I think our readers will all find this video of interest, and perhaps worth sharing with people they know who may not be convinced of the virtues of celebrating Mass ad orientem. Among those who here speak in favor of this traditional custom of the Church is His Excellency René Henry Gracida, bishop emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as a priest and a laymen who describe their own experiences with it. Thanks to Mr Castillo, who appears in the video, for letting me know about it.
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From the Encyclical Quamquam pluries of Pope Leo XIII on St Joseph, issued on the feast of the Assumption in 1889. It is providential that the conclave to elect a new pope should begin on this important solemnity; let us remember to count Joseph especially among the Saints to whom we address our prayers for a good outcome of this election. The spe...
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Gregorian Chant Courses This Summer at Clear Creek Abbey Gregory DiPippo
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Good Shepherd Sunday 2025Gregory DiPippo
Dearest brethren, Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps; Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; Who, when He was reviled, did not revile. When He suffered, he threatened not, but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly; Who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that...
The Gospel of Nicodemus in the Liturgy of EastertideGregory DiPippo
By “the Gospel of Nicodemus”, I mean not the apocryphal gospel of that title, but the passage of St John’s Gospel in which Christ speaks to Nicodemus, chapter 3, verses 1-21. This passage has an interesting and complex history among the readings of the Easter season. For liturgical use, the Roman Rite divides it into two parts, the second of which...
“The Angel Cried Out” - The Byzantine Easter Hymn to the Virgin MaryGregory DiPippo
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The LavaboMichael P. Foley
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Spinello Aretino’s Altar of Ss Philip and JamesGregory DiPippo
At the very end of the 14th century, the painter Spinello di Luca Spinelli (1350 ca. - 1410 ca.), usually known as Spinello Aretino (from Arezzo) was commissioned to make a frescoed altarpiece for the Dominican church of his native city. The altar itself no longer exists; it was dedicated to the Apostles Philip and James, whose feast is traditional...
