Friends in Christ,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Twenty-Fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost. Because the date of Easter (and thus of Pentecost) varies from one year to the next, the number of Sundays intervening between Pentecost and the First Sunday of Advent may be as many as twenty-eight but not less than twenty-four. The last Sunday before Advent is always designated the twenty-fourth after Pentecost. When there are more than twenty-four intervening, the gap in the liturgical calendar is filled by the resumption of Sundays after Epiphany. The last Sunday after Pentecost being the last of the liturgical year, it is fitting that the liturgy directs our attention to the end of days: the final triumphant consummation of God’s work with regard to His Creation. The Last Judgment calling humanity to account will be preceded by a period of “great tribulation” described by Our Lord in the Gospel reading for this last Sunday of the year: For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be . . . but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened.
Calendar of Special Observances
Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.
DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)
Sunday, November 23 – Twenty-fourth and last Sunday after Pentecost (II)
Monday, November 24 – St. John of the Cross, Confessor and Doctor (III) – Commemoration of St. Chrysogonus, Martyr
Tuesday, November 25 – St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (III)
Wednesday, November 26 – St. Sylvester, Abbot (III) – Commemoration of St. Peter Alexandrinus, Bishop and Martyr
Thursday, November 27 – Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (IV)
Friday, November 28 – Feria (IV)
Saturday, November 29 – St. Saturninus, Martyr (IV) – Our Lady on Saturday (IV)
Twenty-Fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost
The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for the Twenty-fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost with either English or Spanish translation, followed by commentary by Dr. Michael P. Foley.
Traditional Latin Mass Schedule
Diocese of Charlotte Sunday Masses
Chapel of the Little Flower (757 Oakridge Farm Road, Mooresville, NC)
Note: Only Sunday Latin Masses and Holy Days will be offered at the Chapel. All other Sunday and daily Traditional Latin Masses at the other diocese of Charlotte parishes have been discontinued. These changes only affect Latin Masses in the diocese of Charlotte.
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, the Little Flower, pray for us!
Diocese of Raleigh Sunday Masses
Diocese of Charleston Sunday Masses
Diocese of Charleston Daily Traditional Latin Masses
Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Monday December 8)
The following are announced Traditional Latin Masses for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation and the patronal feast day of the United States. If additional Masses are announced we will share them in our email updates and post them on our website.
Diocese of Charlotte
Diocese of Charleston
Diocese of Raleigh
Travelers are encouraged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the schedule of Mass times.
Christmastide Traditional Latin Masses
The following are announced Traditional Latin Masses for Christmastide. If additional Masses are announced we will share them in our email updates and post them on our website.
Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord (Thursday December 25)
Diocese of Charlotte
Feast of the Circumcision (Thursday January 1, 2026)
Diocese of Charlotte
As a reminder, travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the schedule of Mass times.
Chapel of the Little Flower Announcements
Organ for the Chapel
Father Jones announced that an organ has been given to the chapel and he hopes it will be in place for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Monday December 8.
Upcoming Holy Day Masses
Father Jones has announced Traditional Masses for the Holy Days of Immaculate Conception (Monday December 8), Christmas (December 25), and the Feast of the Circumcision (January 1). Mass times are listed above.
Update: Mass intentions for the Chapel of the Little Flower
Mass intentions have now been filled through February and new Masses are currently unavailable. The Mass intentions book will be opened sometime in February for the Spring Masses.
Visiting the Chapel of the Little Flower
If you haven’t attended Mass at the Chapel of the Little Flower yet, you are welcome to join us these last Sundays in November or in Advent. Seating is adequate at both Masses, and there is plenty of parking; a cry room; open space outside for the kids after Mass.
Next Phase of the Chapel Construction: Sacred Art
As the initial phase of construction comes to a close Father Jones announced recently that he will begin focusing on sacred art for the chapel. Quoting the catechism, he noted “Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation.” Father asked for patience as this new project gets underway. In the interim, Father reminds us to “beautify the Church with our lives.”
General Announcements
In Pursuit of the Great Requiem (at Prince of Peace Church in Taylors) – In case you aren’t a subscriber to Holy Hidden Highways, the Substack published by St. Ann parishioner, Rachel Shrader, we direct your attention to her latest (and free) article on her visit to Prince of Peace Church in Taylors for a High Requiem TLM on All Souls Day. Here is an excerpt:
I am not kidding when I tell you that the High Requiem is something you need to hear before the Requiem is offered for you. It is a theology of the afterlife contained in a liturgy. Every Catholic liturgy is that, to some extent, but this particular celebration brings you as close as you’re going to get to really sensing the reality that yes, we will die. Yes, the afterlife is real. Heaven and hell are real. It’s all real.
Basically, why is it important to have this stuff drilled into us with an intensely moving, marrow-liquifying, beautiful yet startling, glorious yet dark liturgy that soars us up to heaven but forces us to confront, in raw, emotional terms, the reality of hell?
Let’s dive in and find out. [In Pursuit of the Great Requiem]
New Traditional App, Sanctifica – With the Latin Mass offerings limited these days, some are looking for alternate ways to stay connected to this ancient liturgy. One excellent way worth knowing is a new traditional Catholic app, Sanctifica. It’s filled with treasures of tradition including: daily Latin Mass readings, daily Divine Office, an audio guided Rosary in Latin or English, Dom Guéranger’s The Liturgical Year, novenas, saints' lives, Latin Mass locations, and more—all in one place. Available in the iPhone app or Google Play stores: http://download.sanctifica.com
P.S. – Sanctifica goes well with the local Sensus Fidelium app, which has a rich repository of traditional sermons, catechetical and scripture classes, and audio books. To try Sensus Fidelium click here
Support Our Parishes – Father Reid noted that Saint Ann parish will bear much of the financial costs of keeping the Chapel of the Little Flower open and encourages our continued generosity (and our occasional visits!). Parishioners from other parishes should continue to support their own parish.
Enroll the Souls of the Faithful Departed – The Traditional Carmelite Hermits of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel’s (Colorado and Pennsylvania) All Souls Enrollment is underway for the month of November. Throughout this month, the community will dedicate Holy Masses (Traditional Carmelite Rite), along with the daily prayers and sacrifices of the Brothers, for the souls of the faithful departed who are enrolled. To enroll during this month, click here.
Rosary for the Traditional Latin Mass – A Rosary will be offered for the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the church on Sundays after the 11:30 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church.
Daily Holy Face Chaplet for Sacred Liturgy (perpetual novena) – For the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass, it has been recommended to all friends of the sacred liturgy in the diocese to consider continually praying the powerful Holy Face chaplet, under the banner of Our Lady of the Holy Name. To pray the chaplet, please see this link.
Cardinal Burke’s Prayer for Pope Leo XIV – His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke has released a prayer for Pope Leo XIV. Please see the prayer at the links below and consider praying this daily for the Holy Father as he leads the Church. PDF copies can be accessed at these links: [English] [Español] [Latin]
Holy Face Devotions
Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:
Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.
“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).
Traditional Latin Mass and Liturgical News
Saints and Special Observances
St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr, and St. Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, Martyr, appear on the traditional liturgical calendar back-to-back, St. Catherine on November 25th and St. Peter on the 26th. As both are associated with the Egyptian city of Alexandria, one naturally wonders if they might have lived at the same time as well as in the same place. As far as they can be known, these are the facts:
Both were born in Alexandria in the latter part of the third century. Peter was highly educated and served as head of the school at Alexandria before being elected Patriarch of the city in 302. His tenure as patriarch lasted ten years, but he spent much of that time in exile due to the persecution of Christians initiated in 303. The legal rights of Christians were rescinded in that year with the adoption of laws requiring their compliance with traditional pagan religious practices. Peter continued to lead and instruct his flock by letters written from afar. He also made secret visits to the city to conduct services and to encourage and assist those imprisoned, widowed or orphaned. He remained a stout defender of orthodox Christianity throughout this time but urged leniency with regard to those who sought to save their lives by bowing to the demands exerted by the civil authority. He was captured and imprisoned in 311 and beheaded by order of the emperor. The last, most violent and widespread of persecutions came to an end two years later when the Edict of Milan restored the rights of Christians.
While there is no solid evidence regarding the date of St. Catherine’s birth, it is believed she was born around 287. She is said to have had a vision of the Child Jesus with the Virgin Mary that led her to become a Christian when she was about fifteen. Tradition holds that she was of noble birth, beautiful and devoted to learning. As her conversion likely occurred around the time Peter ascended to the patriarchate, it is conceivable that she studied under him and may have come to know him before he became patriarch of Alexandria.
Catherine is credited with winning hundreds of converts to Christianity prior to her martyrdom at the age of eighteen in the year 305. She is said to have rebuked the emperor Maxentius for the cruelty of the persecutions already underway at the time of her conversion. He responded by assembling fifty learned men to debate the young woman who dared to defy him. Some among them, swayed by her arguments, decided to become Christians; put to the sword, they became martyrs as well.
The emperor had Catherine imprisoned and subjected to cruel torture. Hundreds who came to visit her in prison were converted to Christianity, many of them suffering martyrdom. Deciding to eliminate the nuisance she posed once and for all, the emperor devised an especially terrible way in which to kill her. He had blades fixed to the outer rim of a breaking wheel in such a way that when she was rolled along on it, she would hacked to pieces. But when the soldiers began to roll the wheel, the blades flew off, sparking flashes like lightning in all directions. Rather than undertake the construction of a new wheel, the frightened soldiers beheaded their prisoner on the spot. This incident eventually gave rise to the celebration of her feast day with pyrotechnic displays featuring fireworks known by the name “Catherine’s Wheel” that, spinning around, emitted sparks in all directions.
St. Catherine is considered one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers whose intercession in heaven is thought to be especially efficacious when invoked by the prayers of the faithful. St. Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to her to offer encouragement and counsel. A flight of angels is said to have recovered Catherine’s body when she died and carried it to Mount Sinai for burial. There is a monastery there named in her honor.
The feast of St. Catherine was actually removed from the liturgical calendar when the General Roman Calendar was revised in 1969. It was restored as an optional memorial in 2002. The feast of this great saint remains, of course, on the traditional liturgical calendar of 1962.
Closing Commentary
We offer, in closing, an excerpt from Dom Prosper Guéranger’s commentary on the “Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost.” A link to the full text from The Liturgical Year follows.
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Several times, during Advent, we meditated on the circumstances which are to accompany the Last Coming of Christ our Lord; and in a few days, the same great teachings will be again brought before us, filling our souls with a salutary fear. May we, then, be permitted, on this last Sunday of our Liturgical Year, to address ourselves in a prayer of desire and praise to our adorable Lord and King, the solemn honor whose Judgment is to be the consummation of his work, and the signal of his triumph.
Oh Jesus! who then art to come to deliver thy Church and avenge that God who has so long borne every sort of insult from his creature man, that day of thy coming will indeed be terrible to the sinner! He will then understand how the Lord hath made all things for himself, all, even the ungodly who, on the evil day, is to show forth the divine justice. The whole world, fighting on his side against the wicked shall then, at last, be avenged for that slavery of sin, which had been forced upon it. Vainly will the wicked cry out to the rocks to fall upon them and hide them from the face of him who then be seated on his throne: the abyss will refuse to engulf them: in obedience to him who holds the keys of death and hell, it will give forth, to a man, its wretched victims and set them at the foot of the dread tribunal. O Jesus, how magnificent will not thy power then appear! The heavenly hosts will also be standing around thee, forming thy brilliant court and assembling thy elect from the four quarters of the earth.
For we also, we thy redeemed, who had become thy members by becoming the members of thy beloved Church—we are to be there on that day, and our place, O ineffable mystery! is to be the one thou hast reserved for thy Bride, it is to be thy own throne, where seated, we shall judge the very angels. Even now, all those blessed of the Father, all those elect, whose youth, like that of the eagle, has been so often renewed by their receiving thy precious Blood—have they not had their eyes fitted to gaze, and without being dazzled, on the Sun of Justice, when he shall appear in the heavens? The tediousness of their long exile has given such keenness to their hunger that nothing will have power to stay their flight, once the sacred prey of thy divine Body shall be shown them! What hindrance could be strong enough to check the impetuosity of the love which will bring them all together to the banquet of the eternal Pasch? The trumpet of the Archangel, which will ring through the graves of the just, is to be a summons calling them not to death, but to life—to the sight of the old enemy’s destruction—to a redemption, which is to include their very bodies—to the unimpeded passover to the true Land of promise—in a word, to the Pasch, and this tie, quite real, and for all, and forever. What will not be the joy of that true Day of the Lord!—what joy for them that have, by faith, lived in Christ and loved him without seeing him! Identifying themselves with thee, O Jesus, notwithstanding the weakness of the flesh, they have continued here below thy life of suffering and humiliation: what a triumph when, delivered forever from sin and vested in their immortal bodies, they shall be borne aloft before thy face, that they may forever be with thee! [Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost]
~
“[L]et us make use of our treasures, and exercise mercy towards the poor suffering souls.” - Dom Prosper Guéranger (All Souls Day Reflection)