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What is a Conclave? / For Conclave News....

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Catholic News Agency explains:

What is a conclave and how does it work?

From Fr. Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary:

CONCLAVE

“The enclosure of the cardinals while electing a pope. To avoid interference from the outside, Pope Gregory X, in 1274, ordered the papal election to take place in conclave. Gregory's own election was preceded by a record vacancy of two years and nine months. On occasion (for example, Pope Leo XIII) popes have permitted the cardinals, by majority vote, to dispense with conclave in case of emergency. Pope Paul VI, in the apostolic constitution Romano Pontifici Eligendo (October 1, 1975), introduced numerous changes in the laws governing the election of the Roman Pontiff. Thus: 1. only persons who have been named cardinals of the Church may be electors of the Pope; 2. the number of electors is now limited to 120, allowing each cardinal to bring two or three assistants to the conclave; 3. while the conclave is not strictly required for validity, it is the normal way a pope is elected, during what may be called a sacred retreat made in silence, seclusion and prayer; 4. three forms of election are allowed, i.e., by acclamation of all the electors, by compromise in which certain electors are given authority to act in the name of all, and by voting ballot; 5. if the newly elected person is a bishop, he becomes pope at once, but if he is not yet a bishop, he is to be ordained to the episcopacy immediately; 6. if no one is elected after three days, the conclave is to spend a day in prayer while allowing the electors freedom to converse among themselves; 7. secrecy is to be strictly observed under penalty of excommunication; 8. if an ecumenical council or synod of bishops is in progress, it is automatically suspended until authorized by the newly elected pontiff to proceed. (Etym. Latin con-, with + clavis, key: conclave, a room that can be locked up.)”

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For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion...

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Have Mercy on Us and on the Whole World!

I wanted to share something I discovered when reading the traditional Good Friday “Adoration of the Cross,” which is the third of four parts of that day’s liturgy.

There is a text shortly after the beginning of the Adoration, which reads:

O holy God! O holy strong One!

O holy immortal One, have mercy upon us.

I’m sure this is very familiar to all of you, the words of the prayer at the end of the Divine Mercy Chaplet:

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,

Have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Assuming Saint Faustina wrote those words, we now know where she most likely got it!

Some chaplet pamphlets will include an additional prayer from Faustina’s diary, “A Prayer for Divine Mercy.” Saying it this past week, I have been continually struck by the beauty of the last sentence:

“For Jesus is our Hope: through His merciful Heart as through an open gate,

we pass through to Heaven.”

It is fitting for this to be said during Paschal Time, as the Hebraic word “pasch” means “Passover” or “passage.” This originally referred to passing over the Red Sea. The idea of passage relates to so many facets of our Faith. There is a recurring theme of death leading to new life. Even nature sings this song, as the fallen leaves fertilize the ground for the next Spring. The sacramental life is all about various passages. The Passion, Resurrection and Ascension is all a flowing passage. It is an interwoven tapestry which gives us a lifetime of meditation upon these mysteries.

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Easter Friday, Major Rogation Day / Dom Prosper Gueranger

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Tomorrow, Easter Friday is a solemnity, as is every day in the Octave of Easter. Therefore, there is no Friday penance required.

However, the Major Rogation Day (or Greater Litanies) of April 25th still stands in the trad calendar, which typically IS a day of penance. Saint Mark’s feast is not celebrated.  So, how do we deal with the conundrum of a joyful Easter Week solemnity, in addition to a day of penance? 

Just so happens, I found the perfect answer to this question at Catholic Culture.  They gave an excerpt from Dom Prosper Gueranger’s The Liturgical Year, a 15-volume work written in the 19th century.  Here’s an excerpt of the excerpt…

“We gather from an expression of St. Gregory the Great that it was an ancient custom in the Roman Church to celebrate, once each year, a Greater Litany, at which all the clergy and people assisted. This holy Pontiff chose April 25 as the fixed day for this procession…The question naturally presents itself—why did St. Gregory choose April 25 for a procession and Station in which everything reminds us of compunction and penance, and which would seem so out of keeping with the joyous season of Easter?  [He explains the history of all this, see Catholic Culture link above for full piece]…

But there was a striking contrast resulting from this institution, of which the holy Pontiff was fully aware, but which he could not avoid: it was the contrast between the joys of Paschal Time and the penitential sentiments wherewith the faithful should assist at the procession and Station of the Great Litany. Laden as we are with the manifold graces of this holy season, and elated with our Paschal joys, we must sober our gladness by reflecting on the motives which led the Church to cast this hour of shadow over our Easter sunshine…”

It seems that Holy Church in her wisdom gives us the occasional reminder, when this date is within the Octave of Easter, that we are not to get too caught up in festivities.  Even after the long, penitential Lent, we must remain vigilant in this brief life, when our actions will determine our eternal fate.  This is what I glean from Gueranger’s analysis.  Read his words and see what you think.

Gueranger goes on to say that on this day, in Italy and France, there was abstinence from meat.  In France, it was also deemed a day of rest.  The Litany of the Saints would be prayed as well, through the centuries.  There was however, no fasting. 

So the answer seems to be:  Yes, be joyful, but give yourself a reminder of the Lent you just experienced.  Do not run to the opposite extreme and forget Our Blessed Lord on the Cross.  Do not abandon him, as did so many others.

So who was this intriguing Dom Gueranger, who wrote so eloquently?  Adoremus has an article written by Joseph O’Brien, a Catholic homesteader in Wisconsin (he’s quite the writer himself) on the book by Dom Guy Marie Oury:  Dom Gueranger: A Monk at the Heart of the Church.  Here’s a portion…

“Dom Guy Marie Oury’s [book]…is an important book, if only because it offers our dying culture a road map to recovery…It should come as a surprise to no one that our culture—and Western Civilization as a whole—is dying. I say this not as a matter of pessimism. Nor am I discounting divine intervention. But there are symptoms enough to show that our culture is very much like the ‘patient etherized upon a table’ in T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’…

The answer is right before our eyes—and present to our other senses as well—in the sacred liturgy [he follows with facts about the life and times of Gueranger]…

Dom Gueranger: A Monk at the Heart of the Church provides a fully drawn…portrait of the man who had almost singlehandedly renewed the liturgy as the cultural heart of the Church. It also provides a living example of how Catholics can save civilization, one celebration of the Holy Mass at a time.”

Isn’t it wonderful to revive these traditions that connect us, like a golden thread, with the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, through the ages?

  “I have no doubt that one day Catholicism will return to its place in this world, to which it alone holds the secret.”

Dom Prosper Gueranger

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Divine Mercy Sunday ~ Plenary Indulgence

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From the FSSP Liturgical Ordo:

“April 27, 2025, Divine Mercy Sunday: A plenary indulgence is granted to those who take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or in the tabernacle, recite one Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus. Those who for a just cause cannot get to church can gain the same indulgence by reciting one Our Father, the Creed, and a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus before an image of the Divine Mercy.”

Note: The usual conditions for plenary indulgence (see link above) also apply. See if your parish is celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday with special devotions and use that opportunity to obtain the indulgence. Let your pastor know you appreciate this.

saint faustina, pray for us!

jesus, i trust in thee!

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+++ GOOD FRIDAY +++ Plenary Indulgence

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+++ Station at Holy Cross in Jerusalem +++

Pray for Peace in the Holy Land.

Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy upon us!

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us!

And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

Amen.

From the New Marian Missal:

“The faithful who, on Good Friday during three hours, shall meditate, in public or in private, the sufferings of Our Lord on the Cross, and shall remember the words He spoke on the Cross, or say some psalms, hymns or other mental prayers, can gain: Plenary Indulgence after confession and Communion on Maundy Thursday or during the Octave of Easter with a prayer for the intentions of His Holiness.”

There is also a Divine Mercy Sunday Plenary, which will be posted here next week!

Stay tuned for some Easter Triduum thoughts from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, as well.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence ~ Caitelen Schneeberger

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

And with fear and trembling stand,

Ponder nothing earthly-minded,

For with blessing in His hand,

Christ our God to earth descendeth,

Our full homage to demand.

King of Kings, yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth He stood,

Lord of Lords, in human vesture,

In the Body and the Blood,

He will give to all the faithful,

His own Self for heav’nly food.

Rank on rank the host of Heaven,

Spreads its vanguard on the way,

As the Light of Light descendeth,

From the realms of endless day,

That the pow’rs of Hell may vanish,

As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph,

Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the Presence,

As with ceaseless voice they cry:

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Alleluia, Lord Most High!

From Liturgy of St. James, Early Church Era

Translation by Gerard Moultrie, 1864

***ALERT: Divine Mercy Novena starts today! See Home page for further info.

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The 4 Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection

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The Resurrection of Jesus Christ:  The Four Gospels

“And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is risen: and behold he will go before you into Galilee, there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you. And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him. Then Jesus said to them: Fear not. Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall see me.”

Matthew 28:1-10

“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to them: Be not affrighted, you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he is risen, he is not here, behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee, there you shall see him, as he told you. But they going out, fled from the sepulchre. For a trembling and fear had seized them: and they said nothing to any man, for they were afraid. But he rising early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils. She went and told them that had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe. And after that he appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country. And they going told it to the rest: neither did they believe them. At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.” 

Mark 16:1-16 

“And on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled back from the sepulchre. And going in, they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were astonished in their mind at this, behold, two men stood by them, in shining apparel. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their countenance towards the ground, they said unto them: Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spoke unto you, when he was in Galilee, saying: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. And going back from the sepulchre, they told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. And it was Mary Magdalen, and Joanna, and Mary of James, and the other women that were with them, who told these things to the apostles. And these words seemed to them as idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter rising up, ran to the sepulchre, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths laid by themselves, and went away wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”

Luke 24:1-12

“And on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen cometh early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre. She ran, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them: They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went out, and that other disciple, and they came to the sepulchre. And they both ran together, and that other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying, but yet he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre, and saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place. Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre: and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. The disciples therefore departed again to their home. But Mary stood at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and she saw two angels in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid. They say to her: Woman, why weepest thou? She saith to them: Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith to her: Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to him: Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith to her: Mary. She turning, saith to him: Rabboni (which is to say, Master).”

John 20:1-16

(from the Douay-Rheims, which is what we typically use)

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The Resurrection of Jesus Christ:

The Four Gospels

The "2-Minute Rule" for Homemakers

I want to share something with you wonderful ladies (and men!) out there that has really improved my life. The “2-Minute Rule.” About a year ago, I was watching someone on YouTube (sorry, I don’t remember who it was) who proposed this idea:

If you see something that can be done in 2 minutes, do it now.

This is a variation on Marla Cilley’s “Do it Now Principle,” which I previously wrote about (see below). For some reason, this 2-minute phrasing of the same idea, resonated better with me and I started really doing it. It’s not to be taken literally that the thing will take 2 minutes, but many things can be done quite quickly. I can’t tell you how helpful this has been for me. Things are now getting done that in the past I would have procrastinated with. It is a different way of looking at the field of your responsibility, when you realize, “I don’t have to feel overwhelmed, I can actually do this very quickly.” This might mean letting go of your perfectionism. At my age, I am increasingly getting used to the idea of:

Good enough is good enough

This might seem like a strange Holy Week meditation, but if you suffer from feeling overwhelmed or being perfectionistic, this could be a real lifesaver for you and your family. Below are some homemaker-related posts I have done, have a look! I hope this is helpful:)

The "Do it Now Principle"

10 Reasons to Purge Your Home

15 Simple Homemaker Hacks!

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