Catholic Musical Great Eric Genuis to Perform in Irving September 18-19, 2020 September 18, 2020
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, Domestic Church, General Catholic, Interior Life, Restoration, sanctity, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.comments closed
I’m not dead, though this blog may as well be. In a desperate to attempt to recussitate it*, Eric Genuis is coming to Irving to give a FREE concert at the RBR Muzik School in Irving, Texas (3248 Skyway Cir N, Irving, TX 75038) on Friday, September 18th, and Saturday, September, 19th. There will be two concerts on the 19th. See below for details. The concert is free but donations are gratefully accepted for Eric’s charity, Concerts for Hope, a 501(c)3 charity.
An RSVP is required at the number above to attend, thanks to the ongoing cultural hysteria/desperate ploy brought to us by the Left and their ChiCom overlords called COVID-19/Kung Flu. The 5pm concert is geared for children/teens but kids are welcome at any performance. I doubt Mr. Genuis requires much introduction to this readership, but if you’ve never been to an Eric Genuis concert, this is an excellent opportunity to see a top-notch, world-class musician and composer in action. It’s also a great opportunity for a classy night out with the wife, maybe for the first time in months, while enjoying edifying music and solid Catholic spirituality. I have it on good authority that Mr. Genuis strongly prefers the TLM whenever possible.
All the other culturally enriching high-brow forms of entertainment have been closed for months so take this opportunity to enjoy some live entertainment with a good Catholic in a pleasant environment. It’s also a good way to stick it to the leftists who are desperately trying to steal an election by terrifying the public into compliance. I keep thinking more and more of the title of Metallica’s 1983 album.
*- As for the inference, I’m just kidding, this was just a fortuitous opportunity to try to electroshock the blog back into existence. Dr. Cal Brackett says, 400 watt-seconds, stat!
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!
SSPX to Build Huge New Parish in St. Mary’s, Kansas July 14, 2019
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Christendom, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, history, Latin Mass, Liturgy, Restoration, SSPX, Tradition.comments closed
Two things immediately come to mind after viewing this video on Rorate Caeli – 1. I’ll have to check this place out, I’ve never been to St. Mary’s, and 2., St. Mary’s is way, way bigger than Mater Dei. 6 Masses a day with one in a gymnasium seating what looks like close to 600 people, the video sort of vaguely mentions 4000 people attending St. Mary’s. I don’t know if that means every Sunday, but with Mater Dei averaging about 1500 on a Sunday St. Mary’s is much larger. And, I am not surprised, it is in a sense SSPX-town USA, and has been around 13 or 31 years longer than the FSSP parish in the Dallas Diocese. I had long suspected that if there was a TLM parish with higher attendance on Sunday than Mater Dei, it would be St. Mary’s.
Well, God bless them, and may He bless this work. Whatever one thinks of the SSPX – and I for one am very grateful for Archbishop Lefebvre and the priestly society he started and maintained, since without it the TLM and the entire traditional practice of the Faith would probably have been expunged from the Church – this is a huge step forward for the entire traditional movement. This is a cathedral-class building being built for the sole use of the Traditional Latin Mass and the traditional practice of the Faith. It’s a huge undertaking and requires at least $30 million (construction budgets have a tendency to go up as construction advances, but this crew looks like they are really focused on keeping a lid on expenses). And, I must say, it looks like this new church when built will be architecturally and artistically significant. I do pray it has outstanding stained glass and other aspects of liturgical art – there is a great deal available on the market these days, with so many ancient and beautiful churches being razed in Europe and parts of the US.
It looks less and less likely that we will have anything similar (certainly not on such a scale) locally. The funding just isn’t there. Well, a new church will happen in God’s good time. If you feel inspired to help bring a substantial new traditional Catholic parish to fruition, you can donate here.
Sign Petition to Remove Farrell’s Name from UD, Seminary August 31, 2018
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, error, Francis, scandals, Spiritual Warfare, the struggle for the Church.comments closed
There are two petitions circling that call to have, ahem, Cardinal Farrell’s name removed from both the Holy Trinity Seminary student center and the Cardinal Farrell Center on the UD campus (which is confusing, since the seminary and UD are practically co-located). This is the one for removing Farrell’s name from UD.
And this is the one for removing his name from Holy Trinity Seminary.
Why should his name be removed? Well, for starters, how about his very close proximity to two of the most hideous abuse scandals in the history of the Church?
According to Cardinal Farrell, he was in the middle of two massive scandals, but somehow suspected nothing. By his own testimony, he is either a lying prelate or a clueless one. If a liar, Kevin Farrell is complicit in the sexual abuse of minors and the violation of ordination vows. These evils were rampant at Holy Trinity Seminary just a few decades ago; why should the seminary honor those who enable them today?
Because he lacks any basic qualification to merit the honor of a seminary building, and especially in light of his lack of character as shown by these scandals, we call on the administration of Holy Trinity Seminary to refrain from naming the future activity center after him. We propose naming the building after one more worthy, such as a saint who stands as a model for priests, or a virtuous person who has done good for the seminary. Until a new name is chosen, we refuse to honor Kevin Farrell and shall not contribute any funds towards the construction of this building.
Here’s another reason – then Bishop Farrell, while here in Dallas, was essentially never, ever, known to pray. Think about that.
So How Would You Like This For a Pope? April 6, 2018
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, Art and Architecture, General Catholic, history, Papa, Tradition.comments closed
The HBO one season uncompleted series “The New Pope” ran a little over a year ago. It’s got an interesting premise – an ultra-conservative, highly traditional young American gets elected pope (choosing the name Pius XIII) by a confab of corrupt cardinals who think he will be a mere figurehead. There is much Machiavellian drama in little bits of the series I’ve seen, including numerous attempts by the corruptocrats in the Curia to get some dirt on the new pope and thus compromise and control him. This culminates in a young woman trying quite hard to seduce the pope, and failing.
At any rate, at some point in the series, the young pope who has held himself aloof not only from the world (refusing to perform public homilies or activities of any kind, or even to show his face) but even from the Curia, finally holds a little meeting with the cardinals, wherein he lays out his new program for the Church. In this, you could say, he proposes to turn the post-conciliar ethos on its head and set the Church on a radical new, but in many ways a very old, course.
The new pope is very mysterious to all, even, perhaps, to himself. He posits a return to Tradition and is loved by all the traditional priests, who form a sort of new coterie around the pope displacing parts of the existing bureaucracy. Most of these priests are quite young and devout, and make a marked contrast to the many corrupt bureaucrats occupying positions of power. Also dealt with are the infestation of sodomites deep into the heart of the Church.
The pope intends to use his aloofness, the mystery surrounding him, and his youth and physical attractiveness to the benefit of himself and the Church. There are intimations that he is saintly and can work miracles, and intimations that he might be insane. Or, perhaps, his mental prowess and sanctity cause him to behave in ways that people cannot comprehend?
Note the return of the sede gestatoria, fanon, and a sort of papal tiara, though one not nearly so grand as the old photos indicate.
Not sure if anyone’s seen this series, but late on a Friday afternoon when I have almost no time to post, I thought I’d give at least a little bit of Hollywood’s version of what a hardcore trad pope might mean. Let me know what you think from this little bit, and anything else you’ve watched.
Should I say, this guy looks positively dreamy compared to the current occupant? He sounds perhaps a bit severe and unyielding but after 50+ years of yielding to everyone and everything, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing? I can imagine such a pope as this might wind up like John Paul I.
I don’t think popes ever rode in the sede gestatoria standing like that.
Some Wonderful Bits of Catholic Culture April 4, 2018
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, catachesis, Christendom, Ecumenism, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, history, Latin Mass, sanctity, the struggle for the Church, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
I’ve found a “new” channel on Youtube called Holy Faith TV. It’s not that new, it’s been around almost a year, but it’s new to me.
They’ve got a lot of great traditional Catholic content and some really outstanding history. How about this incredible color video of Venerable Pius XII:
And here is a video from what was then a mainstream educational film company on the jubilee year of 1950. Can you imagine Scholastic doing a reverential and respectful video on the Church today? How much, and how much for the worse, our society has changed since then.
“…….here lies a spiritual power that no godless philosophy may hope to vanquish.” Take it to heart, leftists!
If an audience featuring Pius XII wasn’t good enough, how about Mass from 1948, offered in St. Peter’s. Sadly it is in black and white:
And here you go, marking the end of glory and the beginning of the auto-demolition of the Faith, a film on the death of Pius XII and coronation of John XXIII, before the fanon and sede gestatoria were scrapped by John’s successor:
It’s not all from the 50s. There is content dating at least back to Saint Pius X. And some of it is more modern commentary, from a wide diversity of sources, from people known well to this blog like Fr. Michael Rodriguez and Bishop Athanasius Schneider, to more esoteric sources. I can’t say I’ve watched much of the commentary, but as for the historical stuff, I love it. So much more like that!
Apparently Youtube contains just part of the content, there is a website that ostensibly has more but I haven’t really had time to check it out. Perhaps you will, and if you do, feel free to share anything of interest you may find!
As always, of course my happiness at finding this channel is not necessarily an endorsement of everything on it. But I think there is quite a bit good to find there.
And it’s not all strictly Catholic. There’s actually quite a bit from the Orthodox Church on the channel. For an example, here is Patriarch Kirill, primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, taking on the cultural masters in a way the last six popes have generally failed to do, with occasional exceptions from John Paul II and Benedict. In fact, he proclaims a truth that is readily apparent to most believing Christians of any Church, sect, or stripe: godless elites want to destroy Christianity:
Glories of the Church – the Beautiful Churches and Holy Sites of Ecuador January 23, 2018
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, different religion, Father Rodriguez, fun, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, priests, Restoration, sanctity, Spiritual Warfare, Tradition, true leadership, Victory, Virtue.comments closed
I thank El Paso-based JMJHF Productions for all their work, especially their continued release of excellent catechesis material from Fr. Michael Rodriguez (on which, more later, God willing), but I really really appreciate their recent uploads of one of Fr. Rodriguez’ recent annual pilgrimages to Quito, Ecuador. The churches of Quito and its environs are shockingly, amazingly beautiful, true glories for not only the Church but the entire human race. This is the kind of heart that makes the soul sing and gives us creatures of mud and dust the slightest glimpses of heavenly glory. It is also the polar opposite of the modernist, often intentionally soul-crushing trash that has passed for Church art and architecture of the past 60-70 years. This damnable trend has been intentional, as fallen men sought to remake the Church in their own image, rather than aspire to follow the Truth of Jesus Christ.
The first video shows the Procession on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Good Success, February 2nd. The miraculous statue of Our Lady of Good Success is taken from the cloistered upper choir three times a year and placed above the main altar of the Convent Church to be venerated by the public. Fr. Michael Rodríguez offered the Traditional Latin Mass daily in the Conceptionist Church & Convent–home of Our Lady of Good Success (and look at how many souls assisted! The church is packed for a TLM, probably the first most all of these people, aside from the pilgrims (who were a tiny part of the crowd) had attended in decades, if ever). The technical name of the Church is, “Iglesia de La Limpia Concepcion”. This first monastery in Quito was established in September of 1575. Fr. Rodriguez also led pilgrims daily in praying the Holy Rosary and Novena to Our Lady of Good Success in front of the miraculous statue and gave spiritual conferences every evening on the major themes of Grace, Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Blessed be Jesus Christ and His most pure Mother!
Old town Quito is also beautiful in its own right, and also surprisingly well lit. It looks to me like many hundreds, possibly thousands, took part in the procession. How beautiful. What a glorious site Good Father Romanowski, formerly of the FSSP apostolate in Guadalajara and now pastor of a parish in Naples, FL, seems to have led the procession, in the traditional manner:
The next video is the one that really touches me – in both positive and negative ways. Ecuador has never been a rich country. Yet look at what pious souls built decades and centuries ago, out of their love for God and the Blessed Mother! And it was only right they do so – indeed it was a positive duty – to build the most beautiful, uplifting structures imaginable for the glory of God (which is His due) and for the good of souls. The modernist, concrete-and-sheetrock brutalist monstrosities that pass for Church construction in the past 70 years or so are the very antithesis of what is good for souls and properly due God. Even worse, you might even say sinfully, was the willful destruction of so much beauty created in total faith by previous generations of Catholics out of a perverse desire to create a new and false religion. Indeed, the profanation of Church art and architecture is a deliberate representation of the new religion promoted by modernist/leftists that must always stand in total opposition to the Faith of our Fathers.
There is a wide range of beauty below – parishes, basilica, cathedral, monasteries cum museums, etc. I have always adored Spanish colonial Catholic art, and the works of Latin American devotion that flowed from it for a century and a half after Spain lost her New World colonies. It is beautiful, wonderful stuff, treasures for the whole human race to glory in. These works also point to a time where the Faith was so utterly central to the lives of souls that I think we have a hard time even imagining it today, let alone emulating it in our own lives. We are so distracted by our trinkets of technology and our unheard of riches that our comprehension of the eternal is paltry and distracted. Perhaps I am speaking more for myself than for most of you, if so, I do not mean to cast aspersions.
I have exhausted my limited vocabulary in coming up with superlatives for this video and the Catholic treasures contained therein. Lord, may I go to Quito or other Latin American places soon, places where the ravages of wreckovation did not occur, or were at least kept to an absolute minimum! Look at all the altar rails! Look at the high altars still extant, and the prie deuxs, and the wonderful elevated pulpits (use them!), and the gilt ceilings and incredible reredos and the polychrome statues and original, extremely high quality and eminently Catholic paintings and……..you get the point. Thank you again to JMJHF Productions for putting these videos together. I know it takes a great deal of time, and this is not their full time job. Please consider helping them out, or the St. Vincent Ferrer Foundation, which also supports the work of good souls and Fr. Rodriguez!
The full list of sites in the video is below:
Conceptionist Monastery Church (Iglesia de La Limpia Concepcion), home of Our Lady of Good Success, in which Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana.
Santo Domingo (St Dominic)
San Agustin (St Augustine)
Carmen del Atlo (Carmelite – where St Mariana, Lily of Quito used to live)
San Francisco
Santa Catalina
La Merced
La Compania (Jesuit, perhaps most glorious Church in the Americas…)
National Basilica to the Sacred Heart
(Cathedral Metropolitana) Basilica of the National Vow
Santa Barbara
Carmen del Bajo
Santa Teresita in La Mariscal
Church & Monastery of Guapalo
The Jesuit School where miraculous image of Our Lady of Quito is kept.
For those materialists who say, oh, this money is wasted, think of the poor who suffered want and privation when all this money was poured into churches like this – wouldn’t this money better have been spent on them, on alleviating their sufferings? But the poor we will always have with us, and I do not mean that in a cavalier manner in the least. Instead, think of how many souls happily gave of what little they had, which was infinitely less than any of us, to help render honor and glory to God and His Church to help build structures like this. Think of the grace that poured out on them and the world at large through such noble sacrifice. It is simply a wholly different and utterly incompatible mindset – that of faith and not of this world. Those who have it, have it, and understand instantly the willingness to deny self to give right glory to God, and those who don’t, simply don’t.
When I see amazing structures like this, and the immense good they still do for souls, and I ponder the opportunity we have locally – probably the only such opportunity the vast majority of us will ever have – to build a church that can really make an artistic statement, can really contribute to the great artistic treasure of the Church (one of the few such contributions to have been made in our lifetimes), I just think, we cannot mess this up. I would happily trade 500 seats for an amazing reredo, or a stupendous altar, or marble-covered walls, or original works of art. Heck, there are warehouses full of the stuff in Europe and Mexico, removed from any of the several churches being torn down weekly. It’s not even that expensive, much of it, certainly not compared to making it from scratch, if such can even be obtained. Anyway, I won’t rant on that anymore. This post is already much longer than I intended, and few outside this Diocese of Dallas care, and understandably so.
First TLM in nearly 50 years offered at Dallas Cathedral Dec 30 – UPDATED January 9, 2018
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Restoration, Spiritual Warfare, thanksgiving, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
I sorely wish I had had the means to share this with folks before the event, but it was deliberately cordoned in a veil of silence. Nevertheless, an historic event occurred during the Octave of Christmas this year, when, on Dec 30 (thanks to KB and SB for the correction), a Traditional Latin Mass was offered at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dallas. Father Thomas Longua, pastor of Mater Dei FSSP parish, offered the Mass. Our family was unable to attend and I have received few reports on the Mass, the crowd, or the participants (I do not believe Bishop Burns participated), but there are a few pictures available.
Apparently the Mass was requested by some interested folks and new Bishop Burns, along with Cathedral Rector Stephen Bierschenk, approved. The occasion, in addition to the feast, was a retreat for the altar boys and their families.
The Mass took place at the side altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed. That is of course appropriate for the TLM – though our cathedral at one time had a most beautiful high altar, which was unfortunately and, I think it may be fairly said, callously ripped out during the wreckovations of the early 70s. Indeed, the former marble altar rail was turned into curbs for the parking lot! Just a slight triumph of expedience over piety……..
At any rate, some pics, and a bit more commentary below:
I am aware that this is not the first request to offer a TLM at the Cathedral. Certainly, it is not the first since Summorum Pontificum of 2007. So it is quite significant that approval was granted. There is a sense in this Diocese that our new bishop Edward Burns, is more sympathetic to traditional Catholics and the offering of the TLM than was his predecessor, Cardinal Kevin Farrell. There is growing hope that Bishop Burns may do away with the public, written policy instituted by then Bishop Farrell of banning offering of the TLM outside of the designated FSSP parish. Certainly there remains much unmet demand for the TLM, even with the explosive growth of Mater Dei, due to Mater Dei’s awkward location (I should know, I live near it and don’t want it to move) and the diocese’s size.
Nevertheless, it is certainly something to pray and hope for. The possibility appears much brighter than it did a year or so ago. Unfortunately, there was expressed a wish to keep this event quiet until after it happened, so we may still have a long way to go.
Compare and contrast the bare offering table above, and the former high altar:
I’m not supposed to say this, it might hurt “the cause,” but different religion, much?
UPDATE: A local confrere informed me that this was indeed the first TLM offered in the Cathedral at least since the ascension of the, ahhhh……..one might say problematic, Bishop Thomas Tschoeppe in 1970. Tschoeppe’s predecessor Bishop Gorman had apparently continued to offer the TLM regularly, until he was forced into retirement (very much against his will) in 1970. Bishop Gorman was known for his stalwart orthodoxy and adherence to the Faith he was raised in, the Faith of our fathers, Bishop Tschoeppe, for allowing the seminary to collapse into sodomitical anarchy and general liberalism. If what I am told is correct, one of Tschoeppe’s first acts was to oversee the wreckovation of the cathedral, including the altar rail cum parking curbs imbroglio. Anyway, a bit of local history.
Texas Catholic Culture – El Cristo de los Pescadores December 6, 2017
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, catachesis, episcopate, fun, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Interior Life, Restoration, the struggle for the Church.comments closed
“Christ of the Fishermen.” Reader LaGallina sent me the following description of a beautiful bit of Catholic culture, placed where the Brownsville Ship Channel meets the Gulf of Mexico (roughly).
From La Gallina:
The statue is called “el Cristo de los Pescadores” and is turned slightly to face the channel and greet the shrimp boats when they are coming back to shore. A Brownsville family brought this from Italy back in the 90s (I think) after they won a settlement with the shrimp boat company after their two sons were killed on the boat. They also hold a huge party on the grounds around the statue which includes a public rosary (with a gigantic rosary made by an elderly gent from Port Isabel), catered food for everyone (invited or not), fireworks, and of course the ever-present “matachines.” (Do you think the bishops before Vatican 2 had matachines dancers at their Catholic events?)
No, I don’t think so.
LaGallina also apprised me of Francis’ elevation of a Father Mario Alberto Aviles to be auxiliary Bishop of Brownsville. This is noteworthy for the fact that Fr. Aviles comes from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, which operates one of the few “canonically regular” TLM in the Rio Grande Valley area (the only other one of which I am aware is at the Brownsville cathedral, if that one is still going. Perhaps LaGallina can confirm).
Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville is reputed to be pretty solidly orthodox and relatively friendly to the TLM. Coming from a branch of the Oratorians based mostly in northern Mexico which is widely known for its liturgical and doctrinal orthodoxy (though it is quite small), it may be hoped that Bishop-elect Aviles may increase this disposition even more. I know several readers who have assisted at the St. Jude Thaddeus parish in Pfarr administered by the Oratorians, and they all speak highly of the beautiful TLM and solid catechesis offered there.
However, it should be noted that Bishop-elect Aviles hasn’t been pastor of St. Jude Thaddeus for 15 years, so I cannot really speak to his personal qualities or adherence to tradition. I am told he seems down to earth and pretty solid overall.
Now, El Cristo de los Pescadores. Very nice:
Statues like this, and even entire parishes, have long been dedicated to Catholic mariners in major ports around the world. For my money, one of the most beautiful parishes in the world, Our Lady of Bon Succours in Montreal, has a heavy nautical emphasis and a close association with the maritime trades. Why, several of the Apostles including St. Peter were, of course, pescadores, themselves.
It’s another aspect of the still heartbreakingly deteriorating Catholic culture that deserves widespread revival. Good on the family for dedicating a lovely statue like this to the shrimpers and other seafarers of the south Texas coast.
Lovely Video on the FSSP Seminary in Nebraska November 30, 2017
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, awesomeness, Basics, Christendom, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, Liturgy, priests, Restoration, sanctity, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
Via Rorate, a PBS News video on Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, NE. It covers the Gregorian chant that is of course a central part of the seminary’s daily life, as well as the CD the Fraternity produced last year. That record apparently “topped the charts.” I doubt that means it’s sold a million copies, but one takes what one can get. In fact, the second video gives a bit more coverage of the seminary’s vocal efforts.
I was tickled to see a local boy young man presently enrolled in the seminary around the 1:41-1:44 mark and at 2:14-7.
I wonder if the people who saw this segment thought: “Finally, some priests who look like priests?” Love to see all the birettas and cassocks! Bring back the tonsure!
A bit more for you:
The album is available for sale on most online music outlets, including the Christ-denying (well……) Amazon.
Was that a surprisingly friendly take from PBS?
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