On the Fridays of Lent, The faithful receive a plenary indulgence, if they recite the prayer before a crucifix, the indulgence is a partial indulgence any other time.

In addition, on any of the Fridays of Lent, one can devoutly recite after Communion the prayer “En ego, O bone et dulcissime Iesus” before a crucifix. From the context, it is imperative to do so after receiving Communion, during thanksgiving, to receive the plenary indulgence.

In Latin

En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu,
ante conspectum tuum genibus me provolvo,
ac maximo animi ardore te oro atque obtestor,
ut meum in cor vividos fidei,
spei et caritatis sensus,
atque veram peccatorum meorum paenitentiam,
eaque emendandi firmissimam voluntatem velis imprimere;
dum magno animi affectu et dolore tua quinque
vulnera mecum ipse considero ac mente contemplor,
illud prae oculis habens,
quod iam in ore ponebat tuo1 David propheta de te,
o bone Iesu: Foderunt manus meas et pedes meos:
dinumeraverunt omnia ossa mea.
Amen.

In English

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,
while before Thy face I humbly kneel and,
with burning soul,
pray and beseech Thee
to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope and charity;
true contrition for my sins,
and a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Thy five most precious wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Thy prophet, said of Thee, my Jesus:
“They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”
Amen.

Alternate Version

Behold, O good and sweetest Jesus,
I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight,
and with the most fervent desire of my soul
I pray and beseech Thee to impress upon my heart
lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity,
with true repentance for my sins
and a most firm desire of amendment.
Whilst with deep affection and grief of soul
I consider within myself and mentally contemplate
Thy five most precious wounds,
having before mine eyes that which David,
the prophet, long ago spoke concerning Thee,
“They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”
Amen.

Detraction
February 2004

It is no small offence to deprive a man of his good name, but that is precisely what we do when we commit the sin of detraction. Saint Thomas captures the essence of that sin with a crisp two word Latin phrase, mordere famam, which could be rendered fairly accurately as “chewing up a reputation.” The detractor’s unseemly intention is to attack the good name of his victim, and thereby to lower the man’s estimate in the eyes of others.

To fill out the definition of detraction we need to add the element of secrecy. The detractor sets out to defame another in secret. What this means, specifically, is that (a) the victim of the detraction is absent, and (b) he is ignorant of what is being done to him in his absence. Detraction is secret, then, only with respect to its victim. Beyond that, it can be very much a public affair. Given the realities of modern communication, someone may be detracted before an audience numbering in the thousands or even the millions. Saint Thomas explains that one of the reasons the detractor goes about his detracting business in the absence of his victim is that he lacks the courage to denigrate the man to his face.

It is just the fact that a man’s reputation is attacked in his absence that distinguishes detraction from contumely. In spelling out that distinction in precise terms, St. Thomas calls attention to two ways by which we can wound people by our words. We can do so behind their backs: that is detraction. Or we can do so to their presence: that is contumely.

Quite often, when people are called to task for detracting someone, they will defensively retort by saying, “But it’s true!”—as if that somehow justified what they were doing. It doesn’t. The fact that the bad things we say about others in their absence are true does not mean that our saying them does not constitute detraction. Granted, we can detract people by lying about them, in which case we would only be compounding the evil we are perpetrating, but usually the information which is grist for the mill of detraction is true information. And it is just that which makes it so damaging.

Regarding detraction in terms of its effects, the principal one to be considered is the harm which is done to the good name of the person who is the victim of the detraction. Just what is this “good name” (“nomen bonum,” in the Latin of St. Thomas) that the detractor seeks to undermine, and which suffers damage at his hands? We say that every man is entitled to his good name. This means, at the most basic level, that every person deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt. In other words, every person should be able to expect, in justice (i.e., with regard to what is due to him as a person) to be regarded by others as possessed of elemental human integrity and common decency, and to be respected accordingly. Any person living and working in a public forum of one sort or another (and that would include every one of us), is entitled to assume that others think well of him. A man’s good name guarantees his status as a respected member of a community.

All of us, or some of us at any rate, have things that are very much part of our factual history, that are considerably less than edifying, and that we would very much prefer not to be made public. If the things in question are serious enough, the fact of their being made public could reduce our moral standing in the eyes of the people with whom we deal on a daily basis, and that, in turn, particularly if we hold a position of authority to which important responsibilities are attached, could diminish the effectiveness of our work.

It was especially because of its potential for adversely affecting the detracted person’s ability to continue to function productively in society that prompted St. Thomas to regard detraction, taken in itself, as a serious sin. If I deprive a man of his good name by revealing something about him which should not be revealed, I can, because of my disclosures, prevent him from effectively fulfilling the duties which accompany his state in life. Generally speaking, detraction has the effect of disrupting the peace of a community, because it sets people against one another. It brings about alienation and even hatred. Saint Thomas uses rather strong language is discussing these effects, comparing a detractor to a murderer. The detractor kills friendships; he poisons goodwill.

I directly commit the sin of detraction when I speak ill of a person with the specific intention in mind of either tarnishing, or destroying, the reputation of that person. But I can also commit the sin of detraction indirectly. I do that when I find myself in a situation where an absent party is being roundly detracted and I sit there with a sinister glint in my eye, maintaining, as St. Thomas pointedly puts it, “a malicious silence.” If the reputation of a person is being wantonly attacked in my presence, I have an obligation to come to the defense of that person’s reputation. Sometimes it is simply cowardice that explains my silence, which is bad enough. But if I am silent because I share the attitude of the detractor toward the one being defamed, then I am complicit in the sin.

To be sure, bad-mouthing people behind their backs is not always a serious sin. There might not be the kind of malice in such talk which would qualify it as genuine detraction. Saint Thomas acknowledges that we human beings have very loose tongues, and we love to gossip. How easily we talk about people in their absence—in itself not a bad thing—and how often that talk tends to be negative rather than positive! Saint James is to be carefully heeded as he warns us of the multitude of difficulties our wagging tongues can get us into.

Does it always constitute a case of detraction if we reveal something bad about a person in that person’s absence? No. In fact, there might be circumstances which positively demand that we do so. Saint Thomas speaks of the requirements of public justice in this respect. For example, if someone knows that an acquaintance of his is engaging in clandestine criminal activity, he has a responsibility to bring that to light. But the point to be made here is that such revelations should be made to the proper authorities, those who are in a position to do something about the information that is given them. It would be wrong to disseminate such information indiscriminately.

Why do we succumb to the sin of detraction? Apart from simply referring the whole matter to the mystery of evil, we could suggest a more concrete explanation by taking note of St. Thomas’s description of detraction as “the daughter of envy.” More times than not, I seek to drag down the reputation of another person through detraction because I am envious of that person’s reputation, and believe that somehow it takes away from my own. In my envy, I manage to convince myself that if I should succeed in lowering his reputation, my own would by that very fact be increased. Of course, such thinking is wonderfully irrational. And it could not be otherwise. As St. Thomas never tires of reminding us, sinful behavior is at bottom irrational behavior. Detraction, like every other sin, is a direct affront to reason.

Dr. Dennis Q. McInerny’s articles have been published in the FSSP North American District Newsletter many times through the years and will soon be published in the upcoming book Perennial Wisdom Volume II by Fraternity Publications.

Hypocrisy
by Dr. Dennis Q McInerny
January 2004

To bring up the subject of hypocrisy is almost automatically to bring up the subject of the Pharisees, for it was the Pharisees whom Our Lord roundly castigated again and again for their hypocritical behavior. Indeed, so close is the connection in our minds between hypocrisy and the Pharisees that we regularly use the term “pharisaical” as a pointed synonym for “hypocritical.”

When we consult St. Thomas Aquinas’s treatment of hypocrisy, we discover that he sees it, regarded generally, as virtually identical with what he calls simulatio. My Latin dictionary provides an illuminating list of definitions for that word, as follows: “a falsely assumed appearance,” “a false show,” “feigning,” “shamming,” “pretence,” “insincerity,” “deceit.” The sum total of the meaning conveyed by that list gives us, I think, a pretty good idea of the nature of the subject which is before us.

We are all capable of acting hypocritically at times, which is just how we act when we attempt to put ourselves forward as something which we are not. But the hope is that none of us are full-time hypocrites. A person who qualifies for the undesirable status of hypocrite would be someone who has become habituated to deceitful behavior. It is a way of life for him. Those who are acquainted with the very high regard St. Thomas had for truth will not be at all surprised to learn that he unhesitantly identifies hypocritical behavior as sinful behavior. Hypocritical behavior is not necessarily mortally sinful, but it can be so. What makes all hypocritical behavior sinful, either mortally or venially, is the fact that it is in its essence an affront to the truth. The hypocrite is, at bottom, a liar.

A lie, St. Augustine tells us, consists in a radical discrepancy between what a man knows and what he says. The liar knows X is Y; he says X is not Y. The hypocrite lies not only with his tongue, but with all of his actions. We can say without being melodramatic about it that the hypocrite’s whole life, everything he does, represents an ongoing lie. The purpose of lying is to deceive. The purpose behind the hypocrite’s elaborate program of calculated deception is to make people believe that he is someone other than he truly is. And, of course, the deceit is aimed in only one direction: the hypocrite intends that people should think him better than he truly is. No hypocrite pretends to be worse than he actually is. To be sure, some people do pretend they are worse than they actually are, but that represents an altogether different problem, which is called false humility.

All sin is sad, but there seems to be something especially sad about the sin of hypocrisy, for it amounts to being nothing more than a concentrated and sustained exercise in shallowness. The committed hypocrite is singularly lacking in depth. There is not much inwardness at all to him. His every effort is dedicated to preserving surface realities, to maintaining a fake facade. He is a consummate actor, but he performs in a drama which, if played out to the end, can be counted as nothing other than a tragedy. For the hypocrite, the show must go on, because, for him, the show is all there is. In castigating the Pharisees, Our Lord called them “whited sepulchres.” They appeared beautiful from the outside, but inside there was but dead men’s bones—that is to say, spiritual lifelessness.

Can a person be designated a hypocrite if he sincerely believes himself to be what in fact he is not? For example, am I a hypocrite if I sincerely believe myself to be a saint, and conduct myself according to that belief, when, in fact, I am the farthest thing from being a saint? According to St. Thomas’s interpretation of the nature of hypocrisy, that would seem not to be an instance of the sin. To understand his reasoning here we must recall that one of the definitions for simulatio which we cited above was insincerity. So, if I sincerely suppose myself to be a saint, I am certainly sorely deluded on that score—and that in itself brings with it a whole host of problems—but I would not be a hypocrite.

For St. Thomas, the genuine hypocrite is one who knows that he is not what he publicly purports to be, and who knowingly sets out to deceive. The hypocrite is devious, but he is not deluded as to the true state of his soul. We can better appreciate this point by keeping in mind the fact that the hypocrite is essentially a liar. That is the core of his identity. A liar cannot really be a liar if he thinks, when he lies, that what he is saying is the truth. Just as the actor on the stage who is playing Hamlet knows that he is not really Hamlet, so the hypocrite, who, let us say, is acting the role of a virtuous person, knows that he is not really a virtuous person. But just as a talented actor can convince an audience that he is really Hamlet, so a dedicated hypocrite can convince the people with whom he associates that they are dealing with a really virtuous person.

The simple fact that there is not perfect harmony between one’s external behavior and one’s inner moral state does not in itself make one a hypocrite. It is only with the perfect that there is perfect harmony between the internal and external man. In discussing this point, St. Thomas suggests the example of a young man who is new to the monastic life and whose edifying external behavior does not reflect his still quite imperfect internal state. But he is not trying to deceive anyone by behaving as he does. Rather, he intends that the systematic efforts he gives to the performance of praiseworthy external actions will have a salutary effect on his internal actions. In other words, he acts as virtuous people act because he earnestly wants to become virtuous himself. To imitate virtuous behavior in order to gain virtue is not to act hypocritically. In fact, it is to act prudently. This way of proceeding was to be highly recommended by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal, some 400 years after the time of St. Thomas.

We are all very alert to the hypocrisy we perceive in other people, considerably less so to the hypocrisy that resides in ourselves. But our reaction in this respect is scarcely limited to the sin of hypocrisy. We typically have eagle eyes for the failures of our fellows, but turn into veritable bats when it comes to seeing how we ourselves fall short of measuring up to the mark. This observation is not to be taken as an invitation to complacency with regard to the real existence of hypocrisy, nor to the very great danger it poses, especially for the Church. But we should have a lively awareness of the large difficulties that attend the accurate identification of hypocrisy. It is one thing to know the correct definition of hypocrisy, it is quite another to be able to specify with certitude an actual instance of it.

To see how that is so, let us remind ourselves that hypocrisy is essentially lying. To know with certainty that a liar is a liar, we have to know that the liar knows that what he is saying is not true. In other words, we have to be able to read minds as well as lips. Reading the minds of others is not only very tricky business but, from a spiritual point of view, extremely risky business. And, in the final analysis, it is not the kind of business any of us should ever want to get into. We would all do well to follow the sage advice of St. John of the Cross, and devote our energies toward the difficult task of developing within ourselves a permanent attitude of tranquil unconcern about the state of soul of other people. Each of us has a full-time job on his hands just trying to keep his own house in order.

Dr. Dennis Q. McInerny’s articles have been published in the FSSP North American District Newsletter many times through the years and will soon be published in the upcoming book Perennial Wisdom Volume II by Fraternity Publications.

(Originally in the February 2010 Newsletter)

During the holy season of Lent, Holy Mother Church encourages us to spend forty days growing in knowledge of ourselves, so that, by our penance, we may better understand the exalted value of the soul over the body. By means of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the desires of the body are placed in subjection to the higher faculties of the intellect and will: By prayer we elevate our minds to God, by fasting we lessen our desire for pleasure, and by almsgiving we curb our love of money.

By fasting forty days in the desert, Our Lord, too, showed that there are benefits of denying the senses and appetites what is morally permitted them. Furthermore, the saints have testified that the detachment from creation (possessions, people, enjoyments) is absolutely necessary to arrive at perfection, for it is typical that God completes the purification of the soul only after it has expended great time and effort doing so by ordinary means. Thus, it is our obligation to mortify our senses and passions so that the soul’s capacity for her Creator is not otherwise occupied with His creation.

It should be noted that “to mortify” does not mean that we annihilate our senses, appetites, or passions; rather, we practice self-denial or privation in order to orient all desires and appetites towards God and make Him the sole desire (object) of our heart, mind, body, and soul.

Besides the senses and appetites of the body, the higher faculties of the intellect and will must also be purified. The intellect apprehends the true and presents it to the will as a good thing to pursue out of love. Thus, the action of the will is to love what the intellect says is good. But since the fall of Adam, the intellect has been darkened and the will has been weakened to the point where the will is inclined to selfishness and seeks to love that which the intellect can erroneously perceive as a good.

The superiority of the soul over the body means that the mortification of the will—the rational appetite—is even more important than the mortification of the body.

Contrarily, when the will embraces that which it should not, this turning away from God and towards creation is called sin. As sin resides in the will, it is the home of our faults and needs to be purified in order to regain strength to love purely the One Who is All-good, God.

When the free will is not properly ordered, the person lives for himself, seeking his own gratification in this world. Excessive self-centeredness subdues the soul so that sufferings and hardships are not willingly endured; fraternal correction and advice are not heeded; and pride, disobedience, and impatience develop deep roots in the soul. This inordinate self-love causes the person to abhor mortification. To express it in scientific terms, the person thinks that the world is not geocentric or  heliocentric, but rather egocentric.

Hence, it is extremely important to mortify the will to combat pride and to lessen excessive love of self. Ultimately, the more the intellect understands the baseness of anything temporal (for example, the body) compared with the importance of the eternal (our soul, God), the greater the will turns to God in love. For it is only in her humility that the soul recognizes that without God, she is nothing.

As Lent is upon us, the resolution to maintain a stricter guard over our appetites ensures that the intellect and will are properly maintained as the sovereign faculties. In closely examining the giving up of some food, we recognize that there will be a corresponding suffering in the body. The growth in sanctification from this mortification is not so much in the pain itself; rather, it is in the intention of the will to embrace the suffering out of love for God. And such is the power of love (charity): it takes a finite act and produces an infinite value. Hence, in all that we do in daily life, if borne out of love for God or in union with Christ Crucified, the action produces a hundred-fold merit, based upon the charity God sees in our intention. This is why the
widow who gave two mites gave more than all others: it is because she gave out of charity.

But great pain can reside in the will, more so than pain in the body. If a person were to hit us, the physical pain may subside in a few minutes, but deep down inside, the will can hold onto the emotional or intellectual pain. At times, the mind can take this memory and actually increase the suffering so that by recalling the incident, the person increases his pain. If that pain continues to grow in one’s mind or heart, and the will decides to remain offended instead of forgiving, then the mental, emotional, or spiritual health of that person is at risk.

We witness this phenomenon in the Western world: The notion of “I do what I want” is so prevalent that when we have to do something or endure something which we do not want to do, we feel violated or helpless. Such feelings, if not dealt with properly, remove joy from a soul, replace it with anger, bitterness, and even hatred towards other people—or even God. Ultimately, a society which overly emphasizes doing one’s will produces a culture which abhors authority, whether parental, governmental, or ecclesiastical.

For how dare another tell me what I should do? “I have my own will.” This rebellion to get our own way is readily seen in most children in their first years of life. When a child does not get his way, he throws a tantrum. Thus, it is incumbent upon parents to admonish, teach, and lead by example that there are many times in life when we have to do things which we prefer not to do. By such instruction, children will grow up to better respect proper authority, such as their parents and the Church, and thereby to use their will properly to choose good and avoid evil.

Because we live in a world where temptations abound, we are further required continually to monitor our will, chastise it when disordered, and re-direct it to the good when it fails. As this requires mortification, we annually employ the Lenten days of penance to maintain the will within its proper boundaries.

Furthermore, a pure motive for our penitential practices is also necessary for perfect union with God. Penance can be performed for less noble purposes, such as to lose weight or to seek the praise of others, or out of some Stoic attitude that emotions are beneath us. Yet, penance is more meritorious if done for the greater glory of God, or to conform our will to His Divine Will, or to strengthen the will over the senses, appetites, and passions of the body. The renewal of our pure motive will most likely have to be done throughout Lent in order to persevere in our good intention.

Lent is a time of not seeking or wishing anything other than to follow Christ Crucified and to give honor and glory to His Name, for the salvation of souls. So let us follow the advice of St. John of the Cross: “In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything, desire to have pleasure in nothing.”

Recent events at North American Martyrs Parish,  the Fraternity’s apostolate in Seattle, WA, included Confirmation in the traditional Roman rite in mid-December, the first time in the archdiocese in over 40 years! Archbishop Alex Brunett confirmed 28 of the parish’s youth.

Christmas Midnight Mass drew over 400 people and was preceded by a candlelight service of lessons and carols with the blessing of manger. Two weeks later, the parish enjoyed its first wedding of the year with a Solemn High Mass. Prayers and efforts continue to find a permanent home for the parish. Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

This article an excerpt from the upcoming March 2010 issue of the FSSP North American District Fraternity Newsletter.  To receive our free monthly newsletter by mail and see more photos and articles please visit our newsletter page.

2010 Summer Symposium, Gardone Riviera, Italy

Honoring the 100th Anniversary of Notre Charge Apostolique  (August 15, 1910)
Letter of Pope St. Pius X to the Bishops of France on the Sillon

Dates: July 1st-July 12th (11 nights)

The Politics of Faith and Reason? Or the Triumph of the Will?

A basic either-or choice seems more and more to be forced upon contemporary Catholics. Either they accept as somehow written into the nature of things the dominant pluralist political, social and economic system, or they reaffirm their loyalty to a classical and Christian vision of man and society that clashes profoundly with it. What are the origins of that system? In what ways do classical and Christian political, social, and economic concepts contradict it? How is it that many believers have been falsely convinced that the pluralist system fulfills the Catholic vision? What can be done to drive home the truth that pluralism is an attack on both Faith and Reason and a recipe for the triumph of the will in public and private life? These are the themes to be developed by the Roman Forum faculty at the 2010 Summer Symposium.

Faculty, Clergy, Musicians

• Dale Ahlquist  (President, American Chesterton Society)
• Dr. Miguel Ayuso-Torres (University of Madrid)
• Rev. Mgr. Dr. Ignacio Barreiro-Carmbula  (Human Life International)
• James Bogle, Esq. (Author, A Heart for Europe)
• Dr. Jeffery Bond (Lecturer in Philosophy, Politics, and Literature) Dr. Danilo Castellano (University of Udine) Joshua Copeland (Chorister) Rev. Bernard Danber, O.S.A.
• Christopher A. Ferrara, J.D. (President, ACLA)
• David J. Hughes (Musical Director)
• James Kalb, Esq. (Author, The Tyranny of Liberalism)
• Michael J. Matt (Editor, The Remnant) Dr. Brian M. McCall (University of Oklahoma)
• Professor John Mdaille (University of Dallas)
• Dr. Robert Moynihan (Editor, Inside the Vatican)
• Rev. Dr. Richard Munkelt  (University of Fairfield) Rev. Gregory Pendergraft, F.S.S.P.
• Dr. John C. Rao (St. Johns University)
• Rev. Richard Trezza, O.F.M.

(Plus other speakers from the US and Europe, to be announced)

Daily Program

Each day involves three lectures (morning and pre-dinner), and Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Rite (Tridentine Mass) at noon. There are no lectures on Sundays. Musical and theatrical entertainments take place in the garden of the Angeli in the evenings after dinner.

Cost

The full cost of the Gardone program in a double occupancy room is 2,000 Euros. This includes: tuition, room and board (very ample breakfast and dinner with wine, beer, and other beverages at will; all gratuities also); transportation to and from Malpensa Airport in Milan; a boat trip on Lake Garda; and excursions to Venice and in the Lake region. A number of full and partial scholarships are available.

Preference will be given to professors, students, clergy, and seminarians. Nevertheless, anyone who genuinely cannot afford the full tuition and believes himself to be a worthy candidate for assistance may apply.

Accommodations and the Setting

Accommodation and lectures for the Gardone program are at the Locanda agli Angeli and the Hotel Villa Sofia on Lake Garda, in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy. Rooms are mostly doubles, with bath. A limited number of singles is also available. Both hotels are located in Gardone Sopra, a ten-minute walk from the lakefront, where free, clean beaches with a number of amenities can be found. They offer beautiful swimming pools and gardens on their premises. Meals are taken at the Angeli and at other trattorie several minutes walk away. Mass is in the parish church, also within walking distance. Arrangements to arrive earlier or stay later, at additional cost, may be made through the director.

Gardone is within easy traveling distance of Verona, Venice, Trent, Brescia, Milan, Ravenna, Pavia and Padua. In years past, participants have rented cars to tour the area, taken private and more extensive boat trips on the lake, attended the opera in Verona, and even ventured as far away as Florence. The region offers opportunities not only for swimming, but for hiking, biking, boating and scenic walks as well. The lectures are scheduled in such a way as to allow time for recreation and sightseeing.

Transportation

Transportation to Italy must be arranged privately. Two shuttles (morning and afternoon) to Gardone will be provided from Malpensa on July 1st, and one back to the airport on the morning of July 12th.

Participants arriving and leaving at different times or arriving at and leaving from different airports are responsible for making their own arrangements for getting to Gardone. Gardone can be reached by shuttle  from the Airport to Milano Centrale (50 minutes), train to Brescia (50 minutes), and bus to Gardone Riviera (50 minutes), or by taxi from the airport (which can be very expensive).

Application

Applications can be e-mailed (drjcrao@aol.com) or sent by post. First time applicants only must include name, address, telephone number, e-mail, date of birth, occupation, academic degrees attained or pending, and the names and phone numbers of two references. Application should be made as soon as possible as there are only limited places available.

Payment

A non-refundable deposit of $500 will secure ones reservation. Once again, space is limited, so it is advisable to send this in as soon as possible after acceptance. Payment of the remaining fee, equivalent to 2,000 Euros as of May 1, 2010, must be made no later than May 15th, 2010. Deposits and all other payments must be made out to the Roman Forum and mailed to Dr. John C. Rao, 11 Carmine St. Apt. 2C, New York, NY 10014.

Final Notes

Seminar participants must eventually send us both their arrival and departure information. It is also important to let us know if you wish to arrive earlier or stay later than the scheduled symposium dates (at extra cost). We would appreciate this information by June 15th, by e-mail. A representative of the Roman Forum will meet participants at their arrival gates. Should the contact person not be found, please look for the bus driver holding a sign saying Molinari Agency, Gardone Riviera. His cell phone number will be sent to you by e-mail just before the departure date. In case of trouble, telephone the Locanda agli Angeli (from the USA, 011-39-0365-20991; from Italy, 0365-20991).

Barring the unpredictable, the weather should be sunny and quite warm/hot. We are in the foothills of the Alps, however, so one may need a sweater or light jacket for dining and sitting outside in the evening. Please also bring a light poncho or some other form of protection from a shower. If you do enjoy swimming and hiking, do not forget a bathing suit and good walking shoes. Tennis courts are available for use nearby. Access to the Internet is available from the Angeli, the Villa Sofia and the caf-restaurant La Taverna (the latter in the main square at Gardone Sopra, two minutes away from the Angeli).

There at ATM machines just outside the Angeli, and at the Banco di Brescia, a short distance away from the Villa Sofia.

Gardones greatest difficulty is laundry. There is no laundromat in the village. Someone does stop by every day to pick up any laundry that needs to be done, to be returned the next day. Under normal circumstances, laundry costs are expensive in Italy. With the dollar-euro exchange what it now is, it may be the greatest expenditure of your trip. There will be a general orientation at cocktail hour on Thursday, July 1st at the Angeli. A schedule of masses, as well as information about the Sunday boat trip and excursions during the week will be handed out at that time.

Contact Information

Please consider giving a tax-deductible donation to support clergy, seminarians, and students. Mail all applications and send donations to:

Dr. John C. Rao, Director
The Roman Forum
11 Carmine Street, # 2C
New York, NY 10014
Or e-mail to drjcrao@aol.com

DENTON, Nebraska – January 22, 2010 – The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is pleased to announce the Pontifical Consecration of its newly built chapel at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary on Wednesday, March 3rd at 10:00am (CST). Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz will celebrate the Pontifical Consecration and Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

The five hour ceremony will be held in the presence of a very special guest from the Vatican, William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is delighted to have the presence of one of the highest ranking officials in the Catholic Church. Cardinal Levada’s presence is connected with his position as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei established by Pope John Paul II and recently expanded by Pope Benedict XVI to facilitate the full incorporation into the life of the Church of communities and individuals attached to the Extraordinary Form.

Thanks to Thomas Gordon Smith, its architect, the seminary chapel reflects a contemporary rebirth in the rich tradition of classical Catholic architecture. Upon entering through its mahogany doors, the visitor will be immersed in the chapel’s beauty and grandeur which include an elevated main altar, emphasized by a 31-foot marble canopy or “baldachino”, the chapel’s seven side altars and liturgical choir stalls which seat 92 seminarians and priests. These are some of the integral qualities of this chapel which, on March 3rd, will be full of the people for which it was made.

The Pontifical Consecration and Mass is open to all of the public. Any and all the faithful are cordially invited and are most welcome to attend this joyful event and enjoy refreshments afterward.

Due to the number of guests and limited space, rooms and television screens will be provided for those outside of the chapel who wish to participate.

The Pontifical Consecration and Mass will be televised live on the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) at 11:00AM (EST). Watch the Pontifical Consecration and Mass Live Online!

Media Contact
Father Joseph Lee, FSSP
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
7880 West Denton Road
Denton, Nebraska 68339
Phone (402) 570-2707

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is hosting a two-week, outdoor summer camp for boys aged 12 to 15 years old, at Custer State Park, located an hour south of Rapid City, South Dakota.   The camp will be staffed by one priest and six seminarians of the Fraternity of St. Peter.   Custer State Park is located in the rugged Black Hill mountain range and offers plenty of opportunities for fishing, swimming, hiking, wildlife observation and land orientation skills.   Sleeping arrangements will be in tents provided by the Fraternity. Bathroom facilities are available onsite, and shower facilities are located nearby.   Additionally, a local high-school only a short distance away provides opportunities for various athletic games such as soccer, football, volleyball, and dodge-ball.

While the camp setting provides an incredible array of exciting activities, the most important function of the camp is spiritual.   This camp should not be thought of as an entertaining summer adventure only, but as an opportunity to grow closer to God.   The camp is intended to strengthen the faith of those who attend by providing instruction in the faith, and the virtuous example of men in the process of dedicating their lives to God.   Every day, the boys will be expected to willingly participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, a group rosary, 20 minutes of meditation, and night prayer.   Confession will be available almost every day. Campers can expect to receive classes on Catechism, Gregorian chant, and Mass serving.

Example Daily Schedule
05:30 Rise
05:45 Morning prayer & Confessions
06:15 Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
07:15 Breakfast & clean-up
08:00 Morning program
11:00 Rosary
11:30 Lunch
12:30 PM Afternoon program
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Evening program
9:30 Evening prayer & lights out

Registration and Application Information

Camp St. Peter 2010 will take place June 18^th –  July 2^nd for boys between 12 – 15 years old.   Special consideration this year will be given to those who have not yet attended the camp.

The cost for this years camp is $350, payable by check, which should be sent along with the application form.   This check will only be deposited if your applicant is accepted.   (Please send a separate check for each applicant.)   A more detailed information packet will be mailed to you upon acceptance.   God bless you, and please pray for discernment on the part of the selecting staff!

Applications must be mailed and postmarked no later than May 1st.

For more information and registration, please download our registration form.

You may also contact the camp director at fsspcamp@gmail.com

Priestly Ordination of  Rev. Mr. Jose Zepeda, F.S.S.P. has been conferred by Bishop Salvatore Cordileone.  Deo Gratias!

The celebration took place December 19, 2009, at 11:00 A.M.

St. Jarlath Church
2620 Pleasant St.
Oakland, CA
http://www.stjarlath.org/home.html

For more info please contact OLGS at 402-797-4400.

Updated 1/11/2010 with photos of the event.

This article originally appeared in the June 2009 Fraternity Newsletter.  To receive our free newsletter by mail, please click here.

October 7, 2008, the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, was a special day for the San Diego Traditional Latin Mass

Community. On that day, the Most Reverend Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, erected St. Anne Catholic Church as a Personal Parish for the San Diego Traditional Latin Mass apostolate and entrusted the new parish to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

In six months, St. Anne’s has become a fully-functioning traditional parish. How this occurred reveals a remarkable partnership between the San Diego families who have long supported the Traditional Latin Mass and their new Pastor.

Beginning in 1985, San Diego families and those visiting San Diego had gathered once a week at a cemetery mausoleum chapel to share the blessings of “the most beautiful thing this side of heaven.” Nearly every Sunday after Mass many of the congregation remained to pray a second Rosary imploring the Immaculate Heart of Mary for her help that they might be granted their own traditional Latin Mass parish. Recognizing the need for priests committed to the Traditional Latin Mass, in 1994 the San Diego community initiated a Seminarian Burse, a monthly collection to support the formation of priests at the FSSP North American seminary. By 2008, more than $300,000 had been donated to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. In 2007, efforts began to relocate the Traditional Latin Mass in San Diego to a parish church. St. Anne Church, a small church in the Logan Heights community, would in all likelihood be closed due to declining attendance and the lack of priests. It soon became the focal point of interest. At the urging of the community’s chaplain, the daily Traditional Latin Mass, which was begun on September 14, was moved to St. Anne’s in February 2008.

May 30, 2008, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was another special day for the San Diego Traditional Latin Mass Community, for it was on that day that one of its own—Fr. Jared McCambridge, FSSP—was ordained to the sacred priesthood. The following month Fr. McCambridge returned to the cemetery mausoleum chapel to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was during Fr. McCambridge’s visit that the idea of inviting the FSSP to assume responsibility

for the San Diego apostolate was nurtured. Subsequently, on July 31, Fr. Eric Flood, District Superior, met with Bishop Brom and accepted the Bishop’s invitation. In early September Fr. Carl Gismondi, FSSP, arrived and assumed responsibility for the San Diego apostolate.

Under Fr. Gismondi’s leadership events quickly unfolded. St. Anne’s was a very old church, built in the early 1920s and in need of a great deal of repair and renovation. A bold plan was quickly developed and, in less than six months, major repairs including relocation of the altar, installation of a new marble floor and communion rail, and a new hardwood floor in the nave were completed. The physical changes to St. Anne’s were impressive, yet even more impressive was the rapid development of parish life— liturgical, catechetical and social.

A full parochial observance of the Sacred Liturgy, including three Masses on Sunday and at least one Mass each weekday, was provided. To extend a welcoming hand to former parishioners, Fr. Gismondi added a third Sunday Mass and made special arrangements to provide the Epistle, Gospel and Sermon in Spanish. With the assistance of the Brothers of the Little Oratory, the hours of the Divine Office are chanted as the occasion permits.

The parish’s first Christmas was made all the more joyful when San Diego’s Auxiliary Bishop, the Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, celebrated our first Christmas Midnight Mass. The first Easter brought with it the blessings of the Sacred Triduum in the Extraordinary Form—the first time in 40 years the San Diego community was able to observe the events of Our Lord’s suffering, death and resurrection in the Traditional form.

Recognizing that liturgical music is an indispensable part of the liturgy, under the direction of Fr. Gismondi and the parish Music Director, Mary Ann Carr Wilson, a liturgical music program involving Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony and other traditional hymns previously established was expanded to include the St. Anne Choir (the adult choir) and the St. Anne Choristers (a children’s choir).

Under Fr. Gismondi’s direction and with the help of Deacon Jose Zepeda, FSSP, a religious education program was begun including classes for adults, young adults and children. In June, the first class will receive their First Holy Communion.

Under Fr. Gismondi’s direction, the parish devotional life was expanded to include two Holy Hours each week, a Sunday Rosary, a May crowning, First Saturday devotions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and monthly St. Padre Pio devotions. Parish life includes several lay organizations including the St. Anne Altar Society, the ladies of the parish who help maintain the parish facilities; St. Anne Youth Group; the St. Stephen’s Guild for Mass

Servers; and the parish Pro-life group, the San Diego Chapter of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants.