Plunging "back into the liturgical life of another age."

Some French bishops think that freeing the Church to pray the mass of John XIII would "plunge us back into the liturgical life of another age."

Catholic World News reports French clerical and seemingly official "opposition to release of a papal document that would allow wider use of the traditional Latin Mass." According to a story dated October, 24th, 2006, "A group of 35 French bishops and priests have issued a statement urging Pope Benedict XVI ... not to issue the motu proprio that has been widely discussed in recent weeks. The clerics predict that by allowing broader use of the Tridentine rite, the papal document would 'plunge us back into the liturgical life of another age.'"

I like that phrase. The purported goal of the liturgical reforms imposed on the Church after the Council was to restore the mass to the pristine simplicity of worship in the early church. Now THAT, had it succeeded, would have plunged "us back into the liturgical life of another age."

Unfortunately, the experts and bureaucrats were more reductionist than restorationist. They created much that was new while destroying much that was old. Research and scholarship in the decades since have taught us how inaccurate was their understanding of liturgical history. Far from plunging us back into the age of the early church, they worshiped idols of their own intellectual making.

Now the council is finally bearing fruit. We are growing in our understanding of the worship of the early church. (See

Mike Aquilina's The Mass of the Early Christians.) The Council's call to rediscover the patristic roots of our theology and prayer life has been heard. And a true reform of the Roman liturgy is budding up through the dirty snow of our winter of liturgical discontent.

Deo gratias!

Happy St. Valentine's Day

Today is St. Valentine's Day. I doubt he would have approved of his metamorphosis into Cupid.

The picture was my message to my most special person.

Our Worthy Knights Collecting for the Cause of Life

(Picture courtesy of Brigid Harris)

Question: How does the Right to Life March happen each year? How does it get set up and organized? How do all the bureaucratic boxes get checked?

Answer: through a lot of people's hard work and the financial support of the marchers.

Each year volunteers from the Father Diamond Council #6962 (Fairfax, Virginia) of the Knights of Columbus helps by collecting donations in the line of march. This is a picture of Larry Gottschalk, a past Grand Knight and a gem of a man, collecting last Monday. Larry, another twenty four knights, and three of their spouses worked Constitution Avenue. They have done this for fourteen years holding out their buckets.

Their work is not done once the March for Life is over. They have to take the money back to Fairfax. There they count it: every dollar, quarter, dime, nickel, and penny of it. That is a big job in itself! Finally they have to turn it over safe and sound to the organizers of the March. And this is only one of the things the Council does for the March.

This year the marchers chipped in 25,890 U.S. dollars and one Canadian $50 bill.

That is a new record. Judging from the pictures I have seen and from the amount the marchers gave, maybe this was the biggest March ever! (The previous record was in 2002.)

Brownback for President

Senator Brownback was a hit among pro-lifers according to the Washington Post's Dana Milbank. Whenever I marched, he enthusiastically addressed the crowd to enthusiastic responses.
Image above: Brownback for President signs at the March for Life. (Courtesy of Brigid Harris.)

Image on the right: Brownback (R-Kan.) addresses the Pro-Life Americans. (By Alex Wong -- Getty Images)

The March For Life: The Crowd

Picture courtesy of Brigid Harris.


The press seems to ave settled on the phrase "tens of thousands" to describe the size of the crowd at the March for Life. That was what both the Post and the Washtimes used. Even Voice of America had an article and used the same formula. This is the second year in a row (no pun intended) that I have missed the March. Typically there were at least 150,000 when I marched. That is based on rough counting when you can get a view ahead and behind. This occurs when the March turns off Constitution Avenue and you start heading up Capitol Hill. This picture is taken just past the turn.

It seems that this year the crowd was even bigger. You would not know it from the media coverage. Life News legitimately complains about the Post's coverage. According to the Indianapolis Star, the March did not even exist: see Ken Waldron's email.

Coverage of the March For Life

The Washington Times published an article in its metropolitan section, but had a great picture ("Rally to Reverse Roe") at the very top of the front page. The Washington Post, the establishment paper, had its coverage on page 10. Whereas its coverage was prominent on washingtonpost.com yesterday it disappeared from the main page today.

The March For Life

It is strange. This is the second year in a row that I have not been in the March for Life. Joining with 150,000 or so civil rights marchers for the unborn was becoming an annual event when I lived in Washington. The family had a much better track record than I have. Brigid is the only one that made it this year.

Both the Washington Post and the Washington Times web sites cover it. Kansas always had a strong contingent. When Senator Bronbeck and the Kansas congressmen spoke a loud roar would rise from the crowd. Benedictine College was always well represented. This year the March includes over 750 Catholic pro lifers from the Wichita Diocese including Bishop Jackels.

You can hear and see one of our marchers from the area on the Washington Post video in the next post.