Monday, December 28, 2015

What To Do When You're Home Alone--But Not By Choice


"Home Aloners" is the name given to those misguided souls who think that because of a lack of Ordinary jurisdiction in a time of sedevacante, they must stay "home alone" and cannot attend Mass with Traditionalist priests. It's like a spiritual rerun of the 1990 movie "Home Alone" minus the joyful conclusion. I've written on that subject before, especially in regards to the teachings of former Protestant minister turned Feeneyite Home-Aloner, Gerry Matatics. (See my post of 4/8/13)

 My purpose in this post is to address the concerns of my readers who, for reasons beyond their control, do not have access to a Traditionalist Church or Chapel. Such people would love to attend a real Mass and associate with fellow Traditionalists, but cannot due to distance, infirmity, etc. These Traditionalists, dear to Our Lord, find themselves "home alone" and  don't want to be. I will discuss the options for such people, so they can make their Traditionalist Catholic way as best possible in this world gone mad during the Great Apostasy. I wish to credit and acknowledge the ideas of Fr. Anthony Cekada and Bp. Daniel Dolan, who have written on this topic before. I have taken from their ideas and have added my own.


  •  The Morality of Staying Home on Sundays and Holy Days
According to theologian Jone,  "Any moderately grave reason suffices to excuse one from attendance at Holy Mass, such as considerable hardship or corporal or spiritual harm either to oneself or another." Therefore, those who would be excused include: the sick, convalescents, those that have a long way to church, people hindered by the duties of their state (e.g. policemen on duty, etc), those who care for the sick, etc. (See Moral Theology, The Neumann Press, Maryland, [1962] pgs. 125-126).


  • Consecrate Your Home to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Most Immaculate Heart of Mary
 Set up a home "altar" placing on it blessed statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Include your patron saints too. Have blessed candles when you pray there. How do you get them blessed? You can buy them online and arrange to have them mailed (with return shipping and boxes provided) to a Traditionalist priest that will perform the proper blessing and mail it back to you. You can ask them to send Holy Water and blessed candles, which most will gladly do for a nominal fee.  Perform the Enthronement ceremony to make the Sacred Heart of Jesus the King of your home.(Copies of the ceremony can be obtained from most Traditionalist priests either free or for a nominal fee) This is a good place for you and your family to gather for prayer; especially on Sundays and Holy Days.


  • Make the Most of Sacramentals
 The Church has many sacramentals, most of which are not used as frequently by the faithful as they should. Besides statues and crucifixes, how many of you use: Chaplets (a great way to engender different devotions throughout the year), St. Benedict medal (and Crucifix-Medal), the Cords of St. Joseph, St Francis of Assisi, and St. Philomena, the Five Fold Scapular, the Green Scapular, St. Joseph Oil, St. Philomena Oil, The Pardon Crucifix, etc. Pray the Rosary.


  • Use the Breviary (in English or Latin) and follow the Proper of the Mass
Use of the Breviary and reading the Proper of the Sunday Mass, followed by the Rosary is a great way to Keep Holy the Sabbath. You may want to read and meditate on Fr. Goffine's Devout Instructions on the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and Holy Days.


  • Follow Mass on the Internet or DVD
 You can follow a live Mass via Internet or by DVD. There is a great DVD put out by the CMRI.


  • Use Social Media to Fellowship with other Traditionalists
 While 34% of the websites are pornographic, and a good percentage more are spreading evils and errors, we can still make good use of technology. Meetup.com, is a way you can start a group of Traditionalists seeking to know the Faith and live it. Perhaps you can "meet up" on Sundays at someone's house to pray together and learn the Faith. Remember 1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you." With all the attacks on religion from the "new atheists," to attacks on Traditionalists in particular, it is important to know your Faith. I suggest reading theologian Ott's one volume Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Then proceed, slowly but surely, through the 12 volume work on dogmatic theology by theologian Joseph Pohle. You can study together.

 Twitter is another way to meet Traditionalists (I'm on it too). Read good websites and blogs. The two best out there are "Novus Ordo Watch" and "Daily Catholic.org" I would caution you to stay off "Catholic" Internet chat sites where there is much disinformation, misinformation, and even heresy. People will often chat with the intention of controversy for the sake of controversy. There are good points, but unless you are both firmly grounded and strong in the Faith, please avoid them.


  • Get a Traditionalist Priest to visit you or even start a chapel
 If you are successful in starting a Traditionalist group in your area, as I described above, perhaps you could get a priest to come out with a portable altar once a month to offer Mass and hear Confessions! If you all chip in for his travel expenses and give him lodging and a stipend, chances are you will get one. Make sure he is reputable, properly trained, validly ordained, and not in union with the Vatican II sect. If enough of you come together, you might even eventually be able to build a chapel. This was done in New Jersey by the congregation following the late, great Fr. Paul Wickens, whom I  knew personally.

  Lastly, thank God for the gift of the Integral Catholic Faith, without which no one gets to Heaven. Offer up your spiritual suffering for the conversion of sinners. I hope this post has provided those of you who are in this situation with good ideas, and given you hope. My spiritual father, Fr. Gommar DePauw, used to say, "Any true priest who offers the real Mass, even if I never met him, I consider that priest my friend in Christ." In similar fashion, I say to all my Traditionalist readers that I consider you my friends in Christ. I remember you all at the Most Holy Sacrifice every Sunday and Holy Day, and in my daily Rosary. There are not many of us, so let's do well to remember the words of Galatians 6:10, "So then, as we have occasion, let us do good towards all, and especially towards those of the household of faith."

22 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Great article thank you...I will remember this in my prayers this coming Friday at my traditional chapel.This reminds me of how blessed we are in our city to have a valid Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

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    1. Yes, how fortunate those of us near a Traditionalist Church/Chapel should be to God! We should be like the grateful leper, who having been cured with nine others, was the only one to appreciate what God had done and retuned praising Christ in a loud voice. To him, Christ said, "Arise, and go your way, for thy Faith has saved thee."

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  3. In reality, no one (unless they are "special needs") is 'home alone'. The reality is that Apostolic Succession has been macheteed by the Novus Ordo non-rites, and that a universal error has been permitted in all former Catholic parishes...why? I would guess folks' free-will.

    The Catholic Faith and the truths espoused by her True Shepherds are not hidden. Sr Lucy of the Fatima Fame - so misappropriated by those whose reason for being is to convince people to be in communion with the New Order/Novus Ordo/belial - once said (or so it is said), that there will come a time when all the Faithful will have is the Rosary and the Sign of the Cross - at least in most places.

    The Blood of Christ of infinite merit is offered up from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same till the consummation of the age by true priests of the Eternal Order of Melchisedek. Whatever the greatness or limitedness of number.

    If we are not geographically within walking or driving distance of such a miracle, we are within prayer distance. The Novus Ordo is anti-real-presence...that is its purpose...as approved and condoned by Rabbinical and Protestant experts and promulgated by Novus Ordo presiders and parishes. Heaven only knows what the likes of Vorisites think of the query of Christ Who said, 'when the Son of Man returns, will He find Faith'? If the New Order and its innovations and its VII new revelation is 'faith', then anything is 'faith'.

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  4. Thank you, Introibo, for writing this. I am grateful to you for taking the time to do so.

    God bless and reward you!

    L

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    1. I'm glad I could help! If I can be God's instrument to help others, I'm a happy and fortunate man.
      ---Introibo

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  5. I am a geriatric cradle Catholic who had my Damascus moment a few years ago. After extensive reading I was converted to sedevacantism. I am the only sede that I know of in my city. I contacted Fr. Cekada, who after most kindly answering my questions, put me in contact with Fr. Francis Miller, who 3 months later was in my home saying the first Tridentine Mass I had assisted at for 45 years. This holy Priest travels from USA to South Africa to bring Confession and the Mass to one family in Durban and myself in Pretoria, twice a year, at his own expense. How is it possible for me to express my gratitude? So I wear my brown scapula, say the rosary daily, have an ample supply of Holy Water and am a virtual member of St. Gertrude the Great's parish where I assist at Mass virtually, on Sundays and Holy Days. Thanks be to God.

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    1. Deo gratias! Where there's a will, God finds a way!
      ---Introibo

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    2. Does anybody have a link where I can get some holy water?

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    3. Your best bet is to contact the SSPV BS ask for a bottle. They cannot sell sacramentals already blessed, but you could offer to make a donation to cover shipping costs.
      ---Introibo

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  6. If anyone is looking we are a small start up chapel.Pre-1950 Holy Week & 1570 A.D. tridentine mass.Our priest is a Thuc line priest from Bishop Des Lauriers line
    St.John the Baptist Catholic Church
    452 N.26th St.
    Louisville,KY 40212
    Mass Sun & Holy Day's 10am
    Sat 8:30am
    Thank you Deo Gracias

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  7. Here is a link to live mass @St.Jude Houston,TX
    http://www.tikilive.com/user/saintjudes

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  8. You're welcome indeed a great link that not many people know about.
    St.Jude needs to advertise a bit more.
    Happy New Year to all..Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

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  9. Beautiful article! Just for your readers' convenience, that book by Fr. Goffine that you mentioned can be downloaded for free at this link:

    https://archive.org/download/goffinesdevoutin00goffuoft/goffinesdevoutin00goffuoft.pdf

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  10. "... the Church cannot defect, and arguments stand or fall on their own merits, regardless of who makes them. Theological arguments are based on authority. What do the known authorities say, and what is their weight?"
    Such indeed, in the basis of Catholic debate. Catholicism is absolute - never relative. Dogmas, theological certainties and canons guide the Faithful along the path of salvation. To these they must submit, or forfeit their membership of the Mystical Body of Christ.
    " The Pope possesses full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, not merely in matters of faith and morals, but also in Church discipline and in the government of the Church." This is Catholic dogma!
    “The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium.” Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum (# 9), June 29, 1896.
    So, if you accept Bergoglio as Pope, you shall submit to his magisterium - every iota of it - or you are out of the Church, whether you like it, or not! Whether you agree, or not! There is no wriggle room! So, where is a Catholic basis for "Recognising yet Resisting" pope Bergoglio? Nevertheless, Salza, Siscoe and Bp. Fellay do just that! Why? Are they ignorant of Catholic dogma and magisterium? Or are they part of the judeo-masonic army trying (vainly) to destroy the Church from within? Makes one think - doesn't it?

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  11. Introibo, doesn't the breviary contain tbe Divine Office?

    I believe you meant a hand missal in following the proper of the Mass.

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