Sequence for All Souls
The Benedictine monks of the Benedictine Abbaye Saint-Maurice de Clervaux chant the Dies Iræ, the traditional sequence for Requiem Masses and the Masses of All Souls.
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Introit for All Souls
Coming Soon to Tacoma…
For the Love of God
If we believe that God created the world and us in it, if we believe that He did so out of an overflowing of divine love, if we believe that we were created that we might return that love to God and to His creation, then these facts should inform everything we do. Most especially, it should permeate how we […]
» Read moreHer Seven Sorrows
Whither is thy Beloved gone, O thou most beautiful among women? Whither is thy Beloved turned aside, and we will seek Him with thee? We begin with the first antiphon of Lauds for today’s feast of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Monastic Diurnal. The Blessed Virgin Mary is sometimes called Our Lady of Sorrows – […]
» Read moreBirth of the Virgin
God is truly a poet to confound the mathematicians and a mathematician to confound the poets. Nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December, today we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast so ancient that it is celebrated on the same day in both East and West. If I may be […]
» Read moreSaint Gregory the Great
Only a handful of Popes ever get named “Great”. Today in the Ordinary Roman calendar is the feast of one of them, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, confessor and doctor of the Church (540 – 604). Gregory had been born into an ancient and wealthy Roman family. Before he was 30 years old, he had been a Roman Senator and […]
» Read moreNotes on the Transitions,
Number 8 in a Series:
Farewell to Father Maurer
Father Maurer’s last Sunday Masses at Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph were this past weekend. Following the Noon Mass, a tremendous celebration was held for him in the old convent building. The noon Mass was positively packed. The last time I saw so many folks crowded into Holy Rosary was when Archbishop Sartain celebrated Corpus Christi here in 2013. I […]
» Read moreActuosa Participatio
Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s great Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, famously calls for “fully conscious and active participation” in the Liturgy (SC 14). In this, the Council Fathers echoed the words of Saint Pope Pius X in his Motu Proprio Tra le sollecitudini of 1903. But what does that mean? Fifty and more years on, it’s become quite […]
» Read moreToday’s Solemnity of the Assumption
This morning’s Mass at Holy Rosary was the last solemnity celebrated together by the parishes of Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph. Father Maurer celebrated the Mass to honor Our Lady and give glory to God, and it was beautiful, uplifting, and holy. Father chanted the prayers. We chanted the Ordinary of the Mass in English. Francine read from the Revelation […]
» Read moreOn a Mission from God
This morning, we were privileged to meet the young lady in this photo. She served with us at the Saturday Mass on the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Her name is Kara Jackson. She has Down syndrome. Kara is an Altar Server in her home parish in Ohio, and God has asked her to serve at the altar in all […]
» Read moreNotes on the Transitions,
Number 2 in a Series
A week or so ago, Saint Joseph held a “town hall” to discuss the upcoming changes as they transition to an Extraordinary Form parish under their new pastor, Rev. Michael Stinson, FSSP. There were 44 parishioners in attendance, as well as Fr. Maurer and the Vicar of Clergy for the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Very Rev. Gary Zender. It seems […]
» Read moreFeast of Saint James
On today’s Feast of Saint James, Father Maurer celebrated Mass at Holy Rosary. I served with six other servers, including our Seminarian guest, Chad Green. Since Saint James is the patron saint of our Archdiocese, we pulled out all the stops, including incense. Unheard of for a Saturday Mass! Chad and I more or less immediately afterwards served at a […]
» Read moreReview: Monastic Diurnal at One Year
Although I’ve prayed some form of the Divine Office since before my baptism, just over a year ago I began using the Farnborough Monastic Diurnal. It is only at this point that I feel confident enough to review it. Physical Considerations Physically, it is a handsome book. It is bound in stitched Moroccan leather that is a joy to hold. […]
» Read moreSummorum Pontificum at Eight
Eight years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI caused to be published the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. With the stroke of a pen, the ancient rites of the Mass (last updated in 1962) could suddenly be celebrated by any priest of the Roman Rite. Deo gratias! This ancient form of the Mass, the so-called Extraordinary Form, is a great gift to […]
» Read moreDoes the Church Ask Too Little of Us?
The Anchoress looks at something I’ve thought about for a while now: does Catholicism ask too little of us? It is striking to consider that while some in the church are suggesting that we need to require less of people, we are losing members to religions that are perceived to require “more” of them — particularly as pertains to prayer […]
» Read moreGiving the Devil Benefit of Law
Today is the memorial of one of my favourite saints, Saint Thomas More, who died at the hands of King Henry VIII (that villain). That is, it is his memorial in the modern Roman calendar. In the Benedictine calendar, it is no such thing – you’d have to wait for July 9 for that. Fortunately, I’ve become familiar enough with […]
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