A Treasure To Be Shared

St Stephen Saint Stephen (Greek: Στέφανος, meaning "crown") was a first-century Christian, the protomartyr of Christianity. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was one of seven deacons selected by the Apostles in Jerusalem to manage the distribution of food to widows, chosen specifically for being "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6)." Filled with grace and power, Stephen performed great wonders and signs among the people, engaging in debates with members of various synagogues who could not withstand the wisdom of his words driven by the Spirit. www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20070110.html Stephen, falsely accused of blasphemy against Moses and God, was brought before the Sanhedrin, where he gave a long speech tracing Israel’s history from Abraham to Solomon. He highlighted God’s presence beyond the temple and accused his opponents of resisting the Holy Spirit and betraying Jesus, the “Righteous One.” O...

Pope Leo's letter that follows was read at the installation of Sarah Mullally. Some will inevitably claim the letter as an endorsement of her ministry, yet a more careful read will show a wise pope acknowledging that relationships between Christians must necessarily be founded upon truth and love, and there can be no real love without truth. MESSAGE OF POPE LEO XIV ON THE OCCASION OF THE INSTALLATION OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY To The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally Archbishop of Canterbury [Do not read too much into the use of a title. To state a title or rank that is used among a group of people is not an endorsement. Remember, the Catholic Church has her own hierarchy in England.] Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. (2 Jn 1:3) With this assurance of God’s abiding presence, I send prayerful greetings to Your Grace on the occasion of your Installation as Archbishop of Ca...

This past week the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document acknowledging the vital contribution of communities of the Personal Ordinariate to the spiritual health of the Church. The document highlights important aspects of the Ordinariate charism and the character of communities that have developed since Pope Benedict issued the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus on November 4, 2009, the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo. What are some defining features of the Ordinariate within the life of the Church? A Distinctive “Ecclesial Ethos”.  The Bishops first spoke of a distinctive “ecclesial ethos,” marked by the broad participation of both clergy and laity in the life and governance of the Church. This culture, grounded in relationships that shape the ecclesial life of each Ordinariate, is inherently consultative and collaborative . It is also characterized by a capacity to welcome converts into Catholic communion while preserving the uniqueness of their spi...

https://thecatholicherald.com/article/vatican-publishes-new-document-on-anglican-ordinariates www.doctrinafidei.va/en/documenti/characteristics-of-the-anglican-heritage-as-lived-in-the-ordinar.html Characteristics of the Anglican Heritage as Lived in the Ordinariates Established Under the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus 24 March 2026 During the Plenary Meeting of the Bishop Ordinaries of the Personal Ordinariates established under the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus (2009), held at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1 to 3 March 2026, His Eminence Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect, invited the Bishops to describe the lived experience of the patrimony at the heart of their Ordinariates, as it relates to how they have received and integrated elements that came from the Anglican tradition. The Bishops affirmed that, notwithstanding the vast geographical distances encompassed by their Ordinariates—from Inverness to Devon, from Edmonton to Or...

Loose Canon Our Protestant brothers and sisters—Evangelical, Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, etc.—follow the shorter Old Testament, so they have a 66-book Bible. Because Martin Luther disagreed with certain accepted apostolic teachings found in specific writings, he placed four New Testament books in an appendix, denying that they were divinely inspired: the E pistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James  (which Luther referred to as "an epistle of straw", the Epistle of Jude, and the Revelation of John.  Even though Luther tried to remove said books from the canon, both Catholics and modern Protestants share the same collection of New Testament books. There are Protestant writers who insist the early Church relied solely on Saint Jerome's list of canonical books and attributed to him the principle that only books written in Hebrew were to be admitted into the official Canon of Holy Scripture. That is a half-truth. Saint Jerome initially had doubts about the deuterocanoni...

Divine Worship: The Missal (2009) , the Mass of the Personal Ordinariates. Sometimes referred to as the Venerable English Mass. By whom and with whom and in whom, to thee, O Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory throughout all ages, world without end. R. Amen. The Ordinary Form of the Mass (Third Typical Edition 2002) in English Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever. R. Amen. The Extraordinary Form of the Mass Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri omnipoténti, in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, omnis honor, et glória. R. Amen. (Through him, and with him, and in him, to you, God the Father almighty, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory.) The Ambrosian (or Milanese) Rite [Et est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti] ex ipso, et per ipsum, et in ipso omnis honor, virtus, laus, et gloria, imperium, perpetuitas, et potestas in uni...

Burning Bush by Sébastien Bourdon Fifth Sunday in Lent Transcribed from the 1887 Cassell & Company edition by David Price. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. Exodus iii. 3 The historic Muse, from age to age, Through many a waste heart-sickening page Hath traced the works of Man: But a celestial call to-day Stays her, like Moses, on her way, The works of God to scan. Far seen across the sandy wild, Where, like a solitary child, He thoughtless roamed and free, One towering thorn was wrapt in flame— Bright without blaze it went and came: Who would not turn and see? Along the mountain ledges green The scattered sheep at will may glean The Desert’s spicy stores: The while, with undivided heart, The shepherd talks with God apart, And, as he talks, adores. Ye too, who tend Christ’s wildering flock, Well may ye gather round the rock That once was Sion’s hill: To watch the fire upon the mount Still blazing, like ...

Jacob recognizing the robe of his son Joseph | Anonymous Fourth Sunday in Lent by John Keble Transcribed from the 1887 Cassell & Company edition by David Price. Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother; and he sought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber and wept there. Genesis xliii. 30. There stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Genesis xlv. 1. When Nature tries her finest touch, Weaving her vernal wreath, Mark ye, how close she veils her round, Not to be traced by sight or sound, Nor soiled by ruder breath? Who ever saw the earliest rose First open her sweet breast? Or, when the summer sun goes down, The first soft star in evening’s crown Light up her gleaming crest? Fondly we seek the dawning bloom On features wan and fair, The gazing eye no change can trace, But look away a little space, Then turn, and lo! ’tis there. But there’s a sweeter flower than e’er Blushed on the rosy spray— A brig...

AWC Those souls ofttimes perusing these selfsame pages shall be well aware of a manifest inclination toward the upholding of the cassock and cotta. Not only do such vestments present a seemly aspect, preventing distraction by disarray, but also do they permit the server to recede into the scene, thus holding fast attention upon the divers movements or parts of the Mass. A cotta is a white vestment, typically knee-length or shorter, worn over a cassock by clergy, altar servers, and choir members. Made of linen or cotton, it symbolizes purity and humility. Shorter than a surplice—often stopping at the hip or mid-thigh—it can be decorated with lace or embroidery depending on tradition or occasion. The cotta originated from the alb, a long, full-length white garment. Square or Roman yoke Round yoke According to Ritual Notes the cotta "should reach half-way between the wearer’s hip and the knee." The vestment reminds the server of the white garment presented to him at his baptism....

Estne conflictus sola optio? Died-in-the-linen-or-polyester adherents of the Novus Ordo Missae and the Extraordinary Form, locked in a love-hate embrace—mostly hate (of the other) it seems—plug away at their respective polemics in ways that one wonders whether or not they love the very Church they claim to serve. One side brushes off the rubrical precision that supports an authentic  ars celebrandi , while the other rejects the use of the vernacular and an expanded lectionary. One side seems mired in liturgical abuses, the other preoccupied with conspiracy theories—at least, that’s how it appears if you take either set of opposing commentaries at face value. They remain in the uneasy comfort of their own stances, idly picking at a scab that only slows the healing process. Said actors seem to have missed a third way of being a Latin Rite Catholic. While many have been caught up in the pre/post-Vatican II fracas, there has appeared a missal brought together by a dedicated team assign...

THE CHRISTIAN YEAR by the REV. JOHN KEBLE Transcribed from the 1887 Cassell & Company edition by David Price. Third Sunday in Lent When a strong man armed keepeth his place, his goods are in peace; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. St. Luke xi. 21, 22. See Lucifer like lightning fall, Dashed from his throne of pride; While, answering Thy victorious call, The Saints his spoils divide; This world of Thine, by him usurped too long, Now opening all her stores to heal Thy servants’ wrong. So when the first-born of Thy foes Dead in the darkness lay, When Thy redeemed at midnight rose And cast their bonds away, The orphaned realm threw wide her gates, and told Into freed Israel’s lap her jewels and her gold. And when their wondrous march was o’er, And they had won their homes, Where Abraham ...

The Love of God Tactical retreats are necessary to attend to one's spiritual well being in the midst of the workaday world to better cooperate with God in the ongoing mission to share the Good News for the salvation of souls. Right Way The Way of Jesus is to take up one's cross and know that Jesus is wed to our lives, sharing our journey as the lover of our souls. Are we faithful to our spouse, the Lord? Asking of God the grace to enter into our wounds in order to grow closer to Christ makes a place in us for God, to grow in holiness and the love of God and neighbour. Without the mercy of God's grace, we might as well make of ourselves a hell in which we are never touched by love nor know the blessing of authentic freedom. As the saying goes: know Jesus, know peace; no Jesus, no peace. Likewise: know Jesus, know truth; etc. Saint John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church, offers wise counsel for making the most of Lenten practices. The earnest disciple would do well to take i...

A whale of a time? Well, what do you know? The Ordinary Form of the Mass is under attack once more. By now, word has probably spread far and wide about recent unusual acts, to put it mildly. Sword swallowing priest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkLmfuuV6pA&t=75s Whale sculpture in church.  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVKcE3FCC6b/ XANTEN, Germany — Serious concern has emerged after a life-size sculpture of a dead humpback whale was placed inside Xanten Cathedral, one of the country’s historic Catholic churches. The artwork, known as the Cast Whale Project and created by Gil Shachar, now lies prominently in the nave of the cathedral. Church officials say it is meant to symbolize the “vulnerability of creation” during Lent. However, many faithful Catholics view the installation as deeply inappropriate. Critics argue that placing the image of a dead animal inside a consecrated church undermines the sacred character of the sanctuary and shifts the focus away from Christ and t...