Fr. Z's Blog

Today is the Feast of St. Thérèse de Lisieux.

I call upon her intercession today in a special way, for myself and for my benefactors.

One of my two 1st class relics of St. Thérèse, to whom I am grateful.

St. Therese probably saved my priesthood back when I was in seminary and it was “Ioannes contra mundum”.  What a sick sick place and time.  What a beautiful saint and powerful intercessor.

I have roses in my apartment tonight.

Moses approves even as he scrutinizes.

Remember the ivy (creeper) last spring?

Thanks to DM who helped me to upgrade my phone with the improved camera.  If you like my Rome photos, stop and say an Ave for him!

I do enjoy the Mondezzaro signs, the 18th c. “no dumping” signs posted by the Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Monsignor President of the Streets promising massive fines and dire corporal punishments. There’s one directly outside the sacristy door at The Parish.

I could describe what I might do to the nasty little wall piddlers were I the Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Monsignor President of the Streets.

I brought my register, “Missarum Diarium et Onera” with me for writing down Mass intentions when they come in.  An extra weight in the bag but… meh!  Red pen is used for writing the date of completion of the intention.

The first pages have the canons of the 1983 Code that cover Mass stipends.  Just to be clear about what we are doing.

The nominative of the Latin word for “stipend” would be stips, but it doesn’t occur in the wild in classical works.   It seems to come from a root meaning “heaped” or “compressed”, like coins in a heap.  So it means “gift, donation, contribution”.  Here is a shot of a page (sorry a little fuzzy after praising the camera… shooter error).  You can see this is for an institution which would receive many intentions, far far more than I.  It even breaks it down into what church, which altar, the city!   And… the spaces are TINY, perhaps because this merely refers to a larger register.   Anyway, I’ve been using multiple lines for each one and I write what I want where I want… which sort of defeats the format.   BUT.. the books says the right thin on the cover.

I thought I might come up with a new format for a register while I am here, print the pages, and then have it bound by my bookbinder.  That could be a good project.  No?  Format the page according to my own needs.   Hmmmm.

Here’s a lovely little chapel in the church across the way.  Look at the beautiful marbles.

In churchy news… NO FEMALE DIACONATE.  AGAIN.   Will the repetition do any good?   I doubt it.   I am tempted to feel a little sorry for those who are wasting their efforts on this.   It can’t happen for the simple reason that, in modern times, the Second Vatican Council in Lumen gentium said that the Sacrament of Holy Orders is one sacrament, not three, and it is conferred in three orders, two of which are priestly (bishop and priest) and one diaconal.  However, it is one sacrament, not three.  If the first two orders of the one sacrament can only be conferred on men, then all three can only be conferred on men.  It’s one sacrament of Orders, not a Sacrament of Priesthood and a Sacrament of Diaconate.

The Vatican’s Doctrinal Office today on the female diaconate: “the Dicastery judges that there is still no room for a positive decision by the Magisterium regarding the access of women to the diaconate, understood as a degree of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The Holy Father… pic.twitter.com/X8jAiXsacx

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) October 2, 2024

Also, a friend texted in our fun text group yesterday that the first session of “walking together about walking togetherity” was being streamed LIVE on Youtube and that we could watch it… if we had a need to cure insomnia. I can’t think of much worse to watch.

Also, and this could be big, it seems that a previously unknown manuscript of Benedict XVI has been published, The Christian Image of Man. The Pope wanted it to be published after his death. HERE

The retired pontiff wrote it between Christmas and Epiphany 2019-2020, entrusting it to Fr. Livio Melina, former head of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.

In the introduction to the newly published text of Pope Benedict, Fr. Melina writes that the late Pontiff “considered that measure unjust and unacceptable, and sought by various means to get those responsible to reconsider.”

Between August 2019 and January 2020, the emeritus Pope met with Fr. Melina seven times in his residence within the Vatican to discuss the Veritas Amoris Project, which seeks to continue something of what was originally envisioned for the Institute for Marriage and Family.

You can see where this is going.

In chessy news… HERE

Hey Fathers!  How about a clerical Guayabera shirt?

The sun rose over Rome at 7:06 and it is going to set soon at 18:52.

The Ave Maria today changed to the 1900 cycle.   It is the Feast of the Guardian Angels, to whom we owe so much joyful gratitude and… attention.

Angele Dei, qui custos es mei,
me tibi commissum pietate superna
(hodie, hac nocte)
illumina, custodi, rege, et guberna!
Amen.

Thank you, Lord, for this day.

A taste of last night’s edge of golden light towards the aforementioned sunset.

Notice the “mascherone” and the kids with the soccer ball.  Rome.

What greeted me this morning.  Click for larger.

I have my eye on a new place and I won’t have this view.   But I’ll get over it.

This isn’t the Feast of St. Raphael, but Raphael certainly was Tobit’s Guardian Angel!   This is one of the beautifully restored paintings at The Parish.

Breakfast with The World’s Best Sacristan™.

Last night we were bringing some things over to my place from storage and I saw that many of the lamps were blinking.  “What gives?”  Remember a couple weeks back I posted some video of a bad storm at Rome?  It seems that that storm screwed up whatever regulates the consistency of current (capacitors?) to these lights.

In the church across the way, dedicated to St. Jerome, St Philip Neri started his Oratory.  Here is a little inscription for those who are so inclined.  I know at least one of you are, because you asked for it.   There is interesting information in here for the history of the Roman Church.

TEMPLVM HOC CLARISSIMVM, OLIM S. PAVLAE, MATRONAE ROM.
DOMICILIVM S. HIERONYMI ECCLESIAE DOCTORIS MAXIMI HO
SPITIVM AC DIVTVRNVM S.PHILIPPI NERII DIVERSORIVM
VNA CVM ARA MAXIMA IN HONOREM S.DOCTORIS EIVSDEM
ERECTA (SVB QVA PRAETER SS:PRIMITIVI ET VITALIS)
RELIQVIAS EIVS TABVLA INCLVSAS ALIORVM PLVSQVAM
DVCENTORVM ITIDEM MARTYRVM CORPORA REQVIESCVNT
ILLM.VS ET RMVS D. CAROLVS ALBERTVS GVIDOBONVS
CAVALCHINI ARCHIEPVS PHILIPPENSIS RITV SOLENNI
CONSECRAVIT III KAL. OCTOBRIS ANNI MDCCXXXVIII
HVIVS VERO CONSECRATIONIS ANNIVERSARIVM FESTVM CELE
BRARI IN POSTERVM STATVIT. DOMINICA TERTIA CVIVSLIBET
MENSIS SEPTEMBRIS. QVA DIE XPI FIDELIBVS ILLVD DEVOTE
VISITANTIBVS PRAETER PLENARIAM QVOTIDIANAM ALIASQVE
PLVRIMAS SVMMORVM PONTIFICVM BENEFICENTIA ATTRIBVTAS
INDVLGENTIAS. ALIAM XL. DIERVM IN FORMA ECCLESIAE
CONSVETA PERPETVO DVRATVRAM CONCESSIT
ARCHICONFRATERNITAS CHARITATIS
NE REI MEMORIA EXCIDERET MONVMENIVM PONI CVRAVIT

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

In churchy news… I recommend a piece by my friend Robert Royal at The Catholic Thing about the empty rehashing of 70’s cliches in this round of “walking together about walking togetherity”.

Also, the Holy See is bleeding red ink. My spies say that the hunt is one for buildings etc. to sell in Rome to plug the hole. Gosh. I wonder what would happen if their “messaging” changed? But who am I to judge.

In chessy news.. HERE

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It began with optimism. It devolved into irritation.

The sun rose in Rome at 7:05 and WILL SET at 18:53. The Ave Maria bell should ring at 19:15. but it won’t.

There was hardly anyone entering JFK. Some people were waiting in the Sky Priority line. Soon I knew why. 2 agents- one on the phone for some 20 minutes with a single customer, the other like molasses in winter. After each person she walked away for a little while. Then we found pre-check had closed 45 minutes before the scheduled time. The subcontactors controlling access to priority passengers were not letting people in until a Delta Rep came by.

Half a mile of hurried concourse later….

I managed to get a decent bowl of soup in the lounge before schlepping to the gate.

UPDATE

pThe aisle setup is weird. They are sort of staggered.

33 is across from 32.

Also since I added my Italian SIM this app is trying to correct everything I write In English. This could become annoying – fighting hostile spell check in two languages.

UPDATE:

On the way in.  Iconic.

Home sweet home… until I find home sweeter home.  Please PRAY.

Another entrance.  To the parish.

You can see the death announcement of Giancarlo.   They buried him today.   I missed that too.

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

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The weather here has not been all that congenial for photos and we haven’t been to anything exotic and post worthy.   The only thing I can think to offer are samplings of the terrific Chinese food we (a group) ate on successive nights.   NB: Where I live, there is no good Chinese.   Therefore, I am happy to take advantage of the opportunity while it lasts.

Yeah, a lot of food was had.   It was all terrific.

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

HEY v.********@stonyhurst.ac.uk! My thank you note was kicked back. New email?

In churchy, sort of, news…

I like that Pres. Trump posted the St. Michael Prayer yesterday on Truth.

My friend Robert Royal talks with George Weigel about a new round of “walking together about walking togetherity”.

In chessy news… HERE

Please support the wonderful Benedictine monks of Norcia, who make great beer. I wish we had had their beer available for the Chinese food! That would have been a great match.

Also, the monks of Le Barroux now have available champagne and there is FREE SHIPPING until midnight tonight. Just go look at what they have available. You’ll help them and get good wines. Win win. FATHERZ10 for 10% off.

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 Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael, or the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time?

Tell us about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

A couple thoughts about the sign of the cross: HERE  A taste…

The Enemy is vast, cunning and relentless.  How vast?  Some have posited that an angel was assigned to everything that moved, which would make some sense out of ancient peoples watching the movements of the planets, etc., for insight.  However, with great telescopes we now see far beyond planets into the far beyond beyond the beyonds.  There are a lot of moving things out there.  That’s macro.  There’s also micro.  With great microscopes and colliders, we see subatomic particles of which atoms are composed.

[…]

In Rome the sun rose at 7:02 and set at 16:58. The Ave Maria Bell should have sounded at 19:15.

I am not yet in Rome but rather in Brooklyn hanging out with friends.

The flight into LGA was 30 minutes early, which is remarkable considering the crazy weather in the Eastern USA.

I have a couple days here, so this is Rome MINUS 2.

It is hard to believe that this is LGA…

Quiz…. which beer is mine…

In churchy news… we’ve learned that there is to be an Apostolic Visitation of the FSSP. The last one was 10 years ago. So… every 10 years whether it’s needed or not? HERE

I’m trying not to read too much into it.

Communiqué of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Fribourg, September 26, 2024

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) has recently been informed by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life of the opening of an apostolic visitation of the Fraternity. As the Prefect of this Dicastery himself made clear to the Superior General and his assistants during a meeting in Rome, this visit does not originate in any problems of the Fraternity, but is intended to enable the Dicastery to know who we are, how we are doing and how we live, so as to provide us with any help we may need.

The last ordinary apostolic visit of the Fraternity was undertaken in 2014 by the Ecclesia Dei Commission. As the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has been in charge of the FSSP and other former Eccelsia Dei institutes for the past three years, it now the competency of this Dicastery to look after the FSSP.

In chessy news … HERE

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St. Michael the Archangel Novena – Day 9

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Michael the Archangel, we honor you as a powerful protector of the Church and guardian of our souls. Inspire us with your humility, courage and strength that we may reject sin and perfect our love for our Heavenly Father.

In your strength and humility, slay the evil and pride in our hearts so that nothing will keep us from God.

St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may be protected from the snares of the devil, that we may avoid all occasions of sin.

St. Michael the Archangel, you are the prince of angels but in your humility you recognized that God is God and you are but His servant. Unlike Satan, you were not overcome with pride but were steadfast in humility. Pray that we will have this same humility.

It is in the spirit of that humility that we ask for your intercession for our petitions…

(state your petitions)

“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae caelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute, in infernum detrude. Amen.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.