Showing posts with label Archdiocese of Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Archdiocese of Chicago. Show all posts
Monday, July 17, 2023
Weekday Traditional Latin Mass and Eastern Rite Options In and Around Chicagoland

Photo of St. John Cantius on All Souls Day (c) A Catholic Life Blog, 2022

Traditional Latin Mass Options on the First Sunday of Each Month

The website "The Four Marks" has a great list of options of Traditional Latin Mass and Eastern Rite options in and around Chicagoland for the First Sunday of the month when the Tridentine Mass is forbidden in the Archdiocese of Chicago. After the draconian changes announced in January 2022, the number of TLM locations in the Archdiocese was significantly reduced. In addition to forbidding the TLM at several places which had offered it for many years, the TLM was forbidden at all parishes on the first Sunday of each month as well as Christmas, Easter Sunday, and Pentecost Sunday. I highly recommend using the list at The Four Marks for those dates.

Traditional Latin Mass Options for Other Sundays

The following TLM locations are available on most Sundays (except for the First Sunday of the month, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and Pentecost Sunday):

  • St. John Cantius Church (Chicago): 7:30 AM Low Mass, 12:30 PM High Mass
  • Saint James at Sag Bridge (Lemont): 12 PM
  • Our Lady Immaculate (Oak Park): 9 AM (unaffected by the Archdiocese's persecution as this is an SSPX chapel)
  • Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chapel (Elgin): 10 AM (unaffected by the Archdiocese's persecution as this is an independent chapel)
Weekday Traditional Latin Mass Options

For those looking for weekday Tridentine Mass options or Eastern Rite Liturgies, there are also options in Chicago or within relatively close 40-mile driving distance:

  • St. John Cantius Church (Chicago): 8:00 AM Low Mass (Monday through Friday), 7:30 PM High Mass (Wednesday), 8:30 AM Low Mass (Saturday)
  • St. Joseph Church (Rockdale): 7:30 AM Low Mass (Monday through Friday), 5:30 PM (Thursday), 8:00 AM Low Mass (Saturday)
  • Our Lady Immaculate (Oak Park): 7:00 PM (First Fridays and certain feast days. Check the calendar before going).
  • SSPX Priory (Chicago): This is at the priory and not at the Oak Park church: 11:00 AM (Monday), 7:15 AM Low Mass (Tuesday through Thursday), 7:15 AM Low Mass (Fridays except for First Fridays and special feasts). Check the calendar before going.
Weekday Eastern Rite Liturgy Options

For all of the Sunday options, see The Four Marks, as they are unaffected by the Archdiocese. Their regular Sunday Liturgies are available on all Sundays of the month. For weekday options, these options exist in close proximity to the city of Chicago:
  • Mart Mariam Chaldean Catholic Church (Northbrook): 6:30 PM Divine Liturgy in Surath (Friday)
  • St. John the Baptist Melkite Catholic Church
  • St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Cathedral (Chicago): 8:30 AM Divine Liturgy in Malayalam (Monday through Friday), 7:00 PM Divine Liturgy in English (Monday through Friday), 8:30 AM Liturgy in Malayalam (Saturday).
  • St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar Knanaya Catholic Church (Morton Grove): Divine Liturgies all in Malayalam: 8:15 AM (Monday through Friday), 7:00 PM (Monday through Thursday), 10:00 AM (Saturday). Divine Liturgy in English: 6:00 PM (Friday)
  • St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral (Chicago): 5:00 PM Vespers (Saturday), 6:00 PM Matins (Saturday)
  • SS. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago): 8:00 AM Divine Liturgy in Ukrainian (Monday through Friday), 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy in Ukrainian (Saturday)
  • St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago): 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy in the Chapel (Monday - Friday), 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy in the Church (Saturday), 5:00 PM Vespers (Saturdays), 6:30 PM Vespers (Eve of Major Feasts)
  • Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church (Palatine): Divine Liturgies: 8:00 AM (Monday through Friday), 9:00 AM (Saturday), 7:00 PM (Weekday Holy Days)
  • St. George Byzantine Catholic Church (Aurora): 6:00 PM Divine Liturgy (Monday through Thursday), 1:00 PM Divine Liturgy (Friday)
  • Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church (Homer Glen): 7:00 PM (Thursday and Holy Days)
  • St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church (Whitting, IN): 5:00 PM Great Vespers (Saturday)
If you know of any other options, please leave the details in the comments section below.
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Friday, November 18, 2022
The (3) Basilicas of Chicago

chicago basilica
Chicago's three basilicas: St. Hyacinth, Our Lady of Sorrows, and Queen of All Saints

Our Lady of Sorrows, Chicago's first basilica, seats 1,200 people beneath a soaring, barrel-vaulted coffered ceiling that rises 80 feet from the marble floor. The nave is 65 feet wide and features more than 1,100 ornate gold-leaf panels. An English Baroque-style steeple turns this Renaissance-Revival church into a local landmark. It once had a twin steeple that was destroyed by lightning. It was the first of Chicago's three basilicas.

The Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows was founded in 1874 by three Servants of Mary (Servites): Fathers Austin Morini and Andrew Venturi, and Brother Joseph Camera.  The Bishop of Chicago, Right Reverend Thomas Foley, enthusiastically approved their dream of a sanctuary where the Blessed Virgin could comfort her people and honor her Divine Son.

Within that first year, a plot of farmland was acquired on the city’s far West Side, and a brick church was built.  It was 102 feet long, 38 feet wide, and two stories high.  Midnight Mass was held inside on Christmas Eve, 1874.  In the following year, the little church, on the site of today’s Servite monastery, was beautifully frescoed.


Soon a much larger church was needed, and on June 17, 1890, the ground was broken for the Italian Renaissance-style church we see today.   The building was opened for Masses within months, under a temporary roof, while the walls had reached only half of their eventual height.  It was not until January 5, 1902, that the great church could be dedicated. When improvements were made to the lower church, Father James M. Keane compiled a booklet of prayers to be used in a new service that would take advantage of this basement shrine.  On January 8, 1937, the Sorrowful Mother Novena began an era that would establish Chicago’s Our Lady of Sorrows as a Marian Shrine of national and international fame.   Through the 1940’s and into the 1950’s the Great Novena filled the church weekly in up to 38 separate services.  The Novena spread to over 2300 additional parishes at the peak of its popularity. In 1941, an excellent video narrated by Archbishop Fulton J Sheen on the theology of the Traditional Latin Mass was filmed at Our Lady of Sorrows and is still accessible on YouTube.

In 1956, Pope Pius XII granted to Our Lady of Sorrows National Shrine the title of Basilica, and this honor was celebrated all throughout the following year with special pilgrimages. The Novena is still celebrated weekly, and the Basilica is increasingly being recognized for the splendor of its architecture, and the history it has witnessed.  Tragically, the upper stages of the Western tower were lost to fire in 1984.  But the interior and the exterior brickwork have benefited from periodic and ongoing restoration in recent years, resulting in a shrine that is breathtaking to many who enter for the first time. Like Lourdes,  or Czestochowa, or Fatima, or the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe……Our Lady of Sorrows remains a foyer of Heaven, where the Blessed Virgin seems close enough to surprise us with the rustle of her veil.

Sadly the church is located in a more dangerous area of Chicago and as such is often closed to visitors. We pray for a restoration of this church back to the Tridentine Mass, the return of Catholics practicing their Faith at Daily Mass, and an end to violence and crime in Chicago and everywhere.


Queen of All Saints is another one of the three basilicas in Chicago, IL. This one is located in the upper-middle-class Sauganash neighborhood.

The church, designed in a Neo-Gothic style by Meyer and Cook, was completed in 1960. The large window over the choir loft features eight different shrines of the Virgin Mary: Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Knock, Our Lady of Einsiedeln, Our Lady of the Snows, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima. This display alludes to the theme of the universality of the Catholic Church by highlighting that although these shrines are particular to a certain country or culture, Devotion to the Virgin Mary bridges over all these barriers, bringing together the different ethnic groups living in the Sauganash area of Forest Glen.

In 1962, in recognition of the historical, architectural, and religious significance of the church and the parish, the church was elevated to the dignity of a Basilica. This is a papal honor given only to a select few churches, only three in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The baptistry stained glass windows include scenes of the Treaty of Chicago in 1835, the agreement mediated by Billy Caldwell/Chief Sauganash which cleared the way for the expansion of the City of Chicago and which was signed just a few blocks from the Basilica. The baptistry windows also show the baptism of the children of Billy Caldwell/Chief Sauganash by Father Baden, the first priest ordained in the United States.


St. Hyacinth is the third of Chicago's three basilicas. It is located in the Avondale neighborhood and is a prime example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with such monumental religious edifices as St. Mary of the Angels, St. Hedwig's, and St. Wenceslaus, it is one of the many monumental Polish churches visible from the Kennedy Expressway.

Founded in 1894 by Resurrectionsists from the city's first Polish parish, St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. Hyacinth became the center of Chicago's most well-known Polish Patch, Jackowo. The parish has been intimately tied in with Chicago's Polish immigrants, particularly those who arrived in the Solidarity and post-Solidarity waves of Polish migration to Chicago in the 1980s. On June 26, 2003, John Paul II granted the designation of a minor basilica, the third church in Illinois to achieve this status. On November 30, 2003, Cardinal Francis George OMI, officially proclaimed St. Hyacinth Church a basilica of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The 1999 film Stir of Echoes was partly filmed at St. Hyacinth Basilica.

St. Hyacinth of Poland was born in 1185 in what was then Upper Silesia (today modern Poland).  He was a relative and possibly the brother of Blessed Ceslas Odrowaz. St. Hyacinth was educated in both law and Sacred Studies and studied in the illustrious cities of Krakow, Prague, Paris, and Bologna.  Despite his education, he was first and foremost a holy priest.  After his ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ, he worked to reform convents in his native country. While on a trip to Rome with Bishop Ivo Konski, his uncle, he witnessed the glorious Patriarch St. Dominic perform a miracle that changed his life.  He became a personal friend of St. Dominic and then one of the first Dominicans. In fact, he was the first Polish Dominican and he brought the Order to Poland.  He was prolific in his work, evangelizing throughout Poland, Pomerania, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Scotland, Russia, Turkey, and Greece. During an attack on a monastery, Hyacinth managed to save a crucifix and statue of Mary, though the statue weighed far more than he could normally have lifted; the saint is usually shown holding these two items. Hyacinth never served as provincial nor even a prior, but toiled as a simple friar, focusing on the internal and external missions facing the Polish Dominicans: to deepen their own faith, and to spread it through Poland.

Make it a point if you are a native Chicagoan or a visitor to explore some of these beautiful places, all of which are located well outside of the Loop and far from the usual tourist spots.

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Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Virtual Tour: Shrine of All Saints in Morton Grove, IL

The Shrine of All Saints is a true treasure in Chicago known to far too few Catholics. The Shrine is located within St. Martha Catholic Church in Morton Grove. St. Martha's main church was originally built as a multi-purpose auditorium and gymnasium for the parish school. But despite this architectural sore spot, the shrine is a treasure. 

Unassuming from the outside, inside you will find the 2nd largest collection of relics in the United States! There are over 3,000 relics housed here for public veneration. Some of the relics housed in this shrine were rescued from closed convents in France and saved from relegation to museums and private homes. Others were rescued from estate sales in Italy where families would sell off the relics of their closed private chapels since few families - if any - still have personal chaplains. It should be noted that while it is a sin to sell relics, there is no sin in buying them to rescue them. 

Some of the many relics housed in this shrine are the following:

  • The Finger bone of st. Martha of Bethany
  • A piece of hair of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary from before Her Assumption
  • A piece of the Holy Shroud of Turin
  • A relic of St. Anne, mother of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Part of the finger of the right hand of St. Hildegard of Bingen
  • A piece of the veil of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary
  • A piece of the staff of St. Joseph
  • The cranium of St. Fructuosus, Bishop of Tarragona, who was martyred in 259 AD
  • A lock of hair of St. Therese of Lisieux which still has the scent of roses on it!
  • Relic of St. Gregory Barbarigo
  • Part of the cranium of St. Barbara of Nicomedia
  • The right heel bone of St. Polycarp
  • A Finger from the right hand of St. Ignatius of Antioch
  • A reliquary containing a piece of the True Cross on which Our Lord died
  • A relic of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint
  • Two bones of St. Nicholas of Myra, which were scientifically tested and verified to come from the same period in which St. Nicholas died
  • The left humerus of St. Benedict of Nursia, the founder of Western Monasticism
  • A large bone of St. Erasmus, Bishop of Formiae, who was martyred in 303 AD
  • Part of the jaw and two teeth of St. Christina, Virgin and Martyr
  • The left fibula of St. Peter the Apostle
  • Other relics from the apostles: St. Jude, St. Simon the Zealot, St. Bartholomew, St. Philip, St. James the Lesser, St. Andrew, St. Matthias, and St. John the Evangelist
  • A bone of St. Felicitas of Rome, who witnessed the martyrdom of her seven sons before her own
  • The skull and fibula of St. Remaclus
  • Relics of the Martyrs of Vietnam
  • A large collection of relics of the Cristero Martyrs
  • A breviary and other items owned by St. John Vianney
  • Relics of St. Philomena, on display near the relics of St. John Vianney, which is appropriate considering his great devotion to her
  • Part of the dress worn by St. Edith Stein when she was received the Carmelite Habit
  • Calendar Reliquaries from the Cathedral of Ravenna as well as another from a Belgian monastery on the German border. These calendars contain one relic for each day in the year
  • The incorrupt tongue of St. John Nepomucene
  • Two large bones of St. Stephen the First Martyr, which show the cracks he sustained in them when he gave his life for Christ
It is not possible to list every saint whose relics are here. This is a truly wonderful place to pray and thank God for the miracles wrought through his saints. The shrine also has on display the oldest known depiction in the world of the Dormition of our Lady on a bronze medallion that was made between 500 - 550 AD. It was excavated in Madaba, Jordan in 2001 by Dr. Reem Hajjal. 

The Shrine is currently led by Fr. Dennis O'Neill, who has grown it to its present state over the years. It is available to tour by appointment only but if you are able to visit, you will surely find it an occasion of many graces.

Photos from my recent visit are as follows. Click on any for higher resolution:




















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Wednesday, January 24, 2018
April 2018 Catholic Family News Conference

Catholic Family News' annual conference will be held from April 6-8, 2018 in Deerfield (Chicago), Illinois. Register now at www.catholicfamilynews.org, or call 1 (800) 474-8522.

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Saturday, November 5, 2016
Relics on Display at St. John Cantius

In honor of today's Feast of the Sacred Relics, here are some photos from St. John Cantius during this time of year.  On All Saints Day over 1,000 relics were put on display for veneration. 







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Sunday, October 30, 2016
Cupich: Rotten Fruit for the Church


Let us pray for an end of this scourge on the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Chicago before Chicago - home to the most Latin Masses of any American city - sees the Ancient Liturgy removed steadily from the Faithful.  Kyrie eleison!

From the SSPX website:

Archbishop Blase Cupich has been one of the rising figures in the Catholic Church, and will be made even more prominent this fall.

Chicago Archbishop and Cardinal-elect Blase Cupich encouraged his fellow bishops to respond with courage and vigor “for what the Church is called to be!” The following statement was reported by Vatican Insider (Oct. 12, 2012):
The Holy Father’s visit a year ago [in USA] provided him with an opportunity to see first-hand the vitality and vibrancy of the Church in the US. At the same time, he offered a challenging vision of what the Church is called to be and so it is now up to all of us, the bishops of the US, to respond with courage and vigor."
Chosen by the Pope himself to participate to the 2015 Synod on the Family, Cupich supported the proposal of Cardinal Walter Kasper to provide a path for civilly remarried persons to receive Holy Communion while respecting the decision that such persons, along with homosexuals in relationships, “make about their spiritual lives” (Chicago Tribune, Oct. 17, 2015). Cupich was one of the bishops scandalizing the world by endorsing Kasper’s proposal during the Synod and highlighting the importance of conscience.

It comes therefore to no surprise that Cupich reiterated his support for giving Communion to divorced remarried in an interview last week. But this time, he presents himself as faithful to the Pope’s position!

My position is the same as that of Pope Francis, who has indicated that the proper interpretation of 'Amoris Laetitia' was given by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and then again by the bishops of Argentina, for which the Pope noted ‘no further interpretation is needed.’ So if people want to know what I think, they should refer to those sources.”

Cupich is well-known for his liberal stance on numerous issues.

On Prolife Issues

Despite reminders on the sacredness of life, Cupich has a history of downplaying the urgency of the question by calling for balance, dialogue, and respect or other approaches.

As Sandro Magister put it in the Chiesa News (Sept. 30, 2014):
Cupich’s voice - as noted both by conservative Catholics, with distress, and by progressives, with satisfaction - always rings out loud and clear when the talk is of immigration or the death penalty, but he seems to get laryngitis every time there is a discussion of abortion, euthanasia, and religious freedom, or criticism of the Obama administration over health care reform."
In August 2015, in the wake of the Center for Medical Progress videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s baby body parts trafficking scandal, Cupich wrote on in the Chicago Tribune (Oct. 26, 2015) that unemployment and hunger are just as appalling as killing children in the womb.

Cupich has been constant in requesting that priests and seminarians of his successive dioceses (Spokane, WA and Rapid City, SD) not participate in 40 Days for Life prayer vigils outside of abortion facilities.

Back in November 2014, Cupich stated that giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians was a positive move. Asked on CBS’s Face the Nation if he would give Communion to pro-abortion politicians, the archbishop said he hoped the grace that comes to people from the Eucharist would bring them to the truth.

Ten years before, during the 2004 presidential election, he refused to join those bishops condemning pro-abortion Catholic politicians and holding that they should not receive Communion. "We cannot cherry-pick particular issues. We have to be willing to talk about all issues. Our position begins with protecting the unborn, but it doesn't end there," he told the Rapid City Journal (May 2, 2004).

When most bishops refused to let Catholic Charities employees serve as navigators for the Affordable Care Act, Cupich bucked the trend: whatever problems the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had with “Obamacare” and its contraception mandate, he was committed to using the infrastructure of the Church to help poor people access health insurance. He was the second-to-last bishop to join the fight against the contraceptive mandate.

As voters faced a November 2012 referendum on the legalization of same-sex marriage in Washington state, Cupich wrote a pastoral letter calling for "a substantial public debate . . . carried on with respect, honesty and conviction" and asked for "careful consideration" of the church's position on the referendum. In that referendum, voters approved the law by a 54%-46% margin.

On the Liturgy

Cupich has a constant record of hostility toward the traditional liturgy. It is said that in his first Mass as pastor of St. Mary in Omaha, NE his hometown, he reprimanded a young parishioner for attempting to receive the Communion on her knees.

In 2002, as Bishop of Rapid City, SD, Cupich prohibited children to make the first Communion or to be confirmed in the traditional Latin Rite. That same year, according to the Rapid City Journal (May 27, 2002), he prohibited a traditional Latin Mass community from celebrating the Paschal Triduum liturgies according to the 1962 Missal by locking the doors of Immaculate Conception Church during the Easter Triduum. The Good Friday liturgies took place on the sidewalk.

In 2011, then still Bishop in Spokane, WA, Cupich wrote The New Roman Missal: A Time of Renewal, a historical overview on liturgical renewal to introduce the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

Cupich’s vision is the same one which caused the liturgical revolution of the 1970s. Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio had no effect on him. He considers the traditional Latin Mass as dreadful and incomprehensible to the people. Its rites, according to Cupich, inspires church architecture such as altar rails which he claims have kept people far from the altar and impeded "full and active participation." By Cupich’s logic, the “old” Mass definitely belongs to a time long ago to which today’s Catholics are unable to relate. Lamenting those who did not accept the changes of the Novus Ordo Missae, Cupich holds that Catholics have to understand that the reform of the Second Vatican Council was, in fact, an improvement. And so he praises Communion under both species, Mass in the vernacular, lay participation in the liturgy, and the simplification of the rubrics.

Role of the women in the Church

For his Installation Mass on the Archdiocese of Chicago on November 2015, Bishop Cupich specifically requested both men and women altar servers. There were therefore four women and four seminarians.

Here is his vision of the role of the woman in the Church, as reported in Origin (Sept. 2013):
It would be a very great mistake to reduce the whole issue of women to the question of ordination. The church must engage the larger issue of women and begin by listening to women themselves. The failure of the church to attend to the concerns of women themselves is a very serious problem. . . . This is a very big knot that needs attention and it will not be untied lec­turing women, and it will not be solved unless men in authority in the church clearly and deeply understand that there is a very great difference between the way women approach things and the way men approach things."
Ecumenism

In 2011, Cupich started a new annual ecumenical service at Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral of Spokane by inviting Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Methodist ministers on Good Friday.

In April 2012, he supported the decision of Roman Catholic Gonzaga University of Spokane to invite Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at its graduation ceremony and receive an honorary degree.

Beginning January 2017, Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago is supposed to serve as the first Catholic co-chair of a new National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue, sponsored by the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the USCCB.

Summary

Cupich is clearly a favorite of Pope Francis. In a two-year period, he has been the Pope’s personal candidate—against numerous objections—for four crucial roles: Archbishop of Chicago, participating in the 2015 Synod on the Family, becoming a member of the Congregation for Bishops, and now being elevated to the College of Cardinals. Cupich will now exercise one of the most prominent roles in deciding who to appoint as new bishops in the United States.

It stands to reason that Cupich will use his new-found influence and power to impose his liberal vision on the Church. Let us pray fervently for the Church and our pastors!
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Monday, October 3, 2016
2016 Chicago Fatima Center Conference


For Catholics in and around Chicago, please check out the upcoming Fatima Conference to be held in Deerfield, IL from October 21 thru October 23rd.  The speakers are absolutely top-notch with speakers like John Venari, Fr. Rodriguez, Fr. Albert OP, Fr. Isaac Relyea, and Fr. Phillipson.
As we near the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions, the words of Our Lord to Sister Lucy should resonate in our minds and hearts: He warned that unless the Fatima Message were obeyed, His ministers would follow the king of France into misfortune. That misfortune occurred 100 years after the kings of France refused His request to consecrate their nation to His Sacred Heart. The king was deposed and later decapitated. Almost 100 years has passed since Our Lady requested the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. What misfortune awaits us!?! The time to obey Our Lady is now! Join us in Chicago as we make the case for immediate action by the Pope and the bishops to comply with Heaven's request before it is too late!
The schedule is as follows and it's only $195 for all three days.  Can't go on certain days?  That's fine - you can buy tickets at a lower price to the specific days you can go.

I will be at the Conference and hope you will join me in supporting Fr. Gruner's work and Our Lady of Fatima as we near the important 100 year anniversary of Our Blessed Mother's appearance in Fatima.
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Sunday, May 15, 2016
Pentecost Sunday @ St. John Cantius Catholic Church (Chicago IL)

On Pentecost Sunday at St. John Cantius, a beautiful ancient custom takes place at the end of Mass that dates back at least to the 5th century.

In Rome, rose petals would be dropped through the circular “oculus” at the Pantheon (now a minor basilica called “Sancta Maria ad martyres”). The petals would fall to the crowd below reminiscent of the coming of the Holy Spirit like tongues of flame.

This beautiful custom takes place at the end of the Masses on Pentecost Sunday at St. John Cantius Church. Rose petals are dropped through the circular opening of the transept of the church during the recessional hymn, “Come Holy Ghost.” Some are surprised while others wait expectantly for the rose petals to fall.

Visit this awe-inspiring Church at their 12:30 PM Tridentine High Mass each Sunday of the year.
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Monday, November 2, 2015
St. John Cantius Displays Over 1,000 Relics for All Saints Day

For the 1st Class Feast of All Saints, St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago had on display over 1,000 relics of our heavenly brethren in the Church Triumphant.

Traditionally, November 5th is regarded as the Feast of the Sacred Relics.  As such, this is a worthy day to visit the relics near you and pray for the intercession of the heavenly host for us and for the repose of the souls of our departed friends and loved ones.







 


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Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Mass Offered for the Donors to the Shrine of Christ the King's Fire Restoration Fund

On Friday, October 23, 2015, Canon Matthew Talarico offered Mass for the intentions of all contributors to the Shrine's Fire Restoration Fund, the fund set up in the aftermath of the October 7 fire. As they state on their GoFundMe Page:
Your friendship and generosity have moved us more than words can express, and for which no material gift can repay. In gratitude, Holy Mass was offered for you and your intentions. 
The Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the priory, adjacent to the fire-ravaged Shrine of Christ the King. Although the priory was not damaged in the fire, it did sustain smoke and water damage that required extensive restorative cleaning. Earlier this week, the priests and candidates were allowed to return to the priory after the cleaning.  
A Mass will be offered weekly for the intentions of all donors. Your kindness and generosity will not be forgotten. Thank you again!
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Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Shrine of Christ the King: Post Fire Relics

Last week's devastating fire destroyed the entirety of the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago. The Shrine is my spiritual home, so I have personally felt the trial from this loss. Despite this great trial, there have been consolations.

Last Sunday a Solemn High Mass was said at the neighboring St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.  On display were a number of items salvaged from the fire-ravaged building.  The images of them are below.

Please say a prayer for the Shrine's priests, the Faithful who call the Shrine home, and the neighboring community.

Please consider making a donation to help this monumental rebuilding using the Shrine's Go Fund Me.




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Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Veneration of St. Maria Goretti's Relics: Pilgrimage of Grace

Last night I was privileged with the grace of venerating the sacred remains of St. Maria Goretti, the youngest canonized saint in the Church and the patron saint of young people.  St. Maria Goretti's story of forgiveness is powerful - consider how she forgave her attacker who brutally stabbed her and how she prayed for his soul.

Her attack, Alessandro Serenelli, would later while in prison receive a vision of St. Maria Goretti.  As eyewitnesses testify, his entire disposition afterwards was changed and he spent his remaining life in penance.  After spending nearly 30 years in prison, he was released and became a Third Order Franciscan and begged the mother of St. Maria for forgiveness.  Like her saintly daughter, the mother forgave the murderer of her own child, in imitation of the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Alessandro testified in favor of St. Maria Goretti's canonization.  It was the first time in Church history that the murdered did so.  It was also the first time that a saint's mother attended her daughter's canonization.  And in another first, it was at the time - in 1950 - the largest attended canonization in history with over 250,000 people in attendance.

Last night, at 7:30 PM a Pontifical Solemn High Mass was said by Bishop Joseph Perry, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.  The church of St. John Cantius was filled beyond capacity with crowds gathering outside and around the building.  More than 2,000 souls were present for the Mass and original estimates were for 20,000 to come to the parish to venerate her body during the 24 hours of public veneration.  The Mass was so well attended that Bishop Perry had to even perform a second consecration.

St. Maria Goretti, pray for us.  Pray for our world.  Pray for us to learn forgiveness.  Pray for us before the face of the Lord, who you now behold face to face.  You, O Holy Saint, chose to sacrifice your body to save your soul.  May we have the courage to do likewise in the face of adversity.

And may Alesssandro Serenelli, the repentant murderer, who lived the remainder of his life in penance and reparation, have received forgiveness he sought.  May he too be raised to the glory of sainthood and serve as a model for all of us sinners.

Learn if the body of St. Maria will be in your area by clicking here.





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Thursday, October 8, 2015
Shrine of Christ the King Vows to Rebuild

Yesterday a devastating fire destroyed much of my spiritual home, the Shrine of Christ the King.  This loss is especially profound as the Shrine has been under renovation since 2004 and was in its 3rd and final stage of restoration.

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21)

I ask for your prayers and support on behalf of the Shrine of Christ the King, a beautiful Shrine that has exclusively offered the Tridentine Latin Mass now for over a decade.  Please click here to donate to the Shrine of Christ the King - donations are very much needed at this time.
Hours after the last flames had been put out, a firefighter walked down the blackened steps of Shrine of Christ the King Church on Wednesday and handed over a statue covered in gold vestments and topped with a crown. 
The statue, known as the Divine Infant Jesus, was made in Spain in the 1700s. It was presented to the 92-year-old church in Woodlawn 10 years ago after the church was spared the wrecking ball and the parish began the long work of restoration.
Smudged but otherwise undamaged, the statue survived an extra-alarm fire overnight that was touched off by renovation work and severely damaged the roof and interior, according to fire officials. To the priests of the parish, it symbolized their intent to rebuild again. 
"The statue is the spiritual centerpiece of our shrine and its community, so people really spiritually identify with it," said the Rev. Matthew Talarico. 
"It's iconic to symbolize all the work and the mission that we do at the church," he said. "It's important that people see that this has been preserved from past years, and this is the first step on the journey forward and that Christ is still with us."
...
Inside the church, charred rubble covered the floor and water soaked the walls and pillars inside. Most of the roof was gone. 
But Talarico remained positive, emphasizing that the parish will still have Masses and carry on other services. 
"The message is that you need to have Good Friday before you can have Easter Sunday," Talarico said with a laugh. 
"We're not starting all over again. This is just another chapter. Our community is here, and we will continue to move forward step by step together. Sometimes circumstances like this bring people even closer together because that common goal really unites us in Christ and with each other. 
"We won't miss a beat," he said, noting that the church has escaped destruction before. 
Source: Chicago Tribune
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Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Shrine of Christ the King Heavily Damaged in Fire

It is still early to know the full extent of the damage but the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago, served by the Institute of Christ the King, where I personally attend Mass, has been destroyed by fire. The roof, according to firefighters, will collapse.  Thankfully no one was injured and the historic Infant of Prague state was saved.

Please pray for all involved and for Traditional Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago.


I'll share more as I know more.
The fire broke out around 6 a.m. and was raised to a 3-11 alarm, sending 150 firefighters to the scene along with extra equipment to fight the flames shooting through on the roof, Langford said. Part of the roof collapsed but crews tried to save the steeple, Langford said. Around 8 a.m., officials on the scene said the fire was under control and it was struck out shortly before 9 a.m. 
The fire appeared to be accidental, and Langford said officials were looking into whether it was related to the work being done inside. Officials said workers had been varnishing in the church Tuesday night.
Source for images and text: The Chicago Tribune 
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