LENTCAzT 2025 – 37: Thursday in Passiontide – The counterpart to the Prodigal Son

Posted on 10 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Roman Station is Sant’Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine close to the famed P.za Navona. Last year we heard from Pope Benedict XVI about St. Benedict on his feast. This year Fr. Troadec brings alive the Gospel of the Mass in the Vetus Ordo: St. Mary Magdalen washes Christ’s feet with her tears.

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ROME 25/4– Day 1: bumpy streets

Posted on 9 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today the sun rose over Rome at 06:37, shortly before my arrival, and it will set at 19:47.

The Ave Maria Bell ought to ring at 20:00.

Happy feast of St. Liborius.

Passport check went alright, quickly.   As it turns out, the fellow sitting next to me on the plane saw I was posting to this blog.  He works for a Catholic information entity and he recognized it.

Taxi, right away.  Nice driver.  We had a good chat coming in.

Things went smoothly.  However, had I arrived later in the day…

And there is a national railway strike coming up.

So, Roman streets are bumpy, what can I say.

Again, from a moving cab. The side of the Church of San Nicola in carcere, built into an ancient temple.  Though the cab window.

Time for some breakfast.

They didn’t have any of my preferred simple cornetti, so I got one with some pistachio cream.

Here’s the visual jasmine report (and I don’t mean the Jesuit).

WORK has started in The Parish™!  I didn’t think it would start until long after Easter.   This restricts the use of the nave, but it will be worth it.  I’ve seen some photos of what is being uncovered as years… lots of years… of smoke, etc., is being gently removed.   No one is better at this than Italians.

Back in the Campo again…

Tonight for supper I had due spaghetti and a little roulade of chicken and prosciutto, rosemary and veal filling accompanied by a lovely “bio” Chianti with no additives. The artichokes are in, but I’ll probably go to one of my favorite restos for those.   Rosina near The Parish™ does an incomparable job.  And right now FAVE (“fá-vey”)!  Raw fave, fave beans, out of the pods with pecorino and cold white wine… heaven.   And there’s fave in tegame!   So many options.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll have liver and with fave and that nice Chianti.

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 36: Wednesday in Passiontide – Two camps

Posted on 9 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today’s Roman Station is San Marcello.

Fr. Troadec talks about Jesus’ divinity claims. The world is divided in two camps.

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EXACTLY! “Don’t repeat our mistakes!”

Posted on 8 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It’s so obvious. But they keep doing the same thing, incessantly, thinking there will be a different result.

Otherwise… they’ve gotten the result they wanted all along.

Posted in I'm just askin'..., Our Catholic Identity, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices |
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ROME 25/4– Day 0: Burgers and bagels and bishops. My view for awhile.

Posted on 8 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

6:39 and 19:46.

Those are the times for the Roman sunrise and sunset.

The Ave Maria Bell is in the 20:00 cycle.

I am not in Rome.  I’m in New York, but I am about to head to the airport for my flight to FCO.

Thus, today is my zeroth day in Rome.

I’m praying for a smooth flight.  I will for sure say prayers for my Roman Donors.  How grateful I am to you.

Yesterday evening we (clerics) went for some supper…

The burger was good, but I had to disassemble and construct it. Cooks… please… make sandwiches which can be eaten?

Last night we stayed up way too late talking. Then I played a few games of chess with one of them… way too late.

My little travel set which I have written about.  HERE  Super compact, but easy to play on.

This morning a bagel with lox. Yes.

And now I have to finish some packing.

UPDATE

In the lounge

There were not long lines, at first, but it seemed to take forever to get to the check in counter and through security.   It’s as if everyone is moving in slow motion.   So, the lines behind me got longer and longer.  Strange.

Anyway, I met a Nigerian priest in the lounge who is heading to Rome on the same flight.   We chatted for a while.  Turns out we know some of the same people.

I hope the wi-fi on the plane works this time.  It didn’t last time.  I’d really like to get some sleep, however, since I get into FCO really early in the morning.  That makes for long hard first day.

Closed doors. But we are being delayed because one dope after another keeps standing up.

Okay… we seem to be moving.

Later.

UPDATE

Almost there.

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 35: Tuesday in Passiontide – Self-sacrifice

Posted on 8 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today’s Roman Station is Santa Maria in Via Lata, where Paul was imprisoned.

Fr. Troadec talks about Jesus choosing self-sacrifice.

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Yes… Communion rails are returning and it isn’t going to be stopped…

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today I received a text from a priest friend who sent photos of the brand new COMMUNION RAIL which they just installed in the “old church”. This one these places where they built a new church but kept the old building as a chapel. The rail had been removed in the bad old days. He found a local woodworker and the project was paid for in one weekend.

The Whatever High Atop The Thing™ is so out of touch with what the people in the pews want.

Anyway, we have seen panicked reactions in places like New York and Chicago, et al., about the horror of returning to kneeling for Communion.  “How backwardist of those troglodytes!   They must be forced to walk-together… in lock-step!”

Today I saw at National Catholic Register a piece by Joseph Pronechen, about the return of Communion rails. HERE

Furthermore, TWHATT™ will never succeed in crushing out the Traditional Latin Mass.   Why?  Because that means crushing out the people who want it.  They are the true target.  But the people who want it are believers.

Communion Rails Return as Churches Embrace Beauty and Reverence
A growing number of Catholic parishes in the U.S. are restoring altar rails, renewing reverence and transforming the faithful’s experience of the Holy Eucharist.

Every Sunday at St. Anne Church in Richmond Hill, Georgia, the Hilleary family — mother Michelle, father Brian and five children — receives Communion at the altar rail.

“It creates a more sacred space. And it draws your attention to the sacred,” Michelle Hilleary told the Register.

“It sets apart the sanctuary,” observed her 15-year-old daughter, Malia.

That wasn’t always the case.

When St. Anne’s was built in 2016, there was no Communion rail. Today, a redwood altar rail — installed in July 2024 — now surrounds the sanctuary.

[…]

Father Kwiatkowski recounted that the former pastor had placed one kneeler in front of the sanctuary. Father Kwiatkowski added a second kneeler to enable a more reverent reception. Then one family offered $50,000 toward an altar railing if he could raise the remainder of the money needed to complete the project. “Within a week, I found the rest of the sponsors,” he said, explaining that parishioners supported the addition of the altar railing costing a total of $90,000.

[…]

For weeks before each Sunday Mass, he explained to parishioners how to use the altar rail, depending on people’s choice of how to receive Communion, and he posted these explanations on the parish website.

So far, he has found that “about 90% of the people will kneel to receive Communion. Even if they are receiving on the hand, they will still kneel and use the altar railing.” Naturally, those unable to kneel will stand.

[…]

In Springfield, Virginia, St. Raymond of Penafort Catholic Church was completed in 2006 — without altar rails. 

[…]

Father De Celles has found that “about 80%-90% of the people kneel.” Most who don’t kneel “tend to do so because they physically have a hard time kneeling and standing back up, or because they are visiting the parish.”

[…]

There’s more.  It’s a very good article.

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I have a bad feeling about this… POLL

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Just because something can be done, doesn’t mean that it should be done.

This seems… hubristic and promethean to me.

At first I thought it was a gag.   I guess it isn’t.

Jurassic Park, anyone?

Pick your best answer. You can comment if you are registered and approved here. ANYONE can vite.

Bringing back long extinct species...

View Results

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Daily Rome Shot 1288

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At The Parish™, where I will be the day after tomorrow.  Photo from The World’s Best Sacristan™.

Meanwhile…

Kneeling to receive? How backwardist!

And, from yesterday…

In chessy news…

White mates in 2. Set a timer… you have 60 seconds.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 34: Monday in Passiontide – How much should we care about the Roman Church?

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today the Roman Station is at San Crisogono. Bl. Ildefonso Schuster speaks about the prayers of the Mass.

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My View For Awhile – north bound

Posted on 6 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The morning started early to make time for chores after Mass. No stream today. The drive to the airport was smooth. I practically walked through check in and the checkpoint. I only was blocked at the door of the lounge.

I find it deeply gratifying to receive that text that my bag has been loaded on the plane which I will be on.

Meanwhile the boarding process has been… interesting. One family – parents 20s with a toddler and and infant twins, all masked up – took several minutes to deal with boarding passes. Then they brought a child seat and a stroller onto the plane. The resulting chaos with trying to put the child seat in the aisle seat and then trying to get over it to the inner seat, and out back out, dismantling everything and then getting the stroller jammed…. get the picture? Of course the baby was crying. Eventually the aft-facing baby seat went to the window seat. DUH. It took them about 15 minutes of our boarding time to get them seated.

ugh

A couple hours of this and I’ll be free.

UPDATE:

I managed to slip out of the plane before the abovementioned family started their three ring circus.   Luggage took longer than it ought have, but it came and I coordinated perfectly with my ride.   This was a smooth as one could expect.

On the way into Brooklyn from the airport there were banks and banks of daffodils, perhaps my very favoritest flower.

It doesn’t take much to please me.

Watch this space for photos of Chinese food.

UPDATE:

As promised.

Soup dumplings.  Always good.  Always a little dangerous.

Cumin Lamb.

Pork Belly with mushrooms.

Rice noodles with chicken.

Eggplant in garlic sauce.

Shrimp, walnuts, broccoli and pineapple with mayonnaise.

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 33: Passion Sunday (5th) – “The history of salvation is gathered in the Cross”

Posted on 6 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A 5 minute daily podcast to help you in your Lenten discipline.

The Roman Station is St. Peter’s in the Vatican. Fr. Troadec introduces us to Passiontide.

https://castopod.zuhlsdorf.computer/@wdtprs/episodes/lentcazt-2025-33-passion-sunday-5th-the-history-of-salvation-is-gathered-in-the-cross/embed

This is not to be missed.

Tenebrae at Ephesus

US HERE – UK HERE

These are the RESPONSORIES of Tenebrae for all three days of the Triduum.  They are, arguably, the most beautiful chants of the entire liturgical year.

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YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS

Posted on 5 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

PLEASE use the sharing buttons! Thanks!

In your charity would you please take a moment look at the requests and to pray for the people about whom you read?

Continued from THESE.

Let’s remember all who are ill, who will die soon, who have died recently, who have lost their jobs, who are afraid.

I get many requests by email asking for prayers. Some are heart-achingly grave and urgent.

As long as my blog reaches so many readers in so many places, let’s give each other a hand. We should support each other in works of mercy.

If you have some prayer requests, feel free to post them below.

You have to be registered here and approved to be able to post.

  • In your kindness continue prayers for my mother, who has been diagnosed with something grave, progressive and incurable.
  • Pray for me, for my circumstances and wisdom in my decisions.
  • Pray for a really good episcopal appointment which could have a massive impact.
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LENTCAzT 2025 – 32: Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent – What shall we give back?

Posted on 5 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Roman Station is San Nicola in Carcere. Fr. Troadec gives us perspective on what the Lord has done for us. The wonderful Benedictines of Gower Abbey at the opening sing the Stabat Mater.

HERE

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Are there any Excel wizards out there?

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

UPDATE: You can stop offering now! I have a couple I’m looking at.

UPDATE: A priest saw this post and wrote to say that he needs it too!

Several people have responded so far, so hold off until I see what comes back.

Thanks.

I need help to create (read: have someone create for me) a customized Excel template which I can use to keep track of my Mass intentions.  It’ll be handy when I am away from home.

Drop me a line? HERE Put EXCEL in the subject line.

If you write, and I don’t respond right away, please know that I am massively busy as I prepare for my Roman Sojourn. It also may be that someone has already offered to help. I’ll try to acknowledge in a timely manner if I don’t need the help any longer.

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CNA: GREAT piece about the Archconfraternity at The Parish™ in Rome and the custom of washing the feet of pilgrims

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Check out this GREAT piece at CNA.  HERE

From washing feet to a place to sleep: How Rome is welcoming jubilee pilgrims

This piece describes how the Archconfraternity of the Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims and Convalescents, founded by St. Philip Neri in the 16th century, has been revived, is thriving, and is returning to the classic practices of the group including feeding the poor, helping the shut-in, and during the Jubilee, washing the feet of pilgrims who come to Rome. This is at the parish cared for by the FSSP, for the Traditional Roman Rite.

Here is a sample of the article…

[…]

Shortly after St. Philip Neri’s charitable lay group, the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity of Pilgrims and Convalescents, was officially recognized, the Catholic Church celebrated the Jubilee Year of 1550.

Neri, called the “Third Apostle of Rome” for his evangelization of the Eternal City, saw the throngs of pilgrims arriving for the jubilee year and wanted to do something.

“In Rome at that time, pilgrims arrived on foot or on horseback, so … many of them were arriving in desolate conditions,” Fabrizio Azzola, a guardian of Neri’s archconfraternity, which today has both laymen and laywomen members, told CNA.

St. Philip Neri “thought of directing confreres to help pilgrims,” Azzola said. “On the one hand, [there was] the practical necessity of washing them, housing them, feeding them, and so on, but there was also the symbolic need: that is, to welcome the pilgrim and repeat the gesture of Jesus with the apostles.”

In the saint’s time, the confraternity (now archconfraternity) had many members and access to hundreds of buildings in Rome to host pilgrims, but today, at just a little over 100 members, the group is still trying to do all it can, including leaning on its pillars of prayer and feeding the poor.

“Today, we cannot do anymore all of the things the old confraternity did — it was very powerful and had buildings in all of Rome where it could welcome hundreds of thousands of pilgrims,” Azzola explained. “However, this symbolic act [of washing the feet of pilgrims] we can do, and so, bit by bit we are reintroducing the customs of the archconfraternity.”

Open to any individual jubilee pilgrim or pilgrims’ groups who request it, the foot washing follows the same Latin rite used by Neri in the 1500s. The short and simple ritual, which follows a brief explanation of its history and significance, includes a reading from the Gospel of John: the account of when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. At the end, everyone prays the Our Father together.

An aspect particularly significant to the archconfraternity members who volunteer to wash pilgrims’ feet is that they use the same white aprons used during St. Philip Neri’s time.

Azzola said hundreds of people, hailing from different parts of the world, have participated in the rite thus far, ….

[…]

Go there and read the whole thing!   HERE

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4 April – St. Isidore of Seville, the Internet Prayer and You

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I often forget to pray before using the internet. I sometimes fail in charity when using the internet.

This tool of social communication and research and entertainment has amazing upsides, but it also has spiritually deadly perils. We all should be very careful in how we use it – and through it – use each other, “use” in the finer sense of “treat” each other.

Today is the feast of St. Isidore of Seville, Bishop and Doctor (+4 April 636).

He is not to be confused with St. Isidore the Farmer.

St. Isidore defended the faith against the Arian heresy, which was still around.

It is amazing how tenacious heresy can be.  It still is around.

Some years ago – quiet a few years, now that I think about it, in the late 90’s when Compuserve was still the thing – there was chat about having St. Isidore proposed as the patron saint of the internet. He has NOT, however, officially been named such. Keep that in mind.

I was asked to write a prayer people could recite before using the internet. I wrote the prayer in Latin and submitted it, with a translation into English, to a bishop who gave it his approval.

This prayer is now all over the same internet, both with and without attribution.

You will want to know why some people proposed St. Isidore for this role.

St. Isidore’s most notable work, the Etymologiae, us a massive encyclopedic work of 448 chapters in 20 volumes indexing just about everything people thought it was important to know at the time, rather like a primitive database.  I think that’s the connection.

You can, of course, pray to any saint in this matter, and nothing official about any patron for the internet has been handed down from the Congregation Dicastery for the Causes of Saints (which is the competent dicastery of the Holy See in those matters).

Bottom line: people wanted a prayer for St. Isidore, and I wrote one. You should feel free to change the name to whatever saint you prefer. Others have proposed St. Maximilian Kolbe (+1941), St. Bernadine of Siena (+1444), St. Rita of Cascia (+1457), and the Archangel Gabriel (still around).  These days I think people are suggesting the young Carlo Acutis who will be canonized on 27 April, upcoming.

I am happy for people to use this prayer. I ask that you give attribution if you repost.

To see all the versions of the prayer which are now available, go

HERE

If you can offer a new translation with the title (and audio recording by a native speaker) into a language missing from those I’ve archived, please send it. To email me, click HERE.

I would also like a video of the prayer in ASL, American Sign Language.

Latin:

Oratio ante colligationem in interrete:

Omni­potens aeterne Deus, qui secundum imaginem Tuam nos plasmasti et omnia bona, vera, et pulchra, praesertim in divi­na persona Unigeniti Fi­lii Tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi, quaerere iussi­sti, praesta, quaesumus, ut, per intercessionem Sancti Isidori, Epi­scopi et Doctoris, in peregrinationibus per interrete, et manus oculosque ad quae Tibi sunt placita intendamus et omnes quos conveni­mus cum caritate ac patientia accipiamus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Meanwhile, here is the English.

A prayer before logging onto the internet:

Almighty and eternal God, who created us in Thine image and bade us to seek after all that is good, true and beautiful, especially in the divine person of Thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, that, through the intercession of Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor, during our journeys through the internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to Thee and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter. Through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Finally, I’m still waiting for an improved version in Klingon.

And… The Great Roman™ did a version in the Roman dialect.  It’s a hoot.  HERE

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Daily Rome Shot 1287 – dreadful

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The wizards of St. Peter’s have taken out the altar that was in apse in front of the place where the true “Altar of the Chair” was (before it was heinously ripped out… I saw that with my own eyes) and have replaced it with the dreadful thing that Paul VI had made.   Small changes: little keys were added in the style of the “Fabbrica” but without the tiara above them, which is the classic symbol of the Fabbrica (the entity that maintains the basilica).   They cleaned it up a little.

What it was like before.  I’d like a better photo, but this was quickly found at Liturgical Arts Journal.  Note the Cranmer picnic table set up in front of that altar.

Note: having the altar joined with Bernini’s masterpiece was a theological statement.   Separating them, indeed destroying the altar, was also a statement.

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

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When I get ready for a longish stay in Rome the Enemy always screws around with my tech. It’s like clockwork. I got a new laptop for the trip (thank you donors, the old one was not going to make it, I think) and spent a couple days setting it up. Last night I got hit with a BITLOCKER loop. Couldn’t get past it. I did everything I could think of. Then looked for a “restore point”. Happily, I found that one had been created. It worked, but I lost an entire day of prepping the thing, installing necessary programs, etc. Maddening. Then I found that some small critter had invaded my window air conditioner in my chapel. That was fun. Then… then… then…. It’s crazy. Prayers, please, to the Holy Angels.

ADVICE: Get a new desktop or laptop and immediately make a rescue drive. It should be the first thing you do. Then make a note of where you put it.

May I recommend…?

… and anthology of Stations of the Cross by Fulton Sheen?  For many years Sheen preached on Good Friday at St. Agnes in Manhattan.  This is an anthology of his reflections.  I’ve put this on my wishlist for the Kindle version.

The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology

Click

The Benedictine monks of of Norcia make marvelous beer.

More beer! More processions! Less chatter!

Interim,

Motus ad lusorem cum militibus nigris pertinent. Scaccus mattus, scilicet mors regis, duobus in motis veniat.

NB: Detineam explicationes in crastinum, ne vestrae interrumpantur commentationes.

In chessy news…

Yesterday, there was an interesting live stream of Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen sitting together analyzing their games, playing online, and generally chatting.

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STATIONS OF THE CROSS – Audio from Fr. Z

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

My post with recordings of different methods of the Way of the Cross HERE

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 31: Friday of the 4th Week of Lent – Preparing for a good death

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today’s Roman Station is Sant’Eusebio. We have an important reflection from Fr. Troadec about what true life is (hint: it isn’t this earthly life) and how to attain it.

That’s means dying… dying well.

HERE

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