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IMPORTANT MESSAGE from NovusOrdoWatch.org * * * * * Dear Reader,The recent election of Fr. Joseph Ratzinger as "Pope" Benedict XVI, the new head of the Concilar Church, marks the beginning of a new era. After almost 40 years since the end of the Second Vatican Council, and over 46 years since the selection of Cardinal Angelo Roncalli as John XXIII, in order to finish its triumph over the Catholic Church, the Conciliar Novus Ordo Church must now move into its final stages to complete its work of inquity, that is, the setting up of a universal one-world religion, under...

What We have Lost...and the Road to RestorationA critical look at the changes in the Catholic ChurchThis video gives you an intimate, up-close look at the destructive and wide-spread changes that have taken place in the two-thousand-year-old Catholic Church since the close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965.Much of what you see will surprise you, maybe even shock you, and -- unfortunately -- will sadden you. "What We Have Lost" not ony exposes the external damage that has been done to the Universal Church, but goes deep behind the scenes to reveal the hidden changes; how and when they...

As I have noted in several brief commentaries in the past three weeks since the election of Pope Benedict XVI, each Catholic must pray fervently for the Successor of Saint Peter. We are neither pessimists (sad idiots) or optimists (happy idiots). Catholics are called to grow in the Supernatural Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity with every beat of their hearts, consecrated as they must be to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although we must be concerned about the state of the Church in her human elements at present, we have to understand that...

De Musica Sacra, the 1958 instruction on sacred music for the liturgy, is an oft-ignored document in the Catholic music culture wars, usually due to the fact that most of the battles take place on the aesthetic level. My heart will always prefer chant, and in its absence, well-crafted sacred music. However, having made my intellectual peace with musical taste, I want once again to highlight the fact that the music reforms of the twentieth century were moving not only towards authentic sacred music, but also towards an expanded role for the psalms. De Musica Sacra 27a-c gives the explicit...

Today's Homily Some of the Catholic blogs that are written by priests and seminarians post the homilies they give every week. Well, I'm not a homily giver; I'm a homily receiver, and I often receive the homily in a state of partial somnolence. "Homily" is the Catholic term for "sermon," by the way, in case you didn't know. Anyway, today the priest was droning on about us being blind to the truth until Jesus opens our eyes, like He did to the guy in the Gospel, and, frankly, that priest was closing my eyes. All of a sudden, one of...

Bishop Lynch to FDLC: "Enough already" "I wonder when and where the current movement backward in liturgy will end and lead", said Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg in his speech to the national meeting of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) held in Orlando, Florida, in October. Bishop Lynch, who worked at the US bishops' conference from the early 1970s, and was associate and general secretary of conference from 1984 until 1995 when he became bishop of St. Petersburg, recalled the "courage and resolve" of liturgical reformers working in the conference, who "courageously fought for proper liturgical implementation...

The New Mass: Inalienable Right or Inferior Rite? In this examination, I would like to guide you through the New Rite of Mass, and compare it with the Traditional Mass. My reason for doing so is to help you answer the question, "is the New Mass beneficial?" You may say to yourself, "why is there even a question?" I thought this same way myself, not too many months ago. The answer is quite simple: because there are two approved rites to choose from, and so naturally, the choice must be made. It is a choice, however, that cannot be...

An Examination of the Shocking Similarities Between the New Mass and Luther's "Mass" by His Grace Archbishop Lefebvre February 15, 1975, Florence, Italy Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to speak to you this evening about the evangelical Mass of Martin Luther, and of the striking resemblance between his Liturgical innovations of more than four centuries ago, and the recently promulgated new order of the Mass, the Novus Ordo Missae. Why are such considerations of significance? Because of the prominent role, according to the President of the Liturgical Commission himself, accorded to the concept of ecumenism in bringing about these reforms....

SCRANTON, Pa. (CNS) -- Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton has decreed the suppression of the Society of St. John, citing its financial instability, its failure to follow church law and the scandal caused by allegations of sexual molestation of minors by two of its founders. The society has caused "grievous financial burdens for the diocese" that could amount to several million dollars, he said. Priests who had left a schismatic traditionalist organization, the Society of St. Pius X, to return to the Catholic Church, established the Society of St. John in 1998. They received canonical authorization for the society...

For those that are interested Dr. Tim Staples is hosting a discussion of traditionalism on EWTN on his show "Reasons for Faith.. I spoke with him today, although not on air.The next broadcast (repeat of today's show, now over) will be at 4am EST tomorrow (Wed 12/1). He says he'll be on the topic for "at least a couple weeks"

“What’s wrong with the New Mass? I like the Old Mass and know it is better, but don’t know how to explain this to my children, who prefer the Novus Ordo because they say they understand it better.” This was a question Jan put to me. Let me begin my response with a revealing statistic that shows that the New Mass is not easier to understand. In a recent article in Our Sunday Visitor, Russell Shaw draws attention to a serious problem: Mass attendance has halved in the last four decades since Vatican II. (1) How can this be, he...

St. John Cantius Church in ChicagoOn April 19, Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit announced to his Presbyteral Council that beginning next fall the Tridentine (also known as the Traditional Latin Mass) will be celebrated in the Archdiocese. This will take place in perhaps two parishes. The frequency of these Masses has yet to be determined.While a few Council members expressed some reservations, there was a general acceptance of the Cardinal’s decision.One of the chief concerns voiced was that those who will the celebrate the Tridentine Mass and those who will participate in it must also accept as valid the Novus...

Several readers asked about my comments on the new instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum," especially about the rights of the priest to celebrate Mass in Latin. The instruction states in No. 112: "Mass is celebrated either in Latin or in another language, provided that liturgical texts are used which have been approved according to the norm of law. Except in the case of celebrations of the Mass that are scheduled by the ecclesiastical authorities to take place in the language of the people, Priests are always and everywhere permitted to celebrate Mass in Latin." This right refers, of course, to celebrating according...

ROME, JUNE 1, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University. Q: 1) Is the crucifix essential to the celebration of the Mass? 2) When the priest comes to the altar, does he bow toward the altar? At the end of Mass, the priest venerates the altar; does he bows toward the crucifix or the tabernacle? 3) During the consecration prayer ("Take this ...") the concelebrants extend their hands, but they do not do this uniformly. Some extend the hand with palm downward, while others extend it with palm open toward the...

A draft translation of the new Mass in English is available here in the form of jpeg images. Each image contains one page of the Liturgy in Latin and in English. Click on the links below and images will open in a new window. You may need to scroll to view all of the image. Close the window after viewing and choose the next image in the list. Go to page http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/liturgy.htm

Priests, wired for sound at Mass, are no longer supposed to work their audiences like talk-show hosts. Lectors must pause between Scripture readings, allowing time for meditation. And parishioners shouldn't genuflect or make the sign of the cross when receiving the Eucharist. From now on, a simple head bow is proper. The latest tweaking of Roman Catholic rules, gestures and postures is keeping people on their toes, according to Archbishop Michael Sheehan. "A little movement keeps them awake," says the archbishop with a chuckle. Sheehan uses humor to make a serious point: Catholics worldwide are learning about the church's revisions...

Worse Than Deja Vu All Over Again: Vatican caves on meaningful reform of disastrous New Mass Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D. “Certainly, we will preserve the basic elements, the bread, the wine, but all else will be changed according to local traditions: words, gestures, colors, vestments, chants, architecture, decor. The problem of liturgical reform is immense.” --Pope John Paul, while still Bishop of Krakow, as quoted in Mon Ami: Karol Wojtyla. P. 220 When last we left the saga of the Novus Ordo Missae, Pope John Paul II promised Catholics worldwide that a new set of instructions to correct liturgical abuses...

By necessity, parish director is ‘jack of all trades’ Daryl Olszewski is spiritual leader of parish without a full-time priest By Candy Czernicki Catholic Herald Staff A TEACHABLE MOMENT — St. Paul first grader Jacob Nook, age 7, listens intently as parish director Daryl Olszewski speaks to him. Education is one component of a parish director’s job. (Catholic Herald photos by James Pearson) MILWAUKEE — Daryl Olszewski is a jack of all trades and master of pretty much all of them, too. It’s his job, you see. Olszewski has been parish director at St. Paul Parish in Milwaukee for the...

The Construction of the New Mass Some Funny Things Happened Near the Roman Forum: Part II by Romano Tommasi - Summer 2002 In my previous article, I attempted to expose a number of seeming contradictions in the decision-making process of the Consilium (the group of scholars commissioned by Paul VI to reform the liturgy). In this present article I will investigate other specific areas of the so-called “reform.” Recall that the Consilium purported to restore ancient practices which had, “by an accident of history” or other unknown reasons, fallen into disuse.1 Using the Consilium’s own fundamental principles of “substantial uniformity”...

Revolutionaries hate everything about the past, which is why they must resort to physical violence against people and property so as to wipe out all traces of the past, to say nothing of teaching any possible counter-revolutionaries a lesson or two about what might befall then and their families and their property if they stand up to the inexorable march of the evolutionary forces of progress. The first real modern revolution was the Protestant Revolution (whose path was certainly made possible by the sophistries and lies of pretended “philosophers” in the Renaissance), which was a violent and bloody assault upon...