En route to Norcia: Florence

This past weekend we embarked upon another crazy road trip to our favorite destination, Norcia, Italy, in order to witness our dear friend Brother Basil become Father Basil. We departed at 4:15am on Friday morning and stopped for lunch in Florence. The Duomo is a magnificent sight to behold, and the children thoroughly enjoyed chasing pigeons (Thomas actually connected solidly on a few firm kicks).

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The nearby Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz celebrates the external solemnity of the exaltation of the cross on the Sunday following the actual feast day, with a solemn Mass at 3pm, followed by a procession with the largest relic of the true cross North of the Alps. Afterwards there is an opportunity for each person to venerate the relic with a kiss.

Most of the student body set off on foot from Trumau a little after 7am to make the 23km pilgrimage to the holy place. The walk itself is also quite beautiful. It begins in the farm fields of Trumau, passes through the town of Traiskirchen and the rolling vineyards above Pfaffstätten, and then enters the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) for the remainder of the way.

The Mystical Heart of the Wienerwald

Stifit Heiligenkreuz - Interior

Relic of the True Cross of Christ

St Francis

Commemoration of the Imprinting of the Holy Stigmata on the Body of St Francis, Confessor

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: by Whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord. Gloria Patri...

Two years before his death, while at prayer on Mount Alvernia, the Seraphic Patriarch st. Francis of Assisi, was rapt in contemplation, and received in his own body the impression of the sacred Wounds of Christ. Pope Benedict XI ordered the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis to be observed on September 17. Pope Paul V extended it to the whole Catholic world.

Ecumenism in Action

An important step toward the reintegration of the Society of St Pius X into full unity with the Church occurred yesterday. After a series of doctrinal discussions between representatives of both sides tackling the difficulties which occur in trying to reconcile the Second Vatican Council with the tradition of the Church, a 'doctrinal preamble' was formulated and given to the leadership of the society for careful study. If they are able to sign it, complete and formal reunion may be at hand. Don't underestimate the importance of an influx of hundreds of traditionally-minded priests in the Church.

Here is the press release from the Vatican:

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2011/09/communique-of-holy-see-meeting-between.html

Most Holy Name of Mary

As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits; for my spirit is sweet above honey, and mine inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger; and they that drink me shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded, and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

Today's Marian feast, similar to that of October 7 (Our Lady of Victory / Feast of the Most Holy Rosary), commemorates a great victory of the Holy League (an alliance of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Habsburg Monarchy, Bavaria, Saxony, Franconia, Swabia, etc.) over the Turkish armies of the Ottoman Empire: the raising of the siege of Vienna in 1683. The Count von Starhemberg led 16,000 troops and civilians in the desperate defense of Vienna, which was besieged by the Turkish army of at least 150,000.

On September 11 the King of Poland Jan III Sobieski reached the Kahlenberg, a hill overlooking Vienna from the North, and there encamped for the night. In the early hours of September 12 the King heard Mass atop the hill and dedicated himself and his forces to Our Lady; then, just as the Turkish miners were preparing a last blast beneath the fortifications, which had already been breached in many places, and while the starving and exhausted Viennese prepared for hand to hand fighting within the city, the King moved his infantry forward to engage the besiegers.

The Battle of Vienna

The Holy League forces numbered only 80,000 men, but their great advantage lay in the strength of their cavalry - almost 40,000 all told, of which more than 20,000 were of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The most famous of these fearsome warriors were the Winged Hussars of Poland. The Hussars were the elite cavalry forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and were rarely ever defeated in battle throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, despite frequent engagements against overwhelming odds.

A Winged Hussar

Late in the afternoon, after watching the infantry fight for twelve hours, King Jan III Sobieski ordered the Holy League cavalry to charge the field - the largest cavalry charge in military history. Four groups of cavalry charged downhill toward the field of battle, one comprised of Austro-Germanic forces, the other three of Polish-Lithuanian. At the head of the whole body of galloping horsemen rode the King himself with 3,000 Winged Hussars. They clove through the Turkish armies, riding straight for the camps and tent of the Grand Vizier. At the same time the last defenders of Vienna poured out of the city to engage the suddenly overwhelmed Turks on the other side. [Think of the battle of the fields of Pelennor in the Lord of the Rings.]

King Jan III Sobieski at Vienna

The victory of the Christian forces was complete. Paraphrasing Julius Caesar, the King sent a message to the Pope: venimus, vidimus, Deus vincit - we came, we saw, God conquered. The Pope extended the feast day on which the battle was fought - the feast of the Holy Name of Mary - to the Universal Church, as a lasting memorial of thanksgiving for the deliverance of Christendom.

The 1683 battle of Vienna is perhaps the single most important historical reason why Europe is still - at least so far - Christian. God willing, it will remain so, but those who would see Christian Europe survive would do well to call more urgently on the Most Holy Name of Mary.

New Semester

We've begun another academic year here at the ITI. My class load is quite light this time around compared with previous editions. The only regular class that I am taking is on the Song of Songs. In addition to that I am assistant-teaching a class on biblical interpretation (which Katie is taking) and an Intro to Scripture class on the Old Testament. So far that's all going pretty smoothly. The rest of the time I spend researching and writing my thesis and studying Italian.

Ralph Martin on the 'Baptism in the Spirit'

The current issue of the Journal Logos, out of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, has an article on the so-called 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit' by our friend (and one of my former professors) Ralph Martin, which is also available online:

Ralph Martin, "A New Pentecost? Catholic Theology and 'Baptism in the Spirit'," Logos 14.3 (2011): 17-43.

I am afraid that he disagrees with the interpretation of the experience which I argued for in my undergraduate thesis, or rather I suppose I should say that I disagree with him; but I mention it because he does me the honor of mentioning my humble little work in the pages of his article.

At first I get a mention in an endnote (n. 15, p. 41):

[Yours Truly] also very ably argues in support of Sullivan's position in his article, "The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal: Theological Interpretation of the Experience," in Antiphon 9, no. 2 (2005): 141–65.

Later he gives me an nice block quote (pp. 33-34):

One of the strongest advocates of Sullivan's interpretation admits as much:

"There is also a second possible answer to the question whether the pentecostal experience is essentially a sacramental grace: a highly qualified "yes." If the essence of the pentecostal experience is restricted to a general growth in sanctifying grace, which is always rooted to some extent in baptism then there is no difficulty. The charisms, then, would be non-essential manifestations of the growth, or renewal, of baptismal grace. The pentecostal experience as a whole may legitimately be interpreted as a sacramental grace only if the charisms are clearly distinguished as accidental to the experience." ("Outpouring of the Holy Spirit," 154.)

Happy 1st Birthday, Edmund George!

Edmund has started taking a few steps at a time in the past week or so, and we finally got them on camera!

Solemn Feast of the Assumption

Of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Almighty everlasting God, Who hast taken body and soul into heaven the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee, that by steadfastly keeping heaven as our goal we may be counted worthy to join her in glory. Through the same our Lord...

Apostolic Constitution

of Pope Pius XII

MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS

1 November 1950

42. We, who have placed our pontificate under the special patronage of the most holy Virgin, to whom we have had recourse so often in times of grave trouble, we who have consecrated the entire human race to her Immaculate Heart in public ceremonies, and who have time and time again experienced her powerful protection, are confident that this solemn proclamation and definition of the Assumption will contribute in no small way to the advantage of human society, since it redounds to the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, to which the Blessed Mother of God is bound by such singular bonds. It is to be hoped that all the faithful will be stirred up to a stronger piety toward their heavenly Mother, and that the souls of all those who glory in the Christian name may be moved by the desire of sharing in the unity of Jesus Christ's Mystical Body and of increasing their love for her who shows her motherly heart to all the members of this august body. And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father's will and to bringing good to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined. Finally it is our hope that belief in Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven will make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and render it more effective.

43. We rejoice greatly that this solemn event falls, according to the design of God's providence, during this Holy Year, so that we are able, while the great Jubilee is being observed, to adorn the brow of God's Virgin Mother with this brilliant gem, and to leave a monument more enduring than bronze of our own most fervent love for the Mother of God.

44. For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

45. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.

Feast of St. Lawrence, Martyr

Praise and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty in his sanctuary.

Quench in us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the flame of vice, even as Thou didst enable blessed Lawrence to overcome his fire of sufferings. Through our Lord...

Don't forget to fire up the grill today in honor of St Lawrence!

Fourteen Holy Helpers

Today is the feast day of the fourteen holy helpers, whose numbers includes:

~St. Barbara

~St. Catherine of Alexandria

~St. Margaret of Antioch

~St. Giles

~St. Eustace

~St. Acathius

~St. Cyriacus

~St. Denis

~St. Christopher

~St. Vitus

~St. Pantaleon

~St. Erasmus

~St. Blaise

and...

SAINT GEORGE THE DRAGONSLAYER!!!

Happy secondary name day, Edmund George! Have some dragon cake today.

The Definitive Solution

The ongoing great debate about Vatican II - whether it represents continuity or rupture with Catholic tradition - has just received a contribution from Prof. Thomas Pink of King's College, London, which alters the landscape of the whole question. After going back and forth on this question for the last few years myself, I have to say that, as far as I am concerned, this settles the matter. I think that Prof. Pink has finally shown us all what the Catholic Church actually does and does not teach about religious liberty.

His article: What Is the Catholic Doctrine of Religious Liberty?

With an introduction by the author at Rorate Caeli.