Candlemas photos from La Crosse

More photos from Milwaukee May Crowning

Thanks to Anne at Imprisoned in my Bones for tipping us to some great photos.

See the whole set at Roses for Our Lady

Trappists monks

This picture is actually from Valley Falls, Rhode Island.  Not sure why Wisconsin has it in their archives.  By the way, I tried searching surrounding states for archive photos of Catholic interest and their historical societies are vastly inferior to Wisconsin's.  They have a great magazine if you want to consider joining. 
Wisconsin Historical Society

Photos: Cardinal Burke ordains new ICKSP deacons

Cardinal Burke, the great champion of traditional liturgy, has ordained three new deacons for the Institute of Christ the King at their seminary near Florence on 30 January 2011. On the day before, the Cardinal had led their annual pilgrimage to Treviso, where the heart of St. Francis de Sales, Patron of the Institute, is venerated. Here are some images of both occasions.

And this last one is particularly interesting.  It reminds me of that old Latin phrase; Go Pack Go!

many more at New Liturgical Movement

Sts Peter & Paul Church, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Their renovation is now complete.  I don't really know the details but they have some nice photos detailing the work. 

Before(Easter 2010):

After(February 2011):

For more photos check out SS Peter & Paul website

Cardinal Bukre in St Louis

January 8, at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis run by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.  Also below from New Liturgical Movement

Photos of Cardinal Burke in St. Louis

Photos removed due to copyright infringement.

The photos can be found at St. Louis Catholic blog

Air Maria: Cardinal Burke celebrates Pontifical TLM in Italy

On Sunday, December 26th, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke offered a Pontifical Solemn High Mass at the Seminary of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in Rome. The Mass was offered in honor of Fr. Stefano Maria Manelli, being his patronal feast day, and in thanksgiving for the elevation of His Eminence to the Cardinalate. The Mass was sung by the combined choirs of the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate from various convents of the F.I. in Italy, and was conducted by Sr. Maria Cecilia Manelli and Fr. Giovanni Maria Manelli – resulting in an outstanding example of the magnificence the Mass is meant to have. The Friars and Sisters also had the honor of hosting His Excellency Bishop Gino Reali of the local diocese of Porto-Santa Rufino, Rome.

In his homily, Cardinal Burke focused on the need for beauty and splendor in the sacred liturgy, echoing what His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the letter accompanying his Moto Proprio “Summorum Pontificum:” “It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were ‘two Rites’.  Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.” And “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.  It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place…”

more photos at Air Maria

Cardinal Burke has never celebrated the Traditional Mass in La Crosse, not even at the Shrine where it is celebrated weekly.  Of course I don't know that we have the manpower to handle something of that magnitude, but there are others that could help us in that regard(I'm looking at you ICKSP Wausau and Cashton).  ;-)

HT Father Z

Scenes from Christmas at Spring Bank

More great photos at Sub Tuum

Merry Christmas from the Carmelites

The Sisters of Carmel support themselves with an online store.  I bought a (traditional) Liturgical Calendar from them last year.  I think I might get a new brown scapular from them among a few other things.   Yes, these sisters are all the way out in Colorado Springs, CO but they've got some prayer power, methinks. 

As is our custom, we are having three Masses offered for the families, friends, benefactors and loyal web site customers of our Carmel, living and deceased. These will be offered December 23rd and 24th, ending with the High Mass of Christmas Day.

Okay, one more photo:

Sisters chanting Salve Regina

Pope looking to get his bling on

The Change of the Coat-of-Arms

Many have already noted an interesting change made the other day in the Pope's coat-of-arms, without any official announcement.

In keeping with e tradition which goes back to Pope Paul VI and expecially Pope John Paul I, who wished to downplay the "regal" aspects of the Petrine office and emphasize instead the "episcopal" aspect of the role of the Bishop of Rome, Benedict began his pontificate with a coat-of-arms which did not include the triple crown, the papal tiara, but rather displayed the bishop's mitre.

On Sunday, the cloth unfurled under his window in the Apostolic Palace as he prayed the Angelus contained the tiara.

The actual crown itself, the Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, the Triregnum or the Triregno, is the three-tiered papal crown worn by Popes from Pope Clement V up to and including Pope Paul VI, who was crowned in 1963.
The crown has not been worn by any of Pope Paul's successors, but it has not been abolished and it remains the symbol of the papacy and the Holy See, featured in the coat-of-arms of the Vatican and on many papal coats-of-arms.

What does it mean that the Pope seems to have decided to restore the tiara? But, are we even sure he has been informed? No one seems to know. I'll try to get the answer in coming days.

Deacon John

HT: LC

Photos from Fr Z's trip to Madison WI

Father Z has some very nice pictures over at his site from his recent trip to Madison.

Perhaps you had heard that a few years ago the Cathedral of Madison burned down.  Bp. Morlino told me that no one would let him into the wreckage to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament.  The Bishop found some Catholic firefighters who rescued the Lord from the ruins.  It was enshrined in painting.

It seems to me that the image of lay people, indeed a type of warrior/guardian helping the main priest in an effort to rescue the Blessed Sacrament, the source and summit of our Catholic identity, from a burning ruin is a way of understanding what Bp. Morlino is facing in his mandate as Bishop of Madison, arguably one of the most liberal regions in the USA.

I got a sense of the spirit of the community of priests who have the HQ in Sauk City, about 30 minutes away from Madison.  These are happy and hard working guys with a whole cluster of churches to mind.  Also, they are taking care of each other as well.  One of their group has been suffering terribly from leukemia and everyone is on deck.  They are prayerful, charitable, with great humor, theologically and liturgically sound.

Also St. Norbert's where Verso lAlto and I have attended Mass.  Beautiful church, religious order, and community.

Many, more check out the rest. 

WDTPRS

Guadalupe Shrine: Transitus Photos

I posted some photos on Flickr of The Transitus of St Francis ritual at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse.  The Friars of the Immaculate presided.  The Transitus is a commemoration of the passing of St. Francis with Vespers(St Francis died during vespers the evening of  the third of  October 1226), reading of St. Bonaventure's account of the death of St Francis and veneration of a Franciscan relic.  Franciscan Bishop Callahan was not in attendance, but the Franciscan Martyrs of St George and one other unidentified Franciscan order made the pilgrimage.  It was well attended, I think maybe around 200 people.  I believe Fr. Rocky was hearing confessions through the duration of the event, as all three friars participated in the ceremony itself.

Friar Joseph reading the account of the death of St. Francis

Fr. Peter Damien Fehlner giving the sermon

Sr Seraphica, FSGM venerating the relic

I have a bunch more photos but I figure most of y'all don't have time to scroll through a hundo.

St Mary's Church, Dubuque, IA - Statues, chalices, etc. being sold

The denouement of St. Mary's begins today.

Parish representatives from around the Archdiocese of Dubuque and other dioceses in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin have been invited to tour the church today to pick out statues, chalices, banners, crucifixes and other items that can be used in their own churches.  [I think we should just start collecting all of this artwork and create a Reform of the Reform Church somewhere.  The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.]

"We hope the Mass and liturgical items will find new homes in area parishes," said Monsignor Tom Toale, vicar general for the archdiocese. The items will be sold with the money going to pay off the parish's outstanding debt. Eventually, the public will be able to purchase items from the church.

"I'm speechless. It breaks my heart. I don't even know how to process the idea," that the church's religious components are being removed and parceled out to other churches, said Candice Chaloupka, former member of St. Mary's and co-author of the historical and pictorial book, "St. Mary's: The Finest Church West of the Mississippi." [I'd like to get my hands on that book]

Earlier this year, at the urging of a group working to keep St. Mary's open, the archdiocese contacted the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to take over St. Mary's and keep it open. The group, which has preserved other historical American churches as Catholic shrines, "was not able or interested to do so at this time," Toale said.  [Tragic]

Telegraph Herald

I'm sure by "sold" they mean "in exchange for free will donations" on the items of which have been consecrated to God.
Arts leader has vision for St. Mary's


Details on St. Mary's closure

Sad that we have to watch this before our eyes.  Here's some photos that were hard to come by.

Don't worry, the recently built Resurrection Church in Dubuque will be just as beautiful, riiiight??

Adoration Chapel in La Crosse

As Fr. Klos mentioned, another great opportunity to Adore our Lord in La Crosse is at the FSPA's Mary Queen of Angels Chapel.  The chapel isn't open to the public per se but you can get permission to go in and pray with the sisters if you become a prayer partner. 

Since 1878, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have been praying nonstop longer than anyone in the United States.

The practice began after Mother Antonia Herb, then leader of the congregation, made several requests to the local bishop for permission to begin perpetual adoration. Concerned it would impose too great a burden on the sisters, he refused.

Determined to establish perpetual adoration, the sisters tried it out, praying two at a time for two hours. They demonstrated they could do it, and on August 1, 1878, at 11 a.m., the congregation—then called the Sisters of St. Francis—began praying around the clock and soon thereafter became the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

Two people have prayed before the Blessed Sacrament ever since. In recent years, members of FSPA's lay community have joined in the vigil, and the congregation today has more than 120 prayer partners.

Some photos of the main church(Credit Peter Sieger @ Flickr):

Here are a few photos of the Adoration Chapel:

Not bad, eh?

It's amazing that an order that has adored our Lord for 130 years nonstop could fall so far with some of their work, like the Reiki training.  It seems some of the sisters forgot the Man to whom they are wed.