The mystery of Advent

Let us prepare for the Birth of Our Lord. I hope everyone has a blessed, happy and holy Advent!

Damsel of the Faith

Taken from The Liturgical Year by Fr. Gueranger:

We find that this mystery of the Coming, or Advent, of Jesus is at once simple and threefold. It is simple, for it is the one same Son of God that is coming; it is threefold, because he comes at three different times and in three different ways. “In the first Coming,” says St. Bernard, “He comes in the flesh and in weakness; in the second, He comes in spirit and in power; in the third, He comes in glory and in majesty; and the second Coming is the means whereby we pass from the first to the third (Fifth Sermon for Advent).”

This, then, is the mystery of Advent. Let us now listen to the explanation of this threefold visit of Christ, given to us by Peter of Blois, in his third Sermon de Adventu: “There are three Comings of our…

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An example of Bishop Fellay’s saintliness

Bishop Fellay is such a saintly bishop and priest. Despite the pain of a broken foot, he keeps up his good cheer and is a saintly example of joyful suffering to all of the Faithful.  Read this story of a true shepherd of souls:

http://www.onepeterfive.com/bishop-bernard-fellays-authentic-catholic-witness/

On 4 November, 2016 – the day of the opening ceremony of the new seminary of the Society of St. Pius X in Dillwyn, Virginia – three little children were blessed to be confirmed by His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay. Everything surrounding this little ceremony – with some twenty priests, seminarians and different family members gathered around – turned an otherwise small event into something very big and holy. Each individual who was present there will no doubt count it as one of the great blessings of his life.

As with so many such blessings, it started with a cross. The confirmations were to start in the evening, at 6:30 pm, after the long opening ceremony for the seminary. The small group of families, sponsors, and seminarians was gathered around in the provisional chapel of the seminary (which shall one day be replaced by a larger, more beautiful church adjacent to the seminary) when suddenly a seminarian walked up the aisle, stood in front of the faithful, and told them that Bishop Fellay just had had an accident, and that he had injured his foot. Some medical experts were just then examining him, the seminarian said. We were to wait another thirty minutes in order to be further instructed. As it turned out, we waited an hour or so, not knowing whether the ceremony would take place at all.

It was around eight o’clock in the evening that the seminarian came one last time (after several updates) into the chapel. Since the bishop could not walk, we were invited upstairs to the private chambers of His Excellency so that he could help the Little Ones become Christian Soldiers. When all had gathered in a modest little room, Bishop Fellay came in to greet us. Nobody who was in that room is likely to forget what happened next: Bishop Fellay came in, with his as yet untreated foot – which turned out to have been seriously broken – on crutches, and with a big smile on his face! After first apologizing for the “inconvenience” (!) his injury had caused, Fellay then suddenly said, with an even bigger smile: “This is a very good sign! It is a very good sign, because it shows that the devil is very angry that these little children receive the Sacrament of Confirmation!”

The faithful present were astonished. How was it that this holy man smiled through the pain of a broken foot and yet rejoiced over obstacles put into his way? (One lady present said later that she had once had a broken foot; she confessed that she was not able to sleep all night because of how much it hurt.) And how was it that he ignored his suffering and did not allow such obstacles to hinder him from performing what might have otherwise be seen as only a small ceremony for just three children?

It was not much later that we were given a little more insight into Bishop Fellay’s deeply rooted conviction and principles. As soon as he was able to perform the ceremony – he had to be seated carefully – his eyes lit up even more. He completely focused his attention on the little children, looking only into their eyes – and quite intensely so – in order to explain to them the greatness of the Sacrament of Confirmation. His eyes were radiant and glowing when he explained to the children with words they could understand what they were about to receive. The warmth of his gaze toward the little ones was touching, as were his smile and tone of voice. It was quite a witness to us adults, seeing how a man of his stature paid no heed whatsoever to the adults around him, and how he gave his best to prepare the hearts of the little ones for the sacrament, and in a language that they might understand. Bishop Fellay had no prepared remarks, yet he cheerfully and with great concentration spoke for about twenty minutes or so, in what was for him a foreign language, and all without any sign of rushing or impatience. He was fully present for the children, acting as a supreme pastor for their souls.

Thankfully, I was able to record most of what His Excellency said. I received permission to make use of the transcript I have produced of those remarks in order to spread to as many Catholics as possible the radiant depiction of this channel of grace and a glimpse of the abundant graces we received that night in a bare room, in the twilight.  The words speak for themselves and will bring us all back to the foundations of our beloved Faith. Here now the transcript which I have produced to the best of my ability:

For the rest:  http://www.onepeterfive.com/bishop-bernard-fellays-authentic-catholic-witness/

~Damsel of the Faith

Thanksgiving Greetings

September 8, 1565.

This date marked the first Holy Mass offered on American soil in St. Augustine, Florida, accompanied by a Feast held by the Native Americans and the Spanish settlers.

Here are some good articles on the true history of the first Catholic Thanksgiving:

https://churchpop.com/2016/11/21/the-miraculous-forgotten-catholic-hero-of-the-first-thanksgiving/

http://www.traditioninaction.org/History/B_005_Onate_Thanksgiving.html

A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Let us give thanks to God today for our Catholic Faith, our family, friends, freedoms, talents, possessions, both material and spiritual, and everything good we possess in our lives.

~Damsel of the Faith & Knight of Tradition

 

The Great Day of Judgment

Today is the final Sunday in the Liturgical Year, the Last Sunday After Pentecost, wherein we meditate upon our own Particular Judgment, as well as the General Judgment.  My SSPX Parish had the great honor of welcoming this morning, Fr. Jurgen Wegner, the SSPX District Superior, who gave an excellent sermon on this topic. Simple but powerful, all the same.  Father captures our attention with his devotion to the Church and the salvation of souls, encourages us to meditate on our own Judgment, the horror of our sins and the reality of the General Judgment, where all our great and small sins will be revealed to the world. God bless Fr. Wegner!

“Oh, what a day that will be, and how great when it comes, dearest brethren! When the Lord begins to survey His people and to recognize by examining with divine knowledge the merits of each individual! To cast into hell evildoers, and to condemn our persecutors to the eternal fire and punishing flame! And indeed, to present to us the reward of faith and devotion! What will be that glory, and how great the joy of being admitted to the sight of God! To be so honored as to receive the joy of eternal light and salvation in the presence of Christ the Lord, your God! To greet Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the patriarchs, apostles, prophets, and martyrs! To rejoice with the just and with the friends of God in the Kingdom of heaven, in the delight of the immortality that will be given! To receive there what eye has not seen nor ear heard, what has entered into the heart of man!”   ~St. Cyprian of Carthage, 253 A.D.

~Damsel of the Faith

BREAKING: Cardinals demand Pope make “formal act of correction”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-burke-if-pope-wont-clarify-his-serious-error-cardinals-must-make-a

It seems that these four courageous prelates are on the way to declaring the Pope a formal heretic, using the proper canonical procedures.  This is a historic development for our times.  It’s nice to see actions being taken for the Church, for the good of souls led astray by this Pope, who advocates and abets immorality in the Church, going so far as to commit sacrilege against the Blessed Sacrament.  May this heresy be banished from the Church and the Mystical Bride be restored to her fullness very soon.

We need a Pope to preserve and teach the Catholic Faith:

“To preserve forever in his Church the unity and doctrine of this faith, Christ chose one of his apostles, Peter, whom he appointed the Prince of his Apostles, his Vicar on earth, and impregnable foundation and head of his Church. Surpassing all others with every dignity of extraordinary authority, power and jurisdiction, he was to feed the Lord’s flock, strengthen his brothers, rule and govern the universal Church. Christ not only desired that his Church remain as one and immaculate to the end of the world, and that its unity in faith, doctrine and form of government remain inviolate. He also willed that the fullness of dignity, power and jurisdiction, integrity and stability of faith given to Peter be handed down in its entirety to the Roman Pontiffs, the successors of this same Peter, who have been placed on this Chair of Peter in Rome, and to whom has been divinely committed the supreme care of the Lord’s entire flock and the supreme rule of the Universal Church.”   ~Pope Pius IX, “Amantissimus”, 1862

~Damsel of the Faith

Rigid Catholicism

The Pope is at it again. Once again he insults us for our faithfulness to Catholic truth and tradition.  The youth love the Traditional Latin Mass because they are tired of the worthless, Protestant drivel that is spoon fed to the masses at the Novus Ordo.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-blasts-rigid-young-catholics-who-like-the-latin-mass

“I always try to understand what is behind those individuals who are too young to have lived the pre-Conciliar liturgy, and who want it nonetheless. I have at times found myself in front of people who are too rigid, an attitude of rigidity. And I ask myself: how come so much rigidity? You dig, you dig, this rigidity always hides something: insecurity, at times perhaps something else…”

Rigidity in the Faith is a sure sign of Catholicism.  Christ said that he would spit the lukewarm out of his mouth.

“Pope Benedict accomplished a just and magnanimous gesture [translator’s note: the motu proprio ‘Summorum Pontificum’] to reach out to a certain mindset of some groups and persons who felt nostalgia and were distancing themselves. But it is an exception. That is why one speaks of an ‘extraordinary’ rite. The ordinary in the Church is not this. It is necessary to approach with magnanimity those attached to a certain form of prayer. But the ordinary is not this. Vatican II and Sacrosanctum Concilium must go on as they are. To speak of a ‘reform of the reform’ is an error.”

THE Mass is not an extraordinary occurrence.  It’s the reason for the world’s existence. It’s the re-presentation of the greatest act of history, Christ’s death on the cross to redeem us. I despise this scornful attitude towards Catholics.  What they do to us they do to the Catholics and Saints of the past 2,000 years, before the Church was corrupted by those trying to change Her for their wicked designs.

We want Truth. Goodness. Beauty. Faithfulness. Authenticity.

We’re working out our salvation in fear and trembling.

Now that’s rigid.

~Damsel of the Faith

As I read these unfortunate words from the Holy Father, I cannot help but think about the experiences I have had as a young person with this mass.  Now, I have not attended a New mass in fulfilling the Sundayobligation since 1997, but having a large extended family, I have oftentimes passively attended weddings or funerals for which the New mass is offered.

Just this past week, I passively attended a New mass for the funeral of a relative.  Despite the conservative surroundings that can often be present(the young priest, for one, preached an almost unusually conservative sermon compared to many we hear today), the entire atmosphere was strikingly unfulfilling. The wake was quite dreadful, being essentially a “meet and greet” for almost everyone involved.  The whole church echoed with excitement as a football stadium would, and several people came to me to exchange jubilant greetings and even start a conversation.  Absolutely no one was on their knees with the body of the deceased lying a few feet away.  As for the service itself, the priest was again fine and even almost conservative, but everything else was severely lacking in holiness.  The “hymns” were a catastrophe, with the equivalent of a young “country star” singing “Bible” music off-tune.  Every single person received what is putatively Our Lord in the hand and many particularly enjoyed the “Sign of Peace” and raising their arms up during the prayers.

I have been to New masses both more conservative and more “open” than this, but the reaction from myself and my siblings is largely the same.  This mass does not lift up our minds and hearts as the Mass should, but leaves us strangely bored and unfulfilled.  Even if Our Lord may be present in correctly said New masses, the entire service is simply bland and protestantized.  There is no life to it.  It is easy to see how young people can so often leave or reject something so bland, ambiguous, lifeless.  Young people, and really all people want truth, beauty, life!  And this is the norm for Pope Francis.

Nonetheless, we must pray for the Pope.  It is curious to hear him utter such words about the Traditional Mass, and then oftentimes show seemingly honest goodwill towards many affiliated with the fight for Tradition(Fr. Gruner, conservative and traditional journalists and writers, the Society of St. Pius X, etc.).  Does this Pope have a special “sympathetic” side when it comes to reaching out to those in the “peripheries”, even to the point where it contradicts his own principles? God may only know.  The Modernist mind is a very confused one indeed.  Hopefully the recent appeals from the more orthodox bishops and cardinals will help the Pope see the errors of his statements, although he has not responded as of yet.  Pray much for the Holy Father!

~Steven C., “Knight of Tradition”

Marie Julie Jahenny, the chastisement and the restoration of the Church

Prophecies of Marie Julie Jahenny.

Damsel of the Faith

Many mystics have prophesied the coming of the Great Monarch and the Holy Pope, who will both restore the Church and world after this revolution.  One such mystic, considered to be one of the greatest of all time, was the stigmatist, Marie Julie Jahenny of France.  She was chosen by Heaven to spread the love of the Cross, to make sacrifices and suffer for the salvation of sinners, to prepare the world for the chastisements, to warn the Church of the current crisis afflicting her and to announce the coming of the Great Monarch and the Holy Pope, who would both restore the Church and Christendom.  Monseigneur Fournier, the Bishop of Nantes, France declared all that happened to Marie-Julie was of a supernatural and divine origin.

The following visions, messages and prophecies are taken from the book “We are warned – The Prophecies of Marie Julie Jahenny” compiled, translated and edited by E.A…

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False Altars

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-italian-bishop-condemns-false-altars-facing-away-from-people-nostalgia

“I don’t like going into the parishes and celebrating Mass on a false altar: all Churches must have altars facing towards the people.”

Actually, Excellency, your altars can be called false in every sense of the word, since you advocate the desacrilization of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament by relegating it to a simple meal, void of any semblance of the Sacrifice of the Cross.  By facing the people you turn your back on God, but you have actually done worse, for the Modernists have thrown the Blessed Sacrament from the altar and cast him into a closet. What does this tell us about you?  You do not hold the Catholic Faith.

With the likes of these Modernists, it is a great miracle that the Traditional Latin Mass has survived.  Due credit to Archbishop Lefebvre and our great SSPX, for preserving the Faith when it was under most attack.

“The survival of the Tridentine Mass until the post-Vatican II reform was, even from a cultural standpoint, something of a miracle.”   ~Michael Davies

“The new liturgy will delight all those groups hovering on the verge of apostasy who, during a spiritual crisis without precedent, now wreak havoc in the Church by poisoning Her organism and by undermining Her unity in doctrine, worship, morals and discipline.”   ~Cardinals Ottaviani & Bacci

May God have mercy on this disgraceful Bishop and move him to repentance for his hatred of the Mass of All Time and the True Catholic Faith of saintly generations.  Without these Altars, the world would cease to exist.

~Damsel of the Faith

Blessing of the new St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary

Report from the SSPX US District on the memorable, joyous occasion of the blessing of the new Seminary, built to house many, many Priests for generations to come. A true fortress for God and the Traditional Catholic Faith.

http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/report-new-sspx-seminary-va

“More than one thousand faithful gathered at the new home of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary on Friday, November 4th, to celebrate the blessing of the recently built house of formation. With the Superior General, Bishop Fellay, several district superiors, and dozens of priests, this joyous today for Tradition in America began, as is fitting, with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In the sermon, His Excellency explained how a building this noble and grand helps the formation of the future priests. By reflecting the attributes of the eternal and majestic God, the architecture leads to an interior silence and reminds souls that their vocation is not a normal one!

After a catered lunch, Fr. Yves le Roux, the Rector, thanked those who made such a work possible: the  benefactors, the workers, the volunteers, and all those who have prayed and sacrificed to make this work possible.

However, not all the news from Virginia was happy this weekend, as the Superior General, Bishop Fellay, injured his foot quite badly. We ask for your prayers that he recovers well, and completely.

More than anything else, the new seminary stands as a tribute to the founder of the Society. Without Archbishop Lefebvre’s vision to defend the Catholic priesthood, none of this would be possible. Continue to pray that the Society may form priests of God and that Our Lady protects them all in this increasingly chaotic world!”

Photos:

http://sspx.org/en/media/photos/gallery-new-seminary-blessing-virginia-18711

    

Please pray for a speedy recovery for Bishop Fellay. He fell and broke his foot at the Seminary.

~Damsel of the Faith

Important Communiqué from SSPX District Superior of France

 

A powerful Communique from Fr. Bouchacourt, the District Superior of France, condemning the Pope’s recent celebration of the Protestant Revolt. Please give it a read:

http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/pope-francis-lutherans-sign-declaration

“On reading the joint declaration which the Pope made with the representatives of the Lutheran church in Sweden on 31^st October, on the occasion of the fifth centenary of Luther’s revolt against the Catholic Church, our sadness has reached new depths.

Faced with the genuine scandal represented by such a declaration in which historical errors, grave attacks on the preaching of the Catholic Faith and a false humanism, source of so many evils, follow one after the other, we cannot remain silent.

Under the fallacious pretext of love of neighbor and the desire for an artificial and illusory unity, the Catholic Faith is sacrificed on the altar of that ecumenism which puts the salvation of souls in peril. The most enormous errors and the Truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ are put on an equal footing.

How can we be “profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation”, when Luther manifested a diabolical hatred towards the Sovereign Pontiff, a blasphemous scorn for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as well as a refusal of the saving Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ? He also destroyed the doctrine on the Eucharist by refusing Transubstantiation, turned souls away from the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and denied the existence of Purgatory.

No, Protestantism brought nothing to Catholicism! It ruined the unity of Christendom, separated whole countries from the Catholic Church, plunged souls into error, putting their eternal salvation in peril. We Catholics want Protestants to return to the unique fold of Christ which is the Catholic Church and we pray for this intention.

In these days when we celebrate all the Saints, we call out to Saint Pius V, Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Ignatius and Saint Peter Canisius who heroically fought the Protestant heresy and saved the Catholic Church.

We invite the faithful of the District of France to pray and do penance for the Sovereign Pontiff so that Our Lord, whose Vicar he is, may preserve him from error and keep him in the Truth of which he is the guardian.

I invite the priests of the District to celebrate a Mass of reparation and to organise a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament to ask pardon for these scandals and to beg Our Lord to calm the tempest which has been shaking the Church for more than half a century now.

Our Lady Help of Christians, save the Catholic Church and pray for us!

Father Christian Bouchacourt

District Superior of France for the Society of Saint Pius X”

~Damsel of the FFaith