Overheard in the Sacristy

Significant liturgical news at St. Peter’s Basilica via Rorate Caeli and Rinascimento Sacro:

A new altar, with a traditional format, has been photographed in the place of the anvil-like iron structure which had been used as an altar under the Cathedra of Saint Peter, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, since the time of the destruction of the Traditional altar (cf. our post “Liturgical Renewal at Saint Peter’s: How does an altar disappear?”).

The new altar is still a freestanding structure, but it is an improvement. However, when will the Traditional altar be put back in its place? Its destruction remains one of the most symbolic acts of the entire “liturgical renewal” and is a stain in the record of the Wojtyla pontificate.

Woman hears call to priesthood

But in Catholic Church, price is excommunication

By Margaret Ramirez | Tribune reporter

On the window ledge of her Edgewater apartment, where she prays, Barbara Zeman keeps a cross, a pile of sacred books and a small, plush black sheep. Zeman said the sheep is a symbol of women’s exclusion from priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

But Zeman and others are fighting to change their black-sheep status by taking the bold step of ordaining themselves.

On Saturday, an activist group hoping to pressure the church into dropping the ban on women’s ordination will hold a ceremony at a Protestant church where they will declare Zeman a Catholic priest. The Vatican has warned that participants in such ordinations are automatically excommunicated.

“I am disobeying an unjust law. I am following my conscience, and I am obeying God’s call,” said Zeman, 60, who also is studying to become a hospital chaplain. “I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing this for the generations of women to come, because I don’t want those women to have the fight that I’ve had.” [...]

Right after Vatican II in the mid-sixties, heretics were denying every Catholic dogma from the divinity of Christ to the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The watering down of Christ as God and to an emphasis on Christ as “our brother,” has set off a new burst of Arianism.

Fr. (sic) Peter Dresser, of Bathurst, Australia, has recently published a book in which he proclaims: “No human being can ever be God, and Jesus was a human being. It is as simple as that.” That statement is outright heresy; it denies the dogmatic teaching that Christ has two natures, of God and of man. Dresser specifically denies the First Ecumenical Council of the Church of Nicea in 325 in which the Church rejected the Arian heresy and expressed the dogmatic teaching on the nature of Christ, in what today we call the “Nicene Creed,” the Creed that is recited on Sundays at Mass.

The Arian heresy, which essentially denied the divinity of Christ, infected the Church in the fourth century, carrying away with it most of the bishops. Millions of Catholics were led astray, including four out of five bishops and two out of three priests. Patristic scholar, Fr. William Juergens, estimated that by the end of the fourth century, “the number of Catholic bishops in possession of sees, as opposed to Arian bishops in possession of sees, was no greater than something between 1 per cent and 3 per cent of the total.” He concludes: “Had doctrine been determined by popularity, today we should all be deniers of Christ and opponents of the Spirit.” Yet, this was the period when the crisis of the Church brought forth great saints: Basil, Athanasius, Martin of Tours, Augustine.

Dresser goes on to deny three other Catholic dogmas, stating that Mary had as many as six children, that Joseph was the biological father of Christ, and that the resurrection of the body is not to be taken literally.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. And power was given him over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation. And all that dwell upon the earth adored him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, which was slain from the beginning of the world. — Apocalypse 13:7-8

And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies: and power was given to him to do two and forty months. – Apocalypse 13:5

And he shall make all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have a character in their right hand, or on their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. — Apocalypse 13:16-17

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” – Douay-Rheims

A combination of pictures shows a gust of wind carrying away the skull cap of Pope Benedict XVI during his general audience in Saint Peter’s square at the Vatican October 29, 2008. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito (ITALY)

When the Good Pope Blessed John XXII convened the Second Vatican Council he had no idea that the modernist Spirit of Vatican II would hijack the Council’s efforts.

In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI prays in front of the tomb of Pope John XXIII at the end of a mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, to mark the 50th anniversary of his election. (AP Photo/Osservatore Romano, HO)

In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI hugs a child at the end of a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, to mark the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII election. (AP Photo/Osservatore Romano, HO)

Bishop Olmsted’s booklet on Catholic civics reaches more than 100,000

Dallas, Oct 25, 2008 / 09:03 am (CNA).- Bishop of Phoenix Thomas Olmsted’s pocket-sized book Catholics in the Public Square, which examines political issues from a Catholic perspective, has entered its second printing, Basilica Press announced on Friday. Copies of the book have been distributed to 107,500 Catholics in the Diocese of Phoenix and the Diocese of Gallup, in addition to another 100,000 copies which were distributed in 2006.

In his book Bishop Olmsted discusses how Catholics can influence the nation and the political process in the light of their Catholic faith. New topics in the booklet include the responsibilities of Catholic institutions, the responsibilities of Catholic businessmen, and immigration concerns.

The bishop writes of “non-negotiable” political issues for Catholics, such as abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem cell research and euthanasia.

Abortion and marriage are particularly topical issues in this year’s election. Arizona, California, and Florida, for instance, all have ballot measures to ensure their constitutions define marriage as a union of a man and a woman.

In Arizona, internal polling by marriage proponents reports that Catholics in the Public Square is increasing support for the protection of marriage.

Bishop Olmsted described his reasons for re-releasing the book, saying:

“Not to act when our neighbor’s life or the foundation of the family is at stake, as in the case of not attempting to protect unborn children threatened by abortion or to protect the institution of marriage, is a particularly grave scandal of omission. Jesus said, ‘Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur’” (Lk 17:1).

Catholics in the Public Square can be purchased from Basilica Press at 800-933-9398. It retails for $4.95, with bulk discounts available.

It’s good to see that I was not the only with the passionate Sanctity of Marriage and Human Life message from the pulpit this weekend!

Opinion: Pulpits Are Thundering for Life As Election Day Nears

By Randy Sly |Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Doug Kmeic and others can say what they want. Many pulpits in America are thundering the real truth – as Catholics we must stand for life when we vote.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) – Sunday our pastor finished his homily to the sound of applause from the congregation gathered. It didn’t just happen in one Mass, either. Basically, Father William Saunders just preached the truth and presented the clear teaching of the Church concerning the issues of life and the issues of the election. Some were uneasy, I’m sure; but the truth had been proclaimed and the enthusiasm was electric. He had touched a major chord in our hearts.

Standing on the shoulders of so many courageous Catholics across the centuries, we, as the Church, are called to stand for the truth and represent the faith that we are called to affirm when we exercise our citizenship. We are challenged to stand for life.Frankly, I am weary to the point of disgust with all the finger pointing currently taking place, that so-and-so is not standing strong enough for truth. Accusations concerning perceived sins of omission are easy to pontificate.

Could we be doing more? Absolutely! I know of no one who can say that they are doing all that could be done to affirm the stand for life in this election. Certainly some a more bold, while others appear timid or silent. There are even some whose actions may cause some to turn away from our message of life.Could more bishops and other clergy speak up about these issues with greater courage and fortitude? Certainly! Would that every one of their voices proclaimed it from the housetops. Nothing breeds hope in the heart like a courageous message from our diocesan and parish leaders. [...]

This evening the priests, deacons, and seminarians were guests of Encuentro Matrimonial of the Diocese of Phoenix. We were greeted with Mariachis, and a nice dinner. The ministry went to great lengths in providing an enjoyable evening of music, prayer, and thanks. The highlight of the evening was having the invited priests play musical chairs. Hilarious!