Some Traditional Latin Masses to Celebrate the Immaculate Conception in NW England

Torch of The Faith News on Wednesday 07 December 2016 - 12:28:11 | by admin

There are a number of opportunities for Catholics in the North West of England to celebrate tomorrow's great feast of the Immaculate Conception with a Traditional Latin Mass. 

The following list may not be exhaustive:-

Lydiate

Our Lady's, Southport Road, Lydiate, L31 4HH.

7pm - Low Mass

Manchester

English Martyrs, Alexandra Road South, Whalley Range, M16 8QT.

7pm - Low Mass

New Brighton

ICKSP Shrine Church of Ss Peter, Paul and Philomena, Atherton Street, CH45 9LT.

9:00am - Low Mass

11:00am - Low Mass

5:30pm - Solemn Vespers and Adoration

7:00pm - Act of Consecration of the Institute to Our Lady, followed by Solemn High Mass. (Plenary indulgence available today).

Preston

ICKSP Shrine Church of St. Walburge, Weston Street, Preston, PR2 2QE.

9:00 am - Low Mass

7:00 pm - Sung Mass (Plenary Indulgence available today).

St. Helens

Holy Cross, Corporation Street, St. Helens, WA10 1EF.

5:30pm - Low Mass.

Warrington

FSSP Shrine Church of St. Mary's, Buttermarket Street, Warrington, WA1 2NS.

12:10pm - Low Mass (Blessing and Imposition of Miraculous Medals afterwards).

7:30pm - Solemn High Mass

We give thanks to God and to these good priests for the availability of these Traditional Latin Masses and devotions. Readers in the NW region of England are encouraged to attend where possible.

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Britain's Cryogenic Holocaust

Torch of The Faith News on Tuesday 06 December 2016 - 12:19:48 | by admin

The late Professor Jerome Lejeune once likened the treatment of embryos in IVF technologies to a ''miniature cryogenic Auschwitz''. This relates to the fact that, for every IVF embryo that is implanted in the womb of its mother, several more are invariably discarded, or destroyed after use in experiments.

How apt Professor Lejeune's description sounds in light of the recently released figures from the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

In a parliamentary question to the Department of Health, Lord Alton of Liverpool had asked three key questions: How many human embryos were deliberately destroyed in the last 12 months for which figures were available? How many human embryos were transferred to uteri in order to establish pregnancies? And what were the cumulative figures for both circumstances since such procedures were made legal?

Lord Prior of Brampton's official answers to these questions are sobering to say the least.

He confirmed that, between 1st July 2014 and 30th June 2015, some 84,044 embryos were transferred to uteri and 172,184 were discarded.

Lord Prior of Brampton also revealed that since 1st August 1991, following the 1990 ''legalization'' of IVF in the UK, 1,687,260 embryos had been transferred and 2,315,262 had been deliberately discarded.

In simple terms, this means that roughly two embryos are presently being destroyed for every one that is implanted; and that over 2.3 million human embryos - babies at a very early stage of development - have been destroyed by IVF.

Of course the Catholic Church has consistently condemned such IVF technologies in her official teachings. As such, the Church has been one of the very few bodies to officially resist this destructive and immoral technology.

There are various ethical and moral reasons why the Church is against IVF. These include the facts that: it seeks to exclude God as the co-creator with natural parents; the natural procreation of life through the unitive marriage act is excluded; the male seed is obtained through means which are objectively unnatural and sinful; human embryos are destroyed; human relationships and life are commodified by the whole process; various causes of infertility which can be effectively treated by natural alternatives are frequently overlooked.

It is a sad fact that once our society got used to having sex without babies through contraception, the way was then paved for the social acceptance of babies without sex through IVF.

The whole thing is simply Frankenstinian.

This problem is compounded by the fact that so few bishops or priests ever teach their congregations anything about the evils involved in IVF. In the last few years, we have met a couple of older Catholic grandparents whose children had been through IVF programmes, because no-one had ever explained the Church's teachings to them.

When we used to give catechesis to students and engaged couples around the country, we always included a section teaching these facts about IVF; together with information about where natural fertility treatments could be accessed as frequently-effective alternatives.

Worse than the silence of too many clergy is the fact that some priests actively collude with couples who seek IVF, through yet another people-pleasing misapplication of ''mercy''.

The result is that, although the official teaching is firmly against IVF, that vital message has not had much of an impact at the diocesan or parish level; much less has it been any kind of light for the wider culture.

And so post-modern Britain represents the very epitome of the Culture of Death: Since 1991, around 2.3 million human embryos have been destroyed in our country through IVF alone. Professor Lejeune was dead right about the perils of the cryogenic Auschwitz.

Factor in the 8 million killed by surgical abortion, and the untold numbers killed by abortifacient chemicals and devices, and it soon becomes clear that we are living through nothing short of a cryogenic and gynaecological holocaust.

The difference between this and the Third Reich of the 1940's is that there is much more indifference and a distinct lack of any resistance forthcoming from the ''good guys'' this time around. And because so much of this happens in a petri dish, a sterile abortion clinic or the privacy of the home, as opposed to death camps with watchtowers and chimneys, folks are much more detached from the grim realities involved. 

But the sheer scale of mass-killing is just as dramatic.

If we will not correct ourselves as a society, then it will be left to Divine intervention to correct the evil course we have chosen.

May God have mercy on us all!

Our Lady of Fatima - pray for us! 

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Fr. Gary Walsh - R.I.P. - 3rd Anniversary

Torch of The Faith News on Monday 05 December 2016 - 12:07:57 | by admin

May 2012 in New Brighton: Fr. Gary Walsh (SSS) leading prayers during the outdoor Rosary procession in honour of Our Lady of Fatima at the ICKSP Shrine of Ss Peter, Paul and Philomena. 

Of your charity, please say a prayer for Fr. Gary Walsh (SSS) who died three years ago today at the young age of 53. He was known and loved by many Catholics as the Superior at the Blessed Sacrament Shrine in Liverpool. Indeed, Father was an important part of the faith journey of many people in and beyond the city; he was certainly an important part of ours.

When Father died, Brother Timothy McLoughlin (SSS) paid tribute with the words: ''Fr. Gary was very well loved by the people of Liverpool, and he had great devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.'' Even the city's mayor Joe Anderson, the Liverpool Echo and local taxi drivers paid tribute to him.

May 2012 in the ICKSP Shrine at New Brighton: Fr. Gary leading the Rosary in the church with Canon Olivier Meney (ICKSP). At that time, they were both the heads of shrines that were dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament on either side of the River Mersey. Fr. Gary was keen to welcome and promote the work of the ICKSP in the area and he gave us his i-phone to take this picture.

We'll always remember Fr. Gary for the long hours he put in - together with his brother priests in the shrine community - every single day in the confessional, his homilies calling the faithful to holiness and ongoing conversion, and his strong public stands against same-sex ''marriage'' and atheistic sex-education in Catholic schools. Fr. Gary also enjoyed giving public witness to the Faith by taking part in the beautiful Marian processions through the central streets of the city.

Fr. Gary told us that he was a reader of this blog; and he asked God to bless our apostolate. It was a great encouragement for us to receive that kind of support from a priest.

May 2012 in Liverpool: Fr. Gary preparing to lead the Marian procession through the streets of the city.

On Fr. Gary's anniversary each year, I reflect on an important question that he once asked a congregation before hearing confessions at the Blessed Sacrament Shrine. 

He asked: ''Am I closer to God today than I was this time last year?''

Perhaps we could all search our hearts with that question again today, as we also pray: Eternal rest grant unto Fr. Gary, dear Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him; and may he rest in peace. Amen.

St. Peter Julian Eymard - Pray for us!

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Great News about 40 Days for Life!

Torch of The Faith News on Monday 05 December 2016 - 12:05:48 | by admin

The ICKSP at New Brighton recently spread a heartening update report from the 40-Days for Life initiative. During the latest campaign, the Vatican gave official approval to 40-Days for Life and Cardinal Raymond Burke took part in one of the prayer vigils in Croatia.

An incredible 717 lives (at least that are known of) were saved from abortion around the world. It is very encouraging to hear that 8 of these were in Manchester!

Since 40-Days for Life began in 2007: the total number of babies saved from abortion has now risen to 12,513; 137 abortion workers have quit their jobs; and 75 abortion centres have closed down.

40-Days for Life's report took the opportunity to thank all who fasted and prayed for this year's initiatives and asked for continued prayers for all the mums who are continuing their pregnancies in difficult situations; and for the conversion of all those involved in the abortion industry.

This is all great news. Please do keep 40-Days for Life in your prayers. 

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Second Sunday in Advent 2016

Torch of The Faith News on Sunday 04 December 2016 - 09:13:07 | by admin

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the ways of Thine only-begotten Son: that through His coming we may be ready to serve Thee with purified minds (Collect Prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent in the Traditional Latin Mass).

We always think that this Second Sunday of Advent gives an opportunity to reflect and take stock of how well, or not, we are preparing our hearts to meet Our Blessed Lord; and to ask for His grace to keep a good Advent.

A few years ago, we came across a marvellous Advent resource in the form of St. Alphonsus de Liguori's book, The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ. We highly recommend this book, because it has such a wealth of solid teaching, powerful devotions and practical suggestions for the spiritual life.

The contents include: meditations for every single day of Advent; extra meditations for the first eight days of Advent; discourses and meditations for the Novena of Christmas; meditations for the Octave of Christmas; meditations for the following days until Epiphany; proofs that Jesus Christ has given us His love in the work of Redemption; and various hymns and prayers.

What follows is taken from the Affections and Prayers in the meditation for this Second Sunday of Advent.

O my Jesus! if Thou hadst not accepted and suffered death for me, I should have remained dead in my sins, without hope of salvation and without the power of ever loving Thee.

But after Thou hast obtained life for me by Thy death, I have again many times voluntarily forfeited it by returning to sin. Thou didst die to gain my heart to Thyself, and I by my rebellion have made it a slave of the devil. I lost all reverence for Thee, and I said that I would no longer have Thee for my master.

All this is true; but it is also true that Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he should be converted and live; and therefore didst Thou die to give us life.

I repent of having offended Thee, my dearest Redeemer; and do Thou pardon me through the merits of Thy passion; give me Thy grace; give me that life which Thou hast purchased for me by Thy death, and henceforth mayest Thou have entire dominion over my heart.

Never let the devil have possession of it again; he is not my God, he does not love me, and has not suffered anything for me. In past times he was not the true sovereign, but the robber of my soul; Thou alone, my Jesus, art my true Lord, Who hast created me and redeemed me with Thy Blood; Thou alone hast loved me, and oh, how much!

It is therefore only just that I should be Thine alone during the life that remains to me. Tell me what Thou wouldst have me to do; for I will do it all. Chastise me as Thou wilt; I accept everything Thou sendest me; only spare me the chastisement of living without Thy love; make me love Thee, and then dispose of me as Thou wilt. 

Most holy Mary, my refuge and consolation, recommend me to thy Son: His death and thy intercession are all my hope.

We pray for a fruitful Second Sunday of Advent for all our readers.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori - Pray for us!

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Eat. Pray. Repeat.

Torch of The Faith News on Thursday 01 December 2016 - 05:46:50 | by admin

Repetition and Superstition?

Perhaps some Protestant readers of this blog might look askance at yesterday's description of praying St. Andrew's Novena 15 times each day until Christmas Eve. Looking back to the times when we were still Protestants, we recall that this kind of thing would certainly have been scoffed at as some kind of superstitious practice.

However, as with so many Protestant misconceptions about the Catholic Faith, nothing could really be further from the truth.

Cold Reality

Anyone who sincerely prays those 15 prayers each day, with attention and devotion, will soon find that, far from being a merely formulaic repetition of words, they enable the realities of the Incarnation to enter very deeply into the psyche.

In particular, the harsh realities surrounding Christ's humble birth, in a lowly manger and during the bitter cold of night, penetrate especially deeply with the repeated reflections on the ''piercing cold'' of that night in Bethlehem.

Pray it often enough, with sufficient assiduity, and you may even begin to feel that icy chill in your own bones.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's classic, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, is so sharp in its depiction of the Gulags during the Siberian winters, that just seeing the grey spine of that book on a shelf can even make you feel cold years after having read it.

The repeated prayers of St. Andrew's Novena can help us to have a similarly vivid response to the Nativity crib scene at Christmas; moving us beyond a merely comfortable piety to a hopefully more fruitful contemplation of what Jesus really endured for our sakes from the very beginnings of the Incarnation. 

Then, too, the word ''piercing'' has a way of, not only making that reality vividly present to the soul, but also of pointing us on toward those cruel nails that would later pierce Our Lord's very hands and feet on the Cross of Calvary.

And by reflecting on the tiny infant Christ's hands and feet, and the way they will later be pierced on the Cross, you might just find sin becoming that bit more distasteful. 

A Moment in Time

Another way that the frequent repetition of this prayer, offered throughout each of the days in Advent, can allow the deepest realities to enter into one's mind and heart, is that it brings home very clearly the fact of the Incarnation as an event that really happened in time and space.

We see this particularly with the phrase ''Hail and blessed be the hour and moment'' in the very first line of the novena prayer.

Of course, the distinct moment at which the Incarnation began occurred when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Our Lady after She gave her total fiat to God at the Annunciation. Then again, there is the subsequent distinct moment of Christ's birth among us at Bethlehem.

Repeating this prayer so many times each day in Advent can focus us on this portentous moment in salvation history.

More than that, it can help us to prepare for the Christ-Child becoming present to us through the distinct ''moment'' of the Sacred Liturgy at Christmas.

Then too, the repeated focus on the hard facts of the reality of this unique moment can also help us to recognize the importance of every moment in which Christ desires to come to us; and for us to be present to Him in kind.

It really is, as the great 18th-Century writer Fr. Jean-Pierre De Caussade and more recently the Secular Franciscan missionary-helper John Bradburne used to say, the case that every single moment is like a sacrament of the present moment, in which we can encounter Christ as being very near to us.

Openings for Contemplation

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, St. Paul teaches us that we must pray at all times without ceasing. Teaching on this theme, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us: ''But we cannot pray 'at all times' if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it. These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration'' (CCC 2697).

What is praying the St. Andrew's Novena prayer 5 times with each of 3 meals each day - to make 15 times per day - if not an example of setting aside such special times for prayer that is consciously willed?

If prayed with attention and devotion, the repetition of the St. Andrew's Novena prayer is no mere superstitious practice; but can rather become an opening for contemplation of the Incarnation to take root and grow.

Put simply in contemporary terms: Eat. Pray. Repeat.

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A Blessed Feast of St. Andrew to All Our Readers!

Torch of The Faith News on Wednesday 30 November 2016 - 20:17:06 | by admin

We wish a Blessed Feast of St. Andrew to all our readers; especially to those from Scotland, Greece, Malta, Romania and Russia. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog articles here at Torch of The Faith.

The Apostle St. Andrew was, of course, a native of Bethsaida, elder brother of St. Peter and, like him, a fisherman. He was one of the disciples of St. John the Baptist and the first called by Christ. Tradition says that after the Ascension he preached the Gospel in Greece and the Balkan countries. He was condemned to death for the Faith in Patras, a city of Greece, during Nero's persecution. An ardent lover of the Cross of Christ, he was crucified, too, but on a cross of the shape of the letter ''X''. This holy death is often seen depicted in sacred art and stained glass windows.

Whilst there are different versions accounting for the transfer of St. Andrew's hallowed relics to Scotland, it is certain that they were venerated at Kirrymont, later renamed St. Andrews, for many centuries.

On 14th June, 1559, the cathedral at St. Andrews, including the Apostle's shrine and sacred relics, was disgracefully destroyed by Protestant revolutionaries who entered the city with John Knox.

The remains of St. Andrew's sacred cathedral in the present day.

There is a marvellous verse in the hymn When Christ Our Lord to Andrew Said, which expresses both a truly Catholic conception of the theology of the Cross and the desires of all orthodox Catholics for the re-conversion of these isles. It reads:- 

St. Andrew now in bliss above,

thy fervent prayers renew

that Scotland yet again may love

the faith, entire and true;

that I the cross allotted me

may bear with patient love!

'Twill lift me, as it lifted thee,

to reign with Christ above.

May God bless and strengthen all faithful Catholics in Scotland who have endured so many trials, from both within and without the Church, in order to keep the Faith. You stand as a bright light here in Britain and beyond.

In recent years, through the literature of the Good Counsel Network, we came across the beautiful St. Andrew's Novena.

We see that Michael Matt has reminded Remnant readers today that it is a lovely custom for families to pray this novena together from today's feast until Christmas Eve.

The custom includes praying the novena prayer, with the lights lowered and the Advent wreath lit, five times at breakfast, five times at lunch, and five times after the evening meal. After praying it at the evening meal, the family then sings together the Advent hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

It stikes us that this marvellous practice offers Catholics, whether in families or living alone, a very practical way to prepare their hearts and homes for the coming of Our Saviour at Christmas.

It also brings home something of the harsh realities which Our Blessed Lord was so humble to endure in the Incarnation for our salvation and sanctification.

The prayer is as follows:-

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, to hear my prayers and grant my desires.

(Mention your prayer intentions here).

Through Jesus Christ and His most blessed Mother.

Amen.

Traditionally the prayer is prayed 15 times each day from 30th Nov to Christmas Eve.

St. Andrew, Patron of Scotland - Pray for us!

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Better to Lose a Red Hat than to Lose Your Soul

Torch of The Faith News on Tuesday 29 November 2016 - 15:24:27 | by admin

Sharin' the mercy with Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto: It kind of makes you think of Dusty Springfield singing, The Look of Love is in Your Eyes! Then again, maybe not...

Rorate Caeli has tweeted that Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, Dean of the Roman Rota, suggested at a conference in Spain that the 4 courageous cardinals ''could lose their Cardinalate for making the Dubia to Francis public''.

Indeed, following Bishop Papamanolis' recent letter, Infocatolica reports that the monsignor vigorously claimed that the 4 cardinals had even commited a grave scandal.

So much for dialogue, freedom and mercy, hey! And what about that whole ''nobody can be condemned forever'' thing? Or does that only work for mass-murdering Communists, sexual deviants and heretical prelates?

The only grave scandals we can see here Monsignor, are that heresy and sacrilege are being promoted, that most people are silent in the face of it and that anyone who dares to raise their head and question this status quo - however politely they do this - is getting shot at by supposed men of the Church. When you speak like this, you just come across as a bunch of Modernist bullies. Or worse. All your talk about love and mercy just disappears. None of these actions or words express an authentic Catholic witness.

All we can say is that it would be better to lose a red hat and cardinals' privileges than to lose one's immortal soul.

Quite honestly, these guys show everyone who they really are by trying to run down the Church like some kind of bankrupt banana republic.

Receiving a red hat is not what it once was anyway; as the last consistory amply demonstrated, they are now even being awarded to Modernist traitors against Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Some men make the College of Cardinals seem more like a contemporary Sanhedrin. They act more like Dostoyevsky's Grand Inquisitor than honest princes of the Church. They shall have to answer to God for attempting to usurp His authority. 

There are a number of prelates who are gaining red hats and all manner of worldy glory, whilst at the same time incurring the wrath of God for publicly promoting heresy and sacrilege in their dioceses and throughout the Church.

Such men may get to wear ecclesiatical red or purple in these days when evil is somehow being presented as good, and good as being somehow evil, but they endanger the salvation of their own souls and the souls of all who would follow them into Hell.

Only this morning, we read at LifeSiteNews that Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego is encouraging heresy and sacrilege in his own diocese. Someone needs to remind him of the teaching of the Council of Trent which excommunicates those who persist in publicly teaching the acceptance of sacrilegious Holy Communions.

May none of us forget that it is not wearing red that makes one holy. That cardinals' red is merely a symbol, though an important one, to remind the College of Cardinals of the commitment to shed their own blood for Christ. The irony is that it is only the 4 cardinals who are presently doing this metaphorically. Well, they can continue doing that with or without red silk accroutrements. It may be that the black of mourning is a more appropriate colour for times when the enemy has so thoroughly infiltrated the Church. If these good men lose their red hats, the symbolism will be that much more rich in their cases. Plus, they will please Our Lord the more. If they remain faithful, they simply cannot lose.

To any bishops or priests who read this, please take note that it should not have been left to the laymen to talk like this. Why is there so little zeal for Christ and His rights? Why so little active - as opposed to theoretical - love for the Church? Why do you leave us like lone voices crying in the wilderness? 

May God have mercy on us all!  

Mark 9:47: And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter the kingdom of God, than having two eyes be cast into the Hell of fire.  

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A Further Scaring with Bernard Haring!

Torch of The Faith News on Monday 28 November 2016 - 13:26:21 | by admin

Preliminary note: Our website cannot display umlauts. Please bear that in mind when reading names such as Cardinal Christoph Schonborn or Fr. Bernard Haring in our articles.

The late Sr. Doreen: One of those good souls that God's Providence puts in your path during the pilgrimage of this life.

A Providential Warning

In 1995, just a couple of years after converting to the Catholic Faith, I was blessed to meet an Augustinian nun called Sr. Doreen.

Sister was very open to the workings of the Holy Spirit and was also blessed with a keen awareness of the Modernist crisis afflicting the Church. She once said to me that her community had weathered some of the worst ravages of this crisis, by maintaining the traditional practices of religious obedience and the wearing of the habit and veil.

Sister reminded me to always stress that things are against the teachings of the Church, because they are first and foremost against the 10 Commandments; it is important for people to grasp that the Church does not just make up moral rules, but defends and upholds God's Holy Law.

Knowing that I was then a recent convert, Sister printed out a list of dissenting speakers/writers to be avoided in order to protect my faith. I am sure that this is where I first encountered the name of Fr. Bernard Haring.

Fr. Bernard Haring

That name will need little introduction to anyone who has tried to defend the true teachings of the Church, regarding the intrinsic evils of contraception, from the widespread culture of dissent which prevails in far too many places today.

The German Fr. Bernard Haring was, of course, one of the principle architects of that culture of dissent. Suppressed for his progressivism under Pope Pius XII, Haring was rehabilitated by Pope St. John XXIII. He even became a peritus at the Second Vatican Council; and was appointed to the commission which prepared the Vatican II Constitution, Gaudium et Spes.

Haring later rebelled against Humanae Vitae and criticized various aspects of papal teaching on sexual morality. His book Medical Ethics earned him the dubious distinction of having been investigated by the CDF.

Something of the gravity of Haring's rebellion can be glimpsed by recalling Sr. Doreen's maxim that things are only against Church teaching, because they are first of all against God's Holy Law.

The late Fr. Bernard Haring CSSR: One of the principle authors of the infamous dissent from Humanae Vitae.

''Charlie'' Curran and Il Presidente

It is also widely known that Fr. Haring became something of a mentor to that other troublesome dissenter, Fr. Charles Curran.

The tie-wearing Curran was himself investigated by the CDF, and prohibited from teaching in Catholic establishments, in light of his own strong rebellion in the areas of abortion, contraception and homosexuality.

Here is where things get a little bit more spooky.

Let's just take a step back to gain some perspective for a moment.

A few times, I've described one of the 1990's staff at Ushaw seminary by his nickname Il Presidente.

This priest dressed in lay clothes, spoke about Che Guevara in class, brought over the Marxist-connected ''liberation theologian'' Jon Sobrino, made the Marxist fist-salute a number of times in Sobrino's presence, helped maintain a seminary regime which described orthodox students as ''rigid'', hosted a seminary day for ''former priests and their wives'' and publicly harangued a group of us, during Sunday Mass, for the supposedly ''sectarian'' act of resisting a ''Mass-free day'' to celebrate the Millennium with local Protestants.

About 18-months ago, I also mentioned that this same man once gave us a class, purportedly based on the apostolic exhortation Pastoris Dabo Vobis; in which he called for future priests to replace the Hierarchy with a new decentralized ''model'' of lay leadership. By the way, that's not what you'll find written in Pastores Dabo Vobis... 

As I've hinted before, there are clear parallels here to some of Pope Francis' key behaviours, such as: his preferential treatment of leftist leaders and outright Communists over their Catholic, pre-born or other victims; his suggestion that offering Mass in Sweden would be somehow ''sectarian''; his frequent depiction of ''rigid'' seminarians and traditionalists; his recent meeting with ''former priests and their wives''; and his calls for decentralization in the Church.

What I've not mentioned here before, is that the man described as Il Presidente once boasted in my presence that he had spent time in the United States with ''Charlie Curran''. That is a most interesting link given the thread between Haring, Curran and, as we shall see below, Pope Francis.

Fr. Charles Curran, whose dissent from Humanae Vitae is notorious.

Democratizing the Church

Now, given his history of radical dissent in the area of sexual ethics, it is interesting to note that Fr. Charles Curran also speaks of decentralization of the Church and promotes a modernistic interpretation of the sensus fidelium.

Tracing this back further, we see that democraticizing the Church was another key aim of Curran's erstwhile mentor, Fr. Bernard Haring.

In an interview for the Milanese Corriere della Sera, on 28th March, 1993, Haring spoke of his dreams for a future pope in terms that were at once reductionist and globalist in intent: ''The new pope's mission would be to write a pastoral letter to all the citizens - of the world - to announce the changes he would like to make in the Church: the abolition of ecclesiatical titles, the Cardinals' purple and the diplomatic corps of the Holy See. Thenceforth it would be forbidden to call the Pope 'His Holiness', or the Cardinals 'Your Eminence'. Further, women should have the same rights as men and should be able to ascend to the priesthood.''

The Red Connection (Again)

If you have been reading this blog for long enough, you will know that I have spoken a couple of times about the so-called ''Pact of Metz''. This describes the deal that was brokered between the Soviets and the Vatican in order to allow Russian Orthodox prelates to attend the Second Vatican Council, on condition that the council made absolutely no condemnation of Communism in its official documents.

The fact that a number of good popes had already made such condemnations, and that so many Catholics and others were at that very time being harshly suppressed behind the Iron Curtain, only adds to the troubling aspects of this mysterious intervention.

So too does the fact that the famous Mitrokhin Archive exposes the fact that Msgr. Nikodim, the prelate who orchestrated this deal from the Russian side, was a KGB agent whose ecumenical endeavours were being used to further Soviet global goals...  

I mentioned earlier that Fr. Bernard Haring had been a chosen peritus on the commission which drafted the Vatican II Constitution, Gaudium et Spes.

In 30 Dias, Fr. Haring wrote: ''When around two dozen bishops requested a solemn condemnation of Communism, Msgr. Glorieux and I were blamed like scapegoats. I have no reason to deny that I did everything possible to avoid this condemnation, which rang out clearly like a political condemnation. I knew that John XXIII had promised Moscow authorities that the Council would not condemn Communism in order to ensure participation of observers of the Russian orthodox church.''

However coolly Fr. Haring might have liked to present these troubling facts, his name is forever associated with that non-condemnation of Communism; and that because of his own public admission.

Holy Matrimony and its Ends

During a talk at the Rome Life Forum in 2015, the excellent Catholic historian Roberto de Mattei exposed the fact that Fr. Haring, again in his capacity as a member of the drafting commission for Gaudium et Spes, managed to prevail on Pope Paul VI to have the issue of contraception left out of that key constitution's discussion of marriage and its ends.

The historian Professor Roberto de Mattei.

As de Mattei reflected: ''The most surprising aspect of Gaudium et Spes, however, is the lack of any presentation of the traditional order of the ends of marriage, the primary and the secondary... The institution of marriage, therefore, is defined without any reference to children and only as an intimate community of conjugal life. Moreover, in the succeeding paragraphs, conjugal love is discussed first (para 49) and procreation second (para 50).''

And so, we have Fr. Bernard Haring directly involved in the omissions of any Conciliar condemnation of Communism, any Conciliar teaching on contraception and it seems even in the omission of a traditional ordering in the presentation of the nature and ends of Holy Matrimony.

Of course, Pope Paul VI would take up the issue of contraception in Humanae Vitae. Not a few Traditionalists lament the fact that, though this key document did affirm the traditional teaching, it did not present the ends of marriage in the traditional order either.

Still, even this was too much for the likes of Fr. Bernard Haring who, not getting what he and others wanted, now embarked on his decades-long period of public dissent.

Francis Says...

All of this must form the backdrop to Pope Francis' disturbing promotion of Fr. Haring's life and writings during the 36th general Congregation of the Jesuits in Rome; an event which LifeSiteNews drew attention to a few days ago.

As is now widely known from LifeSiteNews' comprehensive report, Pope Francis suggested in his presentation to the gathered Jesuits that Fr. Haring was ''the first to start looking for a new way for moral theology to flourish again.''

In words which give an even more disturbing insight into Francis' approach in Amoris Laetitia, he suggested that, prior to Haring, ''The whole moral sphere was restricted to 'you can,' 'you cannot,' 'up to here yes, but not there'.''

During that speech, Francis also took up his frequent depiction of ''rigid'' seminarians and developed it in a new direction; whereas up to now he has focused on seminarians as individuals, this time he spoke in terms of the seminaries themselves.

Given the morally decadent and theologically bereft state of so many seminaries today, one can only shudder to think which of the few solid communities were in Francis' sights when he uttered the following self-contradictory statement: ''One thing is clear: today, in a certain number of seminaries, a rigidity that is far from a discernment of situations has been introduced. And this is dangerous, because it can lead us to a conception of morality that has a casuistic sense.''

Summary

To sum up: Pope Francis has praised Fr. Bernard Haring as someone who helped moral theology to flourish; when in reality, Haring was one of the principle architects behind the chaos which has caused so much harm to the tranquil reception of the Church's moral theology.

Not only that, but Haring was a key player in ensuring that Gaudium et Spes condemned neither Communism or Contraception; two of the key evils behind the destruction of the Church and Western civilization in recent times.

We now know from the Mitrokhin Archive that the global interests of Communism were being favoured by ecumenical endeavours; such as that facilitated by the Pact of Metz.

Fr. Bernard Haring also promoted the democratization of the Church, the Papacy and the sacred Hierarchy.

He was a key mentor of the radical dissenter Charles Curran. And in his turn, Curran was associated with the seminary priest we call here Il Presidente.

In this and other articles, the common threads of pro-Marxism, use of lables such as ''sectarian'' and ''rigid'', the democratization of the Church, the presentation of former priests as models, and co-ordinated dissent in the realm of Holy Matrimony/sexual morality have been clearly demonstrated.

I will conclude with two further points.

Firstly, in a report on the mysterious Pact of Metz, the Brazilian author Atile Sinke Guimaraes asked: ''How can the actions of the Prelates who inspired, ordered, followed and maintained the decisions of the Pact of Metz be explained? I leave the answer to my reader.''

Secondly, regardless of all this post-modern talk of ''discernment'' supposedly being able to replace black and white moral norms, I say this to those who try and subvert Christ's teachings, whoever they may be:-

Gentlemen, no man who truly loved God would wish to sin by using contraception.

Neither would any man who truly loved his wife wish to abuse, use or poison her body, much less destroy her immortal soul, with any forms of so-called contraception.

Then again, no man who truly loved his children would wish to have them destroyed through the abortifacient component present in so many forms of ''contraception'' today.

In the end it is not a question of discernment, but of love; for there are some things which are black and white.

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First Sunday of Advent 2016

Torch of The Faith News on Sunday 27 November 2016 - 12:41:46 | by admin

The Traditional Missal

The liturgical year begins with the holy Season of Advent, the time of preparation for the coming of Christ. During this short season the Church places us in the atmosphere of the long centuries during which the whole world awaited its Redeemer.

The liturgy expresses longing and prays for the coming of the Saviour. Advent is a time of preparation, in which joy at the approaching festival is mingled with the spirit of penance which seeks to purify and prepare the soul.

It was in time past a season in which fasting was prescribed, and was called the Lent of Christmas. The use of purple vestments, the omission of the Gloria and Te Deum still express the penitential character of the season.

During Advent the Catholic Church pays honour to the prophets and ancestors of Christ - Isaiah, St. John the Baptist, but above all Mary, His Mother, on whose consent the Incarnation depended. Hence the Station at Rome on the first Sunday of Advent was to the church of St. Mary Major, the principle church of Our Lady.

Cast Off the Works of Darkness!

For several years now, we have been struck by the fact that the popular culture begins the celebration of its secularized ''Christmas'' earlier and earlier each time. In England, it is becoming more common to see, not only shops, but even many homes decorated with Christmas trees and lights from around the second week in November.

Due to our latitude, the hours of daylight through November and December in Britain are certainly very short and the days are dark and cold. It is no fun to wake to darkness in the morning, only to have the inky-black darkness fall once again in the late afternoon. Although the proximity of Christmas adds a magical quality when darkness falls around 4pm in mid to late December, the short afternoons are much more grim to endure throughout the chilly weeks of November.

It seems to us that, having cast off the hopeful expectation of the true Advent and Christmas, people can no longer cope with the surrounding darkness; and that they thus switch on their Christmas lights early in an attempt to compensate. It is sad to see artificial joy and light being used as kinds of coping mechanisms, when Our Lord wants to draw us to Himself in a special way during this season. The whole thing is really a metaphor for the spiritual life and struggle of each one of us; how often we allow false lights to distract us from Jesus!

Then again, so much of what passes for celebration in these days also involves drunkenness, excessive spending, gluttony, lust, vanity and a general atmosphere of selfishness.

Throughout much of Europe the shopping centres and markets are heaving with business on each of the Sundays of Advent, whilst the churches continue to draw but a shrinking remnant.

Against this background, we have the timeless call of St. Paul to cast off the works of darkness in the Epistle for today's Traditional Latin Mass. This reads:-

St. Paul's Letter to the Romans c. 13: Brethren: Knowing that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is passed and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don't Miss the Opportunity!

We are once again struck by the fact that the penitential and prayerful aspects of Advent must be especially cultivated and reclaimed if our celebration of Christmas is to be genuine and fruitful.

It is clear that we are all living through unprecedently grave times for the Chruch and the world. We agree wholeheartedly with Christopher Ferrara's assessment on Thursday, when he reflected: ''One has the sense that the Church and the world are hurtling toward that apocalyptic scenario depicted in the vision pertaining to the Third Secret of Fatima.''

Advent 2016 presents us with a particularly important opportunity to prepare to meet Christ in various ways: when He comes at Christmas; when we each meet Him at the end of our individual lives; and when He returns at the time of His Glorious Second Coming.

Please join us in praying that we will all have a blessed and holy Advent season. May we each make wise use of the time and graces available to us, in preparing our hearts, minds and wills to meet Our Blessed Lord.

Then will our joy be complete!

Our Lady, Mother of God - Pray for us!       

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