The Liguori Society

Altarboy blogger: Charlie J's "Chasubles and Chalices"

2011-07-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

Meet Charlie J., the young altarboy blogger behind "Chasubles and Chalices", subtitled "Life in a home schooled house with 4 sisters and a few animals!" With such young devotion for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass blooming in England and elsewhere, a boom in vocations to the priesthood cannot be far behind.

Thanks, Charlie, for your devotion to Our Lord and His gift of the Holy Mass. God bless you.

Pope Benedict's 'Letter to Seminarians': "learn to live in constant intimacy with God"

2010-10-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone who wishes to become a priest must be first and foremost a “man of God”, to use the expression of Saint Paul (1 Tim 6:11). For us God is not some abstract hypothesis; he is not some stranger who left the scene after the “big bang”. God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. In the face of Jesus Christ we see the face of God. In his words we hear God himself speaking to us. It follows that the most important thing in our path towards priesthood and during the whole of our priestly lives is our personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

To read the full text of Pope Benedict's Letter to Seminarians click here.

Priestly Vocations: "To God Who Giveth Joy to My Youth"

2010-09-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

A Priestly Vocation ~ Life at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary from Father Joseph Lee, FSSP on Vimeo.

"Boys Will Be Altar Boys"

2010-03-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

“When boys and girls are mixed on the altar, the boys tend to be less participative. They defer to the girls...”

"Parishes With All-Male Altar Service Corps Tout the Benefits"

From The National Catholic Register
BY Joseph Pronechen

The altar servers at Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park, Minn., are a sight to behold. In their white surplices and black cassocks — red for special feasts like Christmas and Pentecost — six carry candles, while others process in with the cross, Sacramentary and incense thurible and boat. Between 12 and 20 altar servers assist at every Mass, every Sunday. On special feasts, the head count jumps to more than 30.

And the most astonishing facet of the scene: All of the altar servers are boys.

To read the rest of the article at Roman Catholic Vocations, please click here.

Biography of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

2010-03-22T13:03:00.001-07:00

Saint Alphonsus Liguori (September 27, 1696 – August 1, 1787) was a Catholic Bishop, spiritual writer, theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious order. He was canonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI and declared a Doctor of the Church.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was born in Marianella, Campania in the Kingdom of Naples. He was the first-born of seven belonging to the Neapolitan nobility. Two days after he was born he was baptized at the Church of Our Lady the Virgin as Alphonsus Mary Antony John Cosmas Damian Michael Gaspard de' Liguori^[1]. Alphonsus Liguori went to law school at age sixteen, becoming a very well-known lawyer. He was thinking of leaving the profession, and wrote to someone: "My friend, our profession is too full of difficulties and dangers; we lead an unhappy life and run risk of dying an unhappy death. For myself, I will quit this career, which does not suit me; for I wish to secure the salvation of my soul."^[2] At the age of twenty-seven, after having lost an important case, he made a firm resolution to leave the profession of lawyer.

In 1723, after a long process of discernment, he abandoned his legal career and, despite his father's strong opposition (and reluctant consent), began his seminary studies in preparation for the priesthood in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. He was ordained a priest on December 21, 1726, at the age of 30. He lived his first years as a priest with the homeless and marginalized youth of Naples. He founded the "Evening Chapels." Run by the young people themselves, these chapels were centers of prayer, community, the Word of God, social activities, and education. At the time of his death, there were 72 of these chapels with over 10,000 active participants. His sermons were very effective at converting those who were alienated from their faith.

The saint suffered from scruples much of his adult life, and felt guilt about the most minor issues relating to sin.^[3] Moreover, the saint viewed scruples as a blessing at times, he wrote: "Scruples are useful in the beginning of conversion.... they cleanse the soul, and at the same time make it careful".^[4]

In 1729 Alphonsus left his family home and took up residence in the Chinese College in Naples. It was there that he began his missionary experience in the interior regions of the Kingdom of Naples where he found people who were much poorer and more abandoned than any of the street children in Naples.

On November 9, 1732, St Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, when Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa told him that it had been revealed to her that he was the one God had chosen to found the Congregation. This order's goal was to teach and preach in the slums of cities and other poor places. They also fought Jansenism which was a heresy that denied humans free will and barred many Catholics from receiving the Eucharist. He gave himself entirely to this new mission. A companion order of nuns was founded simultaneously by Sister Maria Celeste.

Alphonsus kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament in a 19th-century stained glass window of Carlow Cathedral.

Alphonsus was consecrated Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti in 1762. He tried to refuse the appointment because he felt too old and too sick to properly care for the diocese. During this time he wrote sermons, books, and articles to encourage devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1775 he was allowed to retire from his office and went to live in the Redemptorist community in Pagani, Italy where he died on August 1, 1787. He was canonized on May 26, 1839, by Pope Gregory XVI, and later proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871 by Pope Pius IX. He was named "Patron of Confessors and Moralists" by Pope Pius XII in 1950, who wrote of him in an encyclical "Haurietis Aquas."

Overview

Alphonsus was proficient in the arts - his parents having had him being trained by various masters of the arts - being a musician, painter, poet, and author at the same time. He put all his artistic and literary creativity at the service of the Christian mission and he asked the same of those who joined his Congregation. His biography says that, in his later days, he liked to go to the local theater, which at the time had a very bad reputation; after being ordained, each time he attended the recitals Alphonsus simply took his optic glasses off and sat in the last row, listening to the music and not paying attention to anything else.

Alphonsus wrote 111 works on spirituality and theology. The 21,500 editions and the translations into 72 languages that his works have undergone attest to the fact that he is one of the most widely read Catholic authors. Among his best known works are The Great Means of Prayer, The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ and "The Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament. Prayer and its power, love, his relationship with Christ and his first-hand experience of the pastoral needs of the faithful made Alphonsus one of the great masters of the interior life.

His best known musical work is his Christmas hymn Quanno Nascetti Ninno, later translated into Italian by Pope Pius IX as Tu scendi dalle stelle ("From starry skies Thou comest").

Mariology

In the field of Mariology, Alphonsus Liguori wrote The Glories of Mary, Marian Devotion, Prayers to the Divine Mother, Spiritual Songs, Visitations to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Virgin Mary, The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, and other writings. His Mariology, though mainly pastoral in nature, rediscovered, integrated and defended the Mariology of Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose and other fathers and represented an intellectual defence of Mariology in the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, the cold rationalism of which his often flaming Marian enthusiasm contrasted with.^[5]

Moral theology

Alphonsus' greatest contribution to the Church was in the area of moral theological reflection with his Moral Theology. This work was born of Alphonsus' pastoral experience, his ability to respond to the practical questions posed by the faithful and from his contact with their everyday problems. He opposed sterile legalism and strict rigorism - according to Alphonsus, those were paths closed to the Gospel because "such rigor has never been taught nor practiced by the Church". His system of moral theology is noted for its prudence, avoiding both laxism and excessive rigor. He is credited with the position of Aequiprobablism, which avoided Jansenist rigorism as well as laxism and simple probablism.

References

^ Knight, Kevin (2007). "St. Alphonsus Liguori". The Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01334a.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
^ Tannoja, Antonio. "The life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori" (1855) p. 30
^ Selected writings by Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori, 1999 ISBN 0809137712 page 209
^ The true spouse of Jesus Christ (The complete works of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori 1929 by Redemptorist fathers Press, ASIN B00085J4WM page 545
^ P Hitz, Alfons v. Liguori, Paterborn 1967, p. 130.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

Books

External links

Source: Wikipedia

Grazie alla Santa Sede

2010-02-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

...per la sua egregia visita:

Holy See (Vatican City State) landed on http://liguorisociety.blogspot.com/

Bravi

2009-12-06T12:03:00.001-08:00

Photo source: In Caritate Non Ficta

Viva Cristo Rey!

2009-11-21T06:08:00.001-08:00

The reign of Jesus Christ, Universal King through the worship of His holy Church. Now that's what you call liturgy!

Source: In Caritate Non Ficta

Say "No" to them?

2009-08-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

I dare ya!

Libreville, Gabon

2009-06-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

Acolytes assist at the the raising of the personal parish of Our Lady of Lourdes of the apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Libreville, Gabon by H.E. Basile Mvé Engone, Archbishop of Libreville. The event was been marked by a Pontifical Mass in the usus antiquior celebrated by Msgr. Mvé Engone, at which the bishop of Port-Gentil, Mathieu Madega, as well as ministers of the Gabonese government assisted. Images of the erection of the personal parish of Our Lady of Lourdes can be found at the website of the Institute.

(Thanks to The New Liturgical Movement.)

Altar boys in Canada

2009-05-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

At an ordination in Ottawa. More details and photos at The New Liturgical Movement.

Altar Boys at Lourdes

2009-04-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Altar boys assist Archbishop Burke at Lourdes, France.

Extraordinary Altar Boy

2009-04-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

On April 17, 2009, Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh, NC visited Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dunn to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on twenty-one candidates in the Extraordinary Form.

(Thanks to In Caritate Non Ficta.)

Live Action Acolytes

2009-04-14T20:03:00.001-07:00

Altar boys in Johannesburg, South Africa

2009-03-28T11:41:00.001-07:00

Will we decide to give this experience to all our boys and young men? Can it be that vocations to the priesthood are demanding more of us than we are presently willing to give?

((((..))))

"The 19th March was a special day at the Cathedral of Christ the King. Two boys from the parish community of the Cathedral served the Traditional Latin Mass for the first time. The boys only saw the TLM for the first time on the 2nd of December. But from that time Jonathan and Jordan Kayombo have been very eager to learn to serve the "old" Mass. Their mother, Constance, made sure that the boys practiced their Latin at home and very soon they were word perfect."

-- Visit blog for Una Voca, South Africa, to see more photos and the full story.

Back to the future

2009-02-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Altar boys, Palestine, 1956.

Altar boys at The Institute of the Good Shepherd: St. Eloi, Bordeaux

2009-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

What good could possibly outweigh the custom of offering boys and young men the privilege of associating with the work of the priest?

And this not in an ambiguous way which pretends their manhood is negligible or incidental, but precisely in a corporate sense as young men which is not possible except as it is reserved exclusively for the participation of young men?

Who can be expected to believe the Church sincere when we say that any prayer, sacrifice and effort must be undertaken for the sake of vocations to the priesthood except for the sacrifices which entail restoring the custom of altar boys?

(Photo: Thanks to The New Liturgical Movement.)

Priesthood "indispensable"

2008-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

"It is never too often said that the priesthood is indispensable to the Church, in the very own interest of the lay faithful. Priests are a gift from God to the Church. Priests must never delegate to the faithful [those] functions which are related to their own mission. Dear Brothers in the episcopacy, I ask you to remain desirous to help your priests live in intimate union with Christ. Their spiritual life is the foundation of their apostolic life. You shall exhort them gently to daily prayer and to a dignified celebration of the Sacraments, particularly of the Eucharist and of Reconciliation, as Saint Francis de Sales did with his priests. Every priest should be able to feel glad to serve the Church. At the school of the Curé d’Ars, son of your land and patron of all priests of the world, do not cease to repeat that a man can do no greater deed than to give the Body and the Blood of Christ to the faithful, and to forgive sins…."

-- from the address of Pope Benedict XVI to the Bishops of France on the Anniversary of his Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, Sunday, September 14, 2008

No caption necessary

2008-12-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

Just enjoy. And dream of the future.

Celibacy of priests always greatly esteemed by the Church

2008-12-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

In his new book, "Reflections on the Priesthood: Letter to a Young Priest" retired Francis Cardinal Arinze says, "The Church has always had great esteem for the celibacy of priests. Christ lived a virginal life, taught chastity to his disciples, and proposed virginity to those who are willing and able to follow a similar call."

"In priestly life, perpetual celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven expresses and stimulates pastoral charity," he added. "It is a special fount of spiritual fruitfulness in the world. […] It is a testimony that stands out before the world as an efficacious way to follow Christ."

The cardinal said that in today's world, "immersed in an exaggerated preoccupation with sex and the violation of its sacredness […] a presbyter who lives his vow of chastity with joy, fidelity and a positive spirit is a testimony that cannot be ignored."

Through priestly celibacy, the prelate continued, "the presbyter consecrates himself more directly to Christ in the exercise of spiritual paternity." He is more available "as a minister of Christ, spouse of the Church," and he can "truly present himself as a living sign of the future world, which is already present through faith and charity."

For more on the new book, visit Zenit.

(Photo of Francis Cardinal Arinze by Siena.)

"He spoke to us of God and he spoke to God of us."

2008-12-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Father Paul Parkerson explains the vocation of the holy priesthood.

(Photo: Fr Paul Parkerson, left, and Bishop Burbidge, of the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina.)

Emerald Isle "green" with vocations

2008-12-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

Irish Turn Corner On Vocations:
The Irish Times’ Patsy McGarry reported November 24 that the widely acclaimed “ vocations crisis” in Ireland is now “ a myth,” as Irish seminaries now boast the largest number of future priests in years, and the average age of entrants is dropping.
The national coordinator of diocesan vocations, Fr. Paddy Rushe, told The Irish Times that he expects the number of seminarians to double and triple in coming years.
McGarry reported: “ Noting that 30 men entered seminaries to train as priests in Ireland last September, with 31 having done so in September 2007 and 30 in September 2006, [ Rushe] contrasted this with the situation at the beginning of the decade when, in 2000 for instance, 13 men entered. Of that number nine were ordained last year. Of those entering in recent years, he expected that at least 18 would be ordained in each year. ‘ The problem is that when people sign up, it takes six or seven years for them to be ready,’ Fr. Rushe said.
“ This meant that ‘ we are only starting to see people emerge who signed up in 2001, which was a bad year for the Catholic Church as scandals broke and we were at the height of the Celtic Tiger.’ “ Should the numbers of seminarians continue to rise, he expected an influx of new priests to the Irish Catholic Church by 2014. He forecast that ‘in 2014 we will see twice, if not three times, as many new priests emerging’.”

(As reported by The Wanderer Catholic newspaper.

James Higgins, altarboy

2008-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

View this video and see the reason for altar boys: to bring young men closer to the priesthood and thus to the one thing necessary, Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist.

Padre Pio, Priest and Victim

2008-09-23T11:25:00.001-07:00

"O rex, dona mihi animam meam pro qua rogo et populum meum pro quo obsecro" [O King, let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request] (Esther 7:3).

"Souvenir of my first Mass.

"Jesus, my heart's desire and my life, today as I raise you up in trembling hands, in a mystery of love, may I be, with you, for the world, Way, Truth and Life, and for you a holy priest, a perfect victim." ( P. Pio, Capuchin.13)

Visit "Padre Pio, Priest and Victim" for most highly recommended reading for the Feast of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, Italy.

From Padre Pio, recounting the words of Christ to him in a vision:

"On Friday morning [28 March 1913] while I was still in bed, Jesus appeared to me. He was in a sorry state and quite disfigured. He showed me a great multitude of priests, regular and secular, among whom were several high ecclesiastical dignitaries. Some were celebrating Mass, while others were vesting or taking off the sacred vestments. The sight of Jesus in distress was very painful to me, so I asked him why he was suffering so much. There was no reply, but his gaze turned on those priests. Shortly afterwards, as if terrified and weary of looking at them, he withdrew his gaze. Then he raised his eyes and looked at me and to my great horror I observed two tears coursing down his cheeks. He drew back from that crowd of priests with an expression of great disgust on his face and cried out: "Butchers!" Then turning to me he said: "My son, do not think that my agony lasted three hours. No, on account of the souls who have received most from me, I shall be in agony until the end of the world. During my agony, my son, nobody should sleep. My soul goes in search of a drop of human compassion but alas, I am left alone beneath the weight of indifference. The ingratitude and the sleep of my ministers makes my agony all the more grievous.

"Alas, how little they correspond to my love! What afflicts me most is that they add contempt and unbelief to their indifference. Many times I have been on the point of annihilating them, had I not been held back by the Angels and by souls who are filled with love for me. Write to your (spiritual) father and tell him what you have seen and heard from me this morning. Tell him to show your letter to Father Provincial ...45"

Sacred Heart Church, "rich in vocations" and altar boys

2008-09-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

A server takes the place of one who formerly participated in the minor order of the Acolyte. Although this order has been retained while others have been suppressed and primarily relates to the role of distributing Communion and otherwise assisting the Priest-Celebrant, the boy who volunteers for this position in the Church’s Liturgy must realize the religious character of his undertaking. He is offering himself in God’s service and his lifestyle must reflect his closeness to the Sacred Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. His conduct must be as exemplary off the altar as it is while serving.

Any boy in Sacred Heart Parish in the fourth grade or above is eligible to be a server. After a period of training, he will be inducted into the program at a public Mass and begin a two-year period of probation. During the first year, he will wear a white robe. During the second year, he will wear a wooden Cross with his white robe. After that he will be privileged to wear the cassock and surplice, indicating his full membership.

http://www.sacredheartbowie.org/altarservers_manual.php

I think we have some 105 altar boys at Sacred Heart and a parish rich in vocations as we also pray for vocations after the prayer to St Michael after every Mass.

(Thanks to Gerry and wdtprs.com where this post originally appeared.)

An all-too-rare Catholic sight

2008-09-19T12:15:00.001-07:00

One of our readers sent in a link to the Arlington Catholic Herald drawing attention to a most Catholic sight that has been all but banished from our Catholic parishes. One should ask "why?"

When an option becomes, in practice, enforced as if mandatory, the eclipse of such beautiful and venerable traditions becomes all too inevitable. And a clear preference of the universal Church is discarded in the process.

Recommended for your viewing:

Altar boys in procession at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Gainesville, Va.

(Many thanks to the Herald and to Debbie R.)

Parish priest and Pope

2008-09-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

As recounted at Rorate Caeli, Pope Saint Pius X, pictured here as a young parish priest, remains a marvelous example for all those who have the "cure of souls".

Rorate Caeli illustrates the connections between this great Pope and the Patron of parish priests, Saint John Vianney:

"His life was mysteriously and providentially connected to the patron of parish priests, St. John Vianney, the Curé d'Ars.

"In the last year of Vianney's life, the young Sarto was ordained to the sacred priesthood - exactly 150 years ago, on September 18, 1858. While Fr. Sarto was a parish priest, Vianney was declared venerable. On the very anniversary of the Venerable John Vianney's death, Cardinal Sarto was elected the Successor of Peter. And it was Pope Pius X who beatified Fr. Vianney. Both were members of the Third Order of Penance (Secular Franciscans)."

Pope Saint Pius X shows us that in holiness of life are kept in balance both the "medicine of mercy" and the severity necessary to condemn evil. As Vicar of Christ he wrote: "the condemnation of error is itself a work of mercy since by pinning down error, those labouring under it are corrected and others are preserved from falling into it." (Iota Unum)

As this society seeks a renewed sincerity and single-mindedness in the apostolate of increasing priestly vocations on the part of the whole Church, so this saintly Pontiff is commended to all as a heavenly patron whose intercession will increase the flood of divine graces in this regard.

"the priesthood is indispensable"

2008-09-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

It is never too often said that the priesthood is indispensable to the Church, in the very own interest of the lay faithful. Priests are a gift from God to the Church. Priests must never delegate to the faithful [those] functions which are related to their own mission. Dear Brothers in the episcopacy, I ask you to remain desirous to help your priests live in intimate union with Christ. Their spiritual life is the foundation of their apostolic life. You shall exhort them gently to daily prayer and to a dignified celebration of the Sacraments, particularly of the Eucharist and of Reconciliation, as Saint Francis de Sales did with his priests. Every priest should be able to feel glad to serve the Church. At the school of the Curé d'Ars, son of your land and patron of all priests of the world, do not cease to repeat that a man can do no greater deed than to give the Body and the Blood of Christ to the faithful, and to forgive sins. ...

The Pope to the Bishops of France, 14 September 2008

Nothing will ever replace priests!

2008-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

"Christ has willed that His Sacrifice be renewed, in a bloodless manner, every time that a priest repeats the words of the Consecration over the bread and over the wine. ... Millions of times over the last two thousand years, in the humblest chapels and in the most magnificent basilicas and cathedrals, the risen Lord has given himself to his people, thus becoming, in the famous expression of Saint Augustine, 'more intimate to us than we are to ourselves' (cf. Confessions, III, 6, 11). ... The Mass invites us to discern what, in ourselves, is obedient to the Spirit of God and what, in ourselves, is attuned to the spirit of evil. ... [Christ] alone teaches us to shun idols, the illusions of our minds.

"Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ! Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests at the heart of the Church! Nothing will ever replace a Mass for the salvation of the world! Dear young people, and those not so young who are listening to me, do not leave Christ’s call unanswered!"

Benedict XVI
Mass at the Esplanade des Invalides, Paris
September 13, 2008

(Thanks to rorate-caeli.blogspot.com friends for inspiration and photo.)

Choose Vocation and Choose the Cross

2008-08-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

Saint Alphonsus Liguori is a model of hope in the midst of human oppositions. His own life shows the inextricable intertwining of the Lord's Cross and the life of anyone who chooses the priestly dignity, born of the graces and sacrifice of that same Holy Cross.

Since the Son of God established His Church on earth at the price of His sufferings, He does nothing great here below without using the cross as an instrument.
Alphonsus, having been called by Him to found the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, could not escape this rule. Hence how fearfully he had to suffer in his difficult undertaking!

When his project became known, all Naples was let loose against him; he was treated as a visionary, a fanatic, a deluded person, he was even proclaimed from the pulpit as a deplorable example of the fatal illusion of a victim of pride and presumption.
The assaults he had to undergo from his family and his friends were still more bitter to him. His father, a venerable old man, held him pressed to his bosom for three whole hours, speaking most tenderly to keep him in the paternal mansion.
The Propaganda of Naples, to which he belonged, called a meeting of the members against him, and with unexampled animosity unanimously expelled him, and even deprived him of his benefice. What shocks were these to his heart! But his confidence in God supported him against all human attacks and persecutions.

To cap the climax of his humiliations, he saw himself abandoned by his first companions; and this aggravated the public feeling against him. And, indeed, did not such an event seem to justify the public opposition to his project? Did not even God seem to take sides with his adversaries? Alphonsus needed all the faith of Abraham, to keep up his hope in this circumstance. “God does not need me,” he wrote to his director, (who was then also wavering,) “but I stand in need of God.”

He did even more; at the very height of his troubles, he pushed his heroism so far as to oblige himself by vow to continue the work he had begun, were he to remain alone to do it. This was the decisive point; his confidence was soon rewarded by the arrival of new companions.

(The above text was composed by The Servant of God Fr. Louis Bronchain, C.SS.R. 1829-1892. Art is courtesy of papastronsay.blogspot.com and Transalpine Redemptorists.)

Doing what is best for the needs of the Church

2008-06-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Is there a "half-way" between the Church's preference for having men serve on the altar and the desire to incorporate women? A dialog is necessary if the Church is to sincerely act as well as speak in favor of vocations to the priesthood.

A corps of altar boys that truly reflects the priesthood is the authentic and immemorial means to offer young men the opportunity to begin their discernment of the possibility of a priestly vocation. Can we not ask for sacrifice on the part of some in favor of a good for all?

One parish has taken action which calls for sacrifice on the part of some in favor of a more virile support of nascent vocations. From The Capital Times of Madison, WI:

Mazomanie church nixes altar girls

Pat Schneider — 6/25/2008 5:07 pm
Members of St. Barnabas Parish in Mazomanie say they are stunned to learn that the priests leading their Catholic community will no longer allow their daughters to be servers at Mass. From now on, only boys will be able to assist priests in the ancient religious rite.
The new policy was announced at a meeting with parents Tuesday by Rev. John Del Priore, who was assigned to the parish on June 1.

"It's an outrage," said Tammy Parks. "They said it was a good way for boys to be indoctrinated into being a priest." After letting her 11-year-old daughter know that she would no longer be allowed on the altar, Del Priore asked her 8-year-old son about his interest in becoming an altar boy, Parks said in an interview. "Not only is the priest discriminating against my daughter, he's teaching my son that that is appropriate behavior," she said. Parents at St. Barnabas are so distressed that there is talk of having the boys boycott altar duty.

The Catholic Church broke with centuries of tradition in 1994, when the Vatican said girls would be allowed to join "altar boys" in assisting priests at Mass.

It is up to the local bishop to decide whether to allow lay women, or girls, to serve when needed, said Brent King, director of communications for the Madison Diocese. Female servers have been allowed in the Madison Diocese, King said, but it is ultimately up to each individual priest to decide whether he needs help at the altar. Priests may ask whomever they wish to assist them, so long as that person is a Catholic in good standing, King said.

He stressed that servers take on the duties of acolytes, traditionally a low clerical rank.
"Neither lay women nor lay men have the right to carry out the function of acolyte," King said.
Altar service is being reserved for boys to promote vocations to the priesthood, Rev. Jared Hood, one of a group of priests that serves the St. Barnabas cluster, said in an interview. Hood said he is a member of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, a religious order that ministers to boys to inspire them to become priests. The order offered its services to the Madison Diocese, which is consolidating parishes because of a shortage of priests.

"Very many priests began as altar boys," Hood said. "Without contact with a priest it's difficult for boys to even think about a vocation as a priest." He first learned about the order of which he is now a member as an altar boy in New Jersey, he said.
Four priests from the order now oversee a cluster of five parishes: St. Barnabas, St. Aloysius in Sauk City, St. Norbert in Roxbury, St. John the Baptist in Mill Creek, and St. Mary in Merrimac. Hood said boys only will be servers for each of the parishes.
That's been the case at St. Aloysius for more than a year, and the furor that met the change in policy has evaporated, said Ann Cicero, a secretary for the parish whose sons serve as altar boys.
The commitment by parish boys to altar service is proof that it's right to reserve it for boys, she said. When girls were allowed to be servers, it became less popular among boys. Now that it's a thing for boys only, they revel in it.
Besides, having girls on the altar is misleading about what the church is about, she said.
"Women are not ordained," Cicero said.

The boys meet weekly with priests for training, spiritual growth and outings as the group, St. Michael Altar Guild, a practice that strengthens their ties to the church and parish community, she said. Girls, too, meet regularly and do things "more appropriate for girls."
Cicero said several young boys have begun to talk about vocations to the priesthood.
Jim Schmitt of Mazomanie said that for his 11-year-old daughter, being an altar girl was a way to give back to the church.

Today a Madison firefighter, Schmitt said he was an altar boy at Queen of Peace parish in Madison. He took pride in that role, but never thought of it as preparation for a vocation as a priest. It was a tradition, though. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather all had served as altar boys.
"If someone has a vocation, how does serving with a girl interfere with that?" Schmitt asked. "I don't see why we're regressing."
Parks, an attorney, said discrimination is significant issue for her personally.
"To have it in my own by parish, by my own priest, is repugnant," she said.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, patron of priestly vocations, pray for us.

The Church has an identity

2008-06-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

"...it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar."

(Circular Letter to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences, March 15, 1994, no. 2).

The Church knows who she is and what is best for her life and mission, as does every organization on earth.

The Church knows that the Eucharistic Presence of her Divine Founder, the God-Man, is necessary for her existence and so, therefore, also are priests who make the Lord truly present in their celebration of the divine Liturgy.

All things given to holy Church which encourage the flourishing of vocations to the priesthood are to be held as primary to, and preferred over, anything which simply expresses the temporal desires of individuals which may or may not be simply a distracting fascination with worldly and superficial fashions or trends.

The Church prefers and lauds the service of men on the altar, evident simply by pointing to her long and immemorial traditions.

For these reasons it is a good and holy thing to uphold, support and actively encourage the reservation of roles of service at the altar to boys and men.

Corpus Christi Procession

2008-05-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Members of the Liguori Society sponsored the procession for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi at the Church of Saint Philip the Apostle on 25 May.
The thurifers are vested in festive red and lead the procession from the church.
We pause to give honor to our Eucharistic Lord using incense to symbolize our praise and adoration.
The Umbraculum—Italian: Ombrellino (from Latin umbra 'shade' for a sun-umbrella) — is a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church and the authority of the Lord vested in it, particularly in the person of the Supreme Pontiff, Saint Peter and his successors in the papacy.
The name of the "monstrance", the gold sunburst-shaped vessel used to carry the host in procession, comes from the Latin word for "to show". The Blessed Sacrament is placed inside a glass window so that the faithful can see the Lord and adore Him.
The faithful following their Lord in procession chant the Litany of the Sacred Heart in traditional Gregorian style.
We pause at the Marian shrine for Benediction, the blessing of the faithful by the Lord truly present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
"O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, we adore Thee! Amen! Alleluia!"
Thanks to Ben Rose for photos and Clare Rose for technical support.