Michael P. Foley

California

Journalist at Freelance

Articles

The Holy Ghost Hole

1 week ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

A Holy Ghost hole in Saints Peter and Paul parish church in Söll, AustriaA curious architectural feature of some churches in France, southern Germany, and Austria is the Holy Ghost Hole, an opening in the ceiling into which different objects were once thrown during the celebration of the Mass. It is speculated that the art surrounding the hole indicates its original function.
The Orate fratres and Suscipiat

2 weeks ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

Lost in Translation #126After praying the Suscipe Sancta Trinitas, the priest kisses the altar and turns clockwise towards the people, saying Orate fratres while opening and closing his hands. He completes the prayer as he continues his clockwise movement, finishing both at the same time. When he is done, the prayer Suscipiat is said. The Orate fratres is:Oráte, fratres, ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium acceptábile fiat apud Deum Patrem omnipotentem.
The Suscipe Sancta Trinitas

1 month ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

Lost in Translation #125 After the lavabo, the priest goes to the middle of the altar, looks up to Heaven, and, bowing, asks the Triune God to receive his entire offering: Súscipe, sancta Trínitas, hanc oblatiónem, quam tibi offérimus ob memoriam passiónis, resurrectiónis, et ascensiónis Jesu Christi, Dómini nostri, et in honórem beátae Maríae semper Vírginis, et beáti Joannis Baptistae, et sanctórum Apostolórum Petri et Pauli, et istórum, et omnium sanctórum: ut illis proficiat ad honórem,...
New Liturgical Movement: The Lavabo

1 month ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

Lost in Translation #124 After the incensation, the priest goes to the Epistle side and washes his hands, reciting Psalm 25, 6-12:Lavábo inter innocentes manus meas: et circúmdabo altáre tuum, Dómine. Ut audiam vocem laudis: et enarrem universa mirabilia tua. Dómine, dilexi decórem domus tuae: et locum habitatiónis gloriae tuae. Ne perdas cum impiis, Deus, ánimam meam: et cum viris sánguinum vitam meam. In quorum mánibus iniquitátes sunt: déxtera eórum repléta est munéribus.
Desacralizing Lent

1 month ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

I have been enjoying Peter Kwasniewski’s new book Close the Workshop, which argues that the old rite did not need to be fixed and that the new rite cannot be fixed. To support his argument, Kwasniewski begins with an analysis of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), arguing that the document was not kidnapped later on but contains within itself timebombs that were then detonated by Archbishop Bugnini and his colleagues.
A Trad Starter Kit

1 month ago | catholic.com | Michael P. Foley

One solution to this disorientation is a sort of “trad starter kit”— a collection of books for those who would like to learn more about the TLM. I do not believe that there is a definitive, one-size-fits-all list; much depends on the individual, his temperament, and his own background, and one man’s medicine can be another man’s poison. Some souls delight in the polemics of Michael Davies; others are offended by the tone.
The Offertory Incensation, Part II

1 month ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

What is less obvious is why the prayer also includes Ps 140, 3 and 4, a petition for clean words and thoughts. I consider this inclusion to be another example of the liturgical stutter. Here, at this point of the Mass, it is being prompted by an awareness of heightened numinosity. The priest is about to enter into the Sancta Sanctorum of sacrifice, and he knows it. Accendat in nobis Dóminus ignem sui amóris, et flammam aeternae caritátis. Amen.
The Offertory Incensation, Part I

2 months ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

The choice of pronouns in the Per intercessionem and Incensum istud is significant. Whereas English has two demonstrative pronouns, Latin has three. In English, “this” is used to point to things that are near the first person (I, me) while “that” is used to point to things that are near either the second person (you) or the third (he, him).
The Messenger Angel

2 months ago | newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley

Anonymous, the Archangel Gabriel, depicted on the predella of the high altar at the subsidiary church of Pesenbach, Upper Austria, 1495In the traditional Roman calendar, the feast days of saints are sometimes clustered together to form archipelagos of holiness that allow the faithful to meditate longer on a sacred mystery. These archipelagos do not always consist of consecutive days.
Sanctify Your Drinking in Pre-Lent!

Feb 21, 2025 | catholic.com | Michael P. Foley

Now's the time to work on being sober, both physically and spiritually . . . or at least being soberish. “‘Soberish’ can mean drinking more mindfully, drinking less or avoiding alcohol altogether but not other drugs.”—Emily Schmall, “Not Drunk, Not Dry: What It Means to Be ‘Soberish,’” New York Times, January 15, 2025Periodic abstinence is one of the key ways to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol, and many Catholics use Lent as the occasion for such a dry spell.