Nico Fassino

Wisconsin

Independent Researcher at Freelance

Independent history project by @NicoFassino. Exploring Catholic history through the untold and forgotten experiences of the laity across the centuries.

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Articles

‘Stand Up Like Free Men’: The modern history of standing for Communion

Jan 14, 2025 | pillarcatholic.com | Nico Fassino

The posture of Catholics receiving Communion has been a subject of discussion in recent weeks, after Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago wrote a column last month asking that people “receive Holy Communion standing.”While kneeling is known to have been the universal Roman Catholic practice for many centuries, receiving the Eucharist while standing is currently the ‘normative’ or ‘default’ posture for the United States and in many other places around the world.
This Thursday: "From Old Testament to New: The Fundamental Form of the Christian Liturgy" – Joseph Ratzinger's Spirit of the Liturgy at 25! – A Public Lecture by Rev. Uwe Michael Lang - Adoremus

Dec 3, 2024 | adoremus.org | Nico Fassino

2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the English translation of Joseph Ratzinger’s landmark book, The Spirit of the Liturgy. To celebrate this significant work and its impact on the life of the Church, the Society for Catholic Liturgy will dedicate its 2025 annual conference to this topic and the liturgical legacy of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI. In preparation for the conference, we are hosting a year long series of talks based on the 12 chapters of the book.
Pope Francis Announces 2025 Canonizations for Carlo Acutis, Pier Giorgio Frassati During Jubilee Celebrations

Nov 22, 2024 | adoremus.org | Nico Fassino

According to the Diocese of Assisi, Acutis’ canonization Mass is expected to take place on Sunday, April 27, at 10:30 a.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis announced on Wednesday that Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, two young Catholics beloved for their vibrant faith and witness to holiness, will be canonized during two major Jubilee celebrations dedicated to young people.
US diocese establishes Order of Widows, an early Church practice

Nov 19, 2024 | adoremus.org | Nico Fassino

Bishop Earl Fernandes responds to increasing desire of widows to serve God and the Church in a formal way. Six women in Ohio whose husbands have passed away are discerning religious life in a new “Order of Widows” established by the Diocese of Columbus. On October 16, Bishop Earl Fernandes issued a decree to establish the Ordo Viduarum, or the Order of Widows, as a community of diocesan right. It is open to widows over 60 who have been sacramentally married.
The surprising history of the Children’s Mass

Oct 30, 2024 | adoremus.org | Nico Fassino

The term “Children’s Mass” may evoke a wide range of images and emotions for modern Catholics. Designed specifically for children, these liturgical celebrations often take place in the context of a parish school or faith formation program. They include practices and concessions tailored for children that differ from the typical Masses at the parish.
‘Dilexit nos’: A brief guide for busy readers

Oct 26, 2024 | adoremus.org | Nico Fassino

Pope Francis published the fourth encyclical of his so far 11-year pontificate Thursday. The 141-page, 28,000-word Dilexit nos (“He loved us”) follows 2013’s Lumen fidei(co-written with Benedict XVI), 2015’s Laudato si’, and 2020’s Fratelli tutti.
The surprising history of the Children’s Mass

Oct 25, 2024 | pillarcatholic.com | Nico Fassino

The term “Children’s Mass” may evoke a wide range of images and emotions for modern Catholics. Designed specifically for children, these liturgical celebrations often take place in the context of a parish school or faith formation program. They include practices and concessions tailored for children that differ from the typical Masses at the parish.
Teaching the Mass with Song & ‘Dialog’

Sep 23, 2024 | handmissalhistory.com | Nico Fassino

Fig. 1 – Detail from The First Communion, Dieppe, 1878. By Philip Richard Morris. Public domain. This heavily illustrated article is a summary of extensive new research, analyzing a vast number of hand missals & prayer books published throughout the Anglophone world for more than a century. It explores the history of vernacular congregational participation at Mass between 1861 and 1961, and offers new unparalleled insight into the lived experience of worship during these years.
Copyrights and Confraternities: A history of ‘official’ American Scripture translations

Mar 1, 2024 | pillarcatholic.com | Nico Fassino

The U.S. bishops’ conference made headlines last month, over a memo which reminded bishops that if parishes want to reprint scripture in bulletins or worship aids, they need to pay USCCB licensing fees for the privilege. The U.S. bishops’ conference holds copyright to the English-language translation which is authorized for liturgical use in the U.S., and requires anyone – individuals, parishes, or publishing companies – to pay a license fee to reprint portions of the scripture readings.
The Year Without a Lent? Fasting and Abstinence in the Modern Age

Feb 26, 2024 | pillarcatholic.com | Nico Fassino

The year was 1890, and a deadly pandemic was sweeping the globe. Hundreds of millions of people were sick and more than a million had died. It was a truly unprecedented situation, causing economic and social turmoil and crushing hardship for many. For the Catholic Church, Lent was approaching. In light of the impact and suffering caused by the pandemic, the pope decided to take an unprecedented step: to grant a global dispensation from all Lenten fasting and abstinence obligations.