Easter!

Jesus Christ is risen!! Our lenten observances are now completed and we focus on the risen Christ! Christ has won the victory over sin and satan. Many people in Churches throughout the world have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The newly baptized must always remember they share in Christ's victory! We must never forget the power that is ours by virtue of our baptism. We have received God Himself into our very being. We must not underestimate the good we are capable of and the impact we can have upon others through our prayer and good works.

In Christ,

Fr. Jeff Fasching

Bulletin 273

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

September 13th, 2015

16th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 3:13-21
Gospel: Lk. 14: 1-11

Mon 14 No Latin Mass
Tues 15 Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Wed 16 SS. Cornelius * Pope & Cyprian * Martyrs
Thu 17 Stigmata of St. Francis
Fri 18 St. Joseph of Cupertino, Confessor


Did you know that Catholic Prayer in Latin is more powerful than in any other language?
This appears to be the opinion reached by certain members of the clergy, in particular exorcists. In the book " Hostage to the Devil " by Fr. Malachi Martin, an interesting comment is made by the author which sheds light on this particular point. On page 460 of the book, while explaining the Ritual of Exorcism, Fr. Martin goes on to say...." Nowadays part of the text - especially well known prayers- are sometimes prayed in the vernacular (German, English, French, etc.), but among exorcists as a class of Church Ministers, there seems to be a persuasion born from experience that the Latin Text has some special unction and disruptive value for Evil Spirit.” What this observation tells us is that the Rite of Exorcism when prayed in Latin has a more powerful effect in expelling demons. Why would this be so?

First, let's look at why the Catholic Church chose Latin as its Official Language. In the early days of the Church, communication between Rome and the rest of the Church was slow. Documents had to be translated into the different dialects for the various regions where Catholicism had spread to. Once translated they had to be written by hand because the printing press had yet to be invented. It was a time consuming process. In order to expedite communication something had to be done. Latin was the international language at the time and so it was the logical choice.

The Church then decreed that Latin would be its Official Language and anyone who was part of the Church would have to speak it. The Church chose Latin for practical reasons. Perhaps what the Church did not realize at the time was the effect that this decision would have on Catholic prayer. But why?

The answer can be found in the Gospel of Matthew (16:18-19) where we read ....." you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church...and whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven.” Therefore when His Church decreed that Latin would be the Mother Tongue of Catholicism it bound Latin in Heaven.

If this were not true then exorcists would not have noticed such a dramatic difference whenever they prayed the Ritual of Exorcism in Latin. Does this mean that as Catholics we must become fluent in Latin? No. But you will find that learning the basic Catholic prayers in Latin (as well as attending the Latin Mass) will have a profound effect & be spiritually profitable.

Start off by learning the shortest prayers (Sign of the Cross, Glory Be, Hail Mary, etc) , then move on to the rest (Our Father, Apostle's Creed, Latin Rosary, etc). We must emphasize that all Catholics should always pray with fervor & faith no matter which language they speak. But if you decide to take your prayer to another level then do so in Latin.

--- Regina Magazine


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,

Father Jeff Fasching

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

Bulletin 268

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

August 9th, 2015

11th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 1 Cor. 15:1-10
Gospel: Mk. 7:31-37

Mon 10 No Latin Mass

Tue 11 SS. Tiburtius & Susanna, Virgin, Martyrs

Wed 12 St. Clare, Virgin

Thu 13 SS. Hippolytus & Cassian, Martyrs

Fri 14 Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary


Join the Latin Mass community for a pot-luck dinner immediately following Sunday Mass on August 16th in the school cafeteria.


“Charity is patient, is kind...is not provoked to anger.” 1Cor. 13:4.5. Charity is never wearied and is never impatient with the ungrateful. It is not irritated when repulsed, but perseveres in loving and doing good. Charity should not look for gratitude. Even when coldness and hostility are encountered it should continue to give itself...all for love of God!

The characteristic of charity, according to Saint Paul, is that it does not permit itself to be “overcome by evil” but it “overcomes evil by good.” Rom. 12:21.

Charity is completely forgetful of self. The soul who truly loves God spends itself for its neighbor because love of God and love of neighbor are one and the same! Love of neighbor has its source in God!

“Teach me, O Lord, to love my neighbor even when not loved by him, to love him with no concern for my own benefit, but solely because You love me, solely to repay Your gratuitous love.” St. Catherine of Sienna.

In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,


Father Jeff Fasching

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

Bulletin 259

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

June 7, 2015

External Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Epistle: 1Cor. 11: 23-29
Gospel: Jn. 6: 56-59

Mon 8 -- No Latin Mass

Tue 9 – Feria

Wed 10 – Requiem Mass + Fr. Peter Gaudient

Thu 11 – Saint Barnabus * Apostle

Fri 12 – Sacred Heart of Jesus—Mass @ 6:30am.


Would you like to learn more about spiritual warfare and the Catholic Church's role in it? Join me and Fr. Chad Ripperger, PhD, from the Diocese of Tulsa, OK on June 5th 6th and 7th 2015. Fr. Ripperger is a Theologian, Thomistic Psychologist, Philosopher, Seminary Professor and Author. Fr. Ripperger will be speaking here at St. Agnes Cathedral (Pallotti Center) the first weekend in June. Topics will include:

--Spiritual Warfare
--Magisterial Authority and the Binding Force of Tradition

Lectures to be presented on:

--Friday @ 6:00pm--Traditions of the Liturgy


--Saturday @ 10:00am—Binding Force of Tradition
--Saturday @ 1:30pm ---Magisterial Authority and Related Virtues
--Saturday @ 6:00pm ---Spiritual Warfare Part I

--Sunday @ 10:00am ---Spiritual Warfare Part II


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.


There will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament following Corpus Christi Mass on June 7 @ 2:30pm concluding with benediction.


May Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time!

O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

“Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee, truly present beneath these veils: all my heart subdues itself before Thee, since all before Thee faints and fails.” (Adoro Te Devote).





In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,


Father Jeff Fasching

Bulletin 253

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

April 26, 2015

Third Sunday After Easter

Epistle: 1 Pet. 2: 11-19
Gospel: Jn. 16: 16-22

Mon 27 -- No Latin Mass

Tue 28 – Saint Paul of the Cross, Confessor

Wed 29 – Saint Peter of Verona, Martyr

Thu 30 – Saint Catherine of Sienna, Virgin

Fri 1 – Saint Joseph the Workman—No Latin Mass


Saint Agnes Cathedral celebrates First Holy Communion Mass on Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00pm.

The Latin Mass on Sunday, May 3rd will be at 7:00pm.


We must stay true to the faith even when pagans criticize us! Enemies of the Church want to insult us and cause us to suffer! We must lead exemplary lives so as to be a good example to all. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16). When we give good example we draw souls closer to God. “There would be no need for preaching if our lives were beacons of virtue-no call for words if we had deeds to show.” (St. John Chrysostom).


The saint says that there would be no pagans if we were truly Christians—if we kept Christ's commandments, if we put up with unjust treatment and deception, if we blessed those who cursed us, if we returned good for evil. “No one would be such a monster not to embrace the true religion immediately if we really lived like that” (Hom. On 1Tim, 10).


Our evil inclinations wage war against our souls says St. Peter. It takes constant effort and prayer to conquer our passions and overcome temptation! We cannot be humble without being despised. We cannot be chaste without mortifying our bodies. We cannot be patient unless we are willing to allow people to offend us. We cannot acquire virtues without the effort it involves to live them! Holiness is a battle!


In Christo Jesu et
Maria Immaculata,


Father Jeff Fasching

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

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

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

Bulletin 230

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

November 16, 2014

23rd Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Phil. 3: 17-21; 4: 1-3
Gospel: Mt. 9: 18-26

Mon 17 No Latin Mass
Tue 18 Dedication of the Basilicas of SS Peter and Paul
Wed 19 Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Widow
Thu 20 Saint Felix of Valois, Confessor
Fri 21 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary


We beg the good Lord to absolve us from all our offenses. We acknowledge the infinite goodness of God and ask that we be freed from the bonds of all our sins which we have committed through human frailty.



Father Fasching's Mass Travel Schedule – November and December

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

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

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

Bulletin 198

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

April 6, 2014

Passion Sunday

Epistle: Heb. 9: 11-15
Gospel: Jn. 8: 46-59

Mon 7 No Latin Mass
Tue 8 Tuesday of Passion Week
Wed 9 Wednesday of Passion Week
Thu 10 Thursday of Passion Week
Fri 11 Friday of Passion Week
Sun 13 Palm Sunday

Mass on Friday, April 11 will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Stations of the Cross and benediction.

Father Fasching will be gone during Holy Week. There will be no liturgies in the Extraordinary Form during this time. After Palm Sunday, Mass will resume on Easter Sunday.

In Christ,
Fr. Jeffery Fasching

Bulletin 164

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

August 11th, 12th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 2 Cor. 3: 4-9; Gospel: Luke 10: 23-37

Mass Schedule August 12th through August 16th

Mon 12 Saint Clare, Virgin—No Latin Mass

Tue 13 Feria

Wed 14 Vigil of the Assumption

Thu 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Mass @ 10:30am

Fri 16 Saint Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be as 10:30am on Thursday, August 15th.

Our next pot-luck dinner will be held on Sunday, September 8th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the school cafeteria. All are invited to attend.

Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins. Sloth is defined as laziness or carelessness to do right and to practice virtue because of the trouble attached to it. Christian modesty is a virtue, but it has been forgotten even among Catholics today. We need modesty in order to protect chastity. We cannot restore chastity to the individual, the family or the society as long as modesty is either ignored or violated on such a large scale as it is today!

There have been no fewer than five modern Popes who have time and again issued directives on Christian modesty in order to refute all the modern errors. Is this not why Jesus Christ established in His Church the Supreme Teaching Authority?! Christ did this to protect the Church from errors and to correct the clergy, the teachers and the parents who, intentionally or in good faith, would propagate errors.

Unfortunately, anyone who in today’s culture dares to advocate traditional Christian modesty is considered, even by a large number of Catholics, a scrupulous person, or a nut. However, remember that Christ said this would be the price one must pay who strives to be loyal to Him and His Church and not to the world.

Pope Pius XII has said: “Mainly through sins of impurity do the forces of darkness subjugate souls.” This same message was given by Our Lady of Fatima: “The sins that lead most souls to hell are the sins of the flesh.” Impurity has become the ruling passion of the world due to a general breakdown of modesty. It is like a spiritual cancer slowly eating away the spiritual life of souls. The question becomes: “is it a losing battle to go against the ways of our culture with respect to modesty and chastity?” The answer is this is exactly what Satan would like us to believe. Our silence would be leaving the entire field of morality in his blood thirsty hands. Pope Pius XII has pointed out the seriousness of our world situation as well as the remedy-confident recourse to The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Popes have taught the following: A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees. Furthermore dresses of transparent material are improper. Does my back, stomach or shoulders show? Does my back or stomach show when I bend or stretch? When bending over does my blouse hang down and open for everyone to see? Is my blouse or top tight? Is it more loose fitting or is it too tight and revealing? Can one see the outline of my underwear through my tight-fitting clothing? Blouses and tops that are too tight are very immodest and say a lot about the woman who wears such a blouse or top. Lastly, how much flesh is showing? Modesty is not just about how much of our skin is showing, but how much of our feminine shape is showing.

Father Jeff Fasching

Bulletin 124

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

October 28th, 2012; Christ the King

Epistle: Col. 1: 12-20; Gospel: Jn. 18: 33-37

Mass schedule October 29th through November 2nd:

Monday: Feria; No Latin Mass

Tuesday: Feria

Wednesday: Feria

Thursday: All Saints

Friday: All Souls


Sunday, October 28 is the feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. One may gain a plenary indulgence by the public recitation of the Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We will recite the consecratory prayer immediately following the 2:30pm Mass.

The month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls. On all the days from November 1 through November 8 inclusive, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed.

Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us, humbly prostrate before Thy altar. We are Thine and Thine we wish to be; but to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy Most Sacred Heart.

Many indeed have never known Thee; many, too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou Kind, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee; but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee: grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd. Be Thou King of all those who even now sit in the shadow of idolatry or Islam, and refuse not Thou to bring them into the light of Thy Kingdom.

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church, assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor forever. Amen.


In Christ,

Father Jeffery A. Fasching

Bulletin 123

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

October 21st, 2012; 21st Sunday After Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 6: 10-17; Gospel: Mt. 18: 23-35

There will be NO LATIN MASS October 22nd through October 26th due to the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.

Jesus had willed to be as entirely dependent upon His Mother as a tiny infant. If I am to please God as a priest, Christ must be allowed to continue toward her through my ministry that humble and loving subjection. I undertake nothing without her, without her counsel, without having asked her to enlighten me. Jesus willed to have her consent not merely to receive His human life, but also to lay it down on the Cross, for she had received a mother’s power over Him from His Father. So I also pay her the homage of my whole priestly life, of my activity, of my joys, of my suffering, even my death, because I am her son, I belong to her.

Christ’s well-beloved Mother, after having given Him His human existence, the material of His Sacrifice, offered Him to the Eternal Father as a holocaust at the foot of the Cross. And so, invisibly present at every Mass, she continues with me, her priestly son, to offer Christ as a Victim to the Divine Majesty. Before His death, Jesus gave into her motherly care Saint John, the disciple whom He loved. He represented all the faithful but especially his favored ones, His priests.

He gave me then to His Mother as well and placed my priestly career under her maternal protection. She marked me off from that moment from among all her future children and she placed on my shoulders her maternal mantle. As He gave Saint John to his Mother, so He also gave his Mother to Saint John, that he should take her home with him, that he should take care of her and console her in Christ’s absence during the rest of her pilgrimage on earth.

In like manner, Christ has given me His Mother, her honor, her glory, the defense of her privileges. I have to help spread her devotion everywhere; inspire in others the faithful confidence and love for their Mother in heaven, the Mother of Perpetual Help! Remember the tears that she shed, the anguish she endured in her Mother’s heart at the time of Christ’s Passion. Remember that in its apostolic task the Church rightly looks to the one who bore Christ. In the words of Lumen gentium: “Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin in order that He might also be born and grow in the hearts of the faithful. In her whole life this virgin mother showed herself as an example of that motherly love that must animate all who share in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of mankind.”

In Christ,

Father Jeffery Fasching

Bulletin 119

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

September 16th, 2012; 16th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Eph. 3:13-21; Gospel: Lk. 14:1-11

Mass Schedule September 17th through September 28th

Monday –Feria-- NO LATIN MASS

Tuesday-Requiem Mass + Arturo Ricardo Echevarria Alcover

Wednesday-Ember Wednesday

Thursday-Feria-NO LATIN MASS

Friday-Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist-NO LATIN MASS


September 23rd, 2012; 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Celebrant-Father William M. Hodgson)


Epistle: Eph. 4:1-6; Gospel: Mt. 22:34-46

Monday-Feria-NO LATIN MASS

Tuesday-Feria-NO LATIN MASS

Wednesday-Feria-NO LATIN MASS

Thursday-SS. Cosmas & Damian, Martyrs

Friday-Saint Wenceslaus, Duke & Martyr

There will be no Latin Mass from Thursday, September 20th through Wednesday, September 26th, with the exception of Sunday, September 23rd. The Celebrant for the Sunday Mass on the 23rd will be Father William Hogdson.

When the Lord spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai, Moses asked that he might see the divine glory. The Lord responded: “I will make all my beauty pass before you…but my face you cannot see, for no man sees me and still lives…” (Ex 33. 18-23). The infinite God, the God of ineffable glory, is so far above all creatures, that the human creature, by its natural powers, can never behold Him as He is. In the New Testament, the Epistle of Blessed Saint Paul to Timothy reiterates this teaching: “(God) is King of kings and Lord of lords. He alone possesses immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen or ever can see Him. To Him be honor and might forever! Amen” (1 Tim 6.15f). John 1.18 speaks in the same vain.

Yet Jesus promises, “Blest 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).

John tells us that we cannot imagine what God has in store for us who are His children, but this we 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 it comes to light we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn 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 like God, sharing in His divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1.4), that we shall be able to see God as He sees Himself!

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Jeff Fasching

Bulletin 118

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

September 9th, 2012; 15th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Gal. 5:25,26; 6:1-10 Gospel: Lk. 7:11-16

Mass Schedule September 10th through September 14th

Monday –Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor-- NO LATIN MASS

Tuesday-Requiem Mass +Rose Xavier

Wednesday-Most Holy Name of Mary

Thursday-Feria

Friday-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

There will be a Potluck dinner Sunday, September 9th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the Saint Agnes school cafeteria. All are invited.

John the Baptist said the Lord will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17). This unquenchable fire is the state of eternal separation from God, which the Church has called “hell” for 2,000 years.

Jesus says: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). “They will go away into eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46). This is in reference to eternal fire.

Purgatory occupies an important place in our holy religion. It forms one of the principal parts of the work of Jesus Christ, and plays an essential role in the economy of the salvation of man. We must pray for the dead and foster a devotion to the souls in Purgatory.

The Book of Maccabees reminds us that: “It is a holy and wholesome thought, to pray for the dead, that they may loosed from sins.” Prayer for the dead, sacrifices, and suffrages all form a part of Christian worship and devotion towards the souls in Purgatory which the Holy Ghost Himself infuses with charity into the hearts of the faithful.

One of the best means of avoiding Purgatory is to foster a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Charity and works of mercy of every kind are also a powerful means to avoid Purgatory. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. If you forgive men their offenses, your Heavenly Father will forgive you also your offenses. Give to everyone that asks of you, and it shall be given to you; for with the same measure that you shall give, it shall be measured to you again.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father Jeff Fasching

Bulletin 117

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

September 2, 2012; 14th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Gal. 5:16-24; Gospel: Mt. 6:24-33

Mass Schedule September 3rd through September 7th

Monday –Saint Pius X, Pope & Confessor-- NO LATIN MASS

Tuesday-Requiem Mass +Mr. Xavier

Wednesday-Saint Lawrence Justinian, Bishop & Confessor

Thursday-Feria

Friday-Sacred Heart of Jesus

There will be a Potluck dinner Sunday, September 9th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the Saint Agnes school cafeteria. All are invited.

The best reasons for praying the Holy Rosary are the following:

1) For world peace… “Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world.” (Our Lady of Fatima, 1917). The Popes have highly recommended the Rosary to promote peace throughout the world.

2) A means for preserving the home…”There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessings upon the family…than the daily recitation of the Rosary”… Pope Pius XII

3) For courage in the hardships of life …”a powerful means of renewing our courage will undoubtedly be found in the Holy Rosary”…Pope Leo XIII

4) As a ready and easy means of preserving the faith…”We have elsewhere brought it to the attention of the devout Christian that not least among the advantages of the Rosary is the ready means it puts in his hands to nurture his faith, and to keep him from ignorance of his religion and the danger of error”…Pope Leo XIII

We should pray the rosary for the intention of making sacrifices in order to save sinners and ourselves from hell. What are the sufferings of the damned? What is the nature of the pain of sense? Theology has traditionally distinguished two kinds of torment suffered by the damned, the pain of loss and the pain of sense. Both are exemplified in the words which Christ will speak to the damned at the general judgment: “Depart from me (pain of loss), you condemned, into that everlasting fire (pain of sense), prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25.41).

The pain of loss is the intense suffering experienced by the damned because of their eternal separation from God. We can explain it in this fashion. God has given the human person, as a rational creature, a radical craving for unlimited goodness, beauty, love, and life, and the happiness that their possession would bring. But these goods can be found only in God. He alone is the fullness and the source of all goodness, beauty, love, life, and of all beatitude. To reject God is to close oneself off from these riches and to condemn oneself to the pain of a deep-seated craving that can never be satisfied. Think of a drug addict who cannot get the drug he craves. Only one who has known the torment of such unsatisfied craving can have any idea of how painful can be the frustration of a deep human longing. But nothing can compare to the need that the human person has for God, and nothing can equal the pain that comes from losing Him.

The pain of sense is the suffering experienced by the damned expressed in the worlds, “Depart from me you condemned, into that everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The image of fire is found frequently in both the Old and the New Testament to describe the pains of hell. Traditional theology has understood scriptural hell fire to be an element analogous to material fire that would have the capacity to inflict pain not only upon material bodies, but also upon pure spirits. It understood this element to be extrinsic to the human person and to be inflicted by God as vindictive punishment. In this understanding, God’s justice requires that the sinner who has disobeyed God in seeking disordered pleasure from creatures must suffer punishment in proportion to the offense.

In Christ,

Fr. Jeff Fasching