I'M BACK...

HELLO EVERYONE!

I'm back! Will try my best to keep you updated on my whereabouts.

Nice to be back.

JESUS CHRIST

My dear students,

This is it. Thank you very much for waiting.

This is the link: http://www.kofc.org/un/eb/en/resources/cis/cis105.pdf

Thanks and God bless.

sir hector

BASIC CATHOLIC PRAYERS

My dear students,

Good day to all and welcome to school year 2010-2011.

This is the site that you are going to visit for the BASIC CATHOLIC PRAYERS: http://www.stjmod.com/education/documents/BasicCatholicPrayers.pdf

Please memorize these prayers by heart.

Thank you very much and God bless you.

sir hector

THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE

My dear Sunday College Students,

Good day everyone!

Please be sure to have a copy of your own this particular. We will use it this coming Sunday. These articles are taken from this Catholic website: www.SalvationHistory.com. If you want to know about your Catholic faith, you can visit it anytime.

Please download and have a copy of these:

THE CREATION: http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/journeypdf/scripture1.pdf

THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE: http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/journeypdf/scripture2.pdf

Thank you very much and God bless.

sir hector

OFFICIAL LOGO OF ACD

ASSUMPTION COLLEGE OF DAVAO

OFFICIAL LOGO

The meaning:

• logo of the MA at the center of the sail shows the continued inspiration the congregation gives the school.
• cross on top of the sail signifies how a strong faith in God and its salvific message continues to be the motivation of the school.
• colors blue and white depicts the Marian character of the school, that of being hopeful, joyful and simple.

The seal thus tries to depict the following elements of the school’s mission:

• Its being Filipino and nationalist
• Its journeying with the Filipino people for social transformation
• Its being inspired by the m.a.’s
• Its being motivated by faith
• Its Marian character
• Its Mindanaoan character
• Its being a community of men and women committed to the school’s mission

see:

http://assumptiondavao.edu.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=26

SUNDAY COLLEGE STUDENTS

My dear Students,

Thank you very much for everything. I hope you learn something from the subject that would somehow make you a better person. Im very sorry if ever I caused you pain or whatever.

I'm very if at times I was not able to fulfill my promise especially in updating this blog. Heheheheh. Pasensiya na kaayo.

Anyway, I wish you all the best in life. Happy semestral break and study your lesson.

God bless you.

Sir Hector

CHRISTOLOGY HERESIES

CHRISTOLOGICAL HERESIES/CONTROVERSIES

Jesus Christ is true God and true man. During the first centuries, the Church had to defend and clarify this truth of faith against those falsified it.

Heresy is an erroneous theological teaching or opinion that contradicts the teachings of the Church.

1. Gnostic Docetism – held that Jesus’ humanity was merely an illusion, thus denying the incarnation.

The Church from the very beginning insisted on the true incarnation of God’s Son “come in the flesh” (1John 4:2-3; 2 John 7)

2. Adoptionism – held that Jesus had been a man whom God adopted as his own Son.

The Church from the beginning affirmed that Jesus Christ is Son of God by nature and not by adoption.

3. Arianism – the fourth century heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. According to Arius, the Son is only a creature, made out of nothing, like all other created beings.

This heresy was condemned by the Church and declared Arius as heretic and affirmed the teaching that Christ is true God and true man.

4. Nestorianism – a fifth century heresy that held there were two persons (distinct) persons in the Incarnate Christ, one human and the other divine.

This was condemned by the Church through the Council of Ephesus and affirms the teaching that Christ was a divine person who assumed a human nature.

5. Monophysitism – affirmed that the human nature had ceased to exist as such in Christ when the divine person of God’s Son assumed it. It other words, he is only God not human.

The Church declared that Jesus is true God and true man. He has two natures, not confused but united in the one person of the God’s Son. He is fully human, like us in all ways except sin.



CHRISTOLOGICAL COUNCILS OF THE CHURCH

Ecumenical Council is an assembly of the Bishops of the World in which matters of faith and morality are discussed.

There 21 Ecumenical Council of the Church:

Council of Nicaea 1 (325AD) – the first

Vatican II (1965 AD) – the 21st

1. Council of Nicaea 1 (325 AD) – Condemned Arianism, defined that the Son of God is consubstantial (one in being) with the Father, formulated the Nicene Creed.

2. Council of Ephesus (431 AD) – Condemned Nestorianism. Defended the right of Mary to be called the Mother of God.

3. Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) – Condemned Monophysitism by defining that Christ had two distinct natures, and was therefore true God and true Man.

Top 10 Reasons to Care for Creation!

Note: This article is from this link: http://conservation.catholic.org/background.htm#top%20ten

Top 10 Reasons to Care for Creation!

1. God is the Creator of the Universe and maintains its existence through an ongoing creative will.
2. God has blessed and called "very good" all that is created.
3. God's plan for Creation is one of harmony and order. Creation forms a whole, a cosmos.
4. God loves the community of life.
5. God's creatures share a common home.
6. God's presence is discernable in all Creation.
7. God intends the Earth's goods to be equitably shared.
8. Within Creation, the human person enjoys a consummate dignity. Inherent to this dignity is that of exercising a wise and just stewardship over the rest of Creation.
9. Sin brought division into the entire world, but not only within and between human persons. The consequences of sin also affect the Earth.
10. In a mysterious way, Christ's redemptive mission extends to all of Creation.
    
    

REED 1 - THEOLOGY OF CREATION

Note: This article is taken from this link: http://conservation.catholic.org/background.htm#top%20ten

Seven Themes of Ecological Responsibility
(Adapted from the 1991 statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Renewing the Earth)

1. A God-centered and sacramental view of the Universe. In a sacramental view, nature's beauty and diversity reveal something about God. God is present and active in Creation, while also transcendent. "Faced with the glory of the Trinity in Creation, we must contemplate, sing, and rediscover awe," said John Paul II.

"Reverence for the Creator present and active in nature may serve as ground for environmental responsibility," wrote the U.S. Catholic Bishops. "For the very plants and animals, mountains and oceans, which in their loveliness and sublimity lift our minds to God, by their fragility and perishing likewise cry out, 'We have not made ourselves.' God brings them into being and sustains them in existence. It is to the Creator of the universe, then, that we are accountable for what we do or fail to do to preserve and care for the Earth and all its creatures.... Dwelling in the presence of God, we begin to experience ourselves as part of Creation, as stewards within it, not separate from it."

"Jesus set before me the book of nature." -- St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"Accustom yourself to seeing God in everything, because nature is a reflection of God. Oh! How He sparkles, shines, dazzles and is radiant in the invisible and the visible." -- Padre Benedetto Nardella

"The whole world is asleep, and God so full of goodness, so great, so worthy of all praise, no one is thinking of Him! See, nature praises Him, and man, who ought to praise Him, sleeps! Let us go, let us go and wake up the universe and sing His praises!" -- Blessed Mariam Baouardy

2. A consistent respect for human life, which extends to respect for all Creation. The Church approaches the care and protection of the environment from the point of view of the human person. Men and women are created in the image and likeness of God. Fostering and protecting human life and dignity, from conception to natural death, lies at the heart of the Church's social teachings. We now realize that respect for human life and respect for nature are inextricably linked. According to John Paul II, "Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of Creation, which is called to join man in praising God." Shamefully, the reverse is also true: Our lack of respect for life extends also to the rest of Creation and is an underlying cause of social injustice and environmental destruction.
The womb is the most endangered human environment in the world today. The right to life precedes and underlies every other social and environmental issue or group of issues.

3. A world view affirming the ethical significance of global interdependence and the global common good. Recent ecological concerns have heightened our awareness of just how interdependent our world is. According to John Paul II, "Today the ecological crisis has assumed such proportions as to be the responsibility of everyone.... Its various aspects demonstrate the need for concerted efforts aimed at establishing duties and obligations that belong to individuals, peoples, states, and the international community."

4. An ethics of solidarity promoting cooperation and a just structure of sharing in the world community. We are all part of one human family -- whatever our national, racial, religious, economic, or ideological differences. Solidarity is a firm and preserving determination to commit oneself to the common good, and a willingness to lose oneself for the sake of others, including future generations. "The ecological crisis," John Paul II has written, "reveals the urgent moral need for a new solidarity, especially in relations between the developing nations and those that are highly industrialized." Solidarity must take into consideration not only the needs of all peoples but also the protection of the environment in view of the good of all.

"We are all part of God's Creation -- we live as a human family. The whole of Creation is everyone's heritage. All equally created by God, called to share the goods and the beauty of the one world, human beings are called to enter into a solidarity of universal dimensions, 'a cosmic fraternity' animated by the very love that flows from God.... We must learn again to live in harmony, not only with God and with one another, but with Creation itself," said Archbishop Renato Martino at a 1992 UN conference in Rio.

All persons are called to a solidarity of universal dimensions that embraces all of Creation , entrusted to the care of all.

5. An understanding of the universal purpose of created things, which requires equitable use of the Earth's resources. God has given the fruit of the to sustain the entire human family, including future generations. "The world is given to all, not only to the rich," said Pope Paul VI.

In the words of John Paul II:

It is manifestly unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate excess good, squandering available resources, while masses of people are living in conditions of misery at the very lowest level of subsistence. Today, the dramatic threat of ecological breakdown is teaching us the extent to which greed and selfishness -- both individual and collective -- are contrary to the order of Creation, an order that is characterized by mutual interdependence.6

6. An option for the poor, which gives passion to the quest for an equitable and sustainable world. The ecological problem is intimately connected to justice for the poor. "The goods of the Earth, which in the divine plan should be a common patrimony," said John Paul II, "often risk becoming the monopoly of a few who often spoil it and, sometimes, destroy it, thereby creating a loss for all humanity." According to the U.S. Bishops, "The option for the poor embedded in the Gospel and the Church's teachings makes us aware that the poor suffer most directly from environmental decline and have the least access to relief from their suffering." It is important to note that populations of poor people are never the primary cause of ecological destruction; rather, they are its victims.

"Those who hold goods for use and consumption should use them with moderation, reserving the better part for guests, for the sick, and the poor" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2405).

Blessed Mother Teresa expressed the option for the poor well when she said, "Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me. Clear."

Our duty is not only to share our wealth, but also to promote the values and institutions that generate wealth: economic freedom, political liberty, private property, the rule of law, and respect for human life and rights. No amount of aid can ever be enough if the leaders of developing countries do not respect their people, open their markets, invest in better health and education, conserve the natural environment, and abide by a legal system that is fair and consistent. Insisting on reform is a challenge, but it is also a work of compassion.

7. A conception of authentic development, which offers a direction for progress that respects human dignity and the limits of material growth. Much of the destruction of Creation is caused by the sins of arrogance, greed for power and possessions, and disrespect for life. Add to that human ignorance and error. These lead us to abortion and other forms of violence, social injustice, rampant consumerism, haphazard development, and the indiscriminant application of technology. John Paul II has said, "In his desire to have and to enjoy rather than to be and to grow, man consumes the resources of the Earth and his own life in an excessive and disordered way.... The mere accumulation of goods and services, even for the benefit of the majority, is not enough for the realization of human happiness."

Numerous social conditions, including love, health, freedom, religion, education, economic and material prosperity, democracy, and a healthful and beautiful environment, impact our ability to realize our human dignity and reach our full potential. In addition, humankind carefully and wisely develops Creation so that the whole of Creation reaches its full potential, according to God's will.

Instead of limiting ourselves to "sustainable development," Catholics strive for more: We strive for authentic development for humankind and the whole of Creation.

"Development cannot be limited to mere economic growth. In order to be authentic, it must be complete: integral, that is, it has to promote the good of every person and of the whole person."
--Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples), March 26, 1967

"The apex of development is the exercise of the right and duty to seek God, to know him and to live in accordance with that knowledge..."
--Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus

USCCB - Roman Missal | Examples

USCCB - Roman Missal | Examples

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HELLO!

My dear Sunday COllege Students,

I'm very sorry if I was not able to fulfill my promise. I'm very busy lately.
Don't worry I will update this blog soon. I hope you will understand.
Thank you very much and God bless you.

SIr Hector

ReEd 2: SALVATION HISTORY

My Dear Students,

This is it. Below are the links that will lead you to the articles that i want you to download and print. We will use it in our discussion for the remaining Sundays that we have.

Noah and Abraham: http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/journeypdf/scripture3.pdf

Moses: http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/journeypdf/scripture4.pdf

David: http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/journeypdf/scripture5.pdf

Jesus: http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/journeypdf/scripture6.pdf

Be sure to have the copy of Noah and Abraham and Moses. To open the file, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your computer. If you have questions, feel free to contact me via this number 09183434591.

Thank you very much and God bless.

See you on Sunday.

Sir Hector

REED 4 - CHURCH AND SACRAMENTS

My dear ReEd 4 students,

The links below will lead you to the files that i want you to print. It is all about the Seven Sacraments in the Church. Please print a copy of your own because we will use it in our discussion next meeting. If you have questions, feel free to text me via this number 09183434591.

This one was created by Robert D. Haughes in MSWord format: http://sitemason.sewanee.edu/files/kh11U4/SacramentsCh[1].doc

This one was created by Steve Ray in pdf format: http://www.catholic-convert.com/LinkClick.aspx?link=SacramentChart.pdf&tabid=83&mid=374

Be sure to have a copy of your own.

Thank you very much and God bless you.

See you on Sunday.

Sir Hector

CHRISTMAS PRAYER FOR HUMILITY

CHRISTMAS PRAYER FOR HUMILITY

Eternal Word,

you became flesh and dwelt among us,

because of your great love for humankind.

Though you were God,

you humbled yourselfout of love for your creation,

being born in a lowly dwelling,

to a meek and chaste Virgin.

Give us your grace,to practice humility,

following your example,

and the example of your servant and Mother,

the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amen

David Bennett

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER

CHRISTMAS PRAYER

The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord

Because it brings joy to all humanity.

Old people and infants alike enjoy your day.

Your day is celebratedfrom generation to generation.

Kings and emperors may pass away,

And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.

But your festivalwill be remembered until the end of time.

Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.

At Your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,

Since you came from heaven to earth on that day

You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.

You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:

A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;

Spiritual light for the blind;The cup of salvation for the thirsty;

The bread of life for the hungry.

In the winter when trees are bare,

You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.

In the frost when the earth is barren,

You bring new hope to our souls.

In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,

The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb

St. Ephraim the Syrian (AD 306-373)

PARA SA BAYAN: A MUSICAL PLAY

PARA SA BAYAN: A MUSICAL PLAY
SYNOPSIS

PARA sa BAYAN (PSB) is a poignant story of a family who mirrors the local impact of global economy as characters breathe into life their daily struggle for survival.

Tatay Serafin, the lead character talks about his sad plight working for more than a decade as an illegal migrant worker in Japan. Rice Lumyad is a senior student at the Assumption College of Davao (ACD). She is Serafin's daughter wanting of a father and whose only wish is for him to come home during her graduation day. Though this is too complicated for Serafin because of his illegal status. Lola Angelina serves as the balancing factor as she connects these two generations dear to her life who are in constant conflict.

But PSB is beyond the personal story of a shattered family brought about by migration. The musical play has a second layer that provides the weaving element of the story; a twin-backdrop conveying the sad plight of the Filipino people & of the nation and the coming-of-age of the Missionaries of the Assumption (m.a.) Sisters' struggle for social transformation as a Society of Apostolic Life.

PSB also takes a closer look how one should work for an independent country free from the clutches of foreign rule. It also takes the occasion to merit the bravery of the m.a. Sisters in their best part of herstory when they decided to establish their own missionary community in bringing forth social justice with their apostolic mission to the poor and marginalized sectors. The m.a.'s bravery and determination gave inspiration to the whole Assumption College of Davao (ACD) Community. The m.a. Sisters are living witnesses in the turbulent times of the eighties.

PSB is a social commentary. And it readily proposes other crucial alternatives on the brain drain phenomenon and labor force problem in the country. Implementing a genuine land reform will spur national industrialization whereby large scale industries will be owned, ran and operated by Filipinos-- building a stronghold to deepen the sense of nationalism and viable alternative to create more jobs that will make the eight (8) million OFWs to come home and help in the nation building. In parallel, this is a dream and a vision that Rice Lumyad and Lola Angelina holds on close to their hearts.

PSB is a one hour and a half (1.5 hrs) musical play. The libretto is written by the grand prize Palanca winner Arnel Mardoquio. The play is narrated through choral rendition of songs, music and a combination of Asian-Mindanaoan dances and creative movements.

PSB is the major creative offering of Assumption College of Davao (ACD) in its Golden Jubilee Celebration.

GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR THE MUSICAL PLAY

PARA SA BAYAN: A MUSICAL PLAY

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. Anu-anong mga suliraning panlipunan ang inilalarawan sa palabas?

2. Anong uring pakikibaka ang hinarap ni Serafin sa kanyang pakikipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa?
3. Anong uring ama si Serafin?
4. Anu-ano ang mga katangian niya na maiuugnay sa inyong mga ama?
5. Paano ginawang makabuluhan ang buhay ng pangunahing tauhan sa kabila ng presensya ng ama?
6. Anu-ano ang mga katangian ng pagka-Assumptionista ang naipapakita ng mga tauhan sa palabas?
7. Anong tagpo ng palabas ang higit na nakakatawag-pansin sa inyo? Bakit?
8. Anu-anong mga pangyayari sa palabas ang maiuugnay sa mga pangyayari sa lipunan ngayon?
9. Angkop ba ang pamagat sa mga kaganapang ipinakikita ng palabas?
10. Anong mensahe ang ipinahihiwatig sa palabas?

11. Anong mga mahahalagang aral ang makukuha natin mula sa palabas?

Q & A ON MOTU PROPIO SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM

Q & A Regarding the Motu Proprio
Summorum Pontificum
Colin B. Donovan, STL
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What is a motu proprio?

Most documents signed by a pope originate as a function of the ordinary business of the Roman Curia in its role at the service of the pope. A few documents are initiated and promulgated by the pope himself for reasons he considers sufficient. Such a document is issued motu proprio (of his own accord).

Is a motu proprio the highest kind of ecclesiastical document?

No, although a motu proprio represents a particular papal solicitude the highest form of legislating, or teaching, document is the Constitution, which itself could be issued motu proprio.

Is a motu proprio limited in force in any way?

Although any document issued in the pope's name participates in his supreme authority (CIC c.360), canonists consider a motu proprio to have a certain finality to it.

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What is the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962?

This is the Mass as celebrated according to the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII. It was in use at time of the Second Vatican Council (October 11, 1962 to December 8th 1965), and thus prior to that Council's call for a reform of the liturgical books. The Pope refers to this pre-conciliar form of the Mass as the extraordinary form.

Is this the same as the Tridentine Rite?

Tridentine is the adjective for anything connected with the Council of Trent (1548-1570). The term Tridentine Rite is not an accurate term. While the Missal of 1962 corresponds largely with the rite of the Mass promulgated after the Council of Trent by Pope St. Pius V, and therefore it has sometimes been called the Tridentine rite, it nonetheless is not identical. Several Popes over the centuries have made changes to the Tridentine missal. In the decade before the Second Vatican Council, Pope Pius XII modified the ceremonies of Holy Week and Pope John XXIII added St. Joseph to the saints' names mentioned in the Roman Canon.

Further, as Pope Benedict makes clear there is one Roman Rite, with two forms, an ordinary form (according to the Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, last revised in 2002), and an extraordinary form (according to the Missal of 1962). These two forms should peacefully co-exist, as do other occasionally celebrated forms of the Mass in the Western Church, such as the Ambrosian (Milan) or Mozarabic (Toledo, Spain), or, the various forms of the Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Churches (e.g. Liturgy of St. Basil, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom etc.).

Is it the same as the Latin Mass?

The expression Latin Mass is popularly applied to the Mass according to the Missal of 1962, since one of its most notable characteristics is that the prayers are entirely in Latin. However, this is true also of the Missale Romanum of the post-conciliar rite, which is typically celebrated in the vernacular languages of the world. All translations are made from the "typical edition" in Latin (currently the third edition, of 2002), and every missal in vernacular translation must also contain the Latin text, since any priest may freely celebrate the ordinary form of the Mass in Latin.

Some, therefore, distinguish Mass according to the 1962 Missal from the current rite by calling it the traditional Latin Mass. While this is preferable to Latin Mass, it still does not establish the exact form of the traditional Latin Mass in question.
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When will the norms in Summorum Pontificum take effect?

On 14 September 2007.

Who may celebrate the Mass according to the Missal of 1962?

According to the Apostolic Letter any priest of the Latin Rite may celebrate it in private, or in public according to the norms.

What about religious order priests?

They, too, may celebrate it in private. An institute of consecrated life and a society of apostolic life (both pontifical and diocesan) may also do so publicly for their community Mass, although for this to be habitual or permanent, the approval of the Major Superior, in accordance with the specific laws of the institute or society is needed.

May the faithful participate in private Masses?

Yes, those who freely request it may participate in private Masses of the clergy.

What about public Masses, such as in parishes?

If there is a stable group of people in a parish who want the extraordinary form, the Holy Father says that "the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962... avoiding discord and favoring the unity of the whole Church."

What if a pastor won't allow it?

This would be a matter for the bishop, who is "strongly requested" to resolve it by the Holy Father. He can seek the help of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and if he cannot resolve it, he should forward the matter to the Commission, which exercises the authority of the Holy See with regard to the norms.

May the older rites be used in the celebration of the other Sacraments?

Yes, pastors may permit the public celebration of these rites at the request of the faithful.

Must priests be schooled in the celebration of this form or just take the missal and offer it?

No, a priest must either know how to celebrate it, as many older priests still do, or become qualified in some way. Neither form of the Roman Mass should be celebrated in a slipshod or haphazard way.

Also, a priest must not be juridical impeded, as would a priest who has been suspended by his bishop for acting independently of the Church in this matter, laicized, or is otherwise canonically irregular.

May parts of the rites according to the Missal of 1962 and the current missal be intermingled?

The rites themselves may not be intermingled, each has its own proper form. However, the Holy Father suggests in his letter to the bishops that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei "in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior" could study whether recent Mass texts (e.g. the propers of saints like Padre Pio who have been canonized since 1962) may be adapted for use with the Missal of 1962. This is interesting since it suggests the possibility of the continuing and organic development of that missal in line with its nature, as would have occurred if the liturgical reforms of Vatican II had not intervened. In this way this extraordinary form of the Roman Rite would remain both living and true to itself.

What about the former edition of the Liturgy of the Hours or Breviary?

Yes, the clergy may use the former Roman Breviary to fulfill their obligation to pray the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office.

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Answered by Colin B. Donovan, STL

COMPARING THE OLD AND NEW MASS

Differences Between the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo
Comparing the Old and New Mass
By Scott P. Richert, About.com

The Mass of Pope Paul VI was introduced in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council. Commonly called the Novus Ordo, it is the Mass that most Catholics today are familiar with. Interest in the Traditional Latin Mass, celebrated in essentially the same form for the previous 1,400 years, has never been higher, largely because of Pope Benedict XVI's release of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on July 7, 2007, restoring the Traditional Latin Mass as one of two approved forms of the Mass.

There are many small differences between the two Masses, but what are the most obvious differences?

The Language of the Mass

The Novus Ordo is most commonly celebrated in the the vernacular--that is, the common language of the country where it is celebrated (or the common language of those who attend the particular Mass). The Traditional Latin Mass, as the name indicates, is celebrated in Latin.

What few people realize, however, is that the normative language of the Novus Ordo is Latin as well. While Pope Paul VI made provisions for the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular for pastoral reasons, his missal assumes that the Mass would continue to be celebrated in Latin, and Pope Benedict XVI has urged the reintroduction of Latin into the Novus Ordo.

The Direction of Celebration

Traditionally, all Christian liturgies were celebrated ad orientem--that is, facing the East, from which direction Christ, Scripture tells us, will return. That meant that both the priest and the congregation faced in the same direction.

The Novus Ordo allowed (again, for pastoral reasons) the celebration of the Mass versus populum--that is, facing the people. While ad orientem is still normative (and is the only way that the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated), versus populum has become the standard practice in the Novus Ordo.

The Position of the Altar

Since, in the Traditional Latin Mass, the congregation and the priest faced the same direction, the altar was traditionally attached to the east (back) wall of the church. Raised up three steps from the floor, it was called "the high altar."

For versus populum celebrations in the Novus Ordo, a second altar in the middle of the sanctuary was necessary. This low altar is often more horizontally oriented than the traditional high altar, which is usually not very deep but is often quite tall.

The Role of the Laity

In the Traditional Latin Mass, the reading of Scripture and the distribution of Communion are reserved to the priest. The same rules are normative for the Novus Ordo, but again, exceptions that were made for pastoral reasons have now become the most common practice.

And so, in the celebration of the Novus Ordo, the laity have increasingly taken on a greater role, especially as lectors (readers) and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist (distributors of Communion).

The Types of Altar Servers

Traditionally, only males were allowed to serve at the altar. (This is still the case in the Eastern Rites of the Church, both Catholic and Orthodox.) Service at the altar was tied to the idea of the priesthood, which, by its nature, is male. Each altar boy was considered a potential priest.

The Traditional Latin Mass maintains this understanding, but Pope John Paul II, for pastoral reasons, allowed the use of female altar servers at celebrations of Novus Ordo. The final decision, however, was left to the bishop, though most have chosen to allow altar girls.

The Nature of Active Participation

Both the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo stress active participation, but in different ways. In the Novus Ordo, the emphasis falls on the congregation making the responses that were traditionally reserved to the deacon or altar server.

In the Traditional Latin Mass, the congregation is largely silent, with the exception of singing entrance and exit hymns (and sometime Communion hymns). Active participation takes the form of prayer and following along in very detailed missals, which contain the readings and prayers for each Mass.

The Use of Gregorian Chant

Many different musical styles have been integrated into the celebration of the Novus Ordo. Interestingly, as Pope Benedict has pointed out, the normative musical form for the Novus Ordo, as for the Traditional Latin Mass, remains Gregorian chant, though it is rarely used in the Novus Ordo today. The Presence of the Altar Rail

The Traditional Latin Mass, like the liturgies of the Eastern Church, both Catholic and Orthodox, maintains a distinction between the sanctuary (where the altar is), which represents Heaven, and the rest of the church, which represents earth. Therefore, the altar rail, like the iconostasis (icon screen) in Eastern churches, is a necessary part of the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

With the introduction of the Novus Ordo, many altar rails were removed from churches, and new churches were constructed without altar rails--facts that may limit the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

The Reception of Communion

While there are a variety of approved forms for reception of Communion in the Novus Ordo (on the tongue, in the hand, the Host alone or under both species), Communion in the Traditional Latin Mass is the same always and everywhere. Communicants kneel at the altar rail (the gate to Heaven) and receive the Host on their tongues from the priest. They do not say, "Amen" after receiving Communion, as communicants do in the Novus Ordo.

The Reading of the Last Gospel

In the Novus Ordo, the Mass ends with a blessing and then the dismissal, when the priest says, "The Mass is ended; go in peace" and the people respond, "Thanks be to God." In the Traditional Latin Mass, the dismissal precedes the blessing, which is followed by the reading of the Last Gospel--the beginning of the Gospel according to Saint John (John 1:1-14).

The Last Gospel stresses the Incarnation of Christ, which is what we celebrate in both the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo.

ST. PAUL'S RETREAT

ST. PAUL'S RETREAT

October 1-3, 2008

Tacunan, Davao CIty