It might have been weeks after the Easter Sunday Vigil services, but nothing will be left "un-ranted".
Ha!
***
THE “Sugat” is a Filipino tradition done at dawn on Easter Sunday and features the images of the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary meeting in a procession.
In Compostela, Cebu, parish priest Jonathan Lao introduced some changes. Instead of the Virgin Mary, it’s Mary Magdalene whom Jesus saw for the first time after He rose from the dead.
In his Easter message, Lao said, “Karon kay nagtuo man gyud mo nga ang iyang inahan maoy iyang unang nakita, akong i-usab kana sumala sa Bibliya, sumala sa santos nga kasulatan, ug mao si Maria Magdalena (You used to believe it was His mother whom He first saw. I will change that according to the Bible that was Mary Magdalene).”
Lao has been in the news lately after allegedly telling parishioners not to believe in saints. [He did! Here is the picture of the altar of the parish. This priest is wacko!] Parishioners are still awaiting results of an investigation by the Cebu Archdiocese.
The crowd who attended the event was not as big as those that attended in the previous years.
For years, the parishioners of Compostela had been used to the traditional Sugat, which involved the statues of St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
“This ritual is popularly known as salubong or sugat because this is done in a procession where the men and women are separated coming from opposite directions but they eventually meet in front of the church,” said Melanie Abelgas, a member of a religious sector.
The men are led by the image of the Resurrected Christ while the women are led by the Virgin Mary covered in a black veil. [Because it is the Resurrected Christ that lifts the veil of sorrow from the Blessed Mother. It is He who triumphed over death. That is the symbolism of the taking off of the black mourning veil.]
Yesterday, actors playing angels removed the veil from Jesus Christ’s image and not from Mother Mary as the town had been used to seeing. [Actors, not images, actors! How many times have you seen this? Actually I have been to a lot and everytime this is done in the parish, you can hear inside the church the jeers and sneers of those in attendance. The thrill of seeing a Resurrected Christ is lost by seeing an actor with a fake beard and fake stigmata wounds....Ugh! Every single year I have to painfully watch this go on and on and on!]
The changes drew negative reactions from some of the spectators.
Church vendor Geraldine, who has been attending the activity for 20 years, said, “Mas nindot sa una kay mao may naandan nato. Nabag-uhan lang mi ron kay giusab man gud siya (The old Sugat was better. The changes are new to us),” she said.
Another parishioner, Marlouie Vincent Reyes, 16, said Lao should have asked for permission from the Cebu Archdiocese first.
A parishioner said that until now, Lao still continues to tell them in his homilies not to believe in saints, the Virgin Mother and the Holy Rosary. [Did he study at MST, or SVST or Euntes? Ha! In fact, he is not. He was educated in Rome. Hey, wait! In San't Anselmo during the 80s? Ha!]
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, in an earlier interview, said they are still gathering more information about the issue.
***
There have been priests in the US who have been removed from their pastoral duties in their parishes for refusing to follow the new translation of the Roman Missal. OK, fine. This is the Missal. Fr. Lao's version of the Salubong or Sugat is his own version and it is not a strictly liturgical in nature. BUT! This is proof of a priest who'll do whatever he wants just so he can do whatever he wants.
I am not at all surprised if he did his own version of the Salubong. That is the trend, brothers and sisters. Anything old and traditional, CHANGE IT! Anyone who'll rant about it, do not minds them, TALK TO THE HAND!
I am the parish priest and I can do whatever I want!
That's the kind of Fr. Lao.
Actually this priest has an attitude. He once shot a student who was stealing mangoes from his tree. The case was settled amicably.
Why, Fr. Lao? Is shooting in the Bible? Settling out of court in the Bible?
Yeah, I know that is a non-sensical question.
But, hey! He is FR. LAO and he can do whatever he wants!
The blog of a group of Filipino Catholics and their frank commentary on anything that affects their lives as a citizen of the Philippines and as a Roman Catholics.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Vatican II is not God!
A direct quote from a very insightful post of Fr. Allan McDonald of Southern Orders blog:
***
At another blog, a sociologist made the following observation:
"By and large Vatican II was successful. Both the Liturgy and the Bible have become more accessible to the laity. Ecumenically and interfaith wise, Catholics are understanding other groups and collaborating better with them. More Catholics experience their families, work and communities as places where they are called to holiness.
What has not worked well has been collegiality: collegiality among bishops with the pope, collegiality among priests with their bishop; collegiality among people with their pastor. In all cases persons in charge have tended to be dissatisfied with “democracy.” While having formal processes of “consultation,” these do not influence decision making..."
We can say that Vatican II was successful, but we cannot say that it is successful if we look at the attrition rate of Catholics practicing their faith since the Second Vatican Council as only 20% are attending the successful and accessible liturgy of the Church. And of those 20% there is not always agreement on what is successful and accessible, in fact there is downright division and each person thinks their opinion is valid and all opinions are valid even if the opinion is opposed to what the Church actually teaches about this, that or the other.
What has not worked well: "Collegiality" is probably true as so often collegiality proposes false expectations of a democratic dynamic not only in administration where it could work well and be valid, but in Church teaching where the "voice of the people" including the voices of the clergy can be downright wrong, heterodox or even heretical. Ultimately the pope, the bishop in his diocese or the pastor of the parish after consulting has the canonical right to make a decision and sometimes in the areas of faith and morals no real consultation is needed or required except for pastoral reasons and the input that helps highlight what needs to be done and more importantly explained.
But even if the observation that collegiality is a sore point with Catholics, just how many Catholics of the 20% that attend Mass? 1%? 2%, 10%???? And of the 80% who no longer attend Mass, just how important is collegiality amongst them 1%? 2% or 100%? That would be an interesting sociological survey. My personal feeling from merely anecdotal evidence is that the vast majority of Catholics, 99.9% of them, practicing or not, don't give a flip about institutional collegiality in the Church, only Catholics involved in decision making in the Church seem to obsess on this.
Vatican II is not God; Collegiality is not God; Ecclesiology is not God; Lay participation in the Mass is not God! God is God and if God is not believed as the Church teaches and celebrates His action within Salvation History from start to finish, then, Houston, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
Your humble thoughts on this?
***
Huh?!
Successful?
In what terms?
Let me drill on this one by one.
Vatican II was successful. Yeah....in that it was organized. Ha!
Vatican II emphasized the use of the vernacular in the Liturgy which to some extent really helped bring some positive change in the world. I have read in more than a couple of posts from more credible liturgists and theologians (Ha!) that what was expected was that the Mass would have more vernacular and less of the Latin, most especially vernacular in the readings and the Latin remains in the common parts of the Mass especially the prayers of the priest. What happened is an alleged Mass that looks the same (DAW!) from the ancient Mass (DAW!) that the early Christians in Rome practiced (DAW!).
Pius XII warned against antiquarianism and this is what San Beda and Malaybalay kept on insisting.
On the issue of collegiality, it will never work. Look at how happily disoriented the Anglican and Episcopalian communion are? Look at how the Islamic world is tearing each other apart. Everyone wants to be Pope! It will never work. Democracy will never work in the Church that was founded to have a supreme pastor and leader. Look at the Council of Jerusalem was conducted. When Peter spoke up, everybody shut up. Questions?
So for the aging hippie priests who still teach subjects in theology about collegiality, consultation, lay empowerment, women's involvement, inculturated and animated liturgy, dialogue with religion, preaching in the margins, BEING CHURCH...........
ALL BALONEY!
Tick tock tick tock tick tock....
There is a new breed of Catholics being born every second around the world.
And they do not think like you.
Because the modernist theology you teach does not encourage young men to become priests or brothers nor do they encourage women to become women who are submissive to authority and who would rather serve in silence. Modenist nuns love to hate men. Oftentimes, They crave positions of authority and they would grab at every opportunity to be the leader and make slaves out of men.
That is what Modernism is: STERILE and BARREN.
It does not reproduce. They agree to disagree and fight each other once their common enemy, anything of the Catholic past, is mentioned. They do not inspire for a higher good, something of the supernatural. They always crave for the here and know. Modernists will always tend to satisfy the senses, makes you feel good, but does not make you feel uncomfortable. That is why you will never hear them talk about the Four Last Things. Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell. They will always talk to you about blessings, happiness, miracles, but not about the things WE NEED to prepare once this EARTHLY LIFE is over.
So, for Vatican II? We need a clearer interpretation of what the Council Documents really meant. That is why I fully support the views of Bishop Athanasius Schneider in that the Holy Father issue a Syllabus of Errors in defining Vatican II, one of which is "this phenomenon can be seen in three liturgical practices that are fairly well known and widespread in almost all the parishes of the Catholic sphere: the almost complete disappearance of the use of the Latin language, the reception of the Eucharistic body of Christ directly in the hand while standing, and the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice in the modality of a closed circle in which priest and people are constantly looking at each other."
So, you ask now, why I call out erring priests and bishops in their liturgical practice?
***
At another blog, a sociologist made the following observation:
"By and large Vatican II was successful. Both the Liturgy and the Bible have become more accessible to the laity. Ecumenically and interfaith wise, Catholics are understanding other groups and collaborating better with them. More Catholics experience their families, work and communities as places where they are called to holiness.
What has not worked well has been collegiality: collegiality among bishops with the pope, collegiality among priests with their bishop; collegiality among people with their pastor. In all cases persons in charge have tended to be dissatisfied with “democracy.” While having formal processes of “consultation,” these do not influence decision making..."
We can say that Vatican II was successful, but we cannot say that it is successful if we look at the attrition rate of Catholics practicing their faith since the Second Vatican Council as only 20% are attending the successful and accessible liturgy of the Church. And of those 20% there is not always agreement on what is successful and accessible, in fact there is downright division and each person thinks their opinion is valid and all opinions are valid even if the opinion is opposed to what the Church actually teaches about this, that or the other.
What has not worked well: "Collegiality" is probably true as so often collegiality proposes false expectations of a democratic dynamic not only in administration where it could work well and be valid, but in Church teaching where the "voice of the people" including the voices of the clergy can be downright wrong, heterodox or even heretical. Ultimately the pope, the bishop in his diocese or the pastor of the parish after consulting has the canonical right to make a decision and sometimes in the areas of faith and morals no real consultation is needed or required except for pastoral reasons and the input that helps highlight what needs to be done and more importantly explained.
But even if the observation that collegiality is a sore point with Catholics, just how many Catholics of the 20% that attend Mass? 1%? 2%, 10%???? And of the 80% who no longer attend Mass, just how important is collegiality amongst them 1%? 2% or 100%? That would be an interesting sociological survey. My personal feeling from merely anecdotal evidence is that the vast majority of Catholics, 99.9% of them, practicing or not, don't give a flip about institutional collegiality in the Church, only Catholics involved in decision making in the Church seem to obsess on this.
Vatican II is not God; Collegiality is not God; Ecclesiology is not God; Lay participation in the Mass is not God! God is God and if God is not believed as the Church teaches and celebrates His action within Salvation History from start to finish, then, Houston, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
Your humble thoughts on this?
***
Huh?!
Successful?
In what terms?
Let me drill on this one by one.
Vatican II was successful. Yeah....in that it was organized. Ha!
Vatican II emphasized the use of the vernacular in the Liturgy which to some extent really helped bring some positive change in the world. I have read in more than a couple of posts from more credible liturgists and theologians (Ha!) that what was expected was that the Mass would have more vernacular and less of the Latin, most especially vernacular in the readings and the Latin remains in the common parts of the Mass especially the prayers of the priest. What happened is an alleged Mass that looks the same (DAW!) from the ancient Mass (DAW!) that the early Christians in Rome practiced (DAW!).
Pius XII warned against antiquarianism and this is what San Beda and Malaybalay kept on insisting.
On the issue of collegiality, it will never work. Look at how happily disoriented the Anglican and Episcopalian communion are? Look at how the Islamic world is tearing each other apart. Everyone wants to be Pope! It will never work. Democracy will never work in the Church that was founded to have a supreme pastor and leader. Look at the Council of Jerusalem was conducted. When Peter spoke up, everybody shut up. Questions?
So for the aging hippie priests who still teach subjects in theology about collegiality, consultation, lay empowerment, women's involvement, inculturated and animated liturgy, dialogue with religion, preaching in the margins, BEING CHURCH...........
ALL BALONEY!
Tick tock tick tock tick tock....
There is a new breed of Catholics being born every second around the world.
And they do not think like you.
Because the modernist theology you teach does not encourage young men to become priests or brothers nor do they encourage women to become women who are submissive to authority and who would rather serve in silence. Modenist nuns love to hate men. Oftentimes, They crave positions of authority and they would grab at every opportunity to be the leader and make slaves out of men.
That is what Modernism is: STERILE and BARREN.
It does not reproduce. They agree to disagree and fight each other once their common enemy, anything of the Catholic past, is mentioned. They do not inspire for a higher good, something of the supernatural. They always crave for the here and know. Modernists will always tend to satisfy the senses, makes you feel good, but does not make you feel uncomfortable. That is why you will never hear them talk about the Four Last Things. Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell. They will always talk to you about blessings, happiness, miracles, but not about the things WE NEED to prepare once this EARTHLY LIFE is over.
So, for Vatican II? We need a clearer interpretation of what the Council Documents really meant. That is why I fully support the views of Bishop Athanasius Schneider in that the Holy Father issue a Syllabus of Errors in defining Vatican II, one of which is "this phenomenon can be seen in three liturgical practices that are fairly well known and widespread in almost all the parishes of the Catholic sphere: the almost complete disappearance of the use of the Latin language, the reception of the Eucharistic body of Christ directly in the hand while standing, and the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice in the modality of a closed circle in which priest and people are constantly looking at each other."
So, you ask now, why I call out erring priests and bishops in their liturgical practice?
Supreme Knight speaks up against RH Bill!
From CBCP for Life
***
MANILA, April 28, 2012–Pointing out that even the United States is wrestling with the grave consequences of contraception becoming a cultural norm and “reproductive health” being legislated, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson of the Knights of Columbus (K of C) explained why things such as contraception, abortion and sterilization finding their way into a government mandate must be rejected. [the Worthy Supreme Knight knows what he is talking about.]
“[The RH bill] will change the character and nature of the Philippines if it becomes a law. It’s the beginning of the end of the Philippines’ being a truly Catholic country, the Catholic family, Catholic principles,” he said in his remarks to a group of Council chaplains yesterday on the first day of the K of C Philippines 9th National Convention at The Manila Hotel.
Anderson, who was appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1998 by Blessed John Paul II then to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in 2002, not only reminded but also thanked the Knights in the Philippines for their dedication to uphold a culture of life and encouraged them to cherish a society that values the life of every person with no exceptions.
“People don’t deserve RH bill. People deserve a culture of life, where everyone when they’re born is welcome, where everyone is respected, where everyone is given an opportunity,” he enthused.
“If you don’t respect some people, you don’t recognize the dignity of some… you can’t build a great society on that. You can have material progress, but you can’t build a great culture on that.”
The Supreme Knight — who is also a consultant to the Pro-Life Committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) — then expressed the group’s all-out dedication to the efforts to fight the controversial legislative measure pending in the Philippine Congress that will change the country’s family- and life-loving culture if enacted into law.
The religious organization’s efforts in defeating the bill must be top priority, he said, and that “We’re not just competing with wealthy organizations and drug companies. We’re also competing against spiritual powers, so we have to use spiritual weapons. We have to be smart, and we have to fight back smartly. So we’re going to tell the convention tonight, the number one issue for the Knights of Columbus: defeat RH bill.”
The RH bill, which is in the period of interpellation in both the Senate and House of Representatives, has been met with an increasingly strong opposition due to its emphasis on taxpayer-funded contraception, a 6-year sex education program for all schools, and forced participation in RH services health care workers, medical practitioners and employers.
The measure will address the nation’s poverty problem, its proponents and advocates repeatedly claim; [weh?] in addition, poverty continues to be blamed primarily on overpopulation, [people are to be blamed why we are poor, not because some people are just plain damn greedy!] despite studies showing that it is demography – or population distribution – that needs to be addressed. [Most people are in highly urbanized centers like Metro Manila! Why you might ask? Because there is no government support in the provinces. Farmers sell their land in order to get a job in the construction industry in the metropolis. And so the provinces are emptied and Metro Manila is getting all too cramped!] Based on this, the “need” to limit the size of the population is inaccurate.
Anderson pointed out an oft-forgotten truth about the wealth that any nation should protect and preserve: “What’s the greatest resource of any country? Its people.”
Many countries are seeing much success in terms of economic progress, he remarked, but partly by destroying the family. “So what will their future be?” [Look at Europe.]
“The Philippines has a bright future because the Philippines has great people, and as long as the Philippines forms people, preserves marriage, preserves family, this country can ultimately have a great future because it has great people,” he enthused.
Anderson was also optimistic and quietly fervent as he underscored the value of the laity staying united with its priests and bishops. This unity cannot be underestimated; in fact, a lack of it will even pose a stumbling block in the fight for a culture of life, as “the first thing that ‘the other side’ does to weaken the Church is to split the laity from our priests. So we have to maintain that that will never happen to the Knights of Columbus,” he pointed out. [Not all priests are united with their bishops. Like priests of MST, SVST?]
“The organization that is number one in defeating the RH bill should be the Knights of Columbus. The only way we can do that is if we remain absolutely, unbreakably united with our priests and bishops,” he added.
“There may be some organizations that are larger, but there is no organization that gives the Catholic men of our countries the leadership potential, the formation potential, the ability to contribute to the life of the Church, and there is no organization that is more united with its priests and bishops than the Knights of Columbus.” [Prayer and Action in the Order.]
The Supreme Knight then stressed the role of forming good Catholic men and how this is closely tied to spreading devotion to K of C founder [Venerable] Fr. Michael J. McGivney, whose beatification is avidly being promoted.
“We need to form our men, Catholic men, so they will be good husbands, good fathers, good businessmen, good citizens, and for that we need the help of our priests. For that we need to increase devotion to Fr. McGivney, because as we encourage this devotion, we encourage the understanding of the dedication and commitment of every priest who serves the people of God in his parish,” Anderson enthused.
***
The Supreme Knight delivered an excellent speech in the National Convention.
I hope to post the entire speech in the blog.
***
MANILA, April 28, 2012–Pointing out that even the United States is wrestling with the grave consequences of contraception becoming a cultural norm and “reproductive health” being legislated, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson of the Knights of Columbus (K of C) explained why things such as contraception, abortion and sterilization finding their way into a government mandate must be rejected. [the Worthy Supreme Knight knows what he is talking about.]
 |
| I remember this photo being taken with the Supreme Knight. ;) |
“[The RH bill] will change the character and nature of the Philippines if it becomes a law. It’s the beginning of the end of the Philippines’ being a truly Catholic country, the Catholic family, Catholic principles,” he said in his remarks to a group of Council chaplains yesterday on the first day of the K of C Philippines 9th National Convention at The Manila Hotel.
Anderson, who was appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1998 by Blessed John Paul II then to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in 2002, not only reminded but also thanked the Knights in the Philippines for their dedication to uphold a culture of life and encouraged them to cherish a society that values the life of every person with no exceptions.
“People don’t deserve RH bill. People deserve a culture of life, where everyone when they’re born is welcome, where everyone is respected, where everyone is given an opportunity,” he enthused.
“If you don’t respect some people, you don’t recognize the dignity of some… you can’t build a great society on that. You can have material progress, but you can’t build a great culture on that.”
The Supreme Knight — who is also a consultant to the Pro-Life Committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) — then expressed the group’s all-out dedication to the efforts to fight the controversial legislative measure pending in the Philippine Congress that will change the country’s family- and life-loving culture if enacted into law.
The religious organization’s efforts in defeating the bill must be top priority, he said, and that “We’re not just competing with wealthy organizations and drug companies. We’re also competing against spiritual powers, so we have to use spiritual weapons. We have to be smart, and we have to fight back smartly. So we’re going to tell the convention tonight, the number one issue for the Knights of Columbus: defeat RH bill.”
The RH bill, which is in the period of interpellation in both the Senate and House of Representatives, has been met with an increasingly strong opposition due to its emphasis on taxpayer-funded contraception, a 6-year sex education program for all schools, and forced participation in RH services health care workers, medical practitioners and employers.
The measure will address the nation’s poverty problem, its proponents and advocates repeatedly claim; [weh?] in addition, poverty continues to be blamed primarily on overpopulation, [people are to be blamed why we are poor, not because some people are just plain damn greedy!] despite studies showing that it is demography – or population distribution – that needs to be addressed. [Most people are in highly urbanized centers like Metro Manila! Why you might ask? Because there is no government support in the provinces. Farmers sell their land in order to get a job in the construction industry in the metropolis. And so the provinces are emptied and Metro Manila is getting all too cramped!] Based on this, the “need” to limit the size of the population is inaccurate.
Anderson pointed out an oft-forgotten truth about the wealth that any nation should protect and preserve: “What’s the greatest resource of any country? Its people.”
Many countries are seeing much success in terms of economic progress, he remarked, but partly by destroying the family. “So what will their future be?” [Look at Europe.]
“The Philippines has a bright future because the Philippines has great people, and as long as the Philippines forms people, preserves marriage, preserves family, this country can ultimately have a great future because it has great people,” he enthused.
Anderson was also optimistic and quietly fervent as he underscored the value of the laity staying united with its priests and bishops. This unity cannot be underestimated; in fact, a lack of it will even pose a stumbling block in the fight for a culture of life, as “the first thing that ‘the other side’ does to weaken the Church is to split the laity from our priests. So we have to maintain that that will never happen to the Knights of Columbus,” he pointed out. [Not all priests are united with their bishops. Like priests of MST, SVST?]
“The organization that is number one in defeating the RH bill should be the Knights of Columbus. The only way we can do that is if we remain absolutely, unbreakably united with our priests and bishops,” he added.
“There may be some organizations that are larger, but there is no organization that gives the Catholic men of our countries the leadership potential, the formation potential, the ability to contribute to the life of the Church, and there is no organization that is more united with its priests and bishops than the Knights of Columbus.” [Prayer and Action in the Order.]
The Supreme Knight then stressed the role of forming good Catholic men and how this is closely tied to spreading devotion to K of C founder [Venerable] Fr. Michael J. McGivney, whose beatification is avidly being promoted.
“We need to form our men, Catholic men, so they will be good husbands, good fathers, good businessmen, good citizens, and for that we need the help of our priests. For that we need to increase devotion to Fr. McGivney, because as we encourage this devotion, we encourage the understanding of the dedication and commitment of every priest who serves the people of God in his parish,” Anderson enthused.
***
The Supreme Knight delivered an excellent speech in the National Convention.
I hope to post the entire speech in the blog.
SSPX: Either closer to Rome...or to another division
This video has been brought to you by your friendly neighborhood SECRET SSPX!
Ha!
Wah? 5 million French Catholics regularly go to Mass? Honestly I am surprised by this! :)
Ha!
Wah? 5 million French Catholics regularly go to Mass? Honestly I am surprised by this! :)
Saturday, April 28, 2012
GULP Alert: Liturgical Dancing for Benediction
Thanks to Carlos Antonio Palad for reminding me of this nauseating video. hehehe
To MM, (stay away from the bottle. ;) joking.) show this to that know-it-all woman in your parish who think dancing, raising hands and waving hankies and flaglets ala Pestecostal-style of worship is a good Catholic thing as it makes the Mass more lively.
Yeah, right.
Christ is present in the Eucharistic species and the Mass is NOT alive, so you need a know-it-all teacher, acting like a professional parish liturgist (yeah there are those who claim that title), to tell you everybody needs to learn how to doggie to make the Mass more lively. Hey it rhymed!
On second thought, NO!
She might have this crazy idea of copying this abuse!
To MM, (stay away from the bottle. ;) joking.) show this to that know-it-all woman in your parish who think dancing, raising hands and waving hankies and flaglets ala Pestecostal-style of worship is a good Catholic thing as it makes the Mass more lively.
Yeah, right.
Christ is present in the Eucharistic species and the Mass is NOT alive, so you need a know-it-all teacher, acting like a professional parish liturgist (yeah there are those who claim that title), to tell you everybody needs to learn how to doggie to make the Mass more lively. Hey it rhymed!
On second thought, NO!
She might have this crazy idea of copying this abuse!
SNAPSHOT: What the Holy Father was saying
"Keep your cool! Don't get too excited.
It's just me, Benedict XVI, Vicar of Christ on Earth. Settle down!"
***
If you have any funny additions to this caption, chime in! :)
Time to have a laugh after a series of mind numbing liturgical abuses, which in fact keeps pouring in, I cannot find the time to post them all at the same time or we will all suffer from a serious migraine attack.
BRAIN FREEZE!!!
Even this SECRET SSPX needs to relax, even while here at the Manila Hotel in the company of my brother Knights, who might be secret SSPX like me, or even secret Illuminati, or secret Alien, or secret....whatever.
My flashlight needs an AA battery to shed light on this.
Get it?
Ha!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sharing you my FB status update.
If I know what he posts on his wall even though I am not on his friends on FB and even the other guy he suspects I am, HOW COME I CAN READ HIS WALL POSTS?
- Thanks dear padre for letting me use your CAPS keys. :)
SMILE dude!
You're too serious, stop the hate will you?
I am not a secret SSPX.
Ha!
- Thanks dear padre for letting me use your CAPS keys. :)
SMILE dude!
You're too serious, stop the hate will you?
I am not a secret SSPX.
Ha!
GULP Alert: It's the summer season!
And we are all HOT!
Fuming mad? Yeah maybe.
I get a lot of hate mails, left and right from:
1. Die hard fans of two bishops I once called out here in the blog. But this one group cannot be compared to anything else because they are a pack of reaaaallllyyy die hard fans who just want to tear me up apart. I can't go into details or they'll throw me out of their version of St. Peter's Boat. Get it? Ha! Still searching for my true identity? I am here at Baguio Country Club right now as I type this. If you can take the first flight out of the South! Ha!
2. From die-hard fans of priests who we have caught doing liturgical monstrosity by posting their photos and videos here.
3. Die hard students and fans of the Benedictine monk and his friend in a magic lamp. Ha!
4. Die hard fans of the modernist theological schools we always call out here.
5. pro-RH fans of Humpty Dumpty, the publicity whore called Carlita.
Yeah, all die hard fans.... Ho-hum....
Well, anywho, I'll continue posting liturgical monstrosities as long as squadron of God's Undercover Liturgical Police keeps on sending pictures and videos of liturgical abuses they catch on camera.
And nothing compares to this one from the lovely province of Negros.
ANOTHER EXCLUSIVE REPORT from one of our trusted GULP Officers!
Having people hear Mass not properly dressed is a somewhat forgiveable thing. Forgiveable in the sense that they are in their excursion and they heard Mass. On second thought, why not start the excursion with a Mass in the PARISH CHURCH, where everyone is properly dressed and Mass is offered on a consecrated altar inside a consecrated building!
Goodness me!
Weh?
Hey! It's summer time! It's hot!
So, damn those vestments!
Say Mass in your swimming trunks or bikini!
Learn from these loveable nuns.
They know how to stay decent and have a good time.
***
This photo I found on the internet shows Mass being said in a resort. Yeah, the people are not properly dressed, but the priests do!
You see liturgical abuses committed left and right and the DIE-HARD FANS have the audacity to tell me to to stop criticizing the liturgical abusers.
Yeah right.
As long as there are liturgical abuses, and as long as the GULP Squad keeps sending those pictures and videos, I will not relent.
Fuming mad? Yeah maybe.
I get a lot of hate mails, left and right from:
1. Die hard fans of two bishops I once called out here in the blog. But this one group cannot be compared to anything else because they are a pack of reaaaallllyyy die hard fans who just want to tear me up apart. I can't go into details or they'll throw me out of their version of St. Peter's Boat. Get it? Ha! Still searching for my true identity? I am here at Baguio Country Club right now as I type this. If you can take the first flight out of the South! Ha!
2. From die-hard fans of priests who we have caught doing liturgical monstrosity by posting their photos and videos here.
3. Die hard students and fans of the Benedictine monk and his friend in a magic lamp. Ha!
4. Die hard fans of the modernist theological schools we always call out here.
5. pro-RH fans of Humpty Dumpty, the publicity whore called Carlita.
Yeah, all die hard fans.... Ho-hum....
Well, anywho, I'll continue posting liturgical monstrosities as long as squadron of God's Undercover Liturgical Police keeps on sending pictures and videos of liturgical abuses they catch on camera.
And nothing compares to this one from the lovely province of Negros.
ANOTHER EXCLUSIVE REPORT from one of our trusted GULP Officers!
Please post the name of the priest and report him to the bishop, pronto!
Having people hear Mass not properly dressed is a somewhat forgiveable thing. Forgiveable in the sense that they are in their excursion and they heard Mass. On second thought, why not start the excursion with a Mass in the PARISH CHURCH, where everyone is properly dressed and Mass is offered on a consecrated altar inside a consecrated building!
Goodness me!
Weh?
Hey! It's summer time! It's hot!
So, damn those vestments!
Say Mass in your swimming trunks or bikini!
Learn from these loveable nuns.
They know how to stay decent and have a good time.
This photo I found on the internet shows Mass being said in a resort. Yeah, the people are not properly dressed, but the priests do!
You see liturgical abuses committed left and right and the DIE-HARD FANS have the audacity to tell me to to stop criticizing the liturgical abusers.
Yeah right.
As long as there are liturgical abuses, and as long as the GULP Squad keeps sending those pictures and videos, I will not relent.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
GULP Alert: What difference a few months make!
KUDOS to God's Undercover Liturgical Police for this latest photos!
Keep it up guys!
***
The photo was taken at Easter last year.
This one is during this year's Easter celebration.
See the difference between the two?
It all depends on the parish priest.
Yup, this is the Parish of the Lord of the Divine Mercy in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, once home to the Latin Mass in the Diocese of Cubao which is now in the Holy Family Parish in Roxas District. The parish priest there is of course, Fr. Jojo Zerrudo, who is also the diocesan exorcist.
The new parish priest is REV. FR. STEVEN C. ZABALA. And this is the kind of liturgical arrangement he wants.
See, the glaring difference between the two priests, I mean, on how they view the greatest feast of the Church?
I mean, come on, the externals would mean a lot and say a lot.
"Oh, Mr. Pinoy Catholic, what is important is on the inside, what is in the heart!"
Oh, yeah. We both agree on that but remember that we are not even talking about what is in the inside.
We are talking on what is the outside.
When Christ reprimanded the Pharisees for walking around in their robes and expecting respect , He was condemning the incongruence of the internal reality vis-a-vis the external reality of the persons of the Pharisee. Remember how Christ used the analogy of the white washed tombs to describe the Pharisees?
Now, pray tell (yuck that website, Benedictine liturgist, too! Ugh!), how will you tell how the greatest feast is celebrated in a parish? Lesser flowers? Cross to the side instead of on the altar so the cross won't block the people's view of the smiling priest while he celebrates the Mass? Miniscule candles to the side that make the altar look like a barren table instead of a real altar....Poor crucifix and candles! Boohooohoo! The microphone has a better position! Best seat in the house!
Poor Fr. Zabala. He will always be compared to his predecessor in terms of celebrating the Liturgy.
I dread to see one day Fr. Zabala move the tabernacle to the side....
God help us!
And pray and support priests like Fr. Zerrudo who help bring back the sense of the sacred in our churches.
And pray and support Fr. Zabala that he bring the sense of the sacred to their parishes.
***
PS: There is something missing in the set-up. It is the topic of the latest GULP Exam. Liturgical Police, report your findings!
Keep it up guys!
***
The photo was taken at Easter last year.
This one is during this year's Easter celebration.
See the difference between the two?
It all depends on the parish priest.
Yup, this is the Parish of the Lord of the Divine Mercy in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, once home to the Latin Mass in the Diocese of Cubao which is now in the Holy Family Parish in Roxas District. The parish priest there is of course, Fr. Jojo Zerrudo, who is also the diocesan exorcist.
The new parish priest is REV. FR. STEVEN C. ZABALA. And this is the kind of liturgical arrangement he wants.
See, the glaring difference between the two priests, I mean, on how they view the greatest feast of the Church?
I mean, come on, the externals would mean a lot and say a lot.
"Oh, Mr. Pinoy Catholic, what is important is on the inside, what is in the heart!"
Oh, yeah. We both agree on that but remember that we are not even talking about what is in the inside.
We are talking on what is the outside.
When Christ reprimanded the Pharisees for walking around in their robes and expecting respect , He was condemning the incongruence of the internal reality vis-a-vis the external reality of the persons of the Pharisee. Remember how Christ used the analogy of the white washed tombs to describe the Pharisees?
Now, pray tell (yuck that website, Benedictine liturgist, too! Ugh!), how will you tell how the greatest feast is celebrated in a parish? Lesser flowers? Cross to the side instead of on the altar so the cross won't block the people's view of the smiling priest while he celebrates the Mass? Miniscule candles to the side that make the altar look like a barren table instead of a real altar....Poor crucifix and candles! Boohooohoo! The microphone has a better position! Best seat in the house!
Poor Fr. Zabala. He will always be compared to his predecessor in terms of celebrating the Liturgy.
I dread to see one day Fr. Zabala move the tabernacle to the side....
God help us!
And pray and support priests like Fr. Zerrudo who help bring back the sense of the sacred in our churches.
And pray and support Fr. Zabala that he bring the sense of the sacred to their parishes.
***
PS: There is something missing in the set-up. It is the topic of the latest GULP Exam. Liturgical Police, report your findings!
GULP Exam: Spot.....
The "new" arrangement in the Parish of the Lord of the Divine Mercy in Sikatuna Village in Quezon City, once home of the Traditional Latin Mass community of the Diocese of Cubao.
This is how it looked during the Easter Sunday celebration.
Spot what is missing.
And of course Spot the Not.
The Pope tells his German bishop brothers: 'Pro multis' is not 'for all'.
Benedict XVI has sent a long letter to German bishops to clear up an age-old linguistic diatribe
The Pope has sent a five page long letter to German bishops to clear up an age-old linguistic diatribe which arose from the liturgical reform prescribed by the Second Vatican Council and the translation of the Gospels into vernaculars.
The letter which was signed by Benedict XVI on 14 April and published today by the German Episcopal Conference refers to the translation – packed with theological implications – of the words Jesus pronounced during the Last Supper. His own sacrifice, which in Latin is referred to as “pro multis”, was translated in German as “fuer alle” (for all) and not more literally as “fuer viele” (for many). Ahead of the publication, in German speaking countries, of the new translation of the hymn book (Gotteslob), the Pope, who has always paid utmost attention to liturgical questions and the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council, stressed that this translation “is an interpretation” that is coherent with “the principles that guided translations of the liturgical books into other modern languages.” According to Ratzinger however, there is a limit to the translation’s interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and in some points this particular translation appears too “trivial”, leading to “significant losses in meaning.”
“Personally, it became increasingly clear to me that the use of the principal of a non literal but instead of a structural equivalence as a guideline, appeared to have its limits,” the Pope explained. “Because I have to pray liturgical prayers in a number of languages, I sometimes find it hard to find a common link between the various translations and that the content of the original text is only decipherable from afar,” Benedict XVI went on to stress.
[This one you have to really learn so you can use it against the critics of the New translation of the Roman Missal, especially those who came from that school from Bukidnon.] As usual, in his letter to the German bishops, the Pope also included potential objections interlocutors might have: “Did Christ not die for everyone? Has the Church changed its teaching? Is it able to do so and can it do so? Does this reaction aim to destroy the Council’s legacy? The answer is “no”. Referring back to the Vatican Instruction “Liturgiam authenticam”, published in 200, the Pope explained that the faithfulness of “pro multis”, most of the contemporary liturgical texts of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, (in the Gospels of Luke and John, Jesus addresses disciples directly, telling them that his sacrifice is “for you”) links back to the faithfulness of the language used by Jesus in chapter 53 of the Book of Isaiah and cannot be modified arbitrarily.
***
Our Pope is both a liturgist and a theologian, which I think irks the old man who desperately sells his worthless booklets.
Uhm....ok ranting aside.
The Pope knows what he is talking about. The more we make things arbitrarily, the more we put our Faith in the balance, shifting most of the time in the court of public opinion and not in the shadow of Tradition.
That is why the Holy Father sees it fit to:
1. Bring back the sense of the sacred in the celebration of the Church's liturgy.
2. Fidelity to the teachings of the Church through his "hermeneutic of continuity" paradigm.
3. Bringing the teachings of the Catholic Church in our personal lives and more importantly in the public square.
LONG LIVE POP BENEDICT XVI!
PRAY FOR HIM ALWAYS!
AD MULTOS ANNOS!!!
VIVA IL PAPA!
The Pope has sent a five page long letter to German bishops to clear up an age-old linguistic diatribe which arose from the liturgical reform prescribed by the Second Vatican Council and the translation of the Gospels into vernaculars.
The letter which was signed by Benedict XVI on 14 April and published today by the German Episcopal Conference refers to the translation – packed with theological implications – of the words Jesus pronounced during the Last Supper. His own sacrifice, which in Latin is referred to as “pro multis”, was translated in German as “fuer alle” (for all) and not more literally as “fuer viele” (for many). Ahead of the publication, in German speaking countries, of the new translation of the hymn book (Gotteslob), the Pope, who has always paid utmost attention to liturgical questions and the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council, stressed that this translation “is an interpretation” that is coherent with “the principles that guided translations of the liturgical books into other modern languages.” According to Ratzinger however, there is a limit to the translation’s interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and in some points this particular translation appears too “trivial”, leading to “significant losses in meaning.”
“Personally, it became increasingly clear to me that the use of the principal of a non literal but instead of a structural equivalence as a guideline, appeared to have its limits,” the Pope explained. “Because I have to pray liturgical prayers in a number of languages, I sometimes find it hard to find a common link between the various translations and that the content of the original text is only decipherable from afar,” Benedict XVI went on to stress.
***
Our Pope is both a liturgist and a theologian, which I think irks the old man who desperately sells his worthless booklets.
Uhm....ok ranting aside.
The Pope knows what he is talking about. The more we make things arbitrarily, the more we put our Faith in the balance, shifting most of the time in the court of public opinion and not in the shadow of Tradition.
That is why the Holy Father sees it fit to:
1. Bring back the sense of the sacred in the celebration of the Church's liturgy.
2. Fidelity to the teachings of the Church through his "hermeneutic of continuity" paradigm.
3. Bringing the teachings of the Catholic Church in our personal lives and more importantly in the public square.
LONG LIVE POP BENEDICT XVI!
PRAY FOR HIM ALWAYS!
AD MULTOS ANNOS!!!
VIVA IL PAPA!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
ELECTION 2013: First on the list NOT TO VOTE
I have been accused as being homophobic.
Weh?
I think I am homophobic for being homophobic. Wah?!
Anywho, I take my side on the issue of how to relate with people who have sexual tendencies towards people of the same sex following the wisdom of the Church, expressed and taught in Catechism, the Church that has existed for 2,000 years and has Its Founder, no other than the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the truly God and truly human, Jesus of Nazareth.
So...
On that account....
I just read this news from Yahoo Philippines, which quite not surprisingly, is so hell bent on pushing for the LGBT agenda more than any other causes being pushed by other groups, like protecting the unborn (Pro Life Philippines) and helping feed the poor by gathering loose change (Pondo ng Pinoy).
Well, I guess people who want to be fabulous and Hollywood-like, just want to be like their steoreotypical reality stars who have tons on make-up to boot but nothing on the inside.
So, first on the series of someone to look out for, especially, GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WE SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR IN THE NEXT ELECTION is the LGBT Group "Ang Ladlad" which masks itself as an equal rights group, but more than anything else, is an LGBT group pushing for the hedonism that is killing Europe and America.
***
Bukas Isip, Bukas Puso," [Open Mind, Open Heart, in English] the new campaign slogan of Ladlad partylist, envisions a society or country that has an open mind and open heart. [unfortunately, how can you open your minds to something that is unnatural and something that cannot be. Two males cannot pro-create and so their union cannot be called Marriage, no matter how much you want to play with the semantics.]
Junking the old slogan "Pantay na Karapatan Para sa Lahat (Equal Rights for All)," Ladlad's plan for the coming 2013 elections is to be "more inclusive" in its campaigns and reachable whether a person is part of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) sector or not. [Engk? Will they include those who do not support their views? Hehehe. So much for inclusivity, eh?]
"We have to explain our platforms, mission and vision not just to LGBT Filipinos but to our heterosexual supporters as well, like our parents, brothers and sisters, friends, officemates, neighbors and classmates," Ladlad former chair Bemz Benedito explained. [And they have lots of them! No wonder they always lose in the elections, hehehe]
In line with this new campaign strategy, Ladlad will conduct several forums and gatherings to be able to reach out to the general public. Ladlad (a Filipino term that means to come out) was recognized by the Supreme Court as a legitimate LGBT political party in the Philippines in the 2010 elections.
"Our campaign will differ in many ways from the 2010 elections," Benedito said. "I am optimistic that we will win three seats in the coming elections. That is our goal and we will claim it!" [Eat your heart out!]
Ladlad, revealed the following four platforms it wants to pursue if it wins a seat in Congress:
It believes that the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, which has been pending in Congress for more than 10 years now, will address the root of all LGBT-related problems by ensuring that their rights would be recognized and protected by the state and society. [They actually push their number 1 so-called "right" which is recognition of homosexual marriages and all the rights and privileges that marriages of heterosexual couples enjoy. No can do!]
According to Ladlad, the bill reflects the yearning of many LGBT Filipinos to be treated equally and to be judged not by their sexual orientation or gender identity but by their capabilities, skills, integrity and dignity. [No problem there. Just drop the cross-dressing, promotion of homosexual sex and homosexual unions, then we can talk.]
"Hopefully, the passage (of the Anti Discrimination Bill) could translate to acceptance of LGBT Filipinos in society, because tolerance, which is our present state now, doesn't parallel to equality of opportunities and of the law." Benedito said. [Tolerance. Such an ironic word. HR people know for a fact that most companies still look at the school where you come from and not what you can do. A fresh graduate from Andres Bonifacio State University (if there is one) will never stand a chance against a fresh graduate from one of the top four universities in the country. Now that is discrimination folks and it still happens! And now this?]
Bemz Benedito, a transgender woman from Abra who has been an LGBT rights advocate for nine years and a master's degree holder in Sociology at the Ateneo de Manila University, [don't we love that university!] is Ladlad's first nominee for the 2013 elections. [Good! CROSS THE NAME OUT, QUICK!]
Ladlad's other nominees are: lawyer Germain Leonin, [cross out!] a lesbian and founding president of Rainbow Rights Project; lawyer Raymond Alikpala, [cross out!] a gay man and book author; and Pidot Villocino, [cross out!] a gay man who works for the Integrated Gender and Development Division of Davao City.
These Congressional nominees, who will represent the LGBT Filipinos in the 16th Congress next year, were chosen at Ladlad's February 18, 2012 national convention.
Ladlad also elected a new Board of Trustees, namely: Danton Remoto [so used to losing in the elections he gave way to another nominee.] of TV5, Ladlad media relations officer Dexter Macaldo, Rev. Ceejay Agbayani of Metropolitan Community Church-Quezon City, Ivanka Custodio of Lesbian Activism Project, Rica Paras and Santy Layno of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP).
Appointed officers by the board were: Remoto, chairman; Edmond Osorio, vice chairman; Ivy Krystel Hapitan, secretary; and Raffy Aquino, treasurer.
"We are more prepared now in terms of time, logistics, resources, network building and membership drives," Benedito said. "Unlike 2010, we were faced with so many challenges in terms of our accreditation and legality as a sectoral organization." [Like I heard that in 2010! Remoto once said on TV that the Comelec banned them as a political party because he claims that the Comelec knows that their party enjoys the support of many Filipinos and that they will surely win in the 2010 elections. And...............we know how the story ended.]
To finance their rigorous election campaign, the partylist will depend on dues collected from their members estimated at more that 50,000, and from donations of their members, friends and supporters. The party is also exploring the possibility of endorsing some senatorial wannabes, provided that they are LGBT rights advocates willing to carry the platforms of the party.
"If elected, our first step is to consult our constituents and chapters to assess what we learned in the whole process of the campaign," Benedito said. "It's always a necessity to go back to your members and coordinators in every step because we are the voice of every individual, who yearns to be heard and understood."
***
Well, Ladlad will surely be TaloTalo this 2013...
...with your support!
Or...........none of it.
Ha!
I repeat what the Church teaches:
Go visit Courage Philippines and learn that becoming a Christian and a homosexual is not a far fetched reality.
They are there to listen, help and understand.
Stay away from LADLAD.
Weh?
I think I am homophobic for being homophobic. Wah?!
Anywho, I take my side on the issue of how to relate with people who have sexual tendencies towards people of the same sex following the wisdom of the Church, expressed and taught in Catechism, the Church that has existed for 2,000 years and has Its Founder, no other than the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the truly God and truly human, Jesus of Nazareth.
So...
On that account....
I just read this news from Yahoo Philippines, which quite not surprisingly, is so hell bent on pushing for the LGBT agenda more than any other causes being pushed by other groups, like protecting the unborn (Pro Life Philippines) and helping feed the poor by gathering loose change (Pondo ng Pinoy).
Well, I guess people who want to be fabulous and Hollywood-like, just want to be like their steoreotypical reality stars who have tons on make-up to boot but nothing on the inside.
So, first on the series of someone to look out for, especially, GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WE SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR IN THE NEXT ELECTION is the LGBT Group "Ang Ladlad" which masks itself as an equal rights group, but more than anything else, is an LGBT group pushing for the hedonism that is killing Europe and America.
***
Bukas Isip, Bukas Puso," [Open Mind, Open Heart, in English] the new campaign slogan of Ladlad partylist, envisions a society or country that has an open mind and open heart. [unfortunately, how can you open your minds to something that is unnatural and something that cannot be. Two males cannot pro-create and so their union cannot be called Marriage, no matter how much you want to play with the semantics.]
Junking the old slogan "Pantay na Karapatan Para sa Lahat (Equal Rights for All)," Ladlad's plan for the coming 2013 elections is to be "more inclusive" in its campaigns and reachable whether a person is part of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) sector or not. [Engk? Will they include those who do not support their views? Hehehe. So much for inclusivity, eh?]
"We have to explain our platforms, mission and vision not just to LGBT Filipinos but to our heterosexual supporters as well, like our parents, brothers and sisters, friends, officemates, neighbors and classmates," Ladlad former chair Bemz Benedito explained. [And they have lots of them! No wonder they always lose in the elections, hehehe]
In line with this new campaign strategy, Ladlad will conduct several forums and gatherings to be able to reach out to the general public. Ladlad (a Filipino term that means to come out) was recognized by the Supreme Court as a legitimate LGBT political party in the Philippines in the 2010 elections.
"Our campaign will differ in many ways from the 2010 elections," Benedito said. "I am optimistic that we will win three seats in the coming elections. That is our goal and we will claim it!" [Eat your heart out!]
Ladlad, revealed the following four platforms it wants to pursue if it wins a seat in Congress:
- Re-filing of the Anti-Discrimination Bill that gives LGBT Filipinos equal opportunities in employment and equal treatment in schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, entertainment centers, and government offices. [.........................]
- Re-filing of the bill to repeal the Anti-Vagrancy Law that some unscrupulous policemen use to extort bribes from gay men without ID cards. [So to stop the "unscrupulous" policemen, instead of going after these accused policemen, you take out the law. Genius of a solution! You have termites in your house? Burn the dang thing! What chemicals are you talking about?]
- Setting up of micro-finance and livelihood projects for poor and handicapped LGBT Filipinos. [....]
- Setting up of centers for Golden Gays, as well as young ones driven out of their homes. The centers will also offer legal aid and counselling, as well as information about LGBT issues, HIV-AIDS, and reproductive health. [.............................]
It believes that the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, which has been pending in Congress for more than 10 years now, will address the root of all LGBT-related problems by ensuring that their rights would be recognized and protected by the state and society. [They actually push their number 1 so-called "right" which is recognition of homosexual marriages and all the rights and privileges that marriages of heterosexual couples enjoy. No can do!]
According to Ladlad, the bill reflects the yearning of many LGBT Filipinos to be treated equally and to be judged not by their sexual orientation or gender identity but by their capabilities, skills, integrity and dignity. [No problem there. Just drop the cross-dressing, promotion of homosexual sex and homosexual unions, then we can talk.]
"Hopefully, the passage (of the Anti Discrimination Bill) could translate to acceptance of LGBT Filipinos in society, because tolerance, which is our present state now, doesn't parallel to equality of opportunities and of the law." Benedito said. [Tolerance. Such an ironic word. HR people know for a fact that most companies still look at the school where you come from and not what you can do. A fresh graduate from Andres Bonifacio State University (if there is one) will never stand a chance against a fresh graduate from one of the top four universities in the country. Now that is discrimination folks and it still happens! And now this?]
Bemz Benedito, a transgender woman from Abra who has been an LGBT rights advocate for nine years and a master's degree holder in Sociology at the Ateneo de Manila University, [don't we love that university!] is Ladlad's first nominee for the 2013 elections. [Good! CROSS THE NAME OUT, QUICK!]
Ladlad's other nominees are: lawyer Germain Leonin, [cross out!] a lesbian and founding president of Rainbow Rights Project; lawyer Raymond Alikpala, [cross out!] a gay man and book author; and Pidot Villocino, [cross out!] a gay man who works for the Integrated Gender and Development Division of Davao City.
These Congressional nominees, who will represent the LGBT Filipinos in the 16th Congress next year, were chosen at Ladlad's February 18, 2012 national convention.
Ladlad also elected a new Board of Trustees, namely: Danton Remoto [so used to losing in the elections he gave way to another nominee.] of TV5, Ladlad media relations officer Dexter Macaldo, Rev. Ceejay Agbayani of Metropolitan Community Church-Quezon City, Ivanka Custodio of Lesbian Activism Project, Rica Paras and Santy Layno of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP).
Appointed officers by the board were: Remoto, chairman; Edmond Osorio, vice chairman; Ivy Krystel Hapitan, secretary; and Raffy Aquino, treasurer.
"We are more prepared now in terms of time, logistics, resources, network building and membership drives," Benedito said. "Unlike 2010, we were faced with so many challenges in terms of our accreditation and legality as a sectoral organization." [Like I heard that in 2010! Remoto once said on TV that the Comelec banned them as a political party because he claims that the Comelec knows that their party enjoys the support of many Filipinos and that they will surely win in the 2010 elections. And...............we know how the story ended.]
To finance their rigorous election campaign, the partylist will depend on dues collected from their members estimated at more that 50,000, and from donations of their members, friends and supporters. The party is also exploring the possibility of endorsing some senatorial wannabes, provided that they are LGBT rights advocates willing to carry the platforms of the party.
"If elected, our first step is to consult our constituents and chapters to assess what we learned in the whole process of the campaign," Benedito said. "It's always a necessity to go back to your members and coordinators in every step because we are the voice of every individual, who yearns to be heard and understood."
***
Ladlad, after the Supreme Court ruled in their favor, giving them the "go" to become a legit political party promised that they will surely win in the elections. And...............we know how the story ended.
Expect a replay in 2013. Same storyline, same ending, but different actors or actresses...
It was just like finding a pirated DVD being sold in Quiapo with the title:
"Titanic 2"
How in the world did they do that?!?!
...with your support!
Or...........none of it.
Ha!
I repeat what the Church teaches:
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
Go visit Courage Philippines and learn that becoming a Christian and a homosexual is not a far fetched reality.
They are there to listen, help and understand.
Stay away from LADLAD.
GULP Alert: Another liturgical monstrosity
From a fellow Pinoy Catholic who only wishes the proper celebration of the liturgy.
And I have no idea what these was all about.
Yeah, bring back the sense of the sacred but letting someone who is not in the proper state of life wear a vestment of a privileged few?!
Come on!
Saving an old liturgical vestment, not bad.
Inspiring young men to enter the priesthood, ok!
Making them wear the vestments that they are not supposed to wear......
Good grief!
What's next, huh? A miter and crozier and then a papal tiara?!
And I have no idea what these was all about.
Yeah, bring back the sense of the sacred but letting someone who is not in the proper state of life wear a vestment of a privileged few?!
Come on!
Saving an old liturgical vestment, not bad.
Inspiring young men to enter the priesthood, ok!
Making them wear the vestments that they are not supposed to wear......
Good grief!
What's next, huh? A miter and crozier and then a papal tiara?!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
GULP Exam: Guess who is the Sub-deacon here
From Father Z's wonderful blog.
Note both the men in the left and right are wearing vestments that both resemble a dalmatic.
Tunicles are reserved for the Sub-deacon in the EF Mass. Sub-deacons are either a priest, deacon (transitional or permanent) or an instituted acolyte.
So in this photo which shows the two men wearing which look like both are dalmatics, how can you tell which is the deacon and sub-deacon, basing on the rubrics of the 1962 Missal.
Post your answers.
GULP Alert: What is wrong in this picture?
Yeah, I know that we are into making our liturgy more solemn and dignified but doing THIS is no way to go.
Go ahead and chime in your discoveries.
Another update from the GULP Squad!
GULP Alert: Guess what he is doing?
Another exclusive undercover work of one of our high ranking GULP Officer. ;)
Take note of the position of the hand?
And this is a Filipino Jesuit.
What a way to get back into blogging, to post another liturgical travesty!
Friday, April 20, 2012
GULP Alert: Another Holy Thursday Liturgical Abuse
And it involves a Pinoy bishop........... :(
I think the bishop was surprised to see women seated and waiting their foot to be washed.
Or was he?
PASCHALIS SOLLEMNITATIS
The Preparation And Celebration Of The Easter Feasts
Congregation for Divine Worship
Or was he?
PASCHALIS SOLLEMNITATIS
The Preparation And Celebration Of The Easter Feasts
Congregation for Divine Worship
51. The washing of the feet of chosen men [the original Latin says vir] which, according to tradition, is performed on this day, represents the service and charity of Christ, who came "not to be served, but to serve.[58] This tradition should be maintained, and its proper significance explained.
Given at Rome, at the Offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship,
January 16, 1988
Paul Augustin Cardinal Mayer Prefect
Vigilio Noe Titular Archbishop of Voncaria
Secretary
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Seven years and still gloriously reigning!!!
Ad multos annos Papa Benedetto!!!
V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro N. R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. [Ps 40:3] Pater Noster, Ave Maria.. Oremus. Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum N., quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen. |
V. Let us pray for N, our Pope. R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. [Ps 40:3] Our Father, Hail Mary.. Let us pray. O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant N, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen |
Liturgy Academicians express their support for Conciliar Reforms
As the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II’s Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (SC) approaches (December 4, 2013), the Philippine Academy of Liturgical Research states its full support of the Council’s fundamental principle of liturgical reform, namely “the full, active, and conscious participation” (cf. SC 14) of all God’s people in liturgical celebrations especially the Holy Mass. [The over emphasis of this active participation thing is more on the externals, which incidentally is what these ACADEMICIANS use to deride the devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass, by the way! Well, they are guilty of committing the same mistakes! Less of the inside, more of the outside. Too much emphasis on LAY EMPOWERMENT that is why you get almost the entire baranggay up in the sanctuary. Ugh!]
While the Academy respects the use of the Tridentine Missal on account of genuine pastoral and spiritual need of some of the faithful, it urges the clergy and the faithful to be always mindful of the fundamental principle of the reform. [They respect the faithful who are attached to the Traditional Mass, yet they URGE us to be MINDFUL of the reform. What?! Am I missing something out? You respect the Old Mass yet you want reform? Are you serious about this? Goodness gracious me! Where is respect in all of that?]
The Council desired that the rites and prayers of the liturgy should be made understandable so that the faithful could grasp with ease the meaning of the ceremonies and prayers. In this way they are enabled to enter more fully into the mystery of Christ and the Church and be spiritually renewed (cf. SC 34). [One of the things that the Council did not PRAY well for. It goes to say that for hundreds of years, people are mindless drones who do not understand a single thing happening on the sanctuary that they just follow things blindly. Filipino natives became Catholic because they cannot understand what is going on in their worship of the Eternal God.] Thus, besides catechesis, [catechesis? What catechesis are you talking about? The retablos were just smashed to pieces! Altars were demolished. Altar stones were found in the bodegas! What the hell are you talking about?! There was no catechesis at all! The priest just suddenly faced the people and started talking in the vernacular!] the reform was carried out by simplifying the rites, allowing the use of vernacular languages, and encouraging inculturation (cf. SC 37-40). [Aint that word done a lot of good things eh?] Over the years the Council’s liturgical reform was actualized by the Holy See and the local Churches. Consequently, the Filipino faithful continue to be spiritually enriched through their active participation in the worship of the Church. [Uh.......like more and more Filipino Catholics clapping at Mass? Like more and more Catholics don't giving a damn about the RH Bill? Ok. They are enriched.]
The Academy joins the entire Church in the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, giving thanks to Jesus Christ, the Divine Leitourgos. Through the Council, he granted to the whole Church, especially the Filipino faithful, the inestimable gift of active participation, inclusive of lay involvement in liturgical ministry. [Wow! Aint that worked wonders! More EMHCs, more Lay Catholics acting they are ordained ministers...preaching...dancing...]
Unwarranted innovations, often verging on banality and even abuse, tend to obscure the purpose of the conciliar reform. The Academy considers it a duty to remind the clergy and faithful about the sacred character of every liturgical celebration. The liturgy of Vatican II, if celebrated devoutly and with decorum, provides ample means to encounter God in prayer and to experience what it means to be Church. [Yeah, and as if these ACADEMICIANS did anything substantial to address these unwarranted innovations like those we see in the Misa ng Sambayanang Pilipino. Wait........THEY WERE THE ONCE WHO INTRODUCED THE INNOVATIONS! Silly me. Ha!]
That in all things God may be glorified. [You sure it was the group who wrote this? This is the signature of Fr. Anscar!]
April 13, 2012
***
Some of those who signed the document or members of the Academy are known to me, and I know their liturgical and theological leanings. They are just playing coy so the jobless old man won't rant his heart out.
Fr. Anscar, Fr. Geny, Fr. Godwin, Fr. Reginald Malicdem, Sr. Cecilia Payawal, PDDM can sing their highest praises to the highest heavens but their kind of liturgical theology is DYING! Their kind of liturgy is losing ground especially among the youth! Their liturgy is STALE and does not REPRODUCE because their kind of liturgy is much like MODERNISM, boring and infertile.
Their kind of liturgy is dependent on who sits in the Liturgy Committee, and who holds the DEGREE.
Great liturgists before Vatican II like do not possess the degree.
Once again, dear people of God, Vatican II was an ECUMENICAL COUNCIL. It did not pronounce any Anathemas nor did it pronounce or defined any Dogmas.
So?
You can sleep soundly and let the Platters (the guys up there) sing their redundant tunes.
It ain't entertaining and it ain't FLATTERING.
Nobody is listening anymore.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
BREAKING NEWS! SSPX confirms that the Doctrinal Preamble has been signed!
Rorate Coeli broke the news!
***
[Update: Apr. 18, 0800 GMT]
The SSPX German District website posts the information relayed by the Swiss religious news agency KIPA/APIC, which merely reproduced the content of Tornielli's article translated by us above - and does not deny or alter in any way the information first reported by the Italian Vaticanist: "KIPA reports agreement" (in German).
_________________________________________
[Second update: Apr. 18, 0900 GMT]
From Swiss religious news agency APIC/KIPA:
Bishop Fellay's spokesman confirms that the clarified preamble was sent to the Vatican
Paris/Menzingen, April 18, 2012 (Apic) - Between Rome and the Society of Saint Pius X, "we are still in a stage of studies," Father Alain Lorans, responsible for the communications of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX) in Paris declard on April 18 to Apic.
Commenting upon the news published on the previous day by Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli on the website "Vatican Insider", the spokesman describes as "positive" the fact the Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the SSPX, has responded, earlier in the week, to the demands of clarification posed by Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But "not everything is already fixed," he underlines.
Too premature
Father Alain Lorans considers that Andrea Tornielli is perhaps speaking too prematurely, because Pope Benedict XVI and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith still ought to examine the clarifications brought forth by Bp. Fellay regarding the doctrinal preamble submitted in September 2011. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had asked the Society of Saint Pius X on March 16, 2012, to clarify its position on this doctrinal preamble on the occasion of a meeting in the Vatican with its Superior General. The Society had until April 15 to give a new response, which was done.
The man in charge, in Paris, for the communications of the Society expects the Vatican's communiqué - which should be released, according to him, on Wednesday, April 18 - in order to release an official communiqué. If the information is confirmed, it would mark the end of a separation of almost 24 years, following the rift caused by the "Ecône schism" of 1988, with the excommunication of Abp. Marcel Lefebvre for the ordination of four Traditionalist bishops without Rome's mandate
***
[Update: Apr. 18, 0800 GMT]
The SSPX German District website posts the information relayed by the Swiss religious news agency KIPA/APIC, which merely reproduced the content of Tornielli's article translated by us above - and does not deny or alter in any way the information first reported by the Italian Vaticanist: "KIPA reports agreement" (in German).
_________________________________________
[Second update: Apr. 18, 0900 GMT]
From Swiss religious news agency APIC/KIPA:
Bishop Fellay's spokesman confirms that the clarified preamble was sent to the Vatican
Paris/Menzingen, April 18, 2012 (Apic) - Between Rome and the Society of Saint Pius X, "we are still in a stage of studies," Father Alain Lorans, responsible for the communications of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX) in Paris declard on April 18 to Apic.
Commenting upon the news published on the previous day by Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli on the website "Vatican Insider", the spokesman describes as "positive" the fact the Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the SSPX, has responded, earlier in the week, to the demands of clarification posed by Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But "not everything is already fixed," he underlines.
Too premature
Father Alain Lorans considers that Andrea Tornielli is perhaps speaking too prematurely, because Pope Benedict XVI and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith still ought to examine the clarifications brought forth by Bp. Fellay regarding the doctrinal preamble submitted in September 2011. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had asked the Society of Saint Pius X on March 16, 2012, to clarify its position on this doctrinal preamble on the occasion of a meeting in the Vatican with its Superior General. The Society had until April 15 to give a new response, which was done.
The man in charge, in Paris, for the communications of the Society expects the Vatican's communiqué - which should be released, according to him, on Wednesday, April 18 - in order to release an official communiqué. If the information is confirmed, it would mark the end of a separation of almost 24 years, following the rift caused by the "Ecône schism" of 1988, with the excommunication of Abp. Marcel Lefebvre for the ordination of four Traditionalist bishops without Rome's mandate
Together with Fr. Byles: Apostles of Mercy on board the Titanic
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| Fr. Joseph Benedikt Peruschitz |
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| Fr. Juozas Montvila |
My good friend Anita Moore, OP (yup she is a tertiary Dominican. Tertiaries like her have a strict rule of life, often going into a Dominican Novitiate, the formation lasting for 5 years, not months. Just saying.)
Well, anywho...
The post of Ms. Moore relates the story not only of Fr. Thomas Byles, which I posted here recently, but also of other priests who died with the sinking of the Titanic.
Head on over to her blog, to spike her site hits and also feel free to comment. :)
BREAKING NEWS!!! Fellay's response, POSITIVE!
The latest from Andrea Tornielli
The English translation can be found in Rorate Coeli.
***
The response of the Society of Saint Pius X has arrived in the Vatican and it is positive: according to the informal information gathered by Vatican Insider, Bishop Bernard Fellay would have signed the doctrinal preamble that the Holy See had proposed last September as a condition to reach full communion and canonical regularization.
An official confirmation of the received response should take place in the next few hours. From what has been learned, the text of the preamble sent by Fellay proposed some non-substantial modifications regarding the version delivered by the Vatican authorities: as it may be recalled, the same Ecclesia Dei Commission had not willed to make the document (of [only] two, yet complex, pages) public, precisely because the possibility remained of introducing eventual small modifications which would not, nonetheless, distort its meaning....
***
Head on over to Rorate for this BIIIIGGGG NEWS!!!
The English translation can be found in Rorate Coeli.
***
The response of the Society of Saint Pius X has arrived in the Vatican and it is positive: according to the informal information gathered by Vatican Insider, Bishop Bernard Fellay would have signed the doctrinal preamble that the Holy See had proposed last September as a condition to reach full communion and canonical regularization.
An official confirmation of the received response should take place in the next few hours. From what has been learned, the text of the preamble sent by Fellay proposed some non-substantial modifications regarding the version delivered by the Vatican authorities: as it may be recalled, the same Ecclesia Dei Commission had not willed to make the document (of [only] two, yet complex, pages) public, precisely because the possibility remained of introducing eventual small modifications which would not, nonetheless, distort its meaning....
***
Head on over to Rorate for this BIIIIGGGG NEWS!!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
GULP Alert: The good and the bad and the ugly.
Notice the glaring difference between the two priests, the one on the left?
Fr. Tim knows his liturgy. While the rest of the Jesuit priests and guest priests who attended used the hideously ugly overlay stole with a black stripe in the middle, Fr. Tim opted to use the correct vestment and put it properly. You can see the fringe on his stole which is put under his chasuble, not the other way around as most priests do.
The other priests must be chuckling to see Fr. Tim look different. Well, all of those who see this photo are the ones chuckling now for the others who vested differently from Fr. Tim.
Too legalistic?
Nah.
He just know how to do things properly.
If the priests like most Jesuits do not give a damn about the Church's laws, then they are just blatantly showing a bad example to all of us.
Which we must not follow.
Slowly but surely
And as Fr. Z writes it.
BRICK BY BRICK
This is from the Facebook page of San Jose Mangagawa Parish (St. Joseph the Worker Parish) in Manuguit, Tondo.
You can see clearly six candles on the altar. A lit sanctuary lamp, not an electric light bulb, is present. The presider's chair, a term which I hope to find a more suitable term is on the right side of the sanctuary and not in the center, which is and MUST be occupied by the Tabernacle where our Eucharistic Lord is kept. And the priests were not wearing chasu-albs and overlay stoles! Goodness! Even Fr. Genaro Diwa who is supposed to be a liturgist cannot follow this simple rule! I have seen him celebrate Mass at Quiapo and he is not using the prescribed vestments!
You have to send tons of KUDOS to this priest and to support and commend him for bringing back the sense of the sacred into the Mass.
You must be wondering why I post this.
Not only because a Benedictine altar arrangement is rare in the Philippines, because most priests here do not want candles on the altar! You know one reason I heard for this is for the stupidest reason that you do not put candles on a table when you are eating. Aaaahhhhh!!! They view the Mass as a simple merienda! But wait! How about candle lit dinner? Isn't that supposed to be a very special meal?
Why can't they do this for the Mass IF it were a meal?
You are wondering why this is done here? No candles on the altar and the cross to the side with the celebrant sitting on the center, occupying the place of honor rather than the Tabernacle?
Look no further!
Blame it on Anscar Chupungco who taught his protege Fr. Genaro Diwa who then spread it to other priests in the Archdiocese of Manila then to the rest of the country, unfortunately not in CEBU! Love that place!
Then comes Fr. A's students at the Pious Disciple of the Divine Master most especially Sr. Cecilia Payawal, PDDM who "train" other liturgists to have their own kind of liturgy. Oh, yeah. She is notorious for her creativities.
So for a priest of the Archdiocese of Manila to have this kind of altar setting is monumental to say the least.
Pray for this priest and support him!
***
PS: There is this priest who is supposed to be a defender of the Faith and Tradition who also fell into the fad of placing candles near the altar. Guess he was not enriched by the Traditional Mass, eh?
Sad.
BRICK BY BRICK
This is from the Facebook page of San Jose Mangagawa Parish (St. Joseph the Worker Parish) in Manuguit, Tondo.
You can see clearly six candles on the altar. A lit sanctuary lamp, not an electric light bulb, is present. The presider's chair, a term which I hope to find a more suitable term is on the right side of the sanctuary and not in the center, which is and MUST be occupied by the Tabernacle where our Eucharistic Lord is kept. And the priests were not wearing chasu-albs and overlay stoles! Goodness! Even Fr. Genaro Diwa who is supposed to be a liturgist cannot follow this simple rule! I have seen him celebrate Mass at Quiapo and he is not using the prescribed vestments!
You have to send tons of KUDOS to this priest and to support and commend him for bringing back the sense of the sacred into the Mass.
You must be wondering why I post this.
Not only because a Benedictine altar arrangement is rare in the Philippines, because most priests here do not want candles on the altar! You know one reason I heard for this is for the stupidest reason that you do not put candles on a table when you are eating. Aaaahhhhh!!! They view the Mass as a simple merienda! But wait! How about candle lit dinner? Isn't that supposed to be a very special meal?
Why can't they do this for the Mass IF it were a meal?
You are wondering why this is done here? No candles on the altar and the cross to the side with the celebrant sitting on the center, occupying the place of honor rather than the Tabernacle?
Look no further!
Blame it on Anscar Chupungco who taught his protege Fr. Genaro Diwa who then spread it to other priests in the Archdiocese of Manila then to the rest of the country, unfortunately not in CEBU! Love that place!
Then comes Fr. A's students at the Pious Disciple of the Divine Master most especially Sr. Cecilia Payawal, PDDM who "train" other liturgists to have their own kind of liturgy. Oh, yeah. She is notorious for her creativities.
So for a priest of the Archdiocese of Manila to have this kind of altar setting is monumental to say the least.
Pray for this priest and support him!
***
PS: There is this priest who is supposed to be a defender of the Faith and Tradition who also fell into the fad of placing candles near the altar. Guess he was not enriched by the Traditional Mass, eh?
Sad.
Monday, April 16, 2012
INC bows down to no one!
Except to their Executive Minister.
The Bible says about laying on of hands, but does it say that you have to receive it kneeling?
Where did Manalo get his ordination?
His dad, right? Who got it from his rapist grandpa, Felix, who got it from some other Protestant group!
And he calls himself an Angel!
Bwahahahahaha
Love these bunch of jokers!
They always crack me up.
Nice to go to sleep laughing your heart out.
The Bible says about laying on of hands, but does it say that you have to receive it kneeling?
Where did Manalo get his ordination?
His dad, right? Who got it from his rapist grandpa, Felix, who got it from some other Protestant group!
And he calls himself an Angel!
Bwahahahahaha
Love these bunch of jokers!
They always crack me up.
Nice to go to sleep laughing your heart out.
Liturgical abuse is an abuse
Many thanks to Kurt Baylin for the photo.
Even if the priests and nuns who gave you a seminar says that it is ok, it is NOT!
Read Reademptionis Sacramentum. Dancing at Mass is forbidden!
Yet we continue to see this happen all around the world and even in CATHOLIC Philippines...........which I also forgot to mention is Anscar Chupungco's liturgical playground for his kind of Mass, which is really a MESS.
Here is another one.
From the same shrine in Negros.
I learned that it was the call of the priest to have these girls dance.
Gay "marriage" advocates suffers defeat at EU Court!
From this link. The original is in French.
***
The European Convention on Human Rights does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage.
The European Court of Human Rights repeated this ruling in the case of Gas and Dubois v. France, a judgment decided last week in Strasburg involving a french lesbian couple in a civil union.
The lesbian couple was refused the simple adoption procedure that allows a non-parent spouse to adopt a child of his or her spouse under French law. The French Appeals Court in Versailles decided that simple adoption was only available for married couples. The lesbian couple claimed this was discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and a violation of their right to respect of their family and private life under articles 14 and 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights respectively.
The European Court of Human Rights decided that this was not an instance of discrimination, nor of the violation of the right to respect of one’s family and private life because there is no right to gay marriage under the European Convention for Human Rights, as the court previously decided in Schalk and Kopf v. Austria in 2010.
***
Let me repeat this again.
The Church loves everyone! Even if you have homosexual tendencies.
What the Church abhors are homosexual sexual acts, co-habitation and a redefinition of what marriage is all about.
Ok, get that.
Now, if you have priests still talking about the rights of homosexuals, you'd better think twice calling them "Father".
Yeah, bad joke.
***
The European Convention on Human Rights does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage.
The European Court of Human Rights repeated this ruling in the case of Gas and Dubois v. France, a judgment decided last week in Strasburg involving a french lesbian couple in a civil union.
The lesbian couple was refused the simple adoption procedure that allows a non-parent spouse to adopt a child of his or her spouse under French law. The French Appeals Court in Versailles decided that simple adoption was only available for married couples. The lesbian couple claimed this was discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and a violation of their right to respect of their family and private life under articles 14 and 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights respectively.
The European Court of Human Rights decided that this was not an instance of discrimination, nor of the violation of the right to respect of one’s family and private life because there is no right to gay marriage under the European Convention for Human Rights, as the court previously decided in Schalk and Kopf v. Austria in 2010.
***
Let me repeat this again.
The Church loves everyone! Even if you have homosexual tendencies.
What the Church abhors are homosexual sexual acts, co-habitation and a redefinition of what marriage is all about.
Ok, get that.
Now, if you have priests still talking about the rights of homosexuals, you'd better think twice calling them "Father".
Yeah, bad joke.
Pope celebrates 85th birthday! Pray for his health!
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict marks two milestones this week and while his health appears stable, signs of frailty have again prompted speculation over whether he will be the first pontiff in seven centuries to resign.
Benedict, one of the oldest popes in history, turns 85 on Monday, and on Thursday he marks the seventh anniversary of his election as successor to the immensely popular John Paul II.
Speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square on Sunday, he noted Thursday's anniversary and asked for prayers "so that the Lord may give me the strength to carry out the mission he has entrusted to me".
Benedict is already older than John Paul was when he died in 2005 and is now the oldest reigning pope since Leo XIII, who died aged 93 in 1903 after reigning for 25 years.
"His health at 85 is better than John Paul's was at 75," said one high-ranking Vatican official who reports to the pope regularly. "He is a very methodical man. He looks after himself and feels that he still has much to do," the official said.
The Vatican has announced that he will visit Lebanon in September and he may go to Brazil in 2013. [Still no Philippines in sight.]
"I'm old but I can still carry out my duties," the pope told Fidel Castro during his trip to Cuba last month.
Still, Benedict is increasingly showing signs of frailty and fatigue, signs that are being watched carefully for their possible effect on the future of the 1.2 billion member Roman Catholic Church.
When he left for Mexico and Cuba, he used a cane at the airport for the first time in public, though sources say he has been using it in private for some time.
Last year, to conserve his strength, he began using a mobile platform instead of walking up the aisle of St Peter's Basilica.
The Vatican says it is to spare him fatigue and there is no concern about his overall health. His brother has said Benedict suffered two mild strokes before his election in 2005 and he reportedly suffers from high blood pressure and arthritis.
WOULD CONSIDER RESIGNING
Where Benedict differs from his predecessors is that he is the only pope in living memory to discuss publicly the possibility of resignation, though others have done so privately.
In a book in 2010, Benedict said he would not hesitate to become the first pontiff to resign willingly in more than 700 years if he felt no longer able, "physically, psychologically and spiritually" to run the Catholic Church.
"Those of us who are over 75 are not allowed to run even a small diocese and cardinals over 80 are not allowed to elect a pope. I can understand why one day the pope might say 'even I can't do my job any more,'" said retired Archbishop Luigi Bettazzi of the north Italian city of Ivrea.
"I wish him a long life and lasting lucidity but I think that if the moment arrives when he sees that things are changing, I think he has the courage to resign," Bettazzi told Italian television on Saturday.
The last pope to resign willingly was [St.] Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months. Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the papacy.
Every papal birthday or anniversary sparks talk of succession but there is no clear front runner to succeed Benedict, who has now appointed more than half the cardinals who will choose a new pope from among their ranks. Most are Europeans.
HERO TO CONSERVATIVES
Since his election on April 19, 2005, succeeding one of history's most popular pontiffs, Benedict has been hailed as a hero by conservative Catholics and viewed with suspicion by liberals.
Elected when he was 78 - 20 years older than John Paul was when he was elected - he has ruled over a slower-paced, more cerebral and less impulsive Vatican. [Spot on! The opposite of those adjectives best describe the papacy if JP2!]
While conservatives have cheered him for trying to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity, his critics accuse him of turning back the clock on reforms by nearly half a century and hurting dialogue with Muslims, Jews and other Christians. [Hurting? So far liberals and radical liturgists have felt the pain. Right Fr. A.?]
He also has made a series of missteps that angered Jews and Muslims and lowered his popularity among Catholics themselves. [Huh? Popularity? Is this Big Brother or American Idol? The last I read was a very unpopular guy who was sent to his death....on a CROSS!]
Before he was elected Pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known by such critical epithets as "God's rottweiler" because of his stern stand on theological issues.
A quiet, professorial type who relaxes by playing the piano, the first German pope for some 1,000 years and the second non-Italian in a row has managed to show the world the gentle side of the man who was the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer for nearly a quarter of a century.
But two weeks ago he showed his resolve again, warning rebellious priests that he would not tolerate disobedience on fundamental teachings such as compulsory celibacy and a ban on female priests. [Booyah!]
His papacy has been hounded most by the child sex abuse scandals. He has apologised to victims several times for the criminal behaviour of priests years before his election but victims' groups say he has still not done enough to make bishops accountable.
***
Always pray for the pope.
One gets an indulgence for praying doing so. One Pater, Ave and Gloria are recommended.
Oremus pro Pontifice!
Benedict, one of the oldest popes in history, turns 85 on Monday, and on Thursday he marks the seventh anniversary of his election as successor to the immensely popular John Paul II.
Speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square on Sunday, he noted Thursday's anniversary and asked for prayers "so that the Lord may give me the strength to carry out the mission he has entrusted to me".
Benedict is already older than John Paul was when he died in 2005 and is now the oldest reigning pope since Leo XIII, who died aged 93 in 1903 after reigning for 25 years.
"His health at 85 is better than John Paul's was at 75," said one high-ranking Vatican official who reports to the pope regularly. "He is a very methodical man. He looks after himself and feels that he still has much to do," the official said.
The Vatican has announced that he will visit Lebanon in September and he may go to Brazil in 2013. [Still no Philippines in sight.]
"I'm old but I can still carry out my duties," the pope told Fidel Castro during his trip to Cuba last month.
Still, Benedict is increasingly showing signs of frailty and fatigue, signs that are being watched carefully for their possible effect on the future of the 1.2 billion member Roman Catholic Church.
When he left for Mexico and Cuba, he used a cane at the airport for the first time in public, though sources say he has been using it in private for some time.
Last year, to conserve his strength, he began using a mobile platform instead of walking up the aisle of St Peter's Basilica.
The Vatican says it is to spare him fatigue and there is no concern about his overall health. His brother has said Benedict suffered two mild strokes before his election in 2005 and he reportedly suffers from high blood pressure and arthritis.
WOULD CONSIDER RESIGNING
Where Benedict differs from his predecessors is that he is the only pope in living memory to discuss publicly the possibility of resignation, though others have done so privately.
In a book in 2010, Benedict said he would not hesitate to become the first pontiff to resign willingly in more than 700 years if he felt no longer able, "physically, psychologically and spiritually" to run the Catholic Church.
"Those of us who are over 75 are not allowed to run even a small diocese and cardinals over 80 are not allowed to elect a pope. I can understand why one day the pope might say 'even I can't do my job any more,'" said retired Archbishop Luigi Bettazzi of the north Italian city of Ivrea.
"I wish him a long life and lasting lucidity but I think that if the moment arrives when he sees that things are changing, I think he has the courage to resign," Bettazzi told Italian television on Saturday.
The last pope to resign willingly was [St.] Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months. Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the papacy.
Every papal birthday or anniversary sparks talk of succession but there is no clear front runner to succeed Benedict, who has now appointed more than half the cardinals who will choose a new pope from among their ranks. Most are Europeans.
HERO TO CONSERVATIVES
Since his election on April 19, 2005, succeeding one of history's most popular pontiffs, Benedict has been hailed as a hero by conservative Catholics and viewed with suspicion by liberals.
Elected when he was 78 - 20 years older than John Paul was when he was elected - he has ruled over a slower-paced, more cerebral and less impulsive Vatican. [Spot on! The opposite of those adjectives best describe the papacy if JP2!]
While conservatives have cheered him for trying to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity, his critics accuse him of turning back the clock on reforms by nearly half a century and hurting dialogue with Muslims, Jews and other Christians. [Hurting? So far liberals and radical liturgists have felt the pain. Right Fr. A.?]
He also has made a series of missteps that angered Jews and Muslims and lowered his popularity among Catholics themselves. [Huh? Popularity? Is this Big Brother or American Idol? The last I read was a very unpopular guy who was sent to his death....on a CROSS!]
Before he was elected Pope, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known by such critical epithets as "God's rottweiler" because of his stern stand on theological issues.
A quiet, professorial type who relaxes by playing the piano, the first German pope for some 1,000 years and the second non-Italian in a row has managed to show the world the gentle side of the man who was the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer for nearly a quarter of a century.
But two weeks ago he showed his resolve again, warning rebellious priests that he would not tolerate disobedience on fundamental teachings such as compulsory celibacy and a ban on female priests. [Booyah!]
His papacy has been hounded most by the child sex abuse scandals. He has apologised to victims several times for the criminal behaviour of priests years before his election but victims' groups say he has still not done enough to make bishops accountable.
***
Always pray for the pope.
One gets an indulgence for praying doing so. One Pater, Ave and Gloria are recommended.
Oremus pro Pontifice!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Ad multos annos, Beatissimo Padre!
And kudos to the wonderfully designed birthday greeting card for the Holy Father, courtesy of Marc Pascua!
Shout out to a fellow Pinoy Catholic, from the ridiculously anonymous Pinoy Catholic aka Pedro Lorenzo Ruiz.
.............who is found on Facebook by the way.
Commercial, no?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOLY FATHER!!!!
MORE MORE MORE YEARS TO COME, BEATING THE HELL OUT OF THOSE MODERNISTS AND ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH!!!
SSPX Update! Holy See to make announcement about SSPX this week!
Major update from the National Catholic Register
***
The Vatican is hoping to announce early next week the Society of St. Pius X’s clarifications to the fraternity's earlier response to a “Doctrinal Preamble” that could form the basis of reconciliation with Rome. But as of April 14th, those clarifications had not been received. [Some news sources were saying that Rome already has the clarification. So which is which?]
Speaking to the Register this morning, Msgr. Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” – the Vatican body charged with helping to bring reconciliation with the SSPX - said “we haven’t yet received a response” but he added that the fraternity have “preannounced they will arrive at a final clarification, therefore I am hoping that at the beginning of next week we’ll be able to know their position and then take consequent positions.”
Asked whether he thought the response would be positive, Msgr. Pozzo said “certain press reports, certain information, have been encouraging but we cannot predict their response until they give it to us.”
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said last month the society had been told it had until mid-April to clarify its position in order to heal “the existing fracture”, although the date of April 15th was not considered an ultimatum. [Hmmm...]
In January, Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the SSPX, gave the society’s response to the doctrinal preamble, issued in September, which aimed at clarifying some doctrinal principles necessary for reconciliation. His response was then examined by the CDF, culminating in the Holy Father’s judgment, which was made public on March 16th.
The Vatican published that evaluation in a communiqué, saying the position of the society was “not sufficient to overcome the doctrinal problems that are at the basis of the fracture between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X” but invited the SSPX to clarify its position.
Officials have warned that the SSPX risks losing the historic opportunity to reconcile with the Catholic Church and that it needs to make sacrifices for unity. [They have to! But nutjob Williamson will not. Good! He can take Anscar with him. Oh. Ooops! Wrong commentary. Just hoping. Weehee!]
Msgr. Nicola Bux, a consulter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the Register March 25th that if the society “does not accept the offer of a pope like Benedict XVI, who has already made possible the gestures to meet them halfway, a historic opportunity would be lost, and, above all, there would be a further injury to the mystical body of Jesus Christ.” [The monsignor nailed it on the head! He is right. How can we be sure the the next pope would be as much accommodating to traditionalist as Benedict? We are even hoping that he starts clamping down on liturgical abusers starting with mall rats acting like priests!]
Msgr. Pozzo said he was “confident that early next week there will be an announcement” which will be made by the Holy See press office.
***
Pray the Rosary. Bishop Fellay asked for it and for the sake of the unity of the Church, let us do so.
Even if that "apologist" calls the SSPX dogs.
Shameful.
Well, just pray for him.
He is floating in "limbo" now.
***
The Vatican is hoping to announce early next week the Society of St. Pius X’s clarifications to the fraternity's earlier response to a “Doctrinal Preamble” that could form the basis of reconciliation with Rome. But as of April 14th, those clarifications had not been received. [Some news sources were saying that Rome already has the clarification. So which is which?]
Speaking to the Register this morning, Msgr. Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” – the Vatican body charged with helping to bring reconciliation with the SSPX - said “we haven’t yet received a response” but he added that the fraternity have “preannounced they will arrive at a final clarification, therefore I am hoping that at the beginning of next week we’ll be able to know their position and then take consequent positions.”
Asked whether he thought the response would be positive, Msgr. Pozzo said “certain press reports, certain information, have been encouraging but we cannot predict their response until they give it to us.”
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said last month the society had been told it had until mid-April to clarify its position in order to heal “the existing fracture”, although the date of April 15th was not considered an ultimatum. [Hmmm...]
In January, Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the SSPX, gave the society’s response to the doctrinal preamble, issued in September, which aimed at clarifying some doctrinal principles necessary for reconciliation. His response was then examined by the CDF, culminating in the Holy Father’s judgment, which was made public on March 16th.
The Vatican published that evaluation in a communiqué, saying the position of the society was “not sufficient to overcome the doctrinal problems that are at the basis of the fracture between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X” but invited the SSPX to clarify its position.
Officials have warned that the SSPX risks losing the historic opportunity to reconcile with the Catholic Church and that it needs to make sacrifices for unity. [They have to! But nutjob Williamson will not. Good! He can take Anscar with him. Oh. Ooops! Wrong commentary. Just hoping. Weehee!]
Msgr. Nicola Bux, a consulter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the Register March 25th that if the society “does not accept the offer of a pope like Benedict XVI, who has already made possible the gestures to meet them halfway, a historic opportunity would be lost, and, above all, there would be a further injury to the mystical body of Jesus Christ.” [The monsignor nailed it on the head! He is right. How can we be sure the the next pope would be as much accommodating to traditionalist as Benedict? We are even hoping that he starts clamping down on liturgical abusers starting with mall rats acting like priests!]
Msgr. Pozzo said he was “confident that early next week there will be an announcement” which will be made by the Holy See press office.
***
Pray the Rosary. Bishop Fellay asked for it and for the sake of the unity of the Church, let us do so.
Even if that "apologist" calls the SSPX dogs.
Shameful.
Well, just pray for him.
He is floating in "limbo" now.
BREAKING NEWS! Mass at SM Baguio suspended!
Still unconfirmed but the news is making the rounds!
***
I am not much of a fan of mall Masses, ONLY IF, it were held at its own chapel like that in Greenbelt, in Trinoma, in SM Megamall, sans the liturgical dancers, hand raising (as if you are in elementary school) and the priest of the KSP congregation who loves to swswswswshhhh...
Sacred matters in sacred spaces and in sacred times, ok?
This is a welcome development for me if you ask, even if the reason is all about the cutting of trees.
Uh........
So, ok. Well just take it.
So, what trees are we going to cut near SM Megamall?
Uh...............Are there any?
Swswswswsshhhhhhhhhhhh..............Ingay mo!
***
Holy Masses at SM City Baguio are hereby ceased by the Ordinary of the Diocese of Baguio, Bishop Carlito Cenzon, according to the Vicar General Msgr. Andres Cosalan. The Bishop has ordered that Sunday Masses celebrated at SM City Baguio would be ceased until further notice. He has informed all the priests of the Diocese to comply with this order.***
Because the Holy Mass is a sign of unity and reconciliation, which SM has yet to promote, SM does not deserve to have the Liturgy celebrated in its premises because of its lawlessness and because it caused division in the community.
To add to this, blessings of any establishments inside the mall are to cease until further notice.
I am not much of a fan of mall Masses, ONLY IF, it were held at its own chapel like that in Greenbelt, in Trinoma, in SM Megamall, sans the liturgical dancers, hand raising (as if you are in elementary school) and the priest of the KSP congregation who loves to swswswswshhhh...
Sacred matters in sacred spaces and in sacred times, ok?
This is a welcome development for me if you ask, even if the reason is all about the cutting of trees.
Uh........
So, ok. Well just take it.
So, what trees are we going to cut near SM Megamall?
Uh...............Are there any?
Swswswswsshhhhhhhhhhhh..............Ingay mo!
Today is the great feast of the Divine Mercy
The Essence of the Divine Mercy Devotion
1. Trust
- expresses the disposition we should have toward God. It includes not only the virtue of hope, but also a lively faith, humility, perseverance and remorse for sins committed. It is simply the attitude of a child who trusts boundlessly in the merciful love and omnipotence of the Heavenly Father in every situation.
Trust is so essential to the Divine Mercy devotion that without it the devotion cannot exist; this is because our worship of the Divine Mercy is first and foremost an expression of trust. An attitude of trust alone (even without the practice of other forms of the devotion) already assures the trusting soul of grace that will receive God's mercy.
I desire, Jesus promised, to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. (687) Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death. (1520)
Trust is not only the essence or soul of this devotion, but also the condition for obtaining graces.
The graces of mercy, Jesus told Sister Faustina, are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. (1578) The soul which will trust in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it. (1273) No soul that has called upon My Mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness. (1541)
2. Mercy
- expresses the disposition we should have towards every human being.
Jesus told Sister Faustina, I demand ... deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My Mercy. (742)
This attitude of an active love of neighbor is also a condition for obtaining graces.
Jesus recalled the Gospel maxim when He said, If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgement. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgement with their mercy. (1317) The Lord desires that those who worship Him perform at least one act of mercy every day. My daughter, Jesus told Sister Faustina, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. ... I desire that your heart be an abiding place of My mercy. I desire that this mercy flow out upon the whole world through your heart. Let no one who approaches you go away without that trust in My mercy which I so ardently desire for souls. (1777)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
A little known fact about the Titanic
Who hasn't seen the 1997 movie, huh?
Now they release it on 3D? What new ending?
Part 2 if you ask the pirates at Quiapo and Greenhills.
What?! The Titanic sunk again?!
Seriously. I even saw DVDs at Quiapo being offered to me: "The Passion of the Christ 2"
Goodness gracious.
But going back.
There is something most people don't know about the Titanic.
Yup, we all know how it sank, the aftermath, who most of the people are, but we don't know, as Catholics, this little known fact:
THERE WAS A CATHOLIC PRIEST ON BOARD TITANIC WHEN IT SANK...
AND HE DIED DOING WHAT A CATHOLIC PRIEST MUST DO:
An Apostle of the Divine Mercy on board!
Yup, the priest, according to witnesses, refused several offers to be in the lifeboats, instead helping women and children into the boats, while he stayed behind to do what he must do.
He is Rev. Fr. Thomas Byles. He was born on 26 February 1870. His birthname was Roussel Davids Byles, the eldest of seven children of a congregationalist minister. He studied theology at Oxford in 1889 and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894. It was at Oxford that he converted to the Catholic faith, taking the name Thomas at his baptism. In 1899, he went to the Beda College in Rome to study for the priesthood, and was ordained in 1902. He was assigned to St. Helen's Parish in Chipping Ongar, Essex in 1905.
His younger brother William, who also was received into the Catholic Church, invited him to officiate his wedding at New York which prompted big brother Father Byles to make the trip via the RMS Titanic. He said Mass on the morning of the sinking, Low Sunday, 14 April 1912, for both second- and third-Class passengers in their respective lounges. Ironically, his sermon was on the need for a spiritual lifebelt in the shape of prayer and the sacraments when in danger of spiritual shipwreck in times of temptation.
Reportedly, Father Byles was strolling on the upper deck reciting his Divine Office when the Titanic struck the iceberg. As the ship was sinking, he assisted many third-class passengers up to the Boat Deck to the lifeboats. Towards the very end, Fr. Byles prayed the rosary and other prayers, heard confessions, and gave absolution to more than a hundred passengers who remained trapped on the stern of the ship after all of the lifeboats had been launched. It was even reported that he comforted and prayed with people of other faiths while the ship was sinking. His presence comforted the troubled crowd. Even the Jews and Protestants were praying the Rosary with him. (Read it about it here.)
A witness said:
Third Class passenger Ellen Mary Mockler described his actions from her position in lifeboat No.No. 16:
His body was never found, or even if recovered was not identified as most of the bodies taken out of sea were immediately buried without being properly identified.
Learning of his death, and his heroism, his brothers installed a stained glass window in his memory at St. Helen's Catholic Church in Chipping Ongar, Essex. A stained glass window in the same church was also inaugurated and blessed in his memory. The window dedicated shows St. Patrick, the Good Shepherd, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
The inscription reads:
His family reportedly had an audience with Pope St. Pius X who after learning of his heroic deed said that Fr. Byles died "a martyr."
He has three times been portrayed in films about the disaster. In the 1979 television movie S.O.S. Titanic, he was portrayed by Matthew Guinness. In the 1997 film, Titanic, he was portrayed by James Lancaster, reciting Revelation 21:4 (at right). Richard Basehart plays a thinly-disguised Father Byles in the 1953 film.
So the next time someone talks to you about the Titanic, DO NOT FORGET this priest who died, doing his duty as an ordained Roman Catholic priest and died giving his place up for somebody else.
Hmmm...wasn't that what St. Maximilian did?
Now, you know what that means.
***
Read more about the life and saintly heroism of the unknown priest of the Titanic by visiting the website dedicated to his life, memory and his heroism by clicking here.
Now they release it on 3D? What new ending?
Part 2 if you ask the pirates at Quiapo and Greenhills.
What?! The Titanic sunk again?!
Seriously. I even saw DVDs at Quiapo being offered to me: "The Passion of the Christ 2"
Goodness gracious.
But going back.
There is something most people don't know about the Titanic.
Yup, we all know how it sank, the aftermath, who most of the people are, but we don't know, as Catholics, this little known fact:
THERE WAS A CATHOLIC PRIEST ON BOARD TITANIC WHEN IT SANK...
AND HE DIED DOING WHAT A CATHOLIC PRIEST MUST DO:
COMFORT THE GRIEF STRICKEN AND ABSOLVE PEOPLE OF THEIR SINS.
An Apostle of the Divine Mercy on board!
Yup, the priest, according to witnesses, refused several offers to be in the lifeboats, instead helping women and children into the boats, while he stayed behind to do what he must do.
He is Rev. Fr. Thomas Byles. He was born on 26 February 1870. His birthname was Roussel Davids Byles, the eldest of seven children of a congregationalist minister. He studied theology at Oxford in 1889 and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894. It was at Oxford that he converted to the Catholic faith, taking the name Thomas at his baptism. In 1899, he went to the Beda College in Rome to study for the priesthood, and was ordained in 1902. He was assigned to St. Helen's Parish in Chipping Ongar, Essex in 1905.
His younger brother William, who also was received into the Catholic Church, invited him to officiate his wedding at New York which prompted big brother Father Byles to make the trip via the RMS Titanic. He said Mass on the morning of the sinking, Low Sunday, 14 April 1912, for both second- and third-Class passengers in their respective lounges. Ironically, his sermon was on the need for a spiritual lifebelt in the shape of prayer and the sacraments when in danger of spiritual shipwreck in times of temptation.
Reportedly, Father Byles was strolling on the upper deck reciting his Divine Office when the Titanic struck the iceberg. As the ship was sinking, he assisted many third-class passengers up to the Boat Deck to the lifeboats. Towards the very end, Fr. Byles prayed the rosary and other prayers, heard confessions, and gave absolution to more than a hundred passengers who remained trapped on the stern of the ship after all of the lifeboats had been launched. It was even reported that he comforted and prayed with people of other faiths while the ship was sinking. His presence comforted the troubled crowd. Even the Jews and Protestants were praying the Rosary with him. (Read it about it here.)
 |
| An artist's rendition of Fr. Byles comforting the passengers |
A witness said:
'Continuing the prayers, he led us to where the boats were being lowered. Helping the women and children in he whispered to them words of comfort and encouragement.'
(The Evening World, April 22 1912 Miss Bertha Moran)
Third Class passenger Ellen Mary Mockler described his actions from her position in lifeboat No.No. 16:
"After I got in the boat, which was the last one to leave, and we were slowly going further away from the ship, I could hear distinctly the voice of the priest (Byles) and the responses to his prayers. Then they became fainter and fainter, until I could only hear the strains of 'Nearer My God, to Thee' and the screams of the people left behind." - Ellen Mary Mockler
His body was never found, or even if recovered was not identified as most of the bodies taken out of sea were immediately buried without being properly identified.
Learning of his death, and his heroism, his brothers installed a stained glass window in his memory at St. Helen's Catholic Church in Chipping Ongar, Essex. A stained glass window in the same church was also inaugurated and blessed in his memory. The window dedicated shows St. Patrick, the Good Shepherd, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
The inscription reads:
Pray for the Revd Thomas Byles, for eight years rector of this mission, whose heroic death in the disaster to SS Titanic, April 15, 1912, earnestly devoting his last moments to the religious consolation of his fellow passengers, this window commemorates.
His family reportedly had an audience with Pope St. Pius X who after learning of his heroic deed said that Fr. Byles died "a martyr."
He has three times been portrayed in films about the disaster. In the 1979 television movie S.O.S. Titanic, he was portrayed by Matthew Guinness. In the 1997 film, Titanic, he was portrayed by James Lancaster, reciting Revelation 21:4 (at right). Richard Basehart plays a thinly-disguised Father Byles in the 1953 film.
So the next time someone talks to you about the Titanic, DO NOT FORGET this priest who died, doing his duty as an ordained Roman Catholic priest and died giving his place up for somebody else.
Hmmm...wasn't that what St. Maximilian did?
Now, you know what that means.
***
Read more about the life and saintly heroism of the unknown priest of the Titanic by visiting the website dedicated to his life, memory and his heroism by clicking here.