A Priest Starts a Parish Blog

A priest has started a blog for his parish, and it’s one that’s well worth reading - by non-parishioners as well as the locals.

The parish is St. Norbert’s, located in the Diocese of Madison, WI. The blog features meditations, which are printed versions of the Sunday homilies, reviews of books and articles, plenty of Vortex episodes, and even some excerpts from Philothea on Phire! (There are also a tab for the parish bulletin.)

St. Norbert's - a view of the sanctuary

This parish is also fairly unique, as far as I know, in that the priest offers both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass on a regular basis – that is, on a regular daily basis!

Look at this Mass schedule, printed on the blog:

Saturdays
3:00 pm Confessions
4:00 pm Mass (Novus Ordo)
7:00 pm Confessions
8:00 pm Mass (Novus Ordo)

Sundays
7:00 am Confessions
8:00 am Mass (Novus Ordo)
10:00 am Confessions
11:00 am Mass (Traditional Latin) YEAR ROUND
12:00 pm Confessions

Mondays through Fridays
6:00 Confessions
6:30 am Mass (Traditional Latin)
7:30 am Confessions
8:00 Mass (Novus Ordo)

That’s my emphasis on the TLMs offered. I find it simply amazing that this priest offers the TLM every day of the week except Saturday, and gives the TLM a “prime time” slot on Sunday! The TLM is not relegated to the usual “fifth Sunday of the month when there is a full moon, time TBA 10 minutes before Mass starts”.

Not only that, there’s choir rehearsal – for the TLM as well as for the NO:

Mondays
7:00 pm TLM Adult Choir Rehearsals

Saturdays
10:30 am TLM Children's Choir Rehearsals

Did you catch that? A TLM children’s choir! It’s the TLM, remember; these children are not going to be singing “Jesus Loves Me” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain”! No, they will be chanting the Gregorian chant propers or singing sacred polyphony!

This is NOT an FSSP parish; but it is a parish under the administration of the priests of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest. Their primary mission is to find vocations to the priesthood. 

Fr. Z has written about these priests several times – go here to access the various posts. Their experience in the Diocese of Madison has not been without bumps and obstacles – and apparently continues to be a little less than smooth – but Bishop Morlino has been steadfast in his support of their work. Deo gratias!

Today, the St. Norbert’s parish blog features yesterday’s Vortex on “Mushy Middle Catholics”, and includes some excellent supplemental material. The author notes that “It’s so easy to become a Mushy Middle Catholic… It is as easy as falling into tepidity, lukewarmness, mediocrity or spiritual sloth.” He gives several definitions of these ills from several wise writers; here’s my favorite (emphases in the original):

Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange (1877-1964), writes: “Some souls, because of their negligence, or spiritual sloth, do not pass from the age of beginners to that of proficients. These are retarded souls; in the spiritual life they are like abnormal children, who do not happily pass through the crisis of adolescence and who, though they do not remain children, never reach the full development of maturity. Thus these retarded souls belong neither among beginners, nor among proficients. Unfortunately they are numerous. Of these retarded souls, some, who formerly served God with fidelity, are now in a state bordering on indifference. Though in the past they knew true spiritual fervor, we may say, without fear of rash judgment, that they seriously misused divine graces. Had it not been for this misuse, as a matter of fact the Lord would have continued what He had begun in them, for He does not refuse His help to those who do what is in their power to obtain it. How did these souls reach this state of tepidity? As a rule, two principal causes are indicated: the neglect of little things in the service of God and the refusal to make the sacrifices He asks” (The Three Ages of the Interior Life, pub. 1947).

 Go! Take a look at this wonderful blog, and check for updates daily. I’ve included St. Norbert’s in my “blog roll”, so you can access it from here very easily.

And in addition, here’s yesterday’s Vortex; the script is here.