ASK FATHER: July 4th is on Friday… what about meat? BBQ? We can eat meat, right?

Posted on 24 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

We pray you are well.

Concerning the upcoming celebration of our Nation’s founding, obviously it is not a religious feast day. However, given it’s great importance to Americans, no less to us as Catholic Americans, are we legally exempted from the Friday penance of abstaining from meat this coming 4th of July?

A blessed Independence Day to you!

Thank you for your faithful witness – may God continue to bless you richly!

Thank you for your kind words.  Please pray for me.

To your query.

You can ask your parish priest to dispense you or commute your Friday penance.

Can. 1245 Without prejudice to the right of diocesan bishops mentioned in can. 87, for a just cause and according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop, a pastor [parish priest] can grant in individual cases a dispensation from the obligation of observing a feast day or a day of penance or can grant a commutation of the obligation into other pious works. A superior of a religious institute or society of apostolic life, if they are clerical and of pontifical right, can also do this in regard to his own subjects and others living in the house day and night.

Abstinence from meat has good reasoning behind it. For some, however, abstinence from other things can be of great spiritual effect.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops encourages Catholics to observe Friday penance, usually through abstaining from meat …. there’s always an option …. or by choosing another form of penance.

In this case I don’t have a lot to gripe about.  Some people don’t have any interest in eating meat… which is a little weird but, hey, God’s chandelier is complicated.   Moreover, there are seriously non-penitential meals one can whip up on a Friday.   It’s important not to think that God doesn’t know if you have done PENANCE in some way on Friday.  He cannot deceive or be deceived.

Be honest.

Again, pastors can commute.  That’s not a dodge.  It’s a provision you can request if it is for your true benefit.

It doesn’t mean, “you don’t have to do penance”.

BTW… the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart is coming up on a FRIDAY.

Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church says:

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Under the Code of Canon Law in force now, the Feast of the Sacred Heart is a Solemnity.

Posted in Canon Law, SESSIUNCULA | 7 Comments

Tracer Bullet and the Smoke of Libville. Episode 1: “Ashes, Stale Coffee, and Bad News”

Posted on 23 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Tracer Bullet and the Smoke of Libville

Episode 1: Ashes, Stale Coffee, and Bad News

It was a Thursday. Or maybe a Friday. The kind of evening that sagged like 70’s chasuble left too long in a damp sacristy – stale, hiding something rotten underneath. I was sitting in my office, the blinds casting penitential stripes from the streetlight across my desk like a confessional gone sideways. The name on the frosted glass read TRACER BULLET – PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. Below it, in smaller letters: LATIN OPTIONAL.  DISCRETION MANDATORY

That’s when he walked in.

Fr. Tommy.

Black cassock. Blacker sleepless circles under his eyes. The kind of guy who knew the difference between a chasuble and a cheap polyester cope, and who probably kept a loaded thurible under his bed just in case.

“I need help,” he said, tugging off his biretta like a man pulling the pin on a grenade, his Beretta subtly printing at his waist.

“You and me both, Padre,” I muttered, tipping back the remains of my cold coffee. “What’s the play?”

I took my feet off the desk as he took a chair like he owned the place.

“Libville’s burning”, the priest said.

“Still? Last I checked, that place had more committees than sacraments.”

“Yeah, well now they’ve got a cabal. Secretive. Organized. Liberal pastors trying to corner the bishop, force him to shut down all the few Latin Masses we have, rip out remaining communion rails, and slap the priests around till they grin like a game show hosts.”

“What’s His Excellency doing about it?”

Tommy shook his head. “That’s the problem. Bishop McButterpants thought it was a pastoral dialogue group. Then he caught a whiff of something he didn’t like in a letter from the “Noonch”… you know, the Nuncio. He asked me to find what’s going on. I want you to help me.”

“I’m flattered. And underpaid. What’s this group call themselves?”

He pulled a slightly rolled file from his cassock. The top sheet inside had a tasteless letterhead, the font sinfully Comic Sans.

“The Council for Inclusive Liturgy Innovation.” Underneath, a tagline: “Spirit-led, People-fed.”

I winced. “I need a drink.”

The cleric mumbled, “I’ve needed a drink since the conclave of 2013.”

“Lemme ask”, I said.  “Libville?  You’re a long way from home, Chaps! Why me?

Father Tommy narrowed his eyes.

“I’m too well known there and because you’re the only one who won’t end up writing a blog post about it halfway through the investigation.”

He had a point.

I turned the sheet and found his list of the usual suspects: Fr. Timmy Warmflannel, D.Min. at St. Odilia in Point Blank, Fr. Wally Wainright of Holy Innocents in Bovina, Fr. Blair McBreathy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (aka Perpetual Reinterpretation), and – bingo – Fr. Bruce Hugalot.

Fr. “Just Call Me Bruce” Hugalot. Community animator aka “pastor” at Sing A New Faith Community Into Being Faith Community.

All of them part of a so-called “Libville Listening Circle.”

I slammed the folder shut.

“I’m on it, Padre.”

The priest rose with a rustle of cassock to leave. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob he turned his head half toward me.

“Try not to get any of it on you.”

He closed the door and his black figure faded away in frost of the door’s glass window.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Daily Rome Shot 1378 – Heads up!

Posted on 23 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Yesterday at The Parish™ was the external celebration of Corpus Christi. The Archconfraternity was fully involved, as is proper.

A few shots…

Getting vested.

Managing the canopy.

Later, they were also in the procession with Pope Leo XIV from the Lateran to Santa Maria Maggiore.

Brick by brick, friends.

Welcome Registrants:

Shannon M
Turtle

Meanwhile…

This is what we are dealing with.

Headline…

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Here’s a tough one… white to move and mate in… ?

HERE

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | 5 Comments

This is important

Posted on 23 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Posted in SESSIUNCULA, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices | 8 Comments

Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost / Corpus Christi 2025

Posted on 22 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Mass of obligation for the this Sunday?  Probably Corpus Christi in the Novus Ordo and an external observance in the Vetus Ordo.

Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?  I know there is a lot of BAD news.  How about some good news?

A taste of my thoughts from the other place: HERE

The traditional liturgy, in all its solemnity and beauty, must shape us into lovers of truth which means, therefore, doers of the Word. Chanting the Creed or repeating “Domine non sum dignus” are not a substitute for feeding the poor. But neither is feeding the poor a substitute for chanting the Creed and beating our breasts before Communion. Holy Church bids us do both.  They are two sides of the same coinage offered by Our Lord to the Father on the Cross for our salvation.

 

Posted in Sermons | 9 Comments

News of the Church 16 – 22 June 2025

Posted on 22 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Welcome to the 16th edition of News of the Church.

It’s 22 June 2025 and it is the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost although in most places people are celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi. It’s wonderful to see the practices of Eucharistic processions returning. A couple years ago, I saw a movie called News of the World with Tom Hanks. He plays a former confederate officer, years after the Civil War. He travels from town to and town and reads aloud stories from different newspapers. He scratches out a living as a gazetteer. People were starved for news and often not literate so they paid a dime .10c a head to listen. That’s about $2.50 today. [HERE] The idea of a wandering gazetteer caught my imagination and here I am.

00:14 Init
01:12 Leo XIV issues decrees on martyrdoms, miracle
10:02 Horror in Nigeria
13:54 Widow, mother of 4 nuns, 1 priest, takes the veil
18:06 Happy Birthday Royal Observatory
27:04 Never Too Late
33:18 Comments and Exit

Previous Episode HERE

BOOK RECOMENDATION

Longitude by Dava Sobel.   HERE

Posted in News of the Church, PODCAzT | Tagged | Comments Off on News of the Church 16 – 22 June 2025

From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 06-15-25 – Parish Festival

Posted on 22 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

June 15th 2025

Dear Diary,

Today was the summer parish festival at St Polycarp or as I call it the Deep Fried Fest. Fr. Gilbert got us turned around on a back road after hitting a detour near Pine City but we got there in time for me to bless the beer tent. I got to judge a pie contest. Heh. I had to sample to judge.  Gilbert convinced me to bring Chester with assurances that he’d be good. And he usually is with G, who knows why. I don’t know what I was thinking. Even though he is somewhat deformed he can be as fast as a greasy weasel. With a lurch that knocked G off his feet Chester dove into the kiddy bounce house. What happened after sounded pretty bad.  Those were doggy howls I didn’t think possible. Thank God not a single kid was permanently hurt. Traumatized, maybe. I’m still getting over it.  There was a lot of crying, but pie helped. It always does.  Crying kids, that is.  It’s amazing how parents took it in stride. I guess its just life for them. If only some of the pastors were like that. Whine whine whine.

Beautiful day.  Sun.  Breeze.  Lots of happy people.  I’m sunburned. Totally worth it for fried chicken. I might have had too much.  The auctions made a lot.  They’ll make their “dratickum”* this year!

*HERE

Posted in Diary of Bp. McButterpants | 1 Comment

Daily Rome Shot 1377 – Is this true?

Posted on 22 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Black to move and mate in 4.

Meanwhile…

Is this true?

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | 1 Comment

Wrapping it up at Fishwrap?

Posted on 20 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I don’t often mention the Fishwrap these days… how long ago was it that I started with that nickname?… because of their wearying lack of relevance.

However, I saw this:

This is interesting.

Remember this? You old timers will. HERE

Originally Published on: Dec 3, 2015

May I ask you all to pray to St. Joseph, patron of the diocese where the offices of the Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) are located? Pray that all the writers and staff of that heterodox and destructive publication either covert to orthodox Catholicism or else that they are driven to closure. Pray also that the bishops of these United States of America develop the courage to strip that publication of the word “Catholic” in their title.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Dest-joseph-patron-of-the-churchar St. Joseph, Terror of Demons and Protector of Holy Church, Chaste Guardian of Our Lord and His Mother, hear our urgent prayer and swiftly intercede with our Savior, whom as a loving father you defended so diligently, that He will pour abundant graces upon the staff of that organ of dissent the National catholic Reporter so that they will either embrace orthodox doctrine concerning faith and morals or that all their efforts will promptly fail and come to their just end. Amen.

Posted in The Drill | 6 Comments

Daily Rome Shot 1376

Posted on 20 June 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Welcome Registrants:

ljprevo
Oregon
wiestr@yahoo.com
KenHood0

Remember… the TLM is against unity.

Wanna see what Sunday is like there? Someone sent me a note about these … fine people a few days ago. I was going to post it, but my anti-nausea medication kept me from the board.

You might remember that in the recent Norway Chess match, Magnus Carlsen blundered and lost a game to Gukesh, whereupon he angrily banged the table with his first, knocking over the pieces, and then stormed off.   This went viral, to say the least.  The effect at chess.com was amazing. I’m an affiliate, btw.  After the table bang, in the last round of Norway Church there was a peak of 225000 concurrent viewers (more than for my Mass stream) and on the same day there were 20 MILLION games played.  The incident also spawned memes of people imitating the moment while playing other games.  There is a funny one with a cat.

Interim, motus ad lusorem cum militibus nigris pertinet. Scaccus mattus, scilicet mors regis, quattuor in motis veniat.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | 4 Comments