Tag Archives: Remember When

Why Do Some Sign Themselves during the Penitential Rite?

Posted on November 1, 2017 by

It is fairly common to see people making the sign of the cross when the priest says the words, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.” Yet, that sign … Continue reading →

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Something You (Sometimes) See in Seminary Chapels

Posted on October 28, 2017 by

I’m visiting Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans at present, and noticed an interesting detail in their chapel. It is surely not an accident that there are four steps leading up to the main sanctuary level, then three steps from … Continue reading →

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UPDATE – Formula of Absolution

Posted on August 27, 2017 by

A little over three weeks ago I published THIS POST on the formula of absolution. Since then I’ve received both some positive feedback from theologians, as well as a number of discouraging messages from people who say that they have been … Continue reading →

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Benediction: A Detail

Posted on June 19, 2017 by

A wonderful devotion, which we get to experience every Friday here in my parish, is Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. And we follow the usual format for it: we sing the Tantum Ergo, then priest or deacon sings the … Continue reading →

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Some Old Mass Spirituality

Posted on March 14, 2017 by

The other day I was chatting with a priest who also celebrates both the older and newer forms of the Roman Rite. Most priests with experience in both will readily admit that their learning of the older form greatly enriched … Continue reading →

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Checking on the Nuns

Posted on February 16, 2017 by

I had a brief trip down to Montgomery today, and on the way back I stopped in at the Dominican Monastery of St. Jude. I’ve written about them many times on this blog. A wonderful group of cloistered Dominican nuns! … Continue reading →

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Vestments Arrived

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

The vestments that many of you helped me purchase have just arrived – a day early, and in any case, much faster than I ever expected! I will bless them soon. I will be able to use the green one … Continue reading →

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Saturno – Another Priest Christmas Gift Idea

Posted on December 12, 2016 by

I’ve never really been much of a hat-wearer, but I do enjoy the wonderful variety of hats in the Church. Recently, it seems, a particular style of hat has been in the news: the Saturno (so-called because it resembles the planet … Continue reading →

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Pastors Should Take A Pyx “Collection”

Posted on October 8, 2016 by

A post on this blog that has received a lot of traffic and generated a lot of contacts from readers is the one I wrote on PYX PROBLEMS a little over a year ago. Many good people had already noticed some … Continue reading →

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Purifying the Vessels

Posted on July 19, 2016 by

The purification of the sacred vessels at Holy Mass is an action limited to bishops, priests, deacons, or instituted acolytes. There was, at one point here in the United States, a special indult that allowed for other lay people to … Continue reading →

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Holy Cards

Posted on December 7, 2015 by

I’ve always enjoyed collecting holy cards, particularly the older ones that one occasionally finds with unique and beautiful images and prayers or quotations on them. I remember that when I used to go to the local adoration chapel to pray … Continue reading →

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Preparing the Chalice: A Detail

Posted on November 12, 2015 by

Have you ever noticed the priest wiping the inside of the chalice with the purificator after pouring in the wine and water, and wondered why? I first noticed this being done in the televised Mass on EWTN many years ago. … Continue reading →

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