September 14th on EWTN

EWTN to Televise Live Tridentine Mass Celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

DENTON, Nebraska - AUGUST 21, 2007 - For the first time in its 26 year history, Mother Angelica's Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) will be broadcasting a live Solemn High Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on September 14, 2007 at 8:00AM EST. EWTN has asked for the assistance of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an international Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, to help celebrate this "extraordinary" form.

This past July 7th, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the beauty and importance of the Tridentine Mass by issuing Summorum Pontificum, a papal document encouraging and confirming the right of all Latin Rite priests to use this more ancient use of the Mass starting September 14th. The Tridentine Mass was the normative liturgy experienced by Latin Rite Catholics prior to the Second Vatican Council.

"Most Catholics have not seen this heavenly celebration in over 40 years," said Father Calvin Goodwin, a professor at the Society's international English-speaking seminary located in Denton, Nebraska. "We are very excited to help EWTN and to support the Holy Father's call for a wider presence of this form of the Mass. This is a cause for great joy."

Priests and seminarians from Denton, Nebraska will travel to Alabama and provide the celebrant, deacon, subdeacon, preacher, master of ceremonies and altar servers.

The public is invited to attend.

About the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is an international society of Catholic priests entrusted with the preservation and administration of the Catholic Church's ancient Latin liturgical traditions. Over 120 seminarians are preparing for the priesthood in the Fraternity’s two seminaries in Bavaria, Germany and Denton, Nebraska.

About EWTN
Founded by Mother Angelica, a Poor Clare nun, the Eternal Word Television Network has become the largest religious media network in the world, transmitting programming 24 hours a day to more than 123 million homes in 140 countries and territories on more than 4,800 cable systems, wireless cable, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), low power TV and individual satellite users.

Requiescat in Pace

ROME, Lundi 27 août 2007 (ZENIT.org)

– Benoît XVI a rendu hommage à la « compétence » et au « dévouement » du cardinal Gagnon, canadien, en particulier son souci de la formation des futurs prêtres.Le cardinal Edouard Gagnon, P.S.S., est décédé dans la nuit de samedi 25 à dimanche 26 août à l’âge de 89 ans.Chevalier de l’Ordre patriarcal de la Sainte Croix de Jérusalem et prêtre de Saint-Sulpice, le cardinal Gagnon s’est éteint au séminaire Saint-Sulpice de Montréal.Il était né en 1918 à Port-Daniel. Entré dans la compagnie de Saint-Sulpice et ordonné prêtre, il a été professeur de théologie de 1945 à 1954. Il a participé au concile Vatican II en tant qu’expert.Il a également été Provincial des Sulpiciens pour le Canada, le Japon et l’Amérique latine.Au lendemain du concile, il a été nommé par Paul VI évêque de Saint-Paul en Alberta (1969-1972), puis il a été appelé à Rome pour être recteur du collège pontifical canadien et ensuite président du Comité pour la Famille, créé par Paul VI en 1973, et qui deviendra en 1981 le conseil pontifical pour la Famille.« Créé » cardinal en 1985 par Jean-Paul II, il est resté président du conseil pontifical pour la Famille jusqu'en 1990. Il était aussi président émérite du comité pontifical pour les congrès eucharistiques internationaux, et il disparaît au moment où le Canada se prépare à accueillir le congrès eucharistique international de Québec en 2008.Dans un télégramme au cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, archevêque de Montréal, le pape Benoît XVI exprime sa « peine » à la nouvelle du décès du cardinal Gagnon. Il dit « s’associer à la prière de l’Eglise du Canada, à la famille du défunt et à toutes les personnes touchées par ce deuil ». Il « confie au Christ ressuscité ce fidèle serviteur de l’Eglise qui, avec compétence et dévouement, a notamment consacré son ministère à la formation des prêtres, avant de se dévouer généreusement, pendant de longues années, au service du Saint-Siège ».Benoît XVI a également adressé un télégramme de condoléances au R.P. Lawrence B. Terrien, supérieur général de la Compagnie des prêtres de Saint-Sulpice, à Paris. Le pape y souligne également combien le cardinal Gagnon s’est consacré « avec zèle à la formation des prêtres ainsi qu’aux ministères confiés par le Siège apostolique ».

Le pape accorde sa bénédiction apostolique à tous les Sulpiciens confrères du défunt cardinal Gagnon.

Sermon for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost

Our Lord Jesus Christ is crossing the land of Samaria when He meets 10 lepers. They are considered as impure, and as such, are excluded from the society. In addition to the pain caused by their illness, they have to suffer the gaze of others, and certain contempt, or at least, just a certain disregard. For the people in good standing, it is of course not a problem. They are not concerned by these 10 lepers. They have food every day and a roof for their family and they give thanks to God for this. They follow the Law given by the Almighty to Moses but they don’t see further. Jesus knows this and tries to explain to them.

Today’s gospel starts with verse 11 of chapter 17 of Saint Luke. Remember the preceding verses. Our Lord gives a lesson to his disciples who ask Him to increase their faith.
"Which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say to him, when he is come from the field: Immediately go. Sit down to meat. And will not rather say to him: Make ready my supper and gird thyself and serve me, whilst I eat and drink; and afterwards thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant for doing the things which he commanded him? I think not. So you also, when you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do. " Luke 17:7-10
The Fathers of the Church explain that faith is of course necessary and good but can also be an occasion of pride. For that reason, Jesus warns us: We are unprofitable servants!

After this comes the meeting of Our Lord with the 10 lepers. They all have faith and their faith pushes them to invoke Jesus. Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! These men rejected by society hope that Jesus will accept them. Their hope will not be deceived: "Go, show yourselves to the priests. As they went, they were made clean." It is also a lesson for the priests, jealous of the glory of Jesus. They have now another proof of His power. May the priests of the New Covenant understand that their power comes from God and must be used for His glory and only His glory.
The 10 lepers can now see the efficacy of the name of Jesus that they have invoked. This name means Savior. They have been cleansed for having invoked it. But only one of ten comes back to give thanks, and this was a Samaritan. Ingratitude seems to be disgraceful and detestable, and it truly is. Nevertheless it is common, even among those who are expected to be good people. The only one who comes back to Jesus is a Samaritan. The nine others are Jews. But who is the most faithful keeper of the Law?

What about myself? I can easily fall in a certain routine of Christian life. I have everything that I need in order to have a decent life and I have even more, which gives me a comfortable life. I am certainly not a bad Christian since I attend Mass every Sunday and even sometimes during the week. I confess my sins regularly and I pray almost every day.
Well, it is true that I am certainly not a bad Christian, but Our Lord wants more than this. He does not say: Do not be bad, but rather be perfect! It happens that God tries to wake us and to revive our spiritual life. He allows us to face some trials. It is an occasion for us to pray more, because, as the lepers, when things are not so good, we try to find a refuge and some consolations. So we claim that we are miserable and we beg God for His mercy. But then, once we have received what we had asked, we may be tempted to think that it was due to us and to forget to come back to give thanks. We deplore and condemn the ingratitude of the nine lepers but we do not realize how much we can be ourselves ungrateful. And sometimes a ‘Samaritan’ comes to remind us that we should be grateful.
It happened to me, at least once, and I will never forget this lesson. Almost 20 years ago, I was at the military school of Artillery in Draguignan, south of France. After the classes, I was accepted as an officer which was the dream of my youth. My roommate was a good friend, but he was a protestant. We often had long discussion about Faith. I brought him once at the Latin Mass and he brought me once to a protestant service, which of course I did not participate, but it was an occasion for me to meet some protestant people.
The day when we received our stripe of officer, a family from the protestant church came to the ceremony. We all were rejoicing. Then this protestant lady asked me: “Did you thank God for that?” Well, I have to say that I was confused, because I did not. I rejoiced with my family and my friend but I simply forgot God. There was one person to remind me of the most important thing and this person was a protestant.
Sometimes, God sends to us a ‘Samaritan’ to bring us back on the right way. May Our Lady help us to accept the lesson and to revive our Faith and our Charity, so that we can hear Our Lord saying to us: "Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole."

Saint Louis

August 25 th

Saint Louis, King of France

Saint Louis, King of France 1215 - 1270

By Eloise Wilding

Louis IX, Saint and King, was the oldest son of King Louis VIII and Queen Blanche of Castille. Like every other royal prince, he had private tutors to teach him the arts and sciences, and the grace and dignity that were expected of every heir to the royal throne. But his devoted mother Blanche, reserved to herself the teaching of her first-born, a deep respect and reverence for everything associated with his religion. She did her work well. She used to say to him: "I love you, my dear son, with as much love as any mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should offend God by mortal sin." The young prince never forgot those serious words of his saintly mother.

At the age of twelve, he was crowned King of France, and under the capable and strict regency of his mother, he became a beloved ruler of his people. His judgments were tempered with mercy and he grew to see the wise hand of God directing him in all his kingly responsibilities.
He bought back the Crown of Thorns from the Eastern Emperor in Constantinople and built a magnificent shrine for it in Paris. During his whole life, he had a great devotion to the Crown of Thorns and he is often represented in art as kneeling in humble meditation before his own royal crown beside the Crown of Thorns of his heavenly King.
It was the dominating dream of his life to win back the Holy Land from the Saracens and to open up for Christian pilgrims the shrines and places that were so intimately associated with the life and death of his beloved Redeemer. He led two crusades, but both ended in failure. He was taken prisoner in 1250 and his armies were scattered to end his first crusade. The second crusade ended in greater tragedy. On July 1, 1270, he sailed for Tunis in North Africa. Dysentery and other diseases broke out among the Crusaders on the African Coast, and Louis and his second son were among the victims. With the words, "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit" on his lips, he gave up his soul to God on August 25, 1270. A weeping nation received his bones and heart, and kept them enshrined in the Abbey of St. Dennis until they were scattered in the frenzy of the French Revolution.
A grateful Church recognized him as a King and a Crusader for God. He was canonized 27 years after his death and his feast is August 25.

His descendents occupied the throne of France for five hundred years, his name is held in veneration, and churches and shrines have been dedicated to his memory.

The Sainte Chapelle, built at the request of Saint Louis,

to house the relics of the Crown of Thorns.

Last Instructions to his Son Philip

( future King Philippe III le Hardi )

"Fair son, the first thing I would teach thee is to set thine heart to love God; for unless he love God none can be saved. Keep thyself from doing aught that is displeasing to God, that is to say, from mortal sin. Contrariwise thou shouldst suffer every manner of torment rather than commit a mortal sin.
"If God send thee adversity, receive it in patience and give thanks to our Saviour and bethink thee that thou hast deserved it, and that He will make it turn to thine advantage. If He send thee prosperity, then thank Him humbly, so that thou becomest not worse from pride or any other cause, when thou oughtest to be better. For we should not fight against God with his own gifts.
"Confess thyself often and choose for thy confessor a right worthy man who knows how to teach thee what to do, and what not to do; and bear thyself in such sort that thy confessor and thy friends shall dare to reprove thee for thy misdoings. Listen to the services of Holy Church devoutly, and without chattering; and pray to God with thy heart and with thy lips, and especially at Mass when the consecration takes place. Let thy heart be tender and full of pity toward those who are poor, miserable, and afflicted, and comfort and help them to the utmost of thy power.
"Maintain the good customs of thy realm and abolish the bad. Be not covetous against thy people and do not burden them with taxes and imposts save when thou art in great need.
"If thou hast any great burden weighing upon thy heart, tell it to thy confessor or to some right worthy man who is not full of vain words. Thou shalt be able to bear it more easily.
"See that thou hast in thy company men, whether religious or lay, who are right worthy and loyal and not full of covetousness, and confer with them oft; and fly and eschew the company of the wicked. Hearken willingly to the Word of God and keep it in thine heart, and seek diligently after prayers and indulgences. Love all that is good and profitable and hate all that is evil, wheresoever it may be.
"Let none be so bold as to say before thee any word that would draw or move to sin, or so bold as to speak evil behind another's back for pleasure's sake; nor do thou suffer any word in disparagement of God and of His saints to be spoken in thy presence. Give often thanks to God for all the good things he has bestowed on thee, so that thou be accounted worthy to receive more.
"In order to do justice and right to thy subjects, be upright and firm, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, but always to what is just; and do thou maintain the cause of the poor until such a time as the truth is made clear. And if anyone has an action against thee, make full inquiry until thou knowest the truth; for thus shall thy counsellors judge the more boldly according to the truth, whether for thee or against.
"If thou holdest aught that belongeth to another, whether by thine own act or the act of thy predecessors, and the matter be certain, make restitution without delay. If the matter be doubtful, cause inquiry to be made by wise men diligently and promptly.
"Give heed that thy servants and thy subjects live under thee in peace and uprightness. Especially maintain the good cities and commons of thy realm in the same estate and with the same franchises as they enjoyed under thy predecessors; and if there be aught to amend, amend and set it right, and keep them in thy favor and love. For because of the power and wealth of the great cities, thine own subjects, and especially thy peers and thy barons and foreigners also will fear to undertake aught against thee.
"Love and honor all persons belonging to Holy Church, and see that no one take away or diminish the gifts and alms paid to them by thy predecessors. It is related of King Philip, my grandfather, that one of his counsellors once told him that those of Holy Church did him much harm and damage in that they deprived him of his rights, and diminished his jurisdiction, and that it was a great marvel that he suffered it; and the good king replied that he believed this might well be so, but he had regard to the benefits and courtesies that God had bestowed on him, and so thought it better to abandon some of his rights than to have any contention with the people of Holy Church.
"To thy father and mother thou shalt give honor and reverence, and thou shalt obey their commandments. Bestow the benefices of Holy Church on persons who are righteous and of a clean life, and do it on the advice of men of worth and uprightness.
"Beware of undertaking a war against any Christian prince without great deliberation; and if it has to be undertaken, see that thou do no hurt to Holy Church and to those that have done thee no injury. If wars and dissensions arise among thy subjects, see that thou appease them as soon as thou art able. "Use diligence to have good provosts and bailiffs, and inquire often of them and of those of thy household how they conduct themselves, and if there be found in them any vice of inordinate covetousness or falsehood or trickery. Labor to free thy land from all vile iniquity, and especially strike down with all thy power evil swearing and heresy. See to it that the expense of thy household be reasonable.
"Finally, my very dear son, cause Masses to be sung for my soul, and prayers to be said throughout thy realm; and give to me a special share and full part in all the good thou doest. Fair, dear son, I give thee all the blessings that a good father can give to his son. And may the blessed Trinity and all the saints keep and defend thee from all evils; and God give thee grace to do His will always, so that He be honored in thee, and that thou and I may both, after this mortal life is ended, be with Him together and praise Him everlastingly. Amen."

D'après Joinville

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bernard (1090-1153) was born near Dijon and died in Clairvaux, France. He was of a noble family and received a careful education in his youth. With his father, brother and thirty noblemen he entered the Benedictine monastery of Citeaux. Two years later he led a group of monks to establish a house at Clairvaux, and became its abbot. The monastic rule which he perfected at Clairvaux became the model for 163 monasteries of the Cistercian reform. He was a theologian, poet, orator, and writer. He is sometimes considered as a Father of the Church.

St. Bernard of ClairvauxBernard, the second founder of the Cistercians, the Mellifluous Doctor, the apostle of the Crusades, the miracle-worker, the reconciler of kings, the leader of peoples, the counselor of popes! His sermons, from which there are many excerpts in the Breviary, are conspicuous for genuine emotion and spiritual unction. The celebrated Memorare is ascribed to him.
Bernard was born in 1090, the third son of an illustrious Burgundian family. At the age of twenty-two he entered the monastery of Citeaux (where the Cistercian Order had its beginning) and persuaded thirty other youths of noble rank to follow his example. Made abbot of Clairvaux (1115), he erected numerous abbeys where his spirit flourished. To his disciple, Bernard of Pisa, who later became Pope Eugene III, he dedicated his work De Consideratione. Bernard's influence upon the princes, the clergy, and the people of his age was most remarkable. By penitential practices he so exhausted his body that it could hardly sustain his soul, ever eager to praise and honor God.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Saint Bernard preaching the Crusade

Hail, O bleeding Head and wounded,

With a crown of thorns surrounded,

Buffeted, and bruised and battered,

Smote with reed by striking shattered,

Face with spittle vilely smeared!

Hail, whose visage sweet and comely,

Marred by fouling stains and homely,

Changed as to its blooming color,

All now turned to deathly pallor,

Making heavenly hosts affeared!

Passion Hymn of Saint Bernard

Thanks to the Holy Father, now every priest of the Latin Rite can offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the Missal of 1962. Many priests desire to celebrate the venerable and ancient liturgy of the Church, but this supposes that they know the rubrics of the Mass and its spirit. The Fraternity of Saint Peter would like to help them in this task. For that, we offer another training workshop in our Seminary of Denton, Nebraska. Please, spread the word!

Communiqué of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in collaboration with Una Voce America will be offering another training workshop for priests interested in learning how to celebrate the “extraordinary form” of the Roman Rite. The workshop will take place the first week of September 2007 from the 3rd (Monday) through 7th (Friday) hosted by Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Lincoln, Nebraska. All the fundamentals involved in learning the Traditional Latin Mass will be covered. Priests will receive a complete explanation with hands-on practice of the rubrics of the 1962 Missale Romanum as well as an introduction to Latin, traditional liturgical principles, and Gregorian Chant. A comprehensive materials packet will also be provided.

The course will follow the same method used successfully in the workshops conducted this past June when the Fraternity trained diocesan and religious priests in the Older Use during three different sessions.

Further workshops are being planned for the late fall.

Interested priests should contact Fr. Calvin Goodwin,FSSP at 402-797-7700.

The testimony of a priest

"I would characterize my experience as frankly stunning, and even life changing. I must admit that the experience has recast my understanding of the priesthood to some degree."

by a Diocesan Priest

I. Summary of the Training

This past week I returned from what one priest called the Traditional Mass Boot Camp, hosted and taught by the fine priests, deacons and seminarians of the Fraternity of Saint Peter at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton NE. Being a “Novus Ordo” priest and having little exposure or opportunity to experience the traditional Rite, this weekend was nothing short of amazing. Arriving on Monday we jumped right in with an introductory session on the Mass covering various basic principles such as the attitude and composure of the priest, and the centrality of the Mass as a sacrifice. Wasting no time we began our practicum, our class was broken up into small groups of three, according to experience with the traditional Mass and Latin skills. Over the course of the five day we had workshops on the vesting prayers, the Low Mass, the Requiem Mass, Gregorian Chant, the sung Mass, and Exposition and Benediction. These were covered in depth in class and the practicum sessions, which were and hour and a half to two hours long. The daily schedule began with private Mass from 6:00 to 8:00 AM and ended with Compline at 9:00 PM. The resources and materials that the Fraternity provided was copious and pedagogically geared for a priest to learn the traditional Mass. Any priest who is willing to learn and take the time necessary can confidently know that he will be able to offer the Mass with the proper reverence and confidence that the Rite demands. On our final day on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul we were privileged to pray the Solemn High Mass in choir with the Nuns the Carmelite Monastery of Mary Jesus and Joseph in Valparaiso, NE a short drive from the seminary, this was absolutely the crowning event of the week, beautify offered by Fr. James Fryar FSSP, accompanied by the Deacons and seminarians of the seminary and the angelic chants sung by the Carmelite Nuns.

II. Personal Observations

Being a priest of the modern Roman rite I was admittedly nervous and lacking confidence due to my lack of experience, I felt that I perhaps had got into something that was over my head, but the graciousness and patience of the members of the Fraternity of Saint Peter quickly overcame any misgivings I had. I must confess that I was worried that there might be some looking down upon a "Novus Ordo" priest such as myself in a “Traditionalist” environment such as this, but the respect and genuine affection and gratitude that was shown me by the priests, deacons and seminarians of the FSSP was most edifying and humbling. I cannot speak highly enough about these excellent and truly humble men, who most joyfully offer themselves for the life of the Church. One of the many remarkable things that struck me about my experience this past week was that these men of the FSSP and others like them have preserved for the entire Latin Rite the living memory and tradition of the Church in a unique way. I would characterize my experience as frankly stunning, and even life changing. I must admit that the experience has recast my understanding of the priesthood to some degree. Also, by this intensive introduction to the ancient Roman liturgical tradition, I now more fully understand the paradigm shift and rupture that Ratzinger/Benedict XVI has spoken of. I can’t help but feel that once the adolescent rebellion of liturgical abuse and rejection of our living heritage subsides, they will be there to help all of us reclaim and reinvigorate the Latin Rite in a way that is truly organic and faithful to our roots, strengthening and in some areas reestablishing a vibrant Catholic identity.I wish to thank my benefactors who enabled me to attend this workshop; it was a profound privilege for me to go. I will remember you in my prayers and my intentions at the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Le voeu de Louis XIII

Louis, par la grâce de Dieu, roi de France et de Navarre.


A tous ceux qui ces présentes lettres verront, Salut.
Dieu qui élève les rois au trône de leur grandeur, non content de nous avoir donné l'esprit qu'il départ à tous les princes de la terre pour la conduite de leurs peuples, a voulu prendre un soin si spécial et de notre personne et de notre état, que nous ne pouvons considérer le bonheur du cours de notre règne, sans y voir autant d'effets merveilleux de sa bonté, que d'accidents qui nous pouvaient perdre.
Lorsque nous sommes entré au gouvernement de cette couronne, la faiblesse de notre âge donna sujet à quelques mauvais esprits d'en troubler la tranquillité ; mais cette main divine soutint avec tant de force la justice de notre cause que l'on vit en même temps la naissance et la fin de ces pernicieux desseins. En divers autres temps, l'artifice des hommes et la malice du diable ayant suscité et fomenté des divisions non moins dangereuses pour notre couronne que préjudiciables au repos de notre maison, il lui a plu en détourner le mal avec autant de douceur que de justice.
La rébellion de l'hérésie ayant aussi formé un parti dans l'Etat, qui n'avait d'autre but que de partager notre autorité, il s'est servi de nous pour en abattre l'orgueil, et a permis que nous ayons relevé ses saints autels en tous les lieux où la violence de cet injuste parti en avait ôté les marques.
Quand nous avons entrepris la protection de nos alliés, il a donné des succès si heureux à nos armes, qu'à la vue de toute l'Europe, contre l'espérance de tout le monde, nous les avons rétablis en la possession de leurs états dont ils avaient été dépouillés.
Si les plus grandes forces des ennemis de cette couronne, se sont ralliées pour conspirer sa ruine, il a confondu leurs ambitieux desseins pour faire voir à toutes les nations que, comme sa providence a fondé cet Etat, sa bonté le conserve et sa puissance le défend.
Tant de grâces si évidentes font que pour n'en différer pas la reconnaissance, sans attendre la paix, qui nous viendra sans doute de la même main dont nous les avons reçues, et que nous désirons avec ardeur pour en faire sentir les fruits aux peuples qui nous sont commis, nous avons cru être obligés, nous prosternant aux pieds de sa majesté divine que nous adorons en trois personnes, à ceux de la Sainte Vierge et de la sacrée croix, où nous vénérons l'accomplissement des mystères de notre Rédemption par la vie et la mort du fils de Dieu en notre chair, de nous consacrer à la grandeur de Dieu par son fils rabaissé jusqu'à nous, et à ce fils par sa mère élevée jusqu'à lui ; en la protection de laquelle nous mettons particulièrement notre personne, notre Etat, notre couronne et tous nos sujets pour obtenir par ce moyen celle de la Sainte-Trinité, par son intercession et de toute la cour céleste par son autorité et exemple, nos mains n'étant pas assez pures pour présenter nos offrandes à la pureté même, nous croyons que celles qui ont été dignes de le porter, les rendront hosties agréables et c'est chose bien raisonnable qu'ayant été médiatrice de ces bienfaits, elle le soit de nos actions de grâces.
A ces causes, nous avons déclaré et déclarons que prenant la très sainte et très glorieuse Vierge pour protectrice spéciale de notre royaume, nous lui consacrons particulièrement notre personne, notre Etat, notre couronne et nos sujets, la suppliant de nous vouloir inspirer une sainte conduite et de défendre avec tant de soin ce royaume contre l'effort de tous ses ennemis, que, soit qu'il souffre du fléau de la guerre ou jouisse de la douceur de la paix que nous demandons à Dieu de tout notre cœur, il ne sorte point des voies de la grâce qui conduisent à celles de la gloire. Et afin que la postérité ne puisse manquer à suivre nos volontés en ce sujet, pour monument et marque immortelle de la consécration présente que nous faisons, nous ferons construire de nouveau le grand autel de la cathédrale de Paris avec une image de la Vierge qui tienne dans ses bras celle de son précieux Fils descendu de la Croix , et où nous serons représenté aux pieds du Fils et de la Mère comme leur offrant notre couronne et notre sceptre.
Nous admonestons le sieur Archevêque de Paris et néanmoins lui enjoignons que tous les ans le jour et fête de l'Assomption, il fasse faire commémoration de notre présente déclaration à la grand'messe qui se dira en son église cathédrale, et qu'après les vêpres du dit jour, il soit fait une procession en la dite église à laquelle assisteront toutes les compagnies souveraines et le corps de ville, avec pareille cérémonie que celle qui s'observe aux processions générales les plus solennelles ; ce que nous voulons aussi être fait en toutes les églises tant paroissiales que celles des monastères de la dite ville et faubourg, et en toutes les villes, bourgs et villages du dit diocèse de Paris.
Exhortons pareillement tous les archevêques et évêques de notre royaume et néanmoins leur enjoignons de faire célébrer la même solennité en leurs églises épiscopales et autres églises de leur diocèse ; entendant qu'à la dite cérémonie les cours de Parlement et autres compagnies souveraines et les principaux officiers de la ville y soient présents ; et d'autant qu'il y a plusieurs épiscopales qui ne sont pas dédiées à la Vierge, nous exhortons les dits archevêques et évêques en ce cas de lui dédier la principale chapelle des dites églises pour y être fait la dite cérémonie et d'y élever un autel avec un ornement convenable à une action si célèbre et d'admonester tous nos peuples d'avoir une dévotion particulière à la Vierge, d'implorer en ce jour sa protection afin que sous une si puissante patronne notre royaume soit à couvert de toutes les entreprises de ses ennemis, qu'il jouisse largement d'une bonne paix ; que Dieu y soit servi et révéré si saintement à la dernière fin pour laquelle nous avons été créés ; car tel est notre bon plaisir.
Donné à Saint-Germain-en-Laye, le dixième jour de février, l'an de grâce mil six cent trente-huit, et de notre règne le vingt-huit.

Bienheureux les miséricordieux !

Le luxe, la fortune, le progrès matériel ont souvent conféré à leurs détenteurs une tendance à juger et à condamner impitoyablement les moins adroits ou les moins favorisés. La matière est sans âme, à qui la choisit comme idole revient l’impassibilité de l’idole en face des fautes et des humaines faiblesses. Méchanceté du monde, méchanceté des salons…Heureux ceux dont l’esprit est encore assez vivant pour réconforter par l’indulgence et l’incompréhension.

Révérend Père de Chivré o.p.

On my mind!

Many of you already knew it, but it is now official, I received my new assignment. I am appointed chaplain of the Latin Mass community in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is quite exiting to join a new apostolate for me: meeting new people, discovering a new Diocese, a new State, a new city! Other place, other people, but same mission: let Our Lord Jesus Christ know! “Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Co 9 ; 16)

Since I am a priest, and even before, it is what I try to do, with my own defects and in spite of my imperfection. But there is one thing that gives me a lot of comfort: God has chosen the weak things of the world so that He may confound the strong. (cf 1 Co 1 ; 27) It is good to hear that, otherwise we would be grabbed by fears, anxiety and doubt, facing the task we have to accomplish. Can anyone one on earth understand what a priest is and what his mission is? According to Saint John Mary Vianney, that we are celebrating today, our understanding of priesthood is far below the reality. The Saint said: “Oh, how great is a priest! The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love."
Well, I guess I did not yet understand since I am well alive while writing these lines. In a certain way, this is exciting. There are so many things that we still have to learn and to understand. It is a fascinating spiritual and intellectual quest, don’t you think? Here is our motivation in order to go forward on our road toward God. We know that, provided that we remain faithful to God, we will see Him face to face and I try to think about this extraordinary meeting every day of my life. Seeing God face to face! We cannot imagine. But it will happen! So, it is not in vain that we carry the Cross that Jesus puts on our shoulders. It is our safe-conduct to Heaven.

Moving from Georgia to Arkansas, I will take my Cross with me. Among all the things that I have to pack for my trip, it is certainly the only one that I cannot forget. May Our Lady help me to carry it! A new horizon is now open in front of me with many projects. Let them serve well Our Lord if He esteems them useful for His Kingdom.

Dear parishioners of Saint Francis de Sales, it is not without emotion that I am leaving you. I have been with you for four years and it was a good time for me. When I arrived, in September 2003, I was a little bit lost. My English was very poor and I had to go through many administrative requirements. But I felt at home because of your welcome. Now my English is a little bit better (if you want to play a game, you can find how many mistakes are in this post and I will offer a decade of the Rosary for the winner) and I am sure that I will find nice people too in Little Rock. Southern hospitality is not a vain word. I would like to thank you for these four years spent together. A parish is first of all a community of faithful; in other words, it is a family. Please, keep that in your mind: you are members of a great family. Act toward your fellow parishionner as if he or she were your brother or you sister.

For me…I will keep Georgia on my mind and some nights when nostalgia will come on me, I will remember this ‘old, sweet song’ which will help me to keep ‘ya’ll’ in my mind and to offer a prayer for you.

I entrust each one of you to Our Lady of joy. May Saint Francis de Sales help you to remain in the Love of God.

Maria, causa nostrae laetitiae, ora pro nobis.

Saint Curé d'Ars

Nous fêterons demain Saint Jean-Marie Vianney, le Saint Curé d’Ars. Il me suffit d’évoquer le seul nom de ce petit village pour qu’aussitôt je sente la paix en mon âme, cette même paix qui est venu me surprendre plusieurs fois, à chacun de mes passages, dans ce qui fut jadis la paroisse d’un humble curé de campagne et qui est maintenant la paroisse la plus connue au monde. C’est indéniable, il y a quelque chose à Ars, ou plutôt, il y a quelqu’un ; une personne dont un témoin jadis a pu dire qu’il avait vu Dieu dans un homme en parlant de lui. C’est cela, être un saint. C’est être entièrement transparent à Dieu. Pour moi vivre, c’est le Christ, disait Saint Paul. C’est notre vie à nous aussi. Merci au Saint Curé d’Ars de nous l’avoir si bien rappelé, bien plus par sa vie que par sa prédication.

Paroles du Saint

L'homme était créé pour le ciel. Le démon a brisé l'échelle qui y conduisait. Notre Seigneur, par sa passion, nous en a reformé une autre... La Très Sainte Vierge est en haut de l'échelle, qui la tient à deux mains.
Le Bon Dieu veut nous rendre heureux, et nous ne le voulons pas.
Le Bon Dieu veut nous sauver, et nous ne voulons rien faire pour notre salut.
Dieu est si bon que malgré les outrages que nous lui faisons, Il nous porte en paradis presque malgré nous. C'est comme une mère qui porte dans ses bras son enfant au passage d'un précipice. Elle est tout occupée d'éviter le danger, tandis que son enfant ne cesse de l'égratigner et de lui faire de mauvais traitements.
Quand on pense à l'ingratitude de l'homme envers Dieu, on est tenté de s'en aller de l'autre côté des mers, pour ne pas la voir. C'est effrayant ! Encore si le Bon Dieu n'était pas si bon ! Mais Il est si bon !
Un chrétien créé à l'image de Dieu, racheté par le sang d'un Dieu, un chrétien, l'enfant d'un Dieu, le frère d'un Dieu, l'héritier d'un Dieu ! Un chrétien, l'objet des complaisances des Trois Personnes divines, dont le corps est le temple du Saint Esprit : voilà ce que le péché déshonore !
Si on y pensait bien, on ne pourrait vivre et offenser un Dieu qui est si bon, qui a pris un si bon cœur et qui nous aime tant.
Certains pécheurs ne le voudraient pas chez eux. Ils iraient même prendre leur fusil pour le faire mourir et n'entendre plus parler de Lui. Ca n'y fait rien, Il attend toujours à la porte.
Quand Notre Seigneur est sur l'autel pendant la sainte messe et qu'on prie pour les pauvres pécheurs, alors Il lance des rayons de lumière dans le cœur de ces pauvres pécheurs pour leur faire connaître leurs misères et se convertir, s'ils sont fidèles à la grâce.
Sa patience nous attend.
Aimer un Dieu fait homme et crucifié pour notre salut, amour de reconnaissance.

Sermon for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost

Everything is given for the common good. This is essentially the message of Saint Paul that we have heard in today’s epistle. There are different members, but all of them compose only one body. We are parts of this body, and as such, we have, each one of us, our mission to complete for the common good. The gifts we have received, whatever they are, are not for ourselves, but for the community. We have the duty to use them well, but also to be ready to give them up if it is required.

Using our gifts well! It is not so easy, because we have a natural tendency to seek our own glory as a fruit of original sin. We use our gifts as if they were for ourselves. We know how to do something, and we know that we do it well. We also like it that everyone knows that we do it well. Let us ask God to purify our intentions, so that we can work entirely for his own glory.

Another temptation would be to not use our gifts and to hide them, because of a certain laziness. For example someone has a nice voice and could sing in the choir, but he realizes that it means spending many hours in rehearsal. And he certainly has better things to do. In addition to this, he will cover his laziness with a false humility: You know I am a horrible singer!

So, it is a real humility that we need. Humility does not make us deny our gifts, but pushes us to use them well for a good cause. How beautiful is this virtue! God loves it so much because he can really see his own image in a humble soul.

Some people, the neo Pharisees, in fact each time has its Pharisees, the ones who think they know everything about God and of course, they have an answer for every thing, even when you don’t have any questions. They will tell you what God’s will is, as if they know it. You have to do this! Don’t do this and so forth. And of course, they are perfect, at least in appearance. They are not like the rest of men, they do things very well, and by the way, they can never be wrong. How convenient it is! They never have to apologize since they are always right. Good Christians, good parishioners or good priests! Everything could be fine except that God does not look at them.

But He loves humility and when He sees a truly humble person, He looks at him. O God, be merciful to me a sinner! How many times a day do we say that to God?
The fact is that it is so much easier to see the sins of our neighbor rather than ours. I wish that by this we could at least see it as an occasion to practice true charity. When you see your brother doing wrong or evil, you have to tell him. But for one mysterious reason, many people forget this elementary rule of Christian life and instead of correcting the one who is in error, they go to someone else to speak about him. They miss a wonderful occasion to do a good work and fall into one of the most detestable behaviors for a Christian: detraction! They might find a kind of comfort with people who think like them, rejoicing that they are not like other men. At least, they don’t do this like this poor soul they are talking about. Look at them, these magnificent souls proud of their perfections! Look at them well, because one day you might be tempted to act like them.

For us, we would like to imitate this humble man praying to God: Be merciful to me a sinner! It is truly what we are: sinners. But if you recognize this fact and humble yourself, then God will look at you and will give you peace in your hearts.

Peace in your hearts! This is what I ask for each one of you and for myself. May Our Lady, Queen of humility help us to obtain and teach us how to humble ourselves. We have nothing to lose but our reputation in this world. Maybe it is just what we need in order to become Saints.

1907 - 2007 : one century of Scouting!

The Institut of the Holy Cross of Riaumont – an Ecclesia Dei religious Order – organized a meeting in Brittany for the celebration of the first century of Scouting. 900 boys and girls Scout attended the event ( July 21 - 23 ).

Bishop Madec celebrated a Pontifical Mass

According to Father Sevin, founder of Scouting in France, "The Cross is in the middle of scouting as in the middle of the liturgy. We put the cross to its place, well visible, well radiant, well bloody, on the chest and the face of our boys; it was not an unspecified cross; Its four bars or brackets voluntarily gave him a severe, rigid, stable aspect and solid too. Just as it is, it had been reproduced nine hundred years earlier on the coat of arms and the shield of Godefroy de Bouillon… Cross of the knights, cross of the Crusaders, Holy-Cross of Jerusalem, in its scarlet arms holds a whole symbol, a whole program, and it is not by chance or artistic preference that we chose it. Yes, when we have created the scouts of France, it was really a Crusade which we claimed to start. "

100 years of service and Faith!

100 years of joy!

100 years of ideal!

Deo Gratias

Visit the website of Riaumont :

http://www.riaumont.net/

God is everywhere!

The more I read the works of Father Ryan, the more I like him. He never considered himself a poet. First, he was a priest, and a good one. As a young priest, he entered upon the active duties of missionary life just after his Ordination. Then he served as a chaplain in the Confederate army during the war between the States. He served in this capacity until the end of the war, delivering sacraments to the soldiers on both sides. It is in Augusta, GA that he founded the Banner of the South. After the war he continued to serve the South by his lecture tours in the country and his writings. Beyond his affection for the South, he never forgot the greatest cause of his life: the honor and the glory of God. He was also known for his great devotion to Our Lady.
His verses tell us about him. As he said, they were “written at random, off and on, here, there, anywhere, just when the mood came, with little of study and less of art, and always in a hurry. Hence they are incomplete in finish, as the author is.” It might be true, but at least “these verses mirror the mind of the author.” If we can judge a tree from its fruit, then we have to admit that it was a beautiful mind which has composed these writings.
John Moran reports that “Father Ryan was an open , manly character, in which there was no dissimulation.” It is enough to us to make him a congenial person. He was a man of principle and of heart. Friendship was not a vain word for him. John Moran even says that “it was a necessity of his nature. It was a sacred union formed between kindred spirits – a chain of affection whose binding link was fidelity.”

Today, his spirit is still alive through his verses that we like to share. He wrote once:

Go, words of mine! and if you live
Only for one brief, little day;
If peace, or joy, or calm you give
To any soul; or if you bring
A something higher to some heart,
I may come back again and sing
Songs free from all the arts of Art.

May Father Ryan come back today and sing with us a Laudate in honor of God for all the graces He gives. This poem of Father Ryan is dedicated to the persons who have a lot of imagination in order to explain or to justify their tears. And remember… it is not a farewell, but just an adieu, for God is everywhere!

Farewell! that word has broken hearts
And blinded eyes with tears;
Farewell! one stays and one departs;
Between them roll the years.

No wonder why who say it think –
Farewell! he may fare ill
No wonder that their spirit sink
And all their hopes grow chill.

Good-bye! that word makes faces pale
And fills the soul with fears;
Good-bye! two words that wing a wail
Which flutters down the years.

No wonder they who say it feel
Such pangs for those who go;
Good-bye they wish the parted weal,
But ah! they may meet woe.

Adieu! such is the word for us,
‘Tis more than word – ‘tis prayer;
They do not part, who do part thus,
For God is everywhere.

Bienheureux ceux qui ont faim et soif de la justice !

"Quel jugement pour notre siècle ! Nous, les éternels tourmentés d’argent et de plaisir, les affamés de luxe, les assoiffés de confort, les obsédés de progrès matériel, sensible et sensuel, les préoccupés d’avoir autant, plus et mieux que le voisin. Si la faim et la soif de Dieu avaient davantage tourmenté nos consciences, nos pensées, nos efforts, nos démarches, nous connaîtrions des bonheurs aujourd’hui remplacés par d’étranges lamentations."

R.P. de Chivré

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice!

"What a judgement for our century! Us, eternally tormented by money and pleasure, the famished ones of luxury, those parched for comfort, obsessed by material, significant and sensual progress, concerned about having as much, or more and better than one's neighbor.
If the hunger and the thirst for God had further tormented our consciences, our thoughts, our efforts, our steps, we could have known of the happinesses now replaced by strange lamentations."
Father de Chivré

Saint Eugène de Mazenod

Saint Eugène de Mazenod is one of my favorite Saints. As a priest in South of France and then Bishop of Marseille, he brought his zeal and his passion which generated a great religious fervour in Provence and in Corsica. As he was first a missionary, its works spread throughout the world, especially in North America where his sons performed a great work for the kingdom of Christ. I read his biography when I was in the seminary and since this time, Saint Eugene de Mazenod inspires me every day. I never miss to pray to him each time I go to Marseille, where he rests now in the Cathedral.

May Saint Eugène de Mazenod obtain for us the same zeal for the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the souls.

The following text is from the website of the Vatican : http://www.vatican.va/

CHARLES JOSEPH EUGENE DE MAZENOD came into a world that was destined to change very quickly. Born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782, he seemed assured of position and wealth from his family, who were of the minor nobility. However, the turmoil of the French Revolution changed all that forever. When Eugene was just eight years old his family fled France, leaving their possessions behind, and started a long and increasingly difficult eleven year exile.

Aix-en-Provence

The Years in Italy

The Mazenod family, political refugees, trailed through a succession of cities in Italy. His father, who had been President of the Court of Accounts, Aids and Finances in Aix, was forced to try his hand at trade to support his family. He proved to be a poor businessman, and as the years went on the family came close to destitution. Eugene studied briefly at the College of Nobles in Turin, but a move to Venice meant the end to formal schooling. A sympathetic priest, Don Bartolo Zinelli, living nearby, undertook to educate the young French emigre. Don Bartolo gave the adolescent Eugene a fundamental education, but with a lasting sense of God and a regimen of piety which was to stay with him always, despite the ups and downs of his life. A further move to Naples, because of financial problems, led to a time of boredom and helplessness. The family moved again, this time to Palermo where, thanks to the kindness of the Duke and Duchess of Cannizzaro, Eugene had his first taste of noble living and found it very much to his liking. He took to himself the title of "Count" de Mazenod, did all the courtly things, and dreamed of a bright future.

Return to France: the Priesthood

In 1802, at the age of 20, Eugene was able to return to his homeland - and all his dreams and illusions were quickly shattered. He was just plain "Citizen" de Mazenod, France was a changed world, his parents had separated, his mother was fighting to get back the family possessions. She was also intent on marrying off Eugene to the richest possible heiress. He sank into depression, seeing little real future for himself. But his natural qualities of concern for others, together with the faith fostered in Venice began to assert themselves. He was deeply affected by the disastrous situation of the French Church, which had been ridiculed, attacked and decimated by the Revolution. A calling to the priesthood began to manifest itself, and Eugene answered that call. Despite opposition from his mother, he entered the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris, and on December 21, 1811, he was ordained a priest in Amiens.

Apostolic endeavours: Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Returning to Aix-en-Provence, he did not take up a normal parish appointment, but started to exercise his priesthood in the care of the truly spiritually needy-prisoners, youth, servants, country villagers. Often in the face of opposition from the local clergy, Eugene pursued his course. Soon he sought out other equally zealous priests who were prepared to step outside the old, even outmoded, structures. Eugene and his men preached in Provencal, the language of the common people, not in "educated" French. From village to village they went, instructing at the level of the people, spending amazingly long hours in the confessional. In between these parish missions the group joined in an intense community life of prayer, study and fellowship. They called themselves "Missionaries of Provence". However, so that there would be an assured continuity in the work, Eugene took the bold step of going directly to the Pope and asking that his group be recognized officially as a Religious Congregation of pontifical right. His faith and his persistence paid off-and on February 17d, 1826, Pope Leo XII approved the new Congregation, the "Oblates of Mary Immaculate". Eugene was elected Superior General, and continued to inspire and guide his men for 35 years, until his death. Together with their growing apostolic endeavours-preaching, youth work, care of shrines, prison chaplaincy, confessors, direction of seminaries, parishes - Eugene insisted on deep spiritual formation and a close community life. He was a man who loved Christ with passion and was always ready to take on any apostolate if he saw it answering the needs of the Church. The "glory of God, the good of the Church and the sanctification of souls" were impelling forces for him.

Bishop of Marseille

The Diocese of Marseille had been suppressed after the 1802 Concordat, and when it was re-established, Eugene's aged uncle, Canon Fortune de Mazenod, was named Bishop. He appointed Eugene Vicar General immediately, and most of the difficult work of re-building the Diocese fell to him. Within a few years, in 1832, Eugene himself was named auxiliary bishop. His Episcopal ordination took place in Rome, in defiance of the pretensions of the French Government that it had the right to sanction all such appointments. This caused a bitter diplomatic battle, and Eugene was caught in the middle, with accusations, misunderstandings, threats, and recriminations swirling around him. It was an especially devastating time for him, further complicated by the growing pains of his religious family. Though battered, Eugene steered ahead resolutely, and finally the impasse was broken. Five years later, he was appointed to the See of Marseille as its Bishop, when Bishop Fortune retired.

Bishop of Marseille

A heart as big as the world

Whilst he had founded the Oblates of Mary Immaculate primarily to serve the spiritually needy and deprived of the French countryside, Eugene's zeal for the Kingdom of God and his devotion to the Church moved the Oblates to the advancing edge of the apostolate. His men ventured into Switzerland, England, Ireland. Because of his zeal, Eugene had been dubbed "a second Paul," and bishops from the missions came to him asking for Oblates for their expanding mission fields. Eugene responded willingly despite small initial numbers, and sent his men out to Canada, to the United States, to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), to South Africa, to Basutoland (Lesotho). As missionaries in his mould, they fanned out preaching, baptising, caring. They frequently opened up previously uncharted lands, established and manned many new dioceses, and in a multitude of ways they "left nothing undared that the Kingdom of Christ might be advanced." In the years that followed, the Oblate mission thrust continued, so that today the impulse of Eugene de Mazenod is alive in his men in 68 different countries.

Pastor of his Diocese

During all this ferment of missionary activity, Eugene was an outstanding pastor of the Church of Marseille-ensuring the best seminary training for his priests, establishing new parishes, building the city's cathedral and the spectacular Shrine of Notre Dame de la Garde above the city, encouraging his priests to lives of holiness, introducing many Religious Congregations to work in the diocese, leading his fellow Bishops in support of the rights of the Pope. He grew into a towering figure in the French Church. In 1856, Napoleon III appointed him a Senator, and at his death he was the senior bishop of France.

Notre-Dame de la Garde

Legacy of a Saint

May 21, 1861, saw Eugene de Mazenod returning to his God, at the age of 79, after a life crowded with achievements, many of them born in suffering. For his religious family and for his diocese, he was a founding and life-giving source: for God and for the Church, he was a faithful and generous son. As he lay dying he left his Oblates a final testament, "Among yourselves-charity, charity, charity: in the world-zeal for souls." The Church in declaring him a saint on December 3, 1995, crowns these two pivots of his living-love and zeal. His life and his deeds remain for all a window unto God Himself. And that is the greatest gift that Eugene de Mazenod, Oblate of Mary Immaculate, can offer us.

Bienheureux ceux qui pleurent !

"Le sourire optimiste devant la privation matérielle, l’effort moral de se réjouir devant le sacrifice, heureux de comprendre que le bonheur n’est pas fonction de bijoux ou de vêtements ; l’esprit qui chante son Magnificat pendant que de grosses larmes associent le pauvre corps à l’épreuve qui nous visite.
Heureux ceux qui pleurent, victimes des duretés implacables de la matière qui frappe ou qui se dérobe, mais radieux de se sentir supérieurs à ces corps par l’absolu de leur courage."

R.P. de Chivré

"The optimistic smile in the face of material deprivation, the moral effort to be delighted in the face of the sacrifice, content and satisfied to understand that happiness is not related to jewels or clothing; this is the spirit which sings its Magnificat while large tears accompany the poor body the test which visits us.
Happy those who cry, victims of the relentless difficulties of the matter which strikes in any manner or which are concealed, but radiant to feel , as if dwelling above, outside, of these bodies by their absolute courage." Father de Chivré

( Translated by S.P.B.... Thank you )

Bienheureux ceux qui sont doux

" La caractéristique des forts.

Ceux qu'aucune violence ou brutalité ne rend semblables aux machines de nos modernes progrès, car ils disposent d'une âme pour régir, gouverner, utiliser leurs muscles, leurs nerfs, leurs impressions, leurs sensations. Doux, de la douceur de Dieu, cette vertu de la Toute-Puissance spirituelle qui balance les univers, les mondes et les aurores dans le calme et avec l'insensible rapidité propre aux équilibres parfaits."

R.P. de Chivré

Blessed are the meek

" The characteristics of the strong

Those to which no violence nor brutality makes them similar to the machines of our modern progress, because they have a heart to govern, control, muscles to use, their nerves, their impressions, and their feelings.

Soft, of the softness of God, this virtue of the spiritual Absolute power which balances the universes, the worlds and the dawns in calm and with the insensitive speed specific to perfect balance. “

R.P. de Chivré

Méditations de vacances

« Jésus voyant tout ce peuple, monta sur une montagne, et s'étant assis, ses disciples s'approchèrent de Lui. »

Evangile selon saint Matthieu, chapitre V, verset 1.

Selon saint Jean Chrysostome, "Jésus nous apprend par cet exemple à ne rien faire par vanité, et à nous retirer du bruit et du tumulte du monde, principalement lorsque nous voulons nous appliquer à la contemplation de la Vérité, et nous entretenir des choses saintes et éternelles."

“Jesus teaches us by His example to make nothing out of the vanity of the world, and to withdraw ourselves from the noise and tumult of the world, mainly when we want to apply ourselves to the contemplation of the Truth and to maintain within ourselves things holy and eternal."

Les Béatitudes selon le Révérend Père de Chivré

Bienheureux les pauvres en esprit !

"Les volontés assez humaines et assez sublimes pour se passer du superflu, se contenter du nécessaire, se détacher du trop.
Les volontés assez fortes pour vivre le meilleur de leur vie en elles-mêmes, dans le royaume du devoir et de la charité, sans s’inquiéter des pleurnicheries de leur sensibilité égratignée par le manque de confort et crucifié par l’absolu de l’amour."

Blessed are the poor in spirit!

“Rather the human wills which are sublime enough to do without
superfluity, to be satisfied with what is necessary, and to be detached from excess.
Enough strong wills to live the best of their life in themselves, in the kingdom of the duty and charity, without worrying or
whining about their sensitivity which has been wounded by the lack of comfort and crucified by the absolute of Love."

Lex orandi, Lex credendi.... Lex vivendi !

Sermon for 7th Sunday after Pentecost

This month of July 2007 is definitively a great time in the History of the Catholic Church. The Motu Proprio finally came and now the highest Authority of the Church recognizes and says that the Tridentine Mass has never been abrogated and that every priest of the Latin Rite can celebrate it. It was already the case before the Motu Proprio, but it is good that it is now officially proclaimed. As Bishop Fellay points out, the Motu Proprio shows that the constancy to defend the Lex orandi has been taken into account. Then he adds that we must continue the combat for the Lex credendi.
We can rejoice for the Motu Proprio because it is something good, but we have to be aware that it does not signify the end of our combat. The crisis that the Church knows is deep and did not start with the Novus Ordo, which is more a consequence of the crisis rather than a cause. A reading of the Encyclical letter, Pascendi, of Saint Pius X would easily convince you of this truth. By the way, it must be noted that not only did Pius X describe the modernism in this document, but he also gave the remedy against it. I think these remedies would still be effective today, if only they were used. First it depends on the authorities of the Church, the Pope and the Bishops.

For us, let us continue what we have done. In fact, the Motu proprio should not change our lives, except that we now have another reason to be missionaries to a greater extent. The beauty of the Latin Mass is not something that we have to keep for ourselves, but it is a treasure of the Church that we have to spread and share. If the Motu proprio has to change something in our Christian lives, it should be our reverence toward the holy Liturgy as the most excellent way to worship God and an expression of the Faith of the Church. Lex orandi, lex credendi: both are tied together.
After the Motu Proprio, many Catholics will probably turn toward us, traditionalist Catholics, maybe just to observe. The newspapers and televisions in America and in Europe already have come into our churches to see who we are and what we do. So, dear brethren, more than ever, we have the duty to give a good testimony. Our Liturgy is not a show, but the expression of our Faith and of our Charity.
For this reason, on our part, for the priests and congregation, it requires a necessary preparation before Mass and a certain attention during Mass. Thus we should leave the church, after Mass and after a suitable time of thanksgiving, with feelings and thoughts of gratitude and joy toward our God and live consequently as good disciples of Jesus.

We have the Lex credendi, which tells us what we have to believe and the Lex orandi, which teaches us how to pray. I think that in order to complete this painting of the Christian life, we need to add the third part of this fine art, which we can name Lex vivendi. It tells us how to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. As I was preparing this sermon, some words of Father Jerome came to my mind. Father Jerome wrote a beautiful book entitled "The Art of Being a Disciple."
I like this idea that being a disciple is an art. This means that being disciples of Jesus makes us artists. We are the artists of God! In fact we are just apprentice-artists. Our Master is the Father; His masterpiece is the Son. The Franciscan tradition in the Middle-Ages came to call Him: “Ars Patris” “The Art of the Father.” What a beautiful name for Our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Art of the Father!
Our task as apprentice-artists is now to reproduce the “Art of our Father.” We have to reproduce Jesus in our lives and the more we are open to the grace of God, the more our piece of art will be conformed to the model.
Now, what is an art? It is usually admitted that an art is the use of skills, talent and imagination in order to produce something aesthetic. We also use in English the term “fine art” which comes from Aristotle. For Aristotle, the final cause of a thing is the purpose for its existence, and the term "fine art" is derived from this notion. If the final cause of an artwork is simply the artwork itself, "art for art's sake," and not a means to another end, then that artwork could appropriately be called "fine." The closely related concept of beauty is classically defined as "that which when seen, pleases." Pleasure is the final cause of beauty and thus is not a means to another end, but an end in itself.
If we consider, as the scholastic thinkers of the Middle-Ages and more recently as Maritain, that beauty is a transcendental, this concept of beauty works well when we apply it to God. The Incarnate Word is the most fine art we can find and when we see Him, He pleases. God is being; He is goodness. He is beauty too. By our nature we already share these attributes with Him. When we are in the state of grace, it is on a higher level, for a higher purpose.

So, dear brethren, if we are artists, we should make beauty around us. This is our lex vivendi: spreading the beauty of God, by our actions and by our lives. Dostoievski said that “Beauty will save the world.” He was right, because the true beauty is Jesus-Christ, the way, the truth and the life.

Let us ask this of the most beautiful woman, a great artist too, to teach us the beauty of God. Then, we will love it and reproduce it in our lives, not only at church during Mass, but always and everywhere. The Tridentine Mass is an excellent expression of this beauty, but it supposes that we celebrate it with beautiful souls. Making beautiful souls is precisely the work of God. May Our Lady help us to realize it.

Happy Anniversary

July 14th is not only Bastille Day

July 14th 1570

QUO PRIMUM

A BULL OF POPE SAINT PIUS V

Pius Bishop Servant of the Servants of God For a Perpetual Memorial of the Matter
Pope St. Pius V - July 14, 1570

From the very first, upon Our elevation to the chief Apostleship, We gladly turned our mind and energies and directed all out thoughts to those matters which concerned the preservation of a pure liturgy, and We strove with God's help, by every means in our power, to accomplish this purpose. For, besides other decrees of the sacred Council of Trent, there were stipulations for Us to revise and re-edit the sacred books: the Catechism, the Missal and the Breviary. With the Catechism published for the instruction of the faithful, by God's help, and the Breviary thoroughly revised for the worthy praise of God, in order that the Missal and Breviary may be in perfect harmony, as fitting and proper - for its most becoming that there be in the Church only one appropriate manner of reciting the Psalms and only one rite for the celebration of Mass - We deemed it necessary to give our immediate attention to what still remained to be done, viz, the re-editing of the Missal as soon as possible.
Hence, We decided to entrust this work to learned men of our selection. They very carefully collated all their work with the ancient codices in Our Vatican Library and with reliable, preserved or emended codices from elsewhere. Besides this, these men consulted the works of ancient and approved authors concerning the same sacred rites; and thus they have restored the Missal itself to the original form and rite of the holy Fathers. When this work has been gone over numerous times and further emended, after serious study and reflection, We commanded that the finished product be printed and published as soon as possible, so that all might enjoy the fruits of this labor; and thus, priests would know which prayers to use and which rites and ceremonies they were required to observe from now on in the celebration of Masses.
Let all everywhere adopt and observe what has been handed down by the Holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the other churches, and let Masses not be sung or read according to any other formula than that of this Missal published by Us. This ordinance applies henceforth, now, and forever, throughout all the provinces of the Christian world, to all patriarchs, cathedral churches, collegiate and parish churches, be they secular or religious, both of men and of women - even of military orders - and of churches or chapels without a specific congregation in which conventual Masses are sung aloud in choir or read privately in accord with the rites and customs of the Roman Church. This Missal is to be used by all churches, even by those which in their authorization are made exempt, whether by Apostolic indult, custom, or privilege, or even if by oath or official confirmation of the Holy See, or have their rights and faculties guaranteed to them by any other manner whatsoever.
This new rite alone is to be used unless approval of the practice of saying Mass differently was given at the very time of the institution and confirmation of the church by Apostolic See at least 200 years ago, or unless there has prevailed a custom of a similar kind which has been continuously followed for a period of not less than 200 years, in which most cases We in no wise rescind their above-mentioned prerogative or custom. However, if this Missal, which we have seen fit to publish, be more agreeable to these latter, We grant them permission to celebrate Mass according to its rite, provided they have the consent of their bishop or prelate or of their whole Chapter, everything else to the contrary notwithstanding.
All other of the churches referred to above, however, are hereby denied the use of other missals, which are to be discontinued entirely and absolutely; whereas, by this present Constitution, which will be valid henceforth, now, and forever, We order and enjoin that nothing must be added to Our recently published Missal, nothing omitted from it, nor anything whatsoever be changed within it under the penalty of Our displeasure.
We specifically command each and every patriarch, administrator, and all other persons or whatever ecclesiastical dignity they may be, be they even cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, or possessed of any other rank or pre-eminence, and We order them in virtue of holy obedience to chant or to read the Mass according to the rite and manner and norm herewith laid down by Us and, hereafter, to discontinue and completely discard all other rubrics and rites of other missals, however ancient, which they have customarily followed; and they must not in celebrating Mass presume to introduce any ceremonies or recite any prayers other than those contained in this Missal.
Furthermore, by these presents [this law], in virtue of Our Apostolic authority, We grant and concede in perpetuity that, for the chanting or reading of the Mass in any church whatsoever, this Missal is hereafter to be followed absolutely, without any scruple of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment, or censure, and may freely and lawfully be used. Nor are superiors, administrators, canons, chaplains, and other secular priests, or religious, of whatever title designated, obliged to celebrate the Mass otherwise than as enjoined by Us. We likewise declare and ordain that no one whosoever is forced or coerced to alter this Missal, and that this present document cannot be revoked or modified, but remain always valid and retain its full force notwithstanding the previous constitutions and decrees of the Holy See, as well as any general or special constitutions or edicts of provincial or synodal councils, and notwithstanding the practice and custom of the aforesaid churches, established by long and immemorial prescription - except, however, if more than two hundred years' standing.
It is Our will, therefore, and by the same authority, We decree that, after We publish this constitution and the edition of the Missal, the priests of the Roman Curia are, after thirty days, obliged to chant or read the Mass according to it; all others south of the Alps, after three months; and those beyond the Alps either within six months or whenever the Missal is available for sale. Wherefore, in order that the Missal be preserved incorrupt throughout the whole world and kept free of flaws and errors, the penalty for nonobservance for printers, whether mediately or immediately subject to Our dominion, and that of the Holy Roman Church, will be the forfeiting of their books and a fine of one hundred gold ducats, payable ipso facto to the Apostolic Treasury. Further, as for those located in other parts of the world, the penalty is excommunication latae sententiae, and such other penalties as may in Our judgment be imposed; and We decree by this law that they must not dare or presume either to print or to publish or to sell, or in any way to accept books of this nature without Our approval and consent, or without the express consent of the Apostolic Commissaries of those places, who will be appointed by Us. Said printer must receive a standard Missal and agree faithfully with it and in no wise vary from the Roman Missal of the large type (secundum magnum impressionem).
Accordingly, since it would be difficult for this present pronouncement to be sent to all parts of the Christian world and simultaneously come to light everywhere, We direct that it be, as usual, posted and published at the doors of the Basilica of the Prince of the Apostles, also at the Apostolic Chancery, and on the street at Campo Flora; furthermore, We direct that printed copies of this same edict signed by a notary public and made official by an ecclesiastical dignitary possess the same indubitable validity everywhere and in every nation, as if Our manuscript were shown there. Therefore, no one whosoever is permitted to alter this notice of Our permission, statute, ordinance, command, precept, grant, indult, declaration, will, decree, and prohibition. Should know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.

Given at St. Peter's in the year of the Lord's Incarnation, 1570, on the 14th of July of the Fifth year of Our Pontificate.