Good Father Paul Weinberger Hosting Rosary Rallies Outside Birth Choice CPC in Dallas Oct. 13 – Nov. 3 9:30 pm – 10pm October 17, 2020
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Interior Life, Our Lady, priests, sanctity, Spiritual Warfare, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
Good Father Paul Weinberger, who has been such a stalwart priest-fixture in this diocese going back well over 20 years, will be leading Rosary rallies outside Birth Choice Crisis Pregnancy Center every night at 9:30 from Oct. 13 until Nov. 3 (the election). Many more details below, including the specific prayer intentions. You can join Father in person, or spiritually.
Father Paul Weinberger is extending an invitation to join him (and others) who will be praying the Rosary every night, through November 3rd. Please come in person – Birth Choice: 8610 Greenville Ave #200, Dallas, TX 75243
If you unable to, then pray the Rosary from home, from 9:30 PM CDT – 10:00 PM CDT.
From Father Paul Weinberger:
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Tuesday, November 3 is the Feast of the FIRST male, canonized Saint from the Americas: St. Martin de Porres, O.P. – that is election day across the USA.
This outdoor Rosary will be prayed in both English and Spanish from October 11 through November 3 from 9:30-10pm.
During our Rosary we will focus on the following intentions:
1) for prayerful support of Judge Amy Coney Barrett
who has been nominated for the US Supreme Court;
2) for the USA, for prayerful support of all pro-life candidates who are currently running in the current election cycle;
3) for Birth Choice and the White Rose and for ALL pro-life women’s centers and organizations throughout the State of Texas.
Many/most people will NOT be able to be able to attend due to individual circumstances. If you are unable please pray with us from your home and encourage others to do the same.
The location of Birth Choice is just off of Hwy. 75/Central Expressway and Royal Lane, about a mile east…at the intersection of Royal Lane and Greenville Avenue.
If you have an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary or one of the Saints you are most welcome to bring the statue/image.
As you know we are now several months into the COVID-19 crisis. This outdoor Rosary will not infringe on common-sense protocols in any way, given that we will pray outside. People and families will have no problem with social distancing. The parking lot is quite large.
This week, October 13, marked the anniversary of the great Miracle of the Sun which occurred at Fatima in 1917. It was Our Lady of Fatima’s constant request that we pray the Rosary for Peace in the world and for the conversion of sinners and for an end to wars. Let us use these precious days to pray for a peaceful end to the war on children and families which is legalized abortion.
There is no charge or fee. No collection or solicitation of offerings will be made or allowed. We are asking only for your prayers for these special needs.
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!
Father Weinberger is living proof of the addage, you can’t keep a good man down. Way to go, Father Weinberger!
Yes, there is a monthly TLM at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Dallas February 20, 2020
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Lent, Liturgy, priests, Restoration, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
I erred in the comments of the preceding post in claiming that the Latin Mass at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Dallas was a Novus Ordo Latin, and not a TLM. I have spoken with the priest offering these monthly Masses, Father Emmett Hatch, and they are TLMs. I apologize for the error. Upcoming monthly TLMs at St. Elizabeth of Hungary are:
- March 19
- April 17
- May 11
All Masses are at 7pm. Father is eager for newcomers to check out his TLM and is hoping to see it grow. Please support another young priest attempting to reinvigorate the liturgical and theological basis of the Church, which is all founded upon the ancient Mass codified – but certainly not “invented” – at the Council of Trent.
I will try to gather more info on this Mass and provide it as it becomes available. I am hoping to check out the March Mass, since I have a particular devotion to St. Joseph.
At present, the Latin Mass situation in the Diocese of Dallas, then, includes:
- Daily TLMs at Mater Dei, the Dioceses’ “official” traditional parish
- Monthly TLMs at Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, noted above
- Weekly Novus Ordo Masses in the Dominican Rite at the University of Dallas Chapel (they were TLMs, but for some reason they were switched to NO Latin Mass)
- Periodic Novus Ordo Latin Masses at St. Joseph in Richardson? Can anyone confirm with Father Cargo’s health if these are still planned for Lent, like last year?
- There will be Latin propers and Gregorian Chant in some of the Sunday Masses at St. Mark in Plano during Lent and possibly Easter. I hope Father Rangel will confirm regarding the latter. There might be an opening for the TLM here, if there is enough interest <hint hint>.
Losses to the Latin Mass:
- Latin Mass is no longer offered in Greenville, but Father Weinberger is regularly offering Masses at his new parish, St. Monica. I do not believe these feature any Latin.
Nevertheless, from a strictly “Latin” perspective, the situation in the Diocese of Dallas is markedly improved from what it was 2 years ago, when there was only Mater Dei and NO Latin Masses at St. William in Greenville on Sunday mornings only. I love the fact that a diocesan priest is offering the TLM. Whether it becomes more frequent will depend upon the level of interest and the approval of the pastor at St. Elizabeth, so if you assist at this Mass a supportive, charitable note to the pastor would certainly be helpful. Overall, I think we in this diocese can be very thankful that we now have a bishop who is much more open to traditional, reverent liturgy than his predecessors. Whether that is a positive support in the form of active encouragement, or simply the support of allowing pastors and priests to make their own calls regarding the pastoral needs of their flocks, it has been a huge benefit irrespective. Thank you, Bishop Burns.
Finally, please pray for Father Jason Cargo, he is experiencing heart problems (though he is younger than me, but I have similar problems) and will undergo some kind of treatment that may keep him out of active ministry for some months. He is presently trying to decide his best course of action. Father Cargo is one of those good young priests upon whom so much of the future of this diocese will depend. He has greatly expanded Confession at St. Joseph, which I always appreciate, and has been covered on this blog many times for his unique and effective ways of witnessing to our glorious Faith.
Father Cargo
Wonderful Developments, Liturgical and Otherwise, at St. Mark Parish in Plano January 31, 2020
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, Eucharist, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Liturgy, North Deanery, priests, Restoration, sanctity, the struggle for the Church, Tradition, true leadership.comments closed
He lives! Sorry for the long absence. I even missed the 10th anniversary of the blog by a month and a half.
But something important has come up.
I have known the young pastor of St. Mark parish in Plano, Texas, since he was a newly ordained priest. We were always gratified to see him wearing the occasional cassock and frequent Roman chasuble. He even wore black at funeral Masses. I figured we could expect great things from him.
This good priest, Fr. Marco Rangel, had some other assignments in the intervening 10 or so years, but last year he was assigned as the pastor of St. Mark in Plano. He has made a number of changes that I believe almost all devout Catholics will find most positive.
First, St. Mark, god bless it and whatever its merits, I don’t think has ever been anyone’s idea of a brilliant architectural and artistic achievement. A sunken sanctuary with stadium seating and bare concrete and stucco walls, it at least did have one very large stained glass window, and a nice, traditional crucifix (which the former pastor, Fr. Cliff Smith, is to be thanked for fighting for. He caught surprising flak for replacing the touchdown Jesus, Christ rising on the cross “crucifix” with a far more tasteful,a nd I would say, accurate and Catholic one). However, Fr. Rangel has made a number of changes, which you can see below. Most photos were taken during Christmas, which of course includes additional decorations, but most all the paintings and statuary are new. The angels kneeling in adoration next to the tabernacle are definitely new, and so welcome, as is the Benedictine arrangement on the altar.
The before:
Some initial changes: Small but noticeable:
The full monte:
Changes to the Eucharistic adoration chapel:
I’m amazed at the improvements these changes have made. Some – like the addition of the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe – were made under Father Smith, but most have been made under Father Rangel.
Next, there are major liturgical improvements underway. Father Rangel offered Mass partially in Latin during Advent and on Christmas, and will do so again during Lenten Sunday Masses. This included the propers and Gloria in Latin as appropriate, as well as organ music and Gregorian chant. Father Rangel intends to continue adding more and more reverent aspects to the Liturgy and is open to even becoming bi-ritual, should interest warrant such a move.
And that’s one of the purposes of this post, not only to apprise of these positive developments, and prove I am still alive, but also to ask readers here in the Diocese of Dallas to send a letter of support to Bishop Burns for authentic, orthodox liturgical improvements, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Father Rangel in particular. Whether you attend St. Mark or not, if you desire to see liturgy more in keeping with the constant belief and practice of the Church, this is a great opportunity to show both your interest and your support for a local priest who is taking large steps in that direction. Of course, Father Rangel has encountered a great deal of resistance, so he could use all the support he can get. This kind of support can be vital in determining how a bishop may respond to these kinds of initiatives made on the part of pastors. I thus implore all local readers, and even interested non-local ones (you should indicate whether or not you reside in the Diocese), to contact both Bishop Burns and Father Rangel. I provide some form letters below, which you are free to use. It is quite a risk for a priest to make changes like this, and at this pace. Father Rangel has not been pastor at St. Mark for even a year, yet, I do not believe.
This also ties in with changes in catechesis and sacramental preparation at St. Mark, which is my final point. Father Rangel is working to revamp the materials used in these vital areas, to be in accord with timeless, unchanging Church teaching which goes back to the Apostolic Deposit of Faith, and not just the current theological experimentations presently in vogue.
Letters should be sent to:
Bishop Edward Burns
Catholic Diocese of Dallas
3725 Blackburn St.
Dallas, TX, 75219
A sample letter is included below, just as an idea. Feel free to compose your own:
Dear Bishop Burns –
Greetings in Christ! I have been apprised of the very positive liturgical, architectural, and catechetical improvements made by Father Marco Rangel of St. Mark parish in Plano, Texas, and I am writing to indicate my wholehearted support for these efforts. Father Rangel is moving the liturgy at St. Mark to be very reverent and to offer great glory and honor to God. His artistic and liturgical changes are in keeping with the great patrimony of our Holy Mother Church, and unite our worship with that of millions of Catholics through years past. His changes incorporating more Latin, Gregorian chant, and great reverence for the Most Blessed Sacrament are all very edifying and are bringing great benefit to many souls. We implore your eminence to support Father Rangel in this new direction for St. Mark.
I would also like to include in this letter a request for regular Traditional Latin Masses (TLM) in the north deanery of the Diocese of Dallas, most particularly in the Plano/Richardson area. At this point, St. Mark and Father Marco Rangel would appear to be the most suited for offering this ancient and beautiful form of the Mass, but St. Joseph in Richardson may also be a strong candidate.
We thank you for your continued leadership of this diocese, and for the many blessings and benefits this leadership has brought. We pray your leadership, and that of good priests like Father Rangel, will continue to bring glory to God and aid in the sanctification of all the souls in the Diocese of Dallas.
God bless and keep you,
Name
In all likelihood it will be Bishop Kelly that reads these and responds, but the message will hopefully get through to Bishop Burns.
I also implore you to send letters of support and thanks to Father Rangel at St. Mark. He can be reached at:
(Pastor) Father Marco Rangel
St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church
1105 West 15th Street
Plano, TX 75075
Another sample:
Dear Father Rangel –
Greetings in Christ! I have learned of late that you are in the process of making numerous liturgical, artistic, and catechetical improvements to St. Mark. May God reward you! This is such a happy and blessed development, and will surely bring enormous fruit to souls. I support you in your efforts to bring more reverence to the Mass and to bring St. Mark’s liturgical, artistic, and catechetical practice more in union with the great patrimony of our Holy Mother Church. I am so grateful that some of the fruit of the “reform of the reform” is beginning to blossom in Plano.
I would also like to indicate my interest in having a regular Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at St. Mark. I reside in the Diocese of Dallas/North Dallas/Collin County area and would be overjoyed to have a TLM closer to my home and/or place of business, particularly at St. Mark. If you are assessing the level of interest in this form of the Mass in the Plano area, please be assured of mine, and that of my family.
May God continue to bless and support your apostolate in every way,
Name
Father Rangel can also be reached at pastor@stmarkplano.org.
If at least 12 of you do not contact Father Rangel with support, I’ll never post again. Like that’ll be any different!
Highlight from First Pontifical High Mass in Dallas Diocese in over 50 Years October 24, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, fightback, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, priests, Restoration, sanctity, Spiritual Warfare, thanksgiving, the struggle for the Church, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
Probably quite well over. I don’t know when Bishop Gorman offered the last Pontifical High Mass, but it had to be before 1969.
The Mass was wonderful. I had never assisted at one before, and didn’t know quite what to expect, but it was essentially a Solemn High Mass with additional elements according the presence of a bishop. It lasted about 2 1/2 hours including the introductory processing in of Bishop Schneider and the additional prayers he made before vesting. It was very beautiful. We arrived an hour early and queued up to get seats in our too small parish church. Even though there an hour early, there were easily 200 people in line in front of us. So, we sat towards the back.
Unfortunately, I forgot my phone (after deliberately leaving it charging right by the door specifically so I would NOT forget it) and I had to use my wife’s, which……….is set up very different from mine, had no memory left, and was also low on power. So, with the pics and video, you get what you get. Complaining won’t solicit any more, though if you’re on Facebook I think the parish will have professionally shot photos and videos of the event there. My rather poor stuff below:
Processing in:
Preliminaries, vesting:
Part of the sermon on the life of Blessed Karl:
Recessional 1:
Recessional 2:
A number of photos from the Mass:
WordPress seems to not be liking many of my pics and refuses to upload them. I may try again later, but I only have so much time and have other topics I’d like to get to today.
His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s Visit Was a Remarkable Blessing October 21, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, FSSP, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Restoration, sanctity, Spiritual Warfare, thanksgiving, the struggle for the Church, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
I will try to post a thorough recap of yesterday’s Pontifical High Mass tomorrow, but for now a few pictures of my family with Bishop Schneider which we were blessed to take after receiving the bishop’s blessing and having a short conversation with him. He is a gentle and virtuous man, whose concern for souls is eminently apparent from even brief interaction with him. I thank Bishop Burns of the Diocese of Dallas for letting both the Blessed Karl Symposium and the Pontifical High Mass, involving a foreign bishop, to take place, and I again thank David Ross for putting together the symposium and making this Mass possible. That was a most commendable work, and I know it required a huge amount of effort.
Well, it only took 9+ years, but a bishop finally offered a Pontifical High Mass at Mater Dei, and he was from………….Kazakhstan. Hurray for the Catholic Volga Germans:
Just a note, one of the kids in the picture was not mine, and one of mine was not present. Also, my oldest daughter got cropped out of the picture by the person taking it, but you get the idea.
I hope to post more on the Pontifical High Mass tomorrow, I planned to post complete coverage today but the Pachamama destruction came up and that was most important.
A few more to tide you over:
Good Fruit of Francis’ Revolution – TLM Attendance Skyrocketing in US October 21, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Christendom, fightback, FSSP, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Restoration, sanctity, the struggle for the Church, Tradition, Victory, Virtue.comments closed
+JMJ
Finally some hard numbers to put with the numerous anecdotes about rapidly increasing TLM attendance over the past few years. I know from surveys and speaking with many of the recent “converts” to the Traditional Latin Mass, many of these folks are seeking out sanity and good Catholic liturgy and doctrine directly as a result of the errors being taught in their former parishes, and the horrific example of Francis which is often cited in those former parishes as reasons for rejecting and contradicting the perennial belief and practice of the Church. Thus, in spite of himself, Francis and his cohort of aging hippies and Peronists are accomplishing much good in helping strengthen the Catholic counter-revolution.
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter has put out some attendance numbers at a few representative parishes and they all show tremendous growth, whether very new or long and established. I do not have attendance numbers for the other Ecclesia Dei communities or diocesan TLMs, nor the SSPX, though on the latter I have had discussions with a half dozen or more people who frequent SSPX chapels who say they have seen solid growth in the past year or two.
Halfway through the FSSP’s annual October census, Fraternity parishes and chapels around the country report major increases in Sunday Mass attendance compared with last year.
Newer apostolates have seen dramatic growth, some doubling their numbers over the last year, such as Los Angeles, which went from 250 per Sunday to 500. The apostolate did not even have its own church until 2018, so finally settling down in a small church in San Fernando provided needed stability, contributing to the significant increase it saw this past year.
“The main obstacle right now is a lack of space,” said Fr. Federico Masutti, assistant pastor of St. Vitus, talking to the Missive over the summer. His words echo the sentiment of so many other FSSP apostolates that find themselves outgrowing their buildings, but it’s really a great problem to have.
“When we were at 200 people,” said pastor Fr. James Fryar, “we decided to add the fourth Mass, and just adding that one Mass, from one week to the next, another 200 people came.”
“The growth was amazing,” confirmed Fr. Masutti.
In Naples, Florida, the FSSP has been operating for less than two years, and is at nearly 400 people per Sunday, up over 20 percent from last year.
“A plethora of young families are coming, attracted by the sacred beauty and reverence of the Mass, the traditional catechesis and true parish family life,” said pastor Fr. Jonathan Romanoski…………
“It’s more than just the Latin Mass—they’re coming for the community life and all of the groups we have—for adults, for kids, for catechesis,” he said. “They come because we are two priests, we are a small community where everybody can get to know each other and the families can truly bond.”
Two new apostolates established last year—in the dioceses of Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island—have started off strong and now have 400 and 300 parishioners, respectively. Both locations have inherited magnificent churches that should accommodate their communities for a long time………..
……….Even apostolates that have been established for a long time (by FSSP standards) have seen significant increases, but most report constraints of space that inhibit their growth and they look forward to building or buying new churches.
St. Anne Parish, our apostolate in San Diego, for example, was established in 2008, and despite having a small church that can seat approximately 200 adults, had reached more than 800 parishioners by 2018 with three priests offering five Sunday Masses. Now, they are averaging over 1,000.
“At some of our Masses we will have as many as maybe 350 people and so not everyone fits and so people are actually sitting outside the doors looking in through open doors,” said pastor Fr. John Lyons.
Other long-established FSSP parishes that have seen strong growth include our first North American apostolate, Mater Dei in Dallas, established in 1991, which has seen its Sunday congregation grow 24 percent from 1250 to 1550 in the last year. [It’s way north of 1600 now and touching on 1800 some Sundays. It was about 200 in 2009.]
St. Joan of Arc Parish, our apostolate in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has gone from 650 to 840 in the past two years, an increase of about 29 percent. Likewise, St. Francis de Sales in Atlanta, established in 1995, has grown 30 percent over the last year. In October of 2018, it averaged 460 people each Sunday; so far this month, it has over 600. +
Other established parishes like St. Rose Philippine in Kansas City have also grown a great deal.
Overall, it does seem the traditional Latin Mass continues to grow and thrive in virtually all locations where it has found a home. If you have news of your local TLM parish or diocesan parish offering a TLM, please share. This data is very helpful, and encourages others to seek out and experience the Mass of all ages. We’re not weird freaks! We have many good and devout souls and lots of normal and fun people! We’re all finding out way through this time of unprecedented darkness within and without Holy Mother Church as best we can. Most of all, we need to all get together and support each other, whether SSPX or ICRSS or FSSP or CMRI or whatever. Sure we may have differences, but what binds us together, and what threatens all of us, is much, much greater.
More to post later as I have time. Good news from Las Cruces which I hope to get to early this week, and a report on Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s spectacular Pontifical High Mass at Mater Dei in Irving on 19th Sunday after Pentecost, October 20 2019.
Notable Events: Blessed Karl Symposium in Dallas and Pontifical High Mass at Mater Dei October 15, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Christendom, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, fightback, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Restoration, Society, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
The first Pontifical High Mass, of which I am aware, in Dallas for over 50 years is to be held this Sunday, October 20th at Mater Dei Latin Mass parish in Irving. The Mass is at 9am. The 11:30 high Mass is cancelled for this day. Principal celebrant of the Mass will be His Excellency the Auxiliary Bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan, Athanasius Schneider. Seating will be very limited. Seating opens at the conclusion of the 7am Mass and will probably be filled within minutes. There is spillover seating in the hall and cry room. The Mass is projected to last approximately 3 hours.
The reason for Bishop Schneider’s visit is the Blessed Karl Symposium being held the previous day at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dallas. This is an annual symposium which began last year and is attracting significant personages of the Church and the former imperial family. Bishop Schneider will be the keynote speaker at this symposium. The local man who has gone to great effort to begin these symposiums last year and greatly expand the one this year is to be greatly commended. This kind of work contributes significantly to the re-seeding of the great Catholic Tradition and the forgotten patrimony of the Church. It appears that tickets for this year’s symposium, like last’s, are sold out.
Nevertheless, details below.
Finally, a brief talk from Bishop Schneider, given at Rome very recently, and attended by Cardinals Muller, Burke, Arinze, and others. Michael Matt presents this as a budding “resistance movement” to the current pontificate. If so, I’m afraid it may be several years late, but better now than never, I suppose. The talk by Bishop Schneider makes clear that he, for one, sees grave theological delicts emanating from the current synod and rejects both its premises and its pre-determined outcomes (barring, of course, some dramatic divine intervention).
The Mass is likely to be crazy but I’ve never been to a pontifical high Mass and I wouldn’t miss this one! I will try to record the sermon and share it with you if the quality is passable. I have to think at least a little bit of Bishop Schneider’s talk below will wind up in the sermon we hear on Sunday, God willing.
Bishop Burns to Re-Consecrate Diocese to Immaculate Heart of Mary October 2, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Our Lady, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
There will be many public rosaries offered on October 13th, the 102nd anniversary of Our Lady’s final apparition at Fatima and the great Miracle of the Sun. However, notably, Bishop Burns of Dallas will be leading one such Rosary, along with a procession, and formally reconsecrating the Diocese to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart on October 13. The procession starts at Flagpole Hill near White Rock Lake at 2 pm. Details below. I think we have a public Rosary already planned here in Irving at roughly the same time, but it is a great blessing that Bishop Burns will again consecrate this Diocese to Our Lady. I believe his predecessors Bishop Dunne and possibly Bishop Gorman have already made this consecration in the past. Nevertheless, what a blessed event, and what a positive sign from our bishop.
Excellent Video Series on Antonio Salazar September 26, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in Basics, Christendom, General Catholic, Glory, history, Restoration, Society, the struggle for the Church, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
Antonio de Oliveira Salazar was the leader, some would say dictator, of Portugal from 1934 until his death in 1968. Unlike Franco’s Spain, his Catholic corporatist Estado Novo (New State) survived him by several years, finally being wrecked by a coup of mid-grade hard leftist officers of Portugal’s military in 1974.
Salazar and the Estado Novo offer an interesting, and much more Catholic, alternative to what the predominant culture tells us are possible viable forms of government since the mid-20th century – hard leftism or liberal/libertine capitalism. I’ve never been fully on board with such corporatist/distributist economic systems as outlined by Chesterton and Belloc (among many others) in the first half of the 20th century, as they seemed a bit too utopian to be practical. But Salazar’s Portugal probably came the closest of any deliberately Catholic state (deliberate in the sense of being constructed to comport as closely as possible to the Church’s social and general magisterial beliefs up to that point in time) in achieving a reasonable mean – being Catholic, but also relatively prosperous, relatively free, and relatively non-tyrannical. Some of my primary complaints against distributism is that it seemed a fine system for the late 18th century, but probably not too well suited for the 21st century. Salazar’s Portugal serves as probably the best argument against that complaint.
Regarding a tyrannical state, Salazar’s Portugal was much less violent, as a government, than was the corollary next door in Franco’s Spain. Of course, the Estado Novo had the incalculable benefit of not being founded in the midst of a brutal civil war. Even still, however, there was a very powerful leftist faction in Portugal, which had held power several times in the decades preceding 1934, and remained a serious threat through much of Salazar’s time in power. However, by judicously practicing Catholic Doctrine, the Salazar regime only put about 5 souls to death throughout it’s nearly 40 year existence – a far cry from the tens of thousands that died, or were killed, in Spain, even after the end of the Spanish Civil War. Now, I’m quite sympathetic to Franco’s government and think its hand was forced by the radical, unyielding leftists it had to deal with – these leftists started the Civl War by attacking the Catholic Faith and massacring hundreds of priests and religious – but it is still an impressive achievement. Salazar had very nearly as divided and fractious a country to manage as did Franco, but managed to do so with far less bloodshed.
Unfortunately, the quite-detailed video series I post below is not complete. It only goes until about World War II. Many of Salazar’s greatest social achievements – the economic rebuilding of Portugal along Catholic corporatist lines – had to wait until after World War II. The author of the series promises that some new uploads will be coming this fall and winter – I will be sure to share those when they become available.
For now, you can learn a great deal about an important, but deliberately forgotten, leader on the world stage for much of the 20th century. I say he was deliberately forgotten, because Salazar’s Portugal, like (to varying degrees) Franco’s Spain, and Dolfuss’ and Schussnigg’s Austria, and a few other locales, truly do serve as contrary examples to what we are told was the “only sane choice” in the “inevitable” liberal capitalist state. Not just contrary examples, but examples that, in many ways, are more just, more moral, and – it can be argued – much more conducive to the good of souls than the decaying, decadent, corrupt states we find ourselves in throughout the West today. In terms of tyranny, how many people does the United States kill each year, either here at home or abroad? I’m no opponent of the death penalty, but it does make for an illuminating contrast.
I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I have. Since these videos are difficult to find on Youtube, and since, for some reason, many do not show up on the channel’s playlist, I post them all below. I knew comparitively little about Salazar’s Portugal before watching these, and most of what I had learned was harshly critical, so these videos will hopefully prove enlightening for you as well. I know you’ll think, there’s too many, it’ll take too long, history is boooring!!! Do yourself a favor and watch these, at one sitting or over several months, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, especially if you have any interest in Church history:
Please Pray for the Repose of the Soul of Jim Middleton [UPDATED] September 18, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, Basics, Dallas Diocese, fightback, Four Last Things, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Interior Life, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
[UPDATE]: See the bottom of the post for an addendum from my dad. I very briefly glossed over Jim’s career at Arco and he beefed it up a bit, for all of those interested. Yes, both of you]
Longtime readers may recall that I was once on a broadcast radio show with Jim and Vicki Middleton. The show ended in 2012 when Vicki unfortunately passed away rather suddenly. I think that was a grace of God, I don’t think she could stand to see what this country is becoming today. She was right about so very much, including the endlessly voracious appetite of the Left for tyranny. Equally sadly, Jim Middleton, her spouse of many years, passed away this past September 12. Jim was a very strong and patriotic American, a rock-solid conservative, and a devout Catholic convert. He was also a gifted engineer and high-level oil executive and played a vital role in opening up the North Slope of Alaska to large scale oil production and later served as President of Arco Oil and Gas. My dad worked with Jim for 25 years and knew him quite well.
The funeral was held at the Carmelite Monastery in Dallas, the same monastery that served host as the site of the diocesan Mater Dei Traditional Latin Mass community for many years prior to Mater Dei getting its own parish (one of the few good acts of the previous bishop of this Diocese, now Cardinal Kevin Farrell. “allowing” Mater Dei to have its own church – such generosity). Jim and Vicki gave extremely generously to the Carmelite Monastery over the years, and were extremely close with, and helpful towards, the Carmelite nuns. As such, by a special bequest, the mortal remains of both Jim and Vicki will now repose on the grounds of the monastery.
I was fortunate to be able to attend the Novus Ordo funeral Mass yesterday. Father Paul Weinberger, who has received a good deal of attention on this blog recently, and who was very close to the Middleton’s and played a great role in their becoming stalwart Catholics from episcopal converts, offered the Mass. So, yes, it was a Novus Ordo, but it was offered with as much reverence and dignity as is possible with this creation of “modern” man. The sermon was very solid as usual, as Father Weinberger devoted about half of the 15 minutes to ably destroy a number of protestant talking points against the Faith, such as, we do not worship images, works done in concert with Grace are necessary for salvation, the communion of saints and the existence of purgatory, and so forth. Since the attendance was at least 50% protestant, that was no small act, but was conducted with such charity and finesse that rather than rankle his sermon elicited a number of laughs and smiles.
Vicki and Jim were good souls and gave tremendously of their time, talent, and treasure for the good of the Church and souls. They deserve a prayer or two, or many. I pray I never forget them in my prayers for the souls of the deceased.
A few poor photos from the Mass. I thank the good Carmelite sisters for again opening their chapel, as they regularly do. I with them well and they may be assured of my prayers, too!
[Addendum]:
When the north slope was being developed, it was still a part of NAPD (North American Producing Division). Billy Jack Lancaster headed NAPD. Middleton was in charge of a special engineering group whose job was to fabricate the production modules and barge them from Ingleside to Point Barrow, and then offload them onto gravel causeways and roll them onto the slope. Billy Jack smoked himself to death and died of lung cancer. Bill Keeler head of Engineering for NAPD replaced Billy Jack. Keeler’s 16 year old son killed Bill and his wife. Ken Dickerson and Jim Coffee (lawyers) quickly popped the kid into Timberlawn and he never served a day in jail for the murders. Dallas had no more men in the line of succession. NAPD had always operated independently of Corporate (which was in LA), primarily because they generated 125% of the Corporations income. Not no more. This opening gave LA a chance to put their own man in charge. Then picked Glen Simpson who managed the Alaska operations – – he was a former Sinclair hand and followed orders well. He was a rigid disaster.
Meanwhile, Middleton was placed in charge of Anaconda (a mining operation that was, unbeknownst to ARCO, badly losing money at the time they bought it), and he stopped it from hemorrhaging cash. By that time NAPD had become Arco Oil and Gas, along with Arco Exploration and Arco Alaska. When Simpson was forced out, Jim became President of AOGC. He did a hell of a good job, and always backed me to the hilt.
I add, it was after Jim retired in 1994 that ARCO quickly went downhill, and its management sold out to BP in a panic in 2000. The only remnant of ARCO today is its chain of gas stations on the West Coast and in Arizona.
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