Category: Blog

Your good old-fashioned blog, It’s where I reflect on (but not exactly “review”) a variety of movies and where I post my thoughts on different issues as it seems necessary.

Pastor Column: Tra Le Sollecitudini II

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of March 7, 2021      Last week, we looked at the first part of Pope St. Pius X’s document on sacred music, which gave some basic principles for what kind of music should be used at Mass and other forms of the liturgy. The glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful are the reasons for sacred music and because of this, such music should be holy and beautiful in a way that transcends a single cultural expression. By way of example, the pope pointed to Gregorian Chant as the music developed by the Church herself...Read More

Pastor Column: Tra Le Sollecitudini I

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of February 28      One of the earliest things Pope St. Pius X wrote as pope was a document on the music at Mass, titled Tra Le Sollecitudini, published on November 22, 1903. As he puts it, he is writing this letter because he “deemed it expedient to point out briefly the principles regulating sacred music in the functions of public worship, and to gather together in a general survey the principal prescriptions of the Church against the more common abuses in this subject.” This kind of letter is what’s called a Motu Propio. A good while...Read More

Pastor Column: Pope St. Pius X

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of February 21      Returning to our journey through major documents of recent popes, it is time to move on to Pope St. Pius X. Born with the name Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, he lived from 1835 to 1914. He lived in Riese, which was in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, though it is now Italy. He became a priest in 1858. He served in a few placed, including as spiritual director and rector (president) of the seminary. By 1880, he was a teacher at the seminary until he was named the Bishop of Treviso in 1884 by Pope...Read More

Pastor’s Column: Mirror of Charity

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of January 31, 2021      The reason for the Church’s existence is love. The reason Pope Leo XIII wrote about social and economic conditions of his time was because he loved the people affected by society and the economy. Recalling that primary motive, it is perhaps fitting to now look at another one of his letters that deals more directly with love, also called “Charity.” In May of 1902, People Leo XIII issued the letter Mirae Caritatis which is Latin for The Mirror of Charity. The topic of that letter is the Holy Eucharist, which is the...Read More

Pastor Column: Rerum Novarum VII

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of January 17, 2021      After two special columns, we return this week to our journey through Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII. In our last installment, we heard about the importance of fair wages for those who work and about the importance of protecting the those who are desperate from being taken advantage of. Again, this interest is not necessarily anti-capitalism or anti-business, but simply pro human dignity. Unions and minimum wage laws can be helpful for this purpose and they can also be abused. At the time this encyclical was written, they were generally more...Read More

Pastor Column: The Morality of Vaccines

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of January 10, 2021      As Covid-19 vaccines are becoming more available, now is a good time to consider some of the controversies around their production. First, we should make it clear what the Church says about vaccines in general. As a scientific and medical practice, it’s not the Church’s job to judge their effectiveness on a medical or scientific level. Still, the Church’s job (and mine) is to teach the truth about God and about the moral life we are called to live. Inasmuch as vaccines are meant to protect and promote health, the Church affirms...Read More

Pastor Column: Rerum Novarum VI

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of December 27, 2020      Continuing our journey through Pope Leo XIII’s landmark document, we pick up this week with how the government should view religion and family. First, the pope lays out the principle that “the State must not absorb the individual or the family; both should be allowed free and untrammeled action so far as is consistent with the common good and the interest of others.” For this reason, “the safety of the commonwealth” is the reason for government’s existence and it is therefore its primary responsibility.      But this does not boil down to...Read More

Pastor Column: Winter Ember Days

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of December 13, 2020           We’ll pause temporarily on our journey through Rerum Novarum to remember an ancient practice called the “Ember Days.” You may remember that we’ve observed these before. The Ember Days are a traditional time of prayer and fasting connected to each season of the year. The idea is to sanctify – to make holy – each  season. While not as popular now, the practice of fasting has always been a central part of the Christian call to holiness. It purifies our attachment to food, reminds us of the fact that many go without,...Read More