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Featured Term (selected at random):ASPERGES The first word in the Latin of the Psalm "Thou shall sprinkle me with hyssop" gave its name to the ceremony of sprinkling the people with holy water before the principal Mass on Sunday. During the paschal season the "Asperges" is replaced by the hymn "Vidi Aquam." (Etym. Latin asperges, thou wilt sprinkle; from aspergere, to sprinkle.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Fr. Michal Ryan, pastor of a cathedral church, launched an online signature drive to encourage laity and clergy alike to oppose the liturgical texts approved by Holy Mother Church...

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 3/28 and 31Kohen--Leviticus 12:1-4Levi--12:5-8Yisra'el--13:1-5 Strday 4/2--Shabbat HaChodesh/Parashat Tazri`aMORNING Kohen--Leviticus 12:1-13:5Levi--13:6-17Shelishi--13:18-23Revi`i--13:24-28Chamishi--13:29-39Shishi--13:40-54Shevi`i--13:55-59Maftir--Exodus 12:1-20Haftarah--Ezekiel 45:16-46:18 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 14:1-5Levi--vs. 6-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-12

Monday morning 3/14Kohen--Leviticus 6:1-3Levi--vs. 4-6Yisra'el--vs.7-11 Thrsday 3/17--Ta`anit 'EsterMORNING Kohen--Exodus 32:11-14Levi--Exodus 34:1-3Yisra'el--Exodus 34:4-10 EVENING Kohen--Exodus 32:11-14Levi--Exodus 34:1-3Yisra'el/Maftir--Exodus 34:4-10Haftarah--Isaiah 55:6-56:8 Strday 3/19--Shabbat Zakhor/Parashat TzavMORNING Kohen--Leviticus 6:1-11Levi--6:12-7:10Shelishi--7:11-38Revi`i--8:1-13Chamishi--8:14-21Shishi--8:22-29Shevi`i--8:30-36Maftir--Deuteronomy 25:17-19Haftarah--I Samuel 15:2-34 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 9:1-6Levi--vs. 7-10Yisra'el--vs. 11-16 Strday night, 3/19--Leyl PurimMegillat 'Ester--The Book of Esther Sunday 3/20--PurimKohen--Exodus 17:8-10Levi--vs. 11-13Yisra'el--vs. 14-16Megillat 'Ester--The Book of Esther Monday and Thrsday mornings, 3/21 and 24Kohen--Leviticus 9:1-6Levi--vs. 7-10Yisra'el--vs. 11-16 Strday 3/26--Shabbat Parah/Parashat SheminiMORNING Kohen--Leviticus 9:1-16Levi--9:17-23Shelishi--9:24-10:11Revi`i--10:12-15Chamishi--10:16-20Shishi--11:1-32Shevi`i--11:33-47Maftir--Numbers 19:1-22Haftarah--Ezekiel 36:16-38 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 12:1-4Levi--12:5-8Yisra'el--13:1-5

Featured Term (selected at random):PENITENTIAL ACT The invitation by the priest at Mass, after the opening salutation, to have the congregation acknowledge their sinfulness. This is followed by the Appeal for Mercy, the Kyrie, unless the pleas for forgiveness was already included in the penitential act. Normally each invocation is sung (or said) twice, but there may be further repetitions and also brief text insertions (tropes) if the circumstances warrant such additions. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Look up “Gregorian chant” in just about any current dictionary or encyclopedia and you will see a description that says it “is the liturgical chant of the Roman Catholic Church.” Notice that the tense of the verb “to be” is in its present form of “is.”

It says "Mass" outside. But it's a Rock concert on the inside. This thief's pastoral initiative doesn't serve the youth, rather it serves the blathering of the official Bishops, providing them a diversion from the shattering glass of their Olde Liberal Church destruction.

The Liturgical Year   Unlike pagan religions which see time as an endless cycle, Christians see time as being linear; it has a beginning and will have an end. Within Christianity's linear, "big picture" sense of time, though, the passing of hours is experienced as cycles of meditations on holy things. Think of a spiral -- of a circle of time moving ever forward toward His Coming -- and you will have a sense of "Catholic time." The Catholic year (the "liturgical year") is made special by cycles of celebrations commemorating the lives of Jesus and His mother, the angels, and...

Sunday 3/6--First Day Ro'sh Chodesh 'Adar SheniKohen--Numbers 28:1-3Levi--vs. 3-5Shelishi--vs. 6-10Revi`i--vs. 11-15 Monday 3/7--Second Day Ro'sh Chodesh 'Adar SheniKohen--Numbers 28:1-3Levi--vs. 3-5Shelishi--vs. 6-10Revi`i--vs. 11-15 Thrsday morning 3/10Kohen--Leviticus 1:1-4Levi--vs. 5-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-13 Strday 3/12--Shabbat Parashat VaYiqra'MORNING Kohen--Leviticus 1:1-13Levi--1:14-2:6Shelishi--2:7-16Revi`i--3:1-17Chamishi--4:1-26Shishi--4:27-5:10Shevi`i--5:11-26Maftir--5:24-26Haftarah--Isaiah 43:21-44:23 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 6:1-3Levi--vs. 4-6Yisra'el--vs.7-11

ROME (CNS) -- A weakening of faith in God, a rise in selfishness and a drop in the number of people going to Mass in many parts of the world can be traced to Masses that are not reverent and don't follow church rules, said two Vatican officials and a consultant. "If we err by thinking we are the center of the liturgy, the Mass will lead to a loss of faith," said U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, head of the Vatican's supreme court. Cardinal Burke and Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and...

Following up a bit on the previous post about the significance of the liturgical calendar, here is an excerpt from Barbara Morgan's essay, "Liturgy, Catechesis, and Conversion":In order to grow in participation in the mystery of Christ the Church wisely arranges the liturgical year to cover all of the mighty acts of God. The possibility for contemplation of all of the stages of God’s salvific action in sacred history are there. The Church maintains the important link between God’s promise and His oath: from the promise of and subsequent longing for redemption in Advent; to the stupendous realization of God’s...

When one thinks of notorious vigilantes, several names and personality types come to mind. Perhaps Charles Bronson or Dirty Harry, or maybe even the Dark Knight, Batman. But personally, I have yet to run into tragic costumed figure or a rogue cop who has just had enough. But I have met a person who has had enough and can’t take it anymore, a person who has seen too much lawbreaking simply ignored by the competent authorities, a person who has finally decided to do something about it—to become a vigilante—Mrs. McGillicuddy. She sits in the third pew on the left....

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 2/28 and 3/3Kohen--Exodus 38:21-23Levi--38:24-27Yisra'el--38:28-39:1 Strday 3/5--Shabbat Sheqalim/Machar Chodesh/Parashat PequdeyMORNING Kohen--Exodus 38:21-39:1Levi--39:2-21Shelishi--39:22-32Revi`i--39:33-43Chamishi--40:1-16Shishi--40:17-27Shevi`i--40:28-38Maftir--Exodus 30:11-16Haftarah--II Kings 12:1-17; I Samuel 20:18, 42 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 1:1-4Levi--vs. 5-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-13

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 2/21 and 24Kohen--Exodus 35:1-3Levi--vs. 4-10Yisra'el--vs. 11-20 Strday 2/26--Shabbat Parashat VaYaqhelMORNING Kohen--Exodus 35:1-20Levi--35:21-29Shelishi--35:30-36:7Revi`i--36:8-19Chamishi--36:20-37:16Shishi--37:17-29Shevi`i--38:1-20Maftir--38:18-20Haftarah--I Kings 7:40-50 EVENING Kohen--Exodus 38:21-23Levi--38:24-27Yisra'el--38:28-39:1

It may surprise most people to know that there are many different rites within the Catholic Church. Before discussing these rites it is important to note that different sources disagree on exactly what constitutes a rite and exactly how many there are.A rite represents an ecclesiastical tradition about how the sacraments are to be celebrated. As the early Church grew and spread, it celebrated the sacraments as would be best understood and received in the context of individual cultures, without ever changing their essential form and matter. The early Church sought to evangelize in the major cultural centers of the...

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 2/14 and 17Kohen--Exodus 30:11-13Levi--vs. 14-16Yisra'el--vs. 17-21 Strday 2/19--Shabbat Parashat Ki-Tissa'MORNING Kohen--Exodus 30:11-31:17Levi--31:18-33:11Shelishi--33:12-16Revi`i--33:17-23Chamishi--34:1-9Shishi--34:10-26Shevi`i--34:27-35Maftir--34:33-35Haftarah--I Kings 18:1-39 EVENING Kohen--Exodus 35:1-3Levi--vs. 4-10Yisra'el--vs. 11-20

Monday, January 31, 2011 New USCCB Document Highlights Biblical Quotations in the Mass The Catholic Mass draws heavily from Scripture--in every prayer you hear quotations and allusions to biblical texts. In fact, last year I did a series presentations now available through Saint Joseph Communications here (shameless plug!) exploring the biblical backdrop for the prayers of the Mass.   Now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has put out a footnoted version of the prayers of the new translation of the liturgy, alerting you to the Biblical background of each of the prayers.  Some examples: The response: "The Lord be...

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 2/7 and 10Kohen--Exodus 27:20-28:5Levi--28:6-9Yisra'el--28:10-12 Strday 2/12--Shabbat Parashat TetzavvehMORNING Kohen--Exodus 27:20-28:12Levi--28:13-30Shelishi--28:31-43Revi`i--29:1-18Chamishi--29:19-37Shishi--29:38-46Shevi`i--30:1-10Maftir--vs. 8-10Haftarah--Ezekiel 43:10-27 EVENING Kohen--Exodus 30:11-13Levi--vs. 14-16Yisra'el--vs. 17-21

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 1/31 and 2/3Kohen--Exodus 25:1-5Levi--vs. 6-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-16 Frday 2/4--First Day Ro'sh Chodesh 'Adar Ri'shonKohen--Numbers 28:1-3Levi--vs. 3-5Shelishi--vs. 6-10Revi`i--vs. 11-15 Strday 2/5--Shabbat Ro'sh Chodesh/Second Day Ro'sh Chodesh 'Adar Ri'shon/Parashat TerumahMORNING Kohen--Exodus 25:1-16Levi--25:17-30Shelishi--25:31-26:14Revi`i--26:15-30Chamishi--26:31-37Shishi--27:1-8Shevi`i--27:9-19Maftir--Numbers 28:9-15Haftarah--Isaiah 66:1-24; verse 23 is repeated EVENING Kohen--Exodus 27:20-28:5Levi--28:6-9Yisra'el--28:10-12

Featured Term (selected at random):GRADUAL The response and versicle to the Epistle formerly made at High Mass, and so named because it was sung on the step of the altar. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.