We adore Thee, O Christ!

I thought that perhaps some of our readers might like to hear this recording of our singing here at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.  This rendition of Adoramus Te Christe, by G. P. da Palestrina, was sung during Mass this Palm Sunday, 24th March.

Adoramus te, Christe,
et benedicimus tibi,
quia per sanctam crucem tuam
redemisti mundum.

We adore Thee, O Christ,
And we bless Thee,
Who by Thy Holy Cross
hath redeemed the world.

The English-speaking seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP).

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Denton, NE, USA

Palm Sunday in Christchurch, New Zealand

Today, 

Palm Sunday,

we officially began our apostolate in

the Diocese of  Christchurch, New Zealand.

Palm Sunday

Church of St Therese

Riccarton, Christchurch.

click on photos to see them in larger format! :)

The Blessing of Palms in front of the church. 

Hosanna filio David.

Hosanna to the Son of David. 

Hosanna in excelsis.

Hosanna in the highest. 

 Procession with Palms.

 Brother Clemens strikes the Church doors, 

the gates of the city of Jerusalem,

that they be opened to receive the King of Glory.

 Attollite, portae, capita vestra,

et attollite vos, fores antiquae,*

ut ingrediatur Rex gloriae!

Lift up O gates, your lintels,

and be ye lifted up, O ancient double doors:

and the King of Glory shall enter in! 

Ingrediente Domino in sanctam civitatem,

Hebraeorum pueri 

resurrectionem Vitae pronuntiantes,*

cum ramis palmarum:

"Hosanna in excelsis."

 As our Lord entered the holy city,

the Hebrew children,

heralding the resurrection of Life,

with palm branches cried out:

"Hosanna in the highest!" 

Jesus autem iterum clamans voce magna,

emisit spiritum.

And Jesus again crying with a loud voice,

yielded up the spirit.

Since AD 313 -the Red Shoes of the Fisherman

I am happy to share an image that was sent to me, 

since it seems that people don't understand that 

the Papal red shoes go back through all the Popes 

to just after the Church of the Catacombs. 

It is wrong for people to target 

His Holiness Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI 

as if they were his personal choice
from vanity or contempt for the poor.

All the Popes since AD 313 have worn
the red papal shoes of the Fisherman. 

The Holy Father of 2013 has chosen to lay them aside. 

That is his decision which we respect 

but Pope Francis' decision should not be used
to reflect badly 

upon His Holiness our beloved Emeritus Pope.

First Sunday Mass as Pope

The Pope offered Mass this morning in the parish of St Anne, Vatican City.

The Pope stepped out of a plain black car and 

immediately began shaking hands and blessing babies.

The small church was packed and many were unable to find seats.

At the end of the Mass, Francis did the unexpected.

He walked to the podium again, 

and talked about a priest from Uruguay 

whom he had spotted among the faithful attending the Mass. 

The priest, Don Gonsalvo 

stood up while Francis was talking about his work 

with street children and drug-addicts for whom he built a school.

  (Source: The Telegraph)

The Papa.

This morning, Pope Francis stopped by the Vatican-owned residence where he routinely stays during visits to Rome and where he stayed before the start of the conclave to pick up his luggage and pay the bill.

The Rev. Pawel Rytel-Andrianek, who teaches at the nearby Pontifical Holy Cross University and is staying at the residence, said he didn't just come to get his luggage, noting that anyone could have come to get his suitcases.

"He wanted to come here because he wanted to thank the personnel, people who work in this house," he said. Francis met with the staff in the dining room. "He greeted them one by one, no rush, the whole staff, one by one," Rytel-Andrianek said, noting that the pope knew everyone by name.

A closer look at Pope Francis

Vatican Insider 

takes a closer look at the man 

who has just been elected to the Papal Throne.

A not-so-hidden candidate was there. This is the only way to explain the (speed) at which the Conclave was concluded yesterday, with the new Pope being elected almost within the same time frame as Ratzinger was in the 2005 Conclave, only this time he was not present.

 He was the one who gave the shortest speech out of all his fellow cardinals during last week’s General Congregations, keeping within the allotted five minutes. He gave a heartfelt speech about a Church capable of mirroring God's merciful side.

Pope Francis

The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Jesuit and Latin American Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, the first Pope to take the name of Francis, came as a surprise to many. It had seemed that the Cardinals were seeking a young Pope and yet they elected a 76-year-old one. It had seemed they were going to choose a “governor” for the Roman Curia but they chose one of the cardinals who is most removed from the careerism, games and networking of the Roman Curia.

 The election of Francis marks a turning point. It had never happened in the recent history of the Church that there was the election of the second-placed at the previous conclave, nor that a Pontiff, appearing for the first time at the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica, before blessing the faithful, asked the faithful for a prayer and a blessing for him.

 In recent years, Bergoglio has always acknowledged the risk for the Church of becoming self-referential: "If the Church stays wrapped up in itself, it will age. And if I had to choose between a wounded Church that goes out onto the streets and a sick withdrawn Church, I would definitely choose the first one."

 Of course, his election is in line with the direction cardinals indicated they wanted the Church to go in, in the recent General Congregations: reform of the Curia, greater collegiality, preventing the recent scandals from recurring. But, although it is easy to predict steps in this direction, the priority for all voters was to elect a man of God, a witness most of all. His choice of appearing at the balcony accompanied by the Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, and the insistence, with which he emphasized the bond of the Bishop with the Diocese of the eternal city, is an important sign; the sign of a pontificate that, above all, underlines the link with the local church, the bond of the pastor with his people.

 It is not easy to make predictions about the future choices of the new Pope, about whom he will choose to bring to the Secretariat of State, about how he intends to address the issue of financial transparency and the problems of the IOR, on which decisions he will take after reading the Vatileaks dossier pages with sorrow. But starting from the name and the humble style with which he presented himself to the faithful, to the Church and to the world yesterday evening, it is possible to understand that this institution with 2,000 years of history on his shoulders has once again been able to renew itself and amaze.

 A Jesuit who chooses a Franciscan name, who chooses to name himself after the great Italian Saint, the great reformer of the radical side of the Gospel, is a sign of hope and a call for change for the whole Church.

Source: Vatican Insider

Lightning Visit

Pope Francis makes a lightning visit

to

St Mary Major's

Official Statement

Official Statement on elevation of 

His Holiness Pope Francis

to the See of Rome

The most small institute of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer rejoice in the election of our Holy Father Pope Francis.
We recognise in him the person of our highest Superior whom, by vow, we have willingly bound ourselves to obey. We pledge him our humble and filial charity.
This morning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered to God in thanksgiving for his election.  

God bless our Pope!

Edifying photograph of great beauty:
Pope Francis as a Cardinal, 
washing the feet of twelve AIDS victims.

May The Lord preserve him and give him life, 

and make him blessed upon the earth : 

and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. 

The Most Small Institute.

Habemus Papam!

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;

habemus Papam;

Eminentissium ac Reverendissium Dominum,

Dominum 

Georgium Marium

Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae 

Cardinalem Bergoglio

Qui sibi nomen imposuit 

Franciscum.

I announce to you with great joy;

We have a Pope;

The most eminent and most reverend Lord

Lord George Mario

Cardinal of Holy Roman Church Bergoglio

Who has taken the name

 Francis.

Live Watch: Papal Conclave

The Gregorian Conclave

The Conclave 

to elect the successor of St Peter

is to begin on 

the Feast of 

Pope St Gregory the Great,

Tuesday, 12 March, 2013.

Oratio.
Deus, qui animae famuli tui Gregorii
aeternae beatitudinis praemia contulisti:
concede propitius;
ut, qui peccatorum nostrorum pondere premimur,
eius apud te precibus sublevemur.
Per Dominum.

O God who hast conferred
the rewards of everlasting happiness
upon the soul of Thy servant Gregory,
mercifully grant that we,
who are oppressed by the burden of our sins,
may be relieved by his prayers with Thee.
Through our Lord.

The Public Religious Profession of Brother Alfonso Maria, F.SS.R.

Having been absent from the monastery

on 22 August 2012

Brother Alfonso Maria, F.SS.R.

made his Public Religious Profession yesterday,

shortly after his return from the Philippines.

Our Lady's Chapel, Stronsay,

after the Missa Cantata.

The Public Profession of Vows

Most loving Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Who art deserving of the highest love, I, Brother Alfonso Maria Star of the Sea, joined, even though unworthy, to the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, inflamed with the desire of consecrating myself entirely to Thy Holy Love, bind myself to serve Thee for the future with all my strength, by imitating the holy life of Jesus Christ Thy Son, and Our Divine Redeemer, which is the only way of pleasing Thee, and to labour for the salvation of the most abandoned souls, especially of those who live in the country, according to the principal end of this Congregation. Therefore, now, in the presence of Thy Divine Majesty, of Mary Most Holy and Immaculate, my Mistress and Mother, of St Joseph and St Alphonsus, and of the whole Court of Heaven, prostrate on my knees, I promise and vow for three years:  OBEDIENCE, CHASTITY, and POVERTY, and I declare myself bound by these vows, in the manner expressed in the Rules of St Alphonsus and the Constitutions of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer. Amen.

Thanksgiving Antiphon to Our Lady.

Ave Regina Caelorum.

Statement from Cardinal O'Brien

In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them.

However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.

To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness.

To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise.

I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Sede Vacante MMXIII

How many days to wait for a Pope?

Here is the list of 

Past Sede Vacante periods 

1799 - 2005.

1799:  Pius VI - Pius VII ~207 days (longest)

1823:  Pius VII - Leo XII ~39 days

1829:  Leo XII - Pius VIII ~49 days

1830:  Pius VIII - Gregory XVI ~63 days

1846:  Gregory XVI - Pius IX ~15 days

1878:  Pius IX - Leo XIII ~13 days (shortest)

1903:  Leo XIII - Pius X ~15 days

1914:  Pius X - Benedict XV ~14 days

1922:  Benedict XV - Pius XI ~15 days

1939:  Pius XI - Pius XII ~20 days

1958:  Pius XII - John XXIII ~19 days

1963:  John XXIII - Paul VI ~18 days

1978:  Paul VI - John Paul I ~20 days

1978:  John Paul I - John Paul II ~18 days

2005:  John Paul II - Benedict XVI ~17 days

2013:  Benedict XVI -  ~? days

"Pope Emeritus"

The Pope wearing the white mozetta or shoulder cape.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

 wearing the simple white cassock without the white mozetta.

It was announced today,

that after his retirement

the Holy Father will wear a simple white cassock

without the mozetta (the shoulder cape). 

He will not wear the red papal shoes. 

His official address will be: 

"His Holiness Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus"

or

"His Holiness Benedict XVI Pontiff Emeritus"

not "Bishop Ereritus of Rome".

On the loss of Cardinal O'Brien

Professor Tom Devine, 

OBE, BA, PhD, 

DLitt, HonD Univ (Strathclyde, 2006), 

Hon DLitt (Queen's, Belfast, 2001), 

Hon DLitt (Abertay, Dundee, 2001), 

FRHistS, FRSE, Hon MRIA FBA 

senior research professor at the University of Edinburgh 

and a Catholic: 

“My first reaction is one of personal sadness about the turn of events and also of human concern for the Cardinal; his terrible suffering at this time can only be imagined.
“Keith O'Brien has been a courageous leader of his flock, well respected and liked by many beyond the Catholic community and a doughty champion of his church who has spent a lifetime as pastor and teacher proclaiming its principles without fear or favour. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
“The imprecise anonymous allegations against the Cardinal are not accepted, legal advice has been sought and nothing has yet been proven.
“Nonetheless, and surprisingly perhaps, there is no denial of the charges in the formal announcement of resignation today; that must be a cause of concern.
“This is probably the gravest single public crisis to hit the Catholic Church in Scotland since the Reformation and its effects in the short term are incalculable.
“Many of the faithful in Scotland will be stunned by the seismic turn of events and left demoralised. But some perspective is necessary. The Church is very much more than Episcopal hierarchies no matter how eminent.
“The powerful resilience of a global faith, now one sixth of the earth's population and still growing in numbers, which has endured for more than two millennia through many vicissitudes, much more fundamental menacing than this personal tragedy, should not be underestimated.
“Moreover, in the cause of transparency and indeed fairness to all, it is now time for O'Brien's anonymous accusers to step forward into the public domain. If Catholicism in Scotland is to move on from this tragic affair a number of serious questions urgently require frank and honest answers from all concerned. The nation's Catholics deserve nothing less.”

Source: The Telegraph

In illo tempore: Assumpsit Jesus Petrum....

In illo tempore: Assumpsit Jesus Petrum....

At that time, Jesus took Peter...

(Gospel, II Sunday of Lent, 2013)

Communiqué on the Conclave

Days of silence ...

'...to pray for Pope Benedict, 

to pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten the College of Cardinals, 

to pray for the future Pope, 

trusting that the fate of the barque of St. Peter 

is in the hands of God.'

A Vatican Radio translation 

of a Secretary of State communiqué on conclave, 

issued Saturday, 23 February, 2013:

Communiqué of the Secretariat of State

“The freedom of the College of Cardinals, which alone, under the law, is responsible for the election of the Roman Pontiff, has always been strongly defended by the Holy See, as a guarantee of a choice based on evaluations solely for the good of the Church.

“Over the centuries, the Cardinals have faced multiple forms of pressure exerted on the individual voters and the same College, with the aim of conditioning decisions, to bend them to a political or worldly logic.

“If in the past it was the so-called superpowers, namely States, that sought to condition the election of the Pope in their favour, today there is an attempt to apply the weight of public opinion, often on the basis of assessments that fail to capture the spiritual aspect of this moment in the life of the Church.

“It is regrettable that, as we draw near to the beginning of the Conclave when Cardinal electors shall be bound in conscience and before God, to freely express their choice, news reports abound which are often unverified or unverifiable, or completely false, provoking damage to people and institutions.

“It is in moments such as these, that Catholics are called to focus on what is essential: to pray for Pope Benedict, to pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten the College of Cardinals, to pray for the future Pope, trusting that the fate of the barque of St. Peter is in the hands of God."

 Here is the same text in the original Italian, for those of you who would like to check the one against the other:

COMUNICATO DELLA SEGRETERIA DI STATO

His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone

The Secretary of State.

La libertà del Collegio Cardinalizio, al quale spetta di provvedere, a norma del diritto, all'elezione del Romano Pontefice, è sempre stata strenuamente difesa dalla Santa Sede, quale garanzia di una scelta che fosse basata su valutazioni rivolte unicamente al bene della Chiesa.
Nel corso dei secoli i Cardinali hanno dovuto far fronte a molteplici forme di pressione, esercitate sui singoli elettori e sullo stesso Collegio, che avevano come fine quello di condizionarne le decisioni, piegandole a logiche di tipo politico o mondano.
Se in passato sono state le cosiddette potenze, cioè gli Stati, a cercare di far valere il proprio condizionamento nell'elezione del Papa, oggi si tenta di mettere in gioco il peso dell'opinione pubblica, spesso sulla base di valutazioni che non colgono l'aspetto tipicamente spirituale del momento che la Chiesa sta vivendo.
È deplorevole che, con l'approssimarsi del tempo in cui avrà inizio il Conclave e i Cardinali elettori saranno tenuti, in coscienza e davanti a Dio, ad esprimere in piena libertà la propria scelta, si moltiplichi la diffusione di notizie spesso non verificate, o non verificabili, o addirittura false, anche con grave danno di persone e istituzioni.
Mai come in questi momenti, i cattolici si concentrano su ciò che è essenziale: pregano per Papa Benedetto, pregano affinché lo Spirito Santo illumini il Collegio dei Cardinali, pregano per il futuro Pontefice, fiduciosi che le sorti della barca di Pietro sono nelle mani di Dio.

Link: http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/30540.php?index=30540&lang=it

Thanks to Dr. Robert Moynihan

"His Holiness, Benedict XVI, Bishop Emeritus of Rome."

Still a while, our Holy Father.

As for millions of others in the world today,

the day stopped still even before midday.

Thoughts focused on the lovable person of our Holy Father.

It was like hearing of his sudden death.

With sorrow and acceptance dueling with each other;

with the grace of his pontificate fast approaching its close,

I found consolation in knowing that we obeyed

when he called us back to unity with him.

Our Congregation's consolation

is that we listened to his Motu proprio of 7 July 2007.

We may have been the only SSPX group that committed itself to action,

by returning to the heart of the Church in response to his request,

but in what concerns his person:

that we responded to his invitation, is our chief consolation

at this time, when he is leaving us.

Without his appeal to us and the grace that went with it

~the voice of Christ speaking through Benedict ~

without that call to life,

we would be in spiritual misery today.

If only all had answered!

We were not a great catch for the Fisher of Souls

we were but some little fish in the net of his pastoral charity;

just a few strays that heard the Shepherd's voice:

and he carried us on his shoulders!

He carried us on his shoulders!

Thank you Holy Father for all that you did for us;

Our Fisherman, our Shepherd, our Father

you have a great place in our hearts.

Soon then, our beloved Benedict will leave us.

The retired Pope retires to the monastic mountain

to pray for us as yet another Moses.

Have we lost?

Humanly we sorrow;

supernaturally we gain.

It is God's Will.

In His Will is our peace.

The Abdication of the Holy Father

The Holy Father

took everybody by surprise when he announced his abdication today:

Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, 

and well aware of the seriousness of this act, 

with full freedom I declare 

that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, 

entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, 

in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, 

the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant 

and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff 

will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

Forthcoming Ordinations to the Priesthood

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

has the joy of announcing the forthcoming ordinations to the Priesthood

of

Rev. Brother Yousef Marie, F.SS.R.

and

Rev. Brother Magdala Maria, F.SS.R.

The Ordinations will take place on 22 June, 2013

in the church of the Fraternity of St Peter, 

the 

Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini,

36 Via dei Pettinari 

00153 Rome.

Further details will be made closer to the date.

We thank our Ordinary

His Lordship the Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B.

Bishop of Aberdeen 

and

the Very Reverend Fr John M. Berg F.S.S.P.

Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter

for the privilege of receiving sacred ordinations 

within the Eternal City

near our Holy Father

and 

close to the Chair of St Peter.

Redefining Marriage: Impact on schools.

Three Lives Saved

 Today at the abortion clinic here in Lincoln, Nebraska, we had the great joy of saving three lives!  That’s right, three women, after seeing people praying outside the abortuary, decided not to kill their child, but to let it live!  This is the result not only of prayer, but also of having a visible presence outside the abortion clinic.  All these women and children need our prayers and certainly the graces they received were obtained by prayers in one form or another, but if our counsellors had not been there to talk to the ladies and offer them support, if Our Lady’s Army had not been there praying and giving visible encouragement, who knows but that those three precious lives might by now have been snuffed-out.

If you are in the Lincoln area and can make it to the Lincoln abortuary on a Tuesday, please do come out and join us in praying for an end to abortion and for the women and children who are harmed by abortion.  Who knows how many babies God will save from death if only there are enough people out there praying for it.  Our Lady said at Fatima “Many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray for them.”  Clearly we are not talking about hell for these innocent little babies, but could it not also be said: many babies are slaughtered each day by abortion BECAUSE THERE IS NO ONE TO PRAY FOR THEM?  If you are not in the Lincoln area or cannot make it but know people who could please share this with your friends so that we can get an many people out there praying for mothers and their children as possible.

5631 S. 48th Street

Suite 100

Lincoln, NE 68516

There is parking available.

40th Anniversary of State-Sponsored Murder

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the culturally, socially and economically catastrophic United States Supreme Court decision that until the child in the womb is capable of surviving alone outside of the womb (i.e. it is “viable”) it is not a person, thus stripping the helpless innocent child of its human rights, including its right to life, and its right to State protection, and allowing its own mother the right to have it barbarically slaughtered.

In the 40 years since Roe v Wade, somewhere in the region of 53 million children have been put to death in America alone – this is only 10 million short of the entire population of the United Kingdom.  Who will ever know the talent that has been wasted over these 40 years?  Perhaps the doctor who would discover a cure for cancer is among those  53 million, or the scientist who would make breakthrough discoveries in the reduction of pollution?  Which great artist will never see the light of day, or which writer or politician will now never inspire the world?  

The damage we have done is incalculable.  Is God pleased with our stewardship?

On Saturday 19th January I attended the March for Life in Lincoln, Nebraska, joining between three and five thousand other supporters of life to march in protest of all violations of human life.  Here are some photos:

Everyone gathered outside the State Capitol building, where speakers included the Nebraska State Governor  the Lieutenant Governor and two Congressmen.

 The pro-death people were also present, but they didn't make any trouble.

 Seminarians from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.

 All generations were represented.

Marching from the Capitol building to the university.

The pro-death protesters followed us to the university, but on arriving, they found nine pro-life students waiting to stand in front of them!  God bless these young pro-life men!

In addition, here are some photos from the Lincoln abortion clinic taken today, as we prayed outside for the poor women and children who the victims of abortion, and for the end of this genocide.