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The Ten Most Common Liturgical Abuses

Excerpts from Catholic Answers Article by Kevin Orlin Johnson Ph.D., Jan. 1999

Here are the most common abuses that you find in American liturgies today, with a few references to the laws that prohibit them. Check out those references and you’ll probably find laws on similar problems in your own parish.

1. Disregarding the prescribed text of the Order of Mass.

This particular abuse is perhaps the most widespread. You might think that the mere existence of a prescribed, official Order of Mass would be enough to show priests that they’re not to change or improvise, but it isn’t. Read more “The Ten Most Common Liturgical Abuses” →

Candlemas

Candlemas: The Presentation of the Lord and The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By: Juliana Rose Pettis

This coming Sunday, February 2nd, 2020, Catholics around the world will celebrate Candlemas—a tradition which commemorates both the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Traditionally, it marks the end of the Christmas season. Many European cultures still stand by this tradition today, despite the General Roman Calendar of 1969. The addition of the solemn blessing of candles came about in the eleventh century and is still continued in some churches. As Catholics the question is, why do we celebrate the end of the joyous season of Christmas? Read more “Candlemas” →

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

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We Three Kings 1
O Come, All Ye Faithful 2
Silent Night 3
Away in a Manger 4
O Holy Night 5
The First Noel 6
Good Christian Men, Rejoice 7
What Child is This? 8
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen 9
Angels we have Heard on High 10
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 11-12
O Little Town of Bethlehem 13-14
Hark the Herald Angels Sing 15-16
Good King Wenceslas 17-18
Joy to the World 19
Drummer Boy 20
Christ is Born in Bethlehem 21
Up on the Housetop 22-21
O Christmas Tree 24
Santa Claus is Coming to Town 25-26
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly 27
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 28

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Pieter Neefs II (Antwerp 1620-after 1685) and Follower of…

Pieter Neefs II (Antwerp 1620-after 1685) and Follower of Frans Francken II
The interior of the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp
signed ‘P. Nefs’ (centre right, on the column)
oil on copper
13 5/8 x 16 7/8 in. (34.5 x 43.6 cm.)

Content retrieved from: https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/pieter-neefs-ii-antwerp-1620-after-1685-and-6117554-details.aspx.

Economic Wisdom

The current controversy over same sex “marriage” and the increasing level of social acceptance of a variety of other socially destructive behaviors and entertainments should be alarming to all of us, especially in view of the fact that the past has been prologue, and is likely to be so in the future. Each of us is a sinner, of course, no exceptions; the problem is acceptance of our destructive behaviors as harmless when, in reality, they’re sins precisely because they’re destructive.

Here’s a telling observation by a nineteenth century French economist, Frederic Bastiat: “When misguided public opinion honors what is despicable and despises what is honorable, punishes virtue and rewards vice, encourages what is harmful and discourages what is useful, applauds falsehood and smothers truth under indifference or insult, a nation turns its back on progress, and can be restored only by the terrible lessons of catastrophe.”

Wouldn’t it benefit everyone to take note, and maybe take action, even if politically incorrect, to avoid the “terrible lessons of catastrophe”?

R. E. Hurley, M.D.

What Young Catholics Truly Want

One advantage I suppose to the condition of never quite having grown up is I spend time with young adults. This is becoming more and more difficult as I am less and less young myself — before my hair turned entirely grey I could fit in a little easier. Still, one thing I hear from time to time is a cry in the wilderness about what young Catholics truly want. Maybe I get to hear it because I’m 1) not their parents, and 2) not a priest. But especially from the better educated or more sensitive, some variation on this is common

The problem is all these pastors, youth pastors and music directors keep telling us young folk what bores us, what we really like, what we find interesting. And guess what, THEY’RE WRONG!

There’s a young woman with a blog who calls herself Rachel and wrote an essay What Young Catholics Truly Want. I recommend it. Some of the comments are evidently from priests who seem to know what Young Catholics Truly Want and want (evidently) to give it to them, but they’re afraid of alienating Catholics my age on up. I don’t quite know what to tell them about that particularly, but it sure looks to me like the concept of Youth Ministry should be revisited. Any Young Catholics reading this? What do you think?