Abigail

From Fr. Allen:

Last night it was my great joy to baptize and confirm little Bridget and Abigail Johnson, who were born on Friday, February 8th. Today it was my very sad duty to commend to our merciful Father the soul of Abigail, who died this afternoon in the course of surgery to correct her heart defect. 

There are no words for this sorrow, only trust that the Lord Jesus, who loves us and gave himself for us, who passed through the grave and gate of death so that we might live eternally in him, has gathered Abigail to himself and holds her in his loving embrace. Please pray for the Johnsons in their sorrow, and also give thanks for the safe and healthy arrival of Bridget.

I will let you know memorial and funeral Mass details as they are determined. In the meantime, to assist with meals for the Johnson family please sign up here.

O God, whose beloved Son did take little children unto his arms and bless them, give us grace, we beseech thee, to entrust Abigail to thy never‐failing care and love, and bring us all to thy heavenly kingdom: through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Letter from Fr. Allen: Septuagesima - February 14, 2019

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+JMJ+

Dear Friends,

This Sunday begins the little season of Pre-Lent or "Shrovetide." These three Sundays with the funny names - Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima - provide a kind of warm-up leading to Ash Wednesday and Lent. The names themselves just refer to number of days (approximately and in round numbers) until Easter - 70, 60, and 50, respectively - but they urge us by their countdown and liturgical symbolism to begin thinking about and preparing for a holy Lent, and that so we may celebrate a joyful Easter. (This year, Sexagesima will be superseded by the Solemnity of the Chair of St. Peter, our Ordinariate's Feast of Title). 

So, beginning this Sunday, Septuagesima, the liturgical color changes to penitential purple, the Gloria in excelsis is not sung, and the Alleluias drop out of the Mass - in hymns, at the Gospel (the Alleluia is replaced by a "Tract"), and in the fraction anthem ("Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.").

The point of these changes and of Pre-Lent itself for us to thing about how we will keep Lent. What disciplines will we undertake? How will our prayer, fasting, and alms giving - which after all are normal, year-round elements of the Christian life - be intensified? There is more to say about all of that, but that is what this season is for. In the meantime, I will leave you with a hymn that well expresses the meaning and hope of this little Shrovetide season, "Alleluia, song of gladness," which is traditionally sung in the week before Septuagesima as "Alleluias" are buried (which we did at Wednesday School last night!) to be "resurrected" at Easter:

Alleluia, song of gladness, voice of joy that cannot die;
Alleluia is the anthem ever dear to choirs on high;
In the house of God abiding thus they sing eternally.

Alleluia thou resoundest, true Jerusalem and free;
Alleluia, joyful mother, all thy children sing with thee;
But by Babylon’s sad waters mourning exiles now are we.

Alleluia we deserve not here to chant forevermore;
Alleluia our transgressions make us for a while give o’er;
For the holy time is coming bidding us our sins deplore.

Therefore in our hymns we pray Thee, grant us, blessèd Trinity,
At the last to keep Thine Easter in our home beyond the sky;
There to Thee forever singing Alleluia joyfully.

(Latin, 11th century, tr by John Mason Neale, 1861)

God bless you,
Fr Allen

Blessed John Henry Newman to be Canonized

Blessed John Henry Newman by Sir John Everett Millais, public domain

Blessed John Henry Newman by Sir John Everett Millais, public domain

by Edward Pentin for NCRegister.com

13 February 2019

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman is to be canonized following a Vatican announcement on Wednesday that the Pope had formally approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The date of the canonization of Blessed John Henry, who will become England's first post-Reformation saint, has not yet been announced, but it is expected to take place later this year. “We are now hoping that it will be sooner rather than later,” Father Harrison said.

The founder of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England, Cardinal Newman was one of the most prominent converts to the Catholic Church from Anglicanism in the 19th century and was a renowned preacher and theologian. 

Read the entire article

Letter from Fr. Allen: Kids at Mass - February 7, 2019

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+JMJ+

Dear Friends,

There was a bit of a kerfuffle on Twitter last week (it's what Twitter is for) regarding an article by a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore who argued that young children shouldn't be in Mass, because they can't understand what's going on - especially the homily - and they make noise, which makes it harder both the preach and to hear the homily.

This is not a point of view I'm at all sympathetic with. The Mass is about Jesus. Jesus present with us in the blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood is what Mass is for. And Jesus said to his disciples, "suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not." The Mass is for children (and all the rest of us, too).

I know that on some Sundays some of the little ones in our midst are particularly vocal, but for me - well, to be honest, first of all, I hardly ever notice it. Really. But sometimes I do, and sometimes parents will apologize after Mass because their children, they felt, were excessively loud. But for me, the sound of children crying, shouting, and singing in our pews is the sound of life, of growth, of God's abundant blessing on our little newborn community of Catholics. It fills me with gratitude.

Of course we want our children to grow and mature in their understanding of and participation in the Mass, but parents, who know their children best, are the ones best to determine how that happens. Ashley has generally sat up in the galleries with our children (who are of course impeccably well behaved), and I know a lot of art gets created up there during the homily. Other parents find their children engage better when they sit right up front and can watch the action around the altar. Some may do better where they can see the choir and organ. Some little ones need to be walked around, some taken outside to let a little steam out. Whatever! 

So this is simply meant to be a word a of encouragement and gratitude - to all of you, and not least to the little ones who perfect our praise with their coos and shouts. Keep it up!

[Here] you will see an article by Notre Dame theologian Timothy O'Malley, "Mass is for Kids," written in response to the Twitter kerfuffle, and which lays out a "kid friendly" theology of the liturgy and of our liturgical life together. I urge you to click through to read the whole thing. You will find your own experience of the liturgy enriched, and you will also notice it tracks well with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd model of children's formation we embrace at Corpus Christi.

God bless you,
Fr Allen

The Liturgy is for (Little) Kids 

written by Timothy P. O'Malley for Church Life Journal
published on January 31, 2019

The Liturgy Is for (Little) Kids

"The young child is looking at the altar because the young child is always looking, perceiving, and imitating. No, the young child is not able to comprehend the sermon that is given or the particular meaning of the opening collect or why there is a pelican or Lamb on the altar. But the young child is discovering in the act of Eucharistic worship according to his or her capacity that this act really matters. The child perceives the facial features of adults, who are ideally engaged in contemplative wonder at the Eucharistic mystery. They hear the reverberant notes of the organ and they see and smell incense. They are learning the very meaning of what it means to be a liturgical creature even as they sleep in their mother’s or father’s arms during the Eucharistic liturgy."  Read the whole thing!

Discerning a Vocation to the Priesthood

Discerning a Vocation to the Priesthood

The Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter will be hosting Discernment Days June 26-29, 2019 in Houston. These days are for young men (age 16 and a Junior in High School to age 30) who are open to discerning a call to the priesthood. The Days will include presentations on such topics as Seminary Life and the Life of Prayer, the Life of ministry, the Gift of Celibacy, and the Missionary Life of the Ordinariate. Centered in prayer, there will be daily Mass and Eucharistic Holy Hours. The time spent together will also include time for conversation and recreation. The Discernment Days will conclude on Saturday by being a part of the congregation at the Mass of Ordination to the Priesthood at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham.

In order to provide the attention that discerners need, participation is limited to 12 young men who will be selected from among the applicants. A Pastor’s letter of recommendation will help determine their acceptance to the program. Attendees will be responsible for their own transportation to/from Houston, otherwise they will be guests of the Ordinariate.

Women's Vocation Retreat

Women’s Vocation Retreat

The Ordinariate and the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, will host a discernment retreat for young women on Saturday, March 2, 2019, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  The retreat is open to women from Juniors in High School to age 30, and will be held on the campus of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham. The cost is $15. For more information, please contact Sr Amata Veritas, OP. 

RSVP for Wednesday School: 13 February 2019

Joining us for Wednesday School on February 6th? Please RSVP using the form below so that we may adequately prepare. Thanks!