Elizabeth

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December 23, 2012

Christmas Masses in Madison

This page is from 2012. Many of the times may be similar for subsequent years (for instance in 2014 as I write this, I know the Cathedral Parish, St Paul’s and Our Lady Queen of Peace have exactly the same Mass times this year as they did for Christmas 2012), you will need to check by following the link to the parish website and find out this year’s Christmas Mass times.

If you are a Catholic who has been away from Sunday Mass attendance for a while, welcome home! Do not let this opportunity slip by. Please let Christmas Mass be an occasion of grace to love Jesus more and follow him more eagerly and more closely, a new beginning to return to the practice of your Catholic faith including Confession and weekly Sunday Mass. God loves you and offers mercy for your happiness and wholeness in union with Him in His Body the the Church in this life and in eternity.

I have tried to make a page of all the 2012 Christmas Masses at Madison’s Catholic parishes. Christmas is indeed a Holy Day of Obligation and any of these Masses will fulfill the obligation. If you’re seeking the normal (non holiday) Mass schedules, confession times and other info for Madison parishes, see my page of Madison, WI Mass Times.

A warm welcome and blessings to you!

Cathedral Parish
(608)257-5000
In the middle of downtown Madison. Consists of two churches: St Patrick’s @ 404 E Main (click for Google Map), and Holy Redeemer on W Johnson half a block north of State Street (click for Google Map).

Christmas Eve: 5pm at Holy Redeemer
Christmas Eve: 8pm at Holy Redeemer en espanol
Christmas Eve: Midnight Mass at St Patrick’s with Bishop Morlino

Christmas Day: 9am at Holy Redeemer
Christmas Day: 11am at St Patrick’s
Christmas Day: 11am at Holy Redeemer en espanol

St Paul’s University Catholic Center
(608)258-3140
@ State & Lake Streets on Library Mall, on the UW Campus (click for Google map)

Christmas Day, Dec. 25 – 10am

Good Shepherd Parish
(608)268-9930
South side of downtown area, This merged parish consists of two churches, St James @ 1128 St James Court near Meriter Hospital (click for Google Map), and St Joseph @ 1905 W Beltline Highway (click for Google Map). Good Shepherd Parish consists of St James Church and St Joseph Church.

Monday, Dec. 24: 5:15 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph site
Monday, Dec. 24: 7:00 p.m. Misa en español at St. Joseph site
Monday, Dec. 24: 12 Midnight Mass at St. James site (Music Prelude beginning at 11:30pm)

Tuesday, Dec. 25: 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. James site
Tuesday, Dec. 25: 10:45 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph site
Tuesday, Dec. 25: 7:00 p.m. Misa en español at St. Joseph site

Blessed Sacrament Parish
(608)238-3471
West side of downtown/campus area, @ 2116 Hollister Avenue (click for Google Map).

Christmas Eve Mass times – Monday, December 24th 4:00, 6:00 and 10:00 PM

Christmas Day Mass times – Tuesday, December 25th 9:00 and 11:00 AM

Saint Bernard on Atwood Avenue
(608)249-9526
East side of Madison @ Atwood Avenue (click for google map)

Christmas Eve: 4pm, 6pm, 9pm

Christmas Day: 8am, 10am

Our Lady Queen of Peace

(608) 231-4600
On Madison’s suburban West side on Mineral Point Road, @ 401 South Owen Drive. (click for Google map)

Monday, December 24 – Christmas Eve
4:00 pm Mass with Children’s Choir and Pageant
6:00 pm Mass with Mass Band
9:00 pm Mass with Adult Choir

Tuesday, December 25 – Christmas Day
9:30 am Mass with Adult Choir
11:15 am Mass with Cantor & Harp

Saint Thomas Aquinas
(608)833-2600
In suburban West Madison kind of near James Madison Memorial High School, @ 602 Everglade Drive (click here for Google Map)

Christmas Eve Masses: 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM

Christmas Day Masses: 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM

Saint Maria Goretti
(608)271-7421
On Madison’s south west side, @ 5313 Flad Ave (click for Google Map)

Dec 24th Children’s Christmas Vigil Mass at 4:30 preceded by Children’s Pageant at 4pm.
Dec 24th 7pm Christmas Vigil Mass with incense. Choir Christmas Carols at 9pm.
Dec 24th 10pm “Christmas Night Mass” with incense.

Dec 25 Christmas Mass at 7, 9, and 11 am. 11am Mass will have incense.

Saint Dennis
(608) 246-5124
On Madison’s East side near Stoughton Road, @ 413 Dempsey Road (click for Google Map)

Christmas Eve 4pm (with children), 6pm (with children) and 9pm

Christmas Day 12:00 am Midnight Mass, 7:30 am, 9:00 am and 10:30 am

Saint Peter
(608) 249-6651
On Madison’s far North side, @ 5001 N. Sherman Ave (click for Google Map)

Dec 24 4pm Youth Mass with Pageant
Dec 24 6pm Mass with Vocal Quartet
Dec 24 9pm Mass with Adult Choir and Bell Choir

Dec 25 9am Mass with Christmas Ensemble
Dec 25 11am Mass with Cantor

St Patrick in Cottage Grove
(608) 839-3969
Just a little southeast of Madison, @ 434 North Main Street in Cottage Grove (click for Google Map)

Christmas Eve Mass at 6 PM and 11 PM

Christmas Day Masses at 8 AM and 10 AM

Saint Bernard in Middleton
(608) 831-6531
@ 2015 Parmenter Street in Middleton, WI (click here for Google Map)

Dec 24 4pm with Children’s Choir (musical prelude to begin half hour before Mass)
Dec 24 6pm with Youth Choir(musical prelude to begin half hour before Mass)
Dec 24 9pm with Adult Choir(musical prelude to begin half hour before Mass)

Dec 25 8:30 and 10:30

St Mary of Pine Bluff
(608) 798-2111
West of Madison among the farm fields @ 3673 County Road P, Cross Plains WI (click for Google Map) St Mary’s shares its dynamic pastor Fr Rick Heilman with two other parishes, so please note which church. Note that St Mary’s has no Mass in English on Christmas Day, but Traditional Latin Mass with Fr Isaac Mary Relyea.

Christmas Eve 6:00 pm St. Mary Pine Bluff
Christmas Eve 10:00 pm St. Mary Pine Bluff
Christmas Midnight Mass 12 am Midnight St Mary Pine Bluff (Traditional Latin Mass)
Christmas Day Mass Mass 8 am St Mary Pine Bluff (Traditional Latin Mass)
Christmas Day Mass 9 am St Mary Pine Bluff (Traditional Latin Mass)

Christmas Eve 4:00 pm at St. Ignatius in Mount Horeb
Christmas Day 10:00 am at St. Ignatius in Mount Horeb

Christmas Eve 8:00 pm Holy Redeemer Perry

Traditional Latin Masses
There is no Traditional Latin Mass downtown for Christmas Day. This list of Traditional Latin Masses in our diocese is courtesy of the Tridentine Mass Society of Madison. Yes, St Mary’s of Pine Bluff really does have 3 Christmas TLMs. Fr Isaac Mary Relyea will be celebrating them.

St Norbert in Roxbury (google map) Midnight High Mass preceded by a prelude of Christmas music at 11:25 and followed by a light reception in the hall

St Mary of Pine Bluff (google map) Midnight High Mass
St Mary of Pine Bluff 8am Christmas morning Low Mass
St Mary of Pine Bluff 9am Christmas morning Low Mass

St Mary’s Platteville (google map) Midnight (Low?) Mass

Tips for Mass

To receive Holy Communion at Mass, you must be Catholic, and you must have sacramentally confessed and been absolved of every grave sin of which you are aware. For deeper understanding of what Catholics believe about that please click here. If you are not properly disposed to receive Communion, stay in the pew at Communion time, even if ushers or other congregants are trying to cue you to go. Then do what all the Saints did when they were unable to receive Communion: make a spiritual Communion, expressing to God in prayer your faith in His presence, and loving desire to be united with Him and with fellow Christians. The corollary of this is, it is wrong to either pressure or judge anyone abstaining from Holy Communion.

Keep in mind what the Holy Mass actually is, the re-presentation of the once-for-all saving sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. He is truly present, as at His Nativity, as at the Last Supper, as at the Crucifixion, as at His Resurrection!

Those who will receive Jesus in Holy Communion must observe a minimum fast of 1 hour prior to Communion. Anything other than water or medicine breaks the fast. Candy, gum, or beverages do not belong at Mass.

There are such things as very, very low gluten (“gluten-free”) Communion hosts for people with gluten intolerance. Some parishes may have them in the sacristy and will be happy to accommodate your need if you ask before Mass. In some other cases you must obtain them yourself (taking care to get the right kind–rice ones are NOT valid). Info here.

Your little children may make some noise or fidget and this is not a disaster. Relax, parents, we love you and your kids. Do not give them snacks, headphones or electronic games during Mass. Do what you can to help them understand Mass even when they are tiny, and be a model to them of prayerful attentiveness.

Modest dignity in dress is respectful of yourself, others, and the Holy Mass.

Needs such as going to the bathroom or for a drink of water should be attended to before Mass unless it’s because of a medical condition. Silence or turn off your cellphone; never answer or make calls in church, even texting is generally not appropriate.

No one will judge you for not putting something in the collection. If you are Catholic you should be giving to the Church somehow even if you have only a “widow’s mite”, whatever the case may be, be generous.

Do not leave Mass early. The first person to do so was Judas, at the Last Supper, the first Mass.

Do have a happy and holy Christmas! God love you!

I prayed for everyone who will read this page!

December 22, 2012

The Snowpriest

Yesterday morning, in the backyard of the rectory for the St Paul’s priests, where several UW men students also reside: is that snowman not wearing a clerical collar? A biretta would finish the picture.

Inside Holy Redeemer Church today, some Hispanic parishioners and Padre Jose Luis (far right, facing camera) were working on the Creche. It’s beginning to look a lot like the 4th Sunday in Advent!

[Sunday morning update:] on my way home from 11am Mass at St Patrick’s I noticed many snowconstituents enjoying the weather on the grounds of the Capitol.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Advent, Snow
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December 22, 2012

Bishop Morlino on the de-facto religious beliefs of Americans

Bishop Morlino was on a secular conservative talk radio program, the Vicki McKenna Show, yesterday. I looked up a podcast of this program. His interview starts at about 20:00.

First, McKenna asks him about the “pathologically silly” belief that the world might end when the Mayan calendar ended, jettisoning their own core value system, to believe in what amounts to magic.

Bishop Morlino: Can I give you a more prolonged answer to that? …I think that the kind of religion that people today in our culture and in our society go for, could be called, as it has been by a fine sociologist, it’s been called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. That’s a mouthful. Deism meaning, there’s a God, he sets the world in motion, but after that he doesn’t get too involved. He doesn’t get too involved, he just pushes the thing along, and then whatever happens, happens. It’s moralistic, we have to be nice, be nice and don’t hurt anybody. That’s the moral code. There’s no Ten Commandments or anything more specific. But it’s just, be nice and don’t hurt anyone. And then lastly there is Therapeutic… the major goal for me is that I always feel good…. If those are the three elements of how people approach religion, an awful lot of authentic religion is going to be reduced to religious entertainment. Unfortunately in the last fifty years, some of the elements of our own Mass, the Catholic liturgy, in some instances by abuse, have been reduced to religious entertainment. And some Catholics go to this place or that place for worship, because they’re really interested in religious entertainment, and the religious entertainment is provided. Well this kind of apocalyptic frenzy is very entertaining, it’s entertaining the way a scary movie is entertaining. So it’s just another kind of religious entertainment that appeals to people who have been moving along the course of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. If people move in those directions, those three elements get in there, and there’s a profound openness to religious entertainment, and this is a kind of religious entertainment.

Vicki McKenna: Let me ask about the risk of this though… so it’s whatever I want it to be, then. So if I make up my own rules then I’ve given myself license to say my rules are the rules MY religious entertainment experience tells me I should say YOU should live by.

Morlino: No, they usually don’t go that far, they just say leave me alone. This is very individualistic. At least they don’t intend to tell anybody else what to do.

McKenna: Well they seem to find ways to tell everybody else what to do. They seem to have replaced… the idea of God, they need that, people need it. I made the argument once, as a young person, (Brian?) would still accuse me of being a heathen, I made the argument to a sociology teacher that one of the things for society to thrive is faith in God. What do you do when you’ve replaced the guiding rules that your faith necessarily produces, with ‘anything goes’? What ends up happening is, you transfer the trust that you had previously placed in God, to a trust in a government structure, or in human groups, or in yourself.

Morlino: Well that’s a good point that you make. See, this Moralistic Therapeutic Deism can either lead one into a very individualistic mode, where one is looking for religious entertainment and is completely a ‘live and let live’ person. People that are really searching around in the religious sphere would go that way if their instincts are genuinely religious. But there’s another group of people, and of course we’re all influenced by peer pressure, there’s another group of people that when they go looking around in this context of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, they move into a situation where politics takes the place of religion, and when they get into that sphere that’s when political ideology startsto dictate not only what they should do but what everybody else should do. But the subsitution of a political ideology for religion is very common in the United States, and it’s certainly very common in Dane County and in Madison, even with many Catholics. [I said something similar the other day in my post about the “Wisdom’s Well” Sinsinawa Sisters and the relationship between religious indifferentism and Progressivism]

McKenna: You know, as you say that I’m thinking, the Obamacare HHS Mandate orders the Catholic Church essentially to suspend its own belief system, its own rules, and replace those rules with an order of political ideology…. And an entire group of Catholics even, or even other faithful people who didn’t see I guess the fact it was going to affect the ability to practice their faith freely, cheered it on. I didn’t think I would ever live in an America that would cheer on the government taking away religious freedom from the Catholic Church.

Morlino: It’s a profoundly disturbing thing. I mean, that is what’s happening. And another undercurrent that’s accompanying this is forgetfulness of future generations, I mean, forgetfulness of the incredible debt that they will bear builds on forgetfulness of the worth of human life in abortion, and in the tendency almost to use every means to promote artificial birth control to limit the size of any future generation. So there is a neglect of care for future generations in terms of providing numbers, because of abortion and because of artificial contraception, and in terms of their well being, in terms of of handing down some spectacular debt. And these things don’t seem to be of much concern to many people, and they’re profoundly important because there is something dehumanizing about all of this. Even if someone is not religious they should have a great concern about the future of humanity.

(Amen, Bishop Morlino! there is more of the conversation continuing in the podcast from about 30:00)

Posted in Religious Freedom, Spiritual Life and tagged Bishop Morlino, Contraception, HHS Mandate, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Pop culture, Radio, Religious Freedom, TEOTWAWKI, Vicki McKenna
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December 21, 2012

Jan 12 event: The Dolorous Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

I’ve been asked to post the PDF flier for Pro Life Wisconsin and Vigil for Life Wisconsin’s Saturday, Jan 12 event at 11am on the State Street Steps of the WI State Capitol for the sorrowful anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion across our country, leading to subsequent killing of 55 million innocent unborn babies, to date. The info:

Saturday, January 12, 2012

State Street Steps of the Capitol
15 Decade Rosary 11am-noon (for those UNABLE to join in outdoors, there will be a simultaneous rosary going on indoors at St Patrick’s Church 404 E Main St. In case of inclement weather, all pray inside)

Followed by a Pro-Life Potluck and Program 12:15-3pm in the St Patrick’s Church basement.

Joey Schmutte of Pro Life Wisconsin Speaker’s Bureau will be presenting “Planned Parenthood’s Agenda”

For more info, contact Bette at (608)358-5963 or info@vigilforlife.com

[The actual anniversary date of the Roe v Wade decision is Jan 22nd.]

I am stealing this JPG version of the flier from Syte Reitz, who has a good post about this:

Posted in Life & Love and tagged Abortion, Pro Life Wisconsin, Roe v Wade, Rosary
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December 19, 2012

The Reason for the Season: From a Homeless Friend

At my Vinnie’s Lockers (Society of St Vincent de Paul) volunteer job serving the homeless, our longtime friend and client Dave Peters brought me a Christmas card. I loved it, and asked his permission to share it on my blog. The poem pasted in is one he wrote, and sent in to the International Library of Poetry, which published it.

DON’T X CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS

When you sit beneath the Christmas tree,
And open up your presents,
Don’t forget the King of Kings,
Don’t X Christ out of Christmas.
Jesus is the Son of God,
Who came to Earth a Man,
To save us from our mortal sins,
So that we might have salvation.
The Romans hung him from a cross,
To die in agony,
So we could sit upon a throne,
Beside our Father in heaven.
Why do strangers walk out in the cold,
Alone, afraid and hungry?
Share the warmth of an embrace,
With your sisters and your brothers,
And let the light within you shine,
Like a beacon in the night,
Beneath the starry sky.

He included also this clipping of one of his letters to the editor, from The Isthmus weekly. He points out that last year, 3 people he knew were found frozen to death. He mentioned to me in particular Billy Briggs. Within the last month or so, Dave’s encountered about 8 people sleeping out in the vicinity of Capitol Square, either unwilling or unable to be accepted into the shelter, but totally unequipped for a night outdoors. I asked him if it would help if someone went around with some blankets. He said yes. Among the various reasons (besides rationing their 2 month limit at the shelter) why some opt for outdoors: bedbugs.

Dave was one of the leaders of the troubled (by his own account) “Occupy Madison” homeless camp, an intelligent guy who is a very active advocate for his fellow homeless who attends countless meetings of government and community organizations. I don’t pretend to know the best solutions, but I am convinced that camping out is very problematic, and more overnight shelter and more skilled social work help are parts of the solution. Here’s Dave is speaking to a City Council meeting this past April (photo from the Daily Cardinal):

Posted in Life & Love, People in Need and tagged Christmas, Dave Peters, Homeless, Poetry, Society of St Vincent de Paul, Vinnie's Lockers
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December 19, 2012

You are invited to a Funeral tomorrow (Thur) 5pm at St Paul’s

Not one of the students, but Eugene Kuczynski, an elderly Polish man who used to be a familiar sight at local Catholic churches at daily Mass, in the adoration chapel praying the Rosary, etc. When I first returned to the Church about 7 years ago, I met Gene (Gino as he always referred to himself), who was homeless and whose possessions consisted of one change of clothes, a sport coat for Sundays, and two bowling balls. He was sleeping in the back garden of St Paul’s, and my friend Leah Stader (now Leah Baute, she married successful Catholic musician Matthew Baute and has moved out of town, though she told me very recently she may be moving back), who had only recently left the novitiate of Mother Teresa’s religious order the Missionaries of Charity, was trying to assist to get into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s Port St Vincent men’s transitional housing program. He wound up not staying there long, it just wasn’t what he wanted, and he was in and out of one or two other apartment situations subsequently. Gene had some kind of acquired cognitive problem and was confusing to listen, to but I found him very sweet and friendly with a big heart and continual desire to help others and fix social problems, even while his ability to do so effectively seemed limited. He described the little family farm he grew up on in Poland and the animals they had, as well as some profoundly difficult experiences and losses in life.

Gene received Social Security, but was in and out of homelessness. He was living in his great big old Oldsmobile (I remember him driving it through Library Mall one time!) when he met some people in a McDonald’s whom God moved to take him into their home. A recent, touching WI State Journal front page article described this random meeting, the generosity of Gene’s new friends Mike and Kathy Mayer, and the good outcome for all. Go read it!

There is an obituary for Eugene here, a most affectionate one: “Just before 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, two companies of angels, escorted by a royal detachment of flaming horses and chariots of fire, transported our beloved brother, Eugene, to the gates of the heavenly kingdom of Almighty God. There, befitting his stature as a king and priest of the Most High, Uncle Eugene, received an abundant entry into the glorious presence of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name is blessed forever!” The Mayers arranged a funeral for Gene at a local Protestant church they attend, but Gene himself was most definitely a devout Catholic, a rosary-praying long-ago former altar boy who still said “laus tibi, Christe” after the Gospel.

Soon after I read the State Journal article I approached Fr Eric Nielsen, pastor of St Paul’s University Catholic Center, who warmly and immediately agreed to offer a funeral Mass for “Gino”, whom he’d known. That’s tomorrow, Dec 20th at the regular 5pm daily Mass time. Some other members of the Holy Redeemer Schola Cantorum are going to join me, with the most kind assistance of James Carrano, to try to provide some Gregorian chant, which will be mainly from the older form of the Mass from the Dead–since that’s what the Schola has practiced. It’s all just what seems right.

The last time I saw Gene was some time in early 2012, on the bus on the near west side, and he must have been ill with the lymphoma that took his life, but he had a great appearance of joy. I was always glad to see him and try to find out how he was doing, on that occasion he was very happy about “Leann” (Leah Baute) having had her baby, and I said yes I’d seen some pictures by email, and so glad he was in touch with Leah (whom he just adored)! A man whom in retrospect must have been Mike Mayer said “you know Leah?” I said “oh yeah!” I didn’t know Gene was living with Mike, but I am so glad the last time I saw him he had an appearance of well being and joy and I think clearly that’s thanks to the Mayers’ effective help.

Join us if you can for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for Gene’s soul tomorrow.

Posted in People in Need and tagged Fr Eric Nielsen, Funeral, Homeless, St Paul's University Catholic Center
2 Comments »

December 16, 2012

Modesty: not just completely relative and culturally conditioned

With the Church’s silly season on the wane, thriving orders of Sisters and Nuns are wearing habits again. After many years of plainclothes priests who would put on a clergy shirt if they had to, recently the Vatican Secretary of State issued a letter, on directions from the Pope, reminding priests and bishops working at or visiting the Vatican to wear cassocks at all times, befitting their identity as priests conformed to Christ, and giving good example to other priests in the wider world.

What about the Catholic laity who threw off the standards of modest dignity in dress, who went along with the fashion herd of the sexually-depraved secular culture? It’s not only a matter of identity (though it is that too), but for the laity in particular an urgent moral matter. Modesty is protective of chastity, our own and others’. I think little Blessed Jacinta of Fatima’s statement is worthy of belief: “the sins which bring most souls to hell are the sins of the flesh. Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much… the Church has no fashions; Our Lord is always the same”.

Some people think modesty looks “old fashioned”. Maybe that’s because people used to dress more modestly, then many stopped dressing modestly.

At church I know I am not the only one pained if there are immodest readers or Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. But one particularly sad trend has been immodest wedding dresses, perverting the symbol of the bride’s purity, her white dress. How is it that many a Catholic bride doesn’t even blush to approach Our Lord for Holy Communion in a strapless or low cut dress? Or put her bridesmaids in short cocktail dresses? Are they not bold to presume Jesus will not be offended? Up until 1983, canon law directed priests to deny Communion to immodestly dressed women. The fact they don’t now doesn’t imply it ceased to matter.

What I think people need to know is this:

Modesty is protective of chastity, our own and others’. We must not give occasion of sin to others. Many women don’t realize how men are looking at them and what they are experiencing and thinking. Modesty is a virtue with great relevance in our time, when sexual immorality is epidemic.

Modesty is not just completely relative and culturally conditioned. The Church is not entirely silent on standards of modesty. The basic version: shoulders covered, no low-cut, skirts (or pants) well below the knee. This dress code is posted at the Vatican and is enforced, not just at St Peter’s Basilica, but throughout Vatican City (see the sign at the top). Modesty is not just for formal occasions or at Mass, but is for all the time.

Vanity, excessive concern to follow the fashions of the world, or desire for the wrong sort of male attention can lead women into temptations against modesty (though make no mistake, modesty is for men too, even though I speak more of women). Understanding and respecting one’s own and others’ intrinsic dignity is part of what helps correct that, but simply following the Catholic standard of dress on the Vatican dress code sign would also help. Some people fear they would look “old fashioned” or too different, or more separate from the world than is proper for laity, not relevant and vitally engaged, if they followed the standard of modesty. I think we need to push back against that idea, modest dress is not outside the range of how people dress today in our culture, and courageous modesty should be an aspect of your warfare against the world, the flesh and the devil. Let it be your battle garb, as it was our mother Mary’s when she crushed the head of the serpent, the devil.

About a year and a half ago I started wearing long modest skirts every day (I am not going to tell you you cannot wear modest trousers). I’ve had total strangers randomly come up to me and thank me for dressing modestly–more than once. Believe it or not, the homeless people at my volunteer job seem to like it–maybe they feel respected. And perhaps similar to the curious fact that even when a newspaper or magazine article is about LCWR Sisters who never wear habits, the accompanying photograph is usually of traditionally habited Sisters or nuns, I speculate that the WI State Journal found me very Catholic looking in the picture below from the Rosary Rally that they published.

I only linked to this picture on the newspaper website but didn’t want it on my blog when I blogged about that article, because I thought it is too beautiful for me. Well praise God, my skirt has grease spots because I was a slob at dinner, all I did was dress modestly because I am Catholic, and pray the rosary because I am Catholic, and was told to stand with Our Lady because I am Catholic, and the atheist protester with the peace sign was there harassing us too because we are Catholic, and gave me a “halo” in the picture which is acutely embarrassing because I know myself.

But please consider, modesty has a relevance to making visible our Catholic identity, and as the “habit” of a chaste lifestyle in whichever state of life, and relevant to the kind of beauty that can be fruitful for the new evangelization. And I know I said don’t follow the fashion herd, but habits are “in” again!

This is youth oriented, but I especially love this one:

Posted in Beauty, Life & Love and tagged Modesty
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December 16, 2012

Gaudete

Gaudéte in Dómino semper:
íterum díco, gaudéte:
modéstia véstra
nóta sit ómnibus homínibus:
Dóminus prope est.
Nihil sollíciti sítis:
sed in ómni oratióne
petitiónes véstrae
innotéscant apud Déum.

(introit for Gaudete Sunday: “Rejoice in the Lord always…”)

The photo is the ~~Prayers at the Foot of the Altar before~~ Confiteor at the start of High Mass this morning, Gaudete Sunday, at Holy Redeemer Church. The introit above is the music one hears at this moment. It is the very same music for the Novus Ordo Mass. Rose vestments signify joy! This good priest is Father Eric Sternberg, Director of Student Ministries at St Paul’s University Catholic Center on the UW campus.

[Update: And after 11am Mass, here’s Bishop Morlino!]

Posted in Beauty, Sacred Mysteries and tagged Fr Eric Sternberg, Gaudete Sunday, Gregorian chant, Traditional Latin Mass
One Comment »

December 15, 2012

People, Look East

The latest splashed across the blogosphere is that Bishop Morlino talked in his homily last Sunday about the Mass celebrated ad orientem, with the priest facing in the same direction as the people. I was at that Mass, I liked what he said. He told us about Advent and the significance of looking east (as in Scripture, and as in that great Advent carol “People Look East”), waiting and looking for the sunrise, the coming of Jesus. The Lord’s birth was awaited and longed for in ancient times, and in our time we prepare ourselves and wait for Him to come again in glory. Then Bishop Morlino spoke interestingly about the traditional orientation of the priest facing in the same direction as the people, toward “liturgical east”, as he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He’s sure the day will come when we do “turn toward the Lord” together, looking east.

But I want to tell you something else Bishop Morlino said recently that didn’t splash across the blogosphere. He spoke to a group of young adults in the Cathedral Parish’s “Spirit and Truth” program on October 10th this year, mostly about Vatican II, interesting details of what happened at the Council, and why there wound up being such a disconnect between what the Council documents say, versus what Vatican II was popularly but erroneously thought to be about, aka “the Spirit of Vatican II”. I don’t think this talk was recorded.

Here’s the big liturgical news: Bishop Morlino says rumors get started much too easily about what he is going to do next, and people get anxious, but actually he has no other major directives for liturgical change planned for his diocese. For instance, he is not going to ban Communion on the hand.

Bishop Morlino teaching about ad orientem worship helps people to understand that when they see it, and not get somehow piqued and offended. I think it likely that ad orientem will gradually, increasingly get restored. But I don’t think at all that Bishop Morlino is going to order it. He’s not going to order that we all kneel at the Communion rail and receive Jesus on the tongue. But you know, we may again some day.

—

The Cathedral Parish went on a bus pilgrimage earlier this year to sites in our diocese associated with the amazing missionary frontier priest Fr Samuel Mazzuchelli, whose cause for canonization is open. I became interested in the historic altars at the historic churches he built… ad orientem altars which some Sisters of the Sinsinawa Dominican Order he founded apparently consider unthinkable to be used now, because they face “the wrong way”.

St Patrick’s church in Benton, WI was built by Fr Mazzuchelli. Two Sinsinawa Dominicans are still in residence and on the staff there. We were about to leave when I thought to point out (politely) to one Sister that a set of old altar cards hung on the wall in their little museum in Fr Mazzuchelli’s former rectory were arranged wrong, with the Gospel and Epistle sides reversed. I was surprised when she told me this was on purpose–because the altars have turned around now. I said, but that form of the Mass would never be celebrated facing the people, it would be illicit, only in the Novus Ordo is there an option to face the people. I attend the older form of the Mass every Sunday, I said (both forms actually), and the left is always the Gospel side, and the right the Epistle side. She looked stunned, was almost speechless. I want to emphasize I meant no disrespect. She tried to say why she thought the priest should not “turn his back on the people”, and I tried to explain about facing toward God together. Then I had to go get on the bus, I thanked her very much. These Sisters were formed by their time.

Here’s an undated postcard (a gift from those Sisters who showed us around–they had a stash of assorted postcards of their parish, which was actually the place of the founding of their Order) showing the interior of a little chapel addition to the church, into which was installed what had been the original high altar of St Patrick’s Church in Benton. I think I have seen somewhere an even older image in which this chapel had a Communion rail, but I cannot find that now.

Subsequently the altar was restored lovingly to its original paint style, this is how it is now:

However, by then actually using the altar had become unthinkable by those in charge of the church. The chapel had to have an awkward little non-matching table altar.

Now here’s the scene at St Augustine’s Church in New Diggings, WI, also built by Fr Mazzuchelli and recently extremely lovingly restored in full and at great cost to its original state from frontier times, and maintained as a museum by the Knights of Columbus. This little church is amazing. Yes, the altar cards are placed correctly:

They used to celebrate an annual memorial Mass for Fr Mazzuchelli in St Augustine’s Church (more recently it’s celebrated in the main church–not that chapel the pictures are of–at St Patrick’s in Benton). During the pilgrimage we viewed a video on the bus ride home that had footage. Surely they used the altar, right? The extremely carefully restored altar the holy Fr Mazzuchelli built and used?

Oh no, my friends. They built a thing out of wood, about 3 feet long and at most a foot wide, to straddle the Communion rail. And then Mass was celebrated on that, facing the people. And then, of course, everyone received Communion on the hand.

I hope some day some dear priest will seek permission to go celebrate a Traditional Latin Mass in St Augustine’s Church. The altar does not have its altar stone but this place is beautiful.

Posted in Sacred Mysteries and tagged Ad orientem, Bishop Morlino, Liturgy, Samuel Mazzuchelli, Sinsinawa Dominicans
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December 15, 2012

Saint John of the Cross

Today (well, by the time I’m publishing this I suppose it’s yesterday) was my favorite Saint’s feast day: Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church and companion of St Teresa of Avila in the Discalced Carmelite reform. I have to write a few words about him, though it will be more brief than I would wish.

One time a priest asked who was my favorite Saint, and when I told him he was alarmed, and tried persistently to insist that I pick a different favorite Saint, preferably a woman. “How about Saint Teresa, or Saint Therese of Lisieux!” But I insisted, honest, he’s incomparably my favorite Saint. Just on Wednesday I was talking with a permanent deacon and mentioned Friday is St John of the Cross’ feast day, my favorite Saint. “Oh he’s out in left field” he said. “He’s a Doctor of the Church! He’s center stage!” I said. He shook his head, “no he’s waaay out in left field.”

For some reason I find those kinds of reactions hilarious. John was of course a favorite of St Teresa, clearly achingly dear and beloved to many Sisters and laity who knew him in life, and the primary spiritual influence on St Therese of Lisieux, among many others.

I considered myself an atheist when I “met” Saint John of the Cross. This was in about 2001. I was a “bad” atheist not happy with atheism, deeply unwilling to let myself be deceived, but attempting to pray by being present to reality, what truly is. And what do you know, but I had an overwhelming experience of God’s profoundly personal and overflowing love for me and for all people that suddenly shed great light on the Gospels as speaking truly of this love. It changed my life in that I knew unavoidably what I most wanted was to live in a way that somehow, although I realized my own efforts were almost nothing in comparison and could not even repay a fraction, responded to that love. In trying to understand this powerful experience, I learned of Saint John of the Cross, and read his Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night of the Soul.

I had never read anything quite like it, but I found it totally compelling. John was for me a profoundly credible witness to the experience of God. He clearly understood and helped me to understand the experience I had–a kind of experience of God not too infrequent for beginners. I completely trusted him, and that he was talking about something very real, something that not just subjective. St John of the Cross taught me faith, how to believe in God, when formerly I’d thought that was impossible for me. I also began to realize that when I was an atheist I had a “strawman god” that I couldn’t believe in, but in reality was not what educated Christians believed in either. With as pitiful an education as I’d had in CCD, I had not understood in any remotely adequate way what Christians actually believe about God, and that faith is very compatible with reason, and vice versa. I found that John of the Cross, too, was intensely concerned with the truth and not being deceived. His writing is entirely about love, and I understood quickly that his austerity, his “nadas” and love of the Cross that is absolutely radical and frightens and repels some readers, is simply about singleheartedness for God Who loves us.

I understand his “nada” doctrine as being about truly preferring nothing over Christ. In the words of Fr Thomas Dubay it is “entirely aimed at reaching an enthralling immersion in God.” It is about purification to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength and loving, and enjoying creatures in a way rightly-ordered in light of that singleheartedness for God. Part of the intense joy in the writing of St John of the Cross is because through what seems like an absolute renunciation of the world and all good things and enjoyments, one receives all things in their true beauty and goodness in Christ. As we sing at Benediction, omne delectamentum in se habentem!

Now, obviously I didn’t understand everything perfectly right away, nor do I still I’m sure, but he led me onward and made me want to keep praying and read more of the writings of the Saints and learn, he was a great friend. It was years more before I actually returned to the Sacraments, returned to the Church. I have felt all along the way that St John of the Cross was close, and praying for me, and at various times I had some remarkable assurances of that, and there is really much more to the story. When I received the Sacrament of Confirmation after my reversion to the Faith, I picked the name Juanita because I wanted John as a particular patron.

When I was away from the Church I lived a very unchaste and degraded life, but it was from right out of the midst of that, even before I had quite decided to return to the Church, that through the formative influence of John of the Cross’ teachings and the joy I understood there not only could be but knew there would be through singleheartedness for God, I experienced a conversion to perfect chastity, absolutely as a positive choice for God, and an intense love relationship, which I then felt God was calling me to for life. That this was a supernatural grace, I cannot doubt, because I always felt that as a gift, and though it’s been I think 8 years, I have never been able to doubt for a moment that God called me to celibate chastity for life, but that has only come to seem more true.

He’s oft misunderstood, sometimes it seems like he’s badly misunderstood more often than he’s reasonably well understood. His teachings get misused or distorted in some unfortunate ways. But this Saint’s teaching is an absolute treasure trove and there is so much there that is so sorely needed for our time, I don’t have time to begin to talk about that.

Although my hardcover copy of The Collected Works of St John of the Cross is falling apart from being constantly carried around with me everywhere for years, I don’t always read it that much anymore. When I do, somehow I just open the book to anywhere and what’s on the page is immediately applicable, helpful and consoling. It is the most extraordinary thing.

Posted in Spiritual Life and tagged Atheism, Celibacy, Prayer, Saint John of the Cross
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