The Feast of Corpus Christi by Rev. John W. Sullivan

"The most splendid part of the office of Corpus Christi, that which most distinguishes it from other festivals, is the solemn procession. Unlike the procession for the Forty Hours, it has no penitential element; unlike that of Holy Hours, it has no shadow of the Cross. Today the Church gives full freedom to the transports of love which fill her heart for her divine Spouse, who resides with her in the Sacrament of love. Enthroned in the glittering Ostensorium, borne in the veiled hands of His servant beneath the silken canopy, accompanied by lighted tapers, hymned with canticles of joy and exaltation, adored and worshiped by the faithful, Jesus is borne along triumphantly with all the pomp and magnificence possible, borne among His loved ones to bless them and to receive the homage of their hearts. Does not His presence speak to the heart and ask its gratitude? Do not the flowers scattered along the way tell us of the beauty and brightness and abundance of His gifts and prompt us to a spirit of sacrifice? Do not the clouds of incense rising to the sky invite us to a return of love? Do not the holy hymns that resound through the church tell us of the great mystery we celebrate, of the stupendous gift we have received, of the stupendous truth, that God is with us? and shall our heart be cold, our lips dumb, our soul unmoved? Is it not our virtues that He would see carpeting His way? Is it not our prayers that He would have ascending like clouds of incense and myrrh and filling the heavens? He is not replaced in the tabernacle after the procession, but high and exalted upon His throne, that for eight days the faithful may keep devout and adoring watch.", A Pulpit Commentary on Catholic Teaching 1910

Prayer to the Sacred Heart for Priests:
Remember, O most loving Heart of Jesus, that they for whom I pray are those for whom You prayed so earnestly the night before Your death. These are they to whom You look to continue with You in Your sorrows when others forsake You, who share Your griefs and have inherited your persecutions, according to Your word: That the servant is not greater than his Lord.
Remember, O Heart of Jesus, that they are the objects of the worldʼs hatred and Satanʼs deadliest snares. Keep them then, O Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your Sacred Heart and there let them be sanctified in truth. May they be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may be brought through their word to believe in You and love You. Amen.

Proclamation on 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket

 The Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury

"All the strength of the Pontiffs and Pastors of the Church consists in their imitation of Jesus. It is not enough that they have in them the character of His Priesthood. They must also be ready, like Him, to lay down their lives for their sheep. The Shepherd who thinks more of his own life than of the salvation of his flock, is a hireling. He is not a shepherd: he loves himself, and not his sheep. His flock has a claim upon his shedding his blood for them and if he will not, he is no longer an image of the Good Shepherd, Jesus. See how calmly Saint Thomas lays down his life! He bows down his head to receive the blows of his executioners, as though he were simply acquitting himself of a duty, or paying a debt. After the example of Jesus, he gives his blood for the deliverance of his people, and no sooner has the sword done its work than the Church over which God had him, is set free: his blood has brought peace (Colossians i. 20). He withstood the wolf that threatened destruction to his flock. He vanquished him. The wolf himself was turned into a lamb, for the king visited the tomb of his victim and sought in prostrate supplication the Martyr’s blessing. (...)  

Speak for us to the Infant Jesus — to Him that is to bear the Cross on His shoulders, as the insignia of His government (Isaias ix. 6) — and tell Him that we are resolved, by the assistance of His grace, never to be ashamed of His cause or its defenders: that, full of filial simple love for the Holy Church which He has given us to be our Mother, we will ever put her interests above all others for she alone has the words of eternal life, she alone has the power and the authority to lead men to that better world, which is our last end, and passes not away, as do the things of this world: for everything in this world is but vanity, illusion and, more frequently than not, obstacles to the only real happiness of mankind.

    But, in order that this Holy Church of God may fulfill her mission and avoid the snares which are being laid for her along the whole road of her earthly pilgrimage has need, above all things else, of Pastors like you, O Holy Martyr of Chris ! Pray, therefore, the Lord of the vineyard, that He send her labourers who will not only plant and water what they plant, but will also defend her from those enemies that are at all times seeking to enter in and lay waste, and whose character is marked by the Sacred Scripture, where she calls them, the wild boar (Psalm lxxix. 14) and the fox (Canticles ii. 15). May the voice of your blood cry out more suppliantly than ever to God, for, in these days of anarchy, the Church of Christ is treated in many lands as the creature and slave of the State." (Dom Prosper Guéranger: In Lumine de Fidei).

Our Lady of North Carolina, Memorial to Bishop Hafey First Bishop of the Diocese Sacred Heart Downtown Raleigh

Our Lady of North Carolina:

Bishop Vincent Waters, December 8th 1945 (The Bulletin):

"On coming to the Diocese a little over five months ago, I discovered that the Diocese of Raleigh had no diocesan patron. After talking the matter over with the Right Reverend and Very Reverend Consultors, as well as with a number of the Diocesan clergy, I petitioned His Holiness Pope Pius XII to declare, by Apostolic Brief, Our Blessed Mother, under the title of her Immaculate Conception, as the patron of this diocese. I have just received a cablegram from Monsignor Alfonso Carinci, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, advising that His Holiness has granted our request.

Although the eighth of December is a day for general rejoicing in America, since our country is dedicated to our heavenly Mother under this title there is an especial reason this year, and every year thereafter, for rejoicing on the eighth of December in the Diocese of Raleigh, for we have God’s own Mother under the title of her Immaculate Conception as our heavenly patron. In each church of the Diocese this day should be a day of general Communion of the faithful, especially of the children, and following the last Mass, or in the evening, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament should be given, during which the enclosed Act of Consecration should be recited. I ask all to pray fervently to Our Heavenly Mother for the gift of faith for those outside the Church."  --

"The special devotions of the Church are various and manifold. They are suited to the character of the times and of each individual. All are good. Some are more suited to one class of individuals than to another. Because of the abundance of these devotions, not all may be practiced by a single person, and each one chooses such as appeal more strongly to his inclination and taste. "In selecting devotions we must not supplant what is essential, nor unduly multiply what is merely accidental.”

There are two, however, which must be fostered by every priest. They are a fervent devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and a tender affection for His Blessed Mother.

The famous moralist, Father H. Noldin, says of the devotion to the Sacred Heart: "The candidate for the priesthood who understands and practices this devotion, will surely acquire the sacerdotal spirit and the characteristic virtues of the priesthood as preparation for Holy Orders. He possesses in this devotion a certain means of preserving and guarding the spirit of his calling throughout life."

Sacred Heart Raleigh, NC

"And for as much as Almighty God gave express commandment to the Priests of the ancient law, that they should not approach to His altar to offer unto Him, but first to be washed and invested, not with their profane, but with their holy ornaments, is it not, then, most convenient that the Priest of the new law should be peculiarly adorned, and thereby dispose themselves with much more reverence to handle and touch the most precious Body of our Redeemer and Savior Jesus, than the old Priests and Prophets did, the flesh of sheep and oxen or the body of a brute beast?

Our Priests, therefore, going to the altar thus appareled, do set before our eyes our Savior Jesus as He was at His Passion, and consequently those that scoff at the Priest, thus representing Christ unto us, do nothing else than, with the wicked Jews, scoff and deride at Christ Himself; and even as those Jews put all these ornaments upon our Savior for despite, and the more to dishonor Him, yet Christ's holy Mother and His blessed Apostles did both love Him and reverence Him so much the more entirely, for enduring such reproaches and shame for our sakes; so these men, now-a-days, whose minds are wholly set against the Catholic Church, will mock, perhaps, at the Priest standing at the altar in such apparel, but, contrariwise, the true Christian and Catholic people do esteem and honor him so much the more, who is, by the ordinance of God, exalted to so high a dignity as the present unto us so great a mystery.

To conclude, Priestly habits, so much offensive to the heretics of our age, were so highly respected by Alexander the Great, although a Paynim and idolater, going to Jerusalem with deliberation to ruin it, that he, withholden by the only sight of the Pontifical vestments of the High Priest, and touched instantly with the fear of God, did cast himself from his horse upon the ground, as it were to crave pardon for this sinister designs, and granted to the city and country of Jewry all the privileges, franchises, and immunities, that possibly they could desire, as witnessed Josephus."

Source: A Devout Exposition of the Holy Mass, John Heigham R. Washborne, 1876, p71

"Nikolai Romero Brelinsky, 26, spent his first four years at St. Charles as a seminarian for the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C. He then took a year off for further discernment, working as a Catholic school teacher and Director of Religious Education at his home parish in North Carolina.

It was his close friendship with several Diocese of Allentown seminarians, and his interactions with priests of our Diocese, which prompted him – when he returned to seminary studies at St. Charles Borromeo – to set his goal on being a priest for the Diocese of Allentown.

Brelinsky is the second oldest of eight children. Like several of the men about to become transitional deacons, he was homeschooled during his high school years, a time when his close contact with our faith made it easier, he says, to answer the Lord’s call to the Priesthood.

He is a member of Holy Guardian Angels Parish, Reading, and is a son of Gregory and Tara Brelinsky."

Source: Five Seminarians to Be Ordained Transitional Deacons, the Final Step Before Becoming Priests of the Diocese of Allentown

"Gentleness combined with firmness: St. Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria and doctor of the Church, by his mode of acting, exemplified the enigma formerly proposed by Samson to the Philistines; the sweetness of the honeycomb dwelling in him that had strength for his inheritance.

To the surging waves of Arianism he opposed a wall of brass; though driven forth from his diocese five times by the power and cabals of the heretics, he returned as often inflexible in doctrine, each time of return proving a fresh triumph for the faith. St. Gregory of Nazianzen has traced this sketch of him:

"Being gentle and affable towards all, every one had access to him; his reproofs were unmingled with bitterness; his praises were like so many lessons, for he reprimanded with the kindliness of a father and praised with the authority of a master. He was forbearing without weakness and firm without severity; in short, his conduct was in accordance with his teachings. The enemies of the faith found in him a soul unbending, and his persecutors a victim insensible to their shafts. No human consideration was capable of making him turn aside in favor of injustice." St. Athanasius died in 375.

Moral reflection: Thus does Holy Scripture depict Wisdom to us: "She reacheth from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly." (Wisdom. VIII 1)

Source: Little Pictorial of the Saints

Letter 19:

"6. Like these too, are the heretics, who, having fallen from true discernment, dare to invent to themselves atheism. 'For the fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, and become abominable in their doings.' Of such as are fools in their thoughts, the actions are wicked, as He says, 'can you, being evil, speak good things Matthew 12:34;' for they were evil, because they thought wickedness. Or how can those do just acts, whose minds are set upon fraud? Or how shall he love, who is prepared beforehand to hate? How shall he be merciful, who is bent upon the love of money? How shall he be chaste, who looks upon a woman to lust after her? 'For from the heart proceed evil thoughts, fornications, adulteries, murders.' By them the fool is wrecked, as by the waves of the sea, being led away and enticed by his fleshly pleasures; for this stands written, 'All flesh of fools is greatly tempest-tossed.' While he associates with folly, he is tossed by a tempest, and perishes, as Solomon says in the Proverbs, 'The fool and he who lacks understanding shall perish together, and shall leave their wealth to strangers.' Now they suffer such things, because there is not among them one sound of mind to guide them. For where there is sagacity, there the Word, who is the Pilot of souls, is with the vessel; 'for he that has understanding shall possess guidance ;' but they who are without guidance fall like the leaves. Who has so completely fallen away as Hymenæus and Philetus, who held evil opinions respecting the resurrection, and concerning faith in it suffered shipwreck? And Judas being a traitor, fell away from the Pilot, and perished with the Jews. But the disciples since they were wise, and therefore remained with the Lord, although the sea was agitated, and the ship covered with the waves, for there was a storm, and the wind was contrary, yet fell not away. For they awoke the Word, Who was sailing with them , and immediately the sea became smooth at the command of its Lord, and they were saved. They became preachers and teachers at the same time; relating the miracles of our Saviour, and teaching us also to imitate their example. These things were written on our account and for our profit, so that through these signs we may acknowledge the Lord Who wrought them."

Source: New Advent, Letter 19, St. Athanasius

"The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. (Ps Lxviii. 12.) Thus I spake by the mouth of my prophet.

Of the zeal I had for God's holy temple I have repeated proofs. Twice did I cast out of it those who profaned its courts, with an indignation unwonted in me, and commanded that everything incongruous with the sanctity of that place should be expelled from it. (Jo. ii. 15, Math. xxi. 12).

And thou shouldst imitate me in the vehemence of a holy zeal, and not endure that my house of prayer, wherein I abide by my real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, should ever be profaned,

I have much against some of my priests; partly because they are timid and afraid to oppose themselves boldly to the profanations of the impious, and partly because they are negligent and careless in the things which concern my Divine worship.

From a spurious meekness or a false prudence they allow things to pass unrebuked, which become profane customs, and permit me to be insulted to my face in my own house.

If the profaners of my sanctuary saw that my priests were vigilant and severe guardians of my house, they would remain without, and I should not be so often insulted.

I have also to complain that they are careless and negligent in the things which serve for my worship. That decency and decorum which should ever be found there is often wanting.

Alas, there are some priests who would not endure that their own houses should be as unadorned, squalid, and dirty as they suffer my churches to be. They would not suffer in their rooms hangings and ornaments as forlorn and dusty as they permit on my altars; nor would they allow on their own table linen dirty and mended as is that which they use in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

Nor let them seek to excuse themselves on the plea of their church's property; for cleanliness and decency require no great outlay. Neither indeed would I allow any priest who has the holy zeal for my house to want for anything.

Neither let them say, that it is for others to look after the material wants of their church; because if they are negligent, my priests should show themselves careful: they at least are bound to remedy these evils, and put a stop to indecencies which offend the piety of my people and discourage their faith in holy things.

Do thou, therefore, strive to imitate me in this holy zeal; use every means to hinder every profanation of my church, and keep it with the greatest decency and cleanliness, as one should who really believes it is my house, in which it pleases me to dwell day and night by my real Presence."

Source: Jesus Christ the model of the priest (Of the Priest's zeal according to Christ.)[by G. Frassinetti] tr. by Rev. Msgr. J.L. Patterson 1874

Prayer to God to save the Church by Sanctifying His priests who have fallen away

O God, our Lord, we obey without delay to Thy gracious invitation to pray. Encouraged by Thy desire, we worship at your sacred feet, crying out to Thee for our guilty priests. Deign to be reminded, Lord, that Thy priestly Body is Thy crown of predilection, the splendor of Thy glory, the chosen part of Thy heritage.

We implore Thee to arm Thyself with holy indignation against Satan, who dared to plant the banner of sin in Thy own sanctuary, and to chase him away in shame from Thy solemnly dedicated domain.

What would it cost Thee, O Lord, to turn the most hardened hearts into penitents? Only one simple glance at Peter was enough to retrieve him from the abyss of a three times apostasy; would it cost Thee more to touch and convert those who have had the misfortune to imitate his weakness?

O Jesus, our King and Pontiff, we beseech Thee on behalf of Mary, Thy Mother and ours, save the Church, save Thy faithful, save Thy blessed honor, by saving priests! Amen.

Source: CAPG

"Did you get the ashes yet? They are giving them out at St. Mary’s at four. If we hurry we can get there on time. I never like to miss getting the ashes, you know.” On Ash Wednesday the lines form in the churches and as each person kneels at the altar rail, the priest puts a smudge of ashes on his forehead and says, “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you will return.” What does it mean? Is it merely a reminder that we are to die and so should prepare by making a good Lent? Is it also a blessing? What response does it require of us?

Here we have a sign and we must understand it if we are to benefit by it. First we must see the complete sign. It is not just the action of the priest in putting the ashes on our foreheads and saying the appropriate words. An important part of the full sign is our action in going forward to have the ashes imposed on us. There is also the blessing of the ashes by the priest beforehand.

Let us suppose that a remote mission station, to which a priest can come only occasionally, is having its first Ash Wednesday service for the congregation there. What would be the best procedure for the priest to follow? He would preach to the people first, impressing on them the seriousness of sin, bringing them to face their own sinfulness honestly, moving them to sorrow and resolutions to change their lives, and stirring up in them confidence in God’s mercy. He would urge them to prepare for confession and to do penance. He would explain that Lent is a special time of penance for past sins and mortification to weaken the power of sin in us. Then he would suggest that those who were ready to repent and do penance should manifest this publicly by coming forward to the front of the church. There would be a resemblance here to the procedure followed by revivalist preachers, who get their hearers to “hit the sawdust trail,” but the Ash Wednesday ceremony is related to the sacrament of Penance and not to the revivalist’s “conversion by faith.”

When the people in our imaginary mission station would come forward, the priest would take some ashes and he would bless them, saying in the words which we can find in our missals, “O almighty God, spare those who are penitent, be merciful to those who beseech Thy mercy. ... In Thy goodness bless these ashes which we intend to put upon our heads in token of humility and that we may obtain pardon ...” and similar prayers. Finally he would ask each person who has come forward to kneel before him and he would put ashes on the head of each, saying, “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

Has this ceremony lost its impact on us by reason of long familiarity? Let us note again that the sign of this ceremony consists first in the action which each of us performs in coming forward in the presence of the rest of the congregation. It is a public act of humility, an admission by each one that he is a sinner. It is also a public declaration that he is repentant and is going to do penance. It is finally a profession of confidence in God’s mercy, dispensed to us in His Church.

We notice that in the prayers which the priest says in blessing the ashes that God’s grace is called down upon those who come forward humbly and penitently. So the most important thing in this whole ceremony is what is in our minds and hearts as we line up and come forward to have the ashes put on our heads. This is what this whole sign signifies. Our coming forward and the imposition of the ashes signify that we are penitents. It is our penitential spirit and our good intentions for Lent that make this ceremony meaningful.

Let us be more specific. If a man is in mortal sin he should be repentant and should intend to go to confession as soon as possible — that same day or very shortly after. All should examine their consciences and stir up sorrow for their sins. A person may have to decide on definite steps to solve some special problem, perhaps to break from some occasion of serious sin or to remove the causes that have disrupted or could disrupt his family. This may take more than a simple decision, and the person may need to confer at some length with a priest and work out the problem over a period of time.

Ash Wednesday is a good time to get started. For those whose lives are less complicated, it will be a matter of resolving to work more earnestly to root out their tendencies to sin and to be more considerate, cooperative, thoughtful in day to day living. Finally, our lining up for the ashes is a sign that we intend to obey the Lenten regulations issued by the Bishops, that is, the laws of fast and abstinence, along with the recommendations that we mortify ourselves, stay away from worldly amusements and perform works of charity.

Source: Find life in Lent by Rev. Shawn G. Sheehan, 1959