This is really the moment we’ve all been waiting for.

Most traveling traditional Catholics, whether they are planning a vacation, going on a business trip or moving to a new area, have probably wished at some point for a master-list of all approved Latin Mass locations throughout the world. Well, the dream is becoming a reality with a new feature on iMass, the app version of the FSSP’s LiveMass website. Now, with the tap of a finger, you can find Latin Masses across the country and the world.

To learn more about the new map, we checked in with iMass developer Fr. James Fryar, pastor of our Los Angeles apostolate and mastermind behind the entire LiveMass endeavor. LiveMass livestreams the Holy Mass daily from our apostolates in Sarasota, FL, Warrington, England and Fribourg, Switzerland, with sermons in English and French respectively, and provides recordings of Masses at our Guadalajara apostolate with sermons in Spanish. You can also find links to the text of the Mass and Divine Office in Latin and English (plus several other languages). iMass is the handheld version of LiveMass, providing all the features of the desktop version plus a handy Rituale Romanum for priests (the formulae for various blessings, etc.), and of course, the map. The map feature made its debut with the most recent update to iMass for iOS, which Fr. Fryar released about a month ago, with the Android update to be released sometime in the next several weeks.

The most striking and innovative feature about the new map is its reliability. Rather than being a community board or Google search that may include errors or unapproved Masses, each Mass location is vetted by Fr. Fryar himself for ecclesiastical legitimacy and informational accuracy. Locals can submit information about Latin Masses in their area using the “Add a Location” feature, and the locations that pass muster are added with the next software update.

“The goal is that it will become the most comprehensive and accurate source of Latin Mass locations worldwide, eventually,” said Fr. Fryar, commenting via email. “There’s a long way to go of course! What makes it accurate is the fact that local people can submit additions or corrections and then I verify each one, making sure they are approved by the Church.”

After only a month, the number of locations on the app is already astounding. 100 Masses have been added since the map’s release, and 100 more will be added with the upcoming update. A preliminary look at the map reveals locations in such FSSP-less states as Tennessee and Alabama, and such faraway locales as Hong Kong, South Korea and Costa Rica. And just look at all those Latin Masses in South America!

“A lot of people have let me know how useful it is so far,” added Fr. Fryar. “One man who travels every day for work told me that it’s priceless for him because he likes to go to daily Mass if he can, and now he can find daily Latin Masses where he is traveling. Another couple were able to check the time of the Mass in Amsterdam before their trip next week.”

So hop on your smartphone, download the app by clicking here for iPhone and here for Android (once again, the map update will be released for Android soon), and never be without the Latin Mass again. If you know of a Mass in your area that is not on the map, be sure to submit it! +

Cover photo: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC

As we count down the days till Christmas, the Church presents several beautiful liturgical items for our contemplation as we prepare ourselves interiorly for the coming of the Savior. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed right about now by the tasks on your holiday to-do list, perhaps take a moment to recall the things that the Church places before our minds at this time in Advent.

On Saturday the 14th, many parishes celebrated the traditional Rorate Mass, the early-morning votive Mass in honor of Our Lady that is celebrated in the hour before dawn. With a plethora of candles providing the only light for the Mass, it is an image of the Light Who is soon to dispel the darkness of the world. The next day was Gaudete Sunday, when, amidst the waiting and penances of Advent, we expressed liturgically the joy and excitement that is building in our hearts: Gaudéte in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte (“Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice.” – from the Introit for Gaudete Sunday).

This week brings us the Advent Ember Days on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as the first of the Greater Advent Antiphons, commonly called the “O Antiphons.” These occur on the 7 days leading up to Christmas Eve, today through the 23rd, and are a part of the office of Vespers on those days. While not all of us say the Divine Office regularly, these Antiphons probably sound familiar to us nonetheless, because one of the best-known Advent hymns, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” is based on them. They are a beautiful reflection on the role of the Savior, the long expectation of His coming among the people of Israel, and the convergence of the events of the Old Testament into the point in history, the fullness of time, when the Savior was to appear.

So we encourage you to reflect on the O Antiphons as we draw near to the time of Our Lord’s Nativity, and may these final days of Advent be free from worldly worries and filled instead with the peace of the coming Savior. +

Cover photo by Allison Girone shows the Rorate-style Mass of the Immaculate Conception at FSSP Philadelphia in 2018.

The O Antiphons

December 17th

O Wisdom, Which camest out of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come and teach us the way of prudence.

December 18th

O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and didst give unto him the law on Sinai: come and with an outstretched arm redeem us.

December 19th

O Root of Jesse, Which standest for an ensign of the people, before Whom kings shall keep silence, Whom the Gentiles shall beseech: come and deliver us, and tarry not.

December 20th

O Key of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel, that openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: come and bring the prisoner forth from the prison-house, and him that sitteth in darkness and in the shadow death.

December 21st

O Day-Spring, Brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice, come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

December 22nd

O King of the Gentiles and the desire thereof, Thou cornerstone that makest both one, come and deliver mankind, whom Thou didst form out of clay.

December 23rd

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the desire of the nations and the Savior thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God.

On Saturday, November 23rd, 2019, North American Martyrs Parish, our apostolate in Seattle, WA, officially began operations at its new location with the blessing of its church by His Excellency the Most Reverend Paul Etienne, Archbishop of Seattle. After the blessing, His Excellency attended in choir as pastor Fr. Joseph Heffernan, assisted by assistant pastor Fr. Caleb Insco and FSSP Director of Development Fr. Zachary Akers, celebrated the opening Mass at the building that was purchased over the summer. Also in attendance were Fr. Timothy O’Brien, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, our nearby apostolate in Tacoma, WA and a number of other clerics. The pews were full, and it was no surprise: North American Martyrs parishioners have been waiting a long time – about 10 years – for the day they could witness the blessing of their own church building. The parish and the Fraternity are deeply grateful to the Archdiocese of Seattle for assisting the apostolate in finding its permanent home, and to the Archbishop in particular for coming to perform the blessing and for joining us on this memorable day.

NAM, as the parish is fondly acronymed, has already brought its new facility a long way. A beautiful wooden altar and communion rail now grace the sanctuary, matching well the Northwest aesthetic contributed by the rustic pinewood ceiling above. Stations of the Cross line the side aisles, and statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph stand in their accustomed places to the left and right of the sanctuary. The floor of the sanctuary and center aisle, formerly afflicted with teal-blue carpet, have been redone and now sport wooden floorboards. The basement of the building includes classrooms and a gym, which provide abundant space for parish events such as the reception that was held after the blessing.

We look forward to seeing how the church continues to develop over the next several months, and we congratulate our Seattle apostolate on settling into its new home. +

Photos by Michael Curtis.

A happy and most glorious feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas! Today is a particularly joyful feast not only for our Mexican apostolates in Guadalajara and Mexico City but also for our seminary, which is under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe. They hold a fiesta for their patroness every year, celebrating Mass in her honor, decorating the altar dedicated to her in the seminary chapel with bouquets of roses and other festive flowers and carrying her statue in procession. They also observe the tradition of las mañanitas, a Mexican custom where the faithful serenade Our Lady with songs. Many of our parishes, too, host their own celebrations on this great feast day.

The feast commemorates the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego, an indigenous Mexican who saw her four times between December 9th and December 12th, 1531 at Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. She appeared as an Aztec lady, and it being near the time of Our Lord’s Nativity, she was with child. She spoke to St. Juan in his native Nahuatl, identifying herself as the Mother of the True God and requesting that a chapel be built in her honor on the hill. When the Bishop requested a sign to prove the verity of the Lady, she gave St. Juan miraculous roses to carry in his tilma to the Bishop – miraculous because they were growing in December and were Castilian roses, not native to Mexico. When St. Juan brought the roses to the Bishop, they fell to the floor and on his tilma was imprinted the beautiful image of Our Lady now venerated at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe precipitated the conversion of millions of the Mexican people. Her appearance included symbols that would have been familiar to the Aztecs and illustrated her identity as the Mother of God and the conqueror of the cruel Aztec religion, infamous for its horrifying practice of human sacrifice. Her appearance also evokes the words of the Book of Revelation, which describes Our Lady as the “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” She is honored as the Patroness of the Unborn, and we pray today for an end to the terrible evil of abortion, today’s human sacrifice, and for the conversion of all hearts to the One True God. +

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun? As the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds, and as the flower of roses in the days of spring.

– the Gradual for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

by Fr. Jesus Valenzuela, Assistant Pastor, FSSP Guadalajara

If you had asked me ten years ago, right after finishing high school, where I saw myself in the future, I definitely would not have said, “in the middle of Nebraska studying for the priesthood,” much less for a traditional order. Growing up in Mexico, I did not know anything other than the new Mass. For me that was the standard, and when other priests mentioned the old rite, they would do it in a derogatory way. Normally, I thought in that same way about the old Mass. I certainly did not expect that this would become the Mass to which I would dedicate my whole life.

My family had a tradition of sending the boys to the United States for high school right after finishing middle school. When I was fourteen, my turn came. Leaving my parents behind and coming to the United States was the starting point of a new life. It was then that I started thinking of the possibility of becoming a priest. The summer after my freshmen year, I went to a discernment camp in Chihuahua, Mexico. The seminarians there taught me the basics of the spiritual life and of discerning God’s call, and at that point I started taking my vocation somewhat seriously.

I returned for the second level of that discernment camp, and after that, I returned once again. At the end of the retreat, the superiors of the seminary asked me to join, but I refused. It was my senior year in high school. I dated, applied for scholarships, graduated with honors and for those reasons I tried to put my vocation away, but no matter the struggles, God always “bugged me” with the thought of going to the seminary. This restlessness continued for two years, and for two years I put it away. I felt like Jacob wrestling with the angel.

I decided to attend college for engineering. I learned about the traditional Mass through a friend. I gave it a shot, but was not immediately drawn to it. I had my doubts. I decided to learn more about it, and even though the emotional appeal lacked, everything else just made sense. With this in mind, I said to myself: “If I am going to be a priest, I am going to say this Mass.” I visited the Fraternity apostolate in Guadalajara to discern for two weeks. I was hoping that the priests would tell me that I did not have a vocation, but against all odds they suggested that I join the seminary. Now as a priest, I am stationed in this same place where I started my discernment with the Fraternity.

The following year, I joined the seminary in Nebraska, and eight years later became a priest. It was never easy because, as I realized later, it was never meant to be such. God does not always ask us to do the easy things. As a seminarian in Chihuahua told me: “What is easy is already done, the difficult is for you to do, the impossible is up to God.” Leaving family, friends, perhaps a good future in the world always poses a struggle. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I do not regret it. All of that seems small in comparison to what I have gained in return. +

A happy and most glorious feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady! We would normally say that today is a Holy Day of Obligation so be sure to go to Mass, but since it’s Sunday anyway we needn’t remind you of the obligation. What is noteworthy is that this feast, being of the first class, supersedes the Sunday, and so, in one of those occasional twists of the liturgical calendar, we do not offer the Mass of the 2nd Sunday of Advent but rather commemorate it within the Mass of Our Lady (we are reminded of 2017 when the Vigil of Christmas superseded the 4th Sunday of Advent…).

Today we celebrate the unique privilege bestowed upon Our Lady of being preserved immaculate from all sin from the first moment of her conception. Save Our Lord, she alone among all human beings was free from the stain of sin throughout her life; she alone pleased God and obeyed His Will most perfectly at every moment; she alone was full of grace and adorned with every virtue to the greatest degree. She was indeed the most perfect dwelling place which God prepared for the Son He sent among us.

Our Lady, under her title of the Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of the United States of America, as unanimously decided by the Bishops of the United States in the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1846:

We take this occasion, brethren, to communicate to you the determination, unanimously adopted by us, to place ourselves, and all entrusted to our charge throughout these United States, under the special patronage of the holy Mother of God, whose Immaculate Conception is venerated by the piety of the faithful throughout the Catholic Church. By the aid of her prayers, we entertain the confident hope that we will be strengthened to perform the arduous duties of our ministry, and that you will be enabled to practice the sublime virtues, of which her life presents the most perfect example (Pastoral Letter of the 6th Provincial Council of Baltimore, 1846).

Today, then, is a most fitting day to pray for our country and for the flourishing of the Church in America. It is also fitting that so many of our American apostolates are under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, and we wish a happy patronal feast to them all: Colorado Springs, CO, El Paso, TX, Omaha, NE and Rapid City, SD! +

Gloriósa dicta sunt de te, María: quia fecit tibi magna qui potens est.

Glorious things are said of thee, O Mary, for He Who is mighty hath done great things for thee.

– the Communion for today

We want to extend a huge “thank you” to all who donated during our recent Giving Tuesday campaign! Thanks to your generosity, we raised $55,846 for the formation of future priests at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. That’s only $4,154 short of our $60,000 goal! We well surpassed last year’s mark, and we are so grateful for your assistance in covering the considerable costs we face as we form new priests for Holy Mother Church.

We are still accepting Giving Tuesday donations through next week, so if you didn’t get a chance to donate, head on over to our secure donation page to add your dollars. What do you think, can we get to $60,000? +

Catholicism and…baseball? What do the two have to do with each other? This past June, they were combined into a five-day camp headed up by Mr. Ryan O’Connor and his group from Highlight Catholic Ministries, based in Denver, Colorado. The Catholic baseball camp was designed for boys ranging from first to eighth grade, and was serious both about teaching the Catholic Faith and about teaching the fundamentals and virtuous habits of baseball.

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, represented by former professional baseball player and FSSP Baltimore assistant pastor Fr. Michael J. Cunningham along with seminarians Sam Florance and Joe Duffy, had a hand not only in the layout of the camp and in teaching the Catholic Faith, but also in coaching the boys in the many different skills of the game. The schedule included drills and instruction in hitting, infielding and outfielding, organized games, and contests that tested such skills as throwing accurately, fielding grounders and hitting home runs. Each day opened and closed with prayer and included talks and team prayer with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

When it comes to a Catholic sports camp, one might ask if, aside from the time in prayer, there is any real connection between the baseball skills the campers learn and their Catholic Faith. The answer is a most definitive yes: baseball offers a training ground for the soul as well as the body. For those who have the courage to try baseball, or any sport, and perform before friends, family and strangers, they put themselves at a definite risk of failure, injury and humiliation, all of which are opportunities to grow in patience and humility. Additionally, if we have the courage to risk failure, to get up when we fail and to learn from it, improvement and wisdom will follow. On the other hand, sports also give us a chance to win, succeed and be honored, and to learn the humility, gratitude and other virtues that, for the Christian athlete, must accompany success. Many other virtues come into play on the baseball diamond as well, players learning how to balance such emotions as anger and competitiveness with kindness and good sportsmanship.

Learning the virtues associated with the challenges, successes and failures of a game equips young people with the skills and experience they will need to navigate the twists, turns, losses and victories of life. Through a Catholic baseball camp, our youngsters can learn not only how to get to home plate, but how to get to Heaven, and how to perform with grace, no matter how many curve balls life throws at them. +

Photos provided by Frassati Sports.

Today is Giving Tuesday! Will you help us raise $60,000 for Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary?

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter wishes a happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! Today is a perfect opportunity to pause amid our everyday routine and consider all that we truly have to be thankful for. We begin a new liturgical year this coming Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, and we enter once again into the Church’s year-long commemoration of the life, death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s great Gift to the world. The liturgy’s continual cycle of praise is permeated with ever-renewed utterances of thanksgiving, expressed so often through the words of the Psalms that constitute such a large part of the prayers of the Mass and form the backbone of the Divine Office.

Interestingly, one of the Votive Mass options for the day of the week that Thanksgiving always occupies (Thursday) is the Mass of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the summit and center of the Church’s life. The Mass is taken from that of Corpus Christi (which is always the Thursday after Trinity Sunday), and is filled with the praise of this wonderful Sacrament, wherein Christ gives Himself as our heavenly Bread. On a holiday which is marked so distinctly by an earthly feast, it seems apt to recall first and foremost – and to give thanks for – the infinitely superior spiritual feast which He bestows on our souls not once a year, but every single day. +

The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest Thy hand, and fillest every living creature with blessing.

– Psalm 144:15-16, the Gradual for Corpus Christi and the Votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament