From the sermon of St. Leo the Great, on the Lord’s Ascension.

Dearly beloved brethren, let us also rejoice with worthy joy, for the Ascension of Christ is exaltation for us. And where the glory of the Head of the Church has passed into, there is the hope of the body of the Church called to follow. Let us rejoice with exceeding great joy, and give God glad thanks! On this day not only is the possession of Paradise made secure for us, but in the Person of our Head we have actually begun to enter into the heavenly mansions above.

Through the unspeakable goodness of Christ we have gained more than we ever lost by the envy of the devil. We, whom our venomous enemy thrust from our first happy home, — we, being made of one body with the Son of God, have by Him been given a place at the right hand of the Father; with Whom He liveth and reigneth, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Rogation Days are a very old and wonderfully “earthy” tradition in the Roman Rite–uniting both the supernatural world (prayer and the intercession of the saints) and the natural world (the land and the planting of crops).

The coronavirus shutdown has impeded the celebration of the Rogation Days in many places, but St. Mary’s on Broadway, our FSSP apostolate in Providence, not only carried out the traditional Rogation Day ceremonies but also recorded them for the benefit of the faithful everywhere.

As explained on the parish’s Youtube channel:

On the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the Ascension, the Lesser Litanies can be celebrated. On these days, there can be a petitionary procession, in which fields are blessed, which is then followed by a violet petitionary Mass (the Rogation Mass, from the Latin “Rogare” which means “to ask, to ask for”).

Originally instituted in France (Vienne) for deliverance from calamities, the practice eventually became widespread. Their location on the Church’s calendar expresses how the joys of Easter are mingled with the sadness that these are the last days of Our Lord’s (liturgical) physical, risen presence among us.

Here are two of the videos just released earlier today, featuring a Rogation Day Procession, with the Litany of the Saints:

and the Rogation Mass, in violet vestments:

Even in the midst of quarantines and shutdowns, sacred tradition never ceases to glorify God!

Today we begin the period of Rogationtide in the traditional Roman liturgy: three days of prayer and fasting before Ascension. During these days we ask God (Latin rogare) for protection from calamities, and for the success of the harvest being sown.

Sunday’s Gospel and Office focused on St. John’s passage (ch. 16) “ask and you shall receive”, and now they turn to a similar passage in St. Luke (11:5-13): “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.” St. Ambrose of Milan’s homily discussing this passage is featured in three lessons from the Office of Matins for Rogation Monday:

Homily by St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. {Bk. vii. on Luke xi.)

We gather from this commandment, among other things, that we ought to pray, not only by day, but also by night. You see how he who arose at midnight to ask three loaves of his friend, and endured in supplication, was not disappointed of that which he sought. Of what are these three loaves a figure, but of that our Mysterious Bread which comes down from heaven? You see that if you love the Lord thy God, you may win His bounty, not only for yourself, but for others likewise. And who can deserve more to be called our “Friend” than He who gave His Own Body for us?

From this Friend it was that David asked bread at midnight, and received it, as he said: “At midnight I rise to give thanks unto Thee.” (Ps. cxviii. 62.) Even thus did he obtain those loaves [of spiritual nourishment] which he still sets before us for our refreshment. How he asked it, we know from him saying: “Every night I wash my bed.” (Ps. vi. 7.) He knew that there was no fear of waking Him Who sleeps not. (Ps. cxx. 3.) Therefore let us keep in mind the things which are written for our learning, and be instant in prayer both by day and by night, to ask pardon of our sins.

If David, who was such a Saint, and whose time was so taken up by the cares of a kingdom, praised the Lord seven times a day, (Ps. cxviii. 164,) and was always present with godly zeal at the morning and evening sacrifice, what ought we to do, (who have so much more need to pray, as the weakness of our body and mind so much more often makes us to fall,) that we — wearied with this pilgrimage, and worn out by the gradual waning of our earthly days, and the changes of life — may not be starved of that life-giving Bread that strengthens man’s heart? The Lord teaches us to be watchful, all of us, and not at midnight only, but always. “And if He shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so — blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching.” (Luke xii. 37.)

This served as a powerful lesson as to how a priest should devote himself to his duty, despite the limitations that affect his parish.
– Mr. Joseph Duffy, FSSP

When Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary closed a few weeks ago out of caution regarding the coronavirus, the seminarians were sent either home or to various apostolates to finish their semester via online classes and to assist at the apostolates. While none of them was expecting the Spring 2020 semester to conclude in such unique fashion, and while none would consider it an ideal circumstance, the seminarians’ testimony of their experiences bears witness to the surprise graces and unlooked-for lessons that have featured strongly in their life in diaspora. We’ve gathered some of their stories, and they tell the tale that we’ve found to be the main thread of this coronavirus business – when trials abound, grace abounds all the more.

St. Joan of Arc Parish, Post Falls, ID

Two of this year’s priestly ordinandi, Deacon Joseph Loftus and Deacon Javier Ruiz Velasco Aguilar, headed to Deacon Loftus’ home territory of Post Falls, Idaho for their final weeks of seminary. They assisted at St. Joan of Arc’s pre-1955 Holy Week liturgies (Loftus as deacon), and continue to serve at daily Mass and assist with perpetual Adoration. They also have been helping at the nearby Carmel convent so that the sisters can have Solemn Masses on Sundays and special occasions, such as the recent entrance of a young lady into the convent.

One positive opportunity the scattered seminarians have received is the chance to learn about the priesthood firsthand from experienced pastors. Post Falls pastor Fr. Dennis Gordon has been teaching Deacons Loftus and Aguilar an informal “pastoral theology class” each week, sharing wisdom gained from his twelve years in ministry and offering advice for transitioning into life as a parish priest.

“Obviously, priestly formation outside of the seminary setting is not ideal, especially academically. Nevertheless, these unprecedented times and events do not fall outside of God’s good and loving providence and both Javier and I can see how He is providing and caring for us during this unusual last semester of seminary formation.” – Deacon Joseph Loftus

Mater Dei Parish, Irving, TX

It only made sense for two North Texans, Mr. Kyle Boor and Mr. Sam Florance, to be stationed in North Texas. Mr. Boor (5th year) hails from Mater Dei and Mr. Florance (3rd year) from St. Benedict Parish 4o min due west in Fort Worth. Among other things they helped out during the Holy Week liturgies at Mater Dei – here they are assisting at the Easter Vigil. Click the image to watch the video on Mater Dei’s Facebook page.

St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish, Sacramento, CA

3rd year seminarian Mr. Jacob Kasak, FSSP, found that the unique scheduling challenges posed by the coronavirus restrictions were a good opportunity to practice the elusive virtue of flexibility. St. Stephen’s is able to keep its church open for private prayer and Confession, and though Mr. Kasak can attend the private Masses of the priests, they are at varying times so as to avoid more than 10 people in the church. He also had the chance to assist at adult baptism, which again had to occur with a limited number of people in the church and occurred individually on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week rather than at the Easter Vigil as is normally done. He finds that he has to be creative in order to adapt to all these singular circumstances while attending class and fitting in time for prayer, study and exercise.

“My time at this apostolate has contributed greatly thus far to my formation on a spiritual, academic, and material level…I’ve been building skills these past few weeks for surviving the most hectic days of being a priest.”
– Mr. Jacob Kasak, FSSP

St. Mary’s Church on Broadway, Providence, RI

Commitment and character shine their brightest when tested by adversity, and Mr. Joseph Duffy, FSSP, has been edified by the example of the priests with whom he has served during the past several weeks. The 3rd-year assisted with the pre-1955 Holy Week at FSSP Providence, which were livestreamed on the parish’s Youtube channel (we encourage you to visit the channel and check out the high quality DSLR recordings of these beautiful ceremonies). A sermon accompanied each liturgy, “in order,” as Mr. Duffy said, “to offer a little hope and spiritual encouragement during these hard times.” The priests offered Holy Communion and Confession as much as protocols allowed.

“In short, the priests worked just as hard, if not harder, to look after the spiritual well-being of their flock. This served as a powerful lesson as to how a priest should devote himself to his duty, despite the limitations that affect his parish.”

– Mr. Joseph Duffy, FSSP

At the moment Mr. Duffy and his fellow seminarian Anthony Fill, FSSP, are assisting at the private Low Masses celebrated at St. Stanislaus Parish, our apostolate in Nashua, NH.

St. Stanislaus Parish, Nashua, NH

When personnel is reduced to a minimum, one often gets the chance to take on more responsibility and practice new skills. That’s what Mr. Anthony Fill, FSSP, discovered during his time serving the Holy Week liturgies at FSSP Nashua. With only 5 servers and 1 or 2 sacristans able to assist, Mr. Fill carried out many of the tasks involved with preparing for and serving the ceremonies, which he was experiencing in their pre-1955 form for the first time. And he had to do a great deal of the singing, including readings from Tenebrae, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, which, he says, was good practice in working outside the “protective shell” of a schola or choir.

“I was either singing by myself or with one other person. I never would have been able to do that two years ago, maybe even last year, but the amount of training with singing that we receive at the seminary is definitely making a difference.”

– Mr. Anthony Fill, FSSP

We can’t conclude without mentioning the marathons. Several seminarians had planned on participating in the Lincoln Marathon and Half-Marathon as a way to raise money for their studies, but the events were cancelled when the coronavirus hit. The organizers gave would-be participants the option to run the marathons on their own and submit their times, so some of the seminarians are doing just that, including Mr. Fill and first-year Patrick Shea. While supporters contributed online, Mr. Shea ran a 2.6 mile circuit around St. Mary’s Church in Providence ten times to complete the distance, the parish livestreaming pieces of it over Facebook. Temperatures in the 40s and high winds provided an extra dimension of penitence to the endeavor, but it could have been worse. Back at the seminary, 3rd year Stephen Wetzel ran his marathon in the snow! Altogether, 6 seminarians have run the marathon, with 4 more planning to do so, and at least 4 have run the half-marathon.

We ask you to please pray for our seminarians as they strive to finish the semester’s studies, accomplish their duties at their assigned apostolates and strive to absorb all the many graces available during this unusual time of diaspora. +

We wish a most happy and blessed Mother’s Day to all our mothers! Certainly one day is not enough to express the gratitude that we have towards our mothers, whose love is so often our first lesson in the tenderness and mercy of God. Mothers teach us so many lessons: our duties towards God and neighbor, our prayers and our manners, how to sit still at Mass and the dinner table. A mother’s heart demonstrates to us honesty, sacrifice, care for others, forgiveness, and innumerable other virtues. Truly, who can count the things we owe to our mothers?

And of course, we at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter know just how much we owe to mothers, for it is mothers who nurture the seeds of holiness that spring up into vocations. With every new first-year seminarian that comes to our doors and every new priest we send out, we know we have a mother to thank for her prayers and sacrifices. If you attend a priest’s ordination, you’ll even witness an age-old custom that publicly recognizes the role of the mother. After the ordaining bishop marks the hands of the new priest with the sacred chrism, he binds them with a cloth – called the manutergium – which performs the practical function of catching the oil before it drips anywhere. The new priest then goes to the altar rail to meet his mother, who unties the manutergium from his hands and keeps it. When she dies, she is buried with it, so that, when God asks her at her judgment what she has done for Him, she can tell Him: “I have given You a priest.”

Let us pray today for our mothers and give thanks for them. God Himself chose to come to earth through a mother and gave her a central role not only in His own earthly coming but in the economy of salvation, making her the Mediatrix of All Graces, the giver of all His good gifts. She is truly our Mother and the model of motherhood, the Mother of priests and the Mother of the Church, so let us entrust our earthly mothers to her loving care this day and always. Happy Mother’s Day! +

Mother’s Day is fast approaching on Sunday! If you haven’t enrolled your mother in our yearly Mother’s Day Mass, you still have time to do so. It takes just a minute to fill out the online enrollment form found here. Also on that page you will find a downloadable holy card that you can print out and give to those you enroll, and the letter for Mother’s Day 2020 from North American Superior Fr. Michael Stinson.

There’s no better gift we can give our mothers than the Holy Mass and our prayers. You can enroll your natural mother, those spiritual mothers in your life, and any mothers who are special to you, living or deceased.

When the October 2019 edition of our Meménto newsletter hit your mailboxes last fall, some of you wrote in to us asking about the beautiful image on the front cover. It is Simone Cantarini’s The Madonna and Child Holding A Rosary, Crucifix and a Rose, also called the Madonna Della Rosa. Click the image to enlarge and download it (it’s in the public domain, so feel free to share and print it). It’s a wonderful depiction of the love between the infant Jesus and His Blessed Mother, and we hope you enjoy it as you celebrate her Motherhood and that of all mothers this Sunday. +

In the midst of great difficulty, great good always finds a place to take root. In fact, adversity is the only kind of soil where the works of mercy thrive, and at Mater Dei Parish, our apostolate in Dallas, Texas, in a landscape altered by the reality of the coronavirus, we found them growing strong.

When the restrictions on public gatherings closed churches across the state around the Second Sunday in Lent, Mater Dei too had to halt its public Masses, which are celebrated five times on Sunday by four priests for one of the largest and oldest congregations in the District. Its busy parish life came to a sudden stop, and as Sunday socials, youth group events and Knights of Columbus meetings were put on hold, Thomas Walters, manager of the Mater Dei Bookstore, began to think.

A parishioner of Mater Dei since 2010, Mr. Walters began the bookstore in December of 2015 at the request of the pastor and brings substantial experience in running religious bookstores to his work at Mater Dei. His wife Kimberly is also active in parish life, having spent many years as the choir director before only recently transitioning into the role of assistant director (they do all this while raising 4 kids).

Mr. Walters knew that without the Mass and the Holy Eucharist, his fellow traditional Catholics would be hurting and in need of support. While pastors across the District have striven to provide as much spiritual sustenance to their flocks as possible, Mr. Walters knew he also had a part to play and was not one to sit idle when there was work to be done. He kept the bookstore open, and then did a whole lot more.

“I was in the bookstore and I thought, ‘This is going to impact traditional Catholics in a negative way’,” he explained. “I knew that blogs would come out and people would be depressed. So I prayed, ‘What can I do to raise their spirits?’ And it helped me to go forth and open the bookstore with basically a buffet, free food, free snacks, free coffee, 20% off of everything storewide, in order to give some kind of hope and encouragement to people because I knew they would be suffering.”

He swiftly renamed the bookstore the “Mater Dei Relief Center” and provided not only free refreshments and discounts, but also necessities such as soap and that most elusive staple, toilet paper. He keeps to his regular store hours, even extending some hours, particularly on Sunday. While he normally is open after all Sunday Masses and schedules break time in between, he stays open from 8am to 7:30pm at present since people are filtering in and out of the church all Sunday to pray. He greets both Mater Dei parishioners and visitors at the Center, and his initiative has been received with joy and gratitude.

“I would say I’ve received from visitors as well as parishioners a lot of thank-you’s, especially from the elderly, who come to not only visit but to also come and pick up their essentials like toilet paper and soap,” he said, explaining that he provided these items as soon as he renamed the bookstore and opened it up as the Mater Dei Relief Center.

But the parishioners of this vibrant parish were not going to let him do it alone. The project grew into a group effort as others began donating food and essentials to supply the Center.

“Lots of parishioners have donated toilet paper and soap and food and therefore it’s created quite the community,” he said.

And what better time to engage in works of fraternal charity than during the season of Lent? We are often advised by our pastors to think not only in terms of what we can give up for Lent but what we can do in addition, and not only prayer and penance but also almsgiving are recommended practices during this holy season. In a paradoxical way, the arrival of the coronavirus this year presented us with extra opportunities for charity. The restrictions forced most of us into isolation, and concurrently gave us a chance to check in on our family, neighbors and fellow-parishioners and offer assistance to the suffering.

“I flocknoted* people and was honest and said this has been the best Lent for me since I’ve been here at Mater Dei, because I just immediately acted and focused on the positive and it’s been the best Lent,” Mr. Walters said. “It’s reminded me to be other-directed, to serve my neighbor as myself, and then to just imitate Jesus Christ in the story of St. Damien [of Molokai], because I took a lot of encouragement from St. Damien.”

St. Damien of Molokai, fondly known as Father Damien, was a missionary priest from Belgium who worked in a leper colony in Hawaii in the latter half of the 19th century. His love for those he served overcoming any fear or revulsion he may have had for the then-incurable disease, he labored among the lepers for 16 years, ministering to their spiritual needs, caring for their wounded and diseased bodies, and assisting them in organizing their community and building houses, schools, hospitals and churches. All the while he lived as one of them and had no concern for contracting the ailment, which he eventually did, dying a “martyr of charity” at the age of 49.

“I realized St. Damien went to the lepers, I wasn’t going to be afraid of the COVID and I was just going to help people where they’re at and to focus on the positive,” Mr. Walters said.

If you are in the Dallas area, we encourage you to stop by for some time in prayer at Mater Dei – their doors are open from 6am to 6pm, and hopefully the regular Mass schedule will be back in full swing very soon. And while you’re there, be sure to walk across the breezeway to the parish office building and visit the Mater Dei Relief Center, a place offering an oasis of charity and good cheer in a world of isolation and uncertainty. Maybe you too will be inspired, in whatever small way you can and in whatever circumstances you find yourself, to do it like Damien. +

*i.e. contacted parishioners via Flocknotes.

A happy and most blessed feast of St. Joseph the Worker! Today we honor the good St. Joseph in his capacity as a workman and as the patron of laborers. Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in 1955 as a counter to the Communist “May Day” celebrations, the feast offering a far superior way to honor workers by honoring their model and patron. We especially wish a happy patronal feast to St. Joseph the Worker Parish, our apostolate in Tyler, Texas!

A carpenter by trade, St. Joseph passed on his knowledge and skills to his foster-son, Jesus, and side-by-side they labored together for countless hours, days and years in the woodshop in Nazareth, living a humble, holy and most hidden life in the company of Our Lady. Though St. Joseph speaks not a word in the Gospels, how easily we can imitate his example! Whatever kind of work we do, we can do it in the company of Our Lord and Our Lady, inviting them to sanctify even our most trivial tasks so that they might become a source of great grace for us.

During this time when many businesses have been forced to close and lay off their staff, let us pray for those workers who suddenly find themselves without a livelihood and face difficult circumstances. So many of those laid off are low-income workers who can least afford to be without work. Let us pray to St. Joseph the Worker to grant them their necessities, renewed work prospects, and a hopeful future, and let us help one another in whatever ways we can.

In view of the ongoing pandemic, today the U.S. Bishops will join those of Canada is reconsecrating their respective nations to Our Lady. His Excellency the Most Reverend José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the USCCB, will lead the reconsecration of the United States at 3pm Eastern time. You can join the livestream of the event at the USCCB’s Facebook page, and you can find the text of the prayers here. +

Omne quodcúmque fácitis in verbo aut in ópere, ómnia in nómine Dómini Jesu Christi, grátias agéntes Deo et Patri per ipsum.

All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. 

– Colossians 3:17, from the Epistle for today

by Fr. Daniel Heenan, Pastor, FSSP Guadalajara, Mexico

Across the globe, society and the Church are struggling to cope with a global pandemic on a scale which has not been seen for a long time. Whatever opinions one might have regarding the appropriateness or severity of the responses taken in different places, there is no doubt that this situation has had tremendous effects in all spheres of life. Certainly the Church has had to adapt to very unusual circumstances in order to continue her mission at the service of souls. We will not soon forget Holy Week of 2020 when most places celebrated the Easter Triduum under difficult restrictions and in the absence of the faithful. Although in Mexico the situation has not yet become as grave as in the United States, here too we have had to cope with frustrating realities.

To date the official infection and mortality rates are still much lower than they are in the United States. Nevertheless, what happens in the United States invariably has its effect south of the border. In most places in Mexico, stay-at-home orders are still voluntary for most people. In Guadalajara, they just recently began to order the closing of non-essential businesses. The Church in some places, understanding how important the Faith is for the fabric of society, has tried to avoid closures. In Guadalajara we were first instructed that there would be two weeks without public Masses. Later that order was extended for another month and most are now expecting that the situation will continue at least until the end of May. Thanks be to God, the decrees have insisted that the churches shall remain open.

The fear is that the effects of a full-fledged pandemic in Mexico could be catastrophic. All admit that the Mexican healthcare system is woefully inadequate. The majority of people are on a government insurance program that is notorious for delays, poor quality of services, inadequate facilities and equipment, and unsanitary conditions in the public hospitals. Just the other day I met with a woman who was scheduled for an emergency heart surgery but had her appointment postponed two months because all the resources are being reserved for COVID-19 patients.

Economically the consequences will likely be disastrous. A large portion of the population live on what they are able to earn each day working in informal business such as roadside food stands. For them the option to stop working simply does not exist. At Casa Cristo Rey in recent weeks we have seen an increased number of people knocking at the door asking for work. They bring their small children with them because the schools have been closed and beg not only for food but also the most basic sanitary items. In our parish, San Pedro en Cadenas, many of our parishioners have responded generously and provided donations of food and other necessities that we have been able to deliver. On the other hand, others of our parishioners are likewise being severely impacted economically.

We visited several homeless shelters and an orphanage with these gifts and the directors confessed how much in need they are because their normal donations have not been arriving (probably due to a combination of fear and economic shortfalls). At one such shelter we met a family of seven that live in a single apartment that is only about four feet by five feet with one mattress. They live in a building with thirty other families in similar conditions. Upon entering the building, one immediately notices that there are no face masks and no anti-bacterial gel. The place is filthy. The roof of the building is incomplete. Most of the people don’t even have shoes. One gets the impression that in these places it is very hard to worry about catching a virus because life is already simply a struggle to survive.

Our arrival with the food delivery was greeted with great joy. First we gave lollipops to the children which they received with exuberance. That was not surprising. What was astonishing is that when we began to divide the bags of oatmeal, the children were equally overjoyed. It was painfully evident that material poverty was not their only ailment. I began to ask the children who could tell me what Easter was. No one knew. I asked them if they knew who Jesus was. There were a few responses, but mostly silence. I tried to lead them in a few basic prayers. A few of them knew a little bit, but no one could recite them in their entirety. I then asked the parents if their children attended catechism, and they all bashfully avoided making eye contact.

Here in Mexico and in many other places in the world, the coronavirus is going to generate an enormous humanitarian crisis that comes on top of one that really already exists. Feeding the spiritual hunger is even more urgent. This is a need that in many places has sadly not been filled and the current crisis will only exacerbate the problem. We have continued offering confessions, and the lines have been very long. Many who came were not parishioners, but came because they could not find any other place to confess their sins. The Church is trying to urge people to stay connected to Mass and catechesis through social media, but technology is not a feasible answer for many people who live in poverty. At one house we visited to deliver food I suggested to the family to follow the Triduum on our Facebook page. They had to admit that most of the time they didn’t have enough money to buy data on their phones and they certainly did not have WiFi in their house. In that moment it dawned on me what an enormous challenge the Church has to not lose contact with these people during this time of quarantine. This is especially important considering that the news media is eager to report that various Protestant groups are making house visits and tending to the material needs of the people.

There is not an easy answer to these problems, and, sadly, the root causes of weakening faith go back well before the appearance of the coronavirus. We cannot simply throw caution to the wind, especially because there is a grave possibility that the consequences of pandemic in poorer parts of the world can be far worse than what has been witnessed in more developed countries. There is no doubt that this pandemic has caused and will continue to cause widespread suffering. I pray that in the midst of our hardships we do not forget that some people will be hit much harder. We can hope that these trials will provide an impetus for spiritual renewal as we look for ways to continue to preach Christ, especially to those most in need of reasons to hope. When one comes face to face with people whose existence is already quite fragile, one cannot help but realize that, while health and material needs are no doubt important, what is of greatest value is that which is capable of giving meaning to life in spite of whatever hardships one has to endure. +

Most of us have never experienced a Holy Week quite like this one. Someday when a generation yet unborn asks us about these strange and difficult days, perhaps the most striking thing that we will remember is the fact that, during the most sacred time of the year, most of us were forced to stay far away from the liturgies we as Catholics love so dearly. It was certainly an unexpected and heavy cross to carry, to enter into the Passion to the extent that we were imitating Our Lord even in His isolation, His solitude.

But when a priest offers his life to God, he is obliging himself to care for God’s flock in both feast and famine, the good times and the bad. As the coronavirus closed their parishes, FSSP pastors all over the globe sprang into action to bring Christ to their faraway sheep, opening churches for prayer, hearing Confessions within distancing parameters, giving Communion where it was permitted, and setting up livestreams of Masses, Stations of the Cross, Rosaries and spiritual talks. FSSP Minneapolis celebrated Mass in a large parking lot as the faithful participated from their cars; on Palm Sunday, the attendees received palms from gloved hands through their rolled-down windows. Other parishes saved palms to be given to the faithful later. FSSP Tacoma conducted Easter House Blessings from porches and front yards.

FSSP Maple Hill also utilized their parking lot space, offering liturgies where an FM transmitter enabled the faithful to tune in via their car radios. Maundy Thursday’s Altar of Repose was set up in an open garage where the adorers could spend time with Our Lord from afar. On Holy Tuesday, assistant pastor Fr. Martin Adams, holy water in hand, took to the skies in the passenger seat of a Cessna Skyhawk piloted by a parishioner to bless the houses of the faithful far below!

During the liturgies of the Triduum, the doors of most churches were closed. But behind those doors, their voices echoing through empty naves, clergy, servers and skeleton-crew choirs carried on the holy minutes of those most holy hours, the Church’s liturgical life moving forward even when the whole world seems to have ground to a halt. And though the pews may have been empty and the Communion lines non-existent, Catholics across the world were watching and praying – LiveMass offered no less than 12 streams of the Triduum, apostolates with their own streaming setup offered many more, and most of these streams are continuing now. Liturgies, celebrated across hemispheres, timezones, state and country borders – with homilies in English, Spanish, French, Italian, even Polish – were heard loud and clear thousands of miles away. During Holy Week 2020, in the midst of near-universal lockdown and separation, never was it more evident that our Faith knows no border, no constraint of time or space.

We thought we’d give you a head start on our accustomed Easter photopost with some of the photos we’ve received thus far from this most unusual Holy Week. We’ll post more as they come in. +

FSSP Minneapolis

Church of All Saints
Palm Sunday
Photos by Lucas Brown

FSSP Maple Hill

St. John Vianney Chapel
Holy Tuesday Aerial House Blessings, Holy Thursday, Good Friday

FSSP Kraków

Church of St. Lazarus, Kraków, Poland
Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil (pre-1955)
Photos by Tomasz Mróz

Priesterseminar Sankt Petrus

Wigratzbad, Germany
Palm Sunday, Tenebrae, Easter Vigil

FSSP Guadalajara

Nuestra Señora del Pilar
Good Friday, Easter Vigil (pre-1955)

FSSP Rome

Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini
Good Friday, Easter Vigil (pre-1955)
Photos courtesy of SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini