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.

Yesterday evening at St. Mary’s in Norwalk a shrine for the statue of Our Lady of Norwalk was unveiled and dedicated. The local artists who created the shrine were in attendance, Henry Egan, artist, and Alonso Florez, master woodworker. Also in attendance was Harry Rilling, the Mayor of Norwalk. Fr. Cipolla explained the iconography of the statue and shrine. “The oyster shell she holds in the symbol of Norwalk, oysters having a particular symbiosis with the city. The Child holds a pearl, for it is He who is the Pearl of Great Price, who died and rose that we might live.”

The right panel shows St. Mary’s Church

The left panel shows an oyster fisherman, with the Norwalk islands in the background. Is this a likeness of Fr. Cipolla? He explained in his sermon that an oyster fisherman is like a priest who uses his rake to dig for souls.

At the top of each panel is an oyster with a pearl.

Behind Our Lady is her throne surrounded by saints and angels.

Solemn Mass was celebrated with the usual large assembly of altar boys.

The combined choirs of St. Mary’s performed,  under the coordinated direction of both David Hughes and Charles Weaver.

After the Mass, a procession to the new shrine of Our Lady

Fr. Cipolla blesses the shrine.

A reception featuring fresh oysters and clams, and cava.

Fr. Cipolla, honorary oyster fisherman.

But the star of the reception was Fr. Donald Kloster, the new curate, who arrived at the parish on Monday.

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.