My Lenten Missal

A few years ago the only other traditionalist(within the Church) in my extended family passed away.  Her funeral was my first Requiem Mass.  Afterwards, there were some old prayer books that no one else wanted so I took them.  One of these it turned out was a Lenten Missal.  It has an imprimatur of 1940 but I'm not sure when it was published.  The reflections are fantastic.  I bring it to the daily Ordinary Form of the Mass but usually neither the readings or the prayers match up with the new Mass.  So I'll usually read through it before or after Mass.  It made me realize how much better this little book was than those Lenten reflection booklets I see from time to time.  It also made me realize I would rather be at a TLM than the OF. 

So after I've had this book for this long, I realized that my great grandfather's name is on the inside cover.  He came over from Austria in 1903 and was a staunch Catholic.  My grandpa once told me a story he remembered from his youth that his father threw a couple of protestants up against the wall after they made some derogatory comments about his Catholic faith.  So at any rate, my great grandfather's missal is a treasure. I am reflecting on the same mysteries he did, using the same book.  Amazing!  I'm glad he passed the year before the Novus Ordo was implemented, as I think that would have been a hard pill to swallow. 

The photos are with my phone so they are not great.



And they just don't make them like this any more.  

The Sacrifice of the Mass
IS THE FOUNDATION OF CIVILIZATION
Unless persons, families and nations build upon it there is neither freedom, love nor peace.  
They who build upon other foundations are doomed to slavery, hatred and destruction.

6 comments:

JMyers said...

That is a treasure!! My grandparent still hold some of these fabulous treasures as well in which I hope I will be able to get my hands on at some point.

Perhaps you have a little Henry in the making... I have always loved that name, one of my great grandfathers was a Henry. :-)

Anonymous said...

Can you provide any information on the publisher? I'd like to pick one up from a used book seller. Thanks!

Badger Catholic said...

No I am not joking on this:

"Social Justice Publishing Co., Inc.
Royal Oak, Mich."

Explained by Rev. Joseph F. Stedman
Director of the Confraternity of the Precious Blood
5300 Ft. Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY

Nihil obstat. Arthur J. Scanlan, STD, Censor Liborum, December 18 1940
Imprimatur Francis J Spellman, DD, Archbishop of New York
Copyright 1941 by Confraternity of the Precious Blood.

Anonymous said...

I have my grandfathers Lenten Missal. I will cherish it forever. I read it on my lunch break. My grand parents were very devout Catholic's. I feel closer to them with this little book. A great read. It shows you how devoted people were back in the day this book was published. My treasure always.

Anonymous said...

I have my grandfathers Lenten Missal. I will cherish it forever. I read it on my lunch break. My grand parents were very devout Catholic's. I feel closer to them with this little book. A great read. It shows you how devoted people were back in the day this book was published. My treasure always.

Anonymous said...

I have my grandfathers Lenten Missal. I will cherish it forever. I read it on my lunch break. My grand parents were very devout Catholic's. I feel closer to them with this little book. A great read. It shows you how devoted people were back in the day this book was published. My treasure always.