The Last Bastion of Tradition

Leonard Servat--Requiescat in pace et in amore

2010-02-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today, I received tragic news. A man that I have known and admired for several years passed away. I came to know Leonard over the years both through the parish we attended, St. Joseph's Cathedral in Baton Rouge, LA and The Catholic Answers Forum. His loss was a complete shock to everyone. I can speak from experience and feel confident saying he was a living saint. I hate that he is gone, but it sure is nice to know that someone like him is up in heaven interceding for us all. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for his entire family who is still trying to deal with his sudden loss.

Leonard, I will be forever sad that you didn't make it up here to Charleston like we discussed. It would have been great to see you, eat dinner, and go watch a full dress military parade at my Alma Mater, The Citadel. I will make you a promise though...when I see you again, up in heaven...Dinner is on me!!! You were a great friend, a great mentor...a devout Catholic and a very loving and devoted husband and father. We will always miss you and you will remain forever in my prayers. God Bless

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=leonard-eastin-servat&pid=139982145

Knights of Columbus

2009-06-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Dominus Vobiscum...I want to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart...The Knights of Columbus. I have had the honor and privilege of being a Knight almost as long as I have been Catholic. I think I have been a Catholic a little less than a week longer than a Knight...as a convert, I always knew I wanted to be a Knight. Currently, I serve as the Deputy Grand Knight of my council and as the Pilot of my Assembly. In both cases, I work with what I consider to be the upper echelon Catholics our Church has to offer...on any given day you will find these guys helping out in various capacities at The Church or throughout the diocese...holding fundraisers...serving at Mass...or standing an Honor Guard at a deceased Knights wake. The Knights of Columbus does so much for the Church and for the community...we have been called the "strong right arm of The Church". In troubled times like we live in today, we need men of principle...honor...integrity....fortitude...charity. Knights are all of those things and more. If you are a practical Catholic man, age 18 or older and in full communion with The Church...then run to your nearest KofC representative at your parish and fill out a Form 100...it will be one of the most rewarding decisions you have ever made...I promise you.

Personal Ramblings on the Eve of Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

In the past year or so, work has had me all over the place. I have moved 3-4 times in the past year alone. During all of this time, my vocation and the question of what God wants me to do in my life, still looms over my head. I have strongly been considering the priesthood for some time now...but it seems like the last few months I have been experiencing the largest amount of spiritual dryness I have ever encountered. I know that by reading the lives of many saints and talking with many priest, spiritual dryness is something to be expected of those trying to live as a devout Catholic. I have even questioned my vocation during this time...but here as of late, I am trying to embrace this dryness and use it as an opportunity for spiritual growth. We must all pass through this Dark Night on our way to being everything God expects of us. I won't lie, I really do miss those periods of pure bliss...it is so easy to say "I am going to be a priest" or a religious, etc. when you are in a period of pure bliss...on the contrary, it is not so easy to be sure about those things or even live your faith to the fullest when you are going through a period of extreme dryness. Even frequent participation in the Sacraments does not seem to help. I do have moments though when it feels as if that bliss is back...but then it fades away again. I know this is not permanent, and I just pray that I remain faithful to God's purpose for me in life...whatever that may be. In the meantime, I just ask for all of you to pray for me to the Lord our God. God Bless you all. Happy Thanksgiving

Way to go Jim!!!

2008-05-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hollywood, Apr 30, 2008 / 06:08 pm (CNA).- In an interview with “Christopher Closeup,” a radio show for the media apostolate The Christophers, Jim Caviezel described both the deep fear he felt when adopting two children with brain tumors, and the joy he and his wife have received from doing the will of Christ.
Caviezel, best known in Christian circles for his role as Jesus in Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, has been committed to his Catholic and pro-life beliefs for a while. When he was challenged to prove his faith by adopting a disabled child, he and his wife, Kerri, traveled to China where they adopted a five-year old boy who was living in an orphanage.
Caviezel recalled that he was “completely terrified” at the possibility of adopting a child with a disability, but deep within his soul, he knew that God wanted him to do it.

Read the rest of this story here: http://catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12509

Paul VI saw liturgical abuse as "smoke of Satan"

2008-05-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

Rome, May. 16, 2008 (CWNews.com) - When Pope Paul VI spoke about the "smoke of Satan" entering the Catholic Church, he was referring to liturgical abuses, according to the prelate who served as his master of ceremonies.
Cardinal Virgilio Noe, the chief Vatican liturgist during the pontificate of Paul VI, spoke candidly about the late Pope's concerns in an interview with the Roman Petrus web site. The Italian prelate-- who was also the Vatican's top liturgist under Pope John Paul I and the early years of the pontificate of John Paul II-- is now retired, and at the age of 86 his health is failing. In his interview with Petrus he concentrated primarily on his years serving Pope Paul VI.
[The full interview has been translated by Father John Zulsdorf on his What Does the Prayer Really Say blog.]
Pope Paul accepted the liturgical reforms after Vatican II "with pleasure," Cardinal Noe said. He added that Paul VI was not be nature a sad man, but "he was saddened by the fact of having been left alone by the Roman Curia." Regarding the late Pope's famous remark about the "smoke of Satan," Cardinal Noe said that he knew what Paul VI intended by that statement. In that denunciation, he said, the Pope "meant to include all those priests or bishops and cardinals who didn't render worship to the Lord by celebrating badly Holy Mass because of an errant interpretation of the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. He spoke of the smoke of Satan because he maintained that those priests who turned Holy Mass into dross in the name of creativity, in reality were possessed of the vainglory and the pride of the Evil One. So, the smoke of Satan was nothing other than the mentality which wanted to distort the traditional and liturgical canons of the Eucharistic ceremony."
For Pope Paul VI, the cardinal continued, the worst outcome of the post-conciliar liturgical reform was the "craving to be in the limelight" that caused many priests to ignore liturgical guidelines. Cardinal Noe recalled that the Pope himself believed in careful adherence to the rubrics of the Mass, firmly believing that "no one is lord of the Mass."
Speaking for himself, the former top Vatican liturgist said that the liturgy must always be celebrated with reverence and careful respect for the rubrics. He said with regret that in the wake of Vatican II "it was believed that everything, or nearly, was permitted." Cardinal Noe said: "Now it is necessary to recover-- and in a hurry-- the sense of the sacred in the ars celebrandi, before the smoke of Satan completely pervades the whole Church."

Football Season is Over Folks!!!

2008-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Ok...this is really becoming disturbing. Is there anyone else out there that would love to attend a Mass where everyone follows the Rubrics and the GIRM? The Orans posture has become a scourge, and now apparently a permanent fixture, in the majority of Novus Ordo Masses in this country. This posture, which is only supposed to be adopted by an Ordained Priest is seeing widespread use amongst the laity. Every time I go to Mass, I see someone who has an even more exaggerated version of it. Last Sunday, I thought I was at the superbowl and one of the officials was signaling a Giants touchdown. Where does this stop? I have written about this topic before...but it seems this abuse has reached an all time high. Don't get me wrong...I love the Novus Ordo and do not feel it is a problem with the Mass itself...however, I do blame this problem and the other problems facing the Church such as decreasing vocations and decreasing Mass attendance on poor Catechesis and a few rogue Bishops. Names like Mahony come to mind...and I would like to remind His Excellency, that "Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its ugly hand". I had to search long and hard to find a reverent Novus Ordo Mass...but luckily my parish of St. Agnes has just that...I am also blessed to have Pre-Conciliar Latin Mass there as well...I tell you one thing...at the Tridentine Mass, these types of abuse would never take place. God Bless, Michael

Thank you all for your support

2008-02-17T21:19:00.001-08:00

It is so to be back after such a long sabattical in 2007. The support I have received from you all for both my vocation to the Priesthood and my blog has been phenomenal. God Bless you all. You are much too kind. I have received mixed opinions on my public endorsement of Alan Keyes...however, there are some like minded Catholics out there who strongly agree with my outlook on Dr. Keyes. As far as presidential Candidates are concerned...his views and public positions are more in line with The Holy See than any other presidential candidate this country has ever seen...I tell you, when I placed my vote for him in the Louisiana primaries, it was the first time I had voted with complete confidence that my vote did not conflict with my Catholic faith and principles.

Thanks once again to you all...I love you all. Vivat Jesus

Please Pray For My Vocation

2008-02-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

I am currently in a serious discernment period. I am considering the Priesthood and I desperately need your prayers. Pray that I be open and respond to God's call in my life. Oh, Let thy will be done Lord, not mine!

"It is not you that have chosen me, it is I that have chosen you"--Jesus Christ

Why Not Alan Keyes

2008-02-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or do you also have a feeling of impending doom when thinking about the upcoming 2008 presidential election? On one hand, we have Hillary Clinton, who I believe would eat her young for self preservation and a chance to gain the white house in 2008...then we have Obama who, in all honesty, scares the crap out of me. If you look at some of his initiatives and plans for the country if he were to become president, it is safe to say that he is the biggest national security threat facing this country. He has great oratory skills...he is able to win people over and captivate them with his rhetoric and enthusiam...well...I can think of one other person in history who had the oratory skills that Obama has, and that was Hitler. We all know what kind of legacy he left in this world. Finally, that leaves us with John McCain...come on folks, face it, it is a one horse race for the Republican nominee. I have a better chance of being elected Pope at the next conclave than Huckabee has to being selected as the Republican nominee...which wouldn't be a good thing anyway. Huckabee is a lousy candidate...and is not a conservative in the slightest shape or form. And then there was one...John McCain. I abhor the thought of him getting the Republican nomination and possibly becoming president....don't get me wrong, I would rather get gut shot and die a slow death before seeing Hillary or Obama become president, however, the alternative McCain isn't an easier pill to swallow by any means. I could spend all day discussing why McCain is a lousy candidate and should not be the nominee, but then I would just be regurgitating stuff we already know and have said dozens of times. No, no...I won't do all of that. I am writing this post to make a suggestion..."Why not Alan Keyes"?

Think about it...why not Alan Keyes? The following is a list of things Dr. Keyes is for or against:

Checklist of Alan Keyes' Views

For

Strengthening the moral foundations of America's families and communities.
Protecting the life of the unborn.
Returning government to its proper role under the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
School choice that respects the authority of parents in the education of their children.
Free exercise of religion in public and private life.
Second Amendment rights.
Replacing the income tax with a national sales tax.
Privatizing social security.
Eliminating disincentives to competitive free enterprise.
Health-care reform based on consumer choice.
Low medication costs through free-market competition.
Reversing trade policies that hurt American jobs.
Strengthening national security.
Preserving national sovereignty in world affairs.

Against

Abortion and euthanasia.
The homosexual rights agenda, including same-sex marriage.
Racial quotas.
Government-sponsored health care.
Tax-supported welfare.
The tyranny of judicial activism.
Expanded involvement in the U.N.
Detrimental trade agreements like GATT/WTO.

Dr. Alan Keyes is a solid candidate that is in touch with the non-negotiables a Catholic must consider when voting for a candidate for public office. He is a fellow Catholic...and one of few Catholic politicians who's public views and platform are in complete union with The Holy See. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and he is staunchly pro-life. He is a magnificent man of great intellect, character, integrity, and vision. He is a fellow Catholic, and he is not afraid to stand up for what is right. He is the right choice in 2008, and he deserves our support. God Bless you all.

Sorry, I have been AWOL, Parte Dos

2007-11-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

Hello my dear friends...welcome to part two in the series, "I have been AWOL". Last time I was absent for a while....it was due to moving to Houston and starting a new job that literally had me working horrific hours and prevented me from attending Mass. I went from attending daily Mass (with an occasional absence) while living in Louisiana, to making it to only one Sunday Mass the entire 8-9 months I was living in Houston. My job totally consumed me...I was working about 100 hours a week (I wish I was lying to you)...and all day on Saturday and Sunday...which prevented me from making my Sunday obligation...this was a real problem for me. In addition, it prevented from doing the things I enjoy, such as participating in the Knights of Columbus...as a 4th Degree Knight...I had grown rather fond of The KC's and I always looked forward to working on another charitable project. My life in the Church was not the only thing effected...I also had no time to spend with my loving Bloodhound, Dakota...which is like my son, since I don't have any kids yet...and I also wasn't able to go golfing, camping, or just sit quitely under an Oak tree and stare into nature and think just how wonderful God is...I must conclude this now because my dear bloodhound Dakota is very ill and I have to take him to the Vet. Please pray. God Bless, Michael

I have been AWOL

2007-03-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all of my friends for my extended absence. I assure you that I have not been on vacation. I am in the process of moving to Houston, TX. I am starting a new job on the 27th, and I am very happy to be relocating to what used to be my home town. I have found a wonderful Catholic Church in the heart of downtown Houston called, Annunciation Catholic Church. It is a very traditional Catholic parish...it doesn't even appear as if time and the winds of change have effected it, whatsoever. I am very excited about becoming a parishioner there. I will start bloggin again once my life regains a since of normalcy. God Bless you all...I love you all, Michael

When is the Vatican going to face the Crisis in the Church?

2007-02-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

Is this picture not appropriate? Vocations to the priesthood and religious life have plummeted...Mass attendence is down...Baptisms are down...Divorce is up...and properly Catechized Catholics are becoming extinct...Most Catholics do not even believe in the Real Presence...Yet there are some Cardinals...such as Mahony who would like to say these things are fruits of Vatican II...and each crisis is actually a blessing from God to show us how much he loves us. If these things are fruit...then it should be recognized this fruit is horribly rotten. The "Spirit of Vatican II" is crippling The Church...when are these liberal, heterodox Bishops going to figure this out?

Abortion...yes, the numbers really are that high

2007-02-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

(2nd Trimester Abortion)

I was speaking with an employee of mine the other day...she was obviously one of these "cut and run" democrats who said we should just pull out immediately. For justification, she cited the fact that over 3,000 American G.I.'s have been killed since the war started over 3 years ago. Don't get me wrong...every American life lost during any war is tragic and saddening...and I have known my fair share of loss...considering the first combat casualty of the Iraq war was a close friend and classmate of mine, 1LT Shane Childers...a very motivated, honorable, and capable Marine. All together, I have lost 12 of my Citadel brothers in combat...so the numbers are very real to me...however, lets put those numbers in perspective. The first day of the Battle of the Somme in WWI...20,000 British troops died and most of which were within the first hour of battle. On D-Day alone, during WWII, approximately 2,500 allied soldiers were killed...and over 400,000 Americans would be killed during the course of the 6 year war. Those numbers are frightening...and when you look at the number of casualties American troops are experiencing today...they are very small in comparison to the wars of yesteryear. Now let us take a look at these 3,000 combat deaths in comparison to abortion. Approximately 3,700 abortions occur daily in the United States alone...this means we are murdering our unborn children at an exponentially faster rate than we are losing soldiers during a multi-year armed conflict. If the number of American soldier deaths were equal to the daily deaths of our unborn children due to infanticide, we would have lost approximately 4,051,500 soldiers by this point in time. I find this figure to be staggering...it absolutely makes me sick. We have no value for human life in this country. People are fast to defend a woman's right to murder her unborn child...but they will fast and hold vigils for a convicted murderer, rapist, and child molester on death row...we have things ass backwards in this country. If those figures I typed made you sick to your stomach...how about these. There are approximately 126,000 abortions performed worldwide on a DAILY basis...this equates to approximately 46 million per year...We don't have to worry about overpopulating the world at this rate...we just need to worry about survival of the human race...we are murdering ourselves faster than we can procreate...and the figure that shocks me the most is that the number of abortions performed each year are so high, it equates to a lifetime average of about 1 abortion PER WOMAN. That means there are countless women having 5, 10, maybe even 15 of these procedures done during their lifetime. Something must be done about this horrendous and meaningless loss of life. If you want more detailed statistics, please follow this link: http://www.cbrinfo.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

Pius XII was an enemy of Hitler...not a friend

2007-02-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

I tell you...something that really gets under my skin is when I hear illiterate jackasses talk about how Pius XII and the Catholic Church supported Hitler and the Nazis during the imprisonment and subsequent "Final Solution" of the Jews. This article clearly states what most Catholics have always known about Pius XII. See article below:

Pius XII and WWII
KGB intent on linking Pius XII with Nazis, says former spy

Washington DC, Jan 26, 2007 / 04:18 pm (CNA).- A former high-ranking officer with the KGB claims that the Kremlin and the Russian intelligence agency in the 1960s were set on executing a smear campaign against the Catholic Church, and the main target was Pope Pius XII.In a recent issue of the National Review Online, Lt. General Ion Mihai Pacepa, who eventually defected from the former Soviet bloc, recounts how the KGB and the Kremlin designed the deliberate campaign to portray the Pius XII “as a coldhearted Nazi sympathizer.” “In February 1960, Nikita Khrushchev approved a super-secret plan for destroying the Vatican’s moral authority in Western Europe,” writes Pacepa. “Eugenio Pacelli, by then Pope Pius XII, was selected as the KGB’s main target, its incarnation of evil, because he had departed this world in 1958. ‘Dead men cannot defend themselves’ was the KGB’s latest slogan.”The code name for this operation against Pope Pius XII was “Seat-12.”

Entire Article can be found here: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=8490

Pater, Fiat Voluntas Tua

2007-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Prophesy of Isaias, Chapter 53
A prophecy of the passion of Christ.

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him: 3 Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth. 8 He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him. 9 And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth. 10 And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.
11 Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong, because he hath delivered his soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors.

As a meditation...just think about God's love. What have we done to deserve it? What do we do daily to showhow much we appreciate his love and his sacrifice...a sacrifice that is so great our finite minds can not comprehend it. Just think...that in the fullness of time, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...however we knew him not...we despised him and counted him among the stricken...yet, He humbled himself to death on a cross...for no transgressions of his own...but for our own iniquities. The spotless lamb..the living and perfect sacrifice by whose blood our sins are washed away. Through Him, many will be saved. Therefore it was through man that sin first entered the world and with it death and condemnation...however by His death, acquittal and everlasting life came upon all of us.

God Bless you All

Throwing Touchdown Passes at Mass!!!

2007-02-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ok...this is just a little rant of mine...but does anyone else have a parishioner...or several parishioners for that fact, who like to signal a touchdown every time the priest gets to the end of the "Our Father"? I know I see it more and more today than I did when I first converted to Catholicism...it is almost like you are not cool unless you do...heck, I even have people looking around and giving me dirty looks because I am not holding my hands up like my armpits are on fire...for those of you who don't know what I am talking about...it looks a little like this:

"For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever...."

Is this just the most asinine thing you have ever seen??? What is even more asinine is that it is not condemned by priest and other parishioners...they seem to accept and even promote these types of abuses. Lord help us all.