Daily Rome Shot 1645: Homework

Posted on 14 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The World’s Best Sacristan™ sent this inscription which tells an interesting story.  To make it easier for you to provide us with your own accurate rendering, here is the transcription.

ANNO DOMINI MDCCLXIII
DIE FESTO S. PHILIPPI NERI XXVI. MAII
IOSEPH ANDERLINI DIOECESIS NOVARIENSIS
CAECVS
PERGENS AD ECCLESIAM S. MARIAE IN VALLICELLA
DVCTVS AB ANDREA ROTINI
DE EIVSDEM S. PHILIPPI MERITIS SIMVL COLLOQVENTES
HOC LOCI
SOLVS BREVI TEMPORIS SPATIO RELICTVS A SOCIO
IN HVIVS PVTEI LABRO SESSVS
PERICVLI NESCIUS IN PROFVNDVM PROLAPSVS EST
MINISTRATO AVTEM QVO SESE PRAECINXIT FVNE
NON SINE MIRACVLO INDE ILLAESVS EMERSIT
MVTATISQVE MADEFACTIS VESTIBVS
AD LIBERATOREM SVVM CVM SOCIO
GRATIAS ACTVRVS ACCESSIT
MARCHIO VINCENTIVS ORIGO MEMORIAE CAVSA POSVIT

It helps to know Latin when getting about in Rome.  It’s everywhere and packs a lot of information.

Welcome registrants:

salver
sam@farr*****.com

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance, utilities, groceries, and now also my late mother’s place.  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.  

 

White to move and mate in 5.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

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Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O.: 11th Ordinary)

Posted on 14 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Mass of obligation for this 3rd Sunday after Pentecost in the Vetus Ordo (11th Ordinary Sunday in the Novus Ordo)?

Tell us about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

A taste of what I offered at 1 Peter 5 this week.  I wrote about the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost but related it to the great feasts nearby.

[…]

Sin broke that order. Original Sin did not disorder only the soul. It wounded the entire material order in which man, its head beneath God, had been placed. Hence St. Paul can speak of creation as if it were personal, indeed almost maternal: “the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now” (Rom 8:22). The ?????? waits, not for annihilation, but for liberation from bondage to decay. It longs for “the revealing of the sons of God,” not what the sons reveal, but the unveiling of what they are in Christ. The old creation and the new creation are not two unrelated universes, one thrown away and another brought in as replacement. They meet in the flesh of the risen Christ. He is the hinge, the crossing point, the place where created nature is taken into indestructible union with uncreated divinity.

[…]

 

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YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS

Posted on 14 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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In your charity would you please take a moment look at the requests and to pray for the people about whom you read?

Continued from THESE.

Let’s remember all who are ill, who will die soon, who have died recently, who have lost their jobs, who are afraid.

I get many requests by email asking for prayers. Some are heart-achingly grave and urgent.

As long as my blog reaches so many readers in so many places, let’s give each other a hand. We should support each other in works of mercy.

If you have prayer requests, post them below.

You have to be registered here and approved to be able to post.

I received this request:

Dear Fr. Z,
I am writing to ask you for your prayers for our unborn baby who is experiencing a life-threatening diagnosis. We are praying that God will heal in our baby and allow him or her to be born safely and alive. Thank you for your prayers.

 

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Leo XIV to priests on the Feast of the Sacred Heart

Posted on 12 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I agree with Matthew Hazell, below.  It is refreshing not to be insulted and scolded.

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Brooklyn 26/6 – Day 4: Southbound and, yup, we did it again

Posted on 12 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
The Roman sunrise was at 5:32.Brooklyn: 5:24.The Roman sunset will be at 20:48Brooklyn: 8:27The Ave Maria there, 21:15.The Ave Maria where I will be… not sure, yet. Maybe around 8:40. But in Brooklyn it will be at 8:57.It is the Feast of St. Pope Leo III.It is also a MEAT FRIDAY, because it is the Feast of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. In the Church’s universal liturgical calendar, today is a solemnity.Welcome registrants:jsmith Kilo1Mike21 vivdscjA little more about Leo III.  He was Roman cardinal,  unanimously elected pope on the day his predecessor was buried. He lived amid tensions between popes and emperors over their rights and powers. Unlike his predecessor Adrian, Leo recognized Charlemagne as protector of the See of Rome, which earned him enemies among the Roman nobility. A mob attacked him, an cut out his eyes and tongue. He survived, was imprisoned, and was falsely deposed. His eyes and tongue were miraculously restored, and he escaped to Charlemagne, who escorted him back to Rome and put his enemies on trial. At Christmas Mass in 800, Leo crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor. As pope, Leo improved Roman churches and fostered a more unified Christian Europe through cooperation between Church and secular rulers.He shares a tomb with Sts. Leo II and Leo IV, just across from that of Leo I, “the Great”.  It’s a bit of a Leo den over in that corner of St. Peter’s.What’s better than too much Chinese food?Even more too much Chinese food!Again the xiao long bao.Fish braised with bok choy and ginger scallion.Cumin lamb.Tea smoked duck.And one guy – way over there – wanted some Kung pao ji ding.  It isn’t blurry because it was moving.The Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (SSPX) has made a video available.   It is quite well done.   I bring it to your attention because, as it seems to me, the SSPX is not widely understood.
YouTube thumbnailYouTube icon
White to move.  Mate in 4.NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

UPDATE

My view for a while.

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Brooklyn 26/6 – Day 3: Amatriciana

Posted on 12 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In Brooklyn today the sun rose at 5:24 (in Rome at 5:32) and it will set at 20:27 (in Rome at 20:48). In Rome, the Ave Maria Bell will not ring for the Curia at 21:15, but it will at The Parish™ at 21:18.

The only place it will ring in Brooklyn is on my wonderful Ave Maria Clock phone app… unless there are other people here, I hope, who have been classy enough to download it, at 20:57.

We decided last night, priests and some seminarians that is, decided not to go out to eat because of the Knick’s game and because of other activities we knew were going on at usual places.  Hence I made a huge batch of sauce for rigatoni all’aAmaticiana.     Alas, this is the only photo I thought to take.   However, since the guanciale is the only ingredient other than tomatoes, this is about the most important point.   After, you apply pecorino cheese as a necessary component.  I like also chopped parsley as a garnish.

There wasn’t much of anything left.   And we saved a lot of money staying in.

White to move and mate in 4.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

I think tonight we may be going back for round two of Chinese.

Meanwhile…

 

As it turns out, I may be in Philadelphia on 4 July! Cool?
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A few things I found today that I think are interesting

Posted on 11 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A few things I found today that I think are interesting

And

And

And

And

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Wherein Fr. Z rants. Benediction using the humeral veil BUT… blessings at Communion time? Fathers! THINK!

Posted on 10 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At the table, the post about humeral veils came up.  Just to review, the humeral veil used at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is a sign that the priest himself is not imparting the blessing.  The humeral veil hides and silences the priest because Christ in the Sacrament is giving the blessing while making use of His alter Christus to handle the monstrance.

My priestly meal companion then added that it is, therefore, an absurdity for a priest to give non-communicants blessings during Communion time.

Think about it.

The priest with his left hand is ostentatiously holding Almighty God, the Second Person of the Trinity sacramentally present in the consecrated Hosts in a ciborium.  As he distributes communion, people see the Host.

Then someone comes along and makes a gesture like holding a finger in front of the mouth or folding arms across the chest (which many Easterners do because they want to receive).

What happens then?   The priest, holding the Blessed Sacrament in one hand, gives his own blessing with the other.

This not a Novus Ordo v. TLM issue.   This is a blessings during the dedicated time for Communion issue.

Remember that the logic of the humeral veil is not just to give honor to the Lord in the Eucharist through the use of a beautiful sign of honor.  It is to erase the priest, as himself, from the giving of the blessing. It is the Eucharistic Lord, this time, not the priest.

At communion time, the priest, no veil in sight, holding the Lord in one hand, gives his own blessing with the other?

Put this along side the obvious point is that Communion time is for communion and that the Mass has a specific time for blessing.

Fathers, think about what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Priests generally have good hearts and good intentions.  But when sentimentality invades and eclipses the obvious, we wind up in a situation where the reasoning because: “As long as I consecrate the Eucharist validly then I can neglect to do X or chose to do Y which has nothing to do with the rites of Mass.

We wind up with well-intentioned jackasses waving guitars around or making fruit salad on Pentecost.

Blessings at Communion feed the disastrous and nearly universal praxis at the Novus Ordo that everyone has to go forward and get something.  Because you are there you must go forward.  If you go up there you should get something.  Therefore, they (percentage wise not a priest) put the white thing on your hand and, with a sense of approval, everyone sings a song (often a modern ditty about how great we all are).  Otherwise, if you sense you shouldn’t get the white thing, because it’s more than a white thing and you somehow were catechized about not getting the white thing if you’ve been bad, you still feel compelled to go up there because ushers are directing people pew by pew (pernicious, horrid practice to be abolished!) and everyone is going forward.  So, you at least want a blessing, right?  You want to get something along side everyone else.   And priests, feeling sorry or compassionate or – I dunno – give a blessing to the guy with the finger to his mouth or the gal with the crossed arms.  Smiles all around.   Let’s leave aside the problem of lay distributors of communion waving their hand around as if blessing.  What is that other than total confusion about everything?

Dear readers… dear Fathers… I know I am being hard on this, but I am trying to stress that these gestures all have their own meaning and those meanings can obscure really important realities.  And because of the lex orandi – credendi – et vivendi we are our rites.  When you change the rites, over time you change what people believe and, thereby, how they choose to live.

I sincerely don’t want to come off as a cynical meanie hard-ass, but blessing at Communion is a symptom of a wider problem.

Alas, I am aware that quite a few priests out there, so very well-meaning and hard-working and concerned for their flocks, have perhaps not given a lot of thought to these things. These poor and often long-suffering men are buried under administrative tasks, running to the four nursing homes and two other churches in their care.  They are under the peer pressure of their fellow priests to do these things, to conform.  Maybe they are nervous that some short-haired Karen will get her panties in a twist because she didn’t get a blessings instead of the white thing before the song and will write a nastygram to the bishop about the mean priest who hurt her feelings.  Another call from the bishop, who probably would not care about the meaning of these rites and their logic even if he grasped them.  The only thing the bishop cares about is not getting letters about priests who don’t conform to prevailing trend.  And so… he starts giving – keeps giving – blessings at Communion.

Satis.

If I am wrong about this, go ahead and change my mind.

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ASK FATHER: For Benediction why the humeral veil?

Posted on 10 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Father, you posted about the Divine Praises and Benediction and there is a photo in the post of Benediction.   I’ve wondered about something for a while.  Most of us are revolted by the regular reception of Communion in the hand because of particles and because lay hands are not consecrated like priestly hands.   In some traditional parishes altar boys have to wear gloves to take the chalice to the altar or handle a communion plate.   But at Benediction, which lay people can’t do, the priest uses a humeral veil to hold the monstrance which is a sacred vessel for the Host.  What gives?

So, my question is, if the monstrance is a sacred vessel, and the priest’s hands are consecrated for sacred vessels, why does he have to use a humeral veil for Benediction?

Okay!  Good question.  Some one is observant and thoughtful.

Veils are so very important in the Roman Rite.  My dear long lost friend the late and great Extraordinary Ordinary, Bishop Robert C. Morlino (shall men like him ever be made bishops again instead of what we now…. ehem… *cough*…. ummm…), once said in a regular talk he gave the chancery staff, that things cannot be revealed unless they are first veiled.  Therefore, I love this question.

You are right about the difference between the hands of the laity and the hands of the priest.   One quibble I have with your question is that deacons can now give Benediction also.  Their hands are not consecrated.  They are, however, Ministers of the Eucharist.

The humeral veil at Benediction is used precisely to make a point: the benediction (blessing) is not given by the priest as a priest, but by Christ Himself in the Blessed Sacrament.

Hence, the veil reveals (to the thoughtful and observant) a distinction of agency.

For most blessings, the priest blesses in virtue of his sacred orders.  He is alter Christus, another Christ. He raises his consecrated hand and makes the sign of the Cross. At Benediction, however, he does not bless with his hand. He covers his hands, takes the monstrance, and makes the sign of the Cross with the Eucharistic Lord Himself.  It shows that the LORD is making the Sign of His Cross as a blessing using the hands of the alter Christus.

The veil visually effaces – de-faces – the minister. The veil, if it could speak, is saying: “This is not Father’s blessing!  This is the blessing of Jesus, truly present before your eyes.”

This also explains why the priest does not say the usual blessing formula, such as “Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus…”.  For the blessing, the priest is silent as the High Priest blesses His people.

There is also a reverential, ceremonial dimension. The humeral veil is an ornament of honor, used when handling what is especially sacred such as when at Solemn Mass the Subdeacon stands at the foot of the alter behind the priest with the paten covered up with the humeral veil which he holds in front of his own face as if to make himself symbolically disappear from view.

How wise were those who lovingly crafted the sacred Roman Rite, handed down lovingly, reverently, from generation to generation for so many centuries.  As they celebrated with it over time and reflected and prayed and meditated about the rites, they would from time to time apply a little polish to make it dazzle the more or perhaps to remove a little scratch.  Then came the rite-smashers of the 20th century with their arrogance, who handled the precious living gift, organically developed and venerated, and treated it like a lawn mower needing repair or a set of legos.   And what did they produce?  A noise machine that also has elements that hurt, such as when you step on a lego with the foot you made bear out of desire to approach the bush burning with mystery.

I digress.

Wrapped in the so-expressive veil of honor and eloquent mystery the priest, though ordained and consecrated, recedes behind the sacramental presence of the Lord. His consecrated hands are at the service of mystery. The humeral veil teaches the faithful to look beyond the minister to the One whom he bears.

 

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Brooklyn 26/6 – Day 2: CHINESE

Posted on 10 June 2026 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Let’s continue for today with sunrise and sunset in Rome, which respectively are 5:32 and 20:47.

Today, however, the Ave Maria cycle for the Curial ringing of the Ave Maria Bell has shifted into the 21:15 cycle.

But you all know what time it should ring according to the actual setting of the sun.

Don’t you.

And if you don’t, there’s the great APP.

Welcome Registrant:

Cristo3g

My trips to and through Brooklyn will normally involve one big Chinese meal.   We over-ordered and brought goodies home.

We started and finished with

Then came the soup dumplings.   Always good.  Not the very best I’ve ever had, but quite good.

Because… veg…. right?

Wok seared cabbage and porkbelly.

Shrimp in garlic sauce.

Crispy shredded beef.

Working our way through the menu, peditemptim.

White to move and mate in 4.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

 

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