Lost Lambs

Here are a few pictures I took of the parish I grew up in and went to school at.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church - Newton Kansas

As I have this more free time due to being out of work, I decided to take some more pictures for my readers at another local Catholic church, also I wanted to share some pictures from our new digital camera. Most of the time the pictures of churches I take are from after the Saturday evening vigil Mass.

Tonite I ventured out to Gardner Kansas to check out this parish that was built in 2004

I don’t usually comment on my visit to the parish as mostly it is your typical Ordinary form mass, you can check out THIS POST for more detail about what I usually find around the area.

I must say that the Vigil Mass was one of the most reverent, heartfelt, prayerful masses I have participated in.

First as a shock to me as I kneel to pray I notice that the thurable and boat are missing from its stand near the altar…. sure enough incense was used throughout the mass.

Next when Father went to read the gospel, another shock (of the good kind) bellowed forth from the pulpit “DOMINUS VOBISCUM” the priest exclaimed, my jaw about hit the floor, this would be the first of about three DOMINUS VOBISCUM’s he would say during the mass.

Father also sung (in english) the Eucharistic prayer, and then the entire Pater Noster (in english) was sung as well.

It was all topped off with the final blessing given in Latin.

I hope you enjoy these pictures.

God Bless

This came across the Email Wires today:

Cardinal George in Special Ceremony at the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

(Chicago, November 26, 2007) A historic landmark church in Chicago, once on the road to demolition, will be the site of a rare ceremony following Christmas, on December 29^th. During the course of a Solemn High Mass in the traditional Latin form, Francis Cardinal George will solemnly crown a statue of the Infant Jesus at the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, formerly known as St. Gelasius Church in south side Woodlawn. The antique wooden sculpture from southern Spain will be the central piece above the future high altar of the church that is now being restored. The event will also mark the beginning of regular use of the once shuttered church for Sunday Mass.

The magnificent church building, designed by revivalist architect Henry Schlacks in the 1920s, was the center of much controversy when in 2003 it was slated to be razed but eventually was made a historic landmark of Chicago. Originally known as “St. Clara Carmelite Church,” it had been commissioned by Carmelite Friars of the Old Observance to replace a smaller structure of this parish founded by German immigrants in 1894. The church had the distinction of being the National Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux, where weekly novena prayers were held beginning on the very day of her canonization in 1925 until the mid 1980s. Vicissitudes affecting the neighborhood, a fire in the 1970s, disrepair and a dwindling congregation eventually led to the church’s closure in 2002.

However, after its near brush with destruction, St. Clara/St. Gelasius Church was given new life when Cardinal George invited the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to take charge of it. The Institute is a society of priests established in 1990 in Florence, Italy, under the Ecclesia Dei indult. Priests of the Institute of Christ the King celebrate Mass and all the sacraments according to the 1962 liturgical books — the traditional form of the Latin Rite recently given new impetus by Pope Benedict XVI in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. The group’s experience in reforming and restoring church buildings to their former beauty, coupled with the track record of growth in the “Latin Mass” milieu, made the Institute of Christ the King a good fit for the task of transforming the gutted former St. Gelasius into a living church.

Indeed, since the Institute began regularly offering Mass in 2005 at their Chicago location using a provisional chapel in the adjacent rectory, the congregation has increased from not a single person to an ever growing group of faithful, which required that a second Mass be added on Sundays for lack of space. In June 2006, the church received its decree of erection as the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

The Cardinal’s ceremonial crowning of the Infant Jesus during Christmastide this year is of special significance for the church. The first Mass ever offered inside the building was on Christmas 1924, a few years prior to its completion. And 2007 marks the 80^th anniversary of the dedication of the church, on May 15, 1927. Those who attend the Solemn High Mass at 1:30 pm on Saturday, December 29^th, will be treated to what many describe as the “transcendent beauty” of the Latin Mass, with its ancient prayers chanted in Latin, studied and choreographed movements, moments of silent prayer, incense, traditional vessels and vestments, and timeless music. Members of the Chicago Chorale will sing William Byrd’s four-voice polyphonic setting of the Mass, as well as motets by Tomás Luis de Victoria and Josquin de Près. The Gregorian Chant will be provided by the Shrine’s own schola.

This Christmas season, the ever-growing congregation at the Shrine of Christ the King will be moved from the basement-chapel in the rectory to the historic church when regular Sunday Mass again returns to the once-shuttered building. On Christmas Eve, Mass will be at 11:00 pm. On Christmas Day there will be the traditional “Mass at Dawn” at 8:00 am (Low Mass) and the “Mass during the Day” at 10:00 am (High Mass). For more information call 773-363-7409.

Here are some Pictures of a Recent Trip to St. Joseph Church in Topeka Kansas, The FSSP has an extraordinary Mass Every Sunday at 11 A.M.

Here are some photos from a Recent Trip to Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church In Topeka Kansas