Cardinal Burke to Celebrate Mass in St Peter’s Basilica for the Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage

We are very glad to share the news that His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke will celebrate a solemn pontifical Mass in St Peter’s basilica on October 25th, as part of this year’s Populus Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage to Rome. This Mass was the highlight of the annual pilgrimage event for several years, but was then forbidden for the last two. In addition, His Eminence Matteo Cardinal Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, will once again celebrate a pontifical Vespers for the pilgrimage, this year in the ancient basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina.   

Let us be thankful to God that He has inspired such paternal charity in our Holy Father Leo, and pray that He may inspire him to restore the wise provisions of Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, from which the pilgrimage takes its name.

A New Latin Hymn for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

In July of 2023, we shared a new hymn composed by a very talented young Latinist, Mr Sean Pilcher, commissioned by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, in honor of its patron Saint. The first letters of the five stanzas spell out the last name of Cardinal Burke, who founded the shrine when he was bishop of LaCrosse (1995-2004). Earlier this year, Mr Pilcher wrote a second hymn, which by the same device spells out His Eminence’s middle name, Leo, while the first letters of the lines of the last stanza spell AMEN.

The series has now been completed with a third piece, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Cardinal Burke’s priestly ordination, and thirtieth of episcopal consecration. This hymn spells out his first name in Latin, Raymundus; it will debut today at a solemn celebration at the Shrine in LaCrosse for the feast of the dedication of St Mary Major in Rome, also known as Our Lady of the Snows. The hymn recounts the origins of that basilica, and how its builder, Pope Liberius, was directed by the Virgin Herself to fulfill Her wishes, and those of a pious couple named John and Maria, who wanted to donate their patrimony to Her, by a miraculous snowfall on the Esquiline hill, which took place on August 5, 362. The parallel is drawn throughout between Pope Liberius’ foundation of Mary Major in Rome, and Cardinal Burke’s foundation of ‘this sanctuary,’ the Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse. Mr Pilcher has been kind enough to share this third piece with NLM; notes are provided below to explain some of the allusions and provide historical information.

Romae gaudet Ecclesia hoc et in sanctuario, in festo tantae gloriae, In templo voces resonent.	The Church at Rome rejoices, And she also rejoices in this sanctuary, On this feast of such great glory, Let voices ring out in the temple.
Altari ordinatus vir, Virginis in servitio, Ut Vrbe ius protegeret, hic Christi oves pasceret.	The man was ordained for the altar, In Rome, in the service of the Virgin, In order that he might keep the law safe, Here that he might feed Christ’s sheep.
Ymnum canamus actuum, imaginis mirificae, domique Dei Altissimi, in summa collis culmine.	Let us sing a hymn of his deeds, Of the wondrous image, Of the house of God Most High, On the high-point of the hill.
Munus tributum a Petro, in populi regimine, eiusdem Pauli ordinis, triplo sacratus chrismate.	His charge was given before Peter, To rule over the people, He now held the same order as Paul, Thrice hallowed with chrism.
Virgo Maria Domina Pontifici hoc pignore Et Ioannis et coniugis Donum orationibus:	The Lady Virgin Mary, Gave a gift to the pontiff, With this bright white pledge, By the prayers of John and his wife.
Nives iecit mirifice Et fundamenta ecclesiae, Sacris cunis e Bethlehem, Et laudibus Deiparae.	God spread snow in a wondrous fashion, And laid the foundations of a church, For the sacred crib from Bethlehem, And praises for the God-bearer.
Dedicamus solemniter Signum ostendens omnibus, Voluntatem Dei Patris et Virginis imperium.	Let us solemnly dedicate, As a sign showing all men, Of God the Father’s will And the Virgin’s rule.
Vocibus exultantibus ut Liberi te oramus: Absconde nos semper tutos Caeruleo velamine.	With exultant voices, As children we pray you: Hide us always safe, Under your blue mantle.
Summo sit laus Deo Patri Honorque, virtus Filio, Paraclito qui inspirat, et sempiterna gloria. Amen.	Praise be to God the Highest Father, And honour, power to the Son, And to the Paraclete who inspires, Glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In the third stanza, the omission of an initial H, which was hardly pronounced by the Romans, in the word “hymnus”, and starting with Y to fit the acrostic, is attested in various early Christian poets. Mary Major holds the miraculous icon known as the Salus Populi Romani, and the shrine in LaCrosse has a mosaic copy of the Tilma from Guadalupe. Both churches are built on hills. The second stanza refers to the Cardinal’s study of canon law in Rome. Liberius held Peter’s office; Cardinal Burke was called to the episcopacy by Peter’s successor. The feast of Ss Peter & Paul, both named in this verse, is the Cardinal’s anniversary of priestly ordination. Mary Major was founded, according to the traditional story, with a large donation made by a man named John (Ioannes) and his wife Maria; this is also an oblique reference to the hymn’s author, of the same name in its Irish form, Sean. As referred to in the sixth stanza, the relic of the crib of Our Lord is also kept at Mary Major.

A statue of St Juan Diego holding the tilma. 

The famous icon of the Virgin Mary titled “Salus Populi Romani,” painted in the 6th or 7th century, and now housed in the Borghese Chapel at Saint Mary Major. The jewels and crowns seen here have been removed in subsequent restorations.

Another New Latin Hymn for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

In July of 2023, we shared a new hymn composed by a very talented young Latinist, Mr Sean Pilcher, commissioned by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, in honor of its patron Saint. The first letters of the five stanzas spell out the last name of Cardinal Burke, who founded the shrine when he was bishop of LaCrosse (1995-2004). (Photos by Mr Pilcher.)

Mr Pilcher has now completed another hymn, which by the same device spells out His Eminence’s middle name, Leo, while the first letters of the lines of the last stanza spell AMEN. The series will culminate in a third piece later this year, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Cardinal Burke’s priestly ordination, and thirtieth of episcopal consecration, and will spell out his first name; it is planned to debut at a solemn celebration of the feast of the dedication of Our Lady of the Snows on August 5th. Mr Pilcher has been kind enough to share this second piece in the series with NLM in time for us to publish it on the feast of St Raymond of Penyafort, Cardinal Burke’s patron both as his name Saint and as patron of canon lawyers. Some explanatory notes are given below.

Lux populorum omnium, Praesertim nostrum columen, Decus, pratorum gloria, Et inter spinas lilium.	O light of all peoples, Especially the pillar of our own, Splendor (and) glory    of our meadows, A lily among the thorns.
Erubescente flumine, Fluxus cruoris martyrum Praeconium nunc addidit Conceptionis nomini.	As the (Great) River blushed red, A flow of the blood of martyrs Has now added praise To the name of the Conception.
O alma super segetes, Inter petras calcarias, Clivos et haec cacumina, Duc nos ad usque caelica.	O nurturing woman    above the fields of corn, Amidst the limestone, rocky cliffs, And among the hill-sides, Bring us unto the heavenly heights.
Aeterno Patri gloria, Mitique Leoni Iudae, Et ligna sacranti nece, Nobis qui mittat Spiritum.	Glory to the Eternal Father, And to the meek Lion of Judah, Who hallows even the woods    by His death; May he send us also the Spirit.

The expression “A lily amid the thorns” is taken from the Song of Songs, 2, 2, and traditionally applied to the Virgin Mary as a reference to the Immaculate Conception. The Great River is the Mississippi, which the Jesuit missionary Fr Jacques Marquette originally named the River of the Immaculate Conception. The martyrs in the second stanza are his Jesuit confreres who are collectively honored as the North American Martyrs. The lion of Judah in the last stanza is also, of course, an oblique reference to Cardinal Burke, as noted above.

A statue of St Juan Diego holding the tilma. 

Cardinal Burke’s Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Over nine months ago, His Eminence Cardinal Burke announced, and invited everyone to join him in a nine-month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

As I love both Our Lady and Cardinal Burke, I signed up to to do this, and I will admit that it was a challenge to say a lengthy prayer every day for nine months! Although I did manage to pray it nearly every day, I refused to take the defeatist attitude that missing a day by accident would “spoil the whole thing”; this seems like more of a superstitious view than an expression of filial piety, so I kept on regardless, as a child might still give a bouquet with a few wilted flowers to his mother, rather than tossing them all aside...

For the feast day, His Eminence has published a beautiful Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which can be found at the novena website in many languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, French, Vietnamese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, and, of course, Latin!

I will share the images from the card here, but at the link above you can simply download it as a PDF. I encourage all readers of NLM to pray it on this great feast day of the Patroness of the Americas and of the Unborn. (As usual, click to enlarge.)

Rorate Mass and Gaudete Sunday Photopost 2023 (Part 3)

We continue with your photos of Advent liturgies, especially Rorate Masses; in this post, we also have a bit of the Ambrosian Rite, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and some very nice rose-colored Gaudete Sunday vestments. The number of contributions has been truly incredible, and there will be at least two more posts in this series, but there is always room and time for more, so please feel free to send in yours to photopost@newliturgicalmovement.org. Remember to include the name and location of the church, and remember that you are doing great work in preserving our authentic liturgical heritage, and evangelizing through beauty!  

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe – LaCrosse, Wisconsin

Solemn Rorate Mass, celebrated in the presence of His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke, who founded the shrine while he was bishop of LaCrosse (1994-2003).  

St Benedict – Chesapeake, Maryland (FSSP)

Most Precious Blood of Jesus – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (ICRSP)

Photos by one of our favorite photographers, Mrs Allison Girone.

Tradition will always be for the young!

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A New Latin Hymn for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

A new Latin hymn for liturgical use was commissioned earlier this year by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and composed by Latinist Sean Pilcher. The hymn’s organ accompaniment was originally written by the prolific French organist and improviser Pierre Cochereau (1924-84), who worked as the titular organist of Notre-Dame de Paris for three decades. Its meter is drawn from a twelfth-century sequence Jerusalem et Sion Filiae, which was sung on the feast of the Dedication of a Church in the Use of Paris. This sequence was written by by the cathedral’s famous precentor, Adam of Saint-Victor (1080 ca. – 1146), whose liturgical compositions were well-known across Europe.

The interior of the main church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, with a reproduction of the tilma in the apse over the main altar. (Image from Wikimedia Commons by Pgnielsen79, CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Shrine wanted a Latin hymn which could be sung to Cochereau’s organ masterpiece, but which focused on Our Lady’s patronage of the Shrine and highlighted elements from the Guadalupe story. The metre is decidedly mediaeval, and resembles that of the original Victorine repertoire of the twelfth century, while incorporating images from the greater, more ancient Marian hymnody of the Roman rite.

Since the hymn’s debut at an organ recital given by the shrine’s Director of Sacred Music and organist, Scott Turkington, it has been used liturgically for Pontifical Masses and religious professions held there.

The hymn, followed by a translation and some brief commentary by the author, to whom we are very grateful for sharing it with us.

Ad Virginem Guadalupanam	A literal English translation
Beato e caelo succurrere Parvulum Alma in itinere Ioannes, inquit, noli timere: Ave Maria!	From the blessed heavens the Sweet Mother comes to aid her little one on the way. ‘John,’ she said, ‘fear not!’ Ave Maria!
Verbum Sapientiae mundana Tunc ignotum in terra pagana Vincit cum ancilla christiana, Ave Maria!	The Word of Wisdom, then unknown, in that pagan land, comes to conquer worldliness with His Christian handmaid Ave Maria!
Regina sui petit honori, Solemne signum impugnatori Sacrum et genti et novo orbi, Ave Maria!	The Queen bids for her honour a solemn sign, set against the Adversary, sacred to the people and the New World Ave Maria!
Kaloni pallium fidelibus A Dei manu incredentibus, Pictum rosis, luna sub pedibus, Ave Maria!	She gives a tilma to her little minister for the faithful, painted by the hand of God for unbelievers, with roses, and the moon beneath her feet. Ave Maria!
Eburneam turrem advolamus Subter caeruleo superamus, Speculo Iustitiae collaudemus: Ave Maria!	We fly to the Tower of Ivory, under her caerulean veil we prevail, let us say to the Mirror of Justice: Ave Maria!

The first letters of each stanza form an acrostic to honor the patron of both the shrine and the hymn, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal BVRKE; inclusion of the patron in some way into a work is of course a long-standing tradition in sacred art. The Latin word “pallium – cover, cloak” is used in other places in the Roman liturgy to describe the miraculous tilma. “Calo” is a very old loanword from Greek, possibly even Punic, meaning a low-ranking servant or an aide-de-camp, a fitting title for St Juan Diego, who lived his remaining years as a hermit in quiet, humble service to Our Lady. It is here spelled with a K, a device often employed by medieval writers to fit an acrostic when required, since the letter is not normally used in Latin. “Speculum Justitiae – Mirror of Justice” is the title under which canonists invoke Our Lady, and is used here as a tribute to the important contributions to canon law made by the shrine’s founder, as well as the annual conference held there for canonists.

Card. Burke to Open Fota XIV Liturgical Conference Next Weekend

St Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy is pleased to announce that the XIV Fota International Liturgy Conference to be held at Ballyhea, Charleville, Co. Cork (Ireland) on July 1-2, will be opened by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke.

The subject of the conference is The Sacrifice of the Mass, and will explore aspects of Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI’s reflections on the centrality of sacrifice in understanding the Eucharistic liturgy.

Registration will open at 8am in the new Community Hall.

Card. Burke celebrating Pontifical Mass during the 2015 Fota conference.

Pictures of a Solemn Pontifical Mass with Card. Burke

On Monday, June 5th, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke offered a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Oratory of St Mary in Wausau, Wisconsin, to mark the 20th anniversary of the church’s establishment as an apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King. (This took place in 2003, towards the end of Card. Burke’s tenure as bishop of his native city, LaCrosse.) The Mass was that of the Dedication of a Church; the oratory’s dedication feast is on May 31st, but was transferred this year, since it fell within the octave of Pentecost. Congratulations to the clergy of the Institute, and our thanks to Cardinal Burke for his great pastoral solicitude for all the faithful attached to the traditional Roman Rite - ad multos annos!

Of course, tradition will always be for the young!

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Epiphany 2023 Photopost (Part 2)

We are very pleased to begin our second Epiphany photopost with some very beautiful pictures of a pontifical Mass celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke at the FSSP church in Rome, at the end of which, he blessed the parish’s new manger scene. These were taken by Don Elvir Tabaković, a former professional photographer from Croatia who is now in religious life, and putting his skills to excellent use in the service of the Church. We also have a couple of late-entries from the Christmas octave; since the season will conclude with the feast of the Purification very soon, we will post photopost request for that next week. Keep up the good work of evangelizing through beauty! 

Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini – Rome, Italy

Tradition will always be for the young!

Member of the church’s confraternity attend in their habits; a special “Sant’ Onomastico!” (Happy Name-Day) to our favorite Roman pilgrim, Agnese Bazzuchi (furthest to the right.)

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Pray for Cardinal Burke

About an hour ago as of this writing (10:30 pm EDT), Cardinal Raymond Burke’s twitter and the Facebook page of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin both posted the following message. “Cardinal Burke has been admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 and is being assisted by a ventilator. Doctors are encouraged by his progress. His Eminence faithfully prayed the Rosary for those suffering from the virus. On this Vigil of the Assumption, let us now pray the Rosary for him.” We also urge all of our readers to say a rosary for His Eminence’s swift and full recovery.

His Eminence recently celebrated a Pontifical Mass at the Shrine on the feast of Our Lady of the Snows.

Going on Pilgrimage 2021

I just wanted to let our readers know that things may be a little bit slower than usual on NLM over the next several days. Today, I am travelling to Guadalajara, Mexico, where I will be participating in the Fraternity of St Peter’s Summorum Pontificum Convention. In addition to the various liturgical events, which include a priestly ordination on Friday afternoon, to be celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke, I will be delivering a paper on the history of the ordination rites in the traditional Roman liturgy; next week, we will be visiting some of the sites associated with the Cristero Martyrs. I promise that I do my best to continue processing our photopost submissions for Corpus Christi and Pentecost. There is plenty of time to send more in to photopost@newliturgicalmovement.org.

The ordination will be live-streamed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYAwtcAwaA. People can also sign up to participate in the convention virtually through the following event page: https://www.eventbrite.com.mx/e/summorum-pontificum-online-online-access-english-tickets-156537777707.

The FSSP in Mexico recently also posted some nice videos about the traditional liturgy which you may enjoy.

“The most beautiful thing this side of Paradise.”

“Are young people still interested in Faith? Why are they attracted to the traditional Latin Mass?”

“How the traditional Mass helped my conversion to Catholic Faith.”

“Our spiritual life has to be centered in Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the traditional Latin Mass.”

FSSP Liturgical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, June 11-14

From June 11-14, the Fraternity of St Peter’s apostolate in Guadalajara, Mexico, will host its third Summorum Pontificum Congress, with His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke as one of the speakers, and as celebrant of the liturgical events; among these will be a priestly ordination, and the Mass and procession of Corpus Christi, which falls on June 11 this year. In addition to the various conferences and discussions on liturgical and theological subjects, Una Voce Mexico will hold its second annual convention at the same time, there will be opportunities to visit some of the sites of the Cristero Wars, and various social events. For more information, and to purchase tickets see the conference website: https://summorumpontificum.mx/.

Card. Burke Celebrates the Epiphany with the FSSP in Rome

On the feast of the Epiphany, the Fraternity of St Peter’s Roman parish, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, welcomed His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke for the celebration of a Solemn Pontifical Mass. Our thanks once again to Don Elvir Tabaković, a Canon Regular of the Congregation of Windesheim, for sharing these beautiful photos with us.

The blessing of chalk was done in the sacristy before Mass.

Tradition will always be for the young!

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Pontifical High Mass with Cardinal Burke and Christkindlmarkt in La Crosse, December 14-15

We are very pleased to announce two very special things happening on this upcoming weekend at the magnificent Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. This Saturday, December 14th, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass in the traditional rite at the main church of the shrine, starting at 11am; over the weekend, the shrine will have a traditional German Christmas market on both Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The shrine is located at 5250 Justin Rd.

Photo- and Videopost Catch-Up, October 2019

We are always happy to receive photos and videos of your liturgies, even when we haven’t specifically asked for them for a major feast. Here are a few items that have been sent in recently, and one (my apologies!) not so recently. I also include here a nice little documentary on the Usus Antiquior, featuring Cardinal Burke and our own Ben Yanke.

Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima - Trnava, Slovkia

In the city of Trnava, the traditional rite was introduced on the feast of Assumption of Our Lady, with a Solemn Mass celebrated in the presence of Archbishop Ján Orosch, and his vicar, Canon Róbert Kiss, by the private secretary and master of ceremonies of archdiocese Fr. Ľubomír Urbančok. More then 200 people partecipated; the regular celebration of the TLM is held every Sunday and holy day of obligation in this chapel within the archiepiscopal residence.

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Card. Burke to Celebrate Pontifical Mass in Rome on Wednesday

On Wednesday, October 2, the feast of the Guardian Angels, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass at the Fraternity of St Peter’s Roman church, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini. The Mass will begin at 6:30 pm; afterwards, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and the church will remain open until midnight for Adoration. The church is located in the Piazza Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, close to the Ponte Sisto.

Tradition is for the Young (18) - Card. Burke Celebrates Pontifical Mass in Scotland

On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Una Voce Scotland hosted H.E. Raymond Cardinal Burke for the celebration of a Pontifical High Mass at the church of the Immaculate Heart in the Balornock district of Glasgow – how better to mark the 12th anniversary of the implementation of Summorum Pontificum! Once again, we should all find it very encouraging to see how young the people are who made the effort and committment to put together this kind of ceremony, which requires a good amount of work and rehearsal. This is plainly not based in nostalgia, but a real love for the richness and beauty of our Catholic liturgical tradition. (Our thanks to Una Voce Scotland for sharing with is these photos by Mr Matthew Lukowski.)

The genuflection at the words of the Epistle (Phil. 2, 5-11), “that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:”

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