Go NouvelObs!

I just ran across something interesting. The quaint and holy village of Santa Maria, California, previously my home for nine years, gets a mention in Le Nouvel Observateur. Given that nobody en France would have known about Santa Maria otherwise, all I have to say is, thanks, Jacko! Jacko frequently made covert trips to Santa Maria for toys at Toys 'R Us as well as the local mall. The town just can't handle all of the fans who come out for his court dates.

Comme en janvier, la petite ville de Santa Maria a été mise en état de siège avec des renforts policiers. Quelque 1.500 fans comptent y soutenir leur idole.

Last time, most of the Jackson family showed up. Neverland isn't too far from where I am right now.

English Missal Draft

I know - this is being posted on just about every other Catholic blog, but since I have been blogging on this topic, I thought I should also post it here (if anything else, for my archives).

A draft translation of the new Mass in English

It is currently pending approval by the bishops of the English speaking world. The draft looks to be about what I expected, based largely on John Allen's excellent reporting. There's still room for good debate, but all things considered, I hope to see many of these changes soon. Will it be an opportunity for liturgical catechesis? I sure hope so.

Mysteria Luminosa Sacratissimi Rosarii

There is a great deal of depth in praying the rosary in Latin, the lingua ecclesiae. For a while now, I have been looking for a more comprehensive guide to the different mysteries of the rosary in Latin; I haven't found too much, so I decided to put something together myself. I started by putting together this little page outlining each of the Luminous Mysteries in Latin:

Lucis Mysteria

The Scripture text is taken from the Nova Vulgata, and the brief meditations are taken from the Latin text of the Holy Father's apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Eventually, I'd like to do something similar for the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries. All in good time!

Conscience: Man's Most Secret Core

Most Rev. Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver, on:
What Vatican II did, and didn't, teach about conscience.

In its Declaration on Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae), the council went on to say that, "It is through his conscience that man sees and recognizes the demands of the divine law. He is bound to follow this conscience faithfully in all his activity, so that he may come to God, who is his last end. Therefore he must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters...

(I)n forming their consciences, the faithful must pay careful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is, by the will of Christ, the teacher of truth. It is her duty to proclaim and teach with authority the truth which is Christ and, at the same time, to declare and confirm by her authority the principles of the moral order which spring from human nature."

if we're serious in our Catholic faith, we also need to acknowledge that conscience does not "invent" truth. Rather, conscience must seek truth out, and conform itself to the truth once discovered — no matter how inconvenient. Conscience is never just a matter of personal opinion or private preference. It never exists in a vacuum of individual sovereignty.

Thank you, Archbishop!