SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
September 20th, 2015
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Eph. 4: 1-6
Gospel: Mt. 22: 34-46
Mon 21 No Latin Mass
Tues 22 St. Thomas of Villanova, Bishop & Confessor
Wed 23 Ember Wednesday
Thu 24 Our Lady of Ransom
Fri 25 Ember Friday
Our goal is this life should be to serve God perfectly. Faith is necessary in order to be saved. Hope is also necessary in order to have pure and right motives so as to please God in all our actions. But charity urges us to love God because He is infinitely good and He deserves to be loved.
Charity is a theological virtue that God infuses into our heart by which we learn to love Him with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. We must pray each day that we learn to love God above all things, even ourselves! To love God means being willing to lose fortune, good name, parents, friends, children, husband, wife, even our own life, rather than to lose God by committing a mortal sin.
Man was created to love God, therefore we can only find happiness in God alone. God alone is capable of satisfying us and making us truly happy. Turn to Him!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Showing posts with label Bishop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bishop. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Bulletin 270
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
August 23rd, 2015
13th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Gal. 3:16-22
Gospel: Lk. 17:11-19
Mon 24 No Latin Mass
Tues 25 St. Louis IX, King & Confessor
Wed 26 St. Zephyrinus, Pope & Martyr
Thu 27 St. Joseph Calasance, Confessor
Fri 26 St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
Make it a practice to lift up your heart to God. Give thanks to Him each day because He gives us so many good things! We are in this world to love Him! We were created to love Him! God is worthy of our love because of His infinite goodness, His infinite beauty and His infinite perfections! Give God your heart and beg Him to destroy in it whatever is opposed to His sacred love!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
August 23rd, 2015
13th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Gal. 3:16-22
Gospel: Lk. 17:11-19
Mon 24 No Latin Mass
Tues 25 St. Louis IX, King & Confessor
Wed 26 St. Zephyrinus, Pope & Martyr
Thu 27 St. Joseph Calasance, Confessor
Fri 26 St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
Make it a practice to lift up your heart to God. Give thanks to Him each day because He gives us so many good things! We are in this world to love Him! We were created to love Him! God is worthy of our love because of His infinite goodness, His infinite beauty and His infinite perfections! Give God your heart and beg Him to destroy in it whatever is opposed to His sacred love!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Friday, July 24, 2015
Bulletin 266
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
July 26th, 2015
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1 Cor. 10:6-13
Gospel: Lk. 19:41-47
Mon 27--No Latin Mass
Tue 28—SS. Nazarius & Celsus, Martyrs
Saint Victor I, Pope & Martyr, &
Saint Innocent I, Pope & Confessor
Wed 29—Saint Martha, Virgin
Thu 30—SS. Abdon & Sennen, Martyrs
Fri 31—Saint Ignatius Loyola, Confessor
“Now all these things happened to them in figure, and they are written for our correction...Wherefore, he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. (Saint Paul). Saint Paul urges us to embrace vigilance and humility. When God grants favors to us in any form, it should always deepen our humility of heart. We must be always on guard against presuming upon His graces. We must always humbly mistrust ourselves and trust in God alone. We must never consider ourselves free from weakness or, even worse, condemn others for theirs!
Saint Paul also urges us to have confidence: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.” The knowledge of our weakness should never discourage us because God is always ready to help us with His grace! “God is faithful. God has always helped me...I count on His aid. My sufferings may reach even greater heights, but I am sure He will not abandon me.” St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
July 26th, 2015
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1 Cor. 10:6-13
Gospel: Lk. 19:41-47
Mon 27--No Latin Mass
Tue 28—SS. Nazarius & Celsus, Martyrs
Saint Victor I, Pope & Martyr, &
Saint Innocent I, Pope & Confessor
Wed 29—Saint Martha, Virgin
Thu 30—SS. Abdon & Sennen, Martyrs
Fri 31—Saint Ignatius Loyola, Confessor
“Now all these things happened to them in figure, and they are written for our correction...Wherefore, he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. (Saint Paul). Saint Paul urges us to embrace vigilance and humility. When God grants favors to us in any form, it should always deepen our humility of heart. We must be always on guard against presuming upon His graces. We must always humbly mistrust ourselves and trust in God alone. We must never consider ourselves free from weakness or, even worse, condemn others for theirs!
Saint Paul also urges us to have confidence: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.” The knowledge of our weakness should never discourage us because God is always ready to help us with His grace! “God is faithful. God has always helped me...I count on His aid. My sufferings may reach even greater heights, but I am sure He will not abandon me.” St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Bulletin 264
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
July 12th, 2015
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Rom. 6: 19-23
Gospel: Mt. 7: 15-21
Mon 13--No Latin Mass
Tue 14—Saint Bonaventure-Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor
Wed 15—Saint Henry the Emperor, Confessor
Thu 16—Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Fri 17—Saint Alexis, Confessor
Effective Tuesday, June 30th 2015 the daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be at 6:30am. There will no longer be Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 12:15pm beginning on June 30th, 2015.
Father Fasching's schedule for the Sacrament of Penance effective Tuesday, June 30 2015 will be as follows:
Tuesday-11:30am-12:15pm
Thursday-11:30am-12:15pm
or by appointment
God is all powerful because He can do all that He wills; and He can do as He wills, when He wills, without any limitations! Nothing can impede His action, nor oppose His will; nothing is difficult for Him! God's works, even the greatest, are performed in one instant by as simple act of His will. God is so omnipotent that with a single word He has brought all things into existence out of nothing. God's word is omnipotent, creative, operative, and effective, so that it infallibly produces whatever it expresses. God is so omnipotent that He can change men, the children of sin, into His adopted sons, called to share in His own divine life! He can even draw good from evil! God is infinite goodness! Let us worship Him!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
July 12th, 2015
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Rom. 6: 19-23
Gospel: Mt. 7: 15-21
Mon 13--No Latin Mass
Tue 14—Saint Bonaventure-Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor
Wed 15—Saint Henry the Emperor, Confessor
Thu 16—Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Fri 17—Saint Alexis, Confessor
Effective Tuesday, June 30th 2015 the daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be at 6:30am. There will no longer be Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 12:15pm beginning on June 30th, 2015.
Father Fasching's schedule for the Sacrament of Penance effective Tuesday, June 30 2015 will be as follows:
Tuesday-11:30am-12:15pm
Thursday-11:30am-12:15pm
or by appointment
God is all powerful because He can do all that He wills; and He can do as He wills, when He wills, without any limitations! Nothing can impede His action, nor oppose His will; nothing is difficult for Him! God's works, even the greatest, are performed in one instant by as simple act of His will. God is so omnipotent that with a single word He has brought all things into existence out of nothing. God's word is omnipotent, creative, operative, and effective, so that it infallibly produces whatever it expresses. God is so omnipotent that He can change men, the children of sin, into His adopted sons, called to share in His own divine life! He can even draw good from evil! God is infinite goodness! Let us worship Him!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Bulletin 261
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
June 21, 2015
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Rom. 8:18-23
Gospel: Lk. 5: 1-11
Mon 22 -- No Latin Mass
Tue 23 – Vigil of the Nativity of John the Baptist
Wed 24 – Nativity of Saint John the Baptist *
Thu 25 – No Latin Mass
Fri 26 --No Latin Mass
...And Jesus saith to Simon: Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men...We must be completely convinced of our own weakness and inability before Our Lord will permit us to have any success. God will only come to our aid when we are aware of our willingness to openly admit our poverty. God wants us to have a great faith in Him. We must never trust in our own strength, but rather we must always have complete confidence in Almighty God!
“O Lord, you are my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” If a battle should rise up against me, in this will I be confident...You protect me in the secret place of Your tabernacle...As soon as God sees us totally convinced of our nothingness, He comes to our aid! All we have to do is humble ourselves and admit all our imperfections...This is the key to holiness!
“Abide in Me and I in you,” says Jesus (Jn 15:4). Then Jesus instituted the Eucharist for the purpose of nourishing our life of union with Him! Each time we approach the Holy Eucharist, Jesus rekindles in us the fire of His love! When we are united to Him we can accomplish anything! Without Him, we can do nothing!
Effective Tuesday, June 30th 2015 the daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be at 6:30am. There will no longer be Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 12:15pm beginning on June 30th, 2015.
Father Fasching's schedule for the Sacrament of Penance effective Tuesday, June 30 2015 will be as follows:
Sunday-1:30pm-2:15pm
Tuesday-11:30am-12:15pm
Thursday-11:30am-12:15pm
or by appt.
Congratulations to Father Joseph Kelly and his family! Father Kelly was ordained to the priesthood by His Excellency Bishop James V. Johnston on June 12th 2015. For priests who are young-impel them for Your glory, Lord...Continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood.
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
June 21, 2015
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Rom. 8:18-23
Gospel: Lk. 5: 1-11
Mon 22 -- No Latin Mass
Tue 23 – Vigil of the Nativity of John the Baptist
Wed 24 – Nativity of Saint John the Baptist *
Thu 25 – No Latin Mass
Fri 26 --No Latin Mass
...And Jesus saith to Simon: Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men...We must be completely convinced of our own weakness and inability before Our Lord will permit us to have any success. God will only come to our aid when we are aware of our willingness to openly admit our poverty. God wants us to have a great faith in Him. We must never trust in our own strength, but rather we must always have complete confidence in Almighty God!
“O Lord, you are my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” If a battle should rise up against me, in this will I be confident...You protect me in the secret place of Your tabernacle...As soon as God sees us totally convinced of our nothingness, He comes to our aid! All we have to do is humble ourselves and admit all our imperfections...This is the key to holiness!
“Abide in Me and I in you,” says Jesus (Jn 15:4). Then Jesus instituted the Eucharist for the purpose of nourishing our life of union with Him! Each time we approach the Holy Eucharist, Jesus rekindles in us the fire of His love! When we are united to Him we can accomplish anything! Without Him, we can do nothing!
Effective Tuesday, June 30th 2015 the daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be at 6:30am. There will no longer be Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 12:15pm beginning on June 30th, 2015.
Father Fasching's schedule for the Sacrament of Penance effective Tuesday, June 30 2015 will be as follows:
Sunday-1:30pm-2:15pm
Tuesday-11:30am-12:15pm
Thursday-11:30am-12:15pm
or by appt.
Congratulations to Father Joseph Kelly and his family! Father Kelly was ordained to the priesthood by His Excellency Bishop James V. Johnston on June 12th 2015. For priests who are young-impel them for Your glory, Lord...Continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood.
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Friday, June 12, 2015
Bulletin 260
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
June 14, 2015
Third Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1Pet. 5: 6-11
Gospel: Lk. 15: 1-10
Mon 15 -- No Latin Mass
Tue 16 – Feria
Wed 17 – Saint Gregory Barbarigo, Bishop & Confessor
Thu 18 – Saint Ephrem of Syria-Deacon, Confessor & Doctor
Fri 19 – Saint Juliana of Falconieri, Virgin
Deacon Joseph Kelly will be ordained to the priesthood by His Excellency Bishop James V. Johnston on Friday, June 12 @ 6:00pm here at St. Agnes Cathedral...Kindly keep Deacon Kelly in your prayers. Fr. Kelly will offer his first Mass on Saturday, June 13 @ 9:00am here at St. Agnes. As Father Joseph Kelly he will also offer a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 2:30pm here at St. Agnes Cathedral...JOIN US!
There will be a pot-luck dinner following Fr. Kelly's Solemn High Mass in the school cafeteria.
O Lord, reveal to us the infinite treasures of mercy contained in your Heart...
We must have confidence in the merciful love of Jesus Christ. “Rejoice with Me for I have found the sheep that was lost.” This is the story of the love Jesus Christ has for all mankind and especially for every individual soul. The good shepherd and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are both concrete expressions of the merciful love of Jesus and they urge us to go to Him with complete confidence!
The Heart of Jesus is thrilled with joy when we humbly acknowledge our faults to Him and implore forgiveness! We must ask Jesus Christ to help us penetrate the secrets of His infinite, merciful love!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
June 14, 2015
Third Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1Pet. 5: 6-11
Gospel: Lk. 15: 1-10
Mon 15 -- No Latin Mass
Tue 16 – Feria
Wed 17 – Saint Gregory Barbarigo, Bishop & Confessor
Thu 18 – Saint Ephrem of Syria-Deacon, Confessor & Doctor
Fri 19 – Saint Juliana of Falconieri, Virgin
Deacon Joseph Kelly will be ordained to the priesthood by His Excellency Bishop James V. Johnston on Friday, June 12 @ 6:00pm here at St. Agnes Cathedral...Kindly keep Deacon Kelly in your prayers. Fr. Kelly will offer his first Mass on Saturday, June 13 @ 9:00am here at St. Agnes. As Father Joseph Kelly he will also offer a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 2:30pm here at St. Agnes Cathedral...JOIN US!
There will be a pot-luck dinner following Fr. Kelly's Solemn High Mass in the school cafeteria.
O Lord, reveal to us the infinite treasures of mercy contained in your Heart...
We must have confidence in the merciful love of Jesus Christ. “Rejoice with Me for I have found the sheep that was lost.” This is the story of the love Jesus Christ has for all mankind and especially for every individual soul. The good shepherd and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are both concrete expressions of the merciful love of Jesus and they urge us to go to Him with complete confidence!
The Heart of Jesus is thrilled with joy when we humbly acknowledge our faults to Him and implore forgiveness! We must ask Jesus Christ to help us penetrate the secrets of His infinite, merciful love!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Bulletin 252
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
April 19, 2015
Second Sunday After Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)
Epistle: 1 Pet. 2: 21-25
Gospel: Jn. 10: 11-16
Mon 20 -- No Latin Mass
Tue 21 – Saint Anselm—Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
Wed 22 – Ss. Soter & Caius—Popes & Martyrs
Thu 23 – Saint George, Martyr
Fri 24 – Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr
Christ is the Good Shepherd. On the Cross His sufferings fulfill the prophecies written about the suffering servant Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah (52:13-53:12). His sufferings have a redemptive value. Christ takes our sins upon Himself and offers them on the Cross to God the Father as an atoning Sacrifice. We are now dead to sin and have the ability to live in righteousness and holiness with the help of God's grace!
No matter what suffering may come our way, it cannot compare to the suffering of Our Lord. When we unite our sufferings to the Passion of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to merit reward in heaven!
Christ is the Good Shepherd...”I will seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered” (Ezek. 34:12).
Discernment Retreat for College age men—April 24-26, 2015 at Meinrad Seminary in Indiana.
Encounter with God's call—April 18-20, 2015 at Conception Seminary College--for young men 16 and under who are considering a vocation to the priesthood.
For more information, please contact Fr. Patrick Nwokoye, Director of Vocation Promotion at 573-200-1814—email: pnwokoye@dioscg.org or Fr. J. Friedel, Director of Vocations/Seminarians, at jfriedel@dioscg.org.
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching
April 19, 2015
Second Sunday After Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)
Epistle: 1 Pet. 2: 21-25
Gospel: Jn. 10: 11-16
Mon 20 -- No Latin Mass
Tue 21 – Saint Anselm—Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
Wed 22 – Ss. Soter & Caius—Popes & Martyrs
Thu 23 – Saint George, Martyr
Fri 24 – Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr
Christ is the Good Shepherd. On the Cross His sufferings fulfill the prophecies written about the suffering servant Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah (52:13-53:12). His sufferings have a redemptive value. Christ takes our sins upon Himself and offers them on the Cross to God the Father as an atoning Sacrifice. We are now dead to sin and have the ability to live in righteousness and holiness with the help of God's grace!
No matter what suffering may come our way, it cannot compare to the suffering of Our Lord. When we unite our sufferings to the Passion of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to merit reward in heaven!
Christ is the Good Shepherd...”I will seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered” (Ezek. 34:12).
Discernment Retreat for College age men—April 24-26, 2015 at Meinrad Seminary in Indiana.
Encounter with God's call—April 18-20, 2015 at Conception Seminary College--for young men 16 and under who are considering a vocation to the priesthood.
For more information, please contact Fr. Patrick Nwokoye, Director of Vocation Promotion at 573-200-1814—email: pnwokoye@dioscg.org or Fr. J. Friedel, Director of Vocations/Seminarians, at jfriedel@dioscg.org.
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Bulletin 241
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
February 1st, 2015
Septuagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1 Cor. 9: 24-27; 10: 1-5
Gospel: Mt. 20: 1-16
Mon 2 No Latin Mass
Tue 3 Saint Blase, Bishop & Martyr
Wed 4 Requiem Mass + Reynold D'Souza
Thu 5 Saint Agatha * Virgin & Martyr
Fri 6 Sacred Heart of Jesus
Mass on February 6th will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
Mass on February 8th and February 22nd will be at 7:00pm.
Saint Paul encourages those who labor for the Lord by assuring them that “Each will receive his wages in proportion to his toil” (1Cor 3.8). “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord rather than for men, since you know full well you will receive an inheritance from Him as your reward” (Col 3.23f).
In other texts Saint Paul speaks of running the race to win the prize. In his letter to the Corinthians he says: “You know that while all the runners in the stadium take part in the race, the award goes to one man. In that case, run so as to win! Athletes deny themselves all sorts of things. They do this to win a crown of leaves that withers, but we a crown that is imperishable. I do not run like a man who loses sight of the finish line…What I do is discipline my own body and master it…Phil 3.14: “My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me—life on high in Christ Jesus.”
“The time of my dissolution is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. From now on a merited crown awaits me; on that day the Lord, just judge that He is, will reward it to me—and not only me, but to all who have looked for His appearing with eager longing” (2 Tim 4. 6-8).
Remember the theology of Saint Paul. A man is justified by faith and saved by grace, not by works. It is only works that proceed from faith and love that bring an eternal reward; and this only because God, by His grace, has made such good works possible and because he has graciously promised to reward them!
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Christmas & Easter
Feb. 7- 8 - 5th - Sunday of the Year
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday -
Gainesville and Ava – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 21 – 22 - 1st Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Mar. 7 – 8 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
Gainesville and Ava - Fr. Fasching
Mar. 21 – 22 - 5th Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Apr. 18 - 19 - 3rd Sunday of Easter
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
May 2 – 3 - 5th Sunday of Easter
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
May 16 – 17 - 7th Sunday of Easter - Confirmation - Ava
Cabool - Sat.4:00 PM - Fr. Fasching
Mt. Grove, Sun. 10:30 AM – Fr. Fasching
May30 – 31 - Trinity Sunday
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
February 1st, 2015
Septuagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1 Cor. 9: 24-27; 10: 1-5
Gospel: Mt. 20: 1-16
Mon 2 No Latin Mass
Tue 3 Saint Blase, Bishop & Martyr
Wed 4 Requiem Mass + Reynold D'Souza
Thu 5 Saint Agatha * Virgin & Martyr
Fri 6 Sacred Heart of Jesus
Mass on February 6th will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
Mass on February 8th and February 22nd will be at 7:00pm.
Saint Paul encourages those who labor for the Lord by assuring them that “Each will receive his wages in proportion to his toil” (1Cor 3.8). “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord rather than for men, since you know full well you will receive an inheritance from Him as your reward” (Col 3.23f).
In other texts Saint Paul speaks of running the race to win the prize. In his letter to the Corinthians he says: “You know that while all the runners in the stadium take part in the race, the award goes to one man. In that case, run so as to win! Athletes deny themselves all sorts of things. They do this to win a crown of leaves that withers, but we a crown that is imperishable. I do not run like a man who loses sight of the finish line…What I do is discipline my own body and master it…Phil 3.14: “My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me—life on high in Christ Jesus.”
“The time of my dissolution is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. From now on a merited crown awaits me; on that day the Lord, just judge that He is, will reward it to me—and not only me, but to all who have looked for His appearing with eager longing” (2 Tim 4. 6-8).
Remember the theology of Saint Paul. A man is justified by faith and saved by grace, not by works. It is only works that proceed from faith and love that bring an eternal reward; and this only because God, by His grace, has made such good works possible and because he has graciously promised to reward them!
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Christmas & Easter
Feb. 7- 8 - 5th - Sunday of the Year
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday -
Gainesville and Ava – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 21 – 22 - 1st Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Mar. 7 – 8 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
Gainesville and Ava - Fr. Fasching
Mar. 21 – 22 - 5th Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Apr. 18 - 19 - 3rd Sunday of Easter
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
May 2 – 3 - 5th Sunday of Easter
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
May 16 – 17 - 7th Sunday of Easter - Confirmation - Ava
Cabool - Sat.4:00 PM - Fr. Fasching
Mt. Grove, Sun. 10:30 AM – Fr. Fasching
May30 – 31 - Trinity Sunday
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Catholic Traditionalism verses Fundamentalism
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Catholic Traditionalism verses Fundamentalism
A Traditional Latin Mass (Vetus Ordo) Celebrated at St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield Missouri in 2010
Celebrant is Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching, the Most Rev. James V. Johnston kneels in Choir
Photo by John Kelly
NOTE: This article pertains primarily to Catholicism in the English-speaking world. The situation can be quite different in non-Anglophone countries.
Traditionalism and Fundamentalism; yes there is a difference. This is most especially the case in Catholicism. We see it in Protestantism too, but in Catholicism the line is more clearly drawn, and it is a line based in attitude.
Traditionalism is when Catholics cling to tradition, and overall, this is a very good thing. It helps to keep the Church connected to her past, and in the end, it keeps her identity clear. From the 1970s through early 2000s, there was a shortage of traditionalists in the Catholic Church, and the Church suffered because of this. Thankfully, that is starting to change. The trend toward returning to traditional practices really picked up in the late 1990s to early 2000s, however, because many priests and bishops had adopted a hostile attitude toward tradition, many traditionalists had nowhere to go but to illicit SSPX chapels and schismatic sedevacantist groups. Consequently, there was a mix between what I will henceforth refer to as "traditionalists" and "fundamentalists." Traditionalists mingled with the fundamentalists and vice versa, because they had nowhere else to go, creating a traditional-fundamental soup in those dioceses were the bishop was hostile to the traditional Latin mass and other traditional practises.
Fundamentalism in the Catholic world actually has a whole lot in common with fundamentalism in the Protestant world, and I'm sure some Catholic fundamentalists will object to me using that term in reference to them, and shriek at me making such a comparison. However, I am very familiar with fundamentalism from my experience as a Protestant. I know it like the back of my hand, and I can smell it a mile away. Fundamentalism, in a Catholic sense, is when a Catholic basically adopts an attitude of thinking he's more Catholic than the pope. I mean this quite literally. The pope is often referred to as a "heretic" or a "schismatic" or an "antipope." The mainstream Catholic Church is often seen as a "false church" of heresy, and the only "true Catholics" are those who adhere to their sectarian groups and mentality. A good example of this can often be found in the SSPX (Society of Saint Pius X). Now it's not fair to paint all persons within this group a Catholic fundamentalists, but I think it is fair to say the SSPX fosters this sort of attitude among its members. It is an attitude of superiority, wherein one thinks one is "more Catholic," or even worse, "more legitimately Catholic" simply because one clings to the older traditions of the Church. However, it runs deeper than that. There is a doctrinal division too, wherein Catholic fundamentalists become a magisterium unto themselves, believing they are the only "authentic" interpreters of Catholic teaching and tradition. Even Rome is presumed to be "in error" about these things. That being said, there is always room for disagreement over some pastoral issues within the Catholic Church, but this isn't what I'm talking about here. I'm not talking about two Catholics, who both submit to the authority of Rome and the local bishop, but have a vehement disagreement over how a certain Church teaching or discipline should be interpreted. I'm not talking about Catholics who have different liturgical preferences and think the Church has gone too far one way or another. I'm not even talking about Catholics who say the pope is wrong on this issue or that. Again, there is room for disagreement within the pale of orthodoxy. No! What I'm talking about here is entirely different. I'm talking about a Catholic, who may have a disagreement with the Church (over this issue or that), and then takes it to the point where he pronounces the Church to be false, or having been "taken over" by the forces of evil, to the point where this Catholic feels he can no longer be a regular member of the Church, but instead must live and worship apart from it. This is when traditionalism goes beyond traditionalism and becomes fundamentalism. The SSPX is not alone in flirting with this kind of fundamentalist attitude. There are other organisations even more involved: such as the SSPV (Society of Saint Pius V) for example, which is outright sedevacantist, along with the CMIQ (Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen), and the MHFM (Most Holy Family Monastery) among others. While it would be unfair and (so far) inaccurate to classify the SSPX as a sedevacantist organisation, it is however accurate to say that many sedevacantists frequent SSPX chapels and mingle in this traditionalist-fundamentalist soup.
All of this changed in July of 2007, when Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum. To any non-traditionalist Catholic reading this, pay attention here, because I'm going to reveal something big to you. No recent document of the Church has done more to hinder the fundamentalist movement in Catholicism than this document. If you don't like Catholic fundamentalism, then you better love Summorum Pontificum, and here is why...
Summorum Pontificum is the papal motu proprio that liberalised the regular celebration of the pre-1970 Traditional Latin Mass. It brought the Missal of 1962 back into the mainstream of Catholicism as the "Vetus Ordo" or the "Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite." This means that all lay Catholics, anywhere in the world, have a sacred RIGHT under canon law to request, and be accommodated with, a Traditional Latin Mass to a stable and consistent group. It also means that every Catholic priest, everywhere in the world, has the sacred right under canon law to celebrate this form of the mass (privately), assuming he is competent to do so, without permission from his local bishop or ordinary. Contemporary or "modernist" Catholics were initially livid about this, and some of them still are, but I assert their frustration is misplaced, and in fact, they should rejoice at this decision, because it has done more to undermine Catholic fundamentalism than anything else. What Pope Benedict XVI did here was pull the rug out from underneath the Catholic fundamentalist movement. You see, prior to 2007, Catholic fundamentalists had a virtual monopoly on the Traditional Latin Mass, especially in those areas where the local bishop and priests where hostile to the older traditions of the Church. What these bishops and priests didn't realise, was that their hostility toward older traditions was actually the very "fuel" feeding the Catholic fundamentalist movement. Those Catholics who were merely "traditionalists," and not fundamentalist in attitude, had nowhere else to go, but to a local schismatic chapel, where they could be gradually indoctrinated with fundamentalist propaganda. In short, the greatest thing fuelling the rise of Catholic fundamentalism was the very hostility toward tradition that some bishops and priests were using in a futile attempt to quash it. Here is the fatal flaw that many contemporary or "modernist" bishops made. They failed to understand that fundamentalism is 100% reactionary in nature. It is a response to provocation, nothing more and nothing less. By creating a provocation, such as eliminating all Latin masses for example, the bishop actually creates the perfect conditions necessary for the rise of Catholic fundamentalism in his diocesan territory. Nowhere was this more evident than in my own local diocese, wherein the previous bishop (presumably in an attempt to quash fundamentalism) did just that. He banned traditional Latin masses all throughout the diocese. It wasn't long after that a local SSPX chapel sprang up, and grew, and grew, and grew! I suspect it would likely be nearly a mega-church by now, where it not for Pope Benedict XVI's intervention in 2007 with Summorum Pontificum. By 2008 a new bishop was installed in the diocese, and he immediately provided for a traditional Latin mass to be celebrated in his own cathedral almost daily. As a result, the growth of the local SSPX chapel came to a grinding halt. The damage was done by the unwitting actions of the previous bishop, but is now controlled (for the time being) by the actions of the new bishop. In short, all Catholics must learn a lesson from this, because the exact same thing can be seen in the Protestant world. You don't stop fundamentalism by attacking tradition. In fact, that is the worst possible thing you can do, because you see, fundamentalism is entirely 100% reactionary. If you create a provocation, you will get a reaction. The way you stop fundamentalism, contain it, and limit it's growth, is by embracing tradition! For heaven's sake people, learn this! Burn this into your brains! A Catholic fundamentalist is no different than a Protestant fundamentalist in attitude and action. You want to stop fundamentalism -- then embrace tradition!
As a general rule, there is a simple litmus test that can be applied to determine if a Catholic is a fundamentalist or merely a traditionalist. Protestants don't have this luxury in identifying their fundamentalists, as they don't have the necessary structures. It's called the full-communion rule. This is how you know. If the Catholic in question is very traditional in nature, and exclusively attends the traditional Latin mass, but does so in a parish or cathedral that is under the bishop, or else a traditionalist society that is approved and regularised by Rome, then what you have here is a Catholic traditionalist -- not a fundamentalist. Traditionalists are absolutely not threat to the Catholic Church. Indeed, they are the spice and life of the Church, because they keep her connected to her past and very identity. They are humble. They submit to proper ecclesiastical authorities. They are in full union with the pope. Such people should be celebrated not ostracised.
If however, the Catholic in question is very traditional in nature, exclusively attends the traditional Latin mass, but does so in a parish that is neither approved nor regularised by Rome (when a fully regularised mass is available nearby), then what you have here (in most cases) is a fundamentalist -- not a traditionalist. This is an extremely important distinction, because the term "radical traditionalist" or "rad-trad" is often incorrectly applied to these people. Because you see, there is nothing "traditional" about breaking communion with Rome, or worshipping at a mass that is neither approved nor regularised. A mass that is illicit is anything but "traditional." It is the very antithesis of "traditionalism." Fundamentalist -- yes. Traditionalist -- no! Not even close. I assert if Pope Pius X were alive as pontiff today, he would make many changes to today's Church, but simultaneously, I assert he would excommunicate the fundamentalist society that bears his name (SSPX), along with anyone who continued to frequent their masses. No sir, there is nothing "traditional" about bucking the authority of Rome.
What Pope Benedict XVI did with Summorum Pontificum was brilliant, and he will remembered by future generations as one of the greatest minds in Church history. By regularising the traditional Latin mass throughout the Church again, he effectively put an end to the virtual monopoly fundamentalists had on traditional Catholicism. He opened wide the doors of the Church to traditionalist Catholics who do not fit in with the fundamentalists they had previously associated with in illicit chapels and groups.
So let's start using terminology correctly, and reclaiming "traditionalism" as something that is welcome within the Catholic Church. Traditional Catholics who remain humble and submissive to the pope and bishops should be given praise and support, even if you're a priest or layperson who wants nothing to do with this way of expressing Catholicism. Likewise, let's start identifying those who operate outside the Church as what they are -- fundamentalists. As their behaviour is strikingly similar to fundamentalism within Protestantism, even to the point of declaring the pope a "heretic." Finally, it's time to stop confusing traditionalists with fundamentalists. There is a difference, and it's insulting to traditionalists within the Catholic Church to classify them with the same word used to describe fundamentalists outside the Church. It is also counter-productive. If you're a Catholic who doesn't care for fundamentalism, then stop calling it "traditionalism." It is not. Stop calling fundamentalist "traditionalists." They are not. There is a difference. Traditionalists operate inside the Church, fundamentalists do not. Let's start recognising that please!
-----------
This article was posted on this website at the request of the Rev. Jeff Fasching.
Posted by Shane Schaetzel at 6:27 PM
Catholic Traditionalism verses Fundamentalism
A Traditional Latin Mass (Vetus Ordo) Celebrated at St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield Missouri in 2010
Celebrant is Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching, the Most Rev. James V. Johnston kneels in Choir
Photo by John Kelly
NOTE: This article pertains primarily to Catholicism in the English-speaking world. The situation can be quite different in non-Anglophone countries.
Traditionalism and Fundamentalism; yes there is a difference. This is most especially the case in Catholicism. We see it in Protestantism too, but in Catholicism the line is more clearly drawn, and it is a line based in attitude.
Traditionalism is when Catholics cling to tradition, and overall, this is a very good thing. It helps to keep the Church connected to her past, and in the end, it keeps her identity clear. From the 1970s through early 2000s, there was a shortage of traditionalists in the Catholic Church, and the Church suffered because of this. Thankfully, that is starting to change. The trend toward returning to traditional practices really picked up in the late 1990s to early 2000s, however, because many priests and bishops had adopted a hostile attitude toward tradition, many traditionalists had nowhere to go but to illicit SSPX chapels and schismatic sedevacantist groups. Consequently, there was a mix between what I will henceforth refer to as "traditionalists" and "fundamentalists." Traditionalists mingled with the fundamentalists and vice versa, because they had nowhere else to go, creating a traditional-fundamental soup in those dioceses were the bishop was hostile to the traditional Latin mass and other traditional practises.
Fundamentalism in the Catholic world actually has a whole lot in common with fundamentalism in the Protestant world, and I'm sure some Catholic fundamentalists will object to me using that term in reference to them, and shriek at me making such a comparison. However, I am very familiar with fundamentalism from my experience as a Protestant. I know it like the back of my hand, and I can smell it a mile away. Fundamentalism, in a Catholic sense, is when a Catholic basically adopts an attitude of thinking he's more Catholic than the pope. I mean this quite literally. The pope is often referred to as a "heretic" or a "schismatic" or an "antipope." The mainstream Catholic Church is often seen as a "false church" of heresy, and the only "true Catholics" are those who adhere to their sectarian groups and mentality. A good example of this can often be found in the SSPX (Society of Saint Pius X). Now it's not fair to paint all persons within this group a Catholic fundamentalists, but I think it is fair to say the SSPX fosters this sort of attitude among its members. It is an attitude of superiority, wherein one thinks one is "more Catholic," or even worse, "more legitimately Catholic" simply because one clings to the older traditions of the Church. However, it runs deeper than that. There is a doctrinal division too, wherein Catholic fundamentalists become a magisterium unto themselves, believing they are the only "authentic" interpreters of Catholic teaching and tradition. Even Rome is presumed to be "in error" about these things. That being said, there is always room for disagreement over some pastoral issues within the Catholic Church, but this isn't what I'm talking about here. I'm not talking about two Catholics, who both submit to the authority of Rome and the local bishop, but have a vehement disagreement over how a certain Church teaching or discipline should be interpreted. I'm not talking about Catholics who have different liturgical preferences and think the Church has gone too far one way or another. I'm not even talking about Catholics who say the pope is wrong on this issue or that. Again, there is room for disagreement within the pale of orthodoxy. No! What I'm talking about here is entirely different. I'm talking about a Catholic, who may have a disagreement with the Church (over this issue or that), and then takes it to the point where he pronounces the Church to be false, or having been "taken over" by the forces of evil, to the point where this Catholic feels he can no longer be a regular member of the Church, but instead must live and worship apart from it. This is when traditionalism goes beyond traditionalism and becomes fundamentalism. The SSPX is not alone in flirting with this kind of fundamentalist attitude. There are other organisations even more involved: such as the SSPV (Society of Saint Pius V) for example, which is outright sedevacantist, along with the CMIQ (Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen), and the MHFM (Most Holy Family Monastery) among others. While it would be unfair and (so far) inaccurate to classify the SSPX as a sedevacantist organisation, it is however accurate to say that many sedevacantists frequent SSPX chapels and mingle in this traditionalist-fundamentalist soup.
All of this changed in July of 2007, when Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum. To any non-traditionalist Catholic reading this, pay attention here, because I'm going to reveal something big to you. No recent document of the Church has done more to hinder the fundamentalist movement in Catholicism than this document. If you don't like Catholic fundamentalism, then you better love Summorum Pontificum, and here is why...
Summorum Pontificum is the papal motu proprio that liberalised the regular celebration of the pre-1970 Traditional Latin Mass. It brought the Missal of 1962 back into the mainstream of Catholicism as the "Vetus Ordo" or the "Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite." This means that all lay Catholics, anywhere in the world, have a sacred RIGHT under canon law to request, and be accommodated with, a Traditional Latin Mass to a stable and consistent group. It also means that every Catholic priest, everywhere in the world, has the sacred right under canon law to celebrate this form of the mass (privately), assuming he is competent to do so, without permission from his local bishop or ordinary. Contemporary or "modernist" Catholics were initially livid about this, and some of them still are, but I assert their frustration is misplaced, and in fact, they should rejoice at this decision, because it has done more to undermine Catholic fundamentalism than anything else. What Pope Benedict XVI did here was pull the rug out from underneath the Catholic fundamentalist movement. You see, prior to 2007, Catholic fundamentalists had a virtual monopoly on the Traditional Latin Mass, especially in those areas where the local bishop and priests where hostile to the older traditions of the Church. What these bishops and priests didn't realise, was that their hostility toward older traditions was actually the very "fuel" feeding the Catholic fundamentalist movement. Those Catholics who were merely "traditionalists," and not fundamentalist in attitude, had nowhere else to go, but to a local schismatic chapel, where they could be gradually indoctrinated with fundamentalist propaganda. In short, the greatest thing fuelling the rise of Catholic fundamentalism was the very hostility toward tradition that some bishops and priests were using in a futile attempt to quash it. Here is the fatal flaw that many contemporary or "modernist" bishops made. They failed to understand that fundamentalism is 100% reactionary in nature. It is a response to provocation, nothing more and nothing less. By creating a provocation, such as eliminating all Latin masses for example, the bishop actually creates the perfect conditions necessary for the rise of Catholic fundamentalism in his diocesan territory. Nowhere was this more evident than in my own local diocese, wherein the previous bishop (presumably in an attempt to quash fundamentalism) did just that. He banned traditional Latin masses all throughout the diocese. It wasn't long after that a local SSPX chapel sprang up, and grew, and grew, and grew! I suspect it would likely be nearly a mega-church by now, where it not for Pope Benedict XVI's intervention in 2007 with Summorum Pontificum. By 2008 a new bishop was installed in the diocese, and he immediately provided for a traditional Latin mass to be celebrated in his own cathedral almost daily. As a result, the growth of the local SSPX chapel came to a grinding halt. The damage was done by the unwitting actions of the previous bishop, but is now controlled (for the time being) by the actions of the new bishop. In short, all Catholics must learn a lesson from this, because the exact same thing can be seen in the Protestant world. You don't stop fundamentalism by attacking tradition. In fact, that is the worst possible thing you can do, because you see, fundamentalism is entirely 100% reactionary. If you create a provocation, you will get a reaction. The way you stop fundamentalism, contain it, and limit it's growth, is by embracing tradition! For heaven's sake people, learn this! Burn this into your brains! A Catholic fundamentalist is no different than a Protestant fundamentalist in attitude and action. You want to stop fundamentalism -- then embrace tradition!
As a general rule, there is a simple litmus test that can be applied to determine if a Catholic is a fundamentalist or merely a traditionalist. Protestants don't have this luxury in identifying their fundamentalists, as they don't have the necessary structures. It's called the full-communion rule. This is how you know. If the Catholic in question is very traditional in nature, and exclusively attends the traditional Latin mass, but does so in a parish or cathedral that is under the bishop, or else a traditionalist society that is approved and regularised by Rome, then what you have here is a Catholic traditionalist -- not a fundamentalist. Traditionalists are absolutely not threat to the Catholic Church. Indeed, they are the spice and life of the Church, because they keep her connected to her past and very identity. They are humble. They submit to proper ecclesiastical authorities. They are in full union with the pope. Such people should be celebrated not ostracised.
If however, the Catholic in question is very traditional in nature, exclusively attends the traditional Latin mass, but does so in a parish that is neither approved nor regularised by Rome (when a fully regularised mass is available nearby), then what you have here (in most cases) is a fundamentalist -- not a traditionalist. This is an extremely important distinction, because the term "radical traditionalist" or "rad-trad" is often incorrectly applied to these people. Because you see, there is nothing "traditional" about breaking communion with Rome, or worshipping at a mass that is neither approved nor regularised. A mass that is illicit is anything but "traditional." It is the very antithesis of "traditionalism." Fundamentalist -- yes. Traditionalist -- no! Not even close. I assert if Pope Pius X were alive as pontiff today, he would make many changes to today's Church, but simultaneously, I assert he would excommunicate the fundamentalist society that bears his name (SSPX), along with anyone who continued to frequent their masses. No sir, there is nothing "traditional" about bucking the authority of Rome.
What Pope Benedict XVI did with Summorum Pontificum was brilliant, and he will remembered by future generations as one of the greatest minds in Church history. By regularising the traditional Latin mass throughout the Church again, he effectively put an end to the virtual monopoly fundamentalists had on traditional Catholicism. He opened wide the doors of the Church to traditionalist Catholics who do not fit in with the fundamentalists they had previously associated with in illicit chapels and groups.
So let's start using terminology correctly, and reclaiming "traditionalism" as something that is welcome within the Catholic Church. Traditional Catholics who remain humble and submissive to the pope and bishops should be given praise and support, even if you're a priest or layperson who wants nothing to do with this way of expressing Catholicism. Likewise, let's start identifying those who operate outside the Church as what they are -- fundamentalists. As their behaviour is strikingly similar to fundamentalism within Protestantism, even to the point of declaring the pope a "heretic." Finally, it's time to stop confusing traditionalists with fundamentalists. There is a difference, and it's insulting to traditionalists within the Catholic Church to classify them with the same word used to describe fundamentalists outside the Church. It is also counter-productive. If you're a Catholic who doesn't care for fundamentalism, then stop calling it "traditionalism." It is not. Stop calling fundamentalist "traditionalists." They are not. There is a difference. Traditionalists operate inside the Church, fundamentalists do not. Let's start recognising that please!
-----------
This article was posted on this website at the request of the Rev. Jeff Fasching.
Posted by Shane Schaetzel at 6:27 PM
Monday, January 19, 2015
The Crisis and the Storm
The Crisis and the Storm
Originally posted on FullyChristian.Com, reprinted here by permission. Source: http://catholicozarks.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-fourth-great-crisis.html
THE CRISIS AND THE STORM
In ages past, the Catholic Church faced three great crises....
The First Great Crisis was the Arian Heresy, and it was by far the worst. It happened in the fourth century and lasted about sixty years. The crisis centred around the divinity of Jesus Christ, wherein a rogue priest, named Arius, challenged established Church doctrine that Jesus Christ is divine, and God exists in the form of Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Arius asserted that Jesus was merely a man, a great prophet, and the promised Messiah, but not God. Arius was the first one to come up with the concept of a "Bible" or Canon of Scripture, in which he hand-selected the books contained therein, all of them affirming his heretical views. This period saw the majority of the world's Christian bishops, priests and laity siding with Arius. The Councils of Nicea and Constantinople were held during this time, and in response the Church not only condemned Arius and his heresy, but also formulated the Nicene Creed and commissioned the work of compiling an authentic Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament, which happens to be the same one all Christians use today. The First Great Crisis of the Church came to an end with the dismantling of Arianism and the victory of the Catholic Church.
The Second Great Crisis in the Church came during the tenth century, in what some have called the "Obscure Century". This was a period when the papacy was corrupted by wicked families with great wealth and political power. During this time the papacy was drug through the mud, so to speak, with corrupt popes, nepotism, materialism, political ambitions, and so on. No official heresy was taught from the Chair of Peter, but the level of corruption and lack of discipline led many Catholics to be carried away by heretical doctrines anyway.
The Third Great Crisis in the Church was called the Occidental Schism (or "Western Schism"), which was in part caused by the exile of the papacy to Avignon in France. This led to confusion which ultimately culminated in the reign of three "popes" simultaneously, each contenting to be the one true authentic pope. The crisis was ended at the Council of Constance in 1414-1418, when two of the three "popes" agreed to resign for the greater good of the Church, the third was deposed by the council, and a new authentic pope was elected in their places.
Now we face the FOURTH GREAT CRISIS of the Catholic Church. These words are not my own. They come from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary of Astana (Kazakhstan), who's interview can be read on Rorate Caeli blog. The Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church can be summarised as the widespread abuse of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is manifested in the form of liturgical, doctrinal and pastoral abuse.
The seeds of this crisis began in the middle twentieth century, before the Second Vatican Council and shortly after World War II. It was at this time that the focus of leaders within the Catholic Church began to shift from God to man. The discipline of psychology was growing in popularity at the time, and many Church leaders started to embrace it. Along with that, new theologians were coming to the forefront that questioned what was previously established Church teaching. Into this mix the Second Vatican Council was called. Pope Benedict XVI, who was present at the Council as Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, in one of his final public addresses as pontiff some fifty years later, clarified the situation that existed at that time. (I blogged on this extensively here.) In summary, he said that "two councils" were going on simultaneously. The first was the "Council of the Fathers", or the authentic Second Vatican Council, which is what the bishops were actually discussing in Rome. The second was the "Council of the Media", which was a counterfeit council created by the mainstream news press, in which the documents of the Second Vatican Council were "reinterpreted" by the press, and then disseminated to the public with a remarkably Left-wing and Modernist spin that the Council Fathers never intended. This process has continued, more or less, for the last 50 years, to a point where we now live in a time when the popular media has more influence on Catholics than the bishops of the Church. What we have witnessed in the last half century is nothing short than a psychological coup d'état on the minds of faithful Catholics, wherein the authentic leadership of the Church was replaced by the counterfeit leadership of the mainstream press.
Immediately following the Second Vatican Council was the introduction of the Missal of Pope Paul VI. On the whole, the missal was a simplification of the Roman Liturgy, making room for the expansion of Lectionary readings, as well as greater liturgical participation by the faithful laity. This was all it was ever intended to do, and the Council Fathers, previously assembled in Rome, envisioned a future liturgy with greater public participation and more reading from the Sacred Scriptures. They also envisioned a future liturgy that looked remarkably similar to the Missal of Saint Pius V, celebrated by the Council Fathers at the Second Vatican Council. That was not to happen. Immediately, the counterfeit Council of the Media went into action in the 1970s, following the release of the new missal, reinterpreting the intention and purpose of the new liturgy. What was produced was a new Roman liturgy that scarcely looks anything like what the Second Vatican Council intended, resulting in a complete loss of the Latin language (a language the Council Fathers affirmed as liturgically necessary), the loss of Gregorian chant, and most profoundly, a watered-down presentation of the Eucharist wherein the faithful receive communion in the hand while standing, and the sacred tabernacle is literally pushed off to some remote corner of the parish chapel. In almost all celebrations of the new missal, the priest faces the people, and in those parishes where the tabernacle is set off to the side somewhere, it leaves the congregation with the visual impression that man is the centre of the liturgy not God.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), in his book Spirit of the Liturgy put it this way:
'In the very form of its places of divine worship, which we have just been considering, Christianity, speaking and thinking in a Semitic way, has laid down principles by which this question can be answered. Despite all the variations in practise that have taken place far into the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying towards the East is a tradition that goes back to the beginning. Moreover, it is a fundamental expression of the Christian synthesis of cosmos and history, of being rooted in the once-for-all events of salvation history while going out to meet the Lord who is to come again. Here both the fidelity to the gift already bestowed and the dynamism of going forward are given equal expression... Admittedly, these connections were obscured or fell into total oblivion in the church buildings and liturgical practise of the modern age. This is the only explanation for the fact that the common direction of prayer of priest and people got labelled as "celebrating towards the wall" or "turning your back on the people" and came to seem absurd and totally unacceptable. And this alone explains why the meal – even in modern pictures – became the normative idea of liturgical celebration for Christians. In reality what happened was that an unprecedented clericalization came on the scene. Now the priest – the "presider," as they now prefer to call him – becomes the real point of reference for the whole liturgy. Everything depends on him. We have to see him, to respond to him, to be involved in what he is doing. His creativity sustains the whole thing.... Not surprisingly, people try to reduce this newly created role by assigning all kinds of liturgical functions to different individuals and entrusting the "creative" planning of the liturgy to groups of people who like to, and are supposed to, "make their own contribution." Less and less is God in the picture. More and more important is what is done by the human beings who meet here and do not like to subject themselves to a "pre-determined pattern".... The turning of the priest towards the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.'
THUD! And with that, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) summarised the prevailing direction of the Catholic Church in the modern age. The Council of the Media was so powerful that it affected the minds of some priests and bishops, reorienting them toward a new hierarchy, one in which the Zeitgeist of Modernism (the diabolical spirit of our age) reigns supreme.
Ratzinger characterised the fruit of this zeitgeist as the "tyranny of relativism" in which sin and depravity is tolerated in the name of "tolerance", while objection to sin and depravity is not tolerated in the name of "tolerance". So we see it played out in the Western governments of today. Easy "no-fault" divorce is commonplace, as is unmarried sexual cohabitation, artificial contraception and abortion on demand. A tide of homosexuality is rising at a rate unseen since the days of Pagan Rome, and once again in the name of "tolerance" this Zeitgeist of Modernism imposes a tyranny of relativism upon anyone who would dare speak out against it. Legal homosexual unions, mockingly called "marriages", have become the norm in Europe and Canada, while in the United States, one state after another falls to this tyranny in spite of the electoral will of the people.
In Christianity, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has wreaked havoc on the Protestant world. What was once just a couple dozen denominations and sects has exploded into literally hundreds, as conservative Protestants, faithful to traditional Christian morality, have fled their mainline denominations to create new splinter churches that maintain older Biblical standards. These "conservative" churches provide a refuge of peace for now, but the Zeitgeist of Modernism knows no denominational boundaries. Already the tyranny of relativism is knocking at the doors of many of these new conservative Protestant denominations. Some religious trend observers have forecasted their downfall within a matter of a decade or two.
In the Catholic Church, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has not fractured the unity of Rome -- yet -- but it has apparently infiltrated into the highest echelons of the Church hierarchy. Priests, bishops and even cardinals have been unable to evade its deep reaching tentacles. We have seen this unfold over decades with priests who refuse to teach their congregations the evils of: divorce, cohabitation, contraception, abortion, euthanasia and homosexual acts. We have seen this unfold over decades with bishops who refuse to enforce Canon 915 by making excommunication and interdiction almost unheard of in the modern Church. We have seen this unfold over decades with innumerable examples of liturgical innovation and abuse. We have seen this unfold over decades in the form of a clerical sex scandal, with the abuse of minors, that is unprecedented in the whole 2,000 years of Church history!
Now, after the election of Pope Francis, the mainstream press has put the Council of the Media into overdrive. If the Council of the Media gave us that diabolical "Spirit of Vatican II", which had nothing to do with the actual Vatican II, then what we are now witnessing is the equally diabolical "Spirit of Pope Francis" which has nothing to do with the real Pope Francis -- or so we can only hope. This artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis" is in every way heterodox. It embraces homosexual acts along with homosexual persons, as well as divorce itself along with divorced people. It makes no distinction between the act and the person. All is one in the same, with this "lovey-dovey, hippy-dippy" new pope, who refuses to judge anything, and views everything as permissible. Is the real Pope Francis anything like what the media has portrayed in its artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis"? We hope not, but only time will tell.
In the midst of this latest media push comes the Extraordinary Synod on the Family this October, to be followed by an Ordinary Synod on the Family in October of 2015. As we have seen unfold in the Extraordinary Synod, the sum of all fears has been realised. The Zeitgeist of Modernism has reached its tentacles deep into the Church hierarchy, and touched the highest ranking prelates with its tyranny of relativism. We have seen a statement released calling for changes in Church discipline, tone and language, related to the sins of: adultery, fornication, contraception and homosexuality. At the centre of this agenda is a push to permit the reception of Holy Communion (the Holy Eucharist) to those knowingly and obstinately in mortal sin, all with the blessing of the Catholic Church. Along with this comes the predictable "Synod of the Media" which is already making international headlines. As terrible as the Extraordinary Synod has become, the "Synod of the Media" will compound the situation, and make it so much worse, with the news media's reinterpretation and repackaging of the Synod's already warped message.
It remains to be seen what will come of this, and the first Synod report is just preliminary, but with this report, it has become painfully clear and obvious that Bishop Athanasius Schneider was right. With pinpoint accuracy he nailed it. We are now in the Fourth Great Crisis of the Catholic Church. The crisis revolves around the nature of the Holy Eucharist and abuses related to it. Surveys of Catholics all over the world reveal that the doctrine of the transubstantiation (literal presence of Christ) is no loner believed by a majority of Catholics, and this perhaps explains a lot. It is no wonder that the Eucharist is no longer centre in Catholic life, when the tabernacles are placed in some obscure corner of the parish church. It is no wonder when communicants are no longer asked to kneel in the presence of God, and receive Him enthroned on their tongue, but instead take Him in their own hands like a common cookie to be consumed as a casual snack. It is no wonder when the sacrament of confession is celebrated only occasionally, and rarely before mass, so that the faithful are not reminded of their need to confess their sins and prepare themselves for physical communion with God. It is no wonder when the liturgy becomes a "self-enclosed circle" wherein the priest, and not the sacrament, become the centre of attention. It is no wonder when the liturgy takes on an innovative carnival atmosphere, instead of a solemn and reverent celebration of the presence of God. As the Church used to say: Lex orandi, lex credendi, meaning in Latin, "the law of prayer is the law of belief". When the Church creates a liturgical experience that focuses more on man than God, is it any wonder that the people begin to think of man as God? In the Garden of Eden, the lie the serpent told to humanity was this. To disobey God was to become a god, and to become a god is to judge for yourselves, without God, what is good and what is evil. God's laws do not matter. What matters is your own judgement. So we see this unfolding in the Catholic Church, as we previously saw it unfold in the mainline Protestant churches. Man becomes God, and man creates his own morality, based upon his own judgement. We have seen this happen among the laity, many of whom no longer believe in the "real presents" in the Eucharist, but simultaneously believe homosexual "marriage" is permissible and should be embraced. God is denied, and man is exalted to the level of a god, judging for himself what is good and evil. God is left out of the process. What began in the laity has crawled its way up into the hierarchy of the Church. In the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, we have witnessed Catholic prelates call for a relaxation of laws pertaining to the reception of Holy Communion, so that what is already practised illegally in the Catholic Church, may now receive the blessing of the Catholic Church. This way the Holy Eucharist may be profaned even more regularly, and without the care or concern by those in charge. The community of the Church may finally focus entirely on itself, rather than the One whom they have supposedly gathered to worship.
At he heart of the moral crisis evolving at the Synod on the Family, is a deeper crisis related to the Holy Eucharist, and in particular its treatment in the modern Church. It is revealed in everything, from beliefs, to practises, to liturgy, to discipline. This is the Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church. How long it will last depends entirely on the long-suffering and mercy of God Almighty. In the painting above is depicted a recreation of Jesus calming the storm at sea. Our Eucharistic Christ will calm this storm as well, but like the disciples before us, we must first wake him and ask. Perhaps the time has come for constant prayer vigils to be held at every tabernacle, in every parish, around the world.
Posted by Fr. Jeffery Fasching at 3:45 PM
Topics: Abraham, adoration, adversity, Apostolic, arrogance, Benediction, Bishop, Blessed Virgin Mary, Body of Christ, Holy Communion, Jesus Christ, kingdom
Originally posted on FullyChristian.Com, reprinted here by permission. Source: http://catholicozarks.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-fourth-great-crisis.html
THE CRISIS AND THE STORM
In ages past, the Catholic Church faced three great crises....
The First Great Crisis was the Arian Heresy, and it was by far the worst. It happened in the fourth century and lasted about sixty years. The crisis centred around the divinity of Jesus Christ, wherein a rogue priest, named Arius, challenged established Church doctrine that Jesus Christ is divine, and God exists in the form of Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Arius asserted that Jesus was merely a man, a great prophet, and the promised Messiah, but not God. Arius was the first one to come up with the concept of a "Bible" or Canon of Scripture, in which he hand-selected the books contained therein, all of them affirming his heretical views. This period saw the majority of the world's Christian bishops, priests and laity siding with Arius. The Councils of Nicea and Constantinople were held during this time, and in response the Church not only condemned Arius and his heresy, but also formulated the Nicene Creed and commissioned the work of compiling an authentic Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament, which happens to be the same one all Christians use today. The First Great Crisis of the Church came to an end with the dismantling of Arianism and the victory of the Catholic Church.
The Second Great Crisis in the Church came during the tenth century, in what some have called the "Obscure Century". This was a period when the papacy was corrupted by wicked families with great wealth and political power. During this time the papacy was drug through the mud, so to speak, with corrupt popes, nepotism, materialism, political ambitions, and so on. No official heresy was taught from the Chair of Peter, but the level of corruption and lack of discipline led many Catholics to be carried away by heretical doctrines anyway.
The Third Great Crisis in the Church was called the Occidental Schism (or "Western Schism"), which was in part caused by the exile of the papacy to Avignon in France. This led to confusion which ultimately culminated in the reign of three "popes" simultaneously, each contenting to be the one true authentic pope. The crisis was ended at the Council of Constance in 1414-1418, when two of the three "popes" agreed to resign for the greater good of the Church, the third was deposed by the council, and a new authentic pope was elected in their places.
Now we face the FOURTH GREAT CRISIS of the Catholic Church. These words are not my own. They come from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary of Astana (Kazakhstan), who's interview can be read on Rorate Caeli blog. The Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church can be summarised as the widespread abuse of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is manifested in the form of liturgical, doctrinal and pastoral abuse.
The seeds of this crisis began in the middle twentieth century, before the Second Vatican Council and shortly after World War II. It was at this time that the focus of leaders within the Catholic Church began to shift from God to man. The discipline of psychology was growing in popularity at the time, and many Church leaders started to embrace it. Along with that, new theologians were coming to the forefront that questioned what was previously established Church teaching. Into this mix the Second Vatican Council was called. Pope Benedict XVI, who was present at the Council as Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, in one of his final public addresses as pontiff some fifty years later, clarified the situation that existed at that time. (I blogged on this extensively here.) In summary, he said that "two councils" were going on simultaneously. The first was the "Council of the Fathers", or the authentic Second Vatican Council, which is what the bishops were actually discussing in Rome. The second was the "Council of the Media", which was a counterfeit council created by the mainstream news press, in which the documents of the Second Vatican Council were "reinterpreted" by the press, and then disseminated to the public with a remarkably Left-wing and Modernist spin that the Council Fathers never intended. This process has continued, more or less, for the last 50 years, to a point where we now live in a time when the popular media has more influence on Catholics than the bishops of the Church. What we have witnessed in the last half century is nothing short than a psychological coup d'état on the minds of faithful Catholics, wherein the authentic leadership of the Church was replaced by the counterfeit leadership of the mainstream press.
Immediately following the Second Vatican Council was the introduction of the Missal of Pope Paul VI. On the whole, the missal was a simplification of the Roman Liturgy, making room for the expansion of Lectionary readings, as well as greater liturgical participation by the faithful laity. This was all it was ever intended to do, and the Council Fathers, previously assembled in Rome, envisioned a future liturgy with greater public participation and more reading from the Sacred Scriptures. They also envisioned a future liturgy that looked remarkably similar to the Missal of Saint Pius V, celebrated by the Council Fathers at the Second Vatican Council. That was not to happen. Immediately, the counterfeit Council of the Media went into action in the 1970s, following the release of the new missal, reinterpreting the intention and purpose of the new liturgy. What was produced was a new Roman liturgy that scarcely looks anything like what the Second Vatican Council intended, resulting in a complete loss of the Latin language (a language the Council Fathers affirmed as liturgically necessary), the loss of Gregorian chant, and most profoundly, a watered-down presentation of the Eucharist wherein the faithful receive communion in the hand while standing, and the sacred tabernacle is literally pushed off to some remote corner of the parish chapel. In almost all celebrations of the new missal, the priest faces the people, and in those parishes where the tabernacle is set off to the side somewhere, it leaves the congregation with the visual impression that man is the centre of the liturgy not God.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), in his book Spirit of the Liturgy put it this way:
'In the very form of its places of divine worship, which we have just been considering, Christianity, speaking and thinking in a Semitic way, has laid down principles by which this question can be answered. Despite all the variations in practise that have taken place far into the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying towards the East is a tradition that goes back to the beginning. Moreover, it is a fundamental expression of the Christian synthesis of cosmos and history, of being rooted in the once-for-all events of salvation history while going out to meet the Lord who is to come again. Here both the fidelity to the gift already bestowed and the dynamism of going forward are given equal expression... Admittedly, these connections were obscured or fell into total oblivion in the church buildings and liturgical practise of the modern age. This is the only explanation for the fact that the common direction of prayer of priest and people got labelled as "celebrating towards the wall" or "turning your back on the people" and came to seem absurd and totally unacceptable. And this alone explains why the meal – even in modern pictures – became the normative idea of liturgical celebration for Christians. In reality what happened was that an unprecedented clericalization came on the scene. Now the priest – the "presider," as they now prefer to call him – becomes the real point of reference for the whole liturgy. Everything depends on him. We have to see him, to respond to him, to be involved in what he is doing. His creativity sustains the whole thing.... Not surprisingly, people try to reduce this newly created role by assigning all kinds of liturgical functions to different individuals and entrusting the "creative" planning of the liturgy to groups of people who like to, and are supposed to, "make their own contribution." Less and less is God in the picture. More and more important is what is done by the human beings who meet here and do not like to subject themselves to a "pre-determined pattern".... The turning of the priest towards the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.'
THUD! And with that, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) summarised the prevailing direction of the Catholic Church in the modern age. The Council of the Media was so powerful that it affected the minds of some priests and bishops, reorienting them toward a new hierarchy, one in which the Zeitgeist of Modernism (the diabolical spirit of our age) reigns supreme.
Ratzinger characterised the fruit of this zeitgeist as the "tyranny of relativism" in which sin and depravity is tolerated in the name of "tolerance", while objection to sin and depravity is not tolerated in the name of "tolerance". So we see it played out in the Western governments of today. Easy "no-fault" divorce is commonplace, as is unmarried sexual cohabitation, artificial contraception and abortion on demand. A tide of homosexuality is rising at a rate unseen since the days of Pagan Rome, and once again in the name of "tolerance" this Zeitgeist of Modernism imposes a tyranny of relativism upon anyone who would dare speak out against it. Legal homosexual unions, mockingly called "marriages", have become the norm in Europe and Canada, while in the United States, one state after another falls to this tyranny in spite of the electoral will of the people.
In Christianity, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has wreaked havoc on the Protestant world. What was once just a couple dozen denominations and sects has exploded into literally hundreds, as conservative Protestants, faithful to traditional Christian morality, have fled their mainline denominations to create new splinter churches that maintain older Biblical standards. These "conservative" churches provide a refuge of peace for now, but the Zeitgeist of Modernism knows no denominational boundaries. Already the tyranny of relativism is knocking at the doors of many of these new conservative Protestant denominations. Some religious trend observers have forecasted their downfall within a matter of a decade or two.
In the Catholic Church, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has not fractured the unity of Rome -- yet -- but it has apparently infiltrated into the highest echelons of the Church hierarchy. Priests, bishops and even cardinals have been unable to evade its deep reaching tentacles. We have seen this unfold over decades with priests who refuse to teach their congregations the evils of: divorce, cohabitation, contraception, abortion, euthanasia and homosexual acts. We have seen this unfold over decades with bishops who refuse to enforce Canon 915 by making excommunication and interdiction almost unheard of in the modern Church. We have seen this unfold over decades with innumerable examples of liturgical innovation and abuse. We have seen this unfold over decades in the form of a clerical sex scandal, with the abuse of minors, that is unprecedented in the whole 2,000 years of Church history!
Now, after the election of Pope Francis, the mainstream press has put the Council of the Media into overdrive. If the Council of the Media gave us that diabolical "Spirit of Vatican II", which had nothing to do with the actual Vatican II, then what we are now witnessing is the equally diabolical "Spirit of Pope Francis" which has nothing to do with the real Pope Francis -- or so we can only hope. This artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis" is in every way heterodox. It embraces homosexual acts along with homosexual persons, as well as divorce itself along with divorced people. It makes no distinction between the act and the person. All is one in the same, with this "lovey-dovey, hippy-dippy" new pope, who refuses to judge anything, and views everything as permissible. Is the real Pope Francis anything like what the media has portrayed in its artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis"? We hope not, but only time will tell.
In the midst of this latest media push comes the Extraordinary Synod on the Family this October, to be followed by an Ordinary Synod on the Family in October of 2015. As we have seen unfold in the Extraordinary Synod, the sum of all fears has been realised. The Zeitgeist of Modernism has reached its tentacles deep into the Church hierarchy, and touched the highest ranking prelates with its tyranny of relativism. We have seen a statement released calling for changes in Church discipline, tone and language, related to the sins of: adultery, fornication, contraception and homosexuality. At the centre of this agenda is a push to permit the reception of Holy Communion (the Holy Eucharist) to those knowingly and obstinately in mortal sin, all with the blessing of the Catholic Church. Along with this comes the predictable "Synod of the Media" which is already making international headlines. As terrible as the Extraordinary Synod has become, the "Synod of the Media" will compound the situation, and make it so much worse, with the news media's reinterpretation and repackaging of the Synod's already warped message.
It remains to be seen what will come of this, and the first Synod report is just preliminary, but with this report, it has become painfully clear and obvious that Bishop Athanasius Schneider was right. With pinpoint accuracy he nailed it. We are now in the Fourth Great Crisis of the Catholic Church. The crisis revolves around the nature of the Holy Eucharist and abuses related to it. Surveys of Catholics all over the world reveal that the doctrine of the transubstantiation (literal presence of Christ) is no loner believed by a majority of Catholics, and this perhaps explains a lot. It is no wonder that the Eucharist is no longer centre in Catholic life, when the tabernacles are placed in some obscure corner of the parish church. It is no wonder when communicants are no longer asked to kneel in the presence of God, and receive Him enthroned on their tongue, but instead take Him in their own hands like a common cookie to be consumed as a casual snack. It is no wonder when the sacrament of confession is celebrated only occasionally, and rarely before mass, so that the faithful are not reminded of their need to confess their sins and prepare themselves for physical communion with God. It is no wonder when the liturgy becomes a "self-enclosed circle" wherein the priest, and not the sacrament, become the centre of attention. It is no wonder when the liturgy takes on an innovative carnival atmosphere, instead of a solemn and reverent celebration of the presence of God. As the Church used to say: Lex orandi, lex credendi, meaning in Latin, "the law of prayer is the law of belief". When the Church creates a liturgical experience that focuses more on man than God, is it any wonder that the people begin to think of man as God? In the Garden of Eden, the lie the serpent told to humanity was this. To disobey God was to become a god, and to become a god is to judge for yourselves, without God, what is good and what is evil. God's laws do not matter. What matters is your own judgement. So we see this unfolding in the Catholic Church, as we previously saw it unfold in the mainline Protestant churches. Man becomes God, and man creates his own morality, based upon his own judgement. We have seen this happen among the laity, many of whom no longer believe in the "real presents" in the Eucharist, but simultaneously believe homosexual "marriage" is permissible and should be embraced. God is denied, and man is exalted to the level of a god, judging for himself what is good and evil. God is left out of the process. What began in the laity has crawled its way up into the hierarchy of the Church. In the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, we have witnessed Catholic prelates call for a relaxation of laws pertaining to the reception of Holy Communion, so that what is already practised illegally in the Catholic Church, may now receive the blessing of the Catholic Church. This way the Holy Eucharist may be profaned even more regularly, and without the care or concern by those in charge. The community of the Church may finally focus entirely on itself, rather than the One whom they have supposedly gathered to worship.
At he heart of the moral crisis evolving at the Synod on the Family, is a deeper crisis related to the Holy Eucharist, and in particular its treatment in the modern Church. It is revealed in everything, from beliefs, to practises, to liturgy, to discipline. This is the Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church. How long it will last depends entirely on the long-suffering and mercy of God Almighty. In the painting above is depicted a recreation of Jesus calming the storm at sea. Our Eucharistic Christ will calm this storm as well, but like the disciples before us, we must first wake him and ask. Perhaps the time has come for constant prayer vigils to be held at every tabernacle, in every parish, around the world.
Posted by Fr. Jeffery Fasching at 3:45 PM
Topics: Abraham, adoration, adversity, Apostolic, arrogance, Benediction, Bishop, Blessed Virgin Mary, Body of Christ, Holy Communion, Jesus Christ, kingdom
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Bulletin 234
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
December 14, 2014
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
Epistle: Phil. 4: 4-7
Gospel: John 1: 19-28
Mon 15 No Latin Mass
Tue 16 Saint Eusebius Bishop & Martyr
Wed 17 Ember Wednesday of Advent
Thu 18 Greater Feria of Advent
Fri 19 Ember Friday of Advent
Potluck this Sunday December 14th following the 2:30pm Latin Mass.
Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Christmas day (December 25) will be at 2:30pm.
Saint John tells us that we cannot imagine what God has in store for us who are His children, but this we do know, that we shall see Him as He is: “Dearly beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall later be has not yet come to light. We know that when is comes to light we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn. 3.2). Notice that John says, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” It is because we are made in the image of God, sharing His divine nature that we shall be able to see God as He sees Himself!
Advent season is a reminder of the hope we have for Jesus Christ. Jesus promises: “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall see God” (Mt. 5.8); and Paul, in enumerating the gifts that God bestows upon His beloved, speaks of the immediate vision of God as His ultimate gift: “Now we see indistinctly, as in a (dark) mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known” (1 Cor. 13.12).
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Advent, Christmas & Easter
Dec. 13 – 14 - 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 10 – 11 – Baptism of the Lord
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 24 – 25 - 3rd Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 7- 8 - 5th - Sunday of the Year
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday -
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 21 – 22 - 1st Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Mar. 7 – 8 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Mar. 21 – 22 - 5th Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Apr. 18 - 19 - 3rd Sunday of Easter
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
May 2 – 3 - 5th Sunday of Easter
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
May 16 – 17 - 7th Sunday of Easter - Confirmation - Ava
Cabool - Sat.4:00 PM - Fr. Fasching
Mt. Grove, Sun. 10:30 AM – Fr. Fasching
May30 – 31 - Trinity Sunday
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
December 14, 2014
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
Epistle: Phil. 4: 4-7
Gospel: John 1: 19-28
Mon 15 No Latin Mass
Tue 16 Saint Eusebius Bishop & Martyr
Wed 17 Ember Wednesday of Advent
Thu 18 Greater Feria of Advent
Fri 19 Ember Friday of Advent
Potluck this Sunday December 14th following the 2:30pm Latin Mass.
Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Christmas day (December 25) will be at 2:30pm.
Saint John tells us that we cannot imagine what God has in store for us who are His children, but this we do know, that we shall see Him as He is: “Dearly beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall later be has not yet come to light. We know that when is comes to light we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn. 3.2). Notice that John says, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” It is because we are made in the image of God, sharing His divine nature that we shall be able to see God as He sees Himself!
Advent season is a reminder of the hope we have for Jesus Christ. Jesus promises: “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall see God” (Mt. 5.8); and Paul, in enumerating the gifts that God bestows upon His beloved, speaks of the immediate vision of God as His ultimate gift: “Now we see indistinctly, as in a (dark) mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known” (1 Cor. 13.12).
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Advent, Christmas & Easter
Dec. 13 – 14 - 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 10 – 11 – Baptism of the Lord
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 24 – 25 - 3rd Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 7- 8 - 5th - Sunday of the Year
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday -
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 21 – 22 - 1st Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Mar. 7 – 8 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Mar. 21 – 22 - 5th Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Apr. 18 - 19 - 3rd Sunday of Easter
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
May 2 – 3 - 5th Sunday of Easter
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
May 16 – 17 - 7th Sunday of Easter - Confirmation - Ava
Cabool - Sat.4:00 PM - Fr. Fasching
Mt. Grove, Sun. 10:30 AM – Fr. Fasching
May30 – 31 - Trinity Sunday
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Friday, November 28, 2014
Bulletin 232
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
November 30, 2014
Dominica I Adventus
Epistle: Rom. 13: 11-14
Gospel: Luc. 21: 25-33
Mon 1 No Latin Mass
Tue 2 Saint Bibianae--Virginis et Martyris
Wed 3 Saint Francisci Xaverii--Confessoris
Thu 4 Saint Petri Chrysologi—Episcopi Confessoris Ecclesiae Doctoris
Fri 5 Feria
Mass on December 5th will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Advent, Christmas & Easter
Nov. 29 – 30 - 1st Sunday of Advent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Dec. 13 – 14 - 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 10 – 11 – Baptism of the Lord
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 24 – 25 - 3rd Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 7- 8 - 5th - Sunday of the Year
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday -
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 21 – 22 - 1st Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Mar. 7 – 8 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Mar. 21 – 22 - 5th Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Apr. 18 - 19 - 3rd Sunday of Easter
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
May 2 – 3 - 5th Sunday of Easter
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
May 16 – 17 - 7th Sunday of Easter - Confirmation - Ava
Cabool - Sat.4:00 PM - Fr. Fasching
Mt. Grove, Sun. 10:30 AM – Fr. Fasching
May30 – 31 - Trinity Sunday
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
The first Sunday of Advent is the first Sunday of the Liturgical Year. Christ's coming is twofold. He comes with mercy and He comes with justice. Saint Paul reminds us to leave behind our sinful way of life in order to make way for Christ our Savior. However, we must also make ready for Christ's coming as our Judge. We prepare ourselves through prayer and the amendment of our lives. Christ will reward all those who long for Him and make ready for Him with their hearts and lives!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
November 30, 2014
Dominica I Adventus
Epistle: Rom. 13: 11-14
Gospel: Luc. 21: 25-33
Mon 1 No Latin Mass
Tue 2 Saint Bibianae--Virginis et Martyris
Wed 3 Saint Francisci Xaverii--Confessoris
Thu 4 Saint Petri Chrysologi—Episcopi Confessoris Ecclesiae Doctoris
Fri 5 Feria
Mass on December 5th will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Advent, Christmas & Easter
Nov. 29 – 30 - 1st Sunday of Advent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Dec. 13 – 14 - 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 10 – 11 – Baptism of the Lord
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Jan. 24 – 25 - 3rd Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 7- 8 - 5th - Sunday of the Year
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday -
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Feb. 21 – 22 - 1st Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Mar. 7 – 8 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Mar. 21 – 22 - 5th Sunday of Lent
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Apr. 18 - 19 - 3rd Sunday of Easter
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
May 2 – 3 - 5th Sunday of Easter
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
May 16 – 17 - 7th Sunday of Easter - Confirmation - Ava
Cabool - Sat.4:00 PM - Fr. Fasching
Mt. Grove, Sun. 10:30 AM – Fr. Fasching
May30 – 31 - Trinity Sunday
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
The first Sunday of Advent is the first Sunday of the Liturgical Year. Christ's coming is twofold. He comes with mercy and He comes with justice. Saint Paul reminds us to leave behind our sinful way of life in order to make way for Christ our Savior. However, we must also make ready for Christ's coming as our Judge. We prepare ourselves through prayer and the amendment of our lives. Christ will reward all those who long for Him and make ready for Him with their hearts and lives!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The Crisis and the Storm
Originally posted on FullyChristian.Com, reprinted here by permission. Source: http://catholicozarks.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-fourth-great-crisis.html
THE CRISIS AND THE STORM
In ages past, the Catholic Church faced three great crises....
The First Great Crisis was the Arian Heresy, and it was by far the worst. It happened in the fourth century and lasted about sixty years. The crisis centred around the divinity of Jesus Christ, wherein a rogue priest, named Arius, challenged established Church doctrine that Jesus Christ is divine, and God exists in the form of Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Arius asserted that Jesus was merely a man, a great prophet, and the promised Messiah, but not God. Arius was the first one to come up with the concept of a "Bible" or Canon of Scripture, in which he hand-selected the books contained therein, all of them affirming his heretical views. This period saw the majority of the world's Christian bishops, priests and laity siding with Arius. The Councils of Nicea and Constantinople were held during this time, and in response the Church not only condemned Arius and his heresy, but also formulated the Nicene Creed and commissioned the work of compiling an authentic Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament, which happens to be the same one all Christians use today. The First Great Crisis of the Church came to an end with the dismantling of Arianism and the victory of the Catholic Church.
The Second Great Crisis in the Church came during the tenth century, in what some have called the "Obscure Century". This was a period when the papacy was corrupted by wicked families with great wealth and political power. During this time the papacy was drug through the mud, so to speak, with corrupt popes, nepotism, materialism, political ambitions, and so on. No official heresy was taught from the Chair of Peter, but the level of corruption and lack of discipline led many Catholics to be carried away by heretical doctrines anyway.
The Third Great Crisis in the Church was called the Occidental Schism (or "Western Schism"), which was in part caused by the exile of the papacy to Avignon in France. This led to confusion which ultimately culminated in the reign of three "popes" simultaneously, each contenting to be the one true authentic pope. The crisis was ended at the Council of Constance in 1414-1418, when two of the three "popes" agreed to resign for the greater good of the Church, the third was deposed by the council, and a new authentic pope was elected in their places.
Now we face the FOURTH GREAT CRISIS of the Catholic Church. These words are not my own. They come from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary of Astana (Kazakhstan), who's interview can be read on Rorate Caeli blog. The Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church can be summarised as the widespread abuse of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is manifested in the form of liturgical, doctrinal and pastoral abuse.
The seeds of this crisis began in the middle twentieth century, before the Second Vatican Council and shortly after World War II. It was at this time that the focus of leaders within the Catholic Church began to shift from God to man. The discipline of psychology was growing in popularity at the time, and many Church leaders started to embrace it. Along with that, new theologians were coming to the forefront that questioned what was previously established Church teaching. Into this mix the Second Vatican Council was called. Pope Benedict XVI, who was present at the Council as Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, in one of his final public addresses as pontiff some fifty years later, clarified the situation that existed at that time. (I blogged on this extensively here.) In summary, he said that "two councils" were going on simultaneously. The first was the "Council of the Fathers", or the authentic Second Vatican Council, which is what the bishops were actually discussing in Rome. The second was the "Council of the Media", which was a counterfeit council created by the mainstream news press, in which the documents of the Second Vatican Council were "reinterpreted" by the press, and then disseminated to the public with a remarkably Left-wing and Modernist spin that the Council Fathers never intended. This process has continued, more or less, for the last 50 years, to a point where we now live in a time when the popular media has more influence on Catholics than the bishops of the Church. What we have witnessed in the last half century is nothing short than a psychological coup d'état on the minds of faithful Catholics, wherein the authentic leadership of the Church was replaced by the counterfeit leadership of the mainstream press.
Immediately following the Second Vatican Council was the introduction of the Missal of Pope Paul VI. On the whole, the missal was a simplification of the Roman Liturgy, making room for the expansion of Lectionary readings, as well as greater liturgical participation by the faithful laity. This was all it was ever intended to do, and the Council Fathers, previously assembled in Rome, envisioned a future liturgy with greater public participation and more reading from the Sacred Scriptures. They also envisioned a future liturgy that looked remarkably similar to the Missal of Saint Pius V, celebrated by the Council Fathers at the Second Vatican Council. That was not to happen. Immediately, the counterfeit Council of the Media went into action in the 1970s, following the release of the new missal, reinterpreting the intention and purpose of the new liturgy. What was produced was a new Roman liturgy that scarcely looks anything like what the Second Vatican Council intended, resulting in a complete loss of the Latin language (a language the Council Fathers affirmed as liturgically necessary), the loss of Gregorian chant, and most profoundly, a watered-down presentation of the Eucharist wherein the faithful receive communion in the hand while standing, and the sacred tabernacle is literally pushed off to some remote corner of the parish chapel. In almost all celebrations of the new missal, the priest faces the people, and in those parishes where the tabernacle is set off to the side somewhere, it leaves the congregation with the visual impression that man is the centre of the liturgy not God.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), in his book Spirit of the Liturgy put it this way:
'In the very form of its places of divine worship, which we have just been considering, Christianity, speaking and thinking in a Semitic way, has laid down principles by which this question can be answered. Despite all the variations in practise that have taken place far into the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying towards the East is a tradition that goes back to the beginning. Moreover, it is a fundamental expression of the Christian synthesis of cosmos and history, of being rooted in the once-for-all events of salvation history while going out to meet the Lord who is to come again. Here both the fidelity to the gift already bestowed and the dynamism of going forward are given equal expression... Admittedly, these connections were obscured or fell into total oblivion in the church buildings and liturgical practise of the modern age. This is the only explanation for the fact that the common direction of prayer of priest and people got labelled as "celebrating towards the wall" or "turning your back on the people" and came to seem absurd and totally unacceptable. And this alone explains why the meal – even in modern pictures – became the normative idea of liturgical celebration for Christians. In reality what happened was that an unprecedented clericalization came on the scene. Now the priest – the "presider," as they now prefer to call him – becomes the real point of reference for the whole liturgy. Everything depends on him. We have to see him, to respond to him, to be involved in what he is doing. His creativity sustains the whole thing.... Not surprisingly, people try to reduce this newly created role by assigning all kinds of liturgical functions to different individuals and entrusting the "creative" planning of the liturgy to groups of people who like to, and are supposed to, "make their own contribution." Less and less is God in the picture. More and more important is what is done by the human beings who meet here and do not like to subject themselves to a "pre-determined pattern".... The turning of the priest towards the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.'
THUD! And with that, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) summarised the prevailing direction of the Catholic Church in the modern age. The Council of the Media was so powerful that it affected the minds of some priests and bishops, reorienting them toward a new hierarchy, one in which the Zeitgeist of Modernism (the diabolical spirit of our age) reigns supreme.
Ratzinger characterised the fruit of this zeitgeist as the "tyranny of relativism" in which sin and depravity is tolerated in the name of "tolerance", while objection to sin and depravity is not tolerated in the name of "tolerance". So we see it played out in the Western governments of today. Easy "no-fault" divorce is commonplace, as is unmarried sexual cohabitation, artificial contraception and abortion on demand. A tide of homosexuality is rising at a rate unseen since the days of Pagan Rome, and once again in the name of "tolerance" this Zeitgeist of Modernism imposes a tyranny of relativism upon anyone who would dare speak out against it. Legal homosexual unions, mockingly called "marriages", have become the norm in Europe and Canada, while in the United States, one state after another falls to this tyranny in spite of the electoral will of the people.
In Christianity, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has wreaked havoc on the Protestant world. What was once just a couple dozen denominations and sects has exploded into literally hundreds, as conservative Protestants, faithful to traditional Christian morality, have fled their mainline denominations to create new splinter churches that maintain older Biblical standards. These "conservative" churches provide a refuge of peace for now, but the Zeitgeist of Modernism knows no denominational boundaries. Already the tyranny of relativism is knocking at the doors of many of these new conservative Protestant denominations. Some religious trend observers have forecasted their downfall within a matter of a decade or two.
In the Catholic Church, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has not fractured the unity of Rome -- yet -- but it has apparently infiltrated into the highest echelons of the Church hierarchy. Priests, bishops and even cardinals have been unable to evade its deep reaching tentacles. We have seen this unfold over decades with priests who refuse to teach their congregations the evils of: divorce, cohabitation, contraception, abortion, euthanasia and homosexual acts. We have seen this unfold over decades with bishops who refuse to enforce Canon 915 by making excommunication and interdiction almost unheard of in the modern Church. We have seen this unfold over decades with innumerable examples of liturgical innovation and abuse. We have seen this unfold over decades in the form of a clerical sex scandal, with the abuse of minors, that is unprecedented in the whole 2,000 years of Church history!
Now, after the election of Pope Francis, the mainstream press has put the Council of the Media into overdrive. If the Council of the Media gave us that diabolical "Spirit of Vatican II", which had nothing to do with the actual Vatican II, then what we are now witnessing is the equally diabolical "Spirit of Pope Francis" which has nothing to do with the real Pope Francis -- or so we can only hope. This artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis" is in every way heterodox. It embraces homosexual acts along with homosexual persons, as well as divorce itself along with divorced people. It makes no distinction between the act and the person. All is one in the same, with this "lovey-dovey, hippy-dippy" new pope, who refuses to judge anything, and views everything as permissible. Is the real Pope Francis anything like what the media has portrayed in its artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis"? We hope not, but only time will tell.
In the midst of this latest media push comes the Extraordinary Synod on the Family this October, to be followed by an Ordinary Synod on the Family in October of 2015. As we have seen unfold in the Extraordinary Synod, the sum of all fears has been realised. The Zeitgeist of Modernism has reached its tentacles deep into the Church hierarchy, and touched the highest ranking prelates with its tyranny of relativism. We have seen a statement released calling for changes in Church discipline, tone and language, related to the sins of: adultery, fornication, contraception and homosexuality. At the centre of this agenda is a push to permit the reception of Holy Communion (the Holy Eucharist) to those knowingly and obstinately in mortal sin, all with the blessing of the Catholic Church. Along with this comes the predictable "Synod of the Media" which is already making international headlines. As terrible as the Extraordinary Synod has become, the "Synod of the Media" will compound the situation, and make it so much worse, with the news media's reinterpretation and repackaging of the Synod's already warped message.
It remains to be seen what will come of this, and the first Synod report is just preliminary, but with this report, it has become painfully clear and obvious that Bishop Athanasius Schneider was right. With pinpoint accuracy he nailed it. We are now in the Fourth Great Crisis of the Catholic Church. The crisis revolves around the nature of the Holy Eucharist and abuses related to it. Surveys of Catholics all over the world reveal that the doctrine of the transubstantiation (literal presence of Christ) is no loner believed by a majority of Catholics, and this perhaps explains a lot. It is no wonder that the Eucharist is no longer centre in Catholic life, when the tabernacles are placed in some obscure corner of the parish church. It is no wonder when communicants are no longer asked to kneel in the presence of God, and receive Him enthroned on their tongue, but instead take Him in their own hands like a common cookie to be consumed as a casual snack. It is no wonder when the sacrament of confession is celebrated only occasionally, and rarely before mass, so that the faithful are not reminded of their need to confess their sins and prepare themselves for physical communion with God. It is no wonder when the liturgy becomes a "self-enclosed circle" wherein the priest, and not the sacrament, become the centre of attention. It is no wonder when the liturgy takes on an innovative carnival atmosphere, instead of a solemn and reverent celebration of the presence of God. As the Church used to say: Lex orandi, lex credendi, meaning in Latin, "the law of prayer is the law of belief". When the Church creates a liturgical experience that focuses more on man than God, is it any wonder that the people begin to think of man as God? In the Garden of Eden, the lie the serpent told to humanity was this. To disobey God was to become a god, and to become a god is to judge for yourselves, without God, what is good and what is evil. God's laws do not matter. What matters is your own judgement. So we see this unfolding in the Catholic Church, as we previously saw it unfold in the mainline Protestant churches. Man becomes God, and man creates his own morality, based upon his own judgement. We have seen this happen among the laity, many of whom no longer believe in the "real presents" in the Eucharist, but simultaneously believe homosexual "marriage" is permissible and should be embraced. God is denied, and man is exalted to the level of a god, judging for himself what is good and evil. God is left out of the process. What began in the laity has crawled its way up into the hierarchy of the Church. In the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, we have witnessed Catholic prelates call for a relaxation of laws pertaining to the reception of Holy Communion, so that what is already practised illegally in the Catholic Church, may now receive the blessing of the Catholic Church. This way the Holy Eucharist may be profaned even more regularly, and without the care or concern by those in charge. The community of the Church may finally focus entirely on itself, rather than the One whom they have supposedly gathered to worship.
At he heart of the moral crisis evolving at the Synod on the Family, is a deeper crisis related to the Holy Eucharist, and in particular its treatment in the modern Church. It is revealed in everything, from beliefs, to practises, to liturgy, to discipline. This is the Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church. How long it will last depends entirely on the long-suffering and mercy of God Almighty. In the painting above is depicted a recreation of Jesus calming the storm at sea. Our Eucharistic Christ will calm this storm as well, but like the disciples before us, we must first wake him and ask. Perhaps the time has come for constant prayer vigils to be held at every tabernacle, in every parish, around the world.
THE CRISIS AND THE STORM
In ages past, the Catholic Church faced three great crises....
The First Great Crisis was the Arian Heresy, and it was by far the worst. It happened in the fourth century and lasted about sixty years. The crisis centred around the divinity of Jesus Christ, wherein a rogue priest, named Arius, challenged established Church doctrine that Jesus Christ is divine, and God exists in the form of Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Arius asserted that Jesus was merely a man, a great prophet, and the promised Messiah, but not God. Arius was the first one to come up with the concept of a "Bible" or Canon of Scripture, in which he hand-selected the books contained therein, all of them affirming his heretical views. This period saw the majority of the world's Christian bishops, priests and laity siding with Arius. The Councils of Nicea and Constantinople were held during this time, and in response the Church not only condemned Arius and his heresy, but also formulated the Nicene Creed and commissioned the work of compiling an authentic Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament, which happens to be the same one all Christians use today. The First Great Crisis of the Church came to an end with the dismantling of Arianism and the victory of the Catholic Church.
The Second Great Crisis in the Church came during the tenth century, in what some have called the "Obscure Century". This was a period when the papacy was corrupted by wicked families with great wealth and political power. During this time the papacy was drug through the mud, so to speak, with corrupt popes, nepotism, materialism, political ambitions, and so on. No official heresy was taught from the Chair of Peter, but the level of corruption and lack of discipline led many Catholics to be carried away by heretical doctrines anyway.
The Third Great Crisis in the Church was called the Occidental Schism (or "Western Schism"), which was in part caused by the exile of the papacy to Avignon in France. This led to confusion which ultimately culminated in the reign of three "popes" simultaneously, each contenting to be the one true authentic pope. The crisis was ended at the Council of Constance in 1414-1418, when two of the three "popes" agreed to resign for the greater good of the Church, the third was deposed by the council, and a new authentic pope was elected in their places.
Now we face the FOURTH GREAT CRISIS of the Catholic Church. These words are not my own. They come from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary of Astana (Kazakhstan), who's interview can be read on Rorate Caeli blog. The Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church can be summarised as the widespread abuse of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is manifested in the form of liturgical, doctrinal and pastoral abuse.
The seeds of this crisis began in the middle twentieth century, before the Second Vatican Council and shortly after World War II. It was at this time that the focus of leaders within the Catholic Church began to shift from God to man. The discipline of psychology was growing in popularity at the time, and many Church leaders started to embrace it. Along with that, new theologians were coming to the forefront that questioned what was previously established Church teaching. Into this mix the Second Vatican Council was called. Pope Benedict XVI, who was present at the Council as Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, in one of his final public addresses as pontiff some fifty years later, clarified the situation that existed at that time. (I blogged on this extensively here.) In summary, he said that "two councils" were going on simultaneously. The first was the "Council of the Fathers", or the authentic Second Vatican Council, which is what the bishops were actually discussing in Rome. The second was the "Council of the Media", which was a counterfeit council created by the mainstream news press, in which the documents of the Second Vatican Council were "reinterpreted" by the press, and then disseminated to the public with a remarkably Left-wing and Modernist spin that the Council Fathers never intended. This process has continued, more or less, for the last 50 years, to a point where we now live in a time when the popular media has more influence on Catholics than the bishops of the Church. What we have witnessed in the last half century is nothing short than a psychological coup d'état on the minds of faithful Catholics, wherein the authentic leadership of the Church was replaced by the counterfeit leadership of the mainstream press.
Immediately following the Second Vatican Council was the introduction of the Missal of Pope Paul VI. On the whole, the missal was a simplification of the Roman Liturgy, making room for the expansion of Lectionary readings, as well as greater liturgical participation by the faithful laity. This was all it was ever intended to do, and the Council Fathers, previously assembled in Rome, envisioned a future liturgy with greater public participation and more reading from the Sacred Scriptures. They also envisioned a future liturgy that looked remarkably similar to the Missal of Saint Pius V, celebrated by the Council Fathers at the Second Vatican Council. That was not to happen. Immediately, the counterfeit Council of the Media went into action in the 1970s, following the release of the new missal, reinterpreting the intention and purpose of the new liturgy. What was produced was a new Roman liturgy that scarcely looks anything like what the Second Vatican Council intended, resulting in a complete loss of the Latin language (a language the Council Fathers affirmed as liturgically necessary), the loss of Gregorian chant, and most profoundly, a watered-down presentation of the Eucharist wherein the faithful receive communion in the hand while standing, and the sacred tabernacle is literally pushed off to some remote corner of the parish chapel. In almost all celebrations of the new missal, the priest faces the people, and in those parishes where the tabernacle is set off to the side somewhere, it leaves the congregation with the visual impression that man is the centre of the liturgy not God.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), in his book Spirit of the Liturgy put it this way:
'In the very form of its places of divine worship, which we have just been considering, Christianity, speaking and thinking in a Semitic way, has laid down principles by which this question can be answered. Despite all the variations in practise that have taken place far into the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying towards the East is a tradition that goes back to the beginning. Moreover, it is a fundamental expression of the Christian synthesis of cosmos and history, of being rooted in the once-for-all events of salvation history while going out to meet the Lord who is to come again. Here both the fidelity to the gift already bestowed and the dynamism of going forward are given equal expression... Admittedly, these connections were obscured or fell into total oblivion in the church buildings and liturgical practise of the modern age. This is the only explanation for the fact that the common direction of prayer of priest and people got labelled as "celebrating towards the wall" or "turning your back on the people" and came to seem absurd and totally unacceptable. And this alone explains why the meal – even in modern pictures – became the normative idea of liturgical celebration for Christians. In reality what happened was that an unprecedented clericalization came on the scene. Now the priest – the "presider," as they now prefer to call him – becomes the real point of reference for the whole liturgy. Everything depends on him. We have to see him, to respond to him, to be involved in what he is doing. His creativity sustains the whole thing.... Not surprisingly, people try to reduce this newly created role by assigning all kinds of liturgical functions to different individuals and entrusting the "creative" planning of the liturgy to groups of people who like to, and are supposed to, "make their own contribution." Less and less is God in the picture. More and more important is what is done by the human beings who meet here and do not like to subject themselves to a "pre-determined pattern".... The turning of the priest towards the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.'
THUD! And with that, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) summarised the prevailing direction of the Catholic Church in the modern age. The Council of the Media was so powerful that it affected the minds of some priests and bishops, reorienting them toward a new hierarchy, one in which the Zeitgeist of Modernism (the diabolical spirit of our age) reigns supreme.
Ratzinger characterised the fruit of this zeitgeist as the "tyranny of relativism" in which sin and depravity is tolerated in the name of "tolerance", while objection to sin and depravity is not tolerated in the name of "tolerance". So we see it played out in the Western governments of today. Easy "no-fault" divorce is commonplace, as is unmarried sexual cohabitation, artificial contraception and abortion on demand. A tide of homosexuality is rising at a rate unseen since the days of Pagan Rome, and once again in the name of "tolerance" this Zeitgeist of Modernism imposes a tyranny of relativism upon anyone who would dare speak out against it. Legal homosexual unions, mockingly called "marriages", have become the norm in Europe and Canada, while in the United States, one state after another falls to this tyranny in spite of the electoral will of the people.
In Christianity, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has wreaked havoc on the Protestant world. What was once just a couple dozen denominations and sects has exploded into literally hundreds, as conservative Protestants, faithful to traditional Christian morality, have fled their mainline denominations to create new splinter churches that maintain older Biblical standards. These "conservative" churches provide a refuge of peace for now, but the Zeitgeist of Modernism knows no denominational boundaries. Already the tyranny of relativism is knocking at the doors of many of these new conservative Protestant denominations. Some religious trend observers have forecasted their downfall within a matter of a decade or two.
In the Catholic Church, the Zeitgeist of Modernism, with its tyranny of relativism, has not fractured the unity of Rome -- yet -- but it has apparently infiltrated into the highest echelons of the Church hierarchy. Priests, bishops and even cardinals have been unable to evade its deep reaching tentacles. We have seen this unfold over decades with priests who refuse to teach their congregations the evils of: divorce, cohabitation, contraception, abortion, euthanasia and homosexual acts. We have seen this unfold over decades with bishops who refuse to enforce Canon 915 by making excommunication and interdiction almost unheard of in the modern Church. We have seen this unfold over decades with innumerable examples of liturgical innovation and abuse. We have seen this unfold over decades in the form of a clerical sex scandal, with the abuse of minors, that is unprecedented in the whole 2,000 years of Church history!
Now, after the election of Pope Francis, the mainstream press has put the Council of the Media into overdrive. If the Council of the Media gave us that diabolical "Spirit of Vatican II", which had nothing to do with the actual Vatican II, then what we are now witnessing is the equally diabolical "Spirit of Pope Francis" which has nothing to do with the real Pope Francis -- or so we can only hope. This artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis" is in every way heterodox. It embraces homosexual acts along with homosexual persons, as well as divorce itself along with divorced people. It makes no distinction between the act and the person. All is one in the same, with this "lovey-dovey, hippy-dippy" new pope, who refuses to judge anything, and views everything as permissible. Is the real Pope Francis anything like what the media has portrayed in its artificial "Spirit of Pope Francis"? We hope not, but only time will tell.
In the midst of this latest media push comes the Extraordinary Synod on the Family this October, to be followed by an Ordinary Synod on the Family in October of 2015. As we have seen unfold in the Extraordinary Synod, the sum of all fears has been realised. The Zeitgeist of Modernism has reached its tentacles deep into the Church hierarchy, and touched the highest ranking prelates with its tyranny of relativism. We have seen a statement released calling for changes in Church discipline, tone and language, related to the sins of: adultery, fornication, contraception and homosexuality. At the centre of this agenda is a push to permit the reception of Holy Communion (the Holy Eucharist) to those knowingly and obstinately in mortal sin, all with the blessing of the Catholic Church. Along with this comes the predictable "Synod of the Media" which is already making international headlines. As terrible as the Extraordinary Synod has become, the "Synod of the Media" will compound the situation, and make it so much worse, with the news media's reinterpretation and repackaging of the Synod's already warped message.
It remains to be seen what will come of this, and the first Synod report is just preliminary, but with this report, it has become painfully clear and obvious that Bishop Athanasius Schneider was right. With pinpoint accuracy he nailed it. We are now in the Fourth Great Crisis of the Catholic Church. The crisis revolves around the nature of the Holy Eucharist and abuses related to it. Surveys of Catholics all over the world reveal that the doctrine of the transubstantiation (literal presence of Christ) is no loner believed by a majority of Catholics, and this perhaps explains a lot. It is no wonder that the Eucharist is no longer centre in Catholic life, when the tabernacles are placed in some obscure corner of the parish church. It is no wonder when communicants are no longer asked to kneel in the presence of God, and receive Him enthroned on their tongue, but instead take Him in their own hands like a common cookie to be consumed as a casual snack. It is no wonder when the sacrament of confession is celebrated only occasionally, and rarely before mass, so that the faithful are not reminded of their need to confess their sins and prepare themselves for physical communion with God. It is no wonder when the liturgy becomes a "self-enclosed circle" wherein the priest, and not the sacrament, become the centre of attention. It is no wonder when the liturgy takes on an innovative carnival atmosphere, instead of a solemn and reverent celebration of the presence of God. As the Church used to say: Lex orandi, lex credendi, meaning in Latin, "the law of prayer is the law of belief". When the Church creates a liturgical experience that focuses more on man than God, is it any wonder that the people begin to think of man as God? In the Garden of Eden, the lie the serpent told to humanity was this. To disobey God was to become a god, and to become a god is to judge for yourselves, without God, what is good and what is evil. God's laws do not matter. What matters is your own judgement. So we see this unfolding in the Catholic Church, as we previously saw it unfold in the mainline Protestant churches. Man becomes God, and man creates his own morality, based upon his own judgement. We have seen this happen among the laity, many of whom no longer believe in the "real presents" in the Eucharist, but simultaneously believe homosexual "marriage" is permissible and should be embraced. God is denied, and man is exalted to the level of a god, judging for himself what is good and evil. God is left out of the process. What began in the laity has crawled its way up into the hierarchy of the Church. In the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, we have witnessed Catholic prelates call for a relaxation of laws pertaining to the reception of Holy Communion, so that what is already practised illegally in the Catholic Church, may now receive the blessing of the Catholic Church. This way the Holy Eucharist may be profaned even more regularly, and without the care or concern by those in charge. The community of the Church may finally focus entirely on itself, rather than the One whom they have supposedly gathered to worship.
At he heart of the moral crisis evolving at the Synod on the Family, is a deeper crisis related to the Holy Eucharist, and in particular its treatment in the modern Church. It is revealed in everything, from beliefs, to practises, to liturgy, to discipline. This is the Fourth Great Crisis in the Catholic Church. How long it will last depends entirely on the long-suffering and mercy of God Almighty. In the painting above is depicted a recreation of Jesus calming the storm at sea. Our Eucharistic Christ will calm this storm as well, but like the disciples before us, we must first wake him and ask. Perhaps the time has come for constant prayer vigils to be held at every tabernacle, in every parish, around the world.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Bulletin 225
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
October 12, 2014
18th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1 Cor. 1: 4-8
Gospel: Matth. 9: 1-8
There will be NO LATIN MASS October 13-17 and October 20-24. Father Fasching will be on retreat and attending the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.
POT-LUCK THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12TH FOLLOWING THE 2:30PM LATIN MASS. ALL ARE INVITED.
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Oct., Nov., Dec.
Oct. 4 – 5 27th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr.Fasching
Oct. 11 - 12 28th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Oct. 18 – 19 29th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Oct. 25 – 26 30th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr .John Ettensohn
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 1 – 2 All Saint – All Souls
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Nov. 8 – 9 Dedication of Lateran Basilica
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 15 – 16 33rd Sunday of Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 22 – 23 Feast of Christ the King
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Nov. 29 – 30 1st Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Dec. 6 – 7 2nd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 13 – 14 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 20 – 21 34th Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
October 12, 2014
18th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1 Cor. 1: 4-8
Gospel: Matth. 9: 1-8
There will be NO LATIN MASS October 13-17 and October 20-24. Father Fasching will be on retreat and attending the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.
POT-LUCK THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12TH FOLLOWING THE 2:30PM LATIN MASS. ALL ARE INVITED.
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Oct., Nov., Dec.
Oct. 4 – 5 27th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr.Fasching
Oct. 11 - 12 28th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Oct. 18 – 19 29th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Oct. 25 – 26 30th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr .John Ettensohn
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 1 – 2 All Saint – All Souls
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Nov. 8 – 9 Dedication of Lateran Basilica
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 15 – 16 33rd Sunday of Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 22 – 23 Feast of Christ the King
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Nov. 29 – 30 1st Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Dec. 6 – 7 2nd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 13 – 14 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 20 – 21 34th Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Bulletin 224
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
October 5, 2014
External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary
Epistle: Prov. 8: 22-24, 32-35
Gospel: Lk. 1: 26-38
Mon 6, No Latin Mass
Tue 7 Our Lady of the Rosary
Wed 8 Saint Bridget of Sweden, Widow
Thu 9 Saint John Leonardi, Confessor
Fri 10 Saint Francis Borgia, Confessor
POT LUCK DINNER IS SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE 2:30 PM MASS.
Mass on October 3 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
There will be NO LATIN MASS October 13-17 and October 20-24. Father Fasching will be on retreat and attending the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Oct., Nov., Dec.
Oct. 4 – 5 27th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr.Fasching
Oct. 11 - 12 28th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Oct. 18 – 19 29th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Oct. 25 – 26 30th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr .John Ettensohn
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 1 – 2 All Saint – All Souls
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Nov. 8 – 9 Dedication of Lateran Basilica
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 15 – 16 33rd Sunday of Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 22 – 23 Feast of Christ the King
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Nov. 29 – 30 1st Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Dec. 6 – 7 2nd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 13 – 14 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 20 – 21 34th Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
ANNOUNCEMENT:
You are cordially invited to experience the sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship (the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite) at Immaculate Conception Church in Springfield on Saturday, October 4th, at 7:30pm. Confessions will he heard at 7pm prior to mass. The sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship is a Vatican approved English version of a liturgy modeled after the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass). It includes prayers at the foot of the altar, ad orientem (priest facing the Lord), reading of the last gospel, communion on the tongue while kneeling, all in Tudor English. This particular celebration will be modeled after the low mass according to the Extraordinary Form, and will include all of the customary solemnity and reverence. (Modest dress and head coverings are requested.) The mass will be celebrated by Father Kenneth Bolin, priest for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, who is currently assigned as a Catholic chaplain at Fort Leonard Wood. He comes at the invitation of His Excellency, Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. to celebrate mass quarterly (4 times a year) for the time being.
This will be a special occasion that is sure to bring greater appreciation for tradition to Catholics in the Springfield area. All Catholics are invited to attend and this mass will meet the Sunday obligation for those in attendance. We encourage you to join us, and please pass this information on to Catholics who regularly attend the Novus Ordo mass.
For more information, please contact Shane Schaetzel at: shane.schaetzel@gmail.com
We must always strive to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Above all, we must strive to imitate her profound humility. She truly believed she was the least of the least. We must also strive to imitate her purity. The Blessed Virgin's purity is what made her so pleasing to God. The same holds true for her modesty.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is a dispenser of all God's graces. She is the most powerful force against the attacks of satan. She is satan's most bitter enemy. If it were not for Mary, the world would be without religion because satan would have destroyed it with schism and heresy long ago!
The enemy trembles with fury and despair at the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary because he knows she is destined to crush his head. The angels rejoice because Mary adds new glory to their splendor! We can only gain heaven by humility, self-denial, poverty, and suffering. Mary lived all these things and her splendid virtue was unsurpassed. She had no earthly riches, but was rich in the gifts of God!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
October 5, 2014
External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary
Epistle: Prov. 8: 22-24, 32-35
Gospel: Lk. 1: 26-38
Mon 6, No Latin Mass
Tue 7 Our Lady of the Rosary
Wed 8 Saint Bridget of Sweden, Widow
Thu 9 Saint John Leonardi, Confessor
Fri 10 Saint Francis Borgia, Confessor
POT LUCK DINNER IS SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE 2:30 PM MASS.
Mass on October 3 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
There will be NO LATIN MASS October 13-17 and October 20-24. Father Fasching will be on retreat and attending the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.
Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – Oct., Nov., Dec.
Oct. 4 – 5 27th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr.Fasching
Oct. 11 - 12 28th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Oct. 18 – 19 29th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Oct. 25 – 26 30th Sunday of the Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr .John Ettensohn
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 1 – 2 All Saint – All Souls
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Fasching
Nov. 8 – 9 Dedication of Lateran Basilica
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 15 – 16 33rd Sunday of Year
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Nov. 22 – 23 Feast of Christ the King
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Nov. 29 – 30 1st Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava – Fr. Fasching
Dec. 6 – 7 2nd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - SCAP – Deacon Joe
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 13 – 14 3rd Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove - Fr. Fasching
Gainesville, Ava - Fr. Paul
Dec. 20 – 21 34th Sunday of Advent
Cabool, Mansfield, Mt. Grove – Fr. Paul
Gainesville, Ava - SCAP – Deacon Joe
ANNOUNCEMENT:
You are cordially invited to experience the sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship (the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite) at Immaculate Conception Church in Springfield on Saturday, October 4th, at 7:30pm. Confessions will he heard at 7pm prior to mass. The sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship is a Vatican approved English version of a liturgy modeled after the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass). It includes prayers at the foot of the altar, ad orientem (priest facing the Lord), reading of the last gospel, communion on the tongue while kneeling, all in Tudor English. This particular celebration will be modeled after the low mass according to the Extraordinary Form, and will include all of the customary solemnity and reverence. (Modest dress and head coverings are requested.) The mass will be celebrated by Father Kenneth Bolin, priest for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, who is currently assigned as a Catholic chaplain at Fort Leonard Wood. He comes at the invitation of His Excellency, Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. to celebrate mass quarterly (4 times a year) for the time being.
This will be a special occasion that is sure to bring greater appreciation for tradition to Catholics in the Springfield area. All Catholics are invited to attend and this mass will meet the Sunday obligation for those in attendance. We encourage you to join us, and please pass this information on to Catholics who regularly attend the Novus Ordo mass.
For more information, please contact Shane Schaetzel at: shane.schaetzel@gmail.com
We must always strive to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Above all, we must strive to imitate her profound humility. She truly believed she was the least of the least. We must also strive to imitate her purity. The Blessed Virgin's purity is what made her so pleasing to God. The same holds true for her modesty.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is a dispenser of all God's graces. She is the most powerful force against the attacks of satan. She is satan's most bitter enemy. If it were not for Mary, the world would be without religion because satan would have destroyed it with schism and heresy long ago!
The enemy trembles with fury and despair at the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary because he knows she is destined to crush his head. The angels rejoice because Mary adds new glory to their splendor! We can only gain heaven by humility, self-denial, poverty, and suffering. Mary lived all these things and her splendid virtue was unsurpassed. She had no earthly riches, but was rich in the gifts of God!
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Friday, September 26, 2014
Bulletin 223
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
September 28, 2014
16th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Eph. 3: 13-21
Gospel: Lk. 14: 1-11
Mon 29 No Latin Mass
Tue 30 Saint Jerome; Priest, Confessor & Doctor
Wed 1 Feria
Thu 2 Holy Guardian Angels
Fri 3 Sacred Heart of Jesus
Mass on October 3 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
The saints found all their happiness in keeping the commandments. Every one of them would have rather suffered martyrdom than to break a commandment. The martyrs suffered the cruelest tortures and deaths simply because they would not transgress the commandments of God!
True happiness is found only in strictly observing God's law! God in His mercy always helps us with His Grace to observe His law. We have nothing to fear! During the time of the Holy Sacrifice let us beg God for strength to obey Him faithfully. We must not let any consideration of earthly gain or loss sway us to transgress them.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
You are cordially invited to experience the sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship (the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite) at Immaculate Conception Church in Springfield on Saturday, October 4th, at 7:30pm. Confessions will he heard at 7pm prior to mass. The sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship is a Vatican approved English version of a liturgy modelled after the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass). It includes prayers at the foot of the altar, ad orientem (priest facing the Lord), reading of the last gospel, communion on the tongue while kneeling, all in Tudor English. This particular celebration will be modelled after the low mass according to the Extraordinary Form, and will include all of the customary solemnity and reverence. (Modest dress and head coverings are requested.) The mass will be celebrated by Father Kenneth Bolin, priest for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, who is currently assigned as a Catholic chaplain at Fort Leonard Wood. He comes at the invitation of His Excellency, Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. to celebrate mass quarterly (4 times a year) for the time being.
This will be a special occasion that is sure to bring greater appreciation for tradition to Catholics in the Springfield area. All Catholics are invited to attend and this mass will meet the Sunday obligation for those in attendance. We encourage you to join us, and please pass this information on to Catholics who regularly attend the Novus Ordo mass.
For more information, please contact Shane Schaetzel at: shane.schaetzel@gmail.com
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
September 28, 2014
16th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Eph. 3: 13-21
Gospel: Lk. 14: 1-11
Mon 29 No Latin Mass
Tue 30 Saint Jerome; Priest, Confessor & Doctor
Wed 1 Feria
Thu 2 Holy Guardian Angels
Fri 3 Sacred Heart of Jesus
Mass on October 3 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
The saints found all their happiness in keeping the commandments. Every one of them would have rather suffered martyrdom than to break a commandment. The martyrs suffered the cruelest tortures and deaths simply because they would not transgress the commandments of God!
True happiness is found only in strictly observing God's law! God in His mercy always helps us with His Grace to observe His law. We have nothing to fear! During the time of the Holy Sacrifice let us beg God for strength to obey Him faithfully. We must not let any consideration of earthly gain or loss sway us to transgress them.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
You are cordially invited to experience the sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship (the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite) at Immaculate Conception Church in Springfield on Saturday, October 4th, at 7:30pm. Confessions will he heard at 7pm prior to mass. The sacred liturgy according to Divine Worship is a Vatican approved English version of a liturgy modelled after the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass). It includes prayers at the foot of the altar, ad orientem (priest facing the Lord), reading of the last gospel, communion on the tongue while kneeling, all in Tudor English. This particular celebration will be modelled after the low mass according to the Extraordinary Form, and will include all of the customary solemnity and reverence. (Modest dress and head coverings are requested.) The mass will be celebrated by Father Kenneth Bolin, priest for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, who is currently assigned as a Catholic chaplain at Fort Leonard Wood. He comes at the invitation of His Excellency, Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. to celebrate mass quarterly (4 times a year) for the time being.
This will be a special occasion that is sure to bring greater appreciation for tradition to Catholics in the Springfield area. All Catholics are invited to attend and this mass will meet the Sunday obligation for those in attendance. We encourage you to join us, and please pass this information on to Catholics who regularly attend the Novus Ordo mass.
For more information, please contact Shane Schaetzel at: shane.schaetzel@gmail.com
In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,
Father Jeff Fasching
Friday, July 11, 2014
Bulletin 212
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
July 13, 2014
5th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1 Pet. 3: 8-15
Gospel: Mt. 5: 20-24
Mon 14 Saint Bonaventure; Bishop, Confessor & Doctor-No Latin Mass
Tue 15 Saint Henry the Emperor, Confessor
Wed 16 Feria
Thu 17 Feria
Fri 18 Saint Camillus de Lellis, Confessor
We are meant to be saints. Sanctification is a grace from God. We must strive to cooperate with that grace by being faithful to it. We must strive to be people of charity and follow God's great commandment of loving Him above all and then loving our neighbor as ourselves. Sins against charity are offenses against God!
In Christ,
Fr. Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
July 13, 2014
5th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: 1 Pet. 3: 8-15
Gospel: Mt. 5: 20-24
Mon 14 Saint Bonaventure; Bishop, Confessor & Doctor-No Latin Mass
Tue 15 Saint Henry the Emperor, Confessor
Wed 16 Feria
Thu 17 Feria
Fri 18 Saint Camillus de Lellis, Confessor
We are meant to be saints. Sanctification is a grace from God. We must strive to cooperate with that grace by being faithful to it. We must strive to be people of charity and follow God's great commandment of loving Him above all and then loving our neighbor as ourselves. Sins against charity are offenses against God!
In Christ,
Fr. Jeff Fasching
Friday, June 20, 2014
Bulletin 209
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
June 22, 2014
External Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Epistle: 1 Cor. 11: 23-29
Gospel: Jn. 6: 56-59
NO LATIN MASS THIS WEEK
Mass on June 22nd (the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) will begin at 1:30pm followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will not be heard this day. You are invited to Join His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston for Mass and the procession. There will be a reception at the Catholic Center immediately following the procession.
Friday, June 27, 2014 is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mass will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction. A plenary indulgence may be gained by saying the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus publicly in front of the Blessed Sacrament on this day.
The Blessed Sacrament offers us intimate union with Jesus Christ. Our becoming one with Christ is fostered by the grace we receive through all the sacraments, but especially through the sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we receive not just grace, but the very Author of grace. We receive the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ! Through this reception we share in the divine life of Jesus Christ. We must communicate in a state of grace and desire to advance in His love.
In Christ,
Father Jeffery A. Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
June 22, 2014
External Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Epistle: 1 Cor. 11: 23-29
Gospel: Jn. 6: 56-59
NO LATIN MASS THIS WEEK
Mass on June 22nd (the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) will begin at 1:30pm followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will not be heard this day. You are invited to Join His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston for Mass and the procession. There will be a reception at the Catholic Center immediately following the procession.
Friday, June 27, 2014 is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mass will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction. A plenary indulgence may be gained by saying the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus publicly in front of the Blessed Sacrament on this day.
The Blessed Sacrament offers us intimate union with Jesus Christ. Our becoming one with Christ is fostered by the grace we receive through all the sacraments, but especially through the sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we receive not just grace, but the very Author of grace. We receive the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ! Through this reception we share in the divine life of Jesus Christ. We must communicate in a state of grace and desire to advance in His love.
In Christ,
Father Jeffery A. Fasching
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Bulletin 208
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
June 15, 2014
Trinity Sunday
Epistle: Rom. 11: 33-36
Gospel: Mt. 28: 18-20
Mon 16 No Latin Mass
Tue 17 Saint Gregory Barbarigo; Bishop & Confessor
Wed 18 Saint Ephrem of Syria; Deacon, Confessor & Doctor
Thu 19 Corpus Christi
Fri 20 Feria
Mass on June 22nd (the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) will begin at 1:30pm followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will not be heard this day. You are invited to Join His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston for Mass and the procession. There will be a reception at the Catholic Center following.
In Christ,
Father Jeffery A. Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
June 15, 2014
Trinity Sunday
Epistle: Rom. 11: 33-36
Gospel: Mt. 28: 18-20
Mon 16 No Latin Mass
Tue 17 Saint Gregory Barbarigo; Bishop & Confessor
Wed 18 Saint Ephrem of Syria; Deacon, Confessor & Doctor
Thu 19 Corpus Christi
Fri 20 Feria
Mass on June 22nd (the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) will begin at 1:30pm followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will not be heard this day. You are invited to Join His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston for Mass and the procession. There will be a reception at the Catholic Center following.
In Christ,
Father Jeffery A. Fasching
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Bulletin 207
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
June 8, 2014
Pentecost Sunday
Epistle: Acts 2: 1-11
Gospel: Jn. 14: 23-31
Mon 9 No Latin Mass
Tue 10 Pentecost Tuesday
Wed 11 Ember Wednesday of Pentecost
Thu 12 Pentecost Thursday
Fri 13 Ember Friday of Pentecost
Mass on June 22nd (the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) will begin at 1:30pm followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. You are invited to Join His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston for Mass and the procession.
Mass on June 6 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
A plenary indulgence may be gained by publicly saying or singing the Veni, Creator on Pentecost Sunday.
Jesus Christ is our savior and our master. He taught us both by word and example. He showed us how to love God for whom we were created. He says in today's Gospel: “That the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father hath given me commandments, so do I.” Jesus also says that He came down from Heaven not to do His own will, but to do the will of His Father. If we truly love God and wish to be sanctified we must discern God's will in all things and do our very best to carry it out! Since Saint Paul tells us that the divine love is poured into our souls through the Holy Ghost, we must always beg the Holy Ghost for knowledge of God's will and the courage to carry it out. If we want to love God we must not follow our own will, but rather the will of God. We must conform our will to that of His.
In Christ,
Father Jeff Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
June 8, 2014
Pentecost Sunday
Epistle: Acts 2: 1-11
Gospel: Jn. 14: 23-31
Mon 9 No Latin Mass
Tue 10 Pentecost Tuesday
Wed 11 Ember Wednesday of Pentecost
Thu 12 Pentecost Thursday
Fri 13 Ember Friday of Pentecost
Mass on June 22nd (the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) will begin at 1:30pm followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. You are invited to Join His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston for Mass and the procession.
Mass on June 6 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction.
A plenary indulgence may be gained by publicly saying or singing the Veni, Creator on Pentecost Sunday.
Jesus Christ is our savior and our master. He taught us both by word and example. He showed us how to love God for whom we were created. He says in today's Gospel: “That the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father hath given me commandments, so do I.” Jesus also says that He came down from Heaven not to do His own will, but to do the will of His Father. If we truly love God and wish to be sanctified we must discern God's will in all things and do our very best to carry it out! Since Saint Paul tells us that the divine love is poured into our souls through the Holy Ghost, we must always beg the Holy Ghost for knowledge of God's will and the courage to carry it out. If we want to love God we must not follow our own will, but rather the will of God. We must conform our will to that of His.
In Christ,
Father Jeff Fasching
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