Octave of the Epiphany
Vesting of the Bishop
Christmas Poinsettia Memorial List
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Epiphany was splendid, as befits one of the greatest feasts of the year. The Child manifests Himself as God and King as well as Man and Priest and Sacrifice, and we kneel down, adore, and offer gifts. Today Epiphany concludes with the Baptism of Our Lord, prefiguring our own. Joyful days.
We welcomed a new bishop last Sunday, celebrated a stately and solemn Pontifical Mass, and heard an important message from this Successor of the Apostles. Afterwards it was time to rejoice with a fine rich brunch, honoring His Excellency, and thanking all of our church workers and volunteers. There are so many! Thank you.
I happily replaced Fr. McGuire in Milwaukee for that First Friday weekend. On the Vigil we had two confirmations, and a beautiful Sung Mass on the feast itself with a full church. More and more are coming from afar, if not from Saba, then certainly from the South, “Chicagoland.” St. Hugh’s is beautifully decorated for Christmas. I was worried about the Kings, but they made it on time for Epiphany Mass.
Some new parishioners have requested an early weekday Mass time, and I must say “so far, so good.” And it’s not even Lent yet! There has been an excellent attendance for these midweek 7 and 8 AM Masses, which we will continue as long as attendance holds, and there are enough priests to offer them. At the same time, the Tuesday 5 PM Mass is a nice holdover from Summer, and seems still somewhat popular. I’m happy to see some practical weekday fruit from our Sunday study of the Mass.
The Friday evening Mass and devotions was originally designed as a parish Sacred Heart Holy Hour, 5:45 to 6:45, with Mass, sermon, novena and Benediction. Now the Legacy Choir, happily augmented by some more of our young people, provides beautiful music, some of which we sang in our early years. This Friday night Mass is meant to be the parish “extra” devotion. From time to time it almost dies out, but never quite. Now we’re enjoying a modest revival. Come and get in on it. If you can’t make Mass, there’s always Benediction at 6:30 PM.
Before that Mass now at about 5:35 we have our annual Infant of Prague Novena. The Holy Child was honored for His birthday with a fine new cape and robe. He is our Little King, and we love Him, and
confidently carry all of our intentions and cares to His Novena.
Another Novena, an Octave actually (eight days) starts Friday, as we pray for the conversion of non-Catholics, group by group. We also beseech the gift of unity in our midst for the “remnant Church.” The faithful ardently desire this, as Bishop Sanborn stated at my Anniversary Mass. We work and sacrifice and pray for this precious, and somewhat miraculous gift still today.
Please pray for Fr. Rodrigo Da Silva in Atibaia, Brazil, who is beginning yet another House of Studies or Minor Seminary, as Fr. Nkamuke has in Nigeria. The first year offers a pre-seminary course. Father has just finished preaching a retreat to the first students. It is necessary to do these things once again, as so many groups have been infiltrated and proven false. The Pius X Society is proud to be 95% approved by the antichrist in the Vatican. They not only have given up the Friday abstinence, but have also adopted the new language of the Conciliar Church, including such terms as “people of God.” You are watching the frog being slowly boiled. Sad, as Trump would say. Same thing, but worse, for the little “High Church” groups like the St. Peter Fraternity or the Christ the King people. But they do not even have a valid priesthood. All of them have reduced Catholic belief, practice, and worship to an option, a preference, one next to the rest, one among many. This means they have destroyed the Faith, which is no option, while keeping some form of the Latin Mass. Behold the triumph of Hell, chortling in an approved or almost approved church near you.
Speaking of strangling the Faith, Fr. Cekada has always been fascinated by an exotic form of Italian pasta called Strozzapreti, priest-strangler. It goes back to bitterly anticlerical regions and times in Italy, it seems. But it is good and we enjoyed a nice bowl of it the other night for dinner. Nobody was strangled. Thank you, Nath!
Thank you to all of our cooks, to all of you! God bless you this new year!
–Bp. Dolan