Viri Galilaei, an ensemble of Catholic men from the tristate area, are delighted to sing Vespers at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 21st at St. Pius X Church, Fairfield, CT. August 21st is the feast of St. Pius X in the new calendar, and St. Jane Frances de Chantal in the traditional calendar. Vespers is the evening prayer in the Divine Office of the Church, sung every night the world over. It consists of five psalms, a hymn, and the Magnificat, the canticle of Our Lady. Please join us!

A special thanks for Fathers Kachuba and Iannacone for hosting Viri Galilaei. We would not want to see this wonderful group disappear. They have done so much to promote the singing of chant at many churches in the area and up to now have sung vespers at St. Mary Norwalk every first Sunday of the month.

From the inimitable Msgr. Charles Pope:

A Modest Proposal

A few bishops in our country have adopted a stance that I think can help. It involves teaching the faithful and encouraging — but not requiring — priests to adopt certain practices designed to foster greater reverence, more solemn demeanor and increased focus.

For example, a few bishops have informed their priests that they may gradually reintroduce the ad orientem stance for the Eucharistic Prayer.

The same can be said for the gentle reintroduction of other pious traditions, such as kneeling for Holy Communion and receiving on the tongue, restoring altar rails, the wider use of Latin, and more silence.

It’s going to be a long journey. I realize that some who read this will say, “Why don’t we just admit that the Mass of 1970 was a failure and put everything back the way it was — now!” But that just isn’t realistic. The ordinary form is here to stay; more than 90% of Catholics attend Mass in the ordinary form. Parishes are diverse, and people have differing sensibilities. Within this complex reality, it is prudent to reintroduce things gradually and by way of offering more options. It is an important step toward loosening the grip of the liturgical police and permitting greater freedom to pastors and parishes under the guidance of their bishops who, I pray, will see wisdom in this gentle way forward. SOURCE

Notwithstanding that Msgr Pope recognizes that after 40+ years the “reform of the reform” has been a total failure: The once-hoped-for “reform of the reform,” wherein the ordinary form could retain advantageous aspects, such as the new lectionary and a wider use of the vernacular while benefiting from the reintroduction of a more reverent ars celebrandi, a healthy dose of Latin, wider use of kneeling for the reception of Holy Communion, and the ad orientem stance for the Eucharistic prayer, seems to have stalled.

Notwithstanding that the current supreme pontiff has specifically rejected these practices and has actually prohibited the use of the term “reform of the reform.”

Notwithstanding that the principal advocate of this approach, Benedict XVI, was able to accomplish absolutely nothing in this direction in the course of his pontificate.

Notwithstanding that the existence in Europe of selected but prominent churches (e.g., those of the Oratorians in the UK, major baroque churches and cathedrals in South Germany and Austria) that celebrate Novus Ordo liturgies which retain many of the trappings of the Traditional Mass has done nothing to prevent an even more rapid collapse of the faith there than in the US.

But on the bright side – and truly solid ground for hope: am I to deduce from Msgr. Pope’s remarks that he believes that up to 10% of Catholics now attend Mass in the extraordinary form? That’s an amazing shift in a little over ten years!

Canon Jean Marie Moreau of the Institute of Christ the King is visiting the United States. He’ll be saying Mass at Church of the Holy Innocents, New York at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 21st and again on Thursday, August 22nd. There will be a small reception after Mass at Holy Innocents on Wednesday. He wants to be sure that all of you, his friends, know about his visit.

Canon Moreau was pastor of St. Antony of Padua Oratory in West Orange until he was transferred to an assignment on the island of Mauritius in 2016

After the 9:30 Solemn Mass at St. Mary’s Norwalk yesterday, parishioners bade farewell to four young men and women who are answering God’s call to religious life. Two men are entering Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Two young ladies will enter religious communities, one to the Abbey of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Gower, Missouri, and the other to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Fairfield, Pennsylvania. We commend them to your prayers.

Of course, it probably comes as no surprise to our readers, that one parish has had so many vocations—and not just this year. It’s becoming obvious to everyone—bishops excluded: the Traditional Mass nurtures vocations.

Offertory proper and the motet “Quae est ista” by Palestrina at St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT (courtesty of Edwin Gonzales, Adaltaredei Facebook page)

Today Fr. Michael Novajosky offered a Missa Cantata for the Feast of St. Laurence, at St. Patrick’s Church in Bridgeport, CT. It was part of a one-day silent retreat, “The Eucharist and Martyrdom.”