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Can Catholics Pray with Protestants??? Part 1

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 + JMJ Can Catholics Pray with Protestants??? Part 1 Short answer is yes … but ... Introduction Like many Catholics, we have family members who have either lost the Faith or abandoned the Faith to join a protestant church. This brings up question of what can and can’t you do in your relations with them. The one that comes up is ‘praying’ with protestants, particularly at meals but perhaps other events. My goal today is the review the application of moral theology to this question and I have to admit that I used to believe that you can’t say grace with protestants, specifically my Sister, Brother-In-Law and nephews. Distinctions and the Truth are IMPORTANT! There is a difference between praying privately with protestants vs public prayer or worship. In the case of privately praying with protestants the litmus test is whether or not the prayers are heretical or if scandal is given. When acting as a Catholic, it is equally important that we act in accordance with the actua...
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Benedict XIV, Encyclical Annus Qui 1749

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 + JMJ At Mass today I started reading some of the commentary added to the Ideal Daily Missal, as I listened to the Gregorian Chant and Hymns, this is what my eyes fell upon. There is certainly no one who does not desire a certain difference between ecclesiastical change and theatrical melodies, and who does not acknowledge that the use of theatrical and profane change must not be tolerated in churches. Benedict XIV, Annus Qui, 1749 In my experience what is forbidden is what actually happens in Modern Catholic Churches (Latin Rite - Novus Ordo). P^3
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Rome and the SSPX - Version 2026 Part 4 - The Mass (Updated with Postscript)

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+ JMJ Introduction "I don’t understand why they are so afraid of this Mass!!!" A Conservative Catholic priest spoke these words to me one evening in his parich parking lot in 2011, mere days before Pope Benedict XVI issued his follow up to Summorum Pontificum ( 2007-07-07 Motu Proprio , Letter to Bishops , ), Universae Ecclesiae ( 2011-04-30 Motu Proprio , Note ). The people who were afraid that night were bishops. This conservative priest had started a project a year or so earlier – very simply a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel. Earlier that evening I had visited this chapel with some friends and ended up in a conversation with the priest after everyone had left. Word reached the bishops palace after the completion of the chapel and the priest received a phone call and visit from his local ordinary. My impression (this being now ~15 years ago) was that he was nervous about how the visit would proceed. The bishop came, made a visit to OLJC in the Blessed Sacrament and ...
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The Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth.

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  + JMJ It occurred to me that I was aware of either the scriptural or doctrinal foundation of all the 'Traditional' mysteries of the Rosary, save the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. So I decided to some checking - first with ChatGPT (see below) and then to read the Encyclical of Pope Pius XII -  AD CAELI REGINAM (link). So, I'm happy to see that yes the Pope's have spoken on the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary and pointed to Our Lady crowned with stars as support for the belief. I still wonder if the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has really being accomplished.  So many missed opportunities. P^3
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Stories: Early Days of Tradition Part 4 - Rescuing More Treasures

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 + JMJ In the late 1990s / early 2000s, caches of religious goods were few and far between.  In the 80's, I remember walking into the 'Big Gym' in St. Mary's and seeing the dozens of marble altars waiting in the dusty shadows. Waiting for the call to serve once again as the place for the Sacrifice. Then I heard that one of the old Catholic Churches was going to be torn down and that the parish priest was giving things away. These were things that practically no one had use for any more.   Ombrellino / Conpaeum: An umbrella with a long staff that protects the Blessed Sacrament during processions. Ornate Canopy: Held aloft by four or more men to shelter the Blessed Sacrament or relics Three Quarters Scale Crucifix: I believe it was the main crucifix in the Church An ornate shelter for the Monstrance during longer benedictions Large statue of the Sacred Heart I believe there was more but all the same, after a decade dry spell - it was wonderful to put these 'relics...
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Good Friday and the Work of Redemption

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 + JMJ Andrea Mantegna , CC0, via Wikimedia Commons The liturgy is supposed to embody the Truths of the Catholic Faith. The Truth is that Our Lord Jesus Christ IS the Messia, He came and fulfilled the prophecies and He is the rise and fall of many Luke 2:34. Vulgate: 34 Et benedixit illis Simeon, et dixit ad Mariam matrem ejus: Ecce positus est hic in ruinam et in resurrectionem multorum in Israël, et in signum cui contradicetur: Douay / Rheims: 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; Knox: 34 when Simeon blessed them, and said to his mother Mary, Behold, this child is destined to bring about the fall of many and the rise of many in Israel; to be a sign which men will refuse to acknowledge; Catholic Bible Online Ver. 34.   Is set for the ruin.   Christ came for the redemption and salvation of all men:  but Simeon prophesies w...
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What Does The SSPX Believe?

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 + JMJ This is one gap that seems to pop up periodically ... for example:  Recently, Crisis Magazine published an article titled “A Catholic’s Dubia for the SSPX,” in which the author, Daniel Waldow, asked a number of questions regarding the status of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) as well as its views on some questions of concern in the postconciliar Church. The answers below were written by an SSPX priest and have been approved for publication by his superiors. So the SSPX has published a response to the Dubia on 1P5. You can read it here: 1P5 SSPX Responsa Ad Dubia (link) In addition, also on 1P5, a short article by Dr. Kwasniewski has been published that contains a copy of the SSPX Oath of Fidelity (link) . For information, chronicle and archival purposes I have attached the text below with some comments. P^3 Declaration of Fidelity to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X I, the undersigned (N.), Recognize (N.) as pope of the Holy Catholic Church. That is why I am prep...
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News Roundup: March 19, 2026

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 + JMJ First, wishing you a happy feast of St. Joseph! Before we go through the latest news - I thought it appropriate to add in the post on St. Joseph from FSSPX.news (courtesy thereof) : On March 19, the Holy Church celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary and patron of the universal Church. Two texts, one from Pope Pius IX, who declares this patronage, and the other from Pope Leo XIII who explains the reasons for it. In this year 2023, Saint Joseph is celebrated today, March 20. Pius IX, Decree Quemadmodum Deus, December 8, 1870 As almighty God appointed Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob, over all the land of Egypt to save grain for the people, so when the fullness of time was come and He was about to send to earth His only-begotten Son, the Savior of the world, He chose another Joseph, of whom the first had been the type, and He made him the lord and chief of His household and possessions, the guardian of His choicest treasures. Indeed, he had as his spo...
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FSSPX.News: Sin of Omission: Vatican II and the Sources of Revelation

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 + JMJ So, I took a glance at The Remnant's article:  With His Catechesis on Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium, Leo XIV Proves the SSPX Correct (link)  and the following stood out: Although the time that separates us from this event is not so long, it is equally true that the generation of bishops, theologians and believers of Vatican II is no longer with us. ... By choosing this word [mystery], it did not intend to say that the Church is something obscure or incomprehensible, as is commonly thought when the word ‘mystery’ is heard. It is exactly the opposite: indeed, when Saint Paul uses the word, especially in the Letter to the Ephesians, he wishes to indicate a reality that was previously hidden and is now revealed. It refers to God’s plan, which has a purpose: to unite all creatures thanks to the reconciliatory action of Jesus Christ, an action that was accomplished through his death on the cross. ” Suffice to say that, inspite of five pontificates (P6, JP1, SJP2, B16, ...
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Rome and the SSPX - Version 2026 Part 3 - The Rosary

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 + JMJ Part 3 The Rosary Introduction One dominant aspect of the Catholic Church in the period after the Second Vatican Council is its instability. Practically everything in the expression of the Faith (liturgy, art, places of worship, doctrine) was tainted with what I would describe as an insatiable desire for novelty. Whether it was whitewashing over the ceilings of churches, wreckovations, the open invitation / invasion of the Sanctuary by Men, Woman, Girls, clowns, and even puppets (you can’t make up this stuff). Aside from making the Novus Ordo Missae palatable for our protestant brothers, there has been a trend of minimizing anything else that could serve as a barrier to them. Nothing seems to be excluded from this neurotic compulsion to destroy and obliterate anything that, in essence, represents Catholicism as understood prior to the the end of the Second Vatican Council. This includes devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. The latest attempt to mi...
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