Three Trinitarian subjects in the stained glass of the church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, New York. The parish is currently scheduled to be closed this year.

Now and then we should think outside the “traditional ” box, and cast a glance at how the “other side” sees the world. In that spirit, let’s take a look at “A church refreshed: A dispatch from an American Catholic future” –   a dream offered by Patrick T. Reardon in the National Catholic Reporter.  Please note that this not some satire by a traditionalist but an absolutely serious attempt to imagine a progressive Catholic utopia. Indeed, some comments appearing on the site where this article appeared criticized the author for not going far enough: he still seems to assume a male priesthood (if under the control of female “chancellors”)

CHICAGO, MARCH 13, 2063 — Song leader Sophia Santiago stood to the right of the altar of St. Gertrude Church in Chicago and invited those in the crowded pews and in folding chairs to greet their neighbors. “All are welcome,” she proclaimed.

To the simple notes of a single piano, the parish choir and the congregation sang a sweet, lilting version of “Come to the Water” as liturgical dancers, altar servers, ministers of the word, parish chancellor Emma Okere and pastor Fr. Antonio Fitzgerald processed up the center aisle. The song filled the soaring interior of the 131-year-old structure. On a banner high behind the altar, in large, easily readable lettering, was a quotation from Pope Francis: “Who am I to judge?”

This was one of thousands of celebrations across the globe marking 50 years of rejuvenation and renewal dating from the election of Pope Francis in 2013, popularly called “refreshment of the faith.”

By this time in the future,  the cult of Pope Francis seems to have displaced that of the once-revered Founder of this religion;  for doesn’t a banner with “Who am I to judge” – in “easily readable” letters of course – dominate the sanctuary instead of a crucifix or cross? We can only applaud the honesty of the author in acknowledging the revolutionary implications of the utterances of the current pontiff.

The same honesty pervades the rest of this piece in which the reduction of Chicago’s churches to a small handful is applauded – as is the abandonment or destruction of the Catholic legacy of art (some former churches survive as museums).

The closures affected 314 churches, dating back to 1860. Some were sold, usually at nominal cost, to other religious denominations. A handful were rescued by preservationists and reopened as architectural museums or cultural centers.

The majority, however, were stripped of their stained-glass windows, gold ornamentation and other finery, then torn down, the victims of impossibly high maintenance costs.

Rarely has the progressive hostility to art and beauty  – so dominant since the Second Vatican Council – been so frankly acknowledged (and commended).

What survives seems to be a “church” exclusively dedicated to making those who show up feel “welcome”  – “we are all sinners” is the other mantra of this future church – and to relieving material poverty. Because is little money and even fewer priests in the author’s vision of  future church,  Catholicism largely has devolved to a network of conventicles of “believers” who don’t necessarily share a common creed at all.

Read the whole thing – and reflect that the realization of this dream is already underway in theory and practice.

Update:  Of course it is also striking that our author does not foresee some glorious, expansive future for the new church of Bergoglio. On the contrary – once again he has the candor to acknowledge that the future church will be limited to a minority huddled in a handful of outposts. And those frequenting these churches and pastoral centers are clearly no longer Catholic or even Christian. Rod Dreher ( in “the Liberal Catholic Benedict Option” in The American Conservative) points out that it is the progressive equivalent of the growing Traditionalist realization that the faith will survive only in that minority of churches and organizations that are fully committed to the faith in liturgy, theology and morality. And in his post, Rod offers the following parody of the above article by Erin Manning:

Imagine there’s no organ
Felt banners proudly fly
No kneelers below us
Dancers prancing by
Imagine all the faithful
Unfolding their chairs…

Imagine there’s no reverence
It’s pretty hard to care
Nothing much to worship
Nothing that looks like prayer
Imagine plastic boxes
And strip-mall pseudo church…

You may say I’m a dreamer
Stuck in nineteen-sixty-five
But my past shall be your future
So my world will stay alive

Imagine lady deacons
Female chancellors too
No need for priests or Masses
Nothing for them to do
Imagine there’s no pastors
Just unguarded sheep…

You may say I’m a dreamer
Stuck in nineteen-sixty-five
If my past becomes your future
Then the Church will not survive

Reredos in St. Catherine of Siena Church

The organizers of Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 are pleased to announce the program of liturgical celebrations for the conference to be held in New York City from 1-4 June 2015.

On Monday, June 1st, Solemn Vespers (Breviarium Romanum 1961) will be celebrated at 7.30 pm, in the presence of a Greater Prelate, His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke .

A solemn Mass (Missale Romanum 1962) will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 2nd at 5.15 pm. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will preside at a solemn concelebrated Mass (Missale Romanum 2002) at 5.15 pm on Wednesday, June 3rd, at which Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, CT, will preach.

Thursday evening, June 4th, at 5.15 pm, Bishop Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop in Chicago, will celebrate a pontifical Mass at the faldstool for the feast of Corpus Christi (Missale Romanum 1962). An outdoor procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction will follow.  Bishop John J. O’Hara, Auxiliary Bishop in New York, will be present for this Mass and procession and will preach.

All liturgical celebrations will take place at the Church of St Catherine of Siena, 411 East 68th Street. The liturgies are open to the public and all are welcome to participate in them, but seating will be reserved for registered participants (full time and day registration can be made here: www.sacraliturgiausa.org).

The New York chapter of the International Federation of Juventutem will host a social for young adults in conjunction with the 2015 Sacra Liturgia conference. The social will be held on Tuesday, June 2 at 7PM at the Church of the Holy Innocents, 128 W. 37th Street (between Broadway and 7th Ave). A cover charge of $10 will be accepted at the door to defray the cost of food and drink. The evening will close with sung Compline in the church. Please RSVP by Sunday, May 31 to juventutemnewyork@gmail.co

At St. Mary Church in Greenwich there will be a  Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Tuesday, May 26th at 7:30 in the evening on the Feast of St Philip Neri during the Octave of Pentecost.

Saint Mary Church
178 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

In time for the Feast of the Pentecost, magnificent peonies are blooming at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. In Germany peonies are  called suitably  Pfingstrosen or “Pentecost Roses.”

We all remember, I hope, the visit during Epiphany, 2013, of Bishop Athanasius Schneider to Brooklyn, New York and Norwalk CT for a series of memorable liturgies and presentations which this Society was proud to sponsor. This weekend Bishop Schneider accompanied the pilgrims on the arduous Pentecost pilgrimage from Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris to Notre Dame Cathedral of Chartres. He celebrated the mass for the pilgrims on Pentecost Sunday and preached the following SERMON. These pictures are all from the website of the pilgrimage(See below).

Source (with many more pictures): Notre-Dame de Chrétienté

Thanks to “Oivas 1” at Le Forum Catholique.

Solemn High Mass at the church of St Anthony of Padua. An old Polish immigrant parish: one of several in our area which have supported the Traditional Mass. This liturgy commemorated the thirteenth anniversary of the return of the Traditional Mass to Jersey City.

The highlight of the musical program was the Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo of Joseph Haydn.

Fr. John A. Perricone was the celebrant.

One of the many remarkable features of this well-preserved church is the intact communion rail.

The above crucifix stood on the high altar of the original church, destroyed by fire in 1895. Miraculously saved, it has been an object of devotion in the new church since its construction in the 1890’s.

On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the return of the Traditional Latin Mass to Hudson County, New Jersey, a Missa Solemnis for the Vigil of Pentecost will be sung at downtown Jersey City’s historic St. Anthony’s Church located at Monmouth Street between 6th and 7th Streets, on Saturday, May 23rd at 7:00 p.m. Diocesan clergy from throughout New Jersey, as well as priests of both the Institute of Christ the King and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter will participate as ministers at the altar. The Cantantes in Cordibus choir, under the direction of Maestro Simone Ferraresi, will perform Haydn’s acclaimed Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo. The organizers of this truly special event are the many young parishioners who have recently joined the growing parish in a quickly gentrifyng city. They hope that this will be an opportunity for young faithful Catholics to worship, meet and network.

Maestro Ferraresi studied at the Conservatory of Music in Ferrara, Italy where he earned his degree with highest honors; at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna he studied with world renowned pianist and musicologist Paul Badura-Skoda. Maestro Ferraresi specialized in interpretation of classical composers; at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was awarded the Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music – the highest examinable award given by the Royal Academy. He was also awarded three special prizes for best performance in the final recital. He is the founder and artistic director of the Ferrara International Piano Festival.

St. Anthony’s Church is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Sites. The church built in the Victorian Gothic Style is a pristine example of a church untouched by modern elements and remains a true example of Roman Catholic aesthetic rarely seen today. The church parking lot is located on 6th Street between Coles and Monmouth Street and is easily accessible from the Grove Street PATH, the Newport PATH and Light Rail stop.

There will be a celebratory coffee served after Mass as well as a visit to a local establishment for the young people in attendance.

Photos of St. Anthony’s Church

On Trinity Sunday, May 31st, 2015 at 2:00 PM,  there will be a traditional Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Clifton, NJ.

This parish has offered a Latin Low Mass regularly on Sundays for several years now .

The parish will also be hosting a convivium after the Mass with some wonderful baked goods and refreshments!

Address: 145 Randolph Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011; phone number: (973) 546-6012.