Special Mass, Jan 4

St. Rocco's will celebrate the closing of their Centennial Year with a Solemn Mass on Sunday, Jan 4, 2014, the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. Mass will be at 12 noon.

St. Rocco is located at 3205 Fulton Road, Cleveland.

Epiphany Masses

A blessed and merry Christmas to you all.

The Epiphany feast is coming up. See below for Mass times already scheduled.

Tuesday, January 6, 2014

9:30 am Solemn Mass
   St. Stephen

A special note from Fr. Ireland, Sacred Heart of Jesus

High Mass for the Epiphany, Tuesday, January 6, 5:30 p.m. Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1545 South Green Road, South Euclid.
Music by the Lyceum Schola Cantorum.

 We'll let you know if we get information about other Masses.

Dec 8 and 9 Masses

Monday, December 8, 2014, is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Its a day of obligation. The Latin Masses scheduled are listed below.

5pm High Mass, St. Stephen

5:15pm High Mass, St. Sebastian, Akron

6:30pm Solemn Mass, Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

Also, an Advent Rorate candlelight votive Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be offered at St. Stephen on Tuesday, December 9, at 7am.

Advent Recollection

A most blessed First Sunday of Advent to you all.

Audo Sancto has a wonderful 3-part sermon for Advent recollection.

Thanksgiving Day Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland, will offer a low Mass at 8am on Thanksgiving Day.

F.Y.I.

Fr. Frank Godic, pastor of Immaculate Conception, would like you all to know the following, concerning Sunday's celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

1. If overflow parking is needed, there is a parking lot directly across the street from the church, on Superior Ave., which will be available to those attending the celebration.

2. A reception with light refreshments will follow the Mass in the school auditorium. Anyone who wishes to bring something to share is encouraged to do so. Please bring it to the auditorium before Mass.

Sacrament of Confirmation, Sunday

On Sunday, November 16, 2014, the Sacrament of Confirmation in the traditional form will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception's 12 noon High Mass by The Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland. Please consider attending this very special occasion 

Perhaps this is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of some truths about the Sacrament of Confirmation. Excerpts are from Manual of Confirmation.

''The life of man on earth is a warfare" says Job. When
we receive the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit, we take upon our-
selves all the duties of a loyal soldier. The first duty of a
good soldier is Fidelity.

a). But what does fidelity imply? Surely nothing less than
the constant tendency to devote himself with all the powers of
soul and body to the service of his Supreme Lord and Master.
Having once put on the livery of his King, the soldier must
fight the battles, even though he sacrifice his very life on the
field of action. It is a solemn pact entered upon between the
Holy Ghost and the soul. "Be steadfast in thy covenant."
The Apostle speaks to the point : "My beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast and immovable : always abounding in the work of
the Lord." "Be thou faithful,'' says the angel of the Church of
Smyrna. You will keep this fidelity as long as you guard
yourself against the snares of the enemy, and do not surrender
yourself to works of darkness. Rise in the morning with a holy
resolve to be faithful during the day, and ask for help from
above. For "God is faithful, who will strengthen and keep
you from evil."

This fidelity of a soldier of Christ knows of no distinction
between small and great things. The whole life of man, if you
will, is composed of many small duties and functions, but taken
together they constitute the total — the sum of perfection. The
saying, ''Who makes litte of small things will by-and-by fail
in greater ones," is verified also in the life of a Christian. The
Lord says : '' He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful
also in that which is greater. " Any and all success depends
on the faithful adherence to duty. The loyal Christian soldier
only can exclaim in the embrace of death : ''I have fought a
good fight, I have kept the faith.'' 

b). Bravery is the second quality of a good soldier. It is a
most indispensable virtue in face of the enemy. When the soldier
meets an equal foe with undaunted courage, and wavers not in
the critical moment, then we may call him brave. The Chris-
tian has three formidable enemies to contend with, namely, the
flesh, the world and Satan. ''Every man is tempted by his own
concupiscence, being drawn away and allured." "Whatso-
ever is born of God, overcometh the world, '' "Put you on the
armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the de-
ceits of the devil," says the Apostle. In order to overcome
these cunning and ever-watchful adversaries, it needs bravery
which relents not. St. Peter calls upon us to be watchful and
brave : "Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
goeth about seeking whom he may devour ; whom resist ye,
strong in faith. " Only he who fights bravely with resolute will,
can hope to be crowned. "Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation ; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the
crown of life which God hath promised to them that love Him."
"The brave Christian will resist at the first onset ; he will not
parley with temptation ; he will resist with unflinching courage
without relaxing, that is to say, with perseverance to the end.
Therein shall we recognize genuine bravery that must charac-
terize the anointed of the Holy Ghost. 

c). Generosity, which means the spirit of sacrifice, is the third
quality of a true soldier. What great fatigues, how many pri-
vations, what wearisome marches await the soldier! Likewise
the Christian has, in a higher sense and to a greater degree, an
arduous road before him. Our great Master Himself points
at it : "How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that
leadeth to life." Great efforts and exertions are required :
"The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent
bear it away" Burdensome labors must be undertaken:
''Whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after Me, can-
not be My disciple." We must be ready to part with what is
most dear to our natural inclinations, rather than to yield to the
enemies of our soul and of our God. Behold what the Apostles
and disciples of Christ were when they fled, abandoned and
denied their Master in the hour of trial. No sooner, however,
were they endued with the Holy Ghost, than they were ready to
sacrifice everything, to suffer the loss of all things, that they
might gain Christ. What an admirable effect of this grace, of
which the Apostles gloried, and of which all who have been
strengthened by the Holy Ghost in His Sacrament, are in like
manner inspired to the same sacrifices, with a generosity of heart
in the grand cause and service of the King of Kings! 

St. Jerome, in a letter to his friend Heliodorus, says as fol-
lows : "In these sacraments, that is, Baptism and Confirma-
tion, you were made a soldier of Jesus Christ. What have you
done to this day that corresponds with this calling? Where are
the trenches you have made to the discomfiture of your
enemies? Where are the breastworks you have built up against
their arrows? How many winters have you been in the field?
What are the hardships you endured? The ringing war-trumpet
sounds from Heaven above. The great King, clad in full armor,
advances to give battle to the whole world. How will you step
out of your voluptuous repose to battle? His double-edged
sword will mow down in its passage everything opposed to Him.
How will you venture out of the shade into the heat of combat?
How will that body so slender bear the weight of the armor?
Will those hands, now so idle, be able to take up severe and
arduous labors? No one is crowned, except he strive law-
fully.'" 

Such are then the qualities of a good soldier; such also the
duties of a loyal Christian, which he has vowed to fulfill. That
is the glorious character with which the Holy Ghost invested the
soul in the great Sacrament of Confirmation.

All Saints Day

Cleveland TLM Friends wishes you a blessed feast of All Saints!

St. Bernard of Clairvaux gives us the following to think about.

Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning.

Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church of all the first followers of Christ awaits us, but we do nothing about it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.

Come, brothers, let us at length spur ourselves on. We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory.

When we commemorate the saints we are inflamed with another yearning: that Christ our life may also appear to us as he appeared to them and that we may one day share in his glory. Until then we see him, not as he is, but as he became for our sake. He is our head, crowned, not with glory, but with the thorns of our sins. As members of that head, crowned with thorns, we should be ashamed to live in luxury; his purple robes are a mockery rather than an honor. When Christ comes again, his death shall no longer be proclaimed, and we shall know that we also have died, and that our life is hidden with him. The glorious head of the Church will appear and his glorified members will shine in splendor with him, when he forms this lowly body anew into such glory as belongs to himself, its head.

Therefore, we should aim at attaining this glory with a wholehearted and prudent desire. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness, we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond our own powers to obtain will be granted through their intercession.

 Again, thanks to Video Sancto, a traditional Catholic sermon on the Saints.

Nov 3 Latin Masses

Because November 2 is a Sunday this year, All Souls Day is transferred to Monday, Nov 3.  Requiem Masses will be offered at St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception.

November 3, 2014

7am Low Mass, Immaculate Conception

6:30pm Solemn Requiem Mass, St. Stephen

6:30pm High Requiem Mass, Immaculate Conception

On a special note, we received the following information from Msgr Anthony Spinosa, rector of Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine in North Jackson, Ohio.

The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon
2959 N Lipkey Rd
N. Jackson, Ohio 44451  330-538-3351
will celebrate All Souls commemoration on Monday, Nov 3 at 7pm
It will be the Missa Cantata with prayers at the catafalque and will be celebrated by
Very Rev Msgr Anthony Spinosa ,Rector
The Mass will be sung by a mens schola for the gregorian chant and a mixed schola for the motets.

All Hallow's Eve, Irish Style

According to some accounts, the Irish had a tradition of marking All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween, as a day of remembering and thinking about the reality of hell and how to avoid it.  Whether or not this traditional act of piety was particularly attached to All Hallow's Eve, the fact remains that meditating on the Four Last Things is fully Catholic. And hell is one of those Things. 

The video sermon below is courtesy of the Video Sancto channel on Youtube. The sermon itself comes from Sensus Traditionis.

An important disclaimer to the media files from Sensus Traditionis:

These media files are Penanceware, which require that you do one of the following: (1) $1.00 via Paypal (http://www.sensustraditionis.org/inde...), (2) offer up a decade of the Rosary, or (3) perform some form of penance for the intentions of Fr. Ripperger (for each individual media file downloaded). The same rule applies if you copy and distribute to friends.

Fr. Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C., author of The Four Last Things, gives the following thought to the reader on the odors of hell.

IN order that nothing may be wanting to the plagues of hell, wherewith the lost souls are tormented, God has in His anger decrees that this horrible prison should be saturated by an unspeakable stench, as a punishment for those who, when on earth, have taken excessive delight in the use of choice perfumes.

The prophecy of Isaiah will thus be fulfilled: "Instead of a sweet smell there shall be a stench" (Is. iii/ 24). Decaying animal matter emits so horrible an odor that no one likes to go near it. But if we imagine not one tainted carcass, but hundreds of thousands heaped together, the air for miles around would be so infected that it would cause the death of all in the vicinity.

Even this stench, however, when compared with the stench of hell deems as nothing, or rather as a pleasant odor. This vapor or odor of hell arises primarily from the place itself, which is by its nature a most horrible and foul region. No breath of pure air can ever be present in these closely-shut walls of this prison. Moreover, the whole of hell is a lake of burning brimstone and pitch, and every one knows how offensive are the fumes they give out.

"The unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Apoc. xxi. 8).

The prophet of the New Dispensation here speaks of a pool, full of stagnant, foul, stinking water, for which there is no outlet. He adds that this pool is filled with burning brimstone from which a dense smoke ascends, as he says elsewhere: "The smoke of their torments shall ascend up forever and ever."

The very bodies of the reprobate are so foul and disgusting that they emit a most offensive odor, worse than any stench in this world. According to St. Bonaventure, the body of a single reprobate would so taint the air on earth as to cause the death of all living beings coming near it.

If one single body emits so horrible a stench, what can the smell be that rises from many millions of these wretched beings?

It is related of the tyrant Maxentius that he was wont, as a punishment, to cause a living man to be bound to a corpse, face to face and limb to limb, until the unhappy victim fainted, or even died through contact with the dead and decomposing body. That is indeed a torture of which no one can think without shuddering. How much worse will it be in hell, where the bodies will lie close to one an other, without any hope of being separated.

Bad as this stench is, it is greatly increased by the presence of the devils, who naturally are far more offensive to the nostrils than the bodies of the lost. We read in the life of St. Martin that the evil one appeared to him upon one occasion, and the stench that filled the room was so overwhelming that the saint said to himself: "If one single devil has so disgusting an odor, what can the stench be in hell, where there are thousands of devils all together?"

How much suffering this abominable stench must cause to the damned ! how it must aggravate their distress and pain ! For it must be deadly beyond description, arising as it does from so many different sources---hell itself, the bodies of the damned, the devils, the worms and reptiles, the fire of pitch and brimstone, each and all of which stink in the nostrils of the lost. Judge by what has been said how intolerable the combined odors of all these things must be.

Alas for the unfortunate beings who are condemned to breathe such an atmosphere ! Alas for the poor sinners who have to dwell in it for endless ages ! They must sink under it, they be on the verge of death. O my God, I beseech Thee by Thy infinite clemency, spare me from so terrible a fate.

Its also popularly accepted that the Jack O' Lantern has its roots in Irish Catholicism. Herein is a version of the story of Stingy Jack.

As the story goes, several centuries ago amongst the myriad of towns and villages in Ireland, there lived a drunkard known as "Stingy Jack". Jack was known throughout the land as a deceiver, manipulator and otherwise dreg of society. On a fateful night, the devil overheard the tale of Jack's evil deeds and silver tongue. Unconvinced (and envious) of the rumors, the devil went to find out for himself whether or not Jack lived up to his vile reputation.

Typical of Jack, he was drunk and wandering through the countryside at night when he came upon a body on his cobblestone path. The body with an eerie grimace on its face turned out to be Satan. Jack realized somberly this was his end; Satan had finally come to collect his malevolent soul. Jack made a last request: he asked Satan to let him drink ale before he departed to Hades. Finding no reason not to acquiesce the request, Satan took Jack to the local pub and supplied him with many alcoholic beverages. Upon quenching his thirst, Jack asked Satan to pay the tab on the ale, to Satan's surprise. Jack convinced Satan to metamorphose into a silver coin with which to pay the bartender (impressed upon by Jack's unyielding nefarious tactics). Shrewdly, Jack stuck the now transmogrified Satan (coin) into his pocket, which also contained a crucifix. The crucifix's presence kept Satan from escaping his form. This coerced Satan to agree to Jack's demand: in exchange for Satan's freedom, he had to spare Jack's soul for ten years.

Ten years later to the date when Jack originally struck his deal, he found himself once again in Satan's presence. Jack happened upon Satan in the same setting as before and seemingly accepted it was his time to go to Hades for good. As Satan prepared to take him to Hades, Jack asked if he could have one apple to feed his starving belly. Foolishly Satan once again agreed to this request. As Satan climbed up the branches of a nearby apple tree, Jack surrounded its base with crucifixes. Satan, frustrated at the fact that he been entrapped again, demanded his release. As Jack did before, he made a demand: that his soul never be taken by Satan into Hades. Satan agreed and was set free.

Eventually the drinking and unstable lifestyle took its toll on Jack; he died the way he lived. As Jack's soul prepared to enter Heaven through the gates of St. Peter he was stopped. Jack was told by God that because of his sinful lifestyle of deceitfulness and drinking, he was not allowed into Heaven. The dreary Jack went before the Gates of Hades and begged for commission into underworld. Satan, fulfilling his obligation to Jack, could not take his soul. To warn others, he gave Jack an ember, marking him a denizen of the netherworld. From that day on until eternity's end, Jack is doomed to roam the world between the planes of good and evil, with only an ember inside a hollowed turnip ("turnip" actually referring to a large swede) to light his way.

Of course, the glaring issue with the story is that, when a person dies, the soul is judged and sent to one of three places: Heaven, hell or purgatory.

Nov 1 Latin Masses

November 1 is, of course, All Saints Day. But because it falls on Saturday this year, the feast has been transferred to Sunday in the Diocese of Cleveland.

Fortunately for Latin Mass Faithful, both St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception will have Latin Masses on November 1, and although it is not a day of obligation, it is still a pious and traditional act of devotion to attend Mass on this day. The schedule of those Masses is below.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

8am Low Mass, Immaculate Conception, Cleveland
9:30am Solemn Mass, St. Stephen
12 noon High Mass, Immaculate Conception

Hail to Our Sovereign King!

A most blessed Feast of Christ the King to you all!

When Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 1925, he observed that "human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation." It was his hope that, by Catholics seriously embracing the Kingship of Christ in their own lives and families, both privately and publicly, "society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony." In short, the Kingship of Christ, His royal empire, is His dominion over all things in heaven and on earth, not just the hearts of men, but also "in the wills of men, for in him the human will was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite us to the most noble endeavors." This is the public, or social reign of Jesus Christ as King. "Our Lord's regal office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles the citizen's duty of obedience." (Quotes taken from the encyclical, Quas Primas.)

The great Irish priest, Fr. Denis Fahey, wrote the following in his book, The Social Rights of Our Divine Lord:

Student. What is the fundamental condition of the Kingship of Jesus Christ over society? 

Teacher. This condition consists in the explicit will of the Holy Trinity to give to Jesus Christ as man a true and absolute royal power. It is not a question of the rights of the Word of God, which are infinite, but of the rights and powers which God gives to the Sacred Humanity assumed by the Word. 

S. God has made known to us His Will in this matter? 

T. Undoubtedly. In the Encyclical of "Quas Primas" Pope Pius XI brings forward two proofs, indicating the Divine Will in this matter. He sets out the first proof thus:- 

"The foundation of this power and dignity of our Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. 'Christ,' he says, 'has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped; but His by essence and by nature' (Luke x.). His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to Him, as Man, angels and men are subject, and must recognise His empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures."

He continues:

S. Explain the second doctrinal foundation of this truth taught by Pius XI. 

T. "But a thought that must give us even greater joy and consolation is this, that Christ is our King, by acquired, as well as by natural right, for He is our Redeemer. Would that those who forget what they have cost their Saviour might recall the words: 'You were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled' (1 Peter, i. 1819). We are no longer our own, for Christ has purchased us 'with a great price' (1 Cor. vi. 20); our very bodies are the 'members of Christ' (1 Cor. vi. 15)."

Getting back to Pope Pius XI, and Quas Primas:

Oh, what happiness would be Ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations, would but let themselves be governed by Christ! "Then at length," to use the words addressed by our predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, twenty-five years ago to the bishops of the Universal Church, "then at length will many evils be cured; then will the law regain its former authority; peace with all its blessings be restored. Men will sheathe their swords and lay down their arms when all freely acknowledge and obey the authority of Christ, and every tongue confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."

The holy pope is spelling out unity here.

In another encyclical of Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, he specifies unity:

Unity can only arise from one teaching authority, one law of belief, one Christian Faith … There is but one way in which the unity of Christians may be fostered, and that is by fostering the return to the one true Church of Christ of those who are separated from it.

 Triumphalistic?  Yes.

The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.

 --Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas

CHRISTUS VINCIT

CHRISTUS REGNAT

CHRISTUS IMPERAT

"Confirm Thy Brethren"

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said: Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.

From 1894 to 1910, a French political and religious movement, Le Sillon, sought to bring Catholicism into conformity with the socialist ideals of the French Republic. Le Sillon intended to break down the hierarchical structure, in favor of a more democratic one, with more authority being given to ordinary Christians and laity. Ultimately, the movement was condemned by Holy Mother Church and that most blessed enemy of modernity, Pope St. Pius X.

The intention here is not to give a history lesson, but to allow the very words of St. Pius X confirm and strengthen us, just as Our Lord laid upon the shoulders of the first pope to do the same. Remember, there is nothing new under the sun. We live in a time eerily similar to what St. Pius X saw happening to the Church's Eldest Daughter.

And for Faithful Catholics attached to tradition, the Holy Pope throws a bone near the end.

Excerpts below are from the encyclical Notre Charge Apostolique. The entire encyclical can be found at Papal Encyclicals. It is well worth the read.

Our Apostolic Mandate requires from Us that We watch over the purity of the Faith and the integrity of Catholic discipline. It requires from Us that We protect the faithful from evil and error; especially so when evil and error are presented in dynamic language which, concealing vague notions and ambiguous expressions with emotional and high-sounding words, is likely to set ablaze the hearts of men in pursuit of ideals which, whilst attractive, are nonetheless nefarious. Such were not so long ago the doctrines of the so-called philosophers of the 18th century, the doctrines of the Revolution and Liberalism which have been so often condemned; such are even today the theories of the Sillon which, under the glowing appearance of generosity, are all too often wanting in clarity, logic and truth. These theories do not belong to the Catholic or, for that matter, to the French Spirit. 

...in an attempt to justify their social dreams, they put forward the Gospel, but interpreted in their own way; and what is even more serious, they call to witness Christ, but a diminished and distorted Christ.

...by ignoring the laws governing human nature and by breaking the bounds within which they operate, the human person is lead, not toward progress, but towards death. This, nevertheless, is what they want to do with human society; they dream of changing its natural and traditional foundations; they dream of a Future City built on different principles, and they dare to proclaim these more fruitful and more beneficial than the principles upon which the present Christian City rests.

No, Venerable Brethren, We must repeat with the utmost energy in these times of social and intellectual anarchy when everyone takes it upon himself to teach as a teacher and lawmaker - the City cannot be built otherwise than as God has built it; society cannot be setup unless the Church lays the foundations and supervises the work; no, civilization is not something yet to be found, nor is the New City to be built on hazy notions; it has been in existence and still is: it is Christian civilization, it is the Catholic City. It has only to be set up and restored continually against the unremitting attacks of insane dreamers, rebels and miscreants.

...According to [the Sillonists], Man will be a man truly worthy of the name only when he has acquired a strong, enlightened, and independent consciousness, able to do without a master, obeying only himself, and able to assume the most demanding responsibilities without faltering...And that great day, when will it come? Unless human nature can be changed, which is not within the power of the Sillonists, will that day ever come? Did the Saints who brought human dignity to its highest point, possess that kind of dignity? And what of the lowly of this earth who are unable to raise so high but are content to plow their furrow modestly at the level where Providence placed them? They who are diligently discharging their duties with Christian humility, obedience, and patience, are they not also worthy of being called men? Will not Our Lord take them one day out of their obscurity and place them in heaven amongst the princes of His people?

...for there is no true civilization without a moral civilization, and no true moral civilization without the true religion: it is a proven truth, a historical fact...Their leader is so conscious of the influence which the convictions of the mind have upon the result of the action, that he invites them, whatever religion they may belong to, “to provide on the ground of practical realities, the proof of the excellence of their personal convictions.”

...What are we to think of this appeal to all the heterodox, and to all the unbelievers, to prove the excellence of their convictions in the social sphere in a sort of apologetic contest?...What are we to think of this respect for all errors, and of this strange invitation made by a Catholic to all the dissidents to strengthen their convictions through study so that they may have more and more abundant sources of fresh forces?

...But stranger still, alarming and saddening at the same time, are the audacity and frivolity of men who call themselves Catholics and dream of re-shaping society under such conditions, and of establishing on earth, over and beyond the pale of the Catholic Church, "the reign of love and justice" with workers coming from everywhere, of all religions and of no religion, with or without beliefs, so long as they forego what might divide them - their religious and philosophical convictions, and so long as they share what unites them - a "generous idealism and moral forces drawn from whence they can" When we consider the forces, knowledge, and supernatural virtues which are necessary to establish the Christian City, and the sufferings of millions of martyrs, and the light given by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the self-sacrifice of all the heroes of charity, and a powerful hierarchy ordained in heaven, and the streams of Divine Grace - the whole having been built up, bound together, and impregnated by the life and spirit of Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, the Word made man - when we think, I say, of all this, it is frightening to behold new apostles eagerly attempting to do better by a common interchange of vague idealism and civic virtues. What are they going to produce? What is to come of this collaboration? A mere verbal and chimerical construction in which we shall see, glowing in a jumble, and in seductive confusion, the words Liberty, Justice, Fraternity, Love, Equality, and human exultation, all resting upon an ill-understood human dignity.

...As soon as the social question is being approached, it is the fashion in some quarters to first put aside the divinity of Jesus Christ, and then to mention only His unlimited clemency, His compassion for all human miseries, and His pressing exhortations to the love of our neighbor and to the brotherhood of men. True, Jesus has loved us with an immense, infinite love, and He came on earth to suffer and die so that, gathered around Him in justice and love, motivated by the same sentiments of mutual charity, all men might live in peace and happiness. But for the realization of this temporal and eternal happiness, He has laid down with supreme authority the condition that we must belong to His Flock, that we must accept His doctrine, that we must practice virtue, and that we must accept the teaching and guidance of Peter and his successors. Further, whilst Jesus was kind to sinners and to those who went astray, He did not respect their false ideas, however sincere they might have appeared. He loved them all, but He instructed them in order to convert them and save them....He reproved, threatened, chastised, knowing, and teaching us that fear is the beginning of wisdom, and that it is sometimes proper for a man to cut off an offending limb to save his body.

...Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators: they are traditionalists.

The modern-day Sillonists are alive and marching forward.

Latin Mass Class #3

See below. Great news again!

Latin Mass Class - Going deeper into the liturgy.  Join us as we examine the rich prayers and parts of the Mass.

Sunday Oct. 19th after the 9:30am Mass in the club room at St. Stephen Church.  FREE.  Refreshments provided. 

Dale Ahlquist Event

Thanks to a Friend of the TLM for sending in the following:

Please consider coming to Padre Pio Academy (12920 Madison Ave. in Lakewood) on Sunday, October 5, at 2:30 PM, for a free talk presented by Dale Ahlquist. The presentation is entitled, "G.K. Chesterton and Lepanto- The Epic of Catholic History." 

Dale is an expert on G.K. Chesteron. He hosts an EWTN program about his work and is also president of the American Chesterton Society. 

Please help spread the word! 

Another First Friday Mass

In addition to the normal schedule of First Friday Masses, Mary Queen of Peace will offer a Latin Mass at 8pm this Friday, 10/3. The church is located at 4423 Pearl Rd in Cleveland. Formerly Our Lady of Good Counsel. As far as we know, this is not a regularly scheduled Latin Mass.

Latin Mass Class #2

See below.

By popular demand, the 2nd Beginner's Latin Mass class will be held this coming Sunday, 9/28 in the club room at St. Stephen's following the 9:30am Mass.  

Specifically, we're going to use a specially created guide to go though the entire Mass, giving a short synopsis of each part.  We'll also give "clues" to let you know which part of the Mass you're at.  This will serve as a wonderful overview.  Youth are welcome.

All are welcome.

Free.  Refreshments provided.  Instructor:  Matt Lewis

p.s. This is a great opportunity to bring friends that do not fully understand the Latin Mass.  Please FW.

Special Masses this Week

Received the following information from a Friend of the TLM.

Upcoming masses this week at Immaculate Conception Church
Monday, September 8, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Low Latin Mass 7AM
Thursday, September 11,  Anniversary of 9/11 attacks on our country.
Solemn High Requiem Mass for the repose of the souls who died during the attack, 6:30pm
Friday, September 12,  Most Holy Name of Mary
Low Latin Mass 7AM, & 6PM

Those of you who receive this in your email will be getting it too late for the September 8 Mass. We just received this information today (September 7).

Feast of St. Pius X

Pope St. Pius X is important and relevant to Catholicism, even today, and most especially to traditional Catholic Faithful. Please visit the link below for a very good blog post by Fr. Peter Carota, Traditional Catholic Priest.

Pope Pius X: Great Protector of Traditional Catholicism

Latin Mass Class

Great news from a Friend of the TLM.

Announcement 
Lost at the Latin Mass?  Join us Sunday 9/21 at St. Stephen Catholic Church for a beginner's tutorial - we'll meet after the Latin Mass, upstairs in the club room.

The class will help orient the attendees to the various parts of the Mass and other EXTRAORDINARY things!

Refreshments will be provided.  FREE.  Instructor:  Matthew Lewis. 

Three Books

This is long overdue.

Cleveland TLM Friends can happily recommend the following books, and also their publisher, Loreto Publications.

Treasures of the Mass

Explanation of the Holy Mass

Calvary and the Mass 

Any one (or all) of these books will undoubtedly aid the Faithful Catholic in entering more deeply into the mysteries of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

An excerpt from Treasures of the Mass:

We most humbly beseech Thee, almighty God, command these offerings to be borne by the hands of Thy holy Angel to Thine altar on high, in the sight of Thy divine majesty, that as many as shall partake of the most holy Body + and Blood + of Thy Son at this altar, may be filled with every Heavenly grace and blessing. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

 This prayer contains a mysterious request: that God may cause our offering to be carried by His angel to His altar on high, in the presence of His Divine Majesty, so that by partaking of the sacrificial food we may be filled with heavenly blessings. There is no altar in heaven, properly speaking, because there is no real sacrifice, as on earth. Our Divine Savior forever stands before the face of God as our High Priest, presenting to the Divine Majesty His Wounds and His bloody Death, in order to implore grace and mercy for us. In like manner, unceasing sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving, atonement and petition rise from the heart of our Blessed Mother and from all the angels and saints to the Triune God. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary, glowing with love, may, therefore, be said to constitute the "altar on high" upon which the most perfect sacrifice of praise is uninterruptedly offered to God. 

 

Marian Consecration Recap

A very good Friend of the TLM sent in the following pictures and caption. 

Marian Army Mobilized!  Feast of the Assumption Marian Consecration Group.  Pictures taken at the Solemn Mass on August 15th.  The Consecration was led by Fr. Bede after the homily. A special thanks to all who participated in the 33 Days to Morning Glory preparation for Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Friday, August 15, 2014. Immaculate Conception, Cleveland, will have low Mass at 7am.  St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception will offer Solemn High Mass at 6:30pm.

Nota bene:  this is an holy day of obligation. Catholics are obliged to attend Mass, under the pain of mortal sin. 

Also, the Vigil of the Assumption will be celebrated on Thursday, August 14th, at St. Stephen's regularly scheduled Thursday evening low Mass, 6:30pm. It was announced on Sunday that, under Canon Law, attending the Vigil of the Assumption mass will satisfy the obligation.

Can.  1248 §1. A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.

Of course, both Masses are beautiful celebrations in honor of Our Lady, and it would be a wonderful, pious act to assist at Holy Mass on both days. Catholic tradition would also inspire us to not simply seek the bare minimum requirements.

Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine, August 14

Cleveland TLM Friends was contacted by the rector of Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine in North Jackson, Ohio, Msgr. Anthony Spinosa, to post the following information.

Just to let you know that the Shrine will be having a Solemn High TLM on Thursday, August 14 at 2pm.

The celebrant will be Fr. Shannon Collins, Father of Mercy and co-founder of a new community the Missionaries of St John the Baptist in the Diocese of Covington, KY.  Deacon will be Fr Joseph Orlofksy FSSP and I think I will be the Subdeacon.

Complete details can be found here: Assumption Pilgrimage

St. Sebastian, Sunday, July 20, Mass Time Change

A reader of Cleveland TLM Friends has informed us that St. Sebastian's Mass on Sunday, July 20, 2014, will be at 2pm instead of the regular time of 1pm. It has also been confirmed by the celebrant.

First Friday, July 4

First Friday for the month of July this year falls on Independence Day. St. Stephen's will not have a Latin Mass at 6:30pm, as would be normal.

Immaculate Conception in Cleveland will, however, have low Mass on July 4, but it will not be at their normal First Friday time of 6:00pm. Instead, Mass will be at 8:00am, but will not include benediction.

Marian Conference

Cleveland TLM Friends was asked to pass along information about the 2014 Columbus (Ohio) Marian Conference. Click the link below.

2014 Columbus Marian Conference

Correcting a Correction

Please be aware and advise others who may need to know that the CORRECT Mass time for the Feast of the Sacred Heart at Immaculate Conception on Superior Avenue in Cleveland is......drum roll, please......6:30pm.

We sincerely apologize for this and hope that it reaches everyone who plans to attend. The confusion came from their regularly scheduled First Friday Mass, which is at 6:00pm.

If you wish to confirm with the parish, and that would certainly be understandable, the rectory phone number is 216-431-5900.

Feast of the Sacred Heart

For the glorious feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Conception will offer Low Mass with the Litany and Benediction at 6:00pm.

Please be aware that it was mistakenly announced on Sunday at St. Stephen that the Mass would be at 6:30pm. The correct time is 6:00pm.

Corpus Christi Mass

First, much apology for having not announced this earlier. Things at home this week have been VERY busy.

St. Stephen will offer a Missa Cantata for the traditional day of the Feast of Corpus Christi (Thursday, June 19, 2014). Mass will be at 6:30pm. There will be a Procession in the church, followed by Benediction. Fr. Bede announced on Sunday that he will be trying to find a deacon and sub-deacon.....so there is a possibility it will be a Missa Solemnis.

We are reminded that the Feast has been transferred to Sunday here in the Diocese of Cleveland. As far as we know, the other Latin Mass parishes will offer the Feast of Corpus Christi on Sunday, June 22, 2014.

Feast of the Ascension

From the words of St. Augustine:

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.

Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and when he said: I was hungry and you gave me food. 

Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to him? While in heaven he is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love. 

He did not leave heaven when he came down to us; nor did he withdraw from us when he went up again into heaven. The fact that he was in heaven even while he was on earth is borne out by his own statement: No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 

These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for he is our head and we are his body. No one ascended into heaven except Christ because we also are Christ: he is the Son of Man by his union with us, and we by our union with him are the sons of God. So the Apostle says: Just as the human body, which has many members, is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ. He too has many members, but one body. 
Out of compassion for us he descended from heaven, and although he ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in him by grace. Thus, no one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended; not because there is no distinction between the head and the body, but because the body as a unity cannot be separated from the head.

**We are reminded that in the Diocese of Cleveland, the Feast of the Ascension has been transferred to Sunday, Jun 1, 2014.  Therefore, Thursday, May 29, 2014, is not an Holy Day of Obligation. Nonetheless, it would be a pious act to celebrate it on its traditional day of observation. 

Ascension Thursday UPDATE

The updated schedule of Latin Masses for Ascension Thursday:

St. Sebastian, Akron
5:15pm High Mass

St. Stephen
6:30pm Solemn Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland
6:30pm High Mass

Ascension Thursday

Ascension Thursday Latin Mass schedule:

St. Stephen
6:30pm Solemn High Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland
6:30pm High Mass

Palm Sunday, St. Stephen's, Time Correction

Please make note of the following correction.

Palm Sunday High Mass at St. Stephen's will be at 9:15am, NOT the regular time of 9:30am. This is due to the Blessing of Palms and Procession before Mass begins.

Holy Week

Here's the schedule:

Palm Sunday
   Normal Sunday Mass schedule, except:

             9:15am High Mass
                   St. Stephen

 Monday

   7pm  Communal Penance Service with Individual Confessions
          Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

Tuesday
   7am Low Mass
          St. Stephen

Wednesday
   7am Low Mass
          Immaculate Conception, Cleveland
   6:30pm Low Mass
          St. Stephen
   7:15pm Office of Tenebrae

Holy Thursday
   8pm  Latin High Mass
          Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

Good Friday
   12pm Stations of the Cross
   6pm Celebration of Our Lord's Passion
          Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

Holy Saturday
   1pm Blessing of Easter Foods
   4pm Confessions
   11:30pm Easter Vigil in Latin
          Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

Easter Sunday
   Normal Sunday Mass schedule

Feast of the Annunciation

St. Stephen will offer High Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation, Tues Mar 25, at 6:30pm.

Also, because its a Tuesday, St. Stephen will have the regularly celebrated Low Mass at 7am.

Remember to pray the Angelus three times everyday: morning (6am), noon and evening (6pm).

V. The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary,

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary ... 

V. And the Word was made Flesh.

R. And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary ... 

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

 Or in Latin:

V. Ángelus Dómini nuntiávit Maríae.

R. Et concépit de Spíritu Sáncto. 

Áve María, grátia pléna, Dóminus técum; benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Jésus. Sáncta María, Máter Déi, óra pro nóbis peccatóribus, nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstræ. Ámen. 

V. Ecce ancílla Dómini.

R. Fiat mihi secúndum vérbum tuum. 

Áve María ... 

V. Et Vérbum cáro fáctum est.

R. Et habitávit in nóbis. 

Áve María ... 

V. Ora pro nóbis Sáncta Dei Génitrix.

R. Ut dígni efficiáur promissiónibus Christi. 

Oremus: Grátiam túam quaésumus, Dómine, méntibus nóstris infúnde: ut qui, Ángelo nuntiánte, Chrísti Fílii tui Incarnatiónem cognóvimus; per Passiónem Ejus et Crucem, ad resurrectiónis glóriam perducámur. Per eundem Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum. Ámen. 

Solemn Mass, Sunday, Mar 30

Cleveland TLM Friends was notified of the following:

SOLEMN HIGH MASS with The Lyceum Schola Cantorum, Laetare Sunday, March 30th at 5:00 p.m. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 1545 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio.

Feast of St. Joseph

St. Stephen will offer High Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph, Wednesday, March 19, at 6:30pm.

St. Joseph is a popular figure in Christian art.

Marriage of the Virgin, Bernart van Orley

Adoration of the Magi, Fra Angelico and Fra Frilippo Lippi

Signs and Symbols in Christian Art, by George Ferguson, gives the following entry for St. Joseph.

St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary, was a carpenter of Nazareth. He frequently appears in paintings of the life of Christ, particularly in those of the birth of Jesus and in the other infancy narratives.

He is frequently shown with a budded staff in his hand. This refers to the legend that, when the Virgin Mary was fourteen years old, each of her suitors left her suitors left his staff at the temple, hoping for a sign to indicate which of them was most favored by God. In the morning, Joseph's staff was budding into leaf, and from it came a dove that flew up to Heaven. Other attributes of St. Joseph are a carpenter's plane, saw, and hatchet, and the lily, symbol of his purity. Often, in scenes of the Presentation, he carries two doves in a basket.

St. Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church.

And he is the patron of the dying.

St. Alphonsis Liguori reminds us:

Since we all must die, we should cherish a special devotion to St. Joseph, that he may obtain for us a happy death. All Christians regard him as the advocate of the dying who had honored him during their life, and they do so for three reasons: First, because Jesus Christ loved him not only as a friend, but as a father, and on this account his mediation is far more efficacious than that of any other Saint. Second, because St. Joseph has obtained special power against the evil spirits, who tempt us with redoubled vigor at the hour of death. Third, the assistance given St. Joseph at his death by Jesus and Mary obtained for him the right to secure a holy and peaceful death for his servants. Hence, if they invoke him at the hour of death he will not only help them, but he will also obtain for them the assistance of Jesus and Mary. 

A traditional devotion during Lent is to meditate upon the Four Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, hell. Holy Mother Church encourages us to think of death, and as St. Joseph is the patron of a happy death, perhaps we should invoke him often.

Believed to be an ancient prayer to St. Joseph:

 O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.

Fridays of Lent, Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

This should have been posted a while back..

Every Friday during Lent, Immaculate Conception on Superior will have:

 

5:30 pm.        Confession until Mass

6:00pm.         Low Latin Mass

Following Mass.    Stations of the Cross

Following SOTC    Benediction

Latin Mass Cancelled at Immaculate Conception in Willoughby

As officially reported on the parish's website on 3/8/2014, the new pastor of Immaculate Conception in Willoughby, Ohio, has cancelled the Traditional Latin Mass which was offered there regularly on Friday evenings. The announcement can be seen on the website, and the parish has released a document with a few more details.

Lenten Embertide

Many may know of the existence of Ember Days, but how many know the history and meaning of them?

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week are known as Lenten Embertide. The Ember Days occur four times per year, in conjunction with the four seasons. Traditionally speaking, they are days of fasting and abstinence.

A post on Rorate Caeli from way back in 2008 gives a good account of the Ember Days' history, meaning and significance, particularly how today's culture, so zealous for being good stewards of the earth, is missing the element of the Supernatural Mysteries, which Ember Days embodies in the very nature of its liturgical meaning.

Help resurrect the pious observation of Ember Days, a tradition which goes back to the earliest times of the Church.

Fisheaters also has a good summary of Ember Days.

Finally, as Ember Saturday was used as a day for conferring Holy Orders, perhaps we should use this time to pray for priests, in the words of St. Therese:

 

"O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of Thy Divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the Cross; priests: who as a pledge of Thine own most tender love will lovingly give Thy Divine Son to the souls of men.

May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart.

Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.

Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for Thy beloved Son, open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation of priests formed in thy school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love. Amen."

St. Sebastian, Ash Wednesday

Thanks to some friends of the TLM, we are posting that St. Sebastian in Akron will also offer High Mass on Ash Wednesday at 5:15pm.

Ash Wednesday Masses

Latin Masses announced so far for Ash Wednesday are as follows.

7am Low Mass, Immaculate Conception Cleveland

7pm High Mass, St. Stephen

7:30pm High Mass, Immaculate Conception

We are reminded that Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence and fasting.

Earlier Start Time

Candlemas at St. Stephen's on Sunday, 2/2/2014, will begin 15 minutes earlier, at 9:15am, to allow sufficient time for the distributions of candles and the procession inside the church. Those attending at St. Stephen's should make note of the following:

The Faithful are to approach the altar rail, kneel and kiss the hand of the celebrant when receiving a candle from him. 

After receiving the candles, the Faithful do not retreat to the pews, but stay in the area in front of the first pew. Each candle will be lit here by the ushers, and then all will join in the procession behind the celebrant. The candles are extinguished after the procession.

The ushers will re-light the candles just before the singing of the Gospel. After the Gospel, the candles are extinguished.

Again, the ushers will re-light the candles during the Offertory. These remain lighted all through the Canon of the Mass and during the reception of Holy Communion. After the Faithful have received Holy Communion, when the gate of the Communion Rail is re-opened, the candles may be extinguished.  

The above are directives for those attending at St. Stephen's. Things may be different at other parishes.

The Epiphany

St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception Cleveland will both offer Solemn Mass for the traditional celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan 6, at 6:30pm.

The Epiphany: a necessary sequel to the Nativity. After celebrating but lately the day on which immaculate virginity brought forth the Saviour of mankind, the venerable feast of the Epiphany, dearly beloved, gives us continuance of joy, that the force of our exultation and the fervour of our faith may not grow cool, in the midst of neighbouring and kindred mysteries. For it concerns all men's salvation, that the infancy of the Mediator between God and men was already manifested to the whole world, while He was still detained in the tiny town. For although He had chosen the Israelitish nation, and one family out of that nation, from whom to assume the nature of all mankind, yet He was unwilling that the early days of His birth should be concealed within the narrow limits of His mother's home: but desired to be soon recognized by all, seeing that He deigned to be born for all...  --Pope St. Leo the Great

Catholics have a wonderful tradition of taking home chalk which was blessed on the Feast of the Epiphany and writing the initials of the three Wise Men, separated by Crosses,above the front door on the inside. Then writing the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides of the initials. It should look like this:

20  C+M+B  14

"20" is the millennium and century, the "C" stands for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the "M" stands for Melchior, the "B" stands for Balthasar, and the "14" stands for the decade and year. Tradition has it that the initials also stand for "Christus mansionem benedicat" ("Christ bless this house").

Prayer:

On entering the home,

Leader (Priest, if present, or father of the family): Peace be to this house.

All: And to all who dwell herein.

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

All Pray: The Magnificat. During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed. After this is completed,

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Leader: Our Father. . . And lead us not into temptation

All: But deliver us from evil.

Leader: All they from Saba shall come

All: Bringing gold and frankincense.

Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come to You.

Leader: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee—Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.