FSSP Ordinations

I was going to put together some thoughts and reflections on the FSSP ordinations, but due to lack of time, I refer you to Fr. Z's blog (Card. Castrillon Hoyos ordains priests for the FSSP in Lincoln, NE - Extraordinary Rite) for an in depth look.

Please remember to pray not only for these priests, but all the Catholic priests throughout the world!

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica from the River Tiber. The iconic dome dominates the skyline of Rome.

Our art study will include a look at Vatican City and the four major basilicas. The first is St. Peter's Basilica. Remember that St. Peter's is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop as that is reserved for Basilica of St. John Lateran. But many, if not most, of papal activities occur here.

The dome, designed by Michelangelo, is one of the most recognizable features of St. Peter's. The interior can be seen here.

The Chair of Peter is a wooden chair enclosed in a gilt bronze casing designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The chair of a bishop is a cathedra. Tradition holds that this chair was used by St. Peter himself.

The Cathedra Petri, seen from

behind the High Altar of St. Peter's

Our last study of artwork from St. Peter's (it is so hard to limit) is Michelangelo's Pieta.

A Prayer for Daily Neglects

During a conversation with a friend, she mentioned the following prayer. I have seen it, but not paid much attention to it. But over the last couple of days, I have been working on my Rule of Life and found one of those great forms at Donna Young's on organizing household duties. I "see" how much time I do not make good use of. Lights go off as I recall excerpts from many of my spiritual readings about "wasted time". As of this past Sunday I renew my focus on fulfilling my duty stated in my blog description, but I also know my weaknesses and "idleness" will undoubtedly find a way to creep in. So I accept my weakness and trust that by leaning more on God than myself, I can overcome it. I will begin to offer this prayer daily and strive to His perfection.

Prayer for Daily Neglects

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all its love, all its sufferings and all its merits. First --- To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. Gloria Patri. Second --- To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life. Gloria Patri. Third --- To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life. Gloria Patri. A Poor Clare sister who had just died, appeared to her Abbess who was praying for her, and said to her: "I went straight to heaven, for, by means of this prayer, recited every evening, I paid all my debts."

Of Note - FSSP Ordinations on EWTN

Please remember in your prayers the following men who will be ordained to the holy Priesthood on May 30.

PRAYERS FOR HOLY PRIESTS

My Dear Jesus, Thou desirest that we pray the Lord of the harvest that He send zealous laborers into His harvest. Deign to raise up in Thy Church, and especially in this diocese, numerous and holy priests who, taking Thy Divine Heart as their Model, will, in the exercise of their holy priesthood, promote the glory of Thy heavenly Father and the salvation of those souls whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood. Give us truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Thy divine love, seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of souls.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests.

Press release (borrowed from Fr. Demet's site)

Vatican Cardinal to Visit Nebraska

DENTON, Nebraska – May 21, 2008 –

On Friday, May 30th, 2008, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the following four men will be ordained priests for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter by Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, the President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Rev. Mr. Jared McCambridge, FSSP, from Arlington Heights, Illinois
Rev. Mr. Dennis Gordon, FSSP, from Nogales, Arizona
Rev. Mr. Justin Nolan, FSSP, from Guthrie, Oklahoma
Rev. Mr. Jonathan Romanoski, FSSP, from New Cumberland , Pennsylvania

To be televised live on EWTN at 11:00AM (EST), the ordinations will take place at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ, in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.

About the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Corpus Christi Sequence and Artwork

The painting is The Institution of the Eucharist by the Flemish artist
Joos van Wassenhove, c.1474

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

From the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales:

SEQUENCE : LAUDA SION
On certain days the Church wished to prolong the joy of the Alleluia, or the sorrow and penance expressed in the verses of the Tract which sometimes replaces it, and so a hymn or psalm called the Sequence was added. There are five Sequences in the 1962 Missal which are as follows :

Victimae Paschali for Easter Sunday thought to have been composed about 1048;
Veni Sancte Spiritu for Pentecost, to Pope Innocent III about 1198;
Lauda Sion for Corpus Christ composed by St Thomas Aquinas about 1274;
Stabat Mater for the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother composed about 1306;
Dies Irae in Masses for the Dead (Missae Defunctorum) composed about 1250.

These Sequences, hallowed by centuries of continued use, abound in poetic beauty and doctrinal orthodoxy, as we can see from reading the incomparable Lauda Sion reproduced in full below. Their disappearance from the liturgy of the Mass is a loss to the Church which has never been made good. For many Catholics today the Corpus Christi procession, accompanied by the chanting of Lauda Sion, the beautiful hymn to the Blessed Sacrament, was an unforgettable highlight of the feast day. It still brings back memories of the lengths to which the Church was prepared to go to lavish praise and honour on the Blessed Sacrament which is to be adored in the most solemn manner. We recall the priest carrying the Host under a richly ornamented canopy, the path before him strewn with flowers over which the Son of God was to pass, the seemingly endless procession of the faithful following behind, and the strains of Lauda Sion surging heavenwards.

Click here to read this beautiful sequence by
St. Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Botticelli

The Madonna of the Book, also known as the Madonna del Libro, is a small painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli, circa 1483. It is housed in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli of Milan.

I simply love this artist and will have a very hard time presenting only one of his works this upcoming school year. CHC's Liturgical Masterpieces has Madonna with the Child (Madonna with the Book) scheduled to be studied in January.

This print is beside my dresser in my bedroom.

Virgin and Child with Four Angels and Six Saints
(San Barnabas altarpiece). c.1487.

"A Virgin became the Mother of God, in order to reconcile man with God, to give peace to the world, triumph to Heaven, salvation to mankind, and life to the dead." St. Augustine

American Shakespeare Center

A couple of weekends ago, a good friend of mine and I went up to Staunton, VA to the Blackfriar's Playhouse and saw two plays - The Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice. I have been to the Shakespeare Center before and absolutely love the evenings of plays and the days of shopping in Staunton. It is a quaint little town which is home to the American Shakespeare Center, Mary Baldwin College, and numerous stores of all my favorite things: antiques, books, arts, and architecture. Unfortuately, there is never enough time to fully exhaust all of the offerings. But then it makes me anxious for my return trip! Hopefully, I can make it back up to catch Henry V that I missed this time.