A Treasure To Be Shared

But our understanding is often too limited, our expectations too low, in comparison with what God has planned. When we allow Our Lord to take the driver’s seat in our lives, in complete submission to His Will, His destination is not the end of the line. It is the beginning of the journey. He often delays, and even detours, only to manifest His sovereign wisdom and bestow His best. - Elizabeth A. Mitchell Ex Umbris et Imaginibus in Veritatem! (From shadows and symbols into the truth!) Epitaph at Edgbaston. Knox was engaged in a theological discussion with scientist John Scott Haldane. 'In a universe containing millions of planets,' reasoned Haldane, 'is it not inevitable that life should appear on at least one of them?' 'Sir,' replied Knox, 'if Scotland Yard found a body in your cabin trunk, would you tell them: 'There are millions of trunks in the world; surely one of them must contain a body? I think they would still want to know who put it there'....

Guests start to arrive. A group of 120+ people signed-up for and attended a most enjoyable catered afternoon of burgers, salads, hot dogs, and parishioner provided desserts. The picnic was held at a farm belonging to a family of the Victoria Ordinariate. Games were provided for children, youth and adults. The weather was beautiful, warm with a light breeze. Families from the Latin Mass community also attended. The event concluded with Compline. Homemade pie! 'Loosen The Laces' shoe toss. "Look ma... no hands!" Pre-launch Sequence Piñata Catechesis 60yrs+ Stride Competition Competitors were permitted two large steps toward the finish line every time their card was drawn. Water balloon toss - a successful catch! Another successful catch! Getting ready for Sung Compline.

Exodus 15:3 The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is His name. Psalm 18:34 He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle; Psalm 24:8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Psalm 18:39 For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. Jeremiah 4:19   My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war. St. Matthew 24:3-8 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. A...

From the SJHN facebook page (private group): Delighted that our signed Diploma of Affiliation with the Archconfraternity of St Stephen (aka the Guild of St Stephen) arrived today. The organisation for altar servers was founded in England in 1904 by Fr Hamilton McDonald. In 1934 the Guild was extended to the (now) Commonwealth ('in omnibus provinciis Imperii Britannici').

Gone to the dogs. Deacon Anthony Dilenno of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia | JMonaco We are what we pray. We live the way we pray. People who scoff at the idea that by saving the Liturgy one saves the world tends to confirm a lack of liturgical literacy. Even with more than five decades of hearing the phrase the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life (Lumen Gentium 11), most Catholics, it seems, or at least those who have little respect for the manner in which the Mass is celebrated, do not realize that what they do to the Liturgy they do to Christ. There should be little surprise that parishes are in decline when so little reverence is offered to Christ in the Liturgy. A lack of reverence demonstrates a lack of humility. A lack of humility demonstrates a lack of faith. Saint Matthew 13: 57-58 But Jesus said unto them, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." And he did not many mighty works there because of their u...

Blethering Place? Verger Posse https://saintgregoryordinariate.org/about/staff/but-what-is-a-verger/ The Verger by Somerset Maugham https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/Maugham_The_Verger_0.pdf Excerpt The verger busied himself quietly, replacing the painted wooden cover on the marble font, taking away a chair that had been brought for an infirm old lady, and waited for the vicar to have finished in the vestry so that he could tidy up in there and go home. Presently he saw him walk across the chancel, genuflect in front of the high altar, and come down the aisle; but he still wore his cassock. `What's he 'anging about for?' the verger said to himself. `Don't'e know I want my tea? Brand-ishing his virge. Serious Mace 58. Verger's Staff, the use of which is recognized in the Ceremonial of Bishops (Book 2 chap xxvii. n. 5), is usually surmounted by an emblem of the Patron Saint of the Church, or some other appropriate design. - pp. 17-18, The Sac...

The Anglican Patrimony in Communion with the Catholic Church is... . not either/or but both/and , not old or new but old and new , a way of being and doing, seeing and hearing, that honours and conserves the truth and expresses the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ in timely ways for the salvation of souls. the Asperges and the Vidi Aquam , the ritual accompanied by inspiring English plainchant. Merbecke chants that are easy to learn and that give primacy to the text of the Mass, which allows one to memorize the prayers of the Mass and by so doing pray the Mass with heart and head united in the word of God. Scripture saturated prayers. Memorials of great saints such as Alban, British protomartyr, and Augustine of Canterbury. Simnel Sunday and Simnel Cake! Mmm! exquisite vestments that point to the glory of God and the saints, to beauty and to virtue. Requiem Masses of a truly awesome and sobering kind. relics in reliquaries placed on the gradine. rood screens. Gotta say that reverence f...

Legislation cannot change historical facts. Nor can an act of legal positivism determine what is or is not part of the lex orandi of the Church. - Dom Alcuin Reid The tendency today is to subordinate the dogmatic to the pre-dogmatic: to set up putative power relations and concepts such as oppressor and victim as the framework for interpreting dogmatic statements. Dogma thereby loses its priority and becomes a tool for manipulation. We should eschew such approaches. Read 2 Corinthians, the most personal of Paul’s letters, and then read 1 Corinthians, taking note of how Paul’s experience of ministry is shaped by his understanding of the cross of Christ. His is a dogmatic testimony, whereby his suffering (and victimhood) does not provide the framework for understanding the dogmatic content of the faith. Quite the reverse: For Paul, the faith is the framework for understanding his experience. Dogma is foundational and provides the lens by which everything else is to be understood. And it ...

Consider for a moment the possibility that the Personal Ordinariates established by the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus are an authentic realization of a  via media , a true middle way that faithfully embodies and celebrates the received  lex orandi lex credendi of the Church that makes real the need to communicate faithfully to men the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ for our time and times to come. Mankind has not returned the embrace. Divine Worship: beautiful prayers in a beautiful vernacular. What ICEL overlooked, the Personal Ordinariates captured. For all his faults, Cranmer was a master of languages. His work could have been borrowed to ensure the beauty of the Mass could be realized in the vernacular. Thankfully, his translations and compositions have been preserved in the Personal Ordinariates, and when necessary, purified to accord with Catholic doctrine. The Anglican Patrimony received into communion with Holy Mother Church is a treasure to be shared! S...

A Bloat of Hippos A murder of crows, we know. A herd of bison, sure. A flock of seagulls, of course. a quandary of bishops? a travesty of priests? a quarantine of parishioners? a bouquet of nuns? a contagion of monks? a gambol of monsignors? a nest of sextons? a tedium of vergers? a flurry of altar servers? a collision of acolytes? a farce of bell-ringers? a trial of cruficers? a commitment of thurifers?

Dante, Divine Comedy, Inferno* But because fraud is man’s peculiar vice, More it displeases God; and so stand lowest The fraudulent, and greater dole assails them. - Canto 11, Inferno Are we doing obstinate public sinners (who are taking advantage of the vulnerability of Christ in the Holy Eucharist) any favours by coddling them? Tolerating their twice bad behaviour - 1) their cooperation with horrific evil (state sanctioned murder of unborn children) and 2) their sinful pride and boasting about their diabolical behaviour - is not helping them. Pelosi, Biden, and the recalcitrant Dems who signed their "We're gonna have our host and eat it too" document , they've made their choice and are frauds for it. (T)he Eight and Ninth Circles, in which the Fraudulent are punished. The Eighth Circle is called Malebolge, or Evil-budgets, and consists of ten concentric ditches, or Bolge of stone, with dikes between, and rough bridges running across them to the centre like the spoke...

Getty Image Acolite: bantamweight altar server Asperges Syndrome: when a priest "sprinkles" a torrent of holy water over the congregation Blessed Verger Murray: bouncer of the knave; not to be confused with Our Lady. Boat Buoy*: pelagically savvy youth who wrangles boats (*British and Westcoast Canadian pronunciation) Deacontaminate: incensation of a deacon Grand Ole Orphrey: down home vestment decoration, popular with the folk Mass crew Pall: liturgical sneeze guard Sacrusty: a prep room overdue for a thorough cleaning Traditionis Custodes: a magazine for sextons Vespers: favoured scooters that British-Italians drive to Evensong

A photo is worth...? Below is a photo of two parishioners at a parish church of the Archdiocese of Seattle scheduled to be shut. Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times Look closer. Square and Compasses Masonic symbol HG 31: "As Our predecessors have many times repeated, let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them." -  Humanum genus , papal encyclical promulgated on 20 April 1884 by Pope Leo XIII. It would seem obvious to anyone with their eyes open for the past 50 years that a contributing factor as to why parishes are dying or dead, and are being closed, is that complacency and ideologies incompatible with the Gospel have taken root. Corroborating evidence? too many Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence too many Catholics hold anti-life beliefs too many Catholics reject Church teaching on marriage and sexuality Instead of bastions of orthodoxy to combat de...

Divine Worship Missal Errata   H/T Wilkinson/Brand Page 157 : Tract, line 4: Replace the comma after  Manasseh with a period: Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manesseh, > Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manesseh. Page 170 : Gradual, missing verse division: insert line break and V. , as below: He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and as a bridegroom, coming out of his chamber. V. His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit even to the end thereof. Page 200: insert same to Spirit in the Collect. Page 245 : Communion incipit: Correct spelling from Intellige  to  Intellege Page 286 : Introit, incipit:  Cum sanctificatus  should be  Dum sanctificatus Page 294 : Introit, line 6: Insert me after bring : and bring me unto thy holy hill    Page 304 : Collect, line 1: Insert a comma after O Lord . O Lord, in whose Passion Page 340 : stanza 5 of O Redemptor : parts of two lines are missing.  The stanza should read, adding t...