Plenary Indulgence for Christ the King

Here is an excellent way to finish off November by seeking to obtain an indulgence for a soul in Purgatory.

Requirements for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence on Christ the King

- Public recitation of the prayer “Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer - Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King” (listed below)

- Say one “Our Father” and one “Hail Mary” for the intentions of the Pope

- Make a Sacramental Confession within a week of (before or after) the Feast of Christ the King

- Worthily receive Holy Communion (ideally on the Feast of Christ the King)

- that one be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin.

Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer - Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King

Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before You. We are Yours, and Yours we wish to be; but to be more surely united with You, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Your Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known You; many, too, despising Your precepts, have rejected You. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Your Sacred Heart.

Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken You, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You; grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of Truth and the unity of Faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.

Grant, O Lord, to Your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility of order to all nations; make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to It be glory and honor forever. Amen.

The “Technical” Stuff

“1. An indulgence is the remission in the eyes of God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose culpable element has already been taken away. The Christian faithful who are rightly disposed and observe the definite, prescribed conditions gain this remission through the effective assistance of the Church, which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively distributes and applies the treasury of the expiatory works of Christ and the Saints.”
- Handbook of Indulgences, Norms

“22. The prescribed work for gaining a plenary indulgence attached to a church or oratory is a devout visit there, which includes the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed (Pater Noster and Credo), unless otherwise stated in a specific grant.”
- Handbook of Indulgences, Norms

“23. 1. Besides the exclusion of all attachment to sin, even venial sin, the requirements for gaining a Plenary Indulgence are the performance of the indulgenced work and fulfillment of three conditions: Sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
2. Several Plenary Indulgences may be gained on the basis of a single Sacramental Confession; only one may be gained, however, on the basis of a single Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
3. The three conditions may be carried out several days preceding or following performance of the prescribed work. But it is more fitting that the Communion and the prayer for the Pope’s intentions take place on the day the work is performed.
4. If a person is not fully disposed or if the prescribed work and the three mentioned conditions are not fulfilled, the Indulgence will only be partial ...”
5. The condition requiring prayer for the Pope’s intentions is satisfied by reciting once the Our Father and Hail Mary for his intentions (Pater Noster and Ave Maria); nevertheless all the faithful have the option of reciting any other prayer suited to their own piety and devotion.”
- Handbook of Indulgences, Norms

Grants:
#27. A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the above Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King, if it is recited publicly on the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ the King, and piously carry out the precepts in Norm #23 listed above.
- Handbook of Indulgences, Grants

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Comparison of Prayers - Christ the King

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui in dilécto Fílio tuo, universórum Rege, ómina instauráre voluísti, concéde propítius, ut tota creatúra, a servitúte liberáta, tuæ maiestáti desérviat ac te sine fine colláudet.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Almighty and merciful, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son, Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Almighty and Eternal God, Who wished to restore all things in Your Beloved Son, the King of the universe, graciously grant, that, having been freed from slavery, all creatures may zealously serve Your Majesty and praise You without end.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Hóstiam tibi, Dómine, humánæ reconciliatiónis offeréntes, supplíciter deprecámur, ut ipse Fílius tuus cunctis géntibus unitátis et pacis dona concédat.
Qui vivit et regnat in saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Lord, we offer you the sacrifice by which your Son reconciles mankind. May it bring unity and peace to the world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Offering to You, O Lord, this Victim of man’s reconciliation, we humbly beseech You, that Your Son Himself may grant the gifts of unity and peace to all peoples.
He Who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Preface
Preface of Christ, King of the Universe
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Vere dignum et iustum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine, sancte Pater, omnípotens ætérne Deus:
Qui Unigénitum Fílium tuum, Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Sacerdótem ætérnum et universórum Regem, óleo exsultatiónis unxísti:
ut, seípsum in ara crucis hóstiam immaculátam et pacíficam ófferens, redemptiónis humánæ sacraménta perágeret: et, suo subiéctis império ómnibus creatúris, ætérnum et universále regnum imménsæ tuæ tráderet maiestáti: regnum veritátis et vitæ; regnum sanctitátis et grátiæ; regnum iustítiæ, amóris et pacis.
Et ídeo cum Angelis et Archángelis, cum Thronis et Dominatiónibus, cumque omni milítia cæléstis exércitus, hymnum glóriæ tuæ cánimus, sine fine dicéntes:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus ...

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.
You anointed Jesus Christ, your only Son, with the oil of gladness, as the eternal high priest and universal king.
As priest he offered his life on the altar of the cross and redeemed the human race by this one perfect sacrifice of peace. As king he claims dominion over all creation that he may present to you, his almighty Father, an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy ...

My Own Literal Translation
It is truly right and just, proper and availing unto salvation, that we always and everywhere give thanks to You, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God;
Who anointed with the oil of exultation Your only-Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Eternal Priest and King of the universe:
so that, offering Himself on the Altar of the Cross as a immaculate and pacifying Victim, to carry out the Sacrament of man’s redemption: and thus with all creatures subject to His rule, He might hand over to Your infinite Majesty an eternal and universal Kingdom: a Kingdom of truth and of life; a Kingdom of sanctity and grace; a Kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
And so, with the Angels and Archangels, with the Angelic Order and the Spiritual Powers, and with all the host of the Heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Your Glory, saying without end:
Holy, Holy, Holy ...

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Immortalitátis alimóniam consecúti, quaésumus, Dómine, ut, qui Christi Regis universórum gloriámur obœdíre mandátis, cum ipso in cælésti regno sine fine vívere valeámus.
Qui vivit et regnat in saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord, you give us Christ, the King of all creation, as food for everlasting life. Help us to live by his gospel and bring us to the joy of his kingdom,
where he lives and reigns for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Having received the Food of immortality, we beseech You, O Lord, that, we who glory in being obedient to the commands of Christ, King of the universe, may be worthy to live with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom without end.
He Who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Weird fact of the day

Despite being totally landlocked, Bolivia has an active navy, which practices on the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca.

(I was looking into the headwaters of the Amazon when I came across this.)

Prayer for the Holiday

No, not a prayer for Thanksgiving. That is merely a day to "beef up" for the solemnity that is "The Friday after Thanksgiving." "But, Mr. Sacristan," you say, "tomorrow isn't a solemnity, it isn't even a memorial."

Tomorrow is a solemnity for one of the new modern religions. Some people will RELIGIOUSLY go out to offer sacrifice to their god. Some of them will even OFFER UP time and comfort to be first once they have read their weekly encyclicals which come out in Thursday's papers, so they can know the best places to worship. Some are even willing to be martyrs for their faith.

And so, I present a prayer for all those going out tomorrow:

I believe in one god, consumerism almighty,
the provider of heaven and earth, of all that is sold and unsold.
I believe in one lord, temporary satisfaction,
the only product of consumerism,
greed from greed, want from want,
true addiction from true addiction,
produced not made, one in greed with consumerism.
Through it, all trivialities are bought.
For our addiction and for our distraction,
it came down from prosperity.
By the power of the dollar
it was born of prosperity and became addictive.
For our sake it was scrutinized under Wall Street,
fluctuated, dropped, and hit rock bottom,
in a few days it rose again in fulfillment of the stock holders,
the Dow Jones has risen ever higher and higher,
and is seated at the right hand of consumerism.
It will ever more ensnare the living as it has some of the dead,
and its fleetingness will never end.
I believe in the almighty dollar, the lord of some people's life,
who fuels consumerism and temporary satisfaction.
With consumerism and temporary satisfaction
it is ever sought after and thought to be needed.
It has spoken throught the corporations.
I believe in all the big money making corporations,
I acknowledge a diversified portfolio for more stable money making,
and I look for ultimate satisfaction in this life
rather than in the world to come.
Amen.

A catechism class in the new religion.

(This post was "inspired" by those who waited way too long in line for PS3's.

There is sort of a modern day Saint Boniface who has posted videos on the web. He sat in line for the release of both the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii so he could be first in line to buy one, then he took it outside opened it up in front of all those who waited in line, and smashed the game systems to pieces with a sledgehammer. I can't post a direct link to the videos because some of the reactions contained a bit of profanity and were rather virulent. You'd think he smashed an icon of Allah or Muhammed or something. The videos are on youtube though, just beware there is some profanity.

(In Saxony, Saint Boniface encountered a tribe worshipping a Norse deity in the form of a huge oak tree. Saint Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe, and without a word he hacked down the six foot wide wooden god. Saint Boniface stood on the trunk, and asked, "How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he." The crowd's reaction was mixed, but some conversions were begun.)

Vacation and Inspiration

Sorry for the lack of posts, having to get things ready for work so I wouldn't have to worry about them over Thanksgiving has left me without many ideas for posts. Don't worry tomorrow will have something original (finally).

Finally passed 6000 hits. Rather small in the blogosphere, but then, I am ... um ... going for quality over quantity ... right? (Didn't say I was meeting the quality quota, just aiming for it. LOL).

Office Space quote

"We don't have a lot of time on this earth, we weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements."
-Peter Gibbons, "Office Space"

Although not the most edifying of movies (rated R), this movie takes a great stab at the soft underbelly of corporate America. While it is meant to be a comedy, when I watched it, it was more like a documentary of what my job was like, working in an internal computer helpdesk for one of the world's largest fiancial corporations.

The similarities in this movie and my job were amazing. At one point I even screamed in horror out loud while watching the movie because one scene was shot right outside my company, so you could see it in the background. Not to mention I also had two co-workers who had just come in and they both had the same first name. We had the annoying sunshiny secretary, the office ladies man, and all the other stereotypes. (And I have always wanted to do that to a fax machine or printer! \o/)

But it should make people step back and look at the rat race our modern society has become. I live next to a rather ritzy part of town and it is really odd to see how people run themselves ragged to define themselves through their material possessions. When my friend and I are out driving, he will often see a porsche or a BMW M5 drive by and say "there goes a quarter of a house." It really does amaze me. I guess that is why I enjoy going into that part of town. I don't quite have the "look" of corporate America, ie cleanshaven, sculpted hair, fancy suit, fast car, etc.

I also despise "mission statements."

Pope mandates a literal translation of "pro multis"

Finally, as I learned from Fr. Z.'s blog and comments the "pro multis" in the words of consecration at Mass will be required to be the more literal (and theologically correct) translation of "for (the) many."

Catholic World News reports on "pro multis"

Accent

Rather accurate quiz for me, I think.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The Inland North
The South
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have?

The problem is that they don't distinguish between deep South and Southwest accents. The deep South tends to add more syllables to words, ie in Texas we say "fan," but in the deep South they say "fayan." LOL.

Comparison of Prayers - 33rd Sunday Per Annum

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Da nobis, quaésumus, Dómine Deus noster, in tua semper devotióne gaudére, quia perpétua est et plena felícitas, si bonórum ómnium iúgiter serviámus auctóri.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Father of all that is good, keep us faithful in serving you, for to serve you is our lasting joy.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Grant us, we beseech You, O Lord our God, to always be joyful in our devotion to You, which is our perpetual and complete happiness, if we continually serve You, the Author of all good things.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Concéde, quaésumus, Dómine, ut óculis tuæ maiestátis munus oblátum et grátiam nobis devotiónis obtíneat, et efféctum beátæ perennitátis acquírat.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Lord God, may the gifts we offer increase our love for you and bring us to eternal life.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Grant, we beseech You, O Lord, that this service offered in the sight of Your Majesty, may both obtain for us the grace of devotion, and acquire for us the reward of a blessed eternity.
Through Christ our Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Súmpsimus, Dómine, sacri dona mystérii, humíliter deprecántes, ut, quæ in sui commemoratiónem nos Fílius tuus fácere præcépit, in nostræ profíciant caritátis augméntum.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Father, may we grow in love by the eucharist we have celebrated in memory of the Lord Jesus,
who is Lord for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O Lord, we have consumed the Gifts of this Sacred Mystery, humbly praying, that, those things which Your Son has commanded us to do in His remembrance, may be a help in the increasing of our charity.
Through Christ our Lord.

Nutrition Facts of the Eucharist

Ironic Catholic has a great post on what the FDA nutritional label would look like for Holy Communion.
(You'll have to visit Ironic Catholic for the high res pic)

Modern day School of Athens?

Did Pope Benedict pose for a real life reinactment of the picture above? See Joee Blog's post to find out (Who hat tips to Indolent Server, who in turn hat tips to the original poster Guy over at Shouts in the Piazza.) (There's a great caption for the pic too. LOL.)

Slow blogging week

Sorry for not posting much lately, but Real Life ®©™ has been a bit hectic lately.

Happy Benedictine All-Saints Day

In the Benedictine Orders, today is the feast day of all Benedictine Saints. Although I had forgotten, I was plesantly suprised when I went to my local Cistercian Abbey and found the feast day being celebrated.

Most Orders have their own All Saints and All Souls days for those in their Order.

Iran and the bomb ... dirty.

I don't usually get into politics but having seen these headlines, I had to make a brief comment.

Last month, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, made the statement: "The bottom line is we do not need a bomb," [Ahmedinejad] said at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

My first thought was, "Of course they don't, that would be too complicated."

Given the fact that Iran is one of the biggest supporters of radical Islamic terrorism, why get all complicated with a bomb? Even with peaceful nuclear power you always have a rather "endless" supply of ... what else ... radioactive waste.

This headline just makes the thought of Iran having nuclear power a bit more scary:
Al Qaeda seeking nuclear kit for attacks: UK official

I really can't trust Ahmedinejad when he says "We love everyone in the world — Jews, Christians, Muslims, non-Muslims, non-Jews, non-Christians. We are against ugly acts. We are against occupation, aggression, killings and displacing people — otherwise we have no problem with ordinary people," and then he gets on his own Iranian TV and says stuff about America and England being enemies of Iran.

Western media is so flawed.

Feast of Saint Josaphat

Today is the feast of Saint Josaphat, a martyr for unity between the Church and the Eastern Orthodox.


Above is his tomb in Saint Peter's in Rome. Fittingly, it is one of the closest altars to Saint Peter's tomb.

I wish to commend Rod Dreher and any others who have left the Church for Eastern Orthodoxy to Saint Josaphat's prayers. It's also fitting that this feast is so near Pope Benedict's meeting with the patriarch in Turkey.

Sancte Josaphat, ora pro nobis.

White Wedding Christmas?

With a rebel yell, I cry "No, no, no!"

This is just weird. But since Christmas is already being done in the stores, I might as well follow suit. Sadly, it has more Christmas than what dadwithnoisykids or Diogenes have seen:

Yes, Billy Idol croons "White Christmas"

Comparison of Prayers - 32nd Sunday Per Annum

"Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta" by Bernardo Strozzi

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Omnípotens et miséricors Deus, univérsa nobis adversántia propitiátus exclúde, ut, mente et córpore páriter expedíti, quæ tua sunt líberis méntibus exsequámur.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. God of power and mercy, protect us from all harm. Give us freedom of spirit and health in mind and body to do your work on earth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Almighty and Merciful God, graciously keep away from us all opposing things, so that, equally unhindered both in mind and body, we may carry out with free wills those things which are Yours.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Sacrifíciis præséntibus, Dómine, quaésumus, inténde placátus, ut, quod passiónis Fílii tui mystério gérimus, pio consequámur afféctu.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
God of mercy, in this eucharist we proclaim the death of the Lord. Accept the gifts we present and help us follow him with love,
for he is Lord for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
O Lord, graciously look upon these sacrifices in Your Presence, so that, with pious love we may pursue that which we carry out in this Mystery of the Passion of Your Son.
Through Christ our Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Grátias tibi, Dómine, reférimus sacro múnere vegetáti, tuam cleméntiam implorántes, ut, per infusiónem Spíritus tui, in quibus cæléstis virtus introívit, sinceritátis grátia persevéret.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation(Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for the nourishment you give us through your holy gift. Pour out your Spirit upon us and in the strength of this food from heaven keep us single-minded in your service.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Having been nourished by this Sacred Gift, we return our thanks to You, O Lord, imploring Your clemency, so that, through the pouring forth of Your Spirit, the grace of uprightness may persevere in those whom Your heavenly strength has entered.
Through Christ our Lord.

Saddam and his situation

The death pentalty. Sticky topic, but often misrepresented, even among Catholics. While in some circumstances I can see Pope John Paul II's call for not using the death penalty, I am disappointed by Catholics who, when mentioning Pope John Paul II's statement, fail to qualify that with the Church's actual moral position.

Reading the Encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" even though the pope does discourage the death penalty in most cases, in that same encyclical he does still acknowledge the state's right and duty to protect its citizens.

I still tend to look at the issue in a way that not only looks at the person's life, but also their afterlife. Would it not be better for a man to do justice in this life than in the next?

It is certainly a decision I would never want to have to make. However, no matter what our feelings are, we need to be open to the truth. We need to look at what the Church actually teaches universally.

Dominico Bettinelli analyzes Cardinal Martino's confusing remarks.

As does Jimmy Aiken.
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Feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran

Today is the feast day of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran, which is the actual cathedral of the Pope (it's not Saint Peter's).


On my first visit, I was awestruck by the fact that the front doors were the ancient doors from the Roman forum. The doors (within the copper casing here) were around 2000 years old. That is 1800 years (or 9 times) older than the United States.


The inside is beautiful. Below is a picture of the main altar. Above that in the baldachino are statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is said that their skulls are in the heads of those statues. Some have disagreed, but the evidence seems to be believable after investigations in the 1950's about which are written in "The Tombs of St Peter and St Paul" by Fr. Engelbert Kirschbaum, S.J.


Off to the left of the above picture is the Eucharistic chapel. Above the altar is a scene of the Last Supper which contains a part of the table from the Last Supper. (Sorry for the blurry shot. Bad lighting, zooming, and learning a new camera didn't combine too well.)


Having devotion to Saint Francis, I was thrilled to see this painting above and beside the Papal Throne, which shows Saint Francis visiting the Pope to have his rule approved (remember Saint Francis was obedient to the Church).


The Pope's Corpus Christi Mass is also celebrated here on the proper day of Corpus Christi (it isn't transferred to Sunday) outside. It is great because for a papal Mass, it is not very crowded. This is from 2001 when Pope John Paul II said the Corpus Christi Mass.


After the Mass is a procession from Saint John Lateran to Santa Maria Maggiore. The procession is huge and goes about a mile with many sodalities, confraternities, and clergy leading the procession. Being with Father Clement, he knew a quick back way to get to a great veiwing place which placed us right on the street where the procession would pass. In the rank ahead of the Pope and the monastrance was one Cardinal Ratzinger.


Finally the Pope came by. This is not a zoom shot.


Finally, the spectators follow the procession and then receive benediction outside of Santa Maria Maggiore. The entire piazza and side streets were packed with people. Interestingly, although there were people from all over the world, a vast majority knew the Eucharistic adoration hymns in Latin.


So there's a quick visit to Saint John Lateran

"Satanic" Mass

Stop reading now if you have high blood pressure.

I haven't really wanted to comment on the whole debacle, and I still can't given the absolute absurdity of it and how much it really angers me. But Amy Welborn has a good commentary on the Halloween Mass in Orange County, CA.

My gosh, the video is ... wow ... (don't watch the video if you are easily angered by liturgical abuse, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED). The sad thing is I think more adults are dressed up in costumes and present than children!

I have to quote from the priest in the video though:

"you knew we were twisted."

You said it yourself, Father, you said it yourself.