Have you heard about our new apostolate in Fresno, California? Holy Cross Chaplaincy began in September of last year, and joins the three apostolates that already reside in the Golden State. The four apostolates form a “golden” line that roughly follows I-5 from Sacramento to San Diego, Holy Cross being the second stop if you’re traveling from north to south. The Chaplaincy, which is under the care of chaplain Fr. José Zepeda, FSSP, and is based at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fresno, welcomed our North American District Superior, Fr. Gerard Saguto, for a Solemn High Mass on Sunday, January 14th, 2018.

Today is the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, a day on which the U.S. Bishops have instructed us to pray for the protection of the unborn and to do penance in reparation for acts of abortion.

According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373:

In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.

Let us join with the Bishops in prayer and penance, imploring God’s mercy upon our nation and the world for this terrible crime, and invoking Our Lady’s aid in bringing an end to abortion and the culture of death and restoring a culture of life.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!

As many of you know, Fr. Goodwin, FSSP, suffered a stroke in October of 2016. He is currently convalescing, and Christ the King Parish, our apostolate in Sarasota, Florida, is gathering a spiritual bouquet to present to Father for the intention of his continued health and recovery. Please consider contributing a Mass, a rosary or another devotion to the bouquet – if all of us from across the various apostolates in the District contribute even a little, there is no telling what an array of spiritual flowers we could assemble.

Please email your contribution to office@christthekingsarasota.org by this Wednesday, January 24th. Please include the apostolate or city where you are from (if you would like – not mandatory).

Thank you, and may God reward you!

Today the annual March for Life takes place in Washington, D.C. Thousands of marchers every year gather at the nation’s capital to witness to the sanctity of human life and to protest the heinous practice of abortion. The march is always held near the dark anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States on January 22, 1973. This year marks 45 years since the decision.

The 22nd itself, this coming Monday, is the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, a day on which the U.S. Bishops have instructed us to pray for the protection of the unborn and to do penance in reparation for acts of abortion. Let us join with the Bishops on Monday, and let us pray this day and always for an end to abortion, and that life may be cherished, loved and protected, at all its stages, from conception until natural death.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!

On Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 10:15 a.m., His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass at St. Stephen of Hungary Parish, our apostolate in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Bishop Schneider will also give a talk during the potluck and coffee hour which will be held in the church hall following Mass.

Mark your calendars, and join the event at FSSP Allentown’s Facebook page here!

Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves therein.
Psalm 69:34

On October 8th, 2017, a remarkable sight was seen on the sandy shores of Virginia Beach.

A great crowd was walking down the boardwalk of the beach, the line of people creating a mighty river that stretched far down the shore. At their head an icon of St. Michael was carried aloft, followed by the main banner and the processional crucifix. Then came a stately row of flags representing the United States, the Vatican, POWs/MIAs and the State of Virginia. The men in colorful capes who bore the flags also carried their own flag, which, of course, was that of the Knights of Columbus.

Beyond them came the clerics in attendance, and then four scarlet-caped Knights carrying a gold-fringed canopy. Under the canopy was Our Eucharistic Lord, enthroned in a magnificent monstrance held by the hands of a priest in a white cope with IHS emblazoned on the back. And then followed another row of Knights, and with them the vast crowd of faithful who had come to walk with Our Lord in the annual Eucharistic Procession on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk.

The event, which is a coordinated effort of several parishes, began at Star of the Sea Catholic Church, where the faithful first gathered and Our Lord was enthroned in the monstrance before the procession exited the church, crossed over Pacific and Atlantic Avenues and turned north onto the broad boardwalk that parallels the beach. One can only imagine how the waves of the neighboring sea sang along with the hymns the people sang, and how the incense offered to Our Eucharistic Lord mingled with the salty maritime air. He Who made the mighty oceans was receiving the praises of His own creation, and He passed by under the appearance of that most humble creation, a little piece of bread.

The procession then entered a park where an altar of repose had been arranged. Our Lord was placed upon the altar, and there was a period of silent adoration and a short sermon on the Eucharist followed by Benediction. Then all returned to Star of the Sea, following the same route they had come.

This is the sixth year for the procession, although there have only been five that have taken place, last year’s being cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew. The inaugural event took place on October 13, 2012, the 95th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, and this year’s was held near the 100th anniversary. The procession is the fruit of an idea planted nearly forty years ago when founder Michael Cistola was still a student at Star of the Sea school. The school was staffed by IHM sisters, and one of them expressed her dream of a procession on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk honoring Our Eucharistic Lord.

The sister’s idea stayed with Mr. Cistola, and the time came for its materialization in 2012. In response to the HHS mandate which was being put forward at the time, His Excellency the Most Reverend Francis DiLorenzo, the late Bishop of Richmond, published bulletin inserts discussing the U.S. Bishops’ united opposition to the mandate and the Bishops’ call to all Catholics to urgent action and prayer against the unjust law. Mr. Cistola, a parishioner at St. Benedict’s, the FSSP’s parish in Chesapeake, saw the procession as a response to this call, and subsequently asked and obtained the Bishop’s permission to hold the procession. Fr. Neal Nichols, pastor of St. Benedict’s, coordinated the liturgical aspects of the procession and has done so every year since, meeting at Star of the Sea with the planning committee several times a year and involving as many clergy as possible. St. Benedict’s always has a grand representation at the procession and among the volunteers who organize the event.

If you are in the Virginia Beach area in October, do consider joining the Eucharistic Procession on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. An idea sown in the mind of a child by a devoted IHM sister so many years ago has blossomed into a thing of celestial beauty, that, Deo volente, will grace the shores of Virginia Beach for years and years to come.

On Saturday, January 6th, 2018, the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, His Excellency Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Church of All Saints, our apostolate in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In attendance were several seminarians from St. Paul Seminary and over 275 faithful.

The choir sang Palestrina’s Missa Aeterna Christi Munera (listen to the Sanctus on the left below), and the Mass included the chanting of the Noveritis (on the right below), that is, the Proclamation of Moveable Feasts, traditionally done on the Epiphany.

Our thanks to Tracy Dunne and Lucas Brown for their photos of the Mass.

In October, we published Big Procession, Big Plans: Part I, in which we told you about the beautiful procession at Mater Dei Parish in Irving, Texas in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun. We had more to write about this thriving parish, but we decided to do another post since there is just so much going on. We spoke once again with Adrian Montes, Parish Life Coordinator at Mater Dei, and his wife Mary Montes, who told us about the exciting projects in motion at the north Texas apostolate.

Married Couples’ Series

A new series of events for married couples is planned for this year at Mater Dei. Mr. and Mrs. Montes are excited about what this series will offer, and they shared the blueprint with us. The events will be monthly and will include childcare for those with children. Things will begin with a social hour and potluck for attendees to mingle and get to know one another, and will continue with a talk by one of the priests. A couple will give a testimony on a particular theme, and the idea is that there will be a core group of four or five couples who will contribute regularly in this role. Table discussions are also a probable component. The series is intended as a way for married couples to form friendships with other couples, to receive guidance and to share their wisdom, and thus for the marital and familial bond to be strengthened.

The kick-off for the series is a January 27th event on the four temperaments featuring Art and Laraine Bennet, who have written four books on the subject. They will give three talks and do a book signing as part of the all-day event.

Michael’s Miscarriage Ministry

We introduced you to this wonderful ministry in our post here about the Evening of Remembrance they held in November.

Safety Team

The Safety Team is a group consisting of men who ensure the safety and security of all those who attend Mater Dei. They are a valued presence at every Sunday Mass, plus other Masses, processions and events, the coordinator meeting with the group once a month to discuss matters of safety. The group also coordinates speakers to come to Mater Dei to give talks on safety issues, such as the recent talk given on cyber safety which provided information for parents about keeping their kids safe in the age of the internet and smartphones.

Servers Training Servers

An interesting initiative begun at Mater Dei is a program in which young men who grew up serving at the altar, but are now adults and no longer serve, train older men to serve. The older servers become necessary at early morning Masses and other special Masses where no regular servers are normally available. The monthly program will include a talk by a priest about the liturgy or a topic from Church history followed by the training sessions. This program is a way for young men to be involved in serving after they have grown up, and for men of all ages in the parish to stay connected with one another and share in this great and necessary work.

This is just a brief window into the extensive array of ministries and events that are taking place at this vibrant parish. You can find out more at their website, www.materdeiparish.com. Mater Dei has groups and projects for all ages, and they are doing a monumental job in ensuring a joyful and busy parish life to complement and support the sacramental life of their parishioners. If you ever visit North Texas, do join Mater Dei for Mass and be sure to check their schedule to see what’s happening!

The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, on which we commemorate the appearance of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego in 1531, is a particularly joyous feast day in Mexico. On this day in 2017, our apostolate in Guadalajara honored Our Lady in a beautiful way.

Fr. Daniel Heenan, pastor of FSSP Mexico, led the Rosary in the middle of the Andares shopping mall where an image of Our Lady was enthroned. Afterwards, those in attendance renewed their consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Mariachis serenaded her with traditional mañanitas. The event marked the conclusion of a year long campaign called “A Miracle for Mexico,” organized in honor of the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fátima. Participants, using an app, registered the rosaries they prayed, and the number of rosaries reached over 60 million.

To learn more about our apostolate in Mexico and find out how you can help, please click here.

A most joyful and glorious feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord! Today we commemorate the visit of the Magi, who saw Our Lord’s star in the East and came to pay their humble homage to the King of Kings. They presented to Him gold, frankincense and myrrh, which represented respectively His Kingship, His Divinity and the death that He would die for our sins.

Omnes de Saba vénient, aurum et thus deferéntes, et laudem Dómino annuntiántes.

All they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and showing forth praise to the Lord.

from the Introit for today (Isaiah 60:6)