Music for the New Translation

The preparation for the new translation is underway.

In an effort to foster diocesan unity, Bishop Sample of Marquette, MI, has indicated that he would like to begin with one common Mass setting that can be used by the parishes/missions as well as for diocesan events. The musical setting chosen is Mass of Resurrection by Randall DeBruyan, published by OCP.

Listen to this Mass here. Or here are some of the various parts separately:

Glory to God; Holy, holy; We proclaim your death; Save us Savior; Amen.

These settings are elegant, simple, beautiful. Although rendered in these samples by a choir and a trumpet accompanying the organ, I think they are easily within the capability of a parish of modest means. The melodies will be easy to pick up by a congregation.

And if every parish in the diocese will have at least this setting as a standard, it will make for great unity at diocesan Masses.

Celebrating and honouring marriage

Last Saturday evening there took place a dinner in celebration of marriage. Married couples of the parish were invited to be served a nice dinner provided by Coco's. Here's a slide show - captions hopefully added later.

Apologies to anyone who does not appear - I didn't manage to photograph every table.

Communion, Cuomo, Bishop Hubbard, Peters

As some of you may know, to quote the National Catholic Reporter

Edward Peters has started a brouhaha by suggesting that Gov. Cuomo should not be given communion because he lives with a woman to whom he is not married.

Cuomo was admitted to Holy Communion at an inauguration Mass at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Albany, NY. (See NY Governor Andrew Cuomo Should Be Denied Communion says Canonist Dr Edward Peters.

Most simple Catholics (amongst which I am happy to count myself) would think that Peter's "suggestion" is a fairly reasonable and logical position to hold. To allow someone living in a scandalous state of life to receive Holy Communion is itself a cause of scandal.

Canonists amongst us, and many informed Catholics, will know that there is actually a Canon in the Code of Canon Law expressing this "suggestion" (as the NCR calls Peters' position) as law:

Can. 915 Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

Has Cuomo been excommunicated? No. But he is obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin. That is to say, there is something external, something that can be verified in the external forum, in his state of life that is, objectively, sinful. To live with a woman with whom you are not married, making the not unreasonable assumption that the two are engaged in a sexual relationship, is fornication. And St Paul had something to say about fornicators.

Not only that, but Cuomo has consistently supported pro-abortion legislation and same-sex marriage.

It is totally wrong for the diocese or anyone else to say that this is a private matter between Cuomo, the Church and God. It is not. Holy Communion is a public matter. Only the other day we heard at Mass these tough words from Our Lord:

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea."

Those who cause scandal are to be cast out from the community.

This is a very different case from judging the internal state of another's soul. None of us may judge Cuomo's soul. Only God can do that. Whereas Canon 915 places the onus on the minister of Holy Communion not to admit someone in manifest grave sin to the reception of the sacrament, Canon 916 places the onus on the potential communicant to refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they are conscious of grave sin:

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

This is not the case where there is some externally verifiable and continuing obstinacy in a state of grave sin, but where only the person concerned knows in his/her own conscience that he/she is in a state of grave sin. Interestingly, however, Canon 916 allows such a person to receive Holy Communion

• if there is a grave reason
• and there is no opportunity to confess

on condition they make a perfect act of contrition with the intention to go to confession as soon as possible. This is so that a person is not deprived of Holy Communion if it is not possible to go to confession, and also so that the person may preserve his/her reputation. People may wonder - especially today when almost everybody receives Communion at Mass - why he/she is not receiving Communion.

It could be that Cuomo is not conscious of grave sin, and so he would not be obliged under Canon 916. But the minister of Communion approached by Cuomo is obliged under Canon 915.

In short, I think Peters has it exactly right. He is of course following the line that Cardinal Burke famously took when he was Bishop of La Crosse.

See Peters' blog posts:
Michael Sean Winters' column “Peters v. Cuomo”: a reply
Some brief reactions to Fr. Reese's characterizations of my position on Canon 915


See also my article on the admittance or otherwise of the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion and my previous post here.

This is not the first time Dr Peters has criticised Bishop Hubbard - he did so a year ago concerning the distribution of syringes and needles to drug users. See American Catholic.

Marquette Diocese Youth Encounter

Cause of founder of Mary’s House in Ephesus opens

The cause is opening in Kansas City, Missouri.
From Catholic Herald.

American Woman "Deacon" renounces her "ordination" and professes the teachings of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI

From Rorate Coeli and Fr Z, Norma Jean Coon is now a penitent and faithful Catholic.

She writes:

I had made a mistake in studying for the priesthood. I confess to the truth of Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis . I confess the authority of the Holy Father on these issues of ordination and recognize that Christ founded the ordination only for men.

Formally, I relinquish all connection to the program of Roman Catholic Women Priests and I disclaim the alleged ordination publicly with apologies to those whose lives I have offended or scandalized by my actions. I ask God’s blessings upon each of these folks and their families.

Norma Jean Coon, RN, MFCC, PhD
San Diego, California
Tuesday, February 8, 2011

And, further:

Holy God, I ask your blessings on my Bishop and my pastor and priests in Rome who have assisted me in the process of being re-instated into the Roman Catholic Church and I forsake all connection with the Roman Catholic Women Priests program via Internet or otherwise.

I thank you for the efforts of my family in my behalf and ask for Jesus’ Light and Love to pour over my husband of 47 years and my five children.

Forgive me my Beloved Jesus and Mother Mary for pursuing my own will in this matter of ordination and as I consecrate myself to your Divine Will through the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I ask you to pour out Light and Love upon any who have placed themselves outside of your Love and Light Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts and place us in the Heart of the Father, as we pray for more priests to serve in our church and for vocations to enrich our Church in the United States.

Forgive us for failing in obedience and enrich us in your Holy Love, I pray through Jesus and Mary. Fiat+

Good for her and thanks be to God.

A Legionary of Christ reflects on the indestructable foundation of his vocation

On 1st May 2010 the Holy See issued a communique regarding the apostolic visitation of the Legionaries of Christ. It said:

The Pope renews his encouragement to all the Legionaries of Christ, to their families, and to all the laypeople involved in the Regnum Christi movement, during this difficult time for the congregation and for each of them. He urges them not to lose sight of the fact that their vocation … is … the indestructible foundation upon which each of them can build their own future and that of the Legion.

In this article, Fr Owen Kearns LC recalls the circumstances of his own calling.

Owen Kearns as a candidate in the summer of 1966,
at the Legion's novitiate in Belgard Castle in Dublin, Ireland.

Here's a little excerpt:

Somehow, I realized that Christ wouldn’t ask me to leave great things for something mediocre. If I gave up what I loved and what I was looking forward to, he wouldn’t cheat, wouldn’t defraud, wouldn’t disappoint, wouldn’t let me down. It would be well worth leaving what I had to leave.

It was not that I could accept the risk of abandoning things I treasured because I had figured out that what I would get was better than what I left. No, I could run that risk without even knowing what it was I would get, because I knew I could trust the one who was asking me to leave the treasures.

So I told him, All right. I’ll give it a try.

The weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. I was no longer afraid. I was free! And I was happy. So happy that Fintan noticed it:

“Hey, Owen, what’s got into you?”

“Well, Fintan, I’ve just decided to be a priest.”

“Oh, that’s … terrible.”

I thought to myself: It won’t be terrible. It will be great. I can’t even imagine how it will be great, but it will be. But I didn’t argue with Fintan or try to convince him. How could he understand? I didn’t understand it myself. I knew exactly what he meant: You want to be like one of them? I also knew he was wrong: I won’t be like them.

I certainly was not willing to become like any of the local priests — diocesan or religious. Probably some or even many of them were good, holy and admirable priests. But we didn’t know that. All we knew was that they showed no interest in us; they made no move to engage us in our culture. Our reaction was typical of teenagers: They don’t like us: That’s all right; we don’t like them.

Instinctively, I sensed that if I went to a seminary that had formed them, I would end up like them. And that, I was not willing to do.

Read this realistic and moving story in full at Regnum Christi.