Nourishing the faith


A couple of weeks ago, I received a wonderful parcel from Papa Stronsay Redemptorists - a copy of the newspaper "Catholic" and a number of books that the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer send out. the paper is 28 pages, A3 sized, and packed full of good articles.

The books are amazing - 170 pages, printed slightly smaller than A4 size, on newspaper so that they can be printed and sent out with minimum cost. The latest is "Trench Priest", about Fr William Doyle (I wrote about him recently). They also sent me:

"Silent Night", the Transalpine Redemptorist Christmas book with carols in Latin, English and various other languages

"Good Philip", the life of St Philip Neri by Alfonso Cardinal Capecelatro di Castelpagano

"Mid Snow and Ice", about the apostles of Northwest America by Fr Pierre Douchassous OMI

"The Sign of the Cross", a series of letters from Mgr Jean-Joseph Gaume about the Sign of the Cross to a student who had been ridiculed for making it. The book occasioned the granting of an indulgence by Blessed Pope Pius IX for making the Sign of the Cross.

"Catechism of Perseverance" by the same author.

"The Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ 2008", an extensive liturgical calendar with a translation of the Roman Martyrology for each day,

The postman delivered the parcel just as I was on my way to the parish hall for a social and fundraising event in the parish. I was so delighted by these lovely books that I took them over to the hall to show parishioners. I will be ordering some copies of "Catholic" for my parishioners to buy, together with some of the books. (The paper is £10 per year - 4 issues, and the books are £3.50 each. You can order at the blog or download an order form.)

The latest post on the Papa Stronsay blog is Submission to Peter is the right way to go and offers an invitation:
We invite any priest who wants to consider being reconciled to the Holy See, to stay on Papa Stronsay for as long as he wants, anonymously and with no strings attached.

Popular posts from this blog

1962 Missal pdf online

The Church Music Association of America and Jeffrey Tucker of the New Liturgical Movement have made available the 1962 Missal online in pdf format (72Mb). The file is hosted at Musica Sacra , the website of the CMAA, thanks to a generous gift from Fr Robert Skeris While you are at it, take a look at the articles clarifying the rules for music at Low Mass and music at High Mass .
Read more

Request for Novena to Blessed Pius IX

Image
A priest friend of mine is ill in hospital. He has a special devotion to Blessed Pius IX. Could I ask you, of your charity, to say a Novena for his speedy recovery. Novena In Honour of Blessed Pius IX Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX, who consecrated the Universal Church to you. (Our Father...) O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you Immaculate. (Hail Mary...) Saint Joseph, spouse of the most pure Virgin Mary, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you the Patron of the Universal Church. (Glory be...) Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Mary, our Hope, and Saint Joseph hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX , granting to us through his merits and intercessions the graces which we ardently desire: that the glory of God be revealed through Father's illness. (Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory be...
Read more

Saint Gabriel

Image
The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
Read more

Downloadable booklets for Vespers

Image
Gregorian Chant Hymns is a most helpful website that I mentioned in a post just over a year ago. As I said then, the site "[...] promotes the learning of Gregorian Chant by making sheet music, recordings, translations, and instructions. There is a short guide to Gregorian Notation (those square notes) and to Latin pronunciation. Everything is available free of charge, in line with other great traditional music websites." Work has continued at the site and there is now a section which makes available pdf (or .docx format) booklets for Vespers for every Sunday of the Year and a few major feasts. There is the basic booklet for ordinary Sunday Vespers which is supplemented by separate files for the Sundays after Pentecost which contain the Magnificat and Collect. Then there are booklets, for example for Advent and Lent, where the office is different from the regular Sunday Vespers with its antiphons. All of the booklets have texts and notation for Benediction and the Maria...
Read more

Our Easter Faith: Not a Pious Crème Fraiche

Image
In public life, some basically well-meaning figures have the graciousness to wish us well at Easter and to recognise the importance of the Christian feast day. Perhaps they might assure us that their thoughts are with us at this time. That is kind of them and in Christian charity we should thank them for their kindness, but Easter should be a great deal more than that for us. We must believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, in the flesh, and lives for eternity. We cannot treat Easter as a jolly holiday that heralds spring, or the remembrance of a significant event from the past. It must change us today and every day, change who we are and what we do. The Christian faith cannot be a mild custard or blancmange of religiosity. (I am showing my age. Nowadays, I should say that it cannot be reduced to a pious crème fraiche .) We bow down and adore the King of Kings, risen from the tomb, who, “[…] continues for ever,...
Read more