Another Great Tidbit about Another Favorite Saint

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap.

Padre Pio was ordained priest (Capuchin) on August 10, 1910. He received visible stigmata on September 20, 1918. The Vatican suspended him for a time and issued five decrees against him. From 1931 to 1933 he was not allowed to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. Pope Pius XI said that he had been "badly misinformed" about Padre Pio.

Even before the end of the Council, in February 1965, someone announced to him that soon he would have to celebrate the Mass according to a new rite, ad experimentum, in the vernacular, which had been devised by a conciliar liturgical commission in order to respond to the aspirations of modern man. Immediately, even before seeing the text, he wrote to Paul VI to ask him to be dispensed from the liturgical experiment, and to be able to continue to celebrate the Mass of St. Pius V. When Cardinal Bacci came to see him in order to bring the authorization, Padre Pio let a complaint escape in the presence of the Pope's messenger: "For pity sake, end the Council quickly" (Rev. Fr. Jean, O.F.M., Cap., "Padre Pio," apud Angelus, May 1999, p. 31).

St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop and Confessor

St. Andrew, in his youth, led a dissolute life. Through the unceasing prayers and supplications of his mother, he was converted, became a famous Carmelite friar and was raised later to the dignity of Bishop of Fiesole. He died in 1373.

A Brilliant Quote from a Favorite Saint

The words of St. Edmund Campion to Queen Elizabeth and his judges upon being condemned to death:

"It was not our death that ever we feared. But we knew that we were not lords of our own lives, and therefore for want of answer would not be guilty of our deaths. The only thing that we have now to say is, that if our religion do make us traitors, we are worthy to be condemned; but otherwise are, and have been, as good subjects as ever the Queen had. In condemning us you condemn all your own ancestors - all the ancient priests, bishops and kings - all that was once the glory of England, the island of Saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter. For what have we taught, however you may qualify it with the odious name of treason, that they did not uniformly teach? To be condemned with these lights - not of England only, but of the world - by their degenerate descendants, is both gladness and glory to us."

This puts one in mind of a common traditionalist Catholic motto:

We are what you once were.

We believe what you once believed.

We worship as you once worshipped.

If you were right then, we are right now.

If we are wrong now, you were wrong then.

Quinquagesima Sunday

It is Jesus Who, by the merits of His Passion, is to open the eyes of man as He did those of the blind man of Jericho, and deliver him alike from the bondage of sin and error.

Today we had lunch with a family here, the Labanics - Fr. Tomas is a Byzantine priest who is working on his doctorate: Theology of the Chapel, his wife Viera, and their two daughters, Paulina (3) and Clara (1 1/2). Maria plays very well with Paulina and Clara, and Viera and I try to get the girls together to play once a week (in addition to playing at Liturgy). They are from Slovakia, and Fr. Tomas painted the icons in the Byzantine Chapel.

The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas)

The Feast of Candlemas, which derives its origin from the local observance of Jerusalem, marks the end of the feasts included in the Christmas cycle of the Liturgy. It is perhaps the most ancient festival of our Lady. It commemorates not only the obedience of the Blessed Virgin to the Mosaic Law in going to Jerusalem forty days after the birth of her Child and making the accustomed offerings, but also the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple, and the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the old man Simeon - the Occursus Domini, as the feast was anciently termed. This is the principal theme of the liturgy on this day: Jesus is taken to the Temple "to present Him to the Lord." So the Lord comes to His Temple, and is met by the aged Simeon with joy and recognition.

The procession on this day is one of the most picturesque features of the Western Liturgy. The blessing and distribution of candles, to be carried lighted in procession, precedes the Mass today - a symbolic presentation of the truth proclaimed in the Canticle of Simeon: our Lord is the "Light for the revelation of the Gentiles." The anthems sung during this procession, eastern in origin, will express the joy and gladness of this happy festival, and the honor and praise we give to our Blessed Lady and her Divine Son by its devout observance.

Reading paragraphs like the above always makes me sad, and also a bit angry, at having been deprived of such beautiful parts of our common Catholic patrimony. God willing though Maria will grow up in a different era of the Church, one in which such things are allowed to flourish once more. The Christmas tree and other decorations came down in the Byzantine chapel this morning after Divine Liturgy. And Lisa produced some fine examples of traditional European Candlemas Day fare: crêpes (with Nutella inside - I don't know how traditional that is, but we discovered it in Orvieto and loved it).

We had dinner with a few friends in the Kartause - chicken soup, salad, and Lisa's carrot cake. Above is Maria (with Petrus at her feet) just before we headed out the door.

St. Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr

Like St. Polycarp, Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, was a disciple of St. John the Apostle. His letters are precious documents for our Faith. He was sent in chains to Rome and, when condemned to the wild beasts, exclaimed: "I am the wheat of Christ: may I be ground by the fangs of wild beasts and become bread agreeable to my Lord!" He died in 110.

In my class on the Pentateuch this morning we were given a few exerpts from Pope Pius XII's (pictured) 1950 Encyclical Letter Humani Generis (Concerning Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations of Catholic Doctrine) touching upon the theory of evolution. His concern regarding said theory in this letter is to state the Church's insistence upon the direct creation of man's soul by God (even if the body evolved, the soul did not) and Her condemnation of polygenism (the notion that we are not all descended from the same original parents). Never having read the letter in full, I set out to do so this afternoon. In the course of which reading, however, my attention was diverted to the topic of Biblical interpretation. Pius XII mentions the Church's teaching on the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture and refers to Pope Leo XIII's 1893 Encyclical Providentissimus Deus (On the Study of Holy Scripture), Pope Benedict XV's 1920 Encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus (On St. Jerome), and Pius XII's own 1943 Encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu (On Promoting Biblical Studies). Having now read through these also, I offer for your edification a short collection of statements taken from Providentissimus Deus (the later letters confirm and repeat Leo's teaching) regarding the inspiration and inerrancy of the sacred writings.

"For the Sacred Scripture is not like other books. Dictated by the Holy Ghost, it contains things of the deepest importance, which in many instances are most difficult and obscure" (PD, 5).

"But it is absolutely wrong and forbidden, either to narrow inspiration to certain parts only of Holy Scripture, or to admit that the sacred writer has erred... For all the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical, are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of the Holy Ghost; and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true" (PD, 20).

"It follows that those who maintain that an error is possible in any genuine passage of the sacred writings, either pervert the Catholic notion of inspiration, or make God the author of such error" (PD, 21).

It is interesting to note the use of the word "dictation" in speaking of inspiration; it is a word very much shunned today by Biblical scholars of all shades, although Benedict XV also quotes St. Jerome's use of this word. Intrigued by this I looked to the Council of Trent and found there also the same word:

"The sacred and holy, ecumenical, and general Synod of Trent, - lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the same three legates of the Apostolic Sec presiding therein, - keeping this always in view, that, errors being removed, the purity itself of the Gospel be preserved in the Church; which (Gospel), before promised through the prophets in the holy Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, first promulgated with His own mouth, and then commanded to be preached by His Apostles to every creature, as the fountain of all, both saving truth, and moral discipline; and seeing clearly that this truth and discipline are contained in the written books, and the unwritten traditions which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ himself, or from the Apostles themselves, the Holy Ghost dictating [Spiritu Sancto dictante], have come down even unto us, transmitted as it were from hand to hand..." (Council of Trent, Session IV, Decree Concerning the Canonical Scriptures, 1546).

Lecture on the Intentio Auctoris

The halls of the ITI this evening were crowded for the first of this semester's special lectures. The topic was the Intentio Auctoris (intention of the author) in the Pelagian Interpretation of St. Paul, presented by Msgr. Johann Tauer.

Apparently, besides being a heretic condemned by the Church in 418 for his false teachings on grace and free will, Pelagius was noteworthy for his method of biblical interpretation. Good method notwithstanding, he still managed to come to heretical conclusions. Ah, well...

The most interesting part of the presentation (for me, at least) came during the Q&A afterwards. A question was raised about the allegorical interpretations of Origen, the famous third century biblical scholar. In the course of his answer, Msgr. Tauer explained that Origen interpretated Psalm 24:7-10 as referring to the Ascension of Christ in the following manner.

When Christ ascended from the earth 40 days after His Resurrection, He was accompanied by all the angels who had ministered to Him while He was on earth. As they reached the heavenly city, however, the gates were closed, and therefore the angels with Christ called out, "Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in." The angels guarding the gates, however, called back, "Who is the King of glory?" To which the angels with Christ reply, "The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in." The angels inside, though, ask again: "Who is this King of glory?" To which the answer comes, "The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!"

Lord of hosts, of course, is a frequent title for God himself in the Old Testament, so here finally the angels inside throw open the doors of heaven to receive Christ returning in triumph. Apparently Origen poses the question that must occur to all who read his interpretation: Why did the angels not recognize Christ as God? His answer: never before had heaven known flesh. Interestingly enough, Handel chose this passage of Psalm 24 in connection with the Ascension of Christ in his musical masterpiece.

St. John Bosco, Confessor

Don Bosco founded the Salesian Fathers and the Order of Our Lady Help of Christians, for the education of poor boys and girls. He died in 1888.

St. Martina, Virgin, Martyr

This noble Roman Virgin was beheaded after the most atrocious torments, in 228.

We found a very cool list of lists that Catholics should know on the site Fish Eaters. This is really a great website, and thanks again to my Dad for sharing it with us. It has all kinds of fun customs and traditions for families.

7 Sacraments (we knew all 7)
7 Corporal works of mercy (we only knew 5)
7 Spiritual works of mercy (4)
3 Eminent good works (2)

This is getting embarrassing...

7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit (7 - John laughed when I said, "wonder and awe"...)
12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit (10)
3 Theological virtues (3)
4 Cardinal virtues (4)
7 Capital sins... (we knew all 7 of these...)
7 Contrary virtues (...but only 6 of these; what does that say?)
6 Sins against the Holy Ghost (3)
4 Sins that cry out to Heaven (4)
3 Conditions for mortal sin (3)
9 Ways we participate in others's sins (4)
10 Commndments (woo hoo! 10!)
2 Greatest commandments (2)
3 Evangelical counsels (3)
6 Precepts of the Church (6)
6 Holy days of obligation (in the U.S.A.) (6)
3 Powers of the soul (2)
4 Pillars of the Catholic Faith (4)
3 Pillars of the Church's authority (3)
3 Munera (duties of the ordained) (3)
3 Parts of the Church (3)
4 Marks of the Church (4)
12 Apostles (12 - I can say them all in three seconds, thanks Dad!)
12 Tribes of Israel (12 - thanks again, Dad)
8 Beatitudes (8)
14 Stations of the Cross (14)
7 Sorrows of our Lady (4)
7 Joys of our Lady (4)
7 Sorrows of Joseph (4)
7 Joys of Joseph (4)
15 Mysteries of the Rosary (15)
7 Days of Creation (6)
9 Choirs of angels (9)
3 Levels of reverence (3)
14 Holy helpers (7)
7 Last words of Christ (7)
4 Last things (4)

Overall, we're a little bit ashamed... especially the one of us who studies theology. Final score: 228 out of 266 (86%). For a bit of fun, test yourself and post your total score in the comment box if you like. Gold star to the winner!

St. Francis De Sales, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

St. Francis, Count of Sales, Bishop of Geneva, patron of Catholic writers, preached the Word of God to the Calvinists and brought back 60,000 to the Catholic Faith. He founded with St. Jane Fremiot de Chantal the Order of the Visitation. He died in 1622.

Beatus Dies Natalis, Will!

Today we had a wonderful evening. Two Benedictine Monks, Brothers Basil and Benedict came over for dinner. They brought us some fantastic Italian Vino, and some chocolate made in their monestary in Norcia (the birthplace of St. Benedict). Maria is mesmorised by Brother Basil, as he is the one who dressed up as St. Nicholas this past December. She was shy at first, but Brother Benedict read her this page from her Alphabet of Saints by Robert Hugh Benson, and she warmed up right away!

B for SAINT BENEDICT, Hermit and Sage
Whose Rule has been kept by most Monks since his age.
Cyrilla, his Governess, took him from home
To learn how to read at a day-school in Rome,
Where he went to his lessons with satchel and pen
And rode back by the Tiber to supper again.
He loved contemplation so much that one day
He agreed with Cyrilla to run right away;
And for years in the mountains he fasted and prayed
Till the praise of the neighbors made BENET afraid;
So he wandered and wandered, but stayed in the end
In a cave near ROMANUS the Monk, his good friend.
Before long many Monks gathered round him to pray,
And his Rule and his Monks are still mighty to-day.
O Blessed Saint BENET, I wish I could be
Half as good for one year as you were sixty-three.

St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor

St. Peter, instructed by the Blessed Virgin, founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the Redemption of Captives. When all funds for the work were exhausted, the religious were bound by their rule to take the places of the prisoners with the infidels. St. Peter Nolasco died in 1256.

On the Novus Ordo calendar today is the memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Anglic Doctor and the patron of our Institute together with St. Therese of Lisieux. After the 5:15 Mass (offered in Latin, although not according to the traditional Missal) the whole ITI family had dinner together at two loooooong tables. Fruit salad, soup, salad, pork roast, and more. I can do no better than repeat the words of Hilaire Belloc:

Where e're the Catholic sun doth shine

There's always laughter and good red wine

At least I've always found it so

Benedicamus Domino!

Happy Birthday Tom!

We all love you and miss you, and wish you all the best on your birthday! Beatus dies natalis!

As you may have noticed we've made a few changes to the sidebar. Still at the top is the picture of Jeramiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem; this reflects the current liturgical season of Septuagesima (seventieth), which calls to mind the seventy years of the Babylonian Captivity in order to prepare us for the penance and hardships of Lent. Next, January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus; hence the IHS monogram.

The section "About Us" has been expanded to include all our patron saints (let us know if we missed any important ones). We included the saints in whose names we were baptized and confirmed (Ss. John, Patrick, and Francis; Ss. Elisabeth, Anne, and Maria Goretti; Ss. Mary, and Thérèse of Lisieux). We actually chose Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces as Maria's patroness only then to make the delightful realization that she was baptized on the vigil of this feast.

We also included the patrons of our places in the family (Ss. Joseph, Anne, and Maria Goretti), our places in society (Ss. Albert the Great, and John of God), and our places on the globe (Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Immaculate Conception, and St. Florian); Ss. Thomas Aquinas and Thérèse of Lisieux are the patrons of the International Theological Institute. As it turns out John was born on the feast of the patron saint of theology students!

We also added individual links to our photo albums lower down on the sidebar. There are pictures of Maria from January, pictures of Christmas Day, and more pictures of Maria (this time from November and December). After these are pictures of our latest trip (to Rome and Orvieto), and our earlier trips to Vienna and Salzburg.