Posted on 03/11/2026 12:46:07 PM PDT by ebb tide
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the archbishop of San Francisco, California, celebrated Croatia’s first Traditional Pontifical Mass in over half a century during the “Christ is King” conference last weekend.
The March 7 Mass, celebrated at the Church of St. Blaise during the third annual “Christ is King” conference, was notably the first Pontifical High Mass celebrated in Latin in the central European country in over 50 years. During a lecture prior to the Mass, Cordileone emphasized that returning to the beauty of the ancient liturgical practices found in the Tridentine Mass is the key to evangelization and ultimately restoring Western civilization to Christ.
While Bishop Athanasius Schneider celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in 2016, this was celebrated in Church Slavonic, making Cordileone’s Mass the first to be celebrated in Latin in the post-conciliar period.
“The renewal of Western civilization begins, therefore, with the renewal of the Mass…. The Mass is truly the heart and foundation of that civilization. Moreover, it offers us a unique opportunity in the time in which we live,” the archbishop said as part of a speech before the Mass.
“People can argue, ‘You have your truth, and I have mine,’ but when it comes to beauty, the arguments stop. Beauty touches a person in an intuitive way, bypassing logical arguments – or, more often, illogicalities – and thus prepares the soil of the human soul for the seed of truth,” he added. “People can deliberately close their eyes to all the good the Church does for the world, but it is difficult to deny beauty when it is before us.”
Cordileone, citing recent reports showing that young people are increasingly being drawn to Catholicism because of its traditional liturgical, artistic, and spiritual practices, stressed that instead of trying to find a “new language” to reach younger generations, the Church should look no further than her ancient language.
READ: Wall Street Journal highlights Gen Z’s interest in the Latin Mass, reverence
“The beauty of our authentic Catholic liturgical, artistic, and spiritual heritage attracts people – especially young people – to the Church,” His Excellency said. “It is often said that we must find a new language to reach young people who are increasingly distancing themselves from the Church. We already have that language: it is the old one. Or, more precisely, the classical – the timeless language. And it does not just work on an aesthetic level: it also fosters moral conversion.”
Cordileone was one of the main speakers at the “Christ is King” conference along with LifeSiteNews Editor-in-Chief John-Henry Westen, Dutch Bishop Robert Mustaerts, and others. During the conference, hundreds of faithful prayed the holy Rosary for the unborn in Zagreb square as pro-abortion protesters tried to drown out their prayers.
READ: Archbishop Cordileone rallies behind bishop calling for Notre Dame to demote pro-abortion professor
The archbishop of San Francisco has been one of the most outspoken pro-life and conservative voices in the Church in America for decades. He has frequently attended and celebrated Mass for pro-life events such as San Francisco’s Walk for Life West Coast.
Cordileone has repeatedly denounced Nancy Pelosi, who represents the city in Congress, for her pro-abortion stance, and made national headlines in 2022 when he barred her from receiving Holy Communion within his archdiocese.
More recently, Cordileone rallied behind Bishop Kevin Rhoades and several other bishops in their denunciation of the promotion of a vehemently pro-abortion professor, Susan Ostermann, as the director of Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
The archbishop has also been a staunch defender of the Latin Mass and reverent liturgical practices, including receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. Last Summer, he notably concelebrated a Pontifical High Mass with Cardinal Raymond Burke at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wisconsin.
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Ping
“The March 7 Mass, celebrated at the Church of St. Blaise during the third annual “Christ is King” conference, was notably the first Pontifical High Mass celebrated in Latin in the central European country in over 50 years”. Some people haven’t forgot.
Abp. Cordileone is a local ordinary. Within the diocesan hierarchy. These sentiments on the Vetus Ordo appear to contradict those of Rome. How will Rome respond?
Good luck with that
I see so much disorder for the sake of disorder I can’t believe it
Eucharistic ministers started on naval ships. They had to approve lay people to distribute communion on ships
Now all these people go up to the altar To get the Eucharist. It takes them longer to do all that than it would if the priest would just distribute it himself
Then they come to the back of the church. That’s not right. Communion is meant to be something the congregation gathers for and gets on line for
And the music. The best music in the world is classic Catholic hymns. Handel, Bach. No. They do Girl Scout campfire songs from the 70s, evil inducing time signatures
Ok. That’s just the start
I’m done
“You have your truth and I have mine” is Modernism in a nutshell. Pope St. Pius X proclaimed Modernism to be the “Synthesis of All Heresies,” which it is because it asserts there are no absolutes. But God is absolute and never-changing. The Modernist theologians have a really hard time when they try to believe - at the same time - 2 ideas which are diametrically opposed. Most people eventually end up going crazy when they have to be so intellectually dishonest.
I talked with Archbishop Cordileon right after he was assigned to San Francisco waiting for our flight to Rome.......he’s the Real deal....HOLY. PRAY FOR HIM.
Bach and Handel were Lutheran, although the latter transferred to the Church of England as that was the politically popular thing to do in England.
Catholic composers include Palestrina, Pergolesi, Vivaldi (priest), Mozart...Schubert mostly, sort of...
Thanks. On my rant I didn’t look anything up
I am saving what you just sent me. I appreciate it
The renewal of Western Civilization will occur when the clergy, to start with, begin obeying God’s commandments and living by God’s statutes and decrees.
“ An Orthodox Church might be an alternative outside the Catholic Church.”
No I’m not moving. But thanks
The Californians should not abandon their state. Same principal
Perform this ritual in order to achieve true spiritual awakening.
You forgot Salieri - LOL!
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