Category Archives: Priests and Priesthood

Did Pope Francis insult some young priests? Fr. Z opines and tells a story.

This isn’t the sort of thing that should pull much of our attention or energy.  However, I have been asked about it in email by a surprising number of people, including priests. It seems that the site Messa in latino picked … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Francis, Mail from priests, Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries, The Drill | Tagged , ,
22 Comments

Female altar servers up, ordinations down

In once-Catholic Austria, now female altarettes outnumber male servers.  HERE Nearly a quarter century after the practice of female altar servers became licit, 55% of Austria’s 45,000 altar servers are girls, according to statistics published by the Archdiocese of Vienna. … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , ,
107 Comments

Fr. Blake on fake news, filthy lies, nasty people, anonymity, vilification and bile

From my friend Fr. Ray Blake, the great PP of Brighton: Did you believe the story about the Pope submitting his five dubia to Cardinal Mueller? No nor did I, I just don’t believe the stories that begin Monsignor A … Read More

Posted in Mail from priests, Priests and Priesthood | Tagged
9 Comments

Your Good News

Do you have some good news to report?  We could use some. Here is some good news… well… it’s also bad news.  I guess it depends on your perspective. One Quarter of Ordinations in France Belong to the Tridentine Rite … Read More

Posted in Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries | Tagged , ,
16 Comments

ACTION ITEM! Birettas for Seminarians Project ONGOING!

¡Hagan lío! I had a nice note from a reader who met a seminarian recipient of one of your birettas. Here at Fr. Z’s Samizdat, for now I’ll anonymize this “In The Wild” pic.  It is just better that way, … Read More

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, "How To..." - Practical Notes, ACTION ITEM!, In The Wild, Seminarians and Seminaries | Tagged ,
16 Comments

ASK FATHER: Bishops who forbid priests from saying Traditional Latin Mass

From a reader… QUAERITUR: I recently received a question concerning the Traditional Latin Mass. I was asked what can a priest do if his bishop stops him from celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass because he dislikes the TLM or disagrees … Read More

Posted in Canon Law, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Mail from priests, Priests and Priesthood, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged ,
10 Comments

ASK FATHER: Can a priest with little Latin say Mass validly?

From a reader… QUAERITUR: My Latin is not great will an ordinary form mass I celebrate in Latin be valid? Sure, Father, it would be valid. Language is a tricky thing.  There are almost always gaps in our comprehension of … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Latin, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged , ,
15 Comments

GUEST POST: 10 years of ‘Summorum Pontificum’ and its effect on seminarians

A GUEST POST from a reader… I have been meaning to write this for a little while but the holiday gives me a time to reflect on several observations over the past weeks and several years. This in light of … Read More

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM |
17 Comments

ASK FATHER: How to support a seminarian assigned to our parish?

From a reader… QUAERITUR: Our parish has received a terrific seminarian this summer. He comes from a great background and his older brother is a priest so he seems to have a strong support at home. My question is how … Read More

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries | Tagged ,
7 Comments

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.”

Fama volat, it is said.  No aphorism is truer than this when it comes to Rome all the way back to Virgil, who coined it. So, reminding everyone that we are in the realm of Rumor, I’ve been exchanging texts with … Read More

Posted in Canon Law, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Mail from priests, Priests and Priesthood, Seminarians and Seminaries, The Coming Storm, The Drill, Wherein Fr. Z Rants | Tagged , , , ,
30 Comments