Children lead the procession

In a wonderful stop-motion photo of the beginning of the bi-diocesan Corpus Christi procession on June 6th, the photographer, Elaina Cochran shooting for The Leaven newspaper caught the lead children leaving the doors of Old St. Patrick Oratory by beginning to spread flower petals over the path of the Holy Eucharist to follow.

According to "The Catechism Explained" authored by Rev. Francis Spirago, © 1921, children take the lead in solemn processions because their greater innocence renders them more pleasing to God.

Holiday Celebrations Get An Early Start

From our den window, we were entertained last night with a lovely fireworks celebration from what we believe was the Kansas City Country Club a mile or so west of us. Also, this photo shows a bright Venus clearly in the western sky.

Bishop Finn's recent homily on the occasion of the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva founder of Opus Dei

This is very much worth the five minutes it will take to read this superb message:

Homily for Mass of St. Josemaria Escriva

June 26, 2010 – Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish

Most Reverend Robert W. Finn

Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Wonderful story...Unbelieveable Photograph

Please read before viewing the following picture -

it's worth it!

Although the event described in the post below took place over 10 years ago, only recently did we become aware of it. It should be 'The Picture of the Year,' or perhaps, 'Picture of the Decade.' It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas , who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner.

The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta . She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr.Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. DrBruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, 'Hand of Hope.' The text explaining the picture begins, 'The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.'

Little Samuel's mother said they 'wept for days' when they saw the picture. She said, 'The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person.'Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome....incredible.....

Please pass the link to this post on. Everyone should see it!

György Kristóf Csanaky

Son of Ivan and Cecelia Csanaky, good friends of Old St. Patrick Oratory who have helped us on numerous occasions in the choir loft with their beautiful and professional singing talent. Born on June 16, 2010 weighing 9 lbs and 6.8 oz. He will be baptized as a parishioner of the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Latin Mass Community this next Saturday at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Kansas City, KS. Oratorians extend their best wishes to the Csanaky family.

New roof overhead at Old St. Patrick

You may not have noticed, but there is a new roof on the Oratory. Our understanding is that there was some storm/hail damage to the roof about a year and a half ago and that the insurance settlement agreement was recently completed. The damage was on one side of the roof only so that was covered by the insurance, however Canon Avis and the Institute decided to go ahead and re-roof the other side at the same time to save some expense.

To do this work now, in order to prevent water leakage onto our new (and very expensive) interior paint job was considered essential.

A little nostalgia this afternoon

Don't get me wrong! We have absolutely no regrets about our move to the beautifully re-done Old St. Patrick. But, we ran across this special artfully composed photo of Our Lady of Sorrows and couldn't help be a little nostalgic about our former home for Latin Mass for about 15 years. Our Lady of Sorrows is a stunningly beautiful church home that was perfect for the celebration of the Mass of the Ages. We've certainly been very fortunate to have had two of the nicest church homes in the entire diocese. This photo was taken by Neal60 (sorry, we don't have the name of the photographer, but you can see more examples of his work by clicking here.)

Angels get their pedestals at last

Unfortunately, we forgot our camera this morning and don't have a new photo of the beautiful pair of angels guarding either side of the sanctuary that are now mounted on their new pedestals. This photo to the left was taken during the October, 2008 consecration ceremonies. The angels were donated by Bob and Alice Umphress and since the completion of the renovation have sat at the base of pillars. Now they have their long-planned places of honor on concrete pedestals also donated by the Umphresses and painted by Joe Farris.

If you are interested here is some more information about the the history of these beautiful icons and how they came to the Umphresses' extensive collection of ecclesiastical art, click here for the previous post.

Meet David Wilson.

Yesterday afternoon the Blue Army organization held its Rosary Rally at Old St. Patrick. This regular monthly devotion of saying of the full Rosary has been continuously held around the two dioceses for over a quarter century. The Blue Army, a public association of the faithful, was formed in the late 1940's and early 50s to spread the message of Fatima.

When you attend in the Kansas City metro area, the man who leads the devotions, as he has for 15 years or so, is David Wilson. If you've been to a Rosary Rally you know that David's rich and pleasant baritone voice fills whatever church they have been invited to. But, you probably don't know that David and his wife Kathy make a 160 mile round-trip commute every time to do this from their home in Rossville, Kansas.

David and Kathy Wilson were previously members of the Latin Mass Community at Our Lady of Sorrows for a number of years before they relocated to rural central Kansas about 15 years ago. The Wilsons are also parents of Mother Gemma of Jesus of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles sisters north of Kansas City.

All KC-SJ and Kansas diocese Catholics who attend Rosary Rallies have come to truly appreciate the Wilsons' leadership of the monthly event and their unselfish devotion to the Holy Rosary and bringing it to the faithful regularly.

Dreary Saturday

Last year when Canon Avis introduced the laudable practice of praying for good weather after Sunday Low Masses, we did a post on it here on the blog. Since we resumed occasional posting on this OSP community blog a month or so ago, we've received about 10 visits a week from people who are looking for a prayer to protect from bad weather and found our post on Google and other search engines. Looking out the window today into a steady downpour reminded us to be sure to pay particular and concentrated attention to tomorrow's prayer after 8:00 a.m. Mass.

Here's a portion of the prayer that we do at Old St. Patrick Oratory. "We beseech Thee, O Almighty God, through the intercession of Holy Mary, the Mother of God, of the holy angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, widows, and of all Thy saints that Thou show us Thy continuing protection, permit tranquil winds, and also pour out to us, Thy unworthy servant, Thy safety from heaven above against lightning strikes and violent storms, and that Thou remain always protective of the human race and crush down the aerial powers by the right hand of Thy power. Through the same Christ the Lord....".

Two and a half minutes of Heavenly Music from the Catholic Music Assocation of America

To find out more about this organization of singers and musicians who love the traditional music of the Church, click here: Musica Sacra.

To listen: Click on the "go" arrow.

Have you ever heard of the heresy of "Immanentism"?

We recently ran across this term, were not familiar with it, and were curious about its derivation and anatomy. Unfortunately there's not much available in the typical sources. In 2001, Father Chad Rippinger, FSSP wrote a scholarly article in Latin Mass Magazine that touches on this philosophy and the deleterious effect that it had on the development and growth of the philosophy and belief in the wake of V.II of the rejection of ecclesiastical tradition. We thought you might like to read a little of this essay.

"(The) three sources of immanentism as they influenced the Church during the waning of an intellectual phase of Modernism in the 1950s and early 1960s provided the foundation for a psychological break from tradition as a norm. As Peter Bernardi observes, Blondel (Maurice Blondel, a French philosopher) was “working at a time when the Church was just beginning to become conscious of a certain break in its tradition.” The work of Blondel and the influx of the other modern philosophical points of view, which were antithetical to the ecclesiastical tradition, had a drastic impact on Vatican II. By the time Vatican II arrived, the intellectual foundation was in place for a systematic rejection of all aspects of ecclesiastical tradition.

Blondel and others, under the influence of modern philosophy, thought that modern man could not be satisfied with past ways of thinking. They provided an intellectual foundation upon which the Church, with a Council as a catalyst, could “update” itself or undergo an “aggiornamento.” With the foundations for the extrinsic tradition having been supplanted, the extrinsic tradition was lost. In other words, since the view of man had changed and since the view of the Deposit of Faith was subjected to a modern analysis, the extrinsic tradition, which rested upon these two, collapsed. We are currently living with the full-blown effects of that collapse. Catholics today have become fixated on the here and now, and in consequence the Church’s traditions have come to be treated not only as irrelevant but also as something to be distrusted and even, at times, demonized.

This has had several effects. The first is that those things that pertain to the extrinsic tradition and do not touch upon the intrinsic tradition are ignored. This manifests itself in the fact that some ecclesial documents today do not have any connection to the positions held by the Magisterium prior to the Second Vatican Council. For example, in the document of Vatican II on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, there is not a single mention of the two previous documents that deal with the ecumenical movement and other religions: Leo XIII’s Satis Cognitum and Pius XI’s Mortalium Animos. The approach to ecumenism and other religions in these documents is fundamentally different from the approach of the Vatican II document or Ut Unum Sint by Pope John Paul II. While the current Magisterium can change a teaching that falls under non-infallible ordinary magisterial teaching, nevertheless, when the Magisterium makes a judgment in these cases, it has an obligation due to the requirements of the moral virtue of prudence to show how the previous teaching was wrong or is now to be understood differently by discussing the two different teachings. However, this is not what has happened. The Magisterium since Vatican II often ignores previous documents which may appear to be in opposition to the current teaching, leaving the faithful to figure out how the two are compatible, such as in the cases of Mortalium Animos and Ut Unum Sint. This leads to confusion and infighting within the Church as well as the appearance of contradicting previous Church teaching without explanation or reasoned justification."

Pew (Phew!) Research makes you realize how uninformed our citizenery really is. Awful!

This really is quite interesting....give it a try. It is an online test from the Pew Research Institute. There are no tricks here - just a simple test to see if you are current on your information. This is quite good and the results are shocking. Test your knowledge of current events and elementary knowledge with 12 questions, then be ready to shudder when you see how others did.

http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/quiz/index.php

Monsignor Brad Offutt on hand for the Corpus Christi devotions at the Oratory

We were especially glad to see Msgr. Offutt at Old Saint Patrick for the Corpus Christi procession. Msgr. Offutt played an indispensable role in the development and direction of the renovation effort from 2005 through 2008. Although his contributions were varied and many, one of the most important was the research and obtaining, with great difficulty, the Oratory's beautiful main and side marble altars from a closed church in the Boston, MA diocese. Current parishioners and parishioners to come will have much to be grateful for his work and leadership during the initial years of the Oratory's transfer for the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass...now known as the Extraordinary Form...very EXTRAORDINARY indeed!

Beautiful Corpus Christi Procession from Old St. Patrick

The Oratory was beautiful and Canon Avis had the altar brightly embellished with 30 majestic candles and attractive flower arrangements. We believe that it made a very good impression on the many first-time visitors to the Oratory. Overheard were numerous compliments on the beauty of the church.

Bishop Finn and Archbishop Naumann enter the Oratory in procession with other priests, deacons, and seminarians.

Processing past the newly completed headquarters of the J. E. Dunn Construction Company, reminded us to renew our gratitude for the company's generous gift to the Oratory during its reconstruction.

Is this scene below a contradiction???!!!. We thought there was to be separation between Church and State. Briefly, anyway, they seemed very close.

Some of the 500 or so faithful in procession from parishes across both dioceses - Kansas and Missouri sides of the state line.

Archbishop Naumann recites prayers of the ceremony in the brief blessing given at the half-way point on the north end of the very attractive municipal Ilus Davis park.

After the blessing Bishop Finn continued the procession by assuming the carrying of the Blessed Sacrament.

Some of the faithful re-entering the Oratory for final Benediction.

It was a beautiful day and a holy and solemn continuation of a timeless Catholic show of adoration for the True Presence in the Holy Eucharist.

Lovely sunset from our new vantage point

Father Evan Harkins to celebrate a First Mass, Sunday, June 6th at Old St. Patrick

A year and a half ago, during the Consecration and re-Dedication of Old St. Patrick, Evan Harkins served on the altar as a seminarian. He is now a priest, being ordained on May 29th by our beloved Bishop, Robert Finn at the Cathedral. He shown above incensing the congregation during that ceremony.

At a special Mass next Sunday, June 6th (10:15 a.m.) at which the new priest will be the celebrant, Father Harkins will say a First Mass. After Mass, Father Harkins will give the congregation the opportunity to receive a "first blessing". An opportunity exists during this first blessing to receive a Plenary Indulgence. For your information and edification, there is an interesting web page at which you can read of other occasions at which one may receive this indulgence. (This photo is from the blogger's archive).

Two Corpus Christi Processions at Old St. Patrick this year!

There is a unique opportunity for Catholics this year at Old St. Patrick...TWO Corpus Christi processions. The first is:

Thursday - June 3rd

The Feast of Corpus Christi

High Mass - 6:30 p.m. with a special guest choir

Followed by a procession of the Most Blessed Sacrament

The second is:

Sunday - June 6th

The External Solemnity of the Feast of Corpus Christi

Adoration and Holy Hour - 1:00 p.m.

Procession of the Most Blessed Sacrament - 2:30 p.m.

His Excellency Bishop Robert W. Finn

The Latin Mass community of Old St. Patrick and formerly of Our Lady of Sorrows parish have always done well celebrating this most beautiful ceremony. In 2005, Bishop Finn led the first Corpus Christi procession in over four decades in this diocese down the streets of midtown Kansas City. Over 2,000 faithful participated, with much assistance by members of the OSP faithful, including taking part in the planning, providing servers and canopy carriers. (Photos are from the blogger's archive.)

In 2006, shortly after Bishop Finn announced the formation of the parish of Old Saint Patrick, we held our procession on a beautiful Sunday morning around the Our Lady of Sorrows church property. Our first rector, Father Denis Buchholz led the procession to a special altar erected in the back parking lot of the church.

The Holy See visits our blog!

We just started posting again to this blog a couple of days ago...and among our first visitors is some computer at the Holy See searching for an image of Monsignor Michael Schmitz the U.S. Provincial Superior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. We welcome whoever it was looking. We have posted several very nice photos of Monsignor over the last couple of years. We're pleased the Vatican came looking.

Another SCARY invasion of our privacy disclosed!

You won't believe this.

Your discarded copy machine is a source of highly confidential information about you – your personal business and your business business. Will the intrusion ever end?

Read this and weep!

http://www.wimp.com/copymachines.

A Sunny Morning...at last...greeted us on Pentecost

We've been preparing for our move for over 2 months... boxing... packing... pain... ache... etc. At last, the time neared for the actual move and the skies opened for about a week of steady rain. On our moving day there was a break in the moisture and we successfully loaded and unloaded the truck without a drop falling. So we're in our new condo in the south Plaza/Brookside area. It's a mess of course! But, habitable. This morning early, we looked out the window of our 5th floor and to our surprise there was blue skies and fluffy clouds in the morning sky. Alleluia! The descent of the Holy Ghost is celebrated with a glorious day in our new surroundings.

Two former Old St. Patrick members take final vows

In this photo, courtesy of Kansas Catholic, two former members of the Old St. Patrick community are shown leaving the Oratory at the end of the four hour ceremony on May 15, 2010 in which Bishop Finn presided over their perpetual profession of vows and their espousal to Jesus Christ. The sisters, members of the order of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles shown are (in the front) Sister Gemma of Jesus, daughter of David and Kathy Wilson and in the second row to the left, Sister Tarcisia of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, daughter of Paul and Felicia Villotti. Bishop Finn is shown overlooking the recessional in the back row to the right.

May perpetual light shine upon him

Daniel Ziglinski

Lux Aeterna, luceat eis Domine

9/14/1967 - 5/15/2010

Requiem High Mass

11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 22, 2010

Old St. Patrick Oratory, 806 Cherry St., KCMO

Rosary

5:00 p.m., Friday, May 21, 2010

McGilley Midtown Chapel, 20 W. Linwood Blvd., KCMO

Visitation

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Don Deister Passes

When I went to find a picture of Don to post on this sad message, I discovered that Don's name appeared 4,095 times on my computer. And that there were 94 photographs of Don that were used in our various bulletins, websites and blogs over the last 15 years during the Our Lady of Sorrows days and during the renovation of Old St. Patrick and since. This photo is my favorite. It shows Don during one of his many, many long days of labor leading the renovation of Old St. Patrick. In this photo he advises his crew of loyal and dedicated volunteers to..."measure twice - cut once!"

All these mentions and images is just an indication of how important Don Deister was to our Latin Mass community and to all of us individually.

I've never met a person as unselfish and giving of his time and advice than Don. He did so many things for all of us.

And, now he is gone.

In my heart I do not grieve for Don because he has reached the goal that all of us live for...our eternal reward. And for that I am jubilant. I grieve for Bernie and for their children, because of the loss in their lives.

God bless you, Don. May perpetual light shine upon you. I believe with all my heart that I have a new saint to pray to.

We understand there will be a Requiem High Mass at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, January 30th at Old St. Patrick Oratory - 806 Cherry /

Downtown Kansas City, Missouri

Rosary will be said Friday evening, January 29th at 7:00 p.m. at

St. Therese Church

7207 N. W. Highway 9, Kansas City, MO 64152

With regrets this blog must be now closed

Those involved in producing this blog have been unable for the last months to maintain it. We hoped that another group would perhaps assume the duties and the work. However it has apparently fallen through.

So, we must at this juncture call a "finis".

The Institute of Christ the King's website has a Kansas City/Old St. Patrick page. Click here to access that information.

Taking a break from blogging...

...in memoriam...

Special thanks to Steve Calovich

It was very nice to see some old friends at the Oratory last night, people that ordinarily do not attend Mass with us. Among them was Steve Calovich and his sister Celine, members of the Blessed Sacrament Latin Mass Community (KCKS). They shared Holy Mass with us. And 

Steve brought a gift...the T-Shirt (above) for Oratory members. The message on the front says: Follow me to Old St. Patricks...They do Latin Rite! A very clever turn of the phrase.

Steve gave us three of these t-shirts. So if you'd like one (XL), just email and let us know. First come, first served.

It was so nice to see these folks. Steve was a former member of the Our Lady of Sorrows Latin Mass Community and Celine taught catechism classes for primary age children at Blessed Sacrament for many years. The Calovichs also wanted to let you know how beautiful they thought our new church is!

Kudos to Canon Avis, the choir and the altar servers

High Mass at the Oratory Thursday evening for the feast of the Ascension was beautiful and reverent. AND, the choir and organ performance was very, very good. The new choir director and organist did an excellent job with just a few voices.  It is difficult to achieve a good blend with men's and women's voices singing Gregorian chant together. It was very well done last night. Plus, we had the opportunity to hear a bit of the formidable capabilities of our new pipe organ during the recessional. Thanks to all who participated.

First...you must read Italian...

If you speak/read Italian or can "intuit" what the site is saying, the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia-Dei" has a revised web site up and running.

It has documents, commentary, information, and events about the activities of the commission.

You can translate the site page by page using Google Language , if that helps.

Commentary on the Notre Shame

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2009/05/this-universitys-religion-is-in-vain.html

http://www.americanpapist.com/2009/05/huh-losservatore-romano-takes-obamas.html

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-is-truth-it-will-prevail.html

http://te-deum.blogspot.com/2009/05/80-year-old-priest-arrested-on-campus.html

http://stlouiscatholic.blogspot.com/2009/05/scene-from-twilight-of-civilization.html

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2009/05/my-take-on-sunday-at-notre-dame

Statement from Archbishop Chaput (Denver)

For those of us who have elderly and needy parents...

This is a must view...

Thank you, Nancy, age 91

Thank you, Al, age 95

Ascension Thursday - May 21st

Thursday, May 21st is the Feast of the Ascension. Masses will be at 12:10 (Noon) p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Everyone is reminded that there is no parking in the OSP lot on week-days.

This is the Introit for the feast day (Acts of the Apostles i, 11):

"Ye men of Galilee, why wonder yo, looking up to heaven? alleluia. He shall so come as you have seen Him going up into heaven, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, Ps. O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God, with the voice of exultation. Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost."

For more information about the fact and the feast, click here.

The Death of A Pope - by Piers Paul Read

Pat Ziglinski, "the mother of Latin Mass in Kansas City", had this novel on sale at one of her periodic book sales in the narthex last Sunday. Not being able to resist a thriller and especially one with a Church angle, we had to buy it. We're into it by about 50 pages and it is very promising.

Jeff Miller, posting on The Curt Jester blog, reviews the book, thusly:

"There are not exactly too many books that could be described as an "ecclesiastical thriller". The new book by Piers Paul Read called "The Death of a Pope" is certainly part of that small genre, but not limited by that.

The novel starts with a trial for a laicized priest who had been working for an international Catholic charity and had been arrested for trying to buy nerve agent. The plot builds from there in the last weeks of Pope John Paul II's life and it follows a serious threat as you might expect from the thriller genre. The main characters follow a range mainly along a faithful Catholic and lapsed/liberal Catholic divide that includes a Cardinal, priests, a reporter, and various personnel from security agencies.

The split between faithful and less than faithful Catholics is part of the plot of the book and some of the dialogue concerns hot issues of the day such as condom use, women priests, etc. Though the book never lapses into just a vehicle for apologetics that is artificial and the issues raised are totally consistent with the plot. One thing I liked though is that the more liberal or fallen away Catholic characters were not described as unlikable stereotypes. They were treated as real people as where all the characters in the book. As you would expect from a novel published by Ignatius Press the sympathy of the book is certainly in an Orthodox Catholic direction - but again I liked it focusing on plot and characters and not making the novel a soapbox which is always a disastrous decision.

"The Death of a Pope" was a thoroughly satisfying read from the start to the end and totally satisfying how the plot resolves. While it is an enjoyable read for Catholics, the novel is quite well written and should see a large audience."

The novel is now available at Ignatius Press for $18.66 and also at Amazon for $14.30.

Christian population in the Holy Land declining rapidly

The New York Times published this story today about how the number of Christians in the various countries of the Holy Land is falling precipitously. The implications of this decline are many. We suggest that you read this story to understand what is happening as the Muslim population explosion continues throughout the world.

This link will take you to some information about what The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem is doing in the mideast to help support Christianity in the Holy Land. For more information about the Order and its work, click here.

Update...and explanation

A couple of days ago we were pleased to post a thank you to a member of the Oratory who was very involved as a volunteer...dedicating many hours in service. We thought that we had this person's permission to post this kudo. However, post-publication the person contacted us and asked that the post be removed. 

So, we tried. If someone doesn't wish to be recognized in this way, we can't force them. Our thanks to all who are giving of their time and treasure for the benefit of the Oratory.

Fascinating reading...Vatican opens secret documents regarding Henry VIII's break with Rome

The actual letter in which King Henry VIII requests annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The rest is history. Pope Clement VII refuses and the Anglican schism follows. A photograph of the annulment request letter with the attached official seals of many of the King's supporters is shown in this article from Vatican Archives. You don't have to be a history wonk to be fascinated by this release of previously secret document.

Christian charity...sometimes hard to accept

A reader writes about an incident in which help was offered at the church building to another person of our community. This help was rudely refused. This reader suggested the basically insipid Christian "new age" tune might be right after all. Here's a verse of the lyric.

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love.

Archbishop Weakland admits he's a homosexual

The former archbishop of Milwaukee admits his sins.

Why? 

To atone? Not likely. To sell his new book, of course.

Prayers for our priests...close to us and far...during the Priestly Year

We interrupt this hiatus for this timely information about Indulgences for the Year of Priests.

We thank Rorate-Caeli for this from the Vatican  regarding Indulgences for the Priestly Year, (June 19, 2009 to June 19, 2010] 

"To the truly penitent priests who, in any day, pray at least the morning Lauds or Vespers before the Most Holy Sacrament, exposed in public Adoration or in the Tabernacle, and, following the example of Saint John Mary Vianney, offer themselves with prompt and generous will in the celebration of the Sacraments, above all of Confession, a Plenary Indulgence is mercifully granted in God, which they may also apply to their deceased brothers in suffrage if, in conformity with the current norms, they go to sacramental confession and Eucharist, and pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

"A partial Indulgence is also granted to the priests, also applicable to their deceased brothers, every time they devoutly pray duly approved prayers to lead a holy life and to fulfill in a holy manner the duties assigned to them.

"To all the penitent faithful who, in a Church or Oratory, devoutly assist at the Divine Sacrifice of the Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, as well as any good work accomplished in that day, so that He may sanctify them and conform them to His Heart, is granted a Plenary Indulgence, if they have sanctified their own sins in sacramental penance and raised prayers for the intention of the Supreme Pontiff: on the days in which the Priestly Year is opened and closed, on the day of the 150th anniversary of the pious death of Saint John Mary Vianney, on the first Thursday of every month, or on any other day established by the Ordinary of the place for the use of the faithful. ...

"To the aged, the infirm, and all those who, for legitimate reason, cannot leave their house, with the rejection of every sin and the intention of fulfilling, as soon as possible, the three conditions, will also be granted in their own house, or wherever their condition retains them, a plenary indulgence if, on the aforementioned days, they recite prayers for the sanctification of priests and offer the infirmities and discomforts of their lives faithfully to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles.

"Partial indulgence is also granted to all the faithful every time they devoutly recite five times the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory be, or other appropriately approved prayer, in honor of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, to obtain that the priests may keep themselves in purity and sanctity of life."

Patrick Barvick to be ordained as a Deacon May 22nd

Patrick Barvick, son of Old Saint Patrick members Anna Marie and Gary Barvick will be ordained a Deacon of the Church on May 22nd.

The ordination will be held in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska. Patrick has been a seminarian in the diocese since 2001.

His service as a Deacon will last one year, after which Patrick will be ordained a priest of the Lincoln, Nebraska diocese.

Patrick began his service in the sanctuary when he was seven years old as a server for the Latin Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows parish. He continued as an altar boy until he graduated from high school when he was 18 years old.

As our former Latin Mass chaplain, Father Francis Kriski has said many times, the most efficacious training for the priesthood is altar boy service. 

Our congratulations go to Patrick and to his parents and brothers and sisters at this very exciting time.

...And the work goes on...!!

Joe Farris and his brother, Phillip Farris are shown stripping the old paint off the framework of the entrance to the sacristy/parish office. 

The plan is to get the paint down to the original wood and then prime and repaint. This extra work will insure that no wood rot will occur and also make sure that the entrance to the office will be attractive.

Our thanks to parish member, Joe Farris and to his brother for the extra help. Stripping paint is a hot and dirty job. Many thanks, fellows!!!

We also want to thank Joe and parishioners Steve Martinez and Alan Troyer for undertaking the maintainance of the grass to the south of the church. Tentative plans include possibly having a garden and some landscaping along the northern edge of the church.

The Holy Father's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins

Benedict XVI's extensive, week-long visit to the Holy Land began today. Here's is his schedule for the day in Jordan. Daily updates to the Pontiff's journey can be found here.

On the Schedule Today (Sunday May 10, 2009)
10.00 - Holy Mass celebrated at the Amman International Stadium
Recitation of the Regina Cæli at the Amman International Stadium
12.45 - Luncheon with Patriarchs, Bishops and Papal Entourage at the Latin Vicariate of Amman
17.30 - Visit to the site of Baptism of Christ, at Bethany beyond the Jordan
18.00 - Blessing of the foundation stones of the Latin and Greek Melkite churches at Bethany beyond the Jordan

Your prayers are urgently requested for one of our own

Please pray a "Memorare" for very special intention.

Please invoke this special intention during your daily prayer

and during your Masses and Holy Communions.

"Operation White Robe"

"Operation White Cape" (depending on which translation you read). That's what the Israeli security people are calling the security arrangements for the Holy Father's visit to the Holy Land beginning this coming Monday. The photo above shows the "popemobile" during rehearsals of movements for Pope Benedict. 

Over 80,000 security persons will be involved in providing secure, safe transport for his Holiness during his visit to 26 different sites on his pilgrimage agenda. Here's some more information.

As part of the operation, when the Pope arrives in Bethlehem, security will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority Presidential Guard. That's scary! We're all must pray that the Holy Father's visit is incident-free.

Kansas City Latin Mass devotee, Jack Cashill, has produced a documentary on the "March for Life"

Entitled, "Thine Eyes", it will be showing in movie theaters throughout the country. Look for it in Kansas City soon. You can purchase a DVD copy through the Thine Eyes organization. 

Old St. Patrick parishioner, John Heuretz, has written a review of the film appearing in this week's Wanderer. He also has written a review that will appear in The Catholic Key. The YouTube below is a promo for the film showing the scope and huge crowd that gathered in Washington.

Here is what our beloved bishop, Robert Finn had to say about the film...

"Thine Eyes is politically conscious without being partisan. It is factual without being preachy. It is sobering but very joyful. I would like all Catholic adults to see Thine Eyes; but it is also perfectly appropriate for high school or even middle school students. It tells a simple but profound story which has been largely pushed to the side by the commercial press: how hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children make a challenging spiritual pilgrimage to our nation’s capitol - year after year - out of love for human life, and come back home more committed than ever to change our country. Prayerfully watch Thine Eyes. Find a way to support this movement, and join the great March for life."

For more on Jack Cashill and his numerous books and videos, click here.

Obama says "no" to prayer breakfast

Read the not too surprising story here. Our thanks to a reader for sending this alert. 

Once again Old St. Patrick Oratory parishioners show their generosity

Our bulletin reported this morning that the special collection for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest seminary in Italy, last week on Good Shepherd Sunday, was a very generous $1,800.00. 

Blessing for good weather prayed this morning

The only prayer for good weather and protection from bad that we had ever heard of was to St. Medard (5th cent.), patron of weather:

A Prayer for Good Weather

Good Saint Medard, humble and loyal servant, you trusted God's providence in all things and at all times. You knew that God provides for the needs of His children. Inspire us with your faith, so that we may weather the storms that surround us and trust that the sun will shine again. Amen.

Pious tradition says that when he was a child, Medard was once sheltered from the rain by a hovering eagle. This is his most common depiction in art, and led to his patronage of good weather, against bad weather, for people who work the fields, etc. Legend has it that if it rains on his feast day, the next 40 days will be wet; if the weather is good, the next 40 will be fine as well. He was also depicted as laughing aloud with his mouth wide open; this led to his patronage against toothache. His feast is June 8th.

But today after 8 a.m. Mass, we prayed the "Holy Cross Weather Blessing". According to the OSP bulletin this prayer is said from May 3rd through September 14th, using a relic of the True Cross of Our Lord Jesus which asked God's protection against violent storms. The bulletin went on to say that it is prayed customarily after Low Masses during this seasonal period.

The prayer partially read:

We beseech Thee, O Almighty God, through the intercession of Holy Mary, the Mother of God, of the holy angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, widows, and of all They saints that Thou show us Thy continuing protection, permit tranquil winds, and also pour out to us, They unworthy servant, Thy safety from heaven above against lightning strikes and violent storms, and that Thou remain always protective of the human race and crush down the aerial powers by the right hand of Thy power. Through the same Christ the Lord....

Support needed for a wonderful Catholic Church music service

RECOMMENDED. For those who love the traditional choral music of the Church, you must try Choral Treasures. This is an online music site which you can link to and have beautiful choral music, and Gregorian Chant playing continuously on your computer as you work. It is very simple. Just go to http://www.choraltreasure.org and click the "Listen to Choral Treasure" link. A simple audio player will open and begin automatically. It also shows the repertoire that is playing. Wonderful choral and choir groups are featured. 

This is a non-profit operation run by volunteers. They survive by donations from those who appreciate the service. There is a link to make a contribution through PayPal (using a PayPal account or your credit card). Help is particularly need now as the royalty payments and bandwidth time that the service must pay runs $500-$600 a month and their bank account is very low.