Two Canadian Archbishops to conduct Apostolic Visitations in Ireland

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Red hats coming soon to Toronto and a first to Ottawa?

VATICAN CITY, 31 MAY 2010 (VIS) - This morning the Holy See Press Office released the following English-language communique concerning the apostolic visitation of Ireland as announced in the Holy Father's 19 March Letter to the Catholics of Ireland:

"Following the Holy Father's Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the apostolic visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

"Through this visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors. It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

"The apostolic visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical 'Motu Proprio' 'Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela' and the norms contained in 'Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland', commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

"The visitation will begin in the four metropolitan archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

"The visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are: Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop emeritus of Westminster, England, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Boston, U.S.A., for the Archdiocese of Dublin; Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins of Toronto, Canada, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and Archbishop Terrence Thomas Prendergast S.J. of Ottawa, Canada, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

"In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will co-ordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the apostolic visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, U.S.A., has been named apostolic visitor.

"For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organise the visitation of religious houses in two phases. Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the 'guidelines'. In the second phase, the apostolic visitors will be: Fr. Joseph Tobin C.Ss.R. and Fr. Gero McLaughlin S.J. for institutes of men; Sr. Sharon Holland I.H.M. and Sr. Mairin McDonagh R.J.M. for institutes of women. They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

"His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers. He invokes God's blessings upon the visitors, and upon all the bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour".

Sisters of Life Centre Toronto

It was an early initiative of Archbishop Thomas Collins to invite the Sisters of Life to Toronto.

Pictured above with George Cardinal Pell, they were founded in 1991 by the late John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York. The Sisters of Life is a contemplative and active religious community of women for the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life. In addition to the traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Sisters of Life take a fourth vow; "to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life."

The Sisters of Life have recently opened a new centre to serve pregnant women vulnerable to the pressures of abortion. The Sisters of Life Centre is located at the former St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 1099 Danforth Avenue, Toronto (between Donlands and Greenwood). The Sisters provide support and assistance to women who are pregnant and in need. They also train the lay faithful to serve alongside the Sisters as Co-Workers of Life. On Saturday, 12 June at 1:00pm, Archbishop Collins will offer the opening Mass and Blessing of the Centre, which will be followed by an open house. If you would like more information or if you would like to refer a women who is pregnant to the Sisters of Life please call us at: (416) 463-2722 toronto@sistersoflife.org

Sisters of Life
www.sistersoflife.org
1099 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, ON M4J 1M5
Ph: 416.463.2722
1.877.543.3380 (toll free)
fax: 416.463.1687

Blessed Margaret Plantagenet Pole

Murdered on this day in 1541 by her earthly King Henry VIII and his wrteched hencheman, Cromwell, the regular executioner being unavailable, it took the Crown's rookie murderer 10 blows to sever her head. She was the last of the Plantagenet's and mother of Reginald Cardinal Pole. Her last act was to pray for the King and to recite "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The last Catholic noblewoman of England was Beatified by Pope Leo XIII.

Blessed Margaret Plantagenet Pole
Pray for England and the realm; the mother land once so Catholic and now amongst the most corrupt of this world.

The Octave of Pentecost

Today is a holiday here in Canada, Victoria Day after Queen Victoria the Monarch at the time of Confederation in 1867. Not of course that most Canadians care much or even know about her; newer Canadians want to abolish the monarchy (I just want it Catholic), and the rest call it the May 2-4 because the beer comes in a case of 24.

Yes, we've forgotten much.
So too we've lost something more important that this is really Pentecost Monday or Whit Monday for those who really remember Her Majesty's English and tomorrow is Pentecost Tuesday, Wednesday and so on. It is the Octave of Pentecost if you follow the Calendar for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, something sadly lost in the Pauline reform of 1970.

Have you considered the joy and ceremony which is used to light the Paschal Candle a symbol of Christ amongst us at the Easter Vigil? Does it not seem a little strange that the candle is just blown out after Mass on Pentecost (or Vespers where I attended at The Oratory last evening) without a thought to it or a ceremony of any kind showing symbolism and meaning behind it? In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Paschal Candle is not lit until Pentecost, it is extinguished for all to see after the Gospel on Ascension THURSDAY, where all can witness the liturgical symbolism of Christ now being gone from us back to the Father; and now we wait without the Light of Christ until the flame is re-lit in our hearts and minds and souls on Pentecost by the Holy Spirit. Another of those little liturgical actions taken from us that seemed of such little importance.

If you go to Mass according to the more ancient use this week the vestments will be red, not green and the Sequence, Veni Sancte Spritus will still be said. It is a continuing basking in the glow of this great Solemnity as with Christmas and Easter. These are the three great feasts of the year. Yet Christmas and Easter have their octaves (their continuing celebration for eight days) yet not Pentecost.

If there was anything from the 1962 calendar that I would want to see in the new it would be a return of the Gesima Sundays (pre Lent), the Octave of Pentecost and the Octave of Epiphany, from the 1970 it would be to move the Feast of Christ the King to the Last Sunday after Pentecost.
As for this liturgically correct blog, the masthead will be red and the music of Pentecost will remain for your edification for the octave.

One calendar moving forward; its time will come, no doubt.

Father Z at "What does the prayer really say?" has once again today posted this story which has made the rounds over the years and which he was told directly by a witness:

"The Monday after Pentecost in 1970 His Holiness Pope Paul VI rose bright and early and went to the chapel for Holy Mass. Instead of the red he expected, there were green vestments laid out for him.

He queried the MC assigned that day, "What on earth are these for? This is the Octave of Pentecost! Where are the red vestments?"

"Santità," quoth the MC, "this is now Tempus ‘per annum’. It is green, now. The Octave of Pentecost is abolished."

"Green? That cannot be!", said the Pope, "Who did that?"

"Holiness, you did"

And Paul VI wept."

And the rest of us have been weeping ever since.
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Pentecost

Ascension Day Extraordinary Form Mass in Hamilton, Ontario

Something little known by most Catholics is that the Solemnity of the Ascension of the LORD is actually on Thursday, 40 days after Easter, not on the Sunday. There is a Mass for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, its antiphons and readings never heard by most Catholics as in most countries Ascension is transferred to the Sunday. This is also the case with Epiphany which occurs on January 6 so it is occasionally on its proper day. Perhaps, someday one of the influences of the "two forms of one Roman rite" as Pope Benedict XVI referred in Summorum Pontificum, will be the celebration of these feasts on their actual day.
In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, these feasts are not transferred. Therefore, this Thursday being Ascension Thursday a Missa Cantata will be celebrated in Hamilton, Ontario at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church by a native Hamiltonian priest visiting from his parish in Colorado. Father Hearty will celebrate Mass at 7:oo PM, Vox Cantoris will provide the Gregorian Propers with the assistance of Vox's Angels on the Ordinary and we'll try to put a little Palestrina together as well.

For directions from Toronto, London or Guelph click here.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
416 Mohawk Road East
Hamilton, Ontario