Here is a not just a good read but I think a great read! This is so inspiring and brings such joy to my heart! The following article/video is on a catholic church that for years celebrated in a church that had many of its religious paintings painted over with white wash, statues taken down, altar rails removed, etc. in the spirit of Vatican II to try to make the church more modern. It is now going back into time and doing a MAJOR renovation to restore and bring back many of the things that were stripped away. This renovation was so big that it made the local news as you can see in the video. How wonderful! :)
You can find a link to the post and video HERE. :)
I did a google search and found the parish website with the page that has the information of the renovation. Love it!!!
Here is a copy of the mission statement or so to speak of the parish off of their website....
"St. Mary Church seeks to implement the New Evangelization through a renewal in the sacred liturgy, recognizing that like the early Church, Christ is most powerfully manifested to individuals, "in the breaking of the bread" (Luke 24:35). The parish offers both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms of the Roman Rite, "one alongside the another" (Universae Ecclesiae, 6), with all its music and ceremony, in continuity with the Catholic Church's tradition. "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too.... 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" (Summorum Pontificum). The more than 30 nationalities represented in the parish are united in their devotion to the holy sacrifice of the Mass."
Just an FYI, this is NOT a SSPX parish (Celebrate only the Tridentine Mass but are NOT in line with Rome) and this is not a FSSP (Priestly Fraternity that celebrate only the Tridentine Mass and ARE in line with Rome.). This is your regular diocesan parish with a priest/parish that sees the importance of a reverent liturgy. The priest sounds awesome and some how looks REALLY familiar.... I can't place my finger on it. If anyone knows please let me know. :)
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#Sidetrackkkk
Wow!!! Literally just NOW as I was going to the website to copy and paste the above statement from the parish the Q&A section of the website caught my eye. I clicked the link and it took me to a wonderful section with many common questions and wonderful answers in reply......
Questions relating to the Liturgy
- Why is the liturgy a top priority for St. Mary Church?
- Why does St. Mary Church have the Traditional Latin Mass?
- Why does St. Mary Church offer the Mass facing east?
- Why does St. Mary's reserve altar serving to boys alone?
- Why should I consider receiving Communion on the tongue?
- Why do we use Incense in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
- How can St. Padre Pio help us better understand the Mass?
- How should you dress for Mass in the summer?
- Cardinal George and Liturgical Reform
- Why don't we use extraordinary (Eucharistic) ministers very often here at St. Mary's?
- How should Catholics approach the political process and voting?
- What does the Church have to say about the current immigration discussion?
- Why does God allow all the recent terrorism and natural disasters?
- What about all these Marian Apparitions?
- What about the women who recently claimed to have been ordained priests?
- Is living together before marriage good for my future?
- Is Jesus Christ the only savior of the world?
- Did the Catholic Church recently eliminate limbo?
The following question ("How can St. Padre Pio help us better understand the Mass?") jumped out at me INSTANTLY!!! Lately I have had such a closeness with St. Padre Pio. It's really hard to explain but I will try my best.... It all started a few months ago when I was researching and dealing with struggles on my thoughts and views on modesty (Is modesty relative? If it is, than why does Mary appear at different time periods and everything changes, her skin tone, language, etc, except for her cloths? Why is there a dress code for the Vatican but no where else in local parishes? And the questions went on...). It was then that I decided to turn to the saints, particularly some of the more recent saints, one of them being St. Padre Pio. He was such a caring and loving man truly devoted to the will of God. He came across as very stern and harsh sometimes but he did so because he truly realized the seriousness of the matters at hand. Modesty being one of them. St. Padre Pio was so "harsh" on women when it came to modesty that he would have a sign put on the outside of the church saying:
"By Padre Pio's explicit wish, women must enter the confessional wearing skirts AT LEAST 8 INCHES BELOW THE KNEE. It is forbidden to borrow longer dresses in church and to wear them to confession"St. Padre Pio would turn away those that did not wear dresses/skirts that met that requirement or that was immodest in other ways. Sometimes when he would refuse to absolve their sins or slam the door in their face to refuse them the Sacrament of Reconciliation they would ask him why he acted so mean and "harsh"..... his response was one that showed that although it may seem to be "harsh" that it was really true love for that person and their eternal soul. He would say to them:
"Don't you know," he asked, "what pain it costs me to shut the door on anyone? The Lord has forced me to do so. I do not call anyone, nor do I refuse anyone either. There is someone else who calls and refuses them. I am His useless tool."
Yep, imagine THAT being said to YOU from St. Padre Pio.... maybe it is being said to YOU from him right now in blog post format...jaja who knows ;)....
For me that was the quote from St. Padre Pio that was what I call the "holy slap in the face" moment for me when it came to the topic of modesty.
Shortly after this moment I ran into a friend of mine who told me about a book that she was reading on the life of St. Padre Pio. My heart jumped and I got so excited! I don't know what it was because I really had not known much about St. Padre Pio but I felt this pulling toward him.
Later, once she had finished the book, she let me barrow it. I have been reading it and am about half way done. (It has been a great read and once I finish you better believe I will be adding it to the "Good Read" section of this blog.) Well this brings me a little bit closer to the current moment.... This past weekend I flew to Denver to visit Anastacio and I decided to bring the book on St. Padre Pio with me to read in the evenings and while on the flight. Before my flight I went to pick up some paperwork that Anastacio needed from his parents house. When I got there his mom told me that they were going to have to mail the paperwork to him because of some complications but that he had left a medal and I could take that to him on my trip.
Guess what the medal was.... yep. St. Padre Pio medal. And not just any medal, one with a relic of St. Padre Pio on the back! Heart skipped a beat again. Not only was I going to be reading about St. Padre Pio on my flight to see the man that I will shortly be marrying but I also got to fly WITH A RELIC of St. Padre Pio while reading about his life on a flight to see my husband to be. #BestPlaneRideEVER!
So here we are, a week after that #BestPlaneRideEVER! to Denver and I am here sharing this post/video about St. Mary's Catholic church and their renovations and who pops up randomly into my life again..... St. Padre Pio. :)....bringing me back to a even deeper understanding of the Mass and a greater love of the Tridentine form of the Mass! :) LOVE IT!!!
Anyywhoooo.... here is the response to the question "How can St. Padre Pio help us better understand the Mass?"..... :)
My comments in RED. :)
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This article first appeared in Homiletics and Pastoral Review, October 2003.
With every saint that is canonized, the Lord gives the Church another charism of holiness to understand and imitate. The canonization of St. Padre Pio last year could not have come at a better time in the Church's history, because of what his life can teach the Church concerning the liturgical crisis that it is currently facing. The Catholic Mass is set apart from any other form of Christian worship by its sacrificial nature. The Mass is a re-presentation of the Son of God at Calvary - bloody, bruised and beaten - to God the Father, for the conversion of the sinners, and the salvation of souls. This sacrificial reality of the Mass was never so clear in the 20th Century as in the Mass of St. Padre Pio.
As many know, St. Pio was the first priest in the history of the Church to bear the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. As awesome as this may sound, whenever this friar offered the Mass, he mystically re-enacted the passion of Christ on the cross, making his participation in the Mass powerfully different than any other priests. A fascinating little book written by Fr. Tarcisio of Cervinara entitled, Padre Pio's Mass, has a series of interviews with St. Padre Pio, revealing his understanding of what is actually happening during the Mass. In this age of liturgical innovations, with scholars struggling to understand what "good liturgy" is, this book provides invaluable insight into the reality of the Mass.
When Padre speaks of the Mass, he says, "I should like to shed, not a few tears, but torrents of tears when faced with the mystery of a God Victim. We priests are the butchers of Jesus during the Mass, while all of Paradise reverently descends on the altar. (p. 45). In a revealing interview with the author, Padre Pio also explains the nature of his own suffering when he offers this diving sacrifice:
As many know, St. Pio was the first priest in the history of the Church to bear the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. As awesome as this may sound, whenever this friar offered the Mass, he mystically re-enacted the passion of Christ on the cross, making his participation in the Mass powerfully different than any other priests. A fascinating little book written by Fr. Tarcisio of Cervinara entitled, Padre Pio's Mass, has a series of interviews with St. Padre Pio, revealing his understanding of what is actually happening during the Mass. In this age of liturgical innovations, with scholars struggling to understand what "good liturgy" is, this book provides invaluable insight into the reality of the Mass.
When Padre speaks of the Mass, he says, "I should like to shed, not a few tears, but torrents of tears when faced with the mystery of a God Victim. We priests are the butchers of Jesus during the Mass, while all of Paradise reverently descends on the altar. (p. 45). In a revealing interview with the author, Padre Pio also explains the nature of his own suffering when he offers this diving sacrifice:
Fr. Tarcisio: At what hour of the day, Padre, do you suffer most?
St. Pio: During the celebration of the Mass.
Fr. Tarcisio: At what moment of the divine Sacrifice do you suffer most?
St. Pio: Always and increasingly.
Fr. Tarcisio: During the celebration of Mass, at what moment do you suffer most?
St. Pio: From the Consecration to Communion.
Fr. Tarcisio: At what part of the Mass are you scourged?
St. Pio: From beginning to end, but more intensely after the Consecration.
Fr. Tarcisio: During Mass are the pricks of the crown of thorns and the wounds of the scourging real?
St. Pio: What do you mean? The results are the same.
St. Pio: During the celebration of the Mass.
Fr. Tarcisio: At what moment of the divine Sacrifice do you suffer most?
St. Pio: Always and increasingly.
Fr. Tarcisio: During the celebration of Mass, at what moment do you suffer most?
St. Pio: From the Consecration to Communion.
Fr. Tarcisio: At what part of the Mass are you scourged?
St. Pio: From beginning to end, but more intensely after the Consecration.
Fr. Tarcisio: During Mass are the pricks of the crown of thorns and the wounds of the scourging real?
St. Pio: What do you mean? The results are the same.
The book is filled with blunt anecdotes such as this, giving a detailed view of just how the Mass is truly a mystical re-presentation of the brutal sacrifice of Christ offered to the Father. When one meditates on this, it becomes evermore clear how the Mass could never be anything less than a solemn and sacred event. It is hard to imagine liturgical dance, waving of hands, or cheering going at one of Padre Pio's Masses. Reverent silence and prayer seem to be the only proper response at his Mass, and therefore at every Mass.
Some liturgists will make the claim that Vatican II called for these more enthusiastic and entertaining Masses as a means of "celebrating community". However, Sacrosanctum Concilium mentions the sacrificial nature of the Mass six times, including here: "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he should come again." (#47)
It is also worth noting that Sacrosanctum Concilium supports the beautiful doctrinal teachings of the Council of Trent, which articulated the Mass as sacrifice: "The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council of Trent (remain) intact." (#55) The most common argument for a more active role by the laity in the Mass is the famous passage advocating "full and active participation" by all the people in the liturgy. Although St. Padre Pio died in 1968, and therefore never offered the Novus Ordo Mass, it is interesting how he would understand this teaching of Vatican II:
Some liturgists will make the claim that Vatican II called for these more enthusiastic and entertaining Masses as a means of "celebrating community". However, Sacrosanctum Concilium mentions the sacrificial nature of the Mass six times, including here: "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he should come again." (#47)
It is also worth noting that Sacrosanctum Concilium supports the beautiful doctrinal teachings of the Council of Trent, which articulated the Mass as sacrifice: "The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council of Trent (remain) intact." (#55) The most common argument for a more active role by the laity in the Mass is the famous passage advocating "full and active participation" by all the people in the liturgy. Although St. Padre Pio died in 1968, and therefore never offered the Novus Ordo Mass, it is interesting how he would understand this teaching of Vatican II:
Fr. Tarcisio: What should we do during Mass?
St. Pio: Repent and love.
Fr. Tarcisio: Padre, how should we hear Mass?
St. Pio: In the same way that the Most Holy Virgin and the holy women assisted. In the same way St. John assisted at the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sanguinary one of the Cross. (Mind blown! How BEAUTIFUL!!! THIS is active participation. Gah. Love it!!!!)
Fr. Tarcisio: What benefits do we receive on hearing it?
St. Pio: It is not possible to number them. You will see them in Paradise. (Oh what it must be like! How can we not want to do EVERYTHING in our power to do Gods will so we can join Him for eternity!:))
St. Pio: Repent and love.
Fr. Tarcisio: Padre, how should we hear Mass?
St. Pio: In the same way that the Most Holy Virgin and the holy women assisted. In the same way St. John assisted at the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sanguinary one of the Cross. (Mind blown! How BEAUTIFUL!!! THIS is active participation. Gah. Love it!!!!)
Fr. Tarcisio: What benefits do we receive on hearing it?
St. Pio: It is not possible to number them. You will see them in Paradise. (Oh what it must be like! How can we not want to do EVERYTHING in our power to do Gods will so we can join Him for eternity!:))
For Padre Pio, "full and active participation" means imitating the example the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John at the foot of the cross. Is it possible to imagine Our Lady and St. John doing anything but weeping and mourning, as they meditated on the immense love of their Savior? St. Padre Pio is saying that people should participate in the Mass through prayer and meditation, rather than random forms of self-expression, or having a role to play. Still, opponents of a more solemn Mass try to emphasize the horizontal aspect of the Mass (one's relationship with the community), rather than the vertical aspect (one's relationship with God). Sacrosanctum Concilium clearly states, however, that the vertical aspect takes precedence over the horizontal: In the Mass, "the human is directed toward, and subordinated to, the divine, the visible to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, the object of our quest." (#2, emphasis added)
Pope John Paul II has also stated that in our own time, the horizontal aspect of the faith has been overemphasized: "The temptation today is to reduce Christianity to merely human wisdom, a pseudo-science of well being. In our heavily secularized world a "gradual secularization of salvation has taken place, so that people strive for the good of man, but man who is truncated, reduced to his merely horizontal dimension. We know however, that Jesus came to bring integral salvation, one which embraces the whole person and all mankind, and opens up the wondrous prospect of divine filiation." (Redemptoris Missio, #11) Certainly this reduction, as the Pope calls it, has been felt in the liturgy of the modern Church, making it more difficult for the average Catholic to find reverence and solemnity in their Sunday Mass. (Tell me about it... blah.) God has given the Church a miraculous glimpse into the solemn and sacrificial nature of the Mass in the example of St. Padre Pio. May this new holy man of God intercede for the Church and help bring about an authentic renewal in the liturgy. (Padre Pio's Mass, by Fr. Tarcisio of Cervinara, can be purchased from the National Center for Padre Pio in Barto, PA at (610) 845-3000)
Pope John Paul II has also stated that in our own time, the horizontal aspect of the faith has been overemphasized: "The temptation today is to reduce Christianity to merely human wisdom, a pseudo-science of well being. In our heavily secularized world a "gradual secularization of salvation has taken place, so that people strive for the good of man, but man who is truncated, reduced to his merely horizontal dimension. We know however, that Jesus came to bring integral salvation, one which embraces the whole person and all mankind, and opens up the wondrous prospect of divine filiation." (Redemptoris Missio, #11) Certainly this reduction, as the Pope calls it, has been felt in the liturgy of the modern Church, making it more difficult for the average Catholic to find reverence and solemnity in their Sunday Mass. (Tell me about it... blah.) God has given the Church a miraculous glimpse into the solemn and sacrificial nature of the Mass in the example of St. Padre Pio. May this new holy man of God intercede for the Church and help bring about an authentic renewal in the liturgy. (Padre Pio's Mass, by Fr. Tarcisio of Cervinara, can be purchased from the National Center for Padre Pio in Barto, PA at (610) 845-3000)
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(Saint Padre Pio with his Stigmata celebrating the Tridentine form of the Mass.)
What a holy, holy man... St. Padre Pio, Pray for us. :)
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