Tuesday, June 30, 2009

From Trent with love (and prayers)...

It's dusk in the north of Italy and yours truly is smoking a cigar (dipped in cognac) and offering a prayer for you and yours.

Greetings fom Trento, high in the Alto Adige of the South Tirol. This is the old Roman city of Tridentum located on the Adige River.

After the day in Salzburg and Innsbruck it was time to cross the Alps on the way back to Rome via Bolzano - and here the summer heat hit!

Prayers for everybody. Tonight you were prayed for in Trent in its famous old Cathedral of St. Vigilius where the Holy General Council of Trent was held between 1545 - 1563.

If you have an interest in the Council then Trent is a must - so close to Rome and just a lovely little town with a great diocesan museum. At leat once in your lifetime be sure to cross the Alps, too (it's spectacular!).

Not to boast, but last year yours truly read all of the Council of Trent cover to cover and this year yours truly read all of the Vatican Council II cover to cover. Catholic youth: read the Councils!

The Holy Ghost does not get it wrong. Today in the Cathedral of Trent I prayed for the success of each and every one of the twenty-one holy, general and ecumenical Councils.

P.S. If you read Trent you'll see that this present era in which we are now living in is not the "worst" epoch in the history of the Church as some mostly ignorant Catholics of today might suggest.

6 comments:

Raphaela said...

Gosh, Salzburg didn't hold you very long after all, did it? :)

I hope you took lots of pictures of the cathedral in Trent!

Anonymous said...

No, the era of the "Protestant Reformation" and perhaps fifty years after were the worst.

The Council of Trent probably was one of the best in the whole history of the Catholic Church with regards to it's "fruits"

With regards to the number of Saint ,the period during and after Trent- between 1540-1660 produced is perhaps the most glorious in the Church. I need only mention a few: Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Fillipo Neri, not to mention some of our greatest religious Orders founded during this time--Jesuits, Theatins, Oratorians, Discalced Carmelites (nuns and friars).
With regards to music, art, architecture, the Baroque period-all fruits of the Council of Trent-stand at the pinnacle of excellence in the Church.

I sincerely believe that Vatican II (no malice intended) will go down in history as one of the biggest disasters in the Church, and one which will be corrected only by a return and reimplementation of the liturgy and teachings, disipline and practice of the Council of Trent.

Anonymous said...

If I am ever blessed with a son, I shall call him Trent in honour of this great council

Anonymous said...

Trento is NEITHER in Alto Adige NOR in Sudtirol.

Anonymous said...

The only difference is that the Council of Trent came as a result of the Protestant Reformation, while the II Vatican Council caused significant protestant tendencies in the Church. Before Trent the Church was in turmoil. Before Vatican II the Church was at peace. This is a big difference.

Anonymous said...

Isn't "sudtirol" Germany?

I'm not great on geography, but I think that's still Germany....and I know Trent in Italy.

Maybe very close to the Bavarian German border, but still in Italy.