Missa Cantata at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of the Diocese of Cubao

Last Saturday morning, January 26, 2008, at 4am, a dawn Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (Misa de Gallo), was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo, Parish Priest of Our Lord of Divine Mercy Church, Head of the Catechesis Committee and official Exorcist of the Diocese of Cubao, at the main altar of the Cathedral of the four year old Diocese, seperated from the Archdiocese of Manila on June 28, 2003; and canonically erected on August 28, 2003 with the installation of its first bishop, the Most Reverend Honesto F. Ongtioco.

This event is significant and historical in the Philippine Church and particularly of the said Diocese since the present cathedral building built by the SVD Fathers in the 1950's according to the Romanesque-baroque style was horribly disfigured by the priests of the same congregation in the 1970's in guise of Vatican II reforms, when the original High altar was dismantled together with the communion rails, replacing it with an ugly mosaic of a symbol of the Lamb of God. The free standing permanent altar table was replaced with an altar made of clear etched glass with the sanctuary extended at the center resembling an Anglican church. The side altar of the Immaculate Conception was decorated with bamboos which clashed with the beautiful architectural design of the church. It was truly a disaster of eclectic proportions!

Now being designated as the Cathedral of the new diocese, proper church architecture has been restored restoring the traditional interior design yet in conformity with the proper liturgical reforms of Sacrosanctum Concilium.

The Mass was celebrated on the occassion of the overnight visit of the pilgrim relics of the latest Doctor of the Church, St. Therese of the Child Jesus. The even was also significant due to the fact that a few blocks away is the Church of Our Lady of Victories uncanonically erected in the early 1990's by the SSPX Priests, in defiance of the authority of the local bishop. This church is also personally significant for me since this is where my parents were married and all of their three children were baptized. Truly a victory for Philippine trads!

Bishop says Catholics should kneel, receive communion on tongue by Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The reverence and awe of Catholics who truly believe they are receiving Jesus in the Eucharist should lead them to kneel and receive Communion on their tongues, said a bishop writing in the Vatican newspaper."If some nonbeliever arrived and observed such an act of adoration perhaps he, too, would 'fall down and worship God, declaring, God is really in your midst,'" wrote Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, quoting from the First Letter to the Corinthians.In a Jan. 8 article labeled a "historical-liturgical note," Bishop Schneider reviewed the writings of early church theologians about eucharistic reception and said the practice of laypeople receiving Communion on the tongue was the predominant custom by the sixth century.The article in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, appeared under the headline, "Like a nursing child in the arms of the one who nourishes him."Bishop Schneider said that just as a baby opens his mouth to receive nourishment from his mother, so should Catholics open their mouths to receive nourishment from Jesus."Christ truly nourishes us with his body and blood in holy Communion and, in the patristic era, it was compared to maternal breastfeeding," he said."The awareness of the greatness of the eucharistic mystery is demonstrated in a special way by the manner in which the body of the Lord is distributed and received," the bishop wrote.In addition to demonstrating true adoration by kneeling, he said, receiving Communion on the tongue also avoids concerns about people receiving the body of Christ with dirty hands or of losing particles of the Eucharist, concerns that make sense if people truly believe in the sacrament."Wouldn't it correspond better to the deepest reality and truth about the consecrated bread if even today the faithful would kneel on the ground to receive it, opening their mouths like the prophet receiving the word of God and allowing themselves to be nourished like a child?" Bishop Schneider asked.In 1969 the Vatican published an instruction allowing bishops to permit the distribution of Communion in the hand. While at papal liturgies most people who receive Communion from the pope receive Communion on the tongue, they also are permitted to reverently receive the Eucharist in the hand.

The Biblical Basis for the Devotion to the Sto.Nino

I. Biblical Basis

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1: 21)Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23)And the angel said to them, "And this shall be a sign to you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. So, they went with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. (Luke 2:12, 16)And entering the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they worshipped him. And opening their treasures they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

II. Context

Devotion to the Infant Jesus is as old as Christianity itself. It ever tends to keep the great mystery of our Lord's birth vividly before us. The foregoing scriptural texts are the proofs for the adoration and praise the Holy Child or Sto. Niño. He Who is our Savior, He Who is called Jesus because he shall save his people from their sins is worthy of adoration.Here in our country there are many images of the Holy Child or Sto. Niño: that of Cebu, of Pandacan, of Tondo, of San Beda.One image of the Sto. Niño which is widely known is that of Praga and the story of which is as follows: The 9-inch statue of Sto. Niño was brought to Bohemia by Maria Manriquez de Lara, a Spanish princess (it was her mother's gift for her wedding).

She, in turn, gave it to her child, Princess Polyxenia of Lobkowitz. After the death of the princess' husband, she devoted herself to works of charity and was particularly helpful to the Carmelites in Prague. When in 1628 the Carmelite Monastery had been reduced to poverty, owing to the ravages of war, the princess gave her precious statue to the Carmelites, saying:GIVE YOU WHAT I PRIZE MOST HIGHLY IN THE WORLD; HONOR AND RESPECT THE CHILD JESUS AND YOU SHALL NEVER BE IN WANT. Her gift was placed in the Carmelite oratory. The words of the princess proved prophetic for as long as the Carmelites kept up their devotion to the Divine Infant of Prague everything prospered with them. The Carmelites were later forced to flee from the city and in the confusion of the war they were unable to take with them their miraculous statue.The invaders seized it and threw it into a pile of rubbish. In 1635, peace came to Prague and the Carmelites returned. One of them, Father Cyril, who had previously received great spiritual help through his devotion to the Infant of Prague, sought the statue and found it amidst the rubbish. Overjoyed, he placed the statue again in the oratory.As Father Cyril was one day praying devotedly before the statue, he heard a voice saying:HAVE MERCY ON ME AND I WILL HAVE MERCY ON YOU. RETURN MY HANDS TO ME AND I SHALL GIVE YOU PEACE. THE MORE YOU HONOR ME, THE MORE I SHALL BLESS YOU.

Startled by these words, Father Cyril examined the statue and upon drawing aside the mantle covering it, he found that both hands of the statue were broken off. The hands were restored to the statue through the generosity of a client of the Divine Child. Once more peace and prosperity returned to the Carmelites.Devotion to the Divine Child had always been practiced by the Carmelites for through their Mother, Mary, this Divine Child had come to the world. St Teresa of Jesus practiced particular de- votion to the Divine Child. St Therese, the Little Flower, was also a most fervent venerator.

III. Reflection

Hail! The Divine Infant Lord!On the feast of the Sto. Niño we celebrate with joyful hearts and living faith the mysteries of the childhood of our Lord Jesus Christ. His whole human life, from the incarnation on, including his birth, circumcision and presentation, the flight to Egypt, the event of the twelve years old in the temple and the hidden years at Nazareth are directed to and find meaning in the mystery of Jesus' death and resurrection.

These mysteries have to be seen as part of the whole mystery of Christ. When we celebrate the mysteries of the childhood of Jesus in the Liturgy, they are in some way made present and we are enabled to lay hold of them and become filled with their saving grace. We must not forget that the mystery of the kingdom of God had not been revealed to the wise and understanding but only to those who turn and become themselves like children.

Fr. Roy Rosales' Novus Ordo Mass in Honor of the Sto. Nino at the PNB

The Novus Ordo Mass celebrated by Fr. Roy Rosales a day after the Solemn Novus Ordo Ad Orientem cum Canto Gregoriano Missa di Angelis of Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo, bereft of the beautiful rubrics and ceremonials is a stark contrast of the liturgy of the previous night, though no abuses occured during the rites. Still it was the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass validly offered to the Father.

The Significance of Pope Benedict XVI's Ad Orientem Mass by Gerald Cenir (courtesy of Pro Deo et Patria)

Today we witnessed the reorientation of the Mass in the pontificate of Benedict XVI. The Vicar of Christ, during the most sacred part of the Holy Mass, and the entire congregation, "turned towards the Lord," and faced not each other.It is the most significant step in reorienting the ordinary liturgy, that by this reorientation, our minds, our hearts and our souls will be reoriented back to Christ as we, His faithful together with the priest celebrant, fix our gaze upon Him who suffered and died for us.

Pope Benedict's signal to all Catholics (cardinals, bishops, priests, canon lawyers, liturgists, and the laity) is clear: Celebrating the Mass ad orientem or versus Deum per Iesum Christum (using the Missal of Pope Paul VI and in this case, facing the "liturgical east" or the symbolic east of the liturgy) was never abolished and the Holy Mass can be celebrated as such even with a congregation (men, women, and yes even children!), and that it was perfectly normal for catholics of the Roman Rite of the Church to worship and celebrate Mass oriented in such a way that it had celebrated Mass for centuries (at least before Vatican II for most catholics and even now through the extraordinary form).

The language being in Italian also has a significant meaning: it means that celebrating the Mass in such manner, facing the liturgical east, can be done in local churches of the Roman Rite, the church in the Philippines included!As the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff, mended and created a bridge between the old and the new through his Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum given motu proprio we are to see more development in the ordinary liturgy: organic reorientation of the ordinary form. The ordinary form of the Roman Rite will soon be absorbed by the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, reform of the reform fully achieved, spearheaded by no less than the current Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI.

(This Mass was the inspiration for the Solemn Novus Ordo Mass held at PNB 1/23/08 - Dennis)

TLM in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, Archdiocese of Jaro by Gerald Cenir (courtesy of Pro Deo et Patria)

A reader has sent us a report of the January 23, 2008 Solemn High Mass according to the Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII or extraordinary form at the Parish of the Espousal of our Lady in Mandurriao, Iloilo City in honor of the feast of the Espousal of our Lady.He reports "...the church was full packed, the music superb and the faithful actively said all response with the aid of leaflets."

To introduce and inform the parishioners about Summorum Pontificum of the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI, Fr. Celis gave a short catechesis before the Mass.The Celebrant is Msgr. Juanito Tuvilla, Deacon is Fr. Oscar Andrada, Subdeacon is Fr. Winnie Lusaria while Parish Priest Fr. Espiridion Celis is choir director.Congratulations to our reader and the parishioners of the Espousal of our Lady. Congratulations and a heart felt thanks to Msgr. Juanito Tuvilla, Fr. Oscar Andrada, Fr. Winnie Lusaria and Fr. Espiridion Celis. Thank you for being priests!

Solemn Vatican II Mass "Ad Orientem" at the Philippine National Bank Headquarters in honor of the Sto.Nino

The Holy Mass according the Missal of Pope Paul the VI with all solemnity and properly observed rubrics was celebrated in accordance with the wishes of Pope Benedict XVI facing the altar with hundreds of people in attendance and awed by the ceremony. It was held the Grand Banking Hall of the main headquarters of the Philippines National Bank at Diosdado Macapagal Ave. Pasay City. It is the 6th of a series of novena Masses sponsored by the Congregacion del Santisimo Nombre del Nino Jesus in preparation for the feast of the Sto. Nino with the title "El Nombre". The feast annually is observed on the last Sunday of January.

Here is the introduction to the Mass for the awareness of those who attended the January 23 Mass:

Good evening my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome to our Eucharistic celebration. Pope Benedict XVI in his July letter entitled Summorum Pontificum clarifies that the so called Tridentine Latin Mass has never been abrogated nor banned by the Catholic Church and allows priests who wish to celebrate it anytime without the bishop’s permission as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo has in his statement welcomes the Pope’s letter and agrees with it. However, tonight we shall NOT be celebrating the Tridentine Mass but the same Vatican II Mass that we celebrate everyday but in accordance with the recent directives and examples of His Holiness himself Pope Benedict XVI, restoring honor, dignity and solemnity in the celebration of Holy Mass. Vatican II allows the Mass to be celebrated in the local language but retaining if possible the ordinary parts of the Mass in Latin as a sign of unity and universality with Rome; the pre-eminence of the Gregorian Chants and Organ Music.

Pope Benedict XVI as seen in his Mass of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Sistine Chapel two weeks ago clarifies that the Mass may also be celebrated not only facing the people but also the altar as he did that day. We opted tonight to celebrate Mass with the celebrant facing the crucifix and the Sto. Nino as an external sign that he leads us in worshipful offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Congregacion del Stmo. Nombre del Nino Jesus as promoter and preserver of Catholic Culture and Tradition gives us the opportunity tonight to experience a truly God-centered Holy Mass in obedience and accordance with the Pope’s wishes. .
Our celebrant for tonight is Rev, Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo, Parish Priest of Our Lord of Divine Mercy at Sikatuna, Q.C.. He is also a liturgist, Head of the Catechetical Commission of the Diocese of Cubao and the Official Exorcist of the same Diocese. Let us now begin Holy Mass as it is celebrated by the Pope in Rome.