Brothers

I have always had a soft spot for the idea of "Brothers", in the old days they were the workers in a monastery, the muscle, sometimes they were skilled artisans, sometimes people "in need of care and protection". What often divided the "brothers" from "choir monks" or "the fathers" was social class, "the fathers" were gentleman, "the brothers" were not.
Nowadays, in a spirit of equality, few communities will welcome someone who wasn't at least literate and many would reject those without a degree. Psychological testing tends to eliminate those unable to live their lives without the support and discipline of a caring community.

One of things many of the "new movements" offer is a place for those who need "care" and support.

Conspiracy?

One of my parishioners is a great conspiracy theorist, in general I tend to dismiss such things, but...

I am a little worried about what is happening in the US, dear Mr Obama seems to be appointing a lot of liberal Catholics to a lot of important positions. Not so bad if they kept quiet but they seem to have an almost evangelical role in publicising their liberalism, in spreading confusion and misrepresenting Catholic teaching. In Venzuala, that other American President, Mr Chavez is backing his own liberal Catholic Church. Obama and Chavez are deliberately promoting something contrary to the Magisterium.

And here in the UK we have the Blairs, who reportedly also see they have mission to change the Catholic Church.

Then I suppose so does Cardinal Martini, Mgr Piero Marini ....

PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

(By Cardinal Cushing)

0 Almighty, Eternal God, look upon the face of Thy Son, and for love of Him Who is the Eternal High-priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, 0 most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

0 Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in Purgatory.

But above all, I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. 0 Jesus, keep them all, close to Thy heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

This site has some useful material

Happy Nuns

There are lots of these too! I don't know why the Nashville Dominicans should be thriving, when most female religious orders are selling up. Is it the habit, orthodoxy, a strong sense of identity, the sense of being a bride of Christ or just the joy that attracts women to this congregation?

h/t Deacons Bench

Pope beins Catechetical talks for "Year of the Priest"

(VIS) - The Year for Priests was again the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis during his general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope began his remarks by expressing the hope that the Year "may be an opportunity for the inner renewal of all priests and, consequently, for the revitalisation of their commitment to the mission". He then announced that his catecheses over the next few months will focus on the figure of St. John Mary Vianney, the holy "Cure of Ars", on the 150th anniversary of his death.

What most stands out in the life of this saint, said Benedict XVI, "is his complete identification with his ministry. He used to say that a good pastor, a pastor after God's heart, is the greatest treasure the good Lord can give a parish".

"In fact, it is by considering the dual term 'identity-mission' that each priest will become better aware of the need for that progressive self identification with Christ which guarantees the faithfulness and fruitfulness of his evangelical witness. Thus, in the life of a priest, missionary announcement and worship are inseparable, just as sacramental identity and evangelising mission are likewise inseparable".

"The goal of priests' mission is, we could say, 'of worship': that all men and women may offer themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, receiving the charity which they are then called to dispense abundantly to one another. ... Love for others, concern for justice and the poor are not so much a question of social morals as the expression of a sacramental conception of Christian morality because, through priestly ministry, the spiritual sacrifice of all the faithful is accomplished, in union with the sacrifice of Christ, the only mediator. This is the sacrifice that priests offer bloodlessly and sacramentally while awaiting the second coming of the Lord".

"In the face of so many uncertainties and so much weariness, even in the exercise of priestly ministry, it is vitally important to regain a clear and unequivocal view of the absolute primacy of divine grace", said the Holy Father. "The mission of each individual priest depends, then, also and above all on an awareness of the sacramental reality of his 'new existence'. Upon the certainty of his own identity - not artificially and humanly constructed but freely and divinely given and received - depends his perennial enthusiasm for the mission".

"Having received such an extraordinary gift of grace with their consecration, priests become permanent witnesses of their own encounter with Christ", and "are able to carry out their mission to the full, announcing the Word and administering the Sacraments.

"Following Vatican Council II", Pope Benedict added, "in some places the impression arose that there were more important things in the mission of priests in our time: some people believed that the priority was to build a new society".

Yet "the two essential elements of priestly ministry" always remain "announcement and power", said the Holy Father recalling how Christ sent His disciples out to announce the Gospel giving them the power to drive out demons. "Announcement and power", in other words "Word and Sacrament, are the pillars of priestly service, over and above the many forms it can take".

The Pope continued: "When the 'diptych' of consecration-mission is not taken into due account, it becomes truly difficulty to understand the identity of priests and of their ministry in the Church. ... During this Year for Priests", he said, "let us pray for all the clergy. ... Prayer is the primary duty, the true path of sanctification for priests and the heart of authentic pastoral care of vocations".

And he concluded: "The low numbers of priestly ordinations in some countries not only must not discourage us, it should stimulate us to dedicate greater space to silence and to listening to the Word, to improving spiritual guidance and the Sacrament of Confession, so that the voice of God, which always continues to call and to confirm, may be heard and followed by many young people".

Court of King Caracticus

Like the court of King Caracticus, "they keep passing by". This is a video of the entry procession of the recent SSPX ordination in Germany. Apparently there are, according to the Pope's letter to the bishops of the world on the reconcilliation 500 priests of the society, there are also a number of religious houses and orders who are not directly united to the SSPX throughout the world, there are seminarians who are not attached to the SSPX who study at their seminary, presumably a number of those who were ordained priest (8) or deacon (10) are not all for the the society.

If you watch the video, like me you will be amazed at the youth and number of the young men in the procession, if you compare it to the average diocesan Chrism Mass procession in most dioceses, these men seem thirty or forty years younger. I understand that in the whole of Ireland there were no more than a dozen ordinations this year, there will have been a similar number in the UK, their average age will be older than the SSPX, there were ordinations at other SSPX seminaries, at at least one, the Seminary in Winona, 13 new priests were ordained.

From the simple perspective of numbers one can see why the the Holy See is anxious to reconcile the SSPX, there is also an important lesson that at least the bishops of Europe can learn from them about being fruitful in producing vocations, and exciting young men to think about placing Christ first, especially in what is becoming increasingly a missionary environment.

Cappella Paulina

In these photographs made available by the Vatican newspaper L' Osservatore Romano a view of the ceiling of the Cappella Paolina is seen after restoration.

The Vatican says the restoration of a chapel that includes two Michelangelo frescoes has been completed. The Cappella Paolina, named after Paul III who commissioned it, in the Apostolic Palace is used by the pope and is not open to the general public. It contains Michelangelo frescoes depicting the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter. Officials said Tuesday that the five-year 3.2 million euro restoration was privately funded. Pope Benedict XVI will inaugurate the restored chapel with with Vespers on Saturday.

Reports say that the altar originally attached to the reredos has been made freestanding.