ALMS: Latin Mass on 17 Jan 2013, 6 pm at Ateneo de Manila University

Latin Mass on 17 Jan 2013, Thursday, 6 pm, at the Oratory of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Loyola House of Studies, Ateneo de Manila University

Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) at the Oratory of St. Ignatius in Loyola House of Studies on 26 Jan 2012

Latin Mass at Oratory of St. Ignatius in Loyola House of Studies on Jan 26, 2012

Ateneo Rosary Crusade: Who wants to join?

October medal (Miraculous Medal) and rosary traditionally given for free in Ateneo de Manila University after an October Mass. The book is my 1962 Baronius Missal.

I read in Zenit:

MANILA, Philippines, AUG. 31, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The Family Rosary Crusade in the Philippines is spearheading a campaign to get 1 million Filipinos to pray 1 million rosaries in 200 days for all nations in the world.

Dubbed “A million roses for the world: Filipinos at Prayer: Peace for All Nations,” the campaign aims to rally Filipinos to offer one rosary each day for a particular country in the world in 200 days.

The nationwide activity will begin Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and end May 31, 2012, Feast of Our Lady of All Nations.

I am thinking of organizing an Ateneo Rosary Crusade (ARC) as a complement to my other org, the Ateneo Latin Mass Society (ALMS).  The ALMS I organized in behalf of Fr. Tim Ofrasio, SJ.  For ARC, I have a couple of Jesuits in mind whom I can ask if they would be willing to serve as spiritual directors.  But I think it would be easier to ask a Jesuit if there is already a stable group of Ateneans who would like to pray the rosary together, e.g. before mass in the college chapel.

I admit I have difficulty praying the rosary on my own.  It requires an extreme effort on my part.  But if there is a group who prays the rosary regularly, it is easier to persevere in prayer.  As St. Louis de Montfort says, the demons can distract one person at a time, but several persons praying the rosary together is difficult to distract, just as a bundle of sticks is hard to break.

So is there anyone interested in joining the Ateneo Rosary Crusade?

The Rosary belongs to the Ateneo’s Jesuit tradition.  Our Alma Mater Song is a Song for Mary.  Our basketball team is the Hail Mary Squad.  During October, the school gives out rosaries and October medals (Miraculous Medal) (I got 3 rosaries and 3 medals after mass).  And Ateneo High School students always have rosaries in their pockets.  So set us recover the tradition of praying the rosary in Ateneo de Manila University.  Let us form the Ateneo Rosary Crusade.

Fr. Victor Badillo, SJ recounts his experiences on the Traditional Latin Mass

This afternoon I visited Fr. Victor Badillo, SJ at the Jesuit Infirmary in Ateneo de Manila University. It has been more than a month or two since I visited him. I usually give him updates about the Manila Observatory. At 86, he cannot anymore walk. He needs a nurse to drive his wheelchair.

“Hi, Father.” I said as I entered his room.

“Hi, Pope,” he said as he signaled to the nurse to bring me a chair. “I learned about your Latin Mass Society.”

“Yes, Father.” I said. “Fr. Tim Ofrasio is our priest. He is a professor of Liturgy so he knows the old and new rites well.”

“Where do you get your vestments?” asked Fr. Badillo.

“Our sacristan trainor is Bro. Dave of the Liturgical Commission of Cubao. He is still designing our vestments.”

“So do you know the Confiteor, the prayers at the foot of the altar?”

“A little bit, Father. I still have to memorize it.”

And he prayed the Confiteor and I followed him. I know this prayer because I always use my Baronius 1962 missal even when I attend Novus Ordo masses.

“Do you know how to sing?” he asked. And he began to intone the Kyrie, the Sanctus, the Gloria, and the Pater Noster. I joined him in the singing. He is singing the songs in Missa de Angelis which we always use in our Latin masses. I joined the choir before when they practiced these songs. We bought our chant book from Our Lady of Victories, an SSPX church in Cubao, which has excellent resources on the Traditional Latin Mass. (May they be finally reconciled with the Catholic Church soon.)

“When I was young, I was also a sacristan,” said Fr. Badillo. “Whenever there are masses outside the school, we Ateneans always volunteer to serve in the masses, because there are very few who knows how to serve. We have this group called “Sanctuario”. We take turns in serving masses for a priest. We woke up at 4 am, because the priest says mass during that time.”

“Four o’clock in the morning?” I asked.

“Yes, 4 o’clock,” said Fr. Badillo. “Before we were that hard when it comes to serving masses. Now people are becoming soft, lax.”

“In the seminary, we learned about the mass. We were trained in Latin. But when we graduated, we were ordained in Vatican II.”

“So your training was to no avail, Father?” I asked.

“Not really,” he said.

And our conversation drifted to other things: about the ionosphere and magnetosphere project, about NASA and Dr. Lagrosas trip to Palawan, about our friend Genie Lorenzo who is back from a vacation in US, about Dr. Kendra Gotangco Castillo–our Valedictorian and Summa cum Laude–who is back from Purdue University and who now heads Klima Climate Change Center, and about the International Space Weather Conference in Nigeria which I am attending this October.

“Many things are now happening in Manila Observatory, Father.”

“It started when you came,” Fr. Badillo said.

And we both laughed. The first time I went to the Manila Observatory was in 2008. Fr. Daniel McNamara, SJ asked me to stay in the Ionosphere Building, the building of Fr. Badillo, to write my dissertation. I lived a monastic life. But Fr. Badillo was not there when I came: he suffered several surgeries years before. The building was still dark and dusty then. Now, it is fully renovated and repainted. But I am still using his desk and his swivel chair.

Before I left, I took his hand to my forehead.

“Father, your skin is now soft unlike before.”

“Soft as woman’s skin.”

And we laughed again.

“How did that happen, Father?”

“Healthy diet. Just health diet.”

Finally, I said goodbye to Fr. Badillo. And he gave me his blessing.

Latin Mass in Ordinary Form in Ateneo de Manila University High School on July 28, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

From the Ateneo Blueboard:

Everyone is invited to a Solemn High Mass in Latin in Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) on Thursday, July 28, 2011, 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Chapel of the First Companions in Ateneo High School.  This is a votive mass in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  The priest celebrant will be Fr. Tim Ofrasio, SJ, Professor of Liturgy at the Loyola House of Studies.

The mass responses will be sung and the choir shall sing the chants in Missa de Angelis.

Those interested may like to confirm their attendance by sending an email to the  the ALMS coordinator:

Dr. Quirino Sugon Jr.

Coordinator
Ateneo Latin Mass Society
qsugon@ateneo.edu

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Chapels in Ateneo de Manila University High School: Chapel of the First Companions and Chapel of St. Stanislaus Kostka

Chapel of the First Companions in Ateneo de Manila University High School