Bishop Libasci: Our brothers and sisters at risk are not 
anonymous


Former Long Islander, now Bishop of the Diocese of Manchester had the above published.

What I saw at the Abbey of the Genesee and why it matters for the crisis in the Church.

This article by Larry Chapp is great (found via Michael Liccione).  It reminds me of an intellectual version of The Great Façade by Thomas Woods and Christopher Ferrera.  I am putting two bits from the article here but the whole thing is really worth reading and pondering:

"And so my larger point is that the bishops are/were not singularly evil men, but were rather the products of the ecclesiastical culture of their age.  And that culture is largely reflective of the culture that surrounds us.  But therein resides the true nature of the “winter” in which we find ourselves, and the true nature of the disease that afflicts us.   In short, at some point in her history the Church in North America and Europe ceased to be culture-forming and came to be, instead, formed by the culture. 

"My claim, therefore, is that the fundamental crisis in the Church today is not rooted, primarily, in sexual perversion.  It is rooted, rather, in the idolatry of worldly comfort, which I take to be the very essence of the bourgeois spirit.  It is an idolatry made respectable (and therefore unrecognized as idolatry) by the Church’s modern acceptance of the Enlightenment’s co-optation of the Kingdom of God by politics and economics.  This entails as well the de facto, practical atheism that ensues when God’s Transcendence comes to be viewed competitively over and against our worldly fulfillment.  In such a bourgeois regime, where Christianity has been tamed and has become just one more aid or help to our self-improvement in this life (Shmemann’s genius insight), the Kingdom of God has to be gutted of its true supernaturally transformative power and replaced with either the ridiculous Gospel of prosperity or the totalizing social/political Gospel of the Left.  And, as Schmemann further points out, our status as homo adorans, as primarily in our essence “worshipers of the true God”, is thus replaced by homo faber, or humanity viewed as a mere economic commodity, either as a producer or as a consumer, and as a forger of brave new worlds in the here and now."

With safety in mind, dioceses look to reopen 

Church Doors

This article from Our Sunday Visitor points out mostly things I will not mind at all, with the exception of only Communion in the hand.

"The next time you go to Mass, someone wearing a medical protective mask may take your temperature and ask if you have a sore throat or shortness of breath.

You may see every other pew roped off to keep the faithful 6 feet apart from each other. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers could be located throughout the building. The seating capacity will probably be reduced, so not everyone who wants to go to church may be allowed inside.'

...

"As more governors begin talking about reopening their states, most of which have been shut down for almost two months because of the coronavirus pandemic, a growing number of the nation’s Catholic bishops are looking to bring back public Masses, albeit with restrictions.

“Proper distancing, all must wear a mask, holy Communion only on the hand,” Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, tweeted April 28 in announcing that public Masses in his diocese will return on Pentecost weekend.

By late April, the dioceses of Great Falls-Billings and Helena in Montana, as well as Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas, had resumed public Masses, but with conditions that limited the number of people who could attend the liturgies and that mandated the gatherings still comply with public health regulations aimed at stemming the pandemic.

In Great Falls-Billings, for example, social distancing has to be maintained at all times. The sign of peace is prohibited, as is receiving Communion on the tongue. The offertory procession is not held, the precious blood is not available to the faithful and baskets are not used for collections."

Where Did All The Catholics Go?

The above link is to the latest from one of my favorite writers Rod Dreher.  I have been reading him since he wrote in the NY Post, remember him writing of his conversion to the Catholic Church and then his exit to the Orthodox Church.  I consider him to be one of the most reliable sources of info and ideas on the Church, especially because he has written from an outside-inside-outside viewpoint.  I was able to read The Benedict Option during this lockdown and highly recommend it.  In today's link he quotes Ryan Burge:


I know, the nones are growing rapidly.

But, the share of evangelicals who are going to church weekly or more has never been higher - same for mainline Protestants.

There's been no real shifts among black Protestants. The real decline is Catholics - 45% in 1970's, 25% today Of course the corruption of the clergy accounts from a lot of it, but most Catholics were not aware of how extensive this problem was until recently. What has driven people from the Church is that for 50 years we were told that anything traditional was bad, no good, terrible and also immature. They built or redecorated Churches to make them look bland or just without any beauty. They tried to water down all the teachings and when all is said and done most Catholics did not see any reason to continue with any of it. The traditional Mass is making a big comeback (I can longer keep up with how many of the newer priests celebrate it) and hopefully with the Mass will come more traditional teachings and practices. In the end though, the most traditional priest celebrating the most traditional Mass will mean nothing if he and the people are not authentic followers of Jesus Christ. This is why I consider myself a 'Reform of the Reform' guy, whereas so many in my shoes have gone full Traddie. Catholics, especially those in positions of authority in the Church have been so fearful and angry of anything traditional that they lost sight of what it was Catholics were looking for - authenticity.

The Catholic Church during Coronavirus

During this whole Covid 19 and lockdown situation I have seen more veiled chalices, traditional latin Masses, Ordinary Form Masses celebrated Ad Orientem, Eucharistic processions and house blessings than ever before.  This is amazing when you lived through the 1970's and 1980's.  When I first was blogging (17 years ago!) I followed all the arguments and discussions on the Church and kept up with all of it.  Now, I can't keep up with it all and don't have any desire to but the Church on Long Island is looking a lot more traditional than in the past.  One of the best bloggers Amy Welborn at Charlotte Was Both puts it best in this post:  Pendulums.  It is well worth a read.

A Sample:

"There are countless angles to come at in examining the past few decades of Catholic history, but one that I emphasize frequently – because I see it neglected in other discussions of the time – is that a major focus of the changes in that period was the conviction that the Stuff of Faith, from buildings to ritual, to objects of devotion, to devotional practices themselves, were not actually helps to authentic faith, but obstacles. "

Two Reasons for Fewer Vocations

The above article at Corpus Christi Watershed is by Richard Clark, a native Long Islander now living in Boston.

Below is his main point:

"MYRIAD CAUSES can be distilled into one: Lost Catholic Identity in our increasingly secularized world. Such secularization has crept its way, in varying degrees, into two critical areas:

1 • Celebration of the Sacred Liturgy
2 • Catholic Schools and Faith Formation of children and adults"

The Untitled Catholic Podcast is back to airing new episodes.  One of their recent ones featured guest Fr. Stephen Ries who is a Long Islander and former Marianist Brother who became a priest for the Archdiocese of NY.  He currently serves as secretary to Cardinal Dolan.

National Catholic Prayer Breakfast hears call for 'Catholic great awakening'


Washington D.C., Apr 23, 2019 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast heard an uncompromising call to holiness and the defense of every human life Tuesday, with speakers calling for a “Catholic great awakening.”
A total of 1,400 gathered in Washington, DC for the 15th-annual prayer breakfast, where keynotes were delivered by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix and Curtis Martin, founder and director of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students."

...

"In his keynote address, FOCUS president Curtis Martin noted that human history was punctuated by periods of renewal, sparked by a return to God in a spirit of atonement. But instead of doom and gloom, he said, the coming generation of young Catholics has the potential to do great things.
The current generation, he said, are “survivors by God’s design” having been born after abortion was legalized and are poised to “wake up” and “vanquish the devil in this generation.”
The United States has experienced ebbs and flows in religious devotion before, and has seen two “great awakenings” among Protestants that resulted in renewed faith for believers. Perhaps, said Martin, this is what the Church in America needs.
"Wouldn't it be a great time for a Catholic great awakening?"

Knights of Columbus pledge support to Sri Lanka after church bombings

I am very glad I belong to this group.


"In response to Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that left over 320 dead, the Knights of Columbus have pledged support to the diocese of Colombo to help rebuild the local Christian community.


“The Knights of Columbus stands in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka during this time of trial. Terrorist attacks like those on Easter Sunday are the acts of those who reject the sanctity of life, human rights and religious freedom,” said CEO Carl Anderson in a statement."
...

"Every country should protect its religious minorities, and freedom-loving countries must demand nothing less of their neighbors. Talk of human rights and religious freedom rings hollow when people are killed for nothing more than worshipping the one who taught us to love one another,” he continued.

The financial support of $100,000 from the Knights has been sent to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, who has criticized the Sri Lankan government for failing to heed warnings of the attack."

In Praise of James V. Schall S.J.

Over at The Catholic Thing, some authors remember Fr. Schall.  I learned he was a fellow fan of Peanuts and Charles M. Schulz.  I only knew him from his writings so it is great to read of his considerable personal charms, which some intellectuals lack.


"Now much as Fr. Schall loved beautiful cathedrals and “the burning fire of thought,” we must immediately add that he endorses Blake’s next thought, which descends to a more homely level: “He who would see the Divinity must see him in his Children.”

This Schall manifestly did every step of his life. I saw him once befriending a camera crew who had come to film an interview with him and then doing the same with the cab driver who arrived to take the crew away.

Even more I think of an incident as he and I descended a large stone stairway at White Gravenor Hall after class, deep in conversation over Plato. Just ahead of us, a lass began sobbing on the landing, no doubt after some treacherous youth had dumped her there. Schall instantly dropped Plato and was at her side, consoling her and taking her away for a private talk."

Retired Priest from Merrick killed by impaired driver

"Family and parishioners of a Merrick church are mourning the loss of a retired priest who delivered a sermon on Jesus' life and resurrection, then died hours later on Good Friday in a crash allegedly caused by an impaired driver on the Southern State Parkway.

The Rev. T. Chacko Mammen, 69, was driving west in his GMC sport utility vehicle when a Honda driven by Christopher Gomez-Almendarez, 23, rear-ended his vehicle about 12:10 a.m. near Exit 30 in North Massapequa, State Police said. The GMC careened onto the shoulder and hit a tree. Mammen was rushed to St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, where he was pronounced dead, police said."

                         



This is a tragic loss for his family and for the Mar Thomas Church - this is a Church not in communion with Rome but with its origins going back to St. Thomas the apostle.  God Bless his family and his parish.

More Podcasts of interest to Catholics

I was listening to the Tom Woods Podcast episode on the Notre Dame Cathedral with guest Denis McNamara, professor at the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary and author of How to Read Churches .  He discussed Catholic architecture and also happened to mention another podcast called The Liturgy Guys.  Their most recent episode was about interesting rubrics in the Triduum so of course I had to listen to it.  I will have to check out more of their podcasts.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Various people have suggested that the rebuilding effort of the great Cathedral should be combined with a rebuilding of the Catholic faith in France and Europe.  Hopefully, this huge tragedy will be the impetus for real renewal.  Others have pointed out how universal is the appreciation for this great beauty of a Church- even among those who are indifferent or hostile to religion, Christianity, or Catholicism. 

Steven Schloeder commented on his facebook page a great thought as a Catholic architect, ending with this very true bit:

"Consider the Los Angeles Cathedral. It already looks like a wreck. No one would care if it got destroyed. No one loves it. No one thinks it a sign of God's effusive beauty and glory and goodness and order.

Yet Notre Dame de Paris made us weep for its loss. What a contrast."

This is good news:

Donation Pledges Roll In For Notre Dame's Reconstruction

Rod Dreher: 

Notre Dame Fire: A Sign For Our Time

The 10 Worst Catholic Church Songs of All Time

The above link takes you to an enjoyable video of The Catholic Talk Show. I am finding that as blogging has become almost dead, the podcasts and vlogs are providing the same thing I used to find with Catholic blogs:  Great conversations, funny and orthodox but irreverent discussions on Catholic stuff.  This topic of awful Catholic music has been discussed for years yet we still hear the same music at most parishes.  Some of the songs discussed in this episode might make fine folk music on its own but the music is not made for congregation singing and is overwhelmingly sappy and thus, not right for Mass. 

O’Malley blesses Marathon runners in first Mass at restored Cathedral of the Holy Cross


"The stately cathedral’s faded red carpet is gone, as are the steps into each pew that sometimes tripped congregants. New stone tiles that were handpicked by O’Malley gleam, and the aging pews have been refinished and fitted with new kneelers. When more than 50 runners gathered at the altar for O’Malley’s blessing, they stood on steps of shining marble.

“It’s a dream come true,” O’Malley said of the restoration in an interview after the Mass. “This is a great old cathedral, and there was a lot of benign neglect over the years. But, as in all of these old churches, if you don’t make the sacrifice to preserve it, eventually you’re going to lose it.”

Cardinal Sarah on Mass Migration


"It is better to help people flourish in their culture than to encourage them to come to a Europe in full decadence,” he said. “It is a false exegesis to use the word of God to promote migration. God never wanted these heartbreaks.”

The Guinean cardinal, one of the most conservative voices in the Vatican, said priests, bishops and even cardinals were today afraid to proclaim divine teaching.

“They are afraid of being frowned upon, of being seen as reactionaries. So they say fuzzy, vague and imprecise things to escape criticism, and they marry the stupid evolution of the world,” he said.

Migrants arriving in Europe were parked somewhere without work or dignity, he added. “Is that what the Church wants?” he asked.

 

The Church should not support “this new form of slavery” because the West, with its low birth rate, risked disappearing, he argued. “If Europe disappears, and with it the priceless values of the Old Continent, Islam will invade the world and we will completely change culture, anthropology and moral vision.”

 

Many of us Catholics were praying for an African Pope to follow Benedict XVI due to their orthodoxy, strength and great understanding of real Christianity in the real world.  Unfortunately we will have to wait.

This list is a bit old but interesting:  Catholic Dioceses in the USA listed by size

Rockville Centre is # 8 and our neighbor and 'parent' Diocese of Brooklyn is #5.  We used to be part of the Brooklyn Diocese so if RVC were not created, the combined Diocese would be #2.

Here are the top twenty:

#	Catholics	Population	Percent Catholic	Diocese	Year	Source
1	4,174,304	11,096,200	37.62%	Los Angeles (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
2	2,521,087	5,602,418	45.00%	New York (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
3	2,442,000	6,104,000	40.01%	Chicago (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
4	2,077,487	3,970,026	52.33%	Boston (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
5	1,826,592	4,694,705	38.91%	Brooklyn	2004	ap2005
6	1,486,058	3,872,783	38.37%	Philadelphia (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
7	1,481,866	4,441,551	33.36%	Detroit (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
8	1,428,563	2,753,913	51.87%	Rockville Centre	2004	ap2005
9	1,319,558	2,835,594	46.54%	Newark (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
10	1,170,480	3,000,000	39.02%	Orange in California	2004	ap2005
11	1,041,123	4,972,544	20.94%	Galveston-Houston (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
12	1,017,196	3,556,631	28.60%	San Bernardino	2004	ap2005
13	930,379	3,041,195	30.59%	San Diego	2004	ap2005
14	930,352	3,371,300	27.60%	Dallas	2004	ap2005
15	904,000	4,755,500	19.01%	Seattle (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
16	888,004	1,044,711	85.00%	Brownsville	2004	ap2005
17	856,783	4,036,799	21.22%	Miami (Archdiocese)	2004	ap2005
18	815,719	1,966,067	41.49%	Pittsburgh	2004	ap2005
19	812,675	2,852,331	28.49%	Cleveland	2004	ap2005
20	780,925	2,000,235	39.04%	Trenton	2004	ap2005

The Catholic Church’s Culture Clash

The above link is to a great article by Fr. Dwight Longenecker.  He talks about the consumerist attitude of Catholics today compared to the original idea of a geographic parish in the days where people could not travel easily.  Go read the whole thing.  He says the old way of geographic parishes does not work any more and suggests an alternative that is interesting.  It sounds a lot like the Oratory in Brooklyn I recently found out about. 


"The administrative, sacramental and pastoral structure of our church is geographical. The kingdom of God (which is the church on earth) is divided into Archdioceses, dioceses and parishes.
This system was established when people had a national and regional identity. They were local. They lived in a village where they were born. They lived within an extended family, and the parish had its own hierarchy. “The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate.” The church and the priest contributed to the spiritual part of that model.
This works just fine as long as people remain local. Without modern transportation everyone walked everywhere or at most, rode a horse or took a carriage.
The parish church was simply a part of this larger social structure.
But we don’t live that way anymore. We are mobile and globalist. The family is broken. We go anywhere, live anywhere and settle (if we settle at all) anywhere."

Bishop Brennan was installed today as the Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus.  The Mass was livestreamed on the Columbus Diocese website and salso hown on Catholic Faith Network.   Columbus is made of 278,000 Catholics with 105 parishes.  I hope Bishop Brennan will make us proud - he is the 6th Long Islander to be sent off the island to serve as a current Bishop.

 

Bishop Brennan honors faith heritage at installation

"In his installation homily, Columbus Bishop Robert J. Brennan paid tribute to his family’s history of faith and urged the people of his new diocese to appreciate their own faith heritage and give it to future generations through everyday sacrifice and concern for others.

“My grandfathers handed on a priceless legacy of faith, hope and love that was passed on to us by my parents,” Bishop Brennan said at his installation Mass at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral on Friday, March 29. “These are the great treasures, aren’t they? Here for us in the Diocese of Columbus, we too are the heirs … to a wonderful legacy of faith.

“We stand on the shoulders of the people who built this up for us. And now it’s our turn, It’s our turn as the new generation. The faith they handed on to us – faith, hope, and love – these aren’t museum pieces to be admired and watched, but a living encounter with the risen Jesus Christ.”

About 800 people, including 35 other bishops, filled the cathedral for the one-hour, 50-minute ceremony, at which Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the United States, read the letter written Jan. 31 by Pope Francis appointing Bishop Brennan as the 12th bishop of Columbus. He had been auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, for nearly seven years."

Recalling Mother Angelica, prelate says Catholic journalists are to spread the gospel

"Vatican City, Mar 27, 2019 / 10:24 am (CNA).- The crisis facing the Church today calls Catholic journalists not only to “relentless and fair reporting” but also to spreading the gospel, Archbishop Georg Gänswein said in a Mass said in memory of Mother Angelica.
The March 27 Mass at Santa Maria della Pieta in Camposanto dei Teutonici in Vatican City marked the third anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of EWTN Global Catholic Network. EWTN is the publisher of Catholic News Agency."