Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
What a day – and it’s not quite over yet! If it wasn’t for to-do lists, I don’t know how I would function. Called the paper for non-delivery (again) – check. Breakfast and Lauds – check. Worked on Incident Report for the Firm – check. Meeting with Pastor – check. Worked on making Firm security guide “more avuncular” – check. […]
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An anonymous bishop once famously prescribed a remedy for many of the problems facing the modern Church with the words “less jabbering – more processions“. He was not wrong. In one sense, of course, processions form the structure of the entire liturgy: we begin with an entrance procession (introit), and there are processions for the Gospel, the offertory, and perhaps […]
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This year my parish continued its tradition of celebrating our Corpus Christi Masses on the high altar. This obviously means that rather than facing the congregation through much of the Mass, the priest is facing the same direction they are: towards the altar, toward the tabernacle, towards the Lord. This way of celebrating the Mass is called Ad Orientem, which […]
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Depending on what calendar you use (Ordinary Form or Extraordinary Form), and whether or not it is a Holy Day of Obligation in your diocese, today(or last Thursday) is (or was) the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Happy Corpus Christi! Whereas Holy Thursday is a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist, Corpus Christi is […]
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This weekend we’re having what we call a “churchy” weekend. In just a few hours, I’m heading over to the parish to run a morning training for new and transferring Altar Servers. After lunch, rehearsals for the Corpus Christi Mass and Procession begin. In the church today, we’re also hosting some youth pilgrims coming to the Holy Door, Adoration, Benediction, […]
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This coming Sunday my parish will participate in an outdoor Procession of the Blessed Sacrament following the Noon Mass. The Masses that weekend will be celebrated Ad Orientem. This will be the fourth year we’ve taken Jesus through the streets of Tacoma and amongst His people. If you are anywhere in the area, I hope you will consider joining us. […]
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If you live in western Washington, I invite you to join us for the Easter Vigil at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Tacoma. The Vigil will begin at 8:30 PM, but you’ll want to get there early. Featuring: A bonfire. A dark church and a thousand candles. Chant (in Latin AND English). Seven readings from the Old Testament […]
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The following is the Holy Week schedule for the parishes of Holy Rosary and Visitation in Tacoma. There’s a lot there. One thing to bear in mind is that the Holy Triduum is essentially one giant liturgy (with some serious overnight breaks) that begins with the Introit of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, continues through the […]
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This Wednesday evening at 8:00pm, our parish of Holy Rosary will celebrate a Tenebræ service. You are most welcome to join us. What is Tenebræ? The word itself is Latin for “shadows”. It is a Holy Week service tied to the prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours, being a concatenation of Matins and Lauds, anticipated the night before. In […]
» Read moreIf you live in the area, please join us as we celebrate Vespers every Sunday during Lent at 6:00pm at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Tacoma. Sunday Schedule for Lent: Mass: Noon to 1:15 PM Adoration: 1:15 PM to 6:00 PM Vespers: 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM
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This past weekend has been what we at Pistachio House sometimes refer to as a “churchy weekend”: three Masses and chanted Vespers. The first of these was a new experience for us. At 6:30 on Saturday morning, we attended an Extraordinary Form Rorate Mass at Saint Joseph. This is a votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin celebrated in Advent. Since […]
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Pope Francis opened the Holy Doors at Saint Peter’s Basilica, officially beginning the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. On December 13, the Third Sunday of Advent, Father Nicholas Wichert will open Tacoma’s Holy Doors. Perhaps I should explain. Normally for a Jubilee, the Holy Doors of all four […]
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Today, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, Pope Francis unsealed the Holy Doors at Saint Peter’s Basilica, officially beginning the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. On this coming Third Sunday of Advent, all across the world, cathedrals, basilicas, and shrines in every diocese will bless and open their own Holy Doors. Archbishop Sartain has designated a […]
» Read moreFor the Sundays of Advent, my parish of Holy Rosary in Tacoma has been chanting Vespers. It has been glorious! If you have not yet come to Vespers, I encourage you to do so. Here is the schedule for the rest of Advent: December 6: Solemn Vespers December 13: Simple Vespers December 20: Solemn Vespers We are celebrating according to […]
» Read moreThe other day, I attended two Masses for All Souls. I served at the first, an Ordinary Form (English language) school Mass at Holy Rosary at nine o’clock in the morning. The second was an Extraordinary Form Missa Cantata at Saint Joseph in the evening. In each form of the rite, the priest is allowed to celebrate three Masses for […]
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If we believe that God created the world and us in it, if we believe that He did so out of an overflowing of divine love, if we believe that we were created that we might return that love to God and to His creation, then these facts should inform everything we do. Most especially, it should permeate how we […]
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Back in high school, a group of us did an extensive report on the events of this day for my freshman history class. We had flip chart maps, reenactments, and gave three separate papers. For on this day in 1571, the naval forces of a Holy League, consisting of several maritime Catholic countries, met the main Ottoman fleet at the […]
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