St. John Cantius: Tridentine Mass

Vanity ^ | 1-04-10 | mlizzy

[mlizzy]

While researching an article, my husband heard about St. John Cantius Parish (Chicago), which offers the Tridentine Mass. Being only a thirty minute drive, we decided to make the trip for my first Tridentine Mass ever on January 1st, the feast day of Mary, Mother of God. Being in awe of the Mass, we decided to return on the Epiphany (yesterday). Gregorian chant was heard almost completely throughout the Mass by their choir of just a few individuals. The Tridentine Mass itself is the most beautiful, heavenly, and fluid Mass I could ever imagine. No altar girls, no Eucharistic ministers, Communion at the altar and on the tongue only. The priest brings you to God, while taking away from himself (he speaks very quietly, although there are books to follow the Mass, and his eyes are on Christ or when facing the parishioners, cast down). And while my daughter took some lovely photographs, it's impossible to completely capture the old beauty of this particular church which totally encapsulates you in religious art and wonder. If you're in the Chicago area, and would like to take in a Tridentine Mass, I would highly recommend St. John's.

[mlizzy]

The Catholic Knight feels Good Catholics Should Abandon The Novus Ordo Mass [improperly celebrated]

[mlizzy]

"Hence, seeing ponytails serving at the altar; Communion in the hand; the weight of the Liturgical Committees; the removal of statuary; the USCCB yearly tweaking of the Mass (”kneel here now ... no wait, don’t kneel now - stand, no wait, kneel and stand at the same time, NO NO NO, do jumping jacks, oh just forget the whole thing and lets just bow down to Mecca”); and the ambiguity of some of the statements originating from wall of silence / individuals in high places in Rome are disconcerting in a very alarming way."

I really like the above comment of yours, trollcrusher!

[Northern Yankee]

How utterly beautiful.

The closest Triditine Mass is held at St. Mary's Parish in Wausau. Haven't been there yet but I hope to so very soon.

My sister and I were able to meet for daily Mass last week. It was wonderful, but I can't imagine what it must be like at St. John's parish. It takes my breath away.

[mlizzy]

When you get to St. Mary's Tridentine Mass, fill me in. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

And the mass was indeed utterly beautiful. I felt as if I was just a step away from heaven. What was so amazing about the masses I attended, was that they were "performed" so perfectly. The altar servers were veterans to be sure. Young men (not boys!) with a profound holiness about them. You just can't fake this stuff.

Also, the priests that were not performing mass, but were in attendance or helping with pre-mass/post-mass incidentals were all wearing cassocks. And most of the priests (there are several) were pencil thin. It was such a great site to see for someone who has the tendency to be a "bit" of a glutton. Such a wonderful feeling of "self-control" and "peace" at this parish. (I even purchased a shawl today to wear over my head during mass ...) There are lots of mantillas there.

Also, all during the mass, confession is going on, and there are plenty of people in line at a number of confessionals around the perimeter of the church. Spectacular!

[trollcrusher]

W-O-W.

O_o

Gotta love that Marian shade of Cobalt Blue. Reminds me of the ink used in medieval “Illuminated Manuscripts” (Divine Office / Missals / etc.).

I briefly did a quick perusal of your husband’s site / blog and will read it more in depth when I get a chance here. Looks interesting. By the way, nice photo of your children. Nice to see happy and smiling siblings. Indicator of good parenting (or possibly someone made a joke just prior to it being taken ... [kidding on my part] ). ;-)

Additionally, will take a look at the Latin Mass links that you posted as well. Same goes for the Catholic Knight link regarding the Novus Ordo Missae. Just briefly glanced at it and was slightly taken aback by the pro Anglican-use style of worship being espoused by the site’s founder.

Somewhat reserved on my part about it as I think that Anglicanism is what has contributed to the erosion of how Roman Catholics worship. The Church needs to copy NOBODY with regard to how to worship (even though as I have mentioned before, that Anglican places of worship currently often have more of the “bells and smells” in their services than what the Roman Catholic Church has presently endorsed). You know the background on it already. I will delve further into it as I am only making a quick opinion without more analyzation / investigation on my part. :-)

OK, gonna scoot here.

Take care,

trollcrusher

[trollcrusher]

Thank you for the kind comment.

I’m glad that you found credence in my observation / opinion.

Oh, I forgot to mention in my previous post (probably just above this one), that with regard to your “inner locution” or “feeling” in which to pray for Priests following the young men sitting in the pew ahead of you at Mass, indeed that is a G-O-O-D thing. Accept it as a Grace.

The Church is in dire need of new, holy Priests.

Here is a small prayer that I pray every day (or multiple times throughout the day) for Priests. I’ve modified it from the original prayer that I heard years ago, so it is a bit more in tune with the situation going on right now in the Church:

God our Father,
Please send the Church, holy and faithful Priests.
All for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
All for the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In union with St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family and of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

Amen.

I like to think that it helps.

Take care,

trollcrusher

[mlizzy]

Beautiful prayer! St. Joseph seems to be on the lay-low in the Catholic Church, so seeing his inclusion was particularly wonderful. (I've already said your prayer!) If we only knew how much prayer benefited the world, we'd start upon rising and not stop until we slept.

As far as The Catholic Knight goes, that's a site I used to visit a long time ago, but then some things were troubling, most of all, the fact he does not identify himself which is like receiving the Body of Christ from a priest with a mask on. Not trustworthy and even a little creepy. And I understand what you are saying in regard to the Anglican faith being included in a positive light on his blog. (The Catholic Knight IS a convert, I'm almost certain, but I can't remember from which faith.)

He does have lovely articles on the wearing of the mantilla and shawls, but he's a little close to the edge on his dislike for the NO mass, however, because, of course, Jesus comes to us through the Eucharist, even if the Host is consecrated in a closet.

In my husband's book, he has a chapter on Coach Ray Meyer (of the DePaul Blue Demons). I'll include a blurb:

And if there was one thing that separated Ray's career from that of the other Hall of Fame coaches, it was prayer. No matter where they were playing, Ray made sure he went to Mass the day of a game---which created some interesting scenarios ... "Once we got in late to Terre Haute for a game against Indiana State, and when an attending priest found out I hadn't been to Mass yet, I sent the team out for warm-ups with the assistant coach, and he said Mass for me in the rest room. And then there was the time we were waiting for a flight at O'Hare, and Joey found out I hadn't gotten to Mass yet, so he had the team chaplain say it for us in the middle of the airport. Although we didn't intend it at the time, it must have been quite a witness." And, of course, there was the rosary. "The players used to call me 'the man with the beads,' as I was never without one. Before each game, I'd send the team out of the locker room, but I'd join them only after I said a few decades. Then right before tip-off, I'd gather the team around me and we'd say a Hail Mary--even in the late '70s when there were not Catholics among Depaul's starting five. Now ... I say the rosary to ask my wife, Marge [who died in 1986] and my daughter Mariann [who died of cancer in 1996] to help me through each day." He paused, "It's tough now ... tough without Marge. Even at camp ... which I still love ... there are more kids who get in trouble, but that's only because there are more kids from broken homes. But I still try."

Are you familiar with Coach Ray Meyer? I was able to accompany Tom on the interview at Coach's home and that's where the photograph shown was taken. Although it's difficult to see, Coach has a rosary in his hands.

Coach Ray Meyer passed away at the age of 92 in March of 2006. It wouldn't surprise me to find out he died a saint. He was that good of a guy! (brilliant sense of humor as well).

[mlizzy]

Gotta love that Marian shade of Cobalt Blue.

I actually backed off a trifle on that before posting, because it was so intense. Here's a related post:

Happy Birthday Elvis; The King Sings of Mary

The Rosary Online

[mlizzy]

I have to add this one too: Happy Birthday Elvis once again!

If I Can Dream

[trollcrusher]

Yup ...

You hit the nail on the head regarding the “Catholic Knight” ... the first thing that I chose to focus in on was “who IS this guy” ... no name, no slogan, no ID, just advice / commentary, etc.

Now if I really wanted to befuddle a group of people, the best way to do it is to do it with the sweetness of honey rather than the putridness of crapola ... sort of indoctrinate them to MY way of thinking under the guise of being knowledgeable of the Faith, etc. I like to have an Imprimatur and / or a Nihil Obsat from a trusted source when it comes to info / teachings.

On a side note here ... I remember one time several years ago that the Diocese in which I reside in had a group meeting for interested Catholics that discussed topics that varied from meeting to meeting. I got invited to this one and didn’t really know what to expect. They held it in a basement of a convent and once everyone had arrived, they settled in on the topic ... Human Sexuality. There were about maybe two dozen people there ranging from teens to older adults. The group was overseen by a somewhat charismatic guy who was a little too friendly and came across as one of those Evangelical group leaders in Anabaptist churches. Well, they jumped into the main topic and as the discussion revolved around the circle, people put their two cents in, got a response, and then moved on to the next person / couple in sequence.

I sat there aghast as people were recounting their attempts at trying to conceive a child (they had adopted a child already) “We try MANY times a week” [*oof*] and so on and so forth. I thought to myself, where the bloody heck is a priest to be found to LEAD this group. I don’t want some bozo whose credentials I do not know or whom he was vetted by instructing me or others on tender (but needed) topics such as this. Call me paranoid or just oversensitive, but I had to go with what my intuition told me and never went back. Just kept on thinking “WHERE IS THE PRIEST? Couldn’t they find a priest to lead a late evening once-a-month group like this?” Bummer.

OK, enough of my whining (I’m known to do that). Yes, I do remember coach Ray Meyer from my days of living up in Chicago. I wasn’t a follower of sports / basketball, but I do remember him as being a passionate and well respected coach by not only his team, but the school, the city of Chicago, and other teams / schools that they played.

I was not aware of how devout Mr. Meyers was. Reading the snippet from your husband’s book, I was rather moved by his devotion to serving at Mass and to the Holy Rosary. Pretty cool.

Now if only we could get the head of Notre Dame University (I forget the name of the priest, but he is the top guy) to show a bit more backbone like Coach Meyers, then maybe, just maybe, they’d start turning the direction that they are heading around.

No more Vagina Monologues. No more Obammy accolades. No more arrests of 80-something priests who are carried away for protesting what the school should have been promoting to the modern-world-at-large [”Be in it, but not OF it”] -and- (i.e. Fruit of the 3rd Sorrowful Mystery, The Crowning with Thorns, “I desire MORAL courage”). Yes moral courage is in great need in our world.

In closing here, I do thank you for your kind comment on the prayer that I posted here. I am glad that you prayed it and that the inclusion of St. Joseph was to your liking. Very underrated Saint since we know very little about him, but a VERY honourable one indeed who is a prime role model for us to follow by his example. Imagine, to be entrusted with both the care of the Virgin Mother and the example / vocation of being a human father to Jesus. Oh, the graces that he must have had course through his soul. :-)

OK, gonna scoot. If you could (in a private reply), would it be possible for you to just briefly teach me how to post images here on FR? I noticed that you’ve got the process down pat, and I’d like to possibly post some pics that I have on my hard drive.

Mainly, I want to add some pics to my FR profile page. If it is too complicated, then don’t worry about it. I’ll try and find out one way or another ... I know that the HTML is like learning Swahili from a Swede, but once you get the hang of it, it falls into place. [No offense to the citizens of East Africa or to Sweden]. :-P

Take care,

trollcrusher

[mlizzy]

Today's Saturday Tridentine a.m. Mass was briefer (45 minutes), no homily, and no Gregorian Chant.:)

Am I hooked? Going back tomorrow. The TLM has got to offer up so much encouragement for the priesthood.

And I agree with your "WHERE IS THE PRIEST?" comment totally. One always has to be so careful.

[trollcrusher]

It is a G-O-O-D thing in which to be “hooked” upon when it comes to your desire to be able to serve at a Traditional Mass. The Holy Ghost is moving you to be with HIM.

Heed that “inner movement / inner thirst” (”I Thirst” as Jesus spoke upon the cross) and follow your heart.

I know only too well that the head and heart are [can be] in battle with each other a lot of the time over things like this, so you have to turn within [to the soul] to find what may not just be illuminated to you right now by focusing on God, prayer, contemplation, and what I like to do [as a suggestion to you] and that is find a quiet place [maybe a favourite place / hideaway of yours] and meditate on the phrase “Be Still And Know That I AM” and really be still and know that He IS. And take comfort in that stillness that tends to be suppressed in our everyday world.

He knows you more so than anyone else in this world. More so than yourself. So you can take satisfaction in knowing that He knows what you are going to do, say, think, and so on before you even do. All of this is under the gift of Free Will that he has given us unconditionally. So yes, I do think that you are being moved in some form or fashion to serve at the Traditional Mass there at St. John Cantius.

Go with it. Bring hubby and the kiddies as well. Cajole, nudge, or even ambush them into going [the kids that is]. For example, off the top of my head here ... “Hey guys, lets all go downtown to Water Tower Place for a day of shopping” and then make a diversion over to St. John’s for MASS. O_o (Take pic of their faces when you do).

Granted, still go to Water Tower Place or wherever you were going to go to, but after Mass. They don’t have to receive Holy Communion (but that would be good), but just have them be in the “presence” of honouring God in this manner as opposed to the Novus Ordo Missae.

They can just sit in the pew and observe if they feel moved to do so. Just so that they get the exposure (and the benefit of the Grace of being present at Mass) to maybe plant a seed there in their hearts / minds / souls. You never know. St. Augustine’s mother prayed many years for her son to turn from his wayward lifestyle and look what happened, both of them are honoured as Saints in the Church.

As God has said “My thoughts are ABOVE your thoughts. My ways are ABOVE your ways.” Our teeny tiny human brains are no match for His.

Keep going. It is inspiring to me that you are doing so.

OK, I am turning my personal didactic switch off now as I am running low on personal battery power. ;-)

*flips switch now*

I’ll drop you a reply with regard to your FR private message when I get a chance here. Thanks for taking the time to type all of the instructions up.

Peace,

trollcrusher

p.s. I like the most recent pic that you posted here. :-)

[mlizzy]

Well, I didn't promise Water Tower Place, but I did say lunch was on me, so hopefully I'll get one of our son's there via that suggestion. The other one -- and his R.C. girlfriend -- are coming. He, in fact, suggested it! Our third son has to work.:( And our daughter will come, and I hope her Lutheran boyfriend will join us. I've also invited my husband's family which I did last week as well. I'm hopeful one or some of them will show up, even if not today.

Thanks for the didactic (I had to look that up!) encouragement on the TLM. I even purchased a prayer shawl in black but when it came it didn't have the beige/gold fringe like the lime one did (I assumed for whatever reason it would), but instead is completely black so with my mature face and "light" hair, I, with the shawl over my head, look like a woman who has lost her entire family in an earthquake:), but I'm gonna go with it anyway I think. (And yes, if you're wondering, Stevie Nicks is one of my favorite artists -- and I pray for her conversion; she'd make such an awesome Catholic ... I look forward to hearing her voice in heaven).

[mlizzy]

Another picture of a nice statue taken at St. John Cantius, Sunday 01-10-10.

[trollcrusher]

Go here:

http://www.uticaod.com/news/x1820920165/Latin-Mass-a-more-reverent-experience

Received email. Thanks for the words of support. Will send you a more complete reply when I get a chance here.

Glad to hear about the Tridentine Mass “experiences / attendees” ;-)

Thanks for posting the new picture. You have a talent for capturing images. (ala the pics for your husband’s book, the images here, etc.). Gotta knack for it.

I’m off to speak Swahili like a Swede now. Just kidding.

O_o

Peace,

B.