Te Deum laudamus!

A new blog... with link

2025-05-10T17:56:00.001-04:00

I'm blogging at a new site under the name, "In the Castle Corridors". Please follow me there and subscribe via the email option to get new posts when they come out.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

On the Archdiocese of Detroit and TLM permissions expiring July 1, 2025

2025-04-17T14:28:00.005-04:00

File Photo from Maundy Thursday, 2015 at Assumption Grotto

It's not your imagination that this blog has 'resurrected' itself before Easter of 2025. It's been 8 years since I've posted here, but I feel compelled to offer some thoughts on a local subject in a way that can be shared.

Yesterday, April 16, 2025, the Archdiocese of Detroit issued a statement regarding the celebration of Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) permissions expiring on July 1, 2025 in parish churches, with the exception being St. Joseph's downtown which is run by the ICKSP priests, and some possible regional celebrations outside of diocesan church buildings. It all stems from the Holy Father's 2021 Apostolic Letter, Traditionis Custodis (TC).

I've known about this since April 9th as it came to me from someone who was at the meeting, but who was not affiliated with Assumption Grotto. I didn't say anything publicly because I didn't want to get ahead of my pastor, whom I presumed didn't want to get ahead of any official, public pronouncement by Archbishop Weisenburger. I also assumed my pastor wanted to get through Easter without the rush of panicked parishioners. I didn't even tell him that I knew about this.

I'm also aware of a letter to priests by the archbishop circulating online, but would prefer to not publish that at this time.

Why now?

I question the prudence of even saddling the priests with this highly sensitive subject ahead of one of the most stressful weeks in the priesthood and expecting word to not get out. One parish posted about it on their website and in their social media which then went viral in Catholic circles online on April 15th. This seemed to force the AoD to put out the statement with more details on April 16th, Spy Wednesday, during Holy Week. So, the jeannie is out of the bottle.

After some reflection this past week and reading the statement, I can only wonder if Archbishop Vigernon would have been able to renew the permissions, or not. At this time, I do not know if he had permission from the Holy See or if he extended permission of his own accord using his conscience and understanding of his rights as an archbishop under canon law. So, if Archbishop Vigneron had not been replaced by Archbishop Weisenburger, would we be in the same place on July 1st? Hopefully, if someone knows they can email me: TeDeumBlog (at) gmail (dot) com.

One thing I would caution people on is to avoid letting emotions lead to rash judgment. There are simply some facts I do not have. Church teaching is clear: We cannot read the souls of any other person. I can't presume Archbishop Weisenburger is doing this out of spite, or out of any immoral reason without possibly committing rash judgment, or even engaging in objective calumny. I can't even judge him rashly on this matter because I disagree with some past statement he has made on a political figure, or on political topics, or even on other matters of faith where people might disagree; or because I believe him to be theologically incorrect on something (theoretically). I have to judge this issue by the facts I have about this issue. Given that the statement by the AoD follows TC to the letter, the only presumption I can make is that he believes this is how he must act. It doesn't mean I have to like it or agree with it, but it's the only way I see to avoid rash judgment.

Are you leaving Grotto for St. Joseph's?

Several people have asked me: Are you leaving Grotto for St. Joseph's? The answer is a resounding, "no". If I make it to heaven, I owe it to the priests and parishioners of Assumption Grotto. I will not abandon them over something outside of their control. Put another way, my love for the TLM does not surpass the love I have for the priests and people of my parish. Like many at Assumption Grotto, I have preferred the depth of words in the usus antiquior over the new Mass, but I often find myself at one of the other Mass time-slots for one reason or another. So I go to both forms, as do many others at the parish. In fact, the words in the 1962 Missal have given me a greater understanding of the Novus Ordo so, when I do go to it, I know more fully what is happening. This has been one of the fruits of the TLM.

Those of you in other parishes facing this decision of whether to abandon your current pastor and parish need to think about how life will be when that parish is closed because numbers fell below critical levels as families left for St. Joseph's or a regional site. This is nothing against St. Joseph's but they have a thriving community already.

Also, I do not want to go further into Detroit than I already am at Grotto. It's a 20 minute ride for me and just 2 miles into one of the worst zip-code in Michigan. We have security and I've never had an issue while there. But, I don't need a 40 minute ride with more distance in this zip-code. While the lot and streets people park on to go there are guarded, as well, I don't like the parking situation at St. Joseph's and I can't walk far, especially in cold weather due to asthma. My alternator died at Gratiot and State Fair one Sunday a few months back on the way to Grotto - that was bad enough. That's why I don't go to late night Masses anymore. Stuff happens. But I digress.

What about regional TLM's that Archbishop Weisenburger is considering?

TC allows for some celebrations of TLM's as long as they are not in a diocesan church, the way I understand it. So he is suggesting he will allow one such location in each region.

While this is well and good, there are several problems with this:

First, it pulls people from their current parishes, potentially lowering numbers that could eventually lead to its closing.
Second, since priests are tied up at their own parishes during regular Sunday morning Mass times and we are low on priests, I'm betting these regional Masses will be at off times as they were in the past, like at 2:00 in the afternoon. There's nothing like breaking up an entire Sunday just to have a TLM option. Forget family dinner - there's no time to cook, unless you like nuked, frozen dinners.
Third, TLM's are often filled with sacred polyphony and Gregorian chant which relies on the superb acoustics in parish churches, especially older gothic ones. It's not the same in a small chapel or community building.
Fourth, TLM's often use organ with similar acoustic effects which is a huge loss.
Fifth, the feeling of regional TLM's basically feels like being told to go to the back of the bus and be grateful about it. If it feels like the back of a bus, it is the back of the bus.

What I'm praying for

I pray for the Holy Father to get a better understanding of the TLM community than someone has given him. I pray his successor will reverse TC if he doesn't. TC is one of the most unmerciful and uncharitable Apostolic Letters I've read and I cannot relate to the concerns he has raised through it in my experience with the TLM community.

I pray that Archbishop Weisenburger will consult with his fellow Michigan bishops, some of whom know Detroit very well. "Listening sessions" are buzzwords of the day. I pray the archbishop will come into our sheep-pens to see we do not smell any more than any other sheep. There is the TLM community at St. Joseph's, but there is another community outside of St. Joseph's. The latter is broken-up into more communities - the one at Assumption Grotto, the Oakland County Latin Mass Association, and the many ordinary parishes that offer an occasional TLM. It is actually one TLM community, but there are some slight cultural nuances within them. I've never studied it in depth, but I just know it's there. Personally, I think they are all good and I know people in all of them, and have visited at times. Some prefer one over the other just as other Catholics prefer one parish community over another. My point is that St. Joseph's does not represent the TLM community as a whole.

I pray the archbishop will recognize that for every caustic-crank he can find in a TLM community, we can introduce him to one caustic-crank in a non-TLM community. For any one person in the TLM communities who might reject the Novus Ordo, we can find ten at any other community who reject dogmas, doctrine, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church openly in their parishes (mostly through ignorance, but some willfully). For any one TLM-goer who has a misunderstanding of worship, we can find someone in the charismatic community who is equally confused, but in a different way. I could go on, but I think you get the gist of it.

I pray the archbishop will get to know where all of the SSPX chapels are in southeast Michigan, including those that may be bordering the AoD. Equally, I pray he gets to know about the many churches with traditional trappings around town that are in varying degrees of schism. I personally know a lapsed Catholic who went to the schismatic chapel not far from me because she had a desire to return to Church and the traditional nature of it lured her. But, it then left her scandalized with what she experienced there until I explained they left Rome so long ago the last pope they recognized died many decades ago. I don't think she ever returned fully because she couldn't find a TLM close to her and did not want to drive through unsafe neighborhoods. The Polish National Church is in town too, and there are others. I question whether any diocese in the world has more in one area than do we. The AoD may lose some people who don't understand the nature of these churches if TC is followed to the letter, and/or by not finding a way to renew permissions. What one pope binds another could loosen, but the damage will already be done. We could dismiss these lambs as being weak of faith in leaving for places like this, but do they not need the care of a patient shepherd who will work through this weakness rather than try to take away the one thing that has them in the right place for that care?

How I'm going forward

I'm not going to let emotions guide me or rule me despite the pain and the feeling of being in a class of people very misunderstood by the Church hierarchy, going all the way up to the Holy Father. The baby is being thrown out with the bath water, to be sure.

But, my belief is that it is ever more important for all of us affected to remain pure and humble as we discuss it because the Holy Spirit can do more to fix what is broke this way than if we try to wield a sword. Jesus did not want to be defended this way, nor should we use the sword of our tongue to deal with this. This is outside of our control. I know it's outside of my pastor's control. And what I don't know is if it is outside of the archbishop's control (in the absence of some aforementioned information). All I have left is to seek the truth, appeal to reason, pray and fast, and be grateful Assumption Grotto has a most reverent Latin Novus Ordo. Then, leave it to the Holy Spirit and to the Blessed Mother, who has a way of helping shepherds who don't understand a part of their flock.

I don't need to crowd Fr. John over this as I still believe he will bring it up at a time of his choosing. This is an exhausting week - he doesn't need emotional people hitting him with something not in his control and no amount of huffing and puffing is going to change what is happening.

I do know this much. Archbishop Weisenburger is my bishop. Despite differences of opinion we may have on things where people can disagree, he is the bishop we have to work with. Fr. John Bustamante is my pastor and I've known him long enough to know he is an obedient son of the Church. He will also do as he is told, even if he doesn't like it, and he will do it with grace as I've always seen him do. I plan to act on grace too and humbly accept the liturgy that he and the retired priests there can offer us.

Keep calm, and carry on. That is what I plan to do - all the while praying for the Holy Father, the archbishop, my pastor, parishioners and all affected by this very sad development.

[post updated for clarity]

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Where you can find me...

2016-12-22T12:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends - you may have noticed that I haven't posted since May of 2016. I find myself without the kind of blogging these days that I once had. And, social media like Facebook and Twitter make it easier for me to use one click sharing and comment only when I want.

One of the reasons I don't have time for blogging is that I've taken on the responsibility of the new AssumptionGrotto.com website. It is in transition and changes are likely coming. What you see now is a temporary site. I strongly recommend adding your email address to the field in the upper right side bar so you will get an email each time there is a new posting. This includes news about orchestral Masses and other Grotto happenings. Visit the parish site to also find Assumption Grotto in social media.

I may post here in the future, but there are no immediate plans. If you want to follow my postings, I recommend you follow me in Facebook. There is no need to send a friend request since there is an option to simply "Follow". My postings are public so this should suffice. I have been getting many friend requests - hundreds that I have not gone through. I got burned by people with less than friendly intentions soon after accepting friend requests, so I stopped arbitrarily approving. If you know me in real life, or were someone I corresponded with in email, drop me an IM in Facebook and I'll look for your friend request and approve. I still periodically try to go through some and approve, but these will be limited. I'm not interested in having as many friends as possible; I'm interested in friends who share interests and aren't friending me to make a pitch or scam me.

To a much lesser extent I am on Google Plus, but far less gets shared there. My Twitter account is still active, and that can be found in the upper sidebar here.

Visit AssumptionGrotto.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Upcoming Orchestral Mass Schedule for Pentecost, Corpus Christi, and Sacred Heart & more

2016-05-09T21:05:00.002-04:00

Four Orchestral Masses will be celebrated (all using the 1962 Missal). See the schedule below.

Please note: There is a change from the past, after Corpus Christi, with the addition of another set of orchestral Masses (Schubert, Mass in G Major). See the added Masses for June 3 (Friday evening Mass for Sacred Heart) and June 5.

As I mentioned, all Masses will be in EF (1962 Missal). At this time, we know the May 29th Mass at Noon will be a Solemn High Mass in the EF. If you go to 9:30 that day, it will be the new Mass, most likely in Latin

Here is a trifold for reference.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Backlog of homilies

2016-05-03T20:47:00.001-04:00

We had some technical problems leading into Holy Week, with our audio recordings, which has since been fixed. Most of the backlog that could be saved, was uploaded to the Assumption Grotto SoundCloud page last week.

Details of those homilies, and a handout provided by Fr. Perrone at all Masses on April 17th, are in links in this GrottoCast post.

There may be a homily for April 24th, but it is a work in progress.

There will be no homily uploaded for May 1st since it was CSA weekend.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.
Follow Assumption Grotto on SoundCloud for audio homilies; and on Facebook

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Fr. Perrone remembers Mother Angelica in his Sunday Column

2016-04-03T20:37:00.000-04:00

Below is full text from the Pastor's Descant in today's Grotto News. Fr. Perrone reflects on Mother Angelica and remembers some personal encounters.

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A Pastor’s Descant

Mother Angelica R.I.P.

God often accomplishes His finest works with humblest means. This is a theme running throughout Sacred Scripture. The prodigious accomplishments of Mother Angelica in propagating, defending and preserving the Catholic faith have changed the course of the Church in our time, in the USA, and over the whole globe. That’s saying an awful lot, I know, but I can’t refrain from asserting it. One would have had to live through those dark, uncertain, and even frightening days after Vatican Council II to appreciate fully the recovery of theological sanity, doctrinal stability, reverence and piety that began to emerge from the rubble of those distressing times. While Mother Angelica and her works were not the only factors enabling the revival of real Catholicism–a work, we might add, yet in progress–yet she was indeed a mighty force that helped cut through the thick, multi-layered controls which had prohibited the reforms intended by Vatican II.

Dissidents were in charge of nearly everything–seminaries and religious education, liturgical movements and publications, chancery bureaucracies and priests’ councils, social media, Catholic schools and universities, local parish staffs. The clergy had made a general turn towards a destructive modernism which manifested itself in every aspect of Catholic life. The sufferers of all this, constrained to keep a respectful silence, were Catholic laity who struggled to keep faith, confidently trusting–in a laudable, if misplaced, loyalty–that they were being led aright. They had been told that this strange, new kind of Catholicism had been officially mandated by Christ’s Church. Thus the tension arose: fidelity and obedience to a Church which was manifestly odd and erroneous. Strong voices were raised in protest. I remember Catholics United for the Faith which valiantly tried to hold back dissent and teach truth. Father John Hardon’s great Catholic Catechism cleared much of the theological air that had infected doctrinal studies. It was, however, the emergence of the great pontificate of (Saint) John Paul II over the whole Church along with the apostolate of Mother Angelica in the communications media that turned things around towards a recovery of authentic Catholic faith and practice.

My association with Mother came about this way. As the newly installed pastor of Assumption Grotto Church, I had been invited to appear on Mother Angelica Live because our outdoors Lourdes Grotto somehow came to her attention. This was back in 1994. Although I had heard much about this bold and influential nun, I had never seen her TV program. After a brief introduction and prayer in the studio, we were to go onto the set and speak about heaven-knows-what. Mother and I got along fabulously, as they say. Immediately I felt comfortable in her presence because of the one thing we held most dear: love for the Catholic faith. An unexpected upshot of this TV appearance was a big boost in the prominence of our parish nationally and locally.

Our next great meeting was in regard to the formation of the first Call To Holiness Conference in 1996. For those who do not know, the story runs that the major dissident national ‘Catholic’ organization at the time was Call To Action, a wealthy, pestiferous monster born in our own Archdiocese in the later 1960s. It had graciously moved out of Detroit and into Chicago but had now planned to make a comeback to its native Detroit for a homecoming. Wondering over what to do about this troubling prospect, and rather confident that nothing would be done to stop it from our diocesan bureaucrats, I decided to hold a day of reparation in our church before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. I mentioned my idea to Fr. Hardon who was delighted with the proposal. Contact was then made with Fr. Joseph Fessio of Ignatius Press who said that this local countermove was far too little but that I should “go big” with the whole thing. I asked Fr. Hardon if he would invite Mother Angelica to come to the event and speak (Father had been her spiritual advisor). After prayer, Mother agreed to come. She made the day. Our Conference was a major anti-dote to the toxic offerings of Call To Action. It was, I would say, a great hit. Mother was to return to Detroit twice more for CTH Conferences, making a great impact on the people of the Archdiocese and of the whole country as well.

Fr. Perrone conducting on Easter Sunday 2016

My last involvement with Mother came upon the dedication of her ‘temple,’ the new monastery church she had built for her Order in Alabama. When the dedication date for opening the new chapel had to be delayed due to construction set-backs, Mother found that the musical program she wanted for the dedication Mass couldn’t go ahead. Alabama’s local choirs and orchestral musicians had made other commitments for the new opening date. Mother appealed to her TV audience for help. Was there a choir out there that could sing Mozart’s Coronation Mass for the dedication? Briefly put, we were able to fill the bill. Mother flew our parish choir down to Alabama, put us up in a motel, fed us and carted us about on a chartered bus. Our part was to have a single rehearsal with local orchestral musicians and to sing the opening Mass. It was a memorable event, of course, and Mother, with all that must have been on her mind those days, gave us a generous amount of personal attention. My favorite moment was during the singing of the Agnus Dei when I saw Mother’s head peeking out behind us to see what she was hearing. Evidently she was pleased. After Mass she met with us to thank us personally. Needless to say, we were overcome with gratitude ourselves.

Following the days of her increasing debilitation I had often thought of inviting her back to Detroit, if only to be seen once again (she could no longer speak) and receive a warm and generous public thanks for all she had done for the Church in her ever-so fruitful religious life. I realized that this would not have been possible. She was perhaps doing more than ever by her silent prayer and personal suffering than she had done in active apostolate. News of her death brought me the happiness of thinking that she had finally finished the work God had asked of her and was moving towards reaping the harvest of her tireless labors. You must pardon me for mentioning only these select things about this remarkable woman of faith. I’m aware that she did a great deal more in her writings (her inspiring pamphlets were loaded with sound doctrine), in her radio and TV network (which today, as EWTN, did so much to brighten the face of a depressed Catholicism worldwide), and in the founding of her religious communities which continue to steady, purify and strengthen the Church through the sacrificial lives of her many spiritual children.

Mother Angelica, may your warm and lovely smile glow with the heavenly radiance of the One you served so well on earth. We thank Him for your inspiring and inspired religious life. Rest, Mother, but do not neglect to pray for us.

Fr. Perrone

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Priceless liturgical moments in Mother Angelica's Mass for Christian Burial

2016-04-01T13:51:00.002-04:00

Priceless!

Many knew that Mother Angelica and her network had this thing going on with wanting to televise ad orientem celebrated Masses, but it ran into the then, local bishop (here is an old 1999 article discussing a conroversial decree at it's height, but since reduced to a norm in the Diocese of Birmingham on televised Masses to only face the people).

My mouth dropped when I realized the bishops, led by Archbishop Chaput, were celebrating the new Mass, but ad orientem, in partial Latin. My thought: Priceless and fitting. Seeking the face of God together in the Mass is a most beautiful thing for those who understand, or are taught. Mother long got what she wanted, in this regard, even if it was too late for her to see it through on earth.

We know a similar thing was going on over the use of Communion rail in the televised Masses there. Once again, my jaw dropped as I watched the bishops distribute Communion to those assisting at the Mass at the rail. Below are some images. Again, thanks be to God because it underscored Mother's love for the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, which she profoundly reverenced.

Now, as was pointed out to me, this was, in fact, the Shrine, where Masses are regularly celebrated ad orientem, but not on TV due to the norm in Birmingham. I recall wondering if Bishop Baker would lift that when he took over. One thing is for certain: He lifted it for this Mass. I'm sure it scandalized no one.

The choir hit more grand slams in that Mass with their beautiful choral pieces. I thought they were from SJC, but got a note saying the singers were made up locals in Alabama, not all necessarily Catholic, but offering their voices for Mother. The music choices couldn't have been better. Mother must beaming. Not long ago we saw a beautiful Mass at the funeral of Justice Scalia that everyone talked about. This one will also be much discussed for it's beauty and eloquence.

Later, I'll post what Fr. Perrone had to say about Mother Angelica in his column for this Sunday. [Update: Here is Fr. Perrone's column, embedded in one of my later posts]

Snapshots from the live feed in EWTN's iPhone app. I'll come back and add a video link once it is available. EDIT: Watch full Mass here.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

For Men: Holy League at Assumption Grotto

2016-03-01T22:08:00.001-05:00

Assumption Grotto is initiating the Holy League for men on the second Saturday of each month. Beginning March 12, 2016, Fr. Perrone will lead a Holy Hour with Exposition for Holy League at 6:30 A.M. It will include a 15 minute reflection, Sacramental Confession, a little time for Adoration, and Benediction just before the 7:30 A.M. Mass begins. After the Mass there will be an opportunity for fellowship in the Grotto Giftshop Cafe. Click on the images below to enlarge, for more info.

Please spread the word.

It is for men of the parish, but visitors are welcome. Please call the number on the flyer with any inquiries.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Fr. Perrone's homily for Sunday, February 14, 2016 - On the Devil

2016-02-15T20:17:00.001-05:00

Visit GrottoCast to hear Fr. Perrone's homily from this past Sunday. It was the first Sunday in Lent. The Gospel was about the temptations of Christ. Fr. Perrone spoke about that and how the devil runs interference in our spiritual lives.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Audio of Fr. Perrone's homily for Quinquagesima now available

2016-02-09T19:02:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday it was Quinquagesima in the 1962 Missal. Here is a link to the GrottoCast post to hear that homily online. If you have the free SoundCloud app and follow GrottoCast, look for this homily there.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Assumption Grotto distributes ashes according to the 1962 Missal, where it happens before the liturgy begins. In the past, Fr. Perrone has done the Blessing of Ashes before beginning the 7:30 a.m. Mass and those ashes were distributed before the start of the 7:00 p.m. Mass. In addition, there will be distribution of ashes at Noon for those who cannot make either Mass. Noteworthy is that the choir and schola sing at the 7:00 p.m. Mass. It is choir night and they have an abbreviated rehearsal following the Liturgy.

On Thursday, following the 7:00 p.m. Mass, there will be a Rosary procession to the outdoor grotto for the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes (weather permitting).

On Friday, Fr. Perrone will begin his Lenten reflections on the psalms. As posted earlier, the parish Fish Fry run by the Grotto K of C, runs from 4-7 pm. From 6:45 - 7:30 p.m., Fr. Perrone will have his talk. That is followed by Stations of the Cross in the Church, then Mass in the extraordinary form. The talks continue every Friday, except Good Friday (but there will be a fish fry). Please support this parish fund raiser. A flyer is embedded here for details.

Thanks to parishioner Beth Y. for providing this snapshot from the 9:30 a.m. Mass

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Lenten Talks on the Psalms on Friday evenings by Fr. Perrone

2016-02-07T19:29:00.000-05:00

FISH FRY FRIDAYS AND LENTEN TALKS

As can be seen in the attached flyer, Fr. Perrone will be doing a series of talks on the Psalms on Fridays during Lent.

Please note, for Lent only, the Friday evening Mass is later. The talks will begin at 6:45 and go to 7:30 PM. At 7:30, Stations of the Cross will be prayed in the church, followed by an EF low Mass. This allows people to eat and observe the pre-Mass fast.

FEBRUARY 11: FEAST OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

In the evening, following the 7:00 PM Mass, there will be a Rosary procession out to the grotto in honor of Our lady of Lourdes (weather permitting). The grotto, after which the parish gets it's name, was built in the 1800's after the pastor visited Lourdes, France.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Christmas Season Homilies - a GrottoCast Playlist

2016-01-09T21:39:00.000-05:00

In addition to the two Christmas homilies that were already uploaded, five additional homilies by Fr. Perrone and Fr. Aidan Logan, spanning from December 27 – January 3, have now been uploaded. These should be available in your free SoundCloud app on your smart device if you follow GrottoCast. Below is a playlist at the SoundCloud site for GrottoCast. These should play in the window online (the photo embedded in the player may not be Christmas).

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Christmas Photos and Audio (homily) from Midnight Mass at Assumption Grotto

2015-12-25T13:37:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of you on this most blessed of days!

Below is a slideshow of photos taken at the Midnight Mass at Assumption Grotto for Christmas. It was a Solemn High Mass (1962 Missal). The celebrant and homilist was Fr. Aidan Logan, O.C.s.o.; deacon, Fr. John Bustamante, and subdeacon was Br. Esteban Ybarra

Fr. Perrone directed the Assumption Grotto Choir & Orchestra. The music program for this Christmas season includes Mozart's Mass in C Major. See more here. That link also includes information for two more opportunities to hear this Mozart Mass - on December 27, and January 3.

You will also find photos of the "Shepherd's Masses" done after the Midnight Mass by Fr. Perrone, Fr. Logan, and Fr. John.

Two Christmas Homilies (links to audio)

To hear Fr. Logan's homily for this Mass, and Fr. Perrone's Christmas homily, follow this post-link to GrottoCast. The best way to keep up with audio homilies, is to subscribe using the tool in the sidebar at GrottoCast.

Photos

Use the "Play" button to begin the slideshow. It may take a few seconds to begin. To see the slideshow in full screen, click here (n.b. there is an option to turn on captions at the top, along with speed). To view the pictures individually at your own pace, visit the gallery (please link to this post rather than to the gallery, if you choose to share in social media or blogs).

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

2015-2016 Christmas Season Orchestral Mass Schedule and More

2015-12-19T13:29:00.001-05:00

Below is a snip of the flyer that was in the December 20th bulletin with full Mass and Confession schedule.

Also, if you are on Facebook, there are two events you can follow. One is for the orchestral Masses during the Christmas season (there are 3), and the other for the 11:00 PM vigil Mass on December 31st for the Solemnity of the Mother of God. A Pot-Luck, New Year's meal takes place afterwards in the gym.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Fr. Perrone's homily from the Second Sunday of Advent

2015-12-10T20:43:00.001-05:00

This is a little late getting online, but now available.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Two homilies by Fr. Perrone - November 22, and November 29, 2015

2015-11-30T19:06:00.005-05:00

My apologies for neglecting this site. I've been spending most of my time in other areas of the web that get much more traffic, such as Facebook. Social media has really made it so much easier to share with a single click.

If you don't see me blogging here, you can check Facebook, and simply click the "Follow" button (you may need to log into your account). I have reduced the number of people I'm approving as "friends" because I've had issues with some who are opportunists look for ways to exploit that friendship (and who have no interest in the topics I do). So, just hit the "follow" option once you get to my page.

No, it's not the end of blogging for me. I just have needed to catch up on a number of things and with added work related to uploading homilies weekly, among other new tasks, something has to give now and then.

Here are two homilies by Fr. Perrone. These were posted in the Assumption Grotto Church Facebook page, and at GrottoCast.com.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Fr. Perrone's homily for weekend of 40 Hours Devotion: Holy Eucharist - as rooted in Trinity and Incarnation

2015-11-16T15:49:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Assumption Grotto had 40 Hours Devotion. Fr. Perrone spoke on the Holy Eucharist as it is rooted in the dogmas of the Trinity and Incarnation. It was based on a talk he recently gave to the secular Carmelites who meet at Assumption Grotto during their retreat.

To hear the homily, visit the post covering the November 15, 2015 homily at GrottoCast.

Also, see this post for a backlog of audio that was recently uploaded.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

40 Hours Devotion this weekend at Assumption Grotto - Important Notes...

2015-11-11T06:55:00.001-05:00

Below is the schedule for 40 Hours Devotion at Assumption Grotto. It begins Friday following the 7:30 a.m. Mass, with a Eucharistic Procession. The full schedule can be seen below. 40 Hours Devotion was once a big deal, in most parishes. I encountered it for the first time in my life at Assumption Grotto in 2005. I continue to recommend the article by Fr. William Saunders, written in 2003, "Forty Hours with Jesus Christ".

Heat anticipated this weekend, but dress in layers...

If you were at Grotto in recent weeks, you may have noticed the chill in the parish church. That's because there was a breakdown in the boiler that provides us with heat. I asked Fr. Perrone if we would have heat this weekend, and he said the plan is to have it restored by Friday afternoon. I know a number of people have been working hard on this. But, "stuff happens" and, in the event things don't go according to plans, be sure to dress in layers and have something warm. Mothers with altar boys will want to have pull-over sweaters handy on days they serve, in case the heat is not there.

For the rest of us, it's a good time to remember Colossians 1:24. That passage is the whole basis for the famous "offer it up" many of us heard growing up when having to bear with some kind of discomfort or pain.

It's about what you give

40 Hours Devotion, or any kind of Adoration, isn't about what you get out of it; it's what you give, to God, and to others for whom you pray. Consider this passage:

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Mt 8:20)

When you sit in Adoration, you give Our Lord your heart as a cushion for his head. While he needs no consolation, this time given to him, for his sake, is endearing to him the way a mother or father's heart is warmed when a child snuggles quietly by their side.

This kind of prayer is not without graces. In fact, it's when you give without looking for something in return - even consolations or good feelings in prayer - that your prayer is so much more efficacious. Those good feelings come by the grace of God and sometimes he withdraws those to see if we come for ourselves and what we get, or if we come to give when prayer seems so dry.

So, yes, it's a busy weekend - for most people. There is work to do, games to watch, the comfort of a warm home on a cold, fall day. But, can you find one hour on one or more of these three days to give him? It runs until 8:30 PM Friday and Saturday, and opens very early. There are many opportunities throughout the day. Can your schedule on Sunday handle a change to fit in the closing ceremony and procession?

Some Masses will be at side altars, like Saturday morning. Usually, these are at the Sacred Heart altar. You'll know by observing which altar is prepared, and where the candles are lit before Mass.

Recently, the backlog of audio homilies was cleared. See the post at GrottoCast to see which homilies have been uploaded.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Backlog of audio homilies uploaded to GrottoCast; 40 Hours Devotion next weekend

2015-11-09T06:47:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I caught up with the backlog of Fr. Perrone's audio homilies and all have been uploaded through yesterday's homily from the 9:30 a.m. Mass. See the post at GrottoCast.

40 Hours Devotion

Also, take note that next Sunday, the Mass using the 1962 Missal moves to Noon for that day only, because of the closing of 40 Hours Devotion. The 9:30 a.m. Mass will be in the new form, in Latin. The choir will also be singing at the Noon Mass instead of the 9:30. Fr. Perrone has gone to great lengths to promote this old Eucharistic gem that is called, 40 Hours Devotion. Fr. William Saunders wrote a beautiful article on it in the Arlington Catholic Herald in 2003. You can see one excerpt from that in the flyer below, which also contains the schedule. Try to come. Bring the family, or come in shifts. There is no sign-up. It has been dependent on people trickling in throughout morning, day, and evening. Click the image to enlarge.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Photos: Solemn High Requiem Mass for All Souls

2015-11-02T19:04:00.003-05:00

The catafalque, representing the faithful departed, is seen in the foreground
during the prayers at the foot of the altar.

At 7:30 a.m. today, a Solemn High Requiem Mass was celebrated for All Souls, while a visiting priest celebrated at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Priests may celebrate three Masses today, which each of the priests will have done today. There is still a 7:00 p.m. Mass tonight.

Propers used for the three Masses can be found here.

A few photos follow with many more in the gallery link. I would appreciate a link to this post even though the full set of pictures are in a gallery at my Smugmug account. This has information that goes with the photos.

First, here are one of three photos in the gallery of the Mass at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That young altar boy toughed out three consecutive Masses there.

I have found many subtle things in Masses using the 1962 Missal that heighten my sense of worship. Early on, my eyes were drawn to this moment when the celebrant consumes the Body of Christ, with the deacon and subdeacon off to the corners, bowing profoundly. The gesture speaks to the holiness of consuming Our Lord in the Eucharist, as we observe.

After the Mass, are the Prayers of Absolution at the catafalque.

Holy water…

Incense…

After Prayers of Absolution, a brief exit

Then, after altar boys make further preparations, Father Perrone celebrates his next two Masses. It was explained to people that they could receive Holy Communion at two of the Masses.

These altar boys worked three consecutive Masses, as well.

The full gallery of photos for All Souls is in this Smugmug gallery.

I recommend reading a brief post by Peter Kwasniewski at the New Liturgical Movement blog: Romano Guardini on Evening, Death, and Eternal Life.

Side note: The GrottoCast audio homilies are several weeks behind. I will get to those soon. Watch for updates.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Archdiocese of Detroit notifies priests about fake Latin Mass Society site in US run by Anthony Perlas {UPDATED]

2015-10-31T15:12:00.002-04:00

UPDATE - November 2: The Archdiocese of Detroit has released a public news release on Anthony Perlas

I've learned that an internal advisory has gone out to priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit about the activities of Anthony Perlas in the metro Detroit area, and his fake "Latin Mass Society" (not to be confused with the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales). I'm also hearing word is traveling among priests now in this area by phone and other means to make sure everyone is aware of the situation. His social media postings show that he has also been quite active in Ann Arbor, Jackson, Lansing and some other communities that would fall within the Lansing Diocese. He was previously in LA for a brief period and resided in North Carolina.

Many faces of Anthony Perlas

Anthony Raphael Perlas, who also refers to himself as Anthony "Tridentine," is a photographer who has an interest in photography of models, with an emphasis on young adult women and girls wearing chapel veils, holding rosaries, and other things that are are identified as Catholic. He mingles among communities who have a love for traditional expressions of Catholicism, having even been trained as an altar server by the Fraternal Society of Saint Peter (FSSP) in California during a brief period there (see disavowal statement below by Fr. James Fryar, FSSP below). He moved to Detroit at the end of March and is still residing in the area as of this writing.

He had served at some Masses in southeast Michigan, but from what I have heard, that has not happened in recent weeks. It is my understanding the local Juventutem chapter asked him not to return to any of their events back in September. Whether he may be serving at some parish in southeast Michigan, is unknown.

Perlas is operating a pseudo "catholic" photography service that involves a mix of semi-pro/pro models, and unsuspecting young adult Catholic woman and girls wearing chapel veils, or posing with items usually associated with Catholicism. On Facebook he refers to it as a "Modeling Agency - Catholic Church." He's not promoting Catholicism nor the Traditional Latin Mass, but himself and his interest, or fetish, in veiled women. He speaks of modesty while engaging in production of porn with those who do nude modeling. Among the models he uses, some are associated with Maxim and Model Mayhem - both known for sexualized photography and/or pornography. He himself uploaded female soft porn to one of his social media accounts, made public on October 10th, and followed up with portraits of fully clothed females wearing chapel veils in suggestive poses. The woman who is the "face" of Anthony's phony "Latin Mass Society" he names as Laura Bella Parry - a woman who says in an interview with South East Actors online:

"I do visit LA time to time to visit my fellow actors who made the leap and it is very tempting. I’m actually going out there this weekend to the Playboy Mansion Halloween party, which is always such a blast." (Can't find a date on that interview, but it was likely 2014 because it matches her Tweets at that time)

"Crown Maidens" and "Seal of Seratopia"

He refers to his female subjects - both the semi-pro/pro and unsuspecting Catholic women and girls as "crown maidens", "maidens" and likens them to the various choirs of angels. He has created what he calls the "Seal of Seratopia". He has several variations of these seals, adding Nazi swastikas in recent days. His most recent writings quote Hitler and defend him as a "great man". He has bleached his hair and has photos of a dagger, which I understand is a replica of one used by the SS. Variations of this logo have been used on everything from the pornography pictures to portraits of young children, and of course, his veiled young adult women and girls. The one on the right was cropped from one of the pornography photos.

Perlas has an oath that goes with this seal, which states, in part:

From Facebook screen shot taken Oct 31, 2015

There is a blog attached to his main website for Latin Mass Society and in a post entitled, "How to counter 'The Revolution' (Part III)", dated August 5, 2015 which lists "20 Commandments". Particularly disturbing is #13 and #20:

Screen capture, October 31, 2015

Anthony has collection of social media, and a website under the banner of "Latin Mass Society" (again, not to be confused with the fine society of the same name, in England and Wales). He also uses the name "Seroptics" for some of his accounts. Other names that may be used in social media include the Tridentine name. And still others, arfperlas. Please check to see if you are following his Latin Mass Society Facebook page. There were over 5500 people following it before word began to spread last week of his exploits. There are now under 4900 as of this writing. However, with Facebook algorithms, it's possible that you began following it early in the year, but no longer see posts. Check the pages you "Like" and consider unfollowing his Latin Mass Society page and his Latin Rosary Online page.

Why post on this? Is it detraction?

We should never divulge the immoral doings of another outside of those who have authority to deal with the matter. The exception is when there is a danger to others. Church authorities are just now coming to learn about it because people are contacting them about his visible online exploits.

I know a family duped in to using him for portraits of their 14 year old daughter, and under false pretenses where they believed the photographs would be used to promote the Latin Mass. He allegedly told them he was involved with a particular network on a documentary which was promoting the Latin Mass. On Facebook, he posted a selfie of himself with this girl pointing out she was home schooled her whole life. Two days later, she was featured in one of his online "postcards" with strange quotes attributed to her. This showed up in multiple social media accounts. Her mother was alerted by numerous people seeing it. She called and told him to take it down or she was coming after him with everything she had - an approach I suggest other people take with their own, or their child's photo exploited by him.

People have reached out to him going back to his time in California, and prior - priests and lay people. They are met with being blocked in social media, and hung up on if they call him. He has to want the help and if he is going to reject that help and continue with these activities, then he is no longer the primary concern - potential victims of his exploits are. That takes making people aware of what he is doing, what he looks like, and where he is operating.

I am very concerned for Anthony, but my first concern is for those who would get involved with him thinking he is a devout Catholic with a love for traditional expressions of the faith, especially minors.

Public Statement of Father James Fryar, FSSP

Last week, a statement by Father James Fryar, FSSP, in California, hit the public web. Fr. Fryar appears in some of the videos of online latin rosaries made earlier this year in web chats organized by Anthony.

Click to enlarge

Also, just the other day, Steve Skojec at One Peter Five, went public with his experience with Anthony in an online function. And, Father Z has also disavowed him. Perlas has all kinds of things suggesting he has the support of various organizations and people on his websites and social media. Someone may have pointed to some of his finer photographs, and some organizations may have accepted him for what he appeared, at least briefly. In most cases, you see no sustained relationship with these things he claims support him and his work. Some concerned Catholics have set up a "Latin Mass Society Hoax" page.

Make no mistake, when one encounters Anthony Perlas in person out of the blue at a parish function, or a young adult event for Catholics, or following Mass, outside an Adoration chapel, he comes across as a charming, devout Catholic who is enthusiastic about the faith and the Latin Mass. It doesn't take five minutes in perusing his website and Facebook page to see all sorts of red flags. This may not have been the case just a few months ago when the photos were more benign. In many cases, people may work with him and never check him out online. He likes to take selfies with people he meets. Don't do it.

I think Fr. Fryar makes an important point in his statement - don't make assumptions about the women and girls in the photos since we really don't know which ones are fully cooperating (from immodest and immoral modeling angencies) and those who think are looking for a simple portrait shoot, or under the guise of promoting the faith or Latin Mass.

Pray for Anthony Perlas

Anthony Perlas is using things Catholics hold sacred for evil ends. He clings to his own warped interpretation of Scripture and of Catholic teachings, such as Saint John Paul II's theology, popularly referred to as "theology of the body". Under his pornography pictures, he cites the late pontiff's teachings to justify uploading photos of female genitalia while also stating he's not objectifying women.

We are all sinners. Most of us have struggled with one teaching or another at times in our lives. We can probably all recall things in our past lives that were wrong, unclear, and misguided.

I know one thing for certain: Anthony Perlas is a child of God. No one should be referring to him as, "a demon," even if some of his exploits appear diabolically influenced. No human is an angel - not a good angel or a bad angel. There appear to be great complexities in his life - things a number of priests and men of good will have tried to reach out and help him with. Some of them are still waiting and hoping for him to take that step to talk to them, to get the help he needs, to make a full and authentic conversion. But it has to start with the closure of all websites and social media used to advance sexualized or pornographic content. This is true also of his accounts at places like Model Mayhem. He cannot possibly be taken seriously about Catholic conversion as long as he belongs to sites like that or keeps content online that is suggestive or pornographic. In fact, he would do well to take his photographic skills, which can be quite good, in another direction, away from these things which would be an occasion of sin for him.

If you have seen his writings, photography, videos, and connections, you'll understand the importance of heeding the suggestion of Jesus:

“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (Mk 9:29)

It's easy to love those whom we like; it takes acting on graces to love those whom we don't like, or who commit such overt offenses against God. If you love Anthony, you will offer penances and prayers for him, and have faith that with God, nothing is impossible.

So, let others know who might be vulnerable if he shows up at some parish, to not use his services, or to follow him in social media. But keep him in your prayers.

(This post has been updated for clarity)

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Photos from October 2015 Helper's of God's Precious Infants of Michigan prayer vigil with Archbishop Vigneron

2015-10-12T20:13:00.002-04:00

A baby's University of Michigan sports outfit hangs on a poll adjacent to the abortion mill
as people pray under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a Crucifix

This past Saturday, Archbishop Vigneron led the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan in their fall prayer vigil. There were so many events going on Saturday here in metro Detroit for Catholics, I was pleasantly surprised with the turn out. I can't be certain but would estimate approximately 150-200 people were out there praying all decades of the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

It began with Mass at St. Joan of Arc in St. Clair Shores. I had recorded the homily on my iPhone to capture some excerpts, but it was too difficult to hear from the echo.

Then, a long procession worked it's way from St. Veronica's in Eastpointe down to famed 8 Mile Road, where they crossed over to the island dividing east and westbound traffic. It was a prayer vigil, not a protest, so there were just Rosaries - lots of them. It was a beautiful day, and even though these pictures were taken between 8:45 and 10:00 a.m., it was oddly dark as if it was around dawn. The position of the sun is different this year, and I found it difficult to get proper light.

To see all of the photos, please follow the link to the my Smugmug Gallery for the October 10, 2015 Helpers prayer vigil.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Relics of two saints in metro Detroit this weekend: Saint Sharbel and St. Maria Goretti

2015-10-06T22:06:00.003-04:00

Saint Sharbel (Charbel) and St. Maria Goretti

This is proving to be a very busy weekend coming up. I already mentioned the prayer vigil for life being led by Archbishop Vigneron on Saturday for the Helper's of God's Precious Infants.

We also have the relics of two saints in town: St. Sharbel (sometimes seen as, "Charbel"); and St. Maria Goretti.

Catholics don't worship saints; we venerate them, reflect on their virtues, and ask them to intercede for us, since they are with God. Saints have been venerated through their relics since the early Christians did so with the bodies and body parts of martyrs. There is some excellent background and information on why Catholics venerate relics at the Catholic Education Resource Center (CERC) site.

I don't have time to go into much detail on both saints, but I will provide some resources here.

Saint Maria Goretti

At the Saint Maria Goretti - Pilgrimage of Mercy website for the USA tour, you will find all kinds of information about her, and the tour. Click the calendar to see if she is coming to your area. For metro Detroit, I know there are stops at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, Ss Cyril & Methodius in Sterling Heights, St. Scholastica in Detroit, and an unnamed prison (a very touching gesture, given the story of profound conversion in the man responsible for the death of little Maria Goretti). Click the link and scroll to that calendar for details. It's this weekend.

One of the things I try to do when it comes to the saints, is not to compare myself to them, lest it seem an impossible mountain to climb. Look to the saints for their virtues - not just the most obvious. It's important to look at Maria's purity (and I recommend people struggling with any kind of sins of impurity to ask for her intercession in helping), but look deeper and you will find one of the greatest stories of mercy, forgiveness, and earthly redemption to learn from. You have to understand the transformation that took place in her attacker - Alessandro Serenelli to fully grasp it, and how Maria's mother came to embrace him on his road to redemption long after Maria's death. That earthly redemption likely ended with him being in heaven with her, which was her dying prayer. What can we learn from that? What can we learn from her mother's embrace of Alessandro, years later, as she embraced him like a son? How did that affect this wounded soul's path back to God? I discuss some of this in a post I made some years ago. If the links are bad, just google a title I might have given with regards to books or DVD's.

Saint Sharbel (Charbel)

I became familiar with this Maronite monastic when I stumbled upon a video with english subtitles of his life. It was a movie, which I discussed in this post about Saint Sharbel. I have embedded the YouTube video at the bottom of that post. I heartily recommend it and as I say in that post, if you like, "Into Great Silence" you will like this movie (if you don't mind subtitles and watching it on a tablet, smartphone, laptop or other streaming device.) I've developed quite an affection for him and have picked up a book or two on his life.

Anyway, St. Sharbel's relics are here in metro Detroit. I should have posted earlier because they are already here, on the west side at St. Rafka Maronite Church in Livonia. Follow this link to the parish website and you will see a flyer on the left. Click that and it takes you to a PDF. There is a full day tomorrow, Wednesday yet. So, if you live on that side of town, try to make it over there.

St. Sharbel's relics are coming to the east side this weekend and the events will be held at St. Matthias on 19 Mile Rd. It is the St. Sharbel parish community that was in Warren until they sold the property last year. As they await their new church to be built they are using facilities out in the general area of St. Matthias. The schedule for that is here. If that doesn't work, you can get it through the Saint Sharbel parish website.

I saw that Archbishop Vigneron will be the celebrant for Mass at 7:00 PM Friday (the current flyer says Divine Liturgy on one page and Mass on the other, so I'm not sure which it will be at that time - watch for updates).

Where Maria Goretti's life story compels me to learn about forgiveness and mercy, and to love those who cause me injury, St. Sharbel compels me to love being in the company of God throughout my day, doing whatever it is I must do. His asceticism, coupled with charity, inspire me to practice mortification for the love of God (Col 1:24) - even in very small ways. The children of Fatima learned this during their most young and tender years. I fail miserably at it so if I make it to St. Matthias, I'll be asking for the intercession of St. Sharbel on those kinds of things.

Look to the saints as your brothers and sisters. Talk to them as you would others here on earth. If I can ask you to join me in praying for some petition to God, why can't I ask them since they already see the Face of God.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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Two homilies

2015-10-04T14:33:00.002-04:00

There are two homilies embedded at GrottoCast in this post. If you have the free SoundCloud app on your tablet or smart phone, look for the labels for the week of September 27 and October 4th. The latter was actually delivered on October 3rd at the 4:00 p.m. Mass.

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Did Bishop Peric order Holy Communion to be received on the tongue in Medjugorje?

2015-09-29T07:04:00.003-04:00

(source)

The Crown of Stars blog, which promotes Medjugorje, is reporting the following:

Fr Leon Pereira OP, the new pastor co-ordinating english-speaking Masses at Medjugorje, has informed pilgrims that the Mostar-Duvno bishop, Ratko Perić, has given orders for pilgrims to receive Holy Communion on the tongue only.

Making the announcement at midday Mass on Sunday, Fr Leon said: “The local bishop has given orders that Holy Communion is to be received on the tongue only, in his diocese. We must respect the local Bishop and I ask my brother priests to respect the authority of the local bishop and be obedient, as this is his directive and this is their local custom and we can’t do what we do back in our own countries.”

I have not confirmed if this is true or not, but we can still look at the matter.

The blog author goes on to quote two paragraphs from Redemptionis Sacramentum - a document which corrected a number of liturgical abuses. I am going to embolden and underline a relevant piece of the instruction and explain below.

91. In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that “sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them”. [177] Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing.

92. Although each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice, [178] if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand, in areas where the Bishops’ Conference with the recognitio of the Apostolic See has given permission, the sacred host is to be administered to him or her. However, special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful. [179]

Some of those footnotes point to paragraphs 160-161 of the General Instruction, which can be found here. But, the paragraphs above provide the needed clarification.

There are universal norms, and there are local norms for certain things like distribution of Holy Communion. The universal norm from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal is to receive on the tongue. In the United States the bishops have the permission of the Holy See to distribute in the hand. (Note that the text I underlined states that a Bishops' Conference may request permission from the Holy See to distribute on the tongue and that such permission must be recognized). If the bishops of Bosnia and Herzegovina have not requested and received permission for Communion distributed in the hand, then the default is the universal norm of distributing on the tongue.

When traveling, we do not get to take our local norms from the United States with us into other countries; rather, we are subject to the norms in use there.

In all probability, Bishop Peric is merely reinforcing the universal norm after being made aware of innocent abuses on the part of pilgrims who do not know any better. Hopefully, this was explained by the priest.

If it helps, Fr. McNamara, at the end of this discussion in his Zenit column, explained:

The indult allowing Communion in the hand was first issued in an instruction, "Memoriale Domini," published May 29 1969. This document allowed the bishops' conference to solicit an indult from the Holy See in order to permit the reception of Communion in the hand.

Not all bishops' conferences have requested this permission, and the traveling Catholic should be ready to adapt to local customs with respect to posture and mode of receiving Communion.

Even when the bishops' conference permits receiving in the hand, the faithful always retain the right to receive on the tongue if they so wish.

Note that while everyone, everywhere, has the right to receive on the tongue, the right to receive in the hand is subject to permission by Bishops' Conferences which must be approved by the Holy See.

Since there is no mention that Bishop Peric said anything about posture (kneeling or standing), there is no need to get into that discussion. Some years ago I did an exhaustive post series on this subject. Here are several posts.

Part 1: GIRM 160 (Introductory Post)
Part 2: Holy See clarifies GIRM 160 in November of 2000
Part 2.5: US Adapations to GIRM Approved for Submission
Part 3: Holy See Responds to US Adapations with Suggestions
Part 4: US Bishops on GIRM 160; Vatican Reiterates "no denial of Communion"

Visit GrottoCast.com for audio homilies from Assumption Grotto and more.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.