattan sister institution, the alma mater of Lady Gaga. Now one of the students showed up with a Planned Parenthood sticker on her computer. In some kind of miraculous resurrection of Catholicism at the school, the young lady was told to remove the sticker or eventually face expulsion. And in this the school president was supported by the local bishop, Frank Caggiano!

Predictably, the local press, the proud citizens of Greenwich and apparently the bulk of the alumnae were outraged. What an infringement of this student’s rights! – after all, hadn’t the school permitted a pro-life club at one time? Perhaps understandably, given their Sacred Heart education and exalted economic status, the alumnae affected to see no distinction between pro-life, pro-abortion or pro-gay activity. Indeed, support for Planned Parenthood was loudly expressed. To complete the picture, we should add that Greenwich recently has been a hotbed of anti-Trump rage, what with anti-Trump “art” being exhibited at the grandiose local library.

And then The New York Times picked up the story……

If we may believe the local press, the easily foreseeable end of the story has now been reached: complete capitulation by the school administration and reversal of their decision. The young lady may now display her Planned Parenthood sticker while remaining in good standing at the school. In a sense it only confirms what already has been known for years – that not one shred of Catholicism remains in the Convent of the Sacred Heart. The diocese of Bridgeport, at least up till now, has been silent on the latest developments. Is it all not just one more powerful piece of evidence of the accelerating extinction of the Catholic Church in these parts, of the Church’s continuing inability to confront those having money and media power?

SOURCE

On March 7, at 7 pm, the traditional feast of St. Thomas Aquinas will be commemorated by a Dominican Rite Missa Cantata at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York.

The Schola Cantorum will sing the following music:

Missa L’homme armé á 5 – Cristóbal de Morales
In conspectu angelorum – Sebastián de Vivanco
O sacrum convivum á 6 – Francisco Guerrero

This Wednesday, February 14, is Ash Wednesday.  The following churches will offer the traditional Mass:

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT,  low Mass 7:30 am; Solemn Mass 5:30 pm.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Bridgeport, low Mass 7:45 am, high Mass 6:00 pm

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, low Mass 5 pm

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Gales Ferry, CT,  low Mass  8:00 a.m

St. Martha Parish, Enfield CT,  7 pm

Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY,  low Mass 7:45 am, Solemn Mass, 7:30 pm 

Holy Innocents, New York, NY, 8 am, 6 pm

St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, 1496 Commonwealth Avenue, Bronx, NY, Missa Cantata, 7 pm.

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, low Mass 5 pm,

St Paul’s Church, Yonkers, NY, low Mass 12 noon

St. Anthony of Padua, Jersey City,   8 pm

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 259 Oliver Street, Newark, 7pm Sung Mass, Rev Msgr Joseph F Ambrosio celebrant,  ample parking

Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, NJ, 7 pm

At St. Mary Church, Greenwich, CT, a traditional Mass will be offered on Thursday, February 22 at 7:30 pm, for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.

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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15 @ 8 pm – 9:30 pm, Princeton University Chapel, Princeton, NJ: FOURTH ANNUAL TRADITIONAL LATIN HIGH MASS: All are welcome to attend the Fourth Annual Traditional Latin Mass, which will be offered at the Princeton University Chapel, hosted by the Aquinas Institute. The celebrant will be Fr. Hernan Ducci of the Fraternity of St. Joseph the Guardian. 

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 22 @ 7 pm Our Lady of Peace, 620 Amboy Avenue, Fords, NJ 08837. SOLEMN HIGH LATIN MASS FOR THE FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER THE APOSTLE (at Antioch), Rev. David V. Skoblow, Celebrant.  Schola and choir under the direction of  Mr. Anthony R. Nardino of St. Peter’s New Brunswick, NJ, assisted by Mr. Peter A. Carter, of St. John the Baptist, Allentown, NJ. Dessert, coffee and fellowship to follow at the Convivium in the church hall below the sanctuary.

Thanks for Arrys Ortanez for providing these photos from the  Mass and blessing of candles for the Feast of the Purification at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Brooklyn.

This Sunday, February 4, at 3 pm is the first of a series of Rosary concerts at St. Mary’s Norwalk.  This week’s concert, dedicated to the Joyful Mysteries,  features David Hughes, St. Mary’s Church music director, on the organ.

Father Hernan Ducci of the Fraternity of Saint Joseph the Guardian will preach a Lenten retreat based on the Ignatian Exercises at the Church of Saint John the Baptist, located at 1282 Yardville-Allentown Road, in Allentown, New Jersey. The Spiritual Exercises comprise an ordered series of meditations and contemplations born from the profound spiritual experience St Ignatius, gained from his conversion and his time as the first Superior General of the Society of Jesus. These exercises purpose to help the retreatant discern God’s will for his own life.

In addition to the meditations, the traditional Mass will be sung each day, as well as parts of the Divine Office; there will also be plenty of opportunities for spiritual direction and Confession.

The retreat will begin in the early afternoon of Friday, February 16 and finish on the afternoon of Sunday, February 18, with the parish choral Vespers. (The First Sunday of Lent, President’s day weekend.) In order to cover the expenses (Fr. Hernan’s travel from France, food, donation to the parish, etc) we suggest a donation of $60. Also, please bring a sleeping bag.

For more information and to register, please read this google doc.  If you have any questions please contact hernan.ducci@gmail.com.