Restoring beauty to the Mass, in Latin and English

Bishop Paprocki

A couple of years ago, Bishop Paprocki of the Diocese of Illinois said to Raymond Arroyo of EWTN, and reported by the National Catholic Register, regarding Latin Mass goers, “I would say the people in those communities, I find them to be very sincere . . . and they love the Lord, they love the Church, they love the Eucharist.”

With Peter’s Chair currently vacant and a new pope coming our way soon, those words .ay have renewed significance, as the matter of the Traditional Latin Mass and its status within the Holy Catholic Church is likely once again to come to the fore.

Not to speak ill of the dead (a useful preface to the words of one wishing to speak ill of the dead), our late pope truly had it in for worshipers who preferred the Tridentine (Latin) Mass to the modern Novus Ordo Mass. Under Francis’s reign, the treatment of them was particularly shabby. Your Tatler knows from whence he speaks, belonging as he does to a Latin Mass group which has been bouncing around church after church in the Diocese of Santa Fe, unable to find a home, and looked upon with askance by our archbishop. 

While the pope’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, loosened the strictures concerning the celebration of TLM, Francis reversed them and added even more.

***

Changing the subject somewhat, this TLM enthusiast, unlike many of his colleagues, is somewhat the pragmatist, believing if there is to be a mass celebrated in English, it ought to be beautiful English, but using as its base the Traditional Latin Mass, not Novus Ordo, which strips away the beauty, majesty, and mystery of what happens in the sanctuary. It has long been a Tatler fantasy translators of the Mass into English would use as their source the old Anglican Book of Common Prayer, largely written by the Catholic-turned-heretic Thomas Cranmer, who nonetheless possessed a consumate command of the English. Read, for example, the excerpt below from the Prayer Book of the Invocation (taken from your former Episcopalian Tatler’s BCP).

Nowhere in Novus Ordo will one find anything remotely as elegant but clearly written as Cranmer’s work. Give the devil his due and steal it back from that heretical ex-Catholic genius. Do the considerable alterations necessary so it conforms to Catholic teachings and make it ours.

Continue reading “Restoring beauty to the Mass, in Latin and English”

No wonder the left loves this guy

From Not the Bee:

Man, it’s one thing to wear your “fatigues” or whatever for a photoshoot or when addressing the country from your “bunker” or whatever.

But Ukrainian President Zelensky dressing like a slob ALL OF THE TIME is getting a little bit old.

Indeed, but he’s the darling of the left-wing elite, both here and abroad, for disrespecting President Trump. Plus, he dresses and behaves like a sullen adolescent, thus can do no wrong with the perpetual ’60s radicals, no matter how tiresome he may seem to the rest of us.

Shostakovich Cello Concertos fall flat

Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos, Yo-Yo Ma, Andres Nelsons, Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Generally, your Tatler is partial to the music of Shostakovich, but his two cello concertos, heard by him for the first time in this recording, left him cold. Although well played and engineered, aside from a few pretty measures here and there, these two works are truly dull, downright boring.

Reading the entertaining liner notes for this release provides a possible explanation for the uninspired compositions. It seems that Shostakovich intended both works for his good friend Mstisilav Rostropovich and that the legendary cellist was with him a good deal of the time he was composing them. According to Maxim Shostakovich, the composer’s son, those sessions were frequently “lubricated with vodka.” This occasional musician can attest that alcohol does not always bring forth the highest artistry in a person, often quite the opposite. Your Tatler believes that may have been the case with these works.

Shostakovich Cello Concertos fall flat

Shostakovich: Cello Concertos, Yo-Yo Ma, Andres Nelson’s, Boston Symphony Orchestra

Generally, this reviewer is partial to the music of Shostakovich. The composer’s two cello concertos, however, heard by for the first time by me, in this well-recorded, well-played release, left me cold. Aside from a few pretty measures here and there, this is some of the dullest music ever heard by your Tatler.

The entertaining liner notes give a possible explanation why these pieces fail to move. The composer’s son Maxim relates his father wrote both concertos for his friend, the legendary Mstisilav Rostropovich, who was at hand during during most of composing of the works, and that when the two chums were together their conversations were “often lubricated by vodka.” Alcohol does not always bring out the best in one’s artistry, at least not in the case of this occasional  musician’s experience.

Restoring beauty to the Mass, in Latin and English

Bishop Paprocki

A couple of years ago, Bishop Paprocki of the Diocese of Illinois said to Raymond Arroyo of EWTN, and reported by the National Catholic Register, regarding Latin Mass goers, “I would say the people in those communities, I find them to be very sincere . . . and they love the Lord, they love the Church, they love the Eucharist.”

With Peter’s Chair currently vacant and a new pope coming our way soon, those words .ay have renewed significance, as the matter of the Traditional Latin Mass and its status within the Holy Catholic Church is likely once again to come to the fore.

Not to speak ill of the dead (a useful preface to the words of one wishing to speak ill of the dead), our late pope truly had it in for worshipers who preferred the Tridentine (Latin) Mass to the modern Novus Ordo Mass. Under Francis’s reign, the treatment of them was particularly shabby. Your Tatler knows from whence he speaks, belonging as he does to a Latin Mass group which has been bouncing around church after church in the Diocese of Santa Fe, unable to find a home, and looked upon with askance by our archbishop. 

While the pope’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, loosened the strictures concerning the celebration of TLM, Francis reversed them and added even more.

***

Changing the subject somewhat, this TLM enthusiast, unlike many of his colleagues, is somewhat the pragmatist, believing if there is to be a mass celebrated in English, it ought to be beautiful English, but using as its base the Traditional Latin Mass, not Novus Ordo, which strips away the beauty, majesty, and mystery of what happens in the sanctuary. It has long been a Tatler fantasy translators of the Mass into English would use as their source the old Anglican Book of Common Prayer, largely written by the Catholic-turned-heretic Thomas Cranmer, who nonetheless possessed a consumate command of the English. Read, for example, the excerpt below from the Prayer Book of the Invocation (taken from your former Episcopalian Tatler’s BCP).

Nowhere in Novus Ordo will one find anything remotely as elegant but clearly written as Cranmer’s work. Give the devil his due and steal it back from that heretical ex-Catholic genius. Do the considerable alterations necessary so it conforms to Catholic teachings and make it ours.

My parish church

San Francisco de Asis Mission Church, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico

(Photos taken from various internet sources)

There are many historic churches in New Mexico dating back to when the state was a viceroyalty of New Spain. San Francisco de Asis Mission Church is a standout among them, a splendid example of Spanish Colonial architecture.

Erected between 1772 and 1816, the church has seen continual use to this day. It is largely unchanged, save for diktats coming out of the Second Vatican Counsel, “reforms” requiring inter alia freestanding altars, removal of altar rails, and of course the dumbing-down of the mass and it being said in the vernacular.

Those dubious reforms aside, the church is in fine repair and well-cared for.  Like the other Catholic churches in Taos, there is no organ, which probably owes to the difficulty of porting those instruments two-centuries ago through the wilds of the Wild West, thus setting a precedent which continues. The music of the mass, as with so many Catholic churches, is awful, and there is no early mass anymore (banned by our ethically challenged archbishop), where one could escape it.

Complaints aside, San Francisco de Asís is a wonderful, holy place in which to pray and worship our Lord.

My parish church

San Francisco de Asis Mission Church, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico

There are many historic churches in New Mexico, which date back to the days when the state was a viceroyalty of Spain. San Francisco de Asis Mission Church is a standout among these churches, a gorgeous example of Spanish colonial architecture.

Erected between 1772 and 1816, it San Francisco has seen continuous use to the present. The church is largely unchanged, save for dictats stemming from post-counciliar, Vatican 2, “reforms,” requiring the freestanding altar, the removal of the communion rail, and of course the dumbing-down of the mass and use of the vernacular.

Those two dubious reforms aside, the church is in fine repair and well-cared for.  Although, like the other Catholic churches in Taos, there is no organ, which probably owes to the difficulty of porting the instruments  200 or more years ago, thus establishing a president. The music of the mass, as with most Catholic churches, is awful, and there is no early mass anymore (banned by our ethically challenged archbishop), where one could escape it.

Complaints aside, San Francisco de Asís is a wonderful, holy place in which to pray and worship our Lord.

A politician speaks his mind, rather than adhere to the mainstream zeitgeist

From the NY Post: “Southern California mayor says he wants to ‘purge’ homeless population by giving them ‘all the fentanyl they want'” He continues,

“I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that were let out of the prisons that have now become 40 to 45% of what’s referred to as the homeless population,” Parris told the outlet.

“They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders,” he added, without offering proof or data to support his claims. “There’s nothing that we can do for these people.”

Though the proposal of Mayor R. Rex Parris strikes your Tatler as more of an attention getter than anything else, it comes as no surprise his comments have caused a wee bit of upset among the usual suspects, who have labeled his comments as “cold” and much worse.

Mayor Parris will face a barrage of criticism for his remarks, but he should stick to his guns, as it is becoming more and more obvious to the majority in this country, most defenders of criminals, druggies and illegal aliens are members of the monied class, especially those in the entertainment industry and in Hollywood particularly. Their tortured rationalizations for deplorable behavior increasingly falls on the deaf ears of normal people, i.e., those who elected Donald Trump president.