The choirs at our apostolate in Dallas, Texas recently released Mater Dei: Marian Devotion & Prayer, a new album of Marian recordings! The album includes hymns, motets and chants in honor of Our Lady. You can buy the album here!

Also, be sure to check out the choirs’ other recordings, Lumen Gentium: Advent & Christmas At Mater Dei, available for purchase here, and Lux in Tenebris: Holy Week At Mater Dei, available here.

This Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are the Ember Days of September. The Ember Days, which take place four times a year at the start of the various seasons, are days of prayer and penance, their intention being to thank God for the gifts of nature, to ask His help in using them in moderation and to assist the needy. They are traditionally observed by means of fasting on all days, partial abstinence (meat only at the main meal) on Wednesday and Saturday, and full abstinence on Friday.

We encourage you to participate in this holy observance in the ways in which you are able. May we always be mindful of the multitudinous gifts of God that He has given to us, and be generous in sharing them with others.

Et convértam captivitátem pópuli mei Israël: et ædificábunt civitátes desértas, et inhabitábunt: et plantábunt víneas, et bibent vinum eárum: et fácient hortos, et cómedent fructus eórum. Et plantábo eos super humum suam: et non evéllam eos ultra de terra sua, quam dedi eis: dicit Dóminus Deus tuus.

And I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them; and shall make gardens, and eat the fruits of them: and I will plant them upon their own land: and I will no more pluck them out of their land which I have given them; saith the Lord thy God.
– Amos 9:14-15, from the Lesson for Ember Wednesday

From our apostolate in Los Angeles! A beautiful video celebrating Summorum Pontificum and the presence of the traditional Latin Mass in L.A.

Being a young adult today is a big challenge. Sometimes it’s easy for young people to get discouraged at the state of the world, the constant challenges to their Faith and the lack of true friendship and fellowship in modern society. But there is every reason to hope. Young, faithful Catholics exist and they possess a joy and a zeal that stand strong against the forces of the world. Case in point: Thomas Baker, a  young Thomas Aquinas College student who hails from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Littleton, Colorado. We got the chance to talk to Thomas and ask him about his Faith, his goals and aspirations and how he connects with his fellow Catholic young adults.

Missive: Who are you? Where are you from? How long have you been attending Our Lady of Mount Carmel?

TB: My name is Thomas Baker, and I’m the oldest of 8 kids, all homeschoolers. My brothers and I are regular altar servers at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We’ve been at this parish for a long time; I was born in the D.C. area, but my family moved to Colorado when I was about 4. We quickly discovered Our Lady of Mount Carmel and have been going there ever since. I am now a student at Thomas Aquinas College in California, but I come home between semesters.

Missive: Being a young adult is challenging these days. Many people your age don’t go to church, and the world proffers you many replacements for God. How do you keep your faith strong in the midst of all these difficulties?

TB: As an intellectual, I’m not really tempted by the glamor of the world, so the only thing I really see as a potential danger is the appeal of science as a replacement for God. The atheists and agnostics can be very compelling to some; from what I’ve observed in my conversations with them, their views aren’t self-contradictory, and are difficult to disprove using premises that they would agree with. Ultimately their arguments are based on unreasonable assumptions, but these are sometimes tricky to sort out, so less keen individuals with weak foundations in the Faith can be very vulnerable to their position. I have a strong foundation in the Faith, so this isn’t much of a problem for me, but I don’t want to take any chances. Therefore I’ve built a collection of particular experiences and observations that I know are true, and I use these as support for the doctrines of our Faith. In addition, I pray frequently that I will stay strong in the Faith, since ultimately we can do nothing without God.

Missive: What do you do for work? Is there any way that you try to bring your Faith to the workplace?

TB: For my summer job, I worked at Dish Network as a software engineer. My project was focused on finding and understanding security vulnerabilities in the Hopper 3, Dish’s most advanced DVR. In general when I work, I try to give a virtuous example to the people I’m working with. Usually this involves my attitude, but can also include more obvious signs like praying grace before meals. I also pray for the people I work with. Actually, one of our new security guards is a Christian who has been thinking more about his relationship with God, and I’ve spoken with him about that. Hopefully I’ve planted a seed that will eventually bring him to the right path.

Missive: Do you have any hobbies you like to pursue? Any projects or big dreams you are working on?

TB: I’m a largely self-taught pianist. I love the piano; lately I’ve been practicing the first movement of Pathétique (probably my favorite Beethoven sonata), as well as cleaning up some Joplin pieces I’ve learned in the past. I recently wrote a short piece of my own which I’m working on playing more smoothly. Besides music, I’m also interested in math and science, and I hope to eventually invent or discover something in this area.

Missive: What are some of the things you like to do with your friends? What do you all do to have fun together and cultivate a holy fellowship? That is, what healthy alternatives do you recommend to what the world offers?

TB: A few years ago, I started an Ultimate Frisbee group that plays every weekend over the summer. One thing I like about Ultimate is that the players don’t need to be experts to enjoy it, as long as the more advanced players keep an inclusive spirit. In my group, we have players of all ages and skill levels; 10-year-old kids, teens, young adults, parents, and our parish priests are often playing on the field at the same time. Although most of the players are from OLMC, I don’t limit the group to my parish; I have other friends in the nearby area who come occasionally as well.

I think parish groups that focus on a particular activity (like Ultimate) are a very good way for young adults to avoid the corruption of the world. Many of the people I’ve watched leave the Faith were influenced by a bad social environment, and a Catholic group with virtuous members can provide a lot of support to strengthen one’s faith.

Missive: Sometimes faithful young adults feel discouraged and alone because they find it hard to connect with other faithful people their age. What would you recommend to those who feel thus discouraged? How should young adults connect with each other and reach out to each other?

TB: I find that one of the easiest ways to get to know new people is by doing things together. So check and see what your parish offers – if there’s a young adult group, start by joining that. Also remember to keep other local parishes in mind. Look in their bulletins for events and maybe try attending some. If you can’t find anything relevant, consider talking to the pastor about starting a group. And whatever happens, always pray, since “all things work together for good for those who love God.”

A few weeks ago we posted about the Solemn Pontifical Mass that will be taking place in Philadelphia for the 10th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum. Today is the day!

At 7pm tonight, the Mass will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Philadelphia, PA, with Bishop Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, celebrating. If you cannot make the trip to Philly, EWTN will be broadcasting the Mass live. You can watch the broadcast on EWTN or online at www.ewtn.com/multimedia/live.asp.

Mater Dei Parish in Dallas, Texas, held a Holy Hour on Thursday, September 7, for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, which has devastated the Houston area near the southern coast of the Lone Star State. The Holy Hour was held in response to Bishop Edward Burns’ call to the 74 parishes of the Diocese of Dallas to hold a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration for the victims on the evening of September 7; the good Bishop personally presided at the Holy Hour at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas. The Bishop asked that the parishes ring the bells five minutes before the Holy Hour began, and he also asked that the Rosary be prayed before Masses on Saturday and Sunday, September 9th and 10th. Donated Rosary beads were distributed before Mass at the various parishes, including Mater Dei, and collected to be given to evacuees with the message that the prayer had been offered for them and all the hurricane victims.

Bishop Burns said: “This is an opportunity for Catholics to come together to pray for those affected by the hurricane, and in particular for those who have lost their lives. This is something that is being done, to the extent possible, in every diocese in Texas as an act of solidarity and prayerful support with our suffering brothers and sisters.”

Cynthia Bates, the Digital Media Strategist for the Diocese of Dallas and a parishioner of FSSP Dallas, spoke to us regarding the Diocese’s concern for those in Houston and for all those suffering from the slew of natural disasters that are currently affecting the United States. “The Catholic Diocese of Dallas stands in solidarity with those who have lost so much in Houston and the 54 counties affected by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. We give thanks for those whose lives were spared from the rushing floodwaters, and pray for the souls of those who were not. We also join our prayers with those who are begging protection from Hurricanes Irma and Jose and the wildfires of the northwestern United States. We ask God for the strength to offer both spiritual and corporal works of mercy to those who have been affected by these natural disasters, and place ourselves under the protective mantle of our Blessed Mother as we continue to face the many challenges that lie ahead.”

Many of you enjoyed the posts we did recently about the St. Francis Xavier mission trip that took place in Piura, Peru in July. Well, good news – a second trip went to Peru in August and we have the action from that trip as well! One of the volunteers there even did a video documenting their doings!

Learn more about the missions, apply to volunteer and donate at the St. Francis Xavier Mission Trips website here.

Learn more about the Fraternity’s missionary efforts at the Mission Tradition website here.

Young Adult groups are a bit of a strange thing. Their constituency runs a wide age range, their purpose can be a little vague at times, and their nature seems to vary from instance to instance. And yet these groups pop up at parishes all over the District to address a real need that exists among young people. To find out more about these groups, what their purpose is, and how young adults are coming closer to Christ through these groups, we talked to Bernadette Bonner, leader of the Young Adult group at Holy Family Parish in Vancouver, British Columbia (That’s in Canada…). Editor’s Challenge: Find the awesome British spellings of things in this interview.

The Missive: So why have a young adult group, anyway? What do you think its purpose should be? What are your goals as a group?

BB: I’m a firm believer that support and community are healthy ways of encouraging and maintaining our narrow paths to Heaven. God made us communal creatures, to provoke charity and goodness in one another, to grow closer to Him through one another, and bring others closer to Him with us. The young adult stage of life is a crucial time, when we should be laying solid groundwork that the rest of our adult lives will be built on. To have support and encouragement from other young adults with the same core values, Faith, and overall goal of attaining Heaven is an invaluable asset.

The Missive: Tell us about some of the activities you do to further your goals. Do you have regular activities, or occasional ones, or both? What type of activities do you focus on?

BB: We all have the goal of reaching higher levels of holiness, that we might be as close to Our Lord as possible once we reach Heaven. This idea of camaraderie and fellowship between Catholic young adults as a beneficial means to attain said goal is the purpose of the Holy Family Young Adults Group. We usually meet once or twice a month. To keep it interesting, and not fall into a boring routine, we do a wide range of activities. Some of those this past year have been Holy Hour & pub nights, the symphony, Christmas markets, an Italian dinner cooked by Fr. Uy (in Rome he learned authentic Italian cooking which he was excited to share with us!), potlucks, fireworks in downtown Vancouver, hiking, etc.

The Missive: How do you reach out to the young adults both in the parish and in the general area? What are some of your methods – social media, email, word-of-mouth? What works best?

BB: Early on when I re-booted the group, I was inspired to snap a photo and send it out on the next event update, in the hope of providing a visual of what fun those who didn’t come missed out on. The next few events brought out new people and/or people who hadn’t come in a long time, and all said it was the photo that caught their attention, and it looked like a good time. I’m not much of one for social media, so I have yet to use that tool for our group. But I find we actually get quite a bit of exposure and emails from new people just by our group being listed on the Diocesan website as a young adults group.

I also find personal invitations go a long way. With a personal invitation you are singling someone out, and that personal touch is sometimes all it takes for someone to feel welcomed and wanted – which is an important part of loving one another, especially in the confusion and brokenness of our current world.

The Missive: How do you deal with the recurrent difficulty of getting young people to “show up”?

BB: The times when no ones shows up usually start off as a bit disheartening. But there are always two or three who come, and when the group is small, that is oftentimes when real bonding takes place. Fewer people provides the chance for deeper conversation, which brings a stronger bond between those involved. Sometimes there is just a slump where people get busy or lose interest. But that is never a reason to stop organizing events. That is the time to persevere with the group. In my experience, gaining true friendships has been a result and reward of persevering through the “slumps” or quiet events.

The Missive: What advice do you have for young adults who are trying to start a group at their parish? Especially those who might be tempted to give up because of the difficulty of getting a group started?

BB: As for starting a young adults group, re-booting one, or struggling to continue with one, try and read your crowd. Every group will have different needs to be met, so I think the group’s success will be based on the organizer reading the crowd accurately. Also, ask for input from other young adults. People like to know that their wants and opinions are heard. I regularly ask people for activity ideas, or tell them to let me know if there is something in particular they want to do. Sometimes it is good to take a break, too. Our group suddenly died a couple years ago under another organizer, and after the group being inactive for almost a year, I re-booted it with a renewed vigour. We’ve been (I’d say) fairly successful these past 16 months.

It’s also important to make people feel at ease. So many people have insecurities, are shy, introverted, etc. Those who aren’t (and even those who are!) need to go out of their way to make those people welcomed, comfortable, wanted. Nothing is perfect in this world, and keeping a young adults group going can be tiresome and frustrating when people don’t respond the way they perhaps should. But that’s life, and it’s an organizer’s job to continue being a leader, even if your army has slowly fallen out of step. A Young Adults group is not something to be reached and attained – just as in life, it’s a river that’s constantly moving and changing with time, and it’s our job as organizers to navigate and keep moving full speed ahead with as many other young adults as we can, all for the greater honour and glory of God.

by Mrs. Kathleen Kennedy, FSSP Seattle parishioner

The world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin statue of Our Lady of Fatima is currently touring more than 100 dioceses in the United States for the 100th anniversary of Our Blessed Lady’s appearances at Fatima. The image reflects the precise instructions of Sr. Lucia, one of the seers. Her desire was that the pilgrim image represent Our Lady’s position when she revealed herself as the Immaculate Heart to the shepherds in 1917. She remarked afterwards that she had never seen any image which so resembled the actual apparition of Our Lady.

In the presence of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Fatima, the statue was blessed by the bishop of Fatima on October 13, 1947 who prayed that Mary herself would accompany the statue wherever it goes. In 1952 it was blessed by Pope Pius XII to bring the graces of Fatima to those many millions of people who may never have an opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Fatima itself. It has been traveling around the world ever since that time, visiting over 100 countries. The most famous tour occurred on October 16, 1992, when 6 bishops went to Red Square in Moscow and crowned this statue at midnight in front of Lenin’s tomb.

North American Martyrs Parish in Seattle joyfully welcomed the statue in July. The timing was perfect. Because the camps for boys and girls had just ended, there were seminarians to help with the ceremonies, along with four FSSP priests. It was a beautiful day, with a packed church of regular parishioners and as many guests. It was a wonderful opportunity to invite others to share our beloved Latin Mass.

The day included a Solemn High Mass preceded by a procession into the church and crowning of the statue, followed by children bringing flowers, an outdoor procession around the block, a talk by the statue’s custodian, Rosary and hymns, a great many enrolled in the brown scapular, Benediction and the farewell procession. The pastor, Fr. Joseph Heffernan, in his sermon reminded the faithful to follow Our Blessed Mother’s requests to pray the Rosary every day and to offer up our daily sufferings. Our Lady taught this prayer to Lucia and her cousins St. Francisco and St. Jacinta:

“O my Jesus, I accept and bear with submission whatever sufferings God permits in my life today, for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” (Our Lady of Fatima, July 1917)

On the preceding day, the statue visited St. Joseph Parish, the FSSP’s apostolate in Tacoma. A grand outdoor procession followed, where the statue was carried in public veneration to a neighboring church.

Our thanks to Mr. Michael Curtis for granting us permission to use the photographs he took of the event.

With the disastrous flooding that has recently afflicted Houston, Texas, many of you are probably concerned about the status of Regina Caeli Parish, the FSSP apostolate in Houston. We would like to inform you that the parish property is untouched and suffered no flooding.

However, there are parishioners who have been seriously affected and they need our help. If you are looking for ways to assist Houston, you can send contributions by check for the relief of Regina Caeli parishioners to the parish address below. Please designate FLOOD RELIEF in the memo line.

Regina Caeli Parish
8121 Breen Rd.
Houston, TX 77064

You can also contribute via Paypal by visiting the parish website here. Look for the gold Donate button. If you note FLOOD RELIEF on your contribution on Paypal (Add special instructions to the seller), the parish will use the money to provide relief for parishioners.

You can stay updated on the status of the Houston apostolate and ways you can help via their website here.

May God Reward You!