Fund Raising Dinner for the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles

The Knights of Columbus of St. Thomas More parish are sponsoring a fund-raising Italian dinner for the benefit of the Benedictine Sisters. The dinner will be held at the parish on Saturday, October 4th starting at 5:00 p.m. The $25.00 tickets are available by reservation. There will be a cash bar and barbershop quartet entertainment. Please call Ms. Nancy Meiron at 816-331-6179 to reserve your tickets.  Photo credit: Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles

Attendance is increasing. Nice spike in September

As we are getting closer to the move to the Oratory on October 25, 2008, there is a very discernible increase in Mass attendance. When comparing attendance of September, 2007 with September, 2008, there was an 11% increase. 

As more people "check us out" in the months to come, it would be nice to be alert to make sure that these visitors are made to feel comfortable and welcome. If members see a "new face", it would be very charitable and productive to make the effort to introduce yourself. Just that simple act of courtesy will go a long way to encourage visitors to return.

Feast of St. Michael the Archangel - September 29th

The Archangel Michael, who's name in Hebrew means, "Who is like to God" was the subject of Father Avis' excellent homily this morning at Old St. Patrick Oratory. Father reminded us that..."today, in our modern world, many rebel against God and the order, supernatural or natural, established by Him. They refuse the sweet reign of Christ the King.

"We as faithful Catholics, must promote Christ's kingdom through humility and obedience and raise the battle cry of St. Michael...'Quis ut Deus!'...who is like to God."

In this homily, Father also encouraged the recitation of the prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII to St. Michael, Archangel:

A Prayer to Saint Michael
"Saint Michael, 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, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." 

Perhaps after the move to the Oratory, we can begin again reciting this prayer, part of the Leonine Prayers after Low Masses, a practice most appreciated and missed by many members of Old St. Patrick Oratory.

For Full Participation in Holy Mass in the Extraordinary form

The Holy Father, Pius XII said, "Place the Missal in the hands of the faithful so that they may take part more easily and more fruitfully in the Mass; and that the faithful, united with the priest, may pray together in the very words and sentiments of the Church." 

If you are in the market for a new Latin Mass missal, there are three editions, at wholesale prices, to choose from on display in the vestibule of the church both before and after Mass each Sunday.
There are three excellent selections:

1. ...St. Joseph Daily Missal - Discounted price - $28.00
   
2. ...St. Andrew Daily Missal - Discounted price - $38.00
   
3. ...The new 1962 Latin Mass Daily Missal - Discounted price - $42.00
   

You will find that these prices are considerably below available on-line and bookstore prices. This is a service of the community to encourage the use of the missal for a more complete experience at Mass.

SPECIAL NOTICE: If you attend Mass at Old St. Patrick Oratory and would like to have a missal and aren't able to make a purchase at this time, an Oratory parishioner has available a limited number of new missals (St. Andrew) that you can purchase for a price that you feel that you can afford. Email contact.

The Extraordinary form is quite healthy in the St. Louis diocese. This article from the diocesan paper details the implementation of Latin Mass in numerous locations with the expected results. No doubt you'll find this story edifying and informative. Click here.
(Photo credit: The Catholic Knight)

Here's an interesting piece of OSP history we didn't know

According to an article in the August 17, 1907 Kansas City Journal, the parish school of Old St. Patrick, which was located at 8th and McGee, was the site of the first preparatory seminary in the diocese. This minor seminary was located in rooms over the school.

In the article, the bishop of the time, the Most Reverend John J. Hogan put out an appeal for young boys to consider a vocation and attend the school. At the time, there were only a half-dozen priests in the diocese.

The news article read..."A preparatory school for the education of priests was established two years ago, called the St. John's school, and it is quartered at present in rooms over the St. Patrick's parochial school building at Eighth and McGee streets. Last spring fifteen young men graduated there and they are now attending higher seminaries in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Allegheny and St. Paul. In his letter the bishop urges all parish priests in the diocese to send all boys whom they think wish to enter the priesthood to this school, which is planned to accommodate enough students to supply the number of priests that the diocese needs. The desire of the bishop is that every parish should be represented by one student, at least.

"The course in the school embraces five years of classics and two of philosophy. The four years of theology must be gotten in a higher seminary. A priest is not ordained before he is 24 years old except by dispensation. As soon as the Christian Brothers build their new school, in the South Side, the building now occupied by them next to the cathedral will be given up to the seminary."

This is just another fascinating story from the history books about our parish church.

What takes place in a 5-hour consecration ceremony?

The consecration/re-dedication ceremony at Old St. Patrick Oratory will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 25, 2008 and probably won't end until about 2:00 in the afternoon. It is one of the most complex liturgical ceremonies in the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. (The photo above is of the consecration of the Sacred Heart Shrine at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis - Archbishop Burke, celebrant. Photo credit: (Rome of the West).

Thanks to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, here are some of the details of the ceremony which will take place in four parts:

1. The Lustration. This portion is essentially the liturgical "washing" of the entire exterior and and interior of the church to be consecrated. This part of the ceremony begins outside the church where the congregation is gathered. This "aspiration"  is done with a specially blessed mixture of water, ash, salt, and wine, called ‘Gregorian Water’. The entire exterior of the church is thus washed and continues inside where the entire interior and the altars of the church are also washed. For more information from the Institute website, click here.

2. The Translocation. This part of the ceremony involves the transfer and deposition of relics in the church. This is essentially a "funeral rite" for the saints whose relics are involved. More...

3. The third part is the Consecration involving the blessing of various parts of the church including the altars and Stations of the Cross. More...

4. Pontifical High Mass. The fourth and final part of the ceremony is the Mass celebrated by The Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph. More...

All in all, it promises to be a beautiful and spiritual morning and early afternoon with much pomp and circumstance provided by the Institute at the Oratory and the culmination of three years of very hard work and fund-raising. It is the ultimate answer to the prayers of the Latin Mass Community...earnestly prayed since the early 1980s when Bishop Sullivan first allowed the Tridentine rite in the diocese. Alleluia!

Don Deister working until late in the afternoon

Stopping by the Oratory this evening, wouldn't you know that one would find Don Deister working alone and working hard practically near dusk.

Don has been the spark-plug of our renovation project since our dear Bishop Finn in 2005 announced that Old St. Patrick Oratory would be turned over to the Latin Mass Community at Our Lady of Sorrows.

Don has brought his 50+ years of construction and contracting expertise to the Oratory by being the point man and indispensable advisor to the Institute of Christ the King.

Don and, of course, our hero Msgr. Bradley Offutt, Chancellor of the diocese and Bishops Finn's specially appointed overseer of the renovation effort, have assured that the renovation proceeded with professionalism.

Don has done much exploration, planning and recruitment of competent volunteer assistance, plus he's kept the contracted vendors on task and working at top speed and at reasonable prices throughout the three years of construction and remodeling. Our community owes Don a virtually unpayable debt of gratitude. If you see Don after Holy Mass, please give him a pat on the back. 

The Holy Father continues his march of liturgical reformation

New appointments mark a bold papal move.

Vatican City, Sep 25, 2008 / 11:10 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI made a low profile but significant move in the direction of liturgical reform by completely renewing the roster of his liturgical advisors yesterday.

A hardly noticed brief note from the Vatican's Press office announced the appointment of new consultants for the office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. It did not mention, however, the importance of the new appointees.

The new consultants include:

Monsignor Nicola Bux, professor at the Theological Faculty of Puglia (Southern Italy,) and author of several books on liturgy, especially on the Eucharist. Bux recently finish a new book "Pope Benedict’s Reform," printed by the Italian publishing house Piemme, scheduled to hit the shelves in December.

Fr. Mauro Gagliardi, an expert in Dogmatic theology and professor at the Legionaries of Christ's Pontifical Athenaeum “Regina Apostolorum”; 

Opus Dei Spanish priest Juan José Silvestre Valor, professor at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome; 

Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, C.O., an official of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and author of the book "Turning Towards the Lord" - about the importance of facing "ad orientem" during Mass; and 

Fr. Paul C.F. Gunter, a Benedictine professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant Anselmo in Rome and member of the editorial board of the forthcoming "Usus Antiquior," a quarterly journal dedicated to the Liturgy under the auspices of the Society of St. Catherine of Siena. The Society, which has an association with the English Province of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), promotes the intellectual and liturgical renewal of the Church.

Also relevant to the appointments is the fact that all former consultants, appointed when Archbishop Piero Marini led the office of Liturgical Celebrations, have been dismissed by not renewing their appointments.

John Quastler received into the Equestrian Order of the Knights of The Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem

On Sunday, September 21, one of our members, John Quastler, was inducted into the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. The ceremony took place in the cathedral of St. Cecelia in the Archdiocese of Omaha. John was knighted by Archbishop Elden Curtiss who acted on behalf of Archbishop Joseph Naumann, the newly appointed Grand Prior of the Northern Lieutenancy of the United States of America. In attendance from eight states were six-hundred and ten additional knights and ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem including eighteen archbishops, bishops, abbots and over 70 priests, sisters and brothers. Knights in attendance, among others from Kansas City, were The Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, KC*HS, Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, The Most Rev. Raymond J. Boland, KC*HS, Rev. Monsignor Robert S. Gregory, KCHS, Rector of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and Rev. Father, Richard D. Rocha, KHS, Master of Ceremonies of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph who was also invested into the order Sunday.

Membership in the Order is the highest Papal honor which can be conferred on clergy and laity alike. Congratulations to Sir John Quastler, KHS! It is a great honor for our small parish to now have three members of this most prestigious canonical Papal Order.

This article submitted by Joe Farris
____________________

For more information about the Equestrian Order of the Knights of The Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, please refer to the Holy See website – Roman Curia section and Institutions connected to the Holy See.http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/oessh/en/cenni_storici_en.html

Oratory choir begins practice for the rededication ceremonies

Under the beautiful rose window in the choir loft at Our Lady of Sorrows church, featuring a  stained glass rendition of St. Cecilia (the patroness of church music), the Old St. Patrick Oratory choir last evening, began the meticulous preparation of one of the most comprehensive liturgical services that exist in the traditional Church.

All Catholic public churches and public oratories must be blessed in a consecration ceremony before the Sacred Mysteries can be regularly celebrated in them (Cong. of Rites, September, 1871).

The regular Oratory choir will be joined by other guest singers in order to provide a most beautiful rendition of the liturgy. Some of the repertoire to be included are:

• William Byrd's (c. 1540-1623) Mass for Three Voices
• St. Saens' Ave Verum Corpus
• Jaquet of Mantua's O Jesu Christe
• Pierluigi da Palestrina's Ave Maria
• Palestrina's Sicut Cervus
• Josquin des Pres' Ave Vera Virginitas

In addition a men's Gregorian chant schola will be formed to sing the Proper of the Mass and the voluminous chants of the dedication cermonies.

The members of the Oratory choir are greatly appreciated for this special effort, but mostly for their regular and dedicated service to the music of the Latin Mass on Sunday mornings.

Introduction to our new blog

The purpose of this blog is to provide information of interest to the community of Old Saint Patrick Oratory in Kansas City, Missouri. Specifically we plan to post information about community activities and short features of Oratory members and to feature information that you typically will not see on the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest's website of Old St. Patrick. A further objective is that this blog will be to produce an historical archive of the parish for future parishioners and for future generations. It will be written to relate the story of our community. The technologies of the day will allow us to document the detail of parish life as it unfolds in a way never before possible. We are pleased to be a part of this.

Old St. Patrick Oratory in Kansas City, Missouri is served by the priests of The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. This blog is produced by a group of members of the Oratory and the content and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the producers and not necessarily those of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

Update from the building committee

Things are beginning to move swiftly again...no doubt with much urging and pressure by architect, Bill Heyer on the suppliers and vendors who seemed to be dragging their feet over the last month or so. 

Here's what's happening now and a tentative timeline of activities:

• Installation of the flooring is almost complete. The main floor of the nave is complete and the steps, sanctuary, parish office are yet to be finished at the time of this posting. Sanding of the newly installed flooring is proceeding as we read.
• Sept. 22-Sept 27 - A thorough cleaning of the church from all construction debris, dust and the like will take place. It is estimated that this will take nearly a full week.
• Sept. 29-Oct 3 - Application of the flooring stain and then a 2-3 day drying period after which a sealing oil will be spread on the surface. A full week of drying/curing must occur after the oil is applied. The Oratory cannot be entered during this period.
• October 13 - pews will be installed
• October 14 - The installation of the Stations of the Cross begins
• October 15 - The assembly and installation of the vestible area glass wall commences

From the 15th through the 25th, the final touches to the decoration and finish of the church will be completed. It is estimated that everything will be in readiness for the rededication ceremonies and Pontifical High Mass except for the installation of the pipe organ. A substitute organ will be used for a couple of months until the work on the organ is complete....approximately late December or January.

The building committee reports that the church will seat 398 persons, not including seating in the choir loft or standing room.

First Anniversary of "Summorum Pontificum"

It been a full year to the day...when Bishop Robert Finn celebrated a Pontifical Low Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. What a fantastic and unpredictable year! The Holy Father's moto proprio has kicked off an incredible development of the TLM all over the world. It seems as if a new Latin Mass is announced in a new diocese every week. But most important for those of us fortunate parishes to have Latin Mass already part of of their lives, is the increased interest of Novus Ordo Catholics in the old Mass. Our parish sees many new faces every Sunday. Many do not return, but some do. It's these Catholics who are initially curious, but find something in the Latin Mass to encourage them to return time after time and eventually register for membership that are the future of the Oratory's growth.

Jenny and Julia - Loyal members of the Oratory

The John and Jenny Potts family have been attending Latin Mass in Kansas City since it was permitted in this diocese and have been loyal through the many changes in both venues and chaplains. The Potts are the parents of six children. One boy attends St. Thomas Aquinas College in California and another attends St. Gregory Academy in Pennsylvania. The third son is graduating this year from high school in Kansas City North. There are also three girls at home. Our thanks to the Potts family for their loyalty, friendliness and hard work for our community over many years.

Bob and Alice Umphress donate a beautiful statue to the Oratory

The beautiful "Christo Morto" statue owned by the Umphresses will now be part of the furnishings of the Oratory. In accepting the gift, Monsignor Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and Provincial Superior for the United States of America, indicated that the beautiful sculpture will be used as part of Holy Week liturgies at the Oratory.

Bob Umphress purchased this statue in an auction some years ago when five parish churches were being closed. He relates the story that he was bidding against an obvious "satanist" group whose purpose was to defile the image by using it in their "black mass" ceremonies. Bob tells us that he wouldn't give up and continued to bid higher and higher until the opposition finally threw in the towel. Thank God for this determination to save this work and for his recent generous donation to the Oratory.

Third Annual Old St. Patrick Picnic - October 5th

Don and Bernie Deister will once again open their home to the Oratory community for the annual OSP picnic. The picnic is an eagerly looked-forward-to event as it gives us the opportunity to meet and greet our colleagues in faith and friendship.

As usual the Deisters will fire up the "Deister Cattle Company" bar-b-q rig for our eating delight. The photo shows Don and Oratory friends at an annual Oktoberfest picnic at Our Lady of Sorrows. Shown are: Craig Deister (the primary architect of the renovation at the Oratory), Ed Keele, Don Deister and Bill Fitzgibbons.

The picnic will commence after Mass at the Deisters. For directions and more information, you may call Don at 816-918-7110.

Father William Avis says his first Sunday Mass as our Rector

After a beautiful High Mass and an excellent homily on the virtue of charity, Father Avis presided over a party afterwards in the parish hall. Father offered prayers in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother (September 8th), and blessed the refreshments offered at the gathering. Father mingled throughout the crowd and proved to be a very genial, open and friendly person. Many parishioners in the hall commented on how his very presence generated a light-hearted and cohesive spirit among the congregation.

Since his ordination in June, 2007, Father has been serving as a Vicar at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis and has also been saying the Latin Mass at the Holy Family Log Church in Cohokia, Illinois. Cohokia is just across the Mississippi River from south St. Louis.

In his letter to parishioner published in the Sunday bulletin, Father Avis wrote: "I was sent here to be your priest in order to teach you, to guide you, and to sanctify you. We should never forget that your final destination is the Beatific Vision in Heaven. But in order to obtain this goal we must live our Catholic Faith, and as your priest, I will assist you, that in eternity, we will all rejoice with the whole heavenly court before the throne of God".

It is very apparent that Father Avis is truly a pastoral priest, primarily interested in the sanctification of the sheep in his flock. We hope and pray for Father's success and for his contentment in his new responsibility as Rector of the Oratory.

Attendance at Mass last Sunday was excellent

There was a lot going on Sunday. First of all, Father Avis began his service at the Oratory. There were many new faces in the congregation, some no doubt interested in meeting our new priest. Then, after Mass, there was a special observation of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother and the presentation of a gift to Therese Balke in recognition for all her volunteer service over the years. Lynne Melcher, parishioner, gave a moving presentation of all the volunteer work that Therese has done over the last fifteen years. Therese was presented with a statue of St. Joseph from the community in recognition for all her good and unselfish work.

But, most interesting were those people at Mass who formally had been regulars at OSP but who had stopped coming for one reason or another. It was so nice to renew old acquaintances these former steadfast parishioners. We were very pleased to see them back hopefully to continue on a regular basis. Things are looking up for OSP!!!

Father Z. coming to Kansas City for the rededication

Father John Zuhlsdorf, affectionately known as "the pastor of the internet" and champion of the Traditional Latin Mass, has announced on his well-read blog that he will be traveling to Kansas city for the re-dedication of Old St. patrick Oratory.

You don't get millions of visitors to your various web sites and on-line forums unless you know what you're talking about and that you write brilliantly and succinctly about the issues facing the Catholic church today. Father "Z" has a huge following of Traditional Catholics. When he has occasionally mentioned the renovation program at the Oratory over the last couple of years, the Oratory has gone crazy with referrals totaling up to 25,000 visitors each time to view the pictures of the restoration on the site. Father Z has made OSP famous.

Father lives in Rome and visits the United states occasionally. It will be great to have the opportunity meet him in person. Father Z. primary blog address is: http://www.wdtprs.com/blog