Nasha Kasha: the latest from Catholic Ukraine...

Pidhirtsi update on Ruskij Sion: http://www.ruskij-sion.blogspot.com/.

Nativitas Christi: first new church with an altar facing the people...

During the brick-and-mortar era in the New World Catholic leadership had the vision (and grace) to construct the combination church-school.

This is the parish church where I grew up, the Church of the Nativity of Our Lord, with attached school and convent. You can see its Gothic with severely simple lines - with an exterior of seven kinds/colors of granite. The cornerstone was laid in 1938.

The first thing the bishops at that time always did was to build a rectory, then a school and then a church, in that order.

The Lord of History had me born into this parish where I received Baptism, first Confession, first Holy Communion and Confirmation.

This is also said to be the first parish in the nation built with an altar "facing the congregation," in the downstairs crypt chapel.

Here's a quote from the original church dedication booklet:

"Members of Nativity Parish should feel proud that they have the first (in these second thousand years) altar facing the people in the United States. They should also be grateful to their Most Reverend Archbishop, who has granted them permission to have their altar so, and to have the recited Mass. Without doubt, there is no better way to show gratitude than by actually assisting at Mass more perfectly."

The basement chapel has since been renovated more than once and nothing original remains. My pastor, Monsignor R.J. Schuler was for fourteen years a curate at this parish and often spoke of his time there as choir director and celebrant of Masses in the lower chapel. At the same time my father was there as an altar server and the pastor from 1948-1956 was Bishop J.J. Byrne, a future Council Father, as later Archbishop of Dubuque.

The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc: "...amore Antiqui ritus, alto sub numine Romae"

It's difficult for many moderns to even understand or know what "Catholic culture" is.

Read this book and then you will understand exactly what it is.

If I had to write a book of my own adventures in Europe, I would just reproduce this book; it hits the nail on the head.

Ignatius Press reprinted this volume in 2003, but of course it's always fun to get an older edition, too.

This is the story of a young university-age guy who was born in a little village by the name of Toul in a French valley. Raised in England he went back to visit the place of his birth and in the village chapel he offered a prayer and then had the idea and made a vow to walk to Rome by foot, as pilgrims did in the Middle Ages. He went as the crow flies in a straight line from his map (and in the end he did have to take a train twice for just several miles before Milan and then before Siena as he had run out of money).

With the linen clothes on his back, boots, a hat, a cotton jacket and a sack with maps, a watch, sketch-book, a flute, pipes, a card-case, two pencils, a bottle of wine, a cup, a scrap of newspaper, a needle and thread and with no passport, he left on this wonderful journey and such an adventure that befel him! Read a book like this and see why truth is better than fiction and why it is so important to keep Europe Catholic - our Christian continent.

Pray for this cute little baby (yours truly)!

The best book (in English) on St. Peter's Basilica...

Sometimes people ask what is the absolute best book on the Vatican Basilica and this is the answer:

Saint Peter's
The Story of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome
James Lees-Milne
Little, Brown and Company
Boston
1967
Imprimatur 1966

336 pages, glossy black and white and colour plates, a very Catholic book, complete, just the best.

It can sometimes be found in used book stores.

Universitas Catholica Americae: Washingtonii, D.C.

The motto of the Catholic University of America: DEVS LVX MEA.

Read Rome books: know your patrimony...

The Catholic cornerstone: with A.D. ...

Pastors, when you commission a cornerstone remember to always have carved A.D. or Anno Domini before the year.

Holy Russia: one-sixth of the world...

Remember Russian Catholics, the Pope does.

Pray for their conversion, lift them up.

See here: www.vladmission.org.

Loome Theological Booksellers: just the best of the best...

All hail Loome Books!

These photos, taken today, illustrate the absolute coolest place on the planet earth to shop for old church books, and it's located in an old (Swedish Covenant) church! Loome Books is the largest secondhand dealer of theological books on the continent and they are just the best.

See and link here: http://www.loomebooks.com/

See and link here: http://www.loomebooks.blogspot.com/

As a kid sometime in the eighties my mother brought me to this shop and from that moment on I was hooked, just like everybody else.

And this place is a must visit if you have any interest in old Catholic books.

It's located on a hill overlooking the wonderful little river town of Stillwater, located on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River, about a forty-five minute drive from the gateway Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

It's a place where you even sometimes see cardinali (cardinals) and vescovi (bishops) now and then...and the owners are great!

Catholic culture: the Latin letter...

This is how it's done: nice letterhead, nice handwriting, nice seal, nice rich paper... and niiiice Latin!

What papal vestments look like...

Associated Press photo from 1963.

The last of the pharaoh popes...and would be nice to see popes vested in splendor like this again.

We are now far enough away from the sixties where we can now make a return to some of this without riots in the streets and that's a news flash for some.

The best of Chesterton: wit and wisdom...

Every blog ought to have a Chesterton quote of the day...

"[Catholicism] is the only thing that talks as if it were the truth; as if it were a real messenger refusing to tamper with a real message."

- G. K. Chesterton

Danke, cara!

All the news that's fit to print...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/us/11nun.html?_r=4&src=twt&twt=nytimes

Danke, Raph!

Solemnity of the Assumption in the New World: on the St. Croix (Holy Cross) River...

Who says the good old days are over?

Today was a blast and gosh are we ever proud of these fine altar servers!

Just this afternoon with lots of kids and families in the resort town of Bayport (on the St. Croix River) we had a lovely procession through the neighborhood in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and afterwards there was a stellar bbq and games with prizes for kids. Everybody of all ages had a great time and this is how it's done, folks!

The parish there is the Church of St. Charles Borromeo and the pastor there is one guy who gets it right - Fr. Randal Kasel.

Thank you, Fr. Randal for your holiness and outstanding leadership and immense generosity! And many thanks to everybody for a wonderful day of Catholic spirituality and fellowship!

The episcopal portrait: back when they knew how to do it...

Bishop of Sioux Falls in South Dakota he later was later named Archbishop of Saint Paul in Minnesota and died in Rome in 1961. Pray for the repose of his holy soul.

The beauty of the garden statue (each a blessed object)...

Get one, have your pastor bless it and place it in the front yard...

Papi in posa: papal portraiture...

Of course there is an art to posing for a portrait, even as a pope.

The Pope extends his right arm in benediction, showing his ring which is full of symbolism.

Would be nice to see the BXVI pose in this manner - three fingers raised in apostolic benediction!

This photo is from Foto Felici and has never before been published; I got it just after the Sede Vacante MMV.

Papal vestments: what the fanon looks like...

You can see the silken mantle around the shoulders - striped in read and gold. This is the fanon worn by the pope when he celebrates Solemn Pontifical Mass. This particular fanon is kept by cloistered nuns in the sacristy of the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Rome (let's say a prayer BXVI will make a visit there and then wear it, too!).

What a "precious miter" looks like...

Renaissance miter: simply glorious.

A pity we don't see them much anymore.

Right off the head of Aaron the high priest and his successors in that office (Ex. 29:6-9; 39:26, 30; Lev. 8:13).

And its always nice to see the two fanons on the back with the embroidered episcopal coat-of-arms.

Favorite image of the Servant of God Pius XII...

Standing atop his portable throne he extends his arms to impart his blessing to the masses.

The Eucharistic Congress...

The Ninth National Eucharistic Congress was held in St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1941. As a kid I heard stories from different people who were there. They said that during the outdoor Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament there was suddenly a torrential downpour and that everybody stayed kneeling where they stood. The many thousands of participants each wore this nice armband as a mark of their participation and a pledge of their pride of membership in the Catholic Church.

Archbishop John Ireland and "Americanism"...

If you've studied American church history, then you have heard of John Ireland. This is his tomb at Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul, Minn.

The "Vexillum Legionis" of the Legio Mariae...

Looking for a spirituality? Join the Legion of Mary!

This is the Vexillum Legionis (the Standard of the Legion).

"Per te, O Maria, resurrectionis nostrae tesseram certissimam tenemus."

-St. Ephraem

Legionary membership comes through affiliation to the Legion through one of its approved Councils. Join a Council of the Legion of Mary today and let us pray!

Catholic Sicily: our wonderful new young clergy...

Photos from the Internet.

Feast of St. Joseph in August, 2009.

City of Saint Paul: where Fulton Sheen began his daily holy hour...

Fulton Sheen was ordained priest in 1919 and during WWI this is where he studied for the priesthood at Saint Paul's Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

It was in this seminary chapel, the Chapel of Saint Mary, that Sheen began his daily holy hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament - a vow which he kept throughout his life until his death in 1979.

"Had you no strength, then, to watch with Me even for an hour?"

Matthew 26:40

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_J._Sheen

"And I will make you fishers of men."

Detail of the apse mural by artist Bancel La Farge.

Saint Mary's Chapel, Saint Paul Seminary.
Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Eunice Kennedy: RIP...

Pray for the conversion of the Kennedy family.

All Christians are to be pro-life.

May their mother Rose continue to pray for them.

May the splendor of Catholic morals enthrall them to conversion through the grace of the Holy Ghost.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_eunice_kennedy_shriver;_ylt=Aima4I6hABtP0FBUpYcV0B5saMYA

Te lucis ante terminum...

The school crest in Latin...

Saint Paul Academy in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

These guys got it right - in the 1920s!

Sigillum Academiae Sanct Paulensis.

"The most distinguished skyline on the North American continent."

The venerable City of Saint Paul in the State of Minnesota.

May this noble city, named after the Apostle to the Gentiles, blossom into the biggest centre of Catholic life and learning in the Union.

Thanks to an extremely powerful camera zoom this photo shows us the Minnesota State Capitol with the Cathedral of Saint Paul along the city skyline.

Our hope is that the City's University of Saint Thomas will in the future be the Centrum Nationale Culturae Catholicae.

Cass Gilbert, an internationally famous architect, contended that "if the dome of the Cathedral of Saint Paul and that of the new State Capitol were part of the skyline of a city in Europe, they would be world famous."

The sacristy: the name of the bishop posted...

In every sacristy there ought to be the name of the local ordinary posted to inform visiting priests for mention in the Roman Canon.

Instead of "Harry" would be nice to have the name in Latin, too (i.e. Henrico).

The answer: we need to go back to this hymnal...

Reprint it and purchase it and use it and it will mean a return to very special spirituality.

Catholic culture: the garden statue...

A blessed object in the yard.

Der Wanderer: subscribe today...

These are the good guys.

Subscribe here.

Catholic culture: the family stone...

The Catholic graveyard is sacred, blessed ground.

It's nice to have a family stone, too.

Dad sometimes brought us kids to pray at the family plot on All Souls Day and on other summer or autumn days. It was the best thing. Kids understand death. Let them walk among the dead and pray there, too.

A tremendous thrill: hear the voices of the popes...

My first trip to Rome in 1998 I got this little tape and it's the best little souvenir in the world. To hear the old popes preach, pray and bless is just glorious.

And when you hear them you can understand why average lay Italians loved John more than Pius or Paul - John XXIII would shout into the microphone in his kindly peasant way and the people loved it - and he made the kids roar with laughter, too.

Mary and the Moslems by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen...

XAVERIAN MISSIONS
of the Xaverian Missionary Fathers
Vol. 1, No. 2
May, 1952

There are 374 million Moslems in the world. These followers of Mohammed believe in God, but they do not believe in Christ as the Son of God. To them, Our Lord was only a prophet announcing Mohammed, as we believe Isaiah was only a prophet announcing Our Lord. For a Moslem to become a Christian is to him like a Christian becoming a Jew. For that reason, conversion of the Moslems is very slow and extremely difficult.

We have a theory about their conversion, and that is that the Revelations of Our Lady at Fatima portends the conversion of the Moslems. Here is the evidence.

1) The Moslems have a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. As the Koran, which is the Bible of the Moslems, puts it: " O, Mary, Thou hast been chosen and purified and elected above all women of the world." They believe both in her Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. She is the real Lady SAYYIDH of Paradise. Iranian women love to have a statue of her in their homes.

2) Mohammed had a daughter, Fatima, whom he intensely loved. After her death, Mohammed wrote these lines to her: "You will be the most blessed lady SAYYIDH of all women in Paradise, after Mary."

I believe the Blessed Virgin chose to be known as Our Lady of Fatima as a pledge and sign of hope to the Moslem people, and as an assurance that they, who show her so much respect, will one day accept her Divine Son. This explains why she chose the town of Fatima.

Supporting evidence for this view is the historical fact that the Moslems occupied Portugal for centuries. When they were finally driven out, the last chief in the locality where the appearance of Our Lady took place had a beautiful daughter by the name of Fatima.

A Catholic boy fell in love with her, and she not only stayed behind when the Moslems left, but embraced the Faith and became a Catholic.

Her young husband changed the name of the town where he married this last Moslem lady in Portugal, to Fatima. Thus, the very place where Our Lady of Fatima appeared in 1917 has an historical connection with Fatima, the daughter of Mohammed.

A final evidence of the relation of Fatima to the Moslems is the enthusiastic reception which the Moslems, in Africa and India and elsewhere, gave to the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Moslems attended church services in honor of Our Lady of Fatima; they allowed religious processions and even prayers before mosques. In Mozambique, the Moslems (who had been unconvertible) began to be Christian as soon as the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected.

Missionaries in the future will more and more see that their apostolate among the Moslems will be successful in the measure that they give them Our Lady of Fatima.

Mary is the advent of Christ. She brings Christ to people before Christ is born, as she brought the unborn Christ to Elizabeth.

May our missionaries in the Moslem countries more and more see that if they can increase the Moslem devotion to Mary, then she will bring them to her Divine Son. We cannot bring them to Christ, but she can. Through Mary to Jesus...this is the key that can open Moslems' eyes to the fullness of the revelation of God in whom they already believe.

What the Church has given us: so much beauty...

How to make a processional banner...

See how easy it is?

Catholic families, make it work and donate it to the parish!

Modesty in church: teach them from the youngest age...

This photo was taken in the port of Rome, Civitavecchia.

Kids at home have not been taught modesty and so now it is common to see some signs such as this on church doors in Italy which instruct kids of all ages.

The American street: to teach and impart...

What's sad is that kids don't even know what this word means anymore.

Why Christians vote pro-life in America...

With 1973s Roe v. Wade 9 UNELECTED men and women have played God with innocent life on the Supreme Court - WITHOUT TRIAL they have condemned to PAINFUL DEATHS more than 48 million babies for the crime of being "unwanted" or "inconvenient."

This is why Catholics vote pro-life under the penalty of grave sin in this country.

As an election promise the Obamination made it clear that he would appoint pro-abortion justices to the Supreme Court. In the first summer of his presidency he made good on this promise and the blood is not just on his hands, but also on the citizens who elected him into office. It was the same with Slick Willy, too.

What can Catholics do? Prayer and penance and the pro-life vote for this spiritual battle.

And we must work to use the Constitution to make abortion illegal instead of amending it. The unborn are "persons" as defined by the 14th amendment to the Constitution, entitled to legal protection. The Supreme Court never declared abortion itself to be a constitutional right.

What does the 14th amendment say? "...nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law." And furthermore, "Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."

If Congress can just declare unborn babies "persons" under the law, the constitutional case for abortion will collapse.

When the Supreme Court handed down its now infamous Roe v. Wade decision, it did so based on a new, previously undefined "right to privacy" which it "discovered" in so-called "emanations" of "penumbrae" of the constitution. The Supreme Court said: "We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins...the judiciary at this point in the development of man's knowledge is not in a position to speculate as to the answer." Then the High Court made a key admission: "If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant's case [i.e., "Roe" who sought an abortion], of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life is then guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment."

Now we are 36 years into it and that's a long time. Nazi killing lasted 12 years. Let's make an effort to bring this menace to an end. Vote pro-life.

Catholic culture: the tiara...

The headpiece of the Popes - this is the last one used in 1963 and now kept in the crypt of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in D.C.

Catholic culture: the grave...

Even in death, let your words be heard.

These photos were taken in Arlington, Va.

What is wrong with this picture?

Not to be sour grapes, but it's always better with the ferriolone.

And sometimes it takes a layman.

The royal purple of the ferriolone cape extending full length with ribbons tied in front always looks fabulous and the glossy old episcopal portraits of old show how it's done.

Archbishop Sheen, pray for us!

Catholic women do not wear the "bikini"...

Christian dads and moms used to give their kids the talk about modesty in dress, often.

When the "bikini" turned sixty the Italian press made a big deal about it and I guess I was the only one in the crowd who thought it immoral to be caught dead in public in such minuscule clothing.

A bathing suit is a bathing suit and then there are Our Lady's words at Fatima about fashions which "will be" introduced which "will offend" the Lord greatly.

Ten year old Jacinta lay dying in a hospital bed in Lisbon, Portugal in 1920 when Our Lady said to her: "Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend Our Divine Lord very much. Those who serve God ought not to follow these fashions." Then Our Lady revealed to Jacinta that "the sins that lead most souls to hell are the sins of the flesh."

Interesting to note that in all her apparitions Our Blessed Lady always appears fully covered.

Let's see what a papal encyclical says:

"One cannot sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and station. Made foolish by a desire to please, they do not see to what degree the indecency of their clothing shocks every honest man and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for such apparel as for a grave fault against Christian modesty. Now it does not suffice to exhibit themselves on public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of churches, to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passions to the Eucharistic Table, where one receives the Heavenly Author of Purity."

-Pope Benedict XV, Sacra Propediem , 1921.

Would be nice for more Protestant communities to be on board, too, but look at their origins - Martin Luther entered a sacrilegious marriage and King Henry entered an adulterous one.

Santa Marinella: the old Castrum Novum...

With a friend a couple of years ago we walked along the coast from the Rome resort town of Santa Marinella to the port of Rome Civitavecchia and discovered this fascinating Etruscan fish-catching construction which still exists under water along the shoreline.

Santa Marinella: Rome's best resort town...

A bit of a walk from the train station, but this is the popular Capolinaro with its nice places to swim; 65 km north of Rome.