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[Catholic Caucus] Email to my pastor - The NON TANGERE of Ash Wednesday Someone forgot that touching is forbidden.Dear Father,Supposedly it isn't your fault that you cannot touch our foreheads with ashes but that of Bergoglio the Jesuit, Bishop Noonan and other left leaning Marxist bishops all of whom dispense blasphemous dictates to Catholics across the world as if we are all stupid.Ashes in our hair is the most stupid thing yet. Possibly the Vatican should pass out salt and pepper shakers to all parishes in the world for Ash Wednesday - the day Catholics are to have a...

The Heavenly Elements of the LiturgyBy: Msgr. Charles PopeIn November, Catholics are encouraged to meditate on the “Last Things.” As you know, I write quite often on Hell. But I have written on Heaven, too. In this post I propose simply to set forth how much of our liturgy is a kind of dress rehearsal for Heaven.Indeed, Catholics are often unaware just how biblical the Sacred Liturgy is. The design of our traditional churches; the use of candles, incense, and golden vessels; the postures of standing and kneeling; the altar; the singing of hymns; priests wearing albs and so forth are...

Fr Zuhlsdorf has helpfully posted on various sacramentals related to the feast of the Epiphany (see: BEGONE SATAN! Epiphany Blessings, The Devil, and You.) Today at Blackfen we had the blessing of Epiphany water with the Litany, psalms, exorcism, Benedictus and Te Deum all sung. I didn't check the time carefully but I think it took about 40 minutes. The exorcism is quite dramatic: it is a consolation to be able to use it as a parish priest on this occasion. Remember that Satan does not normally manifest his disgusting work by making books fly off the shelves or causing...

Featured Term (selected at random):SACRILEGE The deliberate violation of sacred things. Sacred things are persons, places, and objects set aside publicly and by the Church's authority for the worship of God. The violation implies that a sacred thing is desecrated precisely in its sacred character. It is a sin against the virtue of religion. Personal sacrilege is committed by laying violent hands on clerics or religious of either sex; by unlawfully citing them before secular courts, i.e., without just cause and without express permission of their ecclesiastical superiors; by unlawfully demanding of them the payment of civil taxes or military...

The Baltimore Catechism Revised Edition (1941) Part Three: The Sacraments and Prayer The Sacramentals Lesson 36 from the Baltimore Cathechism469. What are sacramentals? Sacramentals are holy things or actions of which the Church makes use to obtain for us from God, through her intercession, spiritual and temporal favors.And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. (John 3:14-15)470. How do the sacramentals obtain favors from God? The sacramentals obtain favors from God through the prayers...

Featured Term (selected at random):MOTHER OF GOOD COUNSEL SCAPULAR A white scapular, with one part bearing a picture of the Mother of Good Counsel, and the other, the papal crown and keys. Promoted by the Augustinians, it was approved by Pope Leo XIII. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Featured Term (selected at random):HOLY OILS Sacramentals blessed by a bishop. There are three kinds: oil of catechumens, holy chrism, and oil of the sick. The first and third are pure olive oil. chrism has in the oil a mixture of balm or balsam. In 1970, the Congregation for Divine Worship declared that, if necessary, the holy oils may be from any plant and not only from olives. The holy oils are symbols of spiritual nourishment and the light of grace. They are used in the public administration of baptism, confirmation, and anointing of the sick. The blessing of the...

Can one of you good freepers settle a bet? I'm looking for the rules governing the use of chalices and the requirement that they be made of precious metal(s). I recently attended a Mass at a convent and the Priest used a glass chalice. I am almost positive that I have read that since the GIRM has been revised, it now states that chalices must be made of precious metal. Is the use of glass chalices Liturgical abuse? What are the rules regarding chalices? If you provide information,I ask that you please link your source. Thanks!

‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH, Netherlands (Reuters) - When Christianity fades, it doesn't just leave empty pews behind. With each church that shuts, the statues, crucifixes, chalices, paintings or vestments that were part of regular Sunday services suddenly have no liturgical home.In the Netherlands, where faith has faded more dramatically than in many other parts of Europe, two churches close down on average every week. The sacred art left over is piling up in cellars and storerooms around the country.Some congregations elsewhere have the opposite problem. New Catholic and Protestant churches are springing up in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and pastors in eastern...

 Scapulars Medals and Relicsby Sebastian R. FamaMany non-Catholics view the use of scapulars, medals and relics as idolatrous. They liken them to talismans or good-luck charms. Unfortunately this notion comes from a serious misunderstanding of what the Church teaches about the use of these articles.The scapular was originally a part of a monk's habit. It was a narrow piece of cloth that was worn over the shoulders. In the 13th century lay people began placing themselves under the spiritual direction of the different monastic orders. They were called Third Order members. To show that they were associated with a particular...

 Statues and Holy Picturesby Sebastian R. FamaObjections to the making and veneration of holy pictures and statues are based on faulty interpretations of Scripture. Those who are opposed to such practices traditionally appeal to Exodus 20:3-5: "You shall not have other Gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth. You shall not bow down before them or worship them."God is not prohibiting the making of pictures and statues, but the deifying and worshipping of them. Note the...

Edit: A definition from Wikipedia is useful here: Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things.[1] Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy,[2] while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy.  [Fell's Point, Baltimore, MD] There was a show called "Cheers" on television years ago.  It was bawdy and vulgar yet there were some borders it was not safe to pass in the early 80s when the show first aired.  It depicted a homey place, reminiscent of an unpretentious neighborhood bar with a hint of old world ambiance and Boston charm.  The heavy wooden furniture and the bar...

Featured Term (selected at random):ST. MICHAEL SCAPULAR It is designed as a shield, and one part is blue, the other black, and the connecting bands are blue and black. Each part has a picture of St. Michael slaying the dragon, and the inscription, "Who is like God?" It is a badge of the Confraternity of St. Michael. It was approved by Pope Leo XIII. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission

Featured Term (selected at random):AMPULLAE Two-handled jars used for holding holy oils or burial ointments. Found in the catacombs, they usually bore the symbol of a saint. Filled with oil from the lamps at a martyr's shrine, they were often carried by pilgrims in the Middle Ages. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Featured Term (selected at random):CHRISMATORY A three-compartment vessel for each of the three holy oils: chrism, oil of catechumens, and oil of the sick. The vessel is often inscribed with the Latin abbreviation for each holy oil: S.C. (sacrum chrisma), O.C. (oleum catechumenorum), and O.I. (oleum infirmorum). It has been in use since the Middle Ages. One set of these oils is kept on reserve in a cathedral, and smaller sets for use in a parish, hospital, or infirmary are kept locked in a cupboard in the sanctuary of each church. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John...

292. Q. What is a sacramental?A. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin.It is not the sacramental itself that gives grace, but the devotion, the love of God, or sorrow for sin that it inspires. For example, a person comes into the church and goes around the Stations of the Cross. The stations are a sacramental. In looking at one station he sees Our Lord on trial before Pilate; in another he sees Him crowned with thorns;...

Featured Term (selected at random):SACRAMENTAL Objects or actions that the Church uses after the manner of sacraments, in order to achieve through the merits of the faithful certain effects, mainly of a spiritual nature. They differ from sacraments in not having been instituted by Christ to produce their effect in virtue of the ritual performed. Their efficacy depends not on the rite itself, as in the sacraments, but on the influence of prayerful petition; that of the person who uses them and of the Church in approving their practice. The variety of sacramentals spans the whole range of times and...

The Sacramental You've Never Heard Of html .fb_share_button { display: -moz-inline-block; display:inline-block; padding:1px 20px 0 5px; height:15px; font: 11px arial, verdana, sans-serif; color:#fff; border:1px solid #295582; background:#3b5998 url(http://b.static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/zAB5S/hash/4273uaqa.gif) no-repeat top right; text-decoration:none; } html .fb_share_button:hover { color:#3b5998; border:1px solid #d8dfea; background:url(http://b.static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/zAB5S/hash/4273uaqa.gif) no-repeat top right; }   by Tim Drake Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:21 PM If you’re Catholic, you’re familiar with sacramentals such as holy water, holy cards, blessed oils, and medals. However, up until a couple of years ago, I had never before heard of Blessed Salt.After moving to our farmhouse in the country, one of our children was...

Holy Water 1335. On entering a Catholic Church I noticed people taking holy water Why is this? Holy water is placed at the doors of Catholic Churches to remind us of the waters of Baptism which once flowed over our foreheads, to signify that we are not worthy to enter into the Presence of Christ without purification, and to forgive us those venial sins for which we are sorry, as well as remitting the temporal punishment due to our sins according to the measure of our regret and contrition. I do not know how you feel, but I know that...

TALKS ON THE SACRAMENTALS Father Arthur Tonne Copyright 1950 Didde Printing Company Emporia, Kansas (For the whole book, download tlksac.txt/.zip)Cross, Sign Of"God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians, 6:14In April of 1945 American artillery in the town of Siegburg, Germany, was shelling a nearby village, in which there were about 20 German soldiers. The natives were in constant danger of being hit by bullets from either side. Toward evening of April 12 the people persuaded the German soldiers to cease fire.Next morning the village priest carried a white flag to...