757 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC 28115
Sunday Latin Masses
10:00 a.m. (Low)
12:00 p.m.(Sung)
All other Traditional Latin Masses at the diocesan parishes have been discontinued. See schedule below.
Friends in Christ,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior, otherwise called the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran, the “Mother and Mistress of all Churches throughout the world” as described in the Baronius Press Daily Missal. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Rome.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the place dates back at least to the time of Nero, who stripped the Laterini family of the land due to accusations of conspiracy against the emperor. The Saint Andrew Daily Missal notes the basilica site eventually became the palace of the Lateran (Laterini) on the Coelin Hill in Rome, which by the fourth century belonged to Fausta, the wife of Constantine who donated it to the Pope. Eventually On November 9, 324 A.D., exactly 1,701 years ago, Pope Saint Sylvester consecrated the church under the name Basilica of Saint Savior. In later centuries, the basilica was then dedicated to Saint John the Baptist after an adjacent baptistry to the building.
Today it is called Saint John in Lateran Church. Throughout its history it has hosted over 25 councils, conferred ordinations, and baptized catechumens on Easter; along with many other liturgical ceremonies from Holy Thursday, Easter Vigil, and Rogation Tuesday. It is the oldest public church in Rome and the oldest basilica worldwide. After being damaged by fire and age, it was rebuilt and reconsecrated by Pope Benedict XIII on this date in 1726, just 299 years ago.
This glorious feast is of such importance that, falling on a Sunday this year, it supersedes the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, which is reduced to a commemoration. Sunday’s Mass is the Missa Terribilis (Mass of the Dedication of a Church).
Calendar of Special Observances
Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.
DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)
Sunday, November 9 – The Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior (II) – Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (II)
Monday, November 10 – St. Andrew Avellino, Confessor (III) – Commemoration of Ss. Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha (Virgin), Martyrs
Tuesday, November 11 – St. Martin of Tours, Bishop and Confessor (III) – Commemoration of St. Mennas, Martyr
Wednesday, November 12 – St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (III)
Thursday, November 13 –(USA) St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin (III) – St. Didacus, Confessor (III)
Friday, November 14 – St. Josephat, Bishop and Martyr (III)
Saturday, November 15 – St. Albert the Great, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor (III)
Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior
The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for the Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior with either English or Spanish translation. Below are also the Proper Prayers for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (commemorated this Sunday), 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
Special Announcements
Mass intentions for the Chapel of the Little Flower
Mass intentions will open up in November and a table will be set up in the narthex to sign up. Due to limited spots, attendees are asked to sign up for one Mass at a time. Only one Mass per Sunday will be available for intentions.
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 on one of the Sundays in November. Seating is adequate at both Masses, and there is plenty of parking; a cry room; open space outside for the kids after Mass; and festive fall colors can still be seen along some of the wooded areas that line the property.
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.
Announcements
Support Our Parishes – Recently, 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.
Prayer Request – In your charity, please pray for the healing of Tony Reitz from a rapidly progressing Lymphoma. He is the brother-in-law of Amanda Banville who attends Our Lady of Grace parish. Pray also for Tony’s wife and young children.
New Christ the King Podcast Series – The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (an order of priests which offers the Traditional Mass exclusively) has launched a 4-part podcast series on the origins and meaning of the Feast of Christ the King, which is commemorated on the last Sunday of October, in the 1962 calendar. The episodes can be viewed below on YouTube or in Spotify.
Quas Primas and Christ the King Podcast
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.
**New Book** The Cassock: Sign of Christ, Sign of Contradiction, by Fr. Lawrence Carney (with Cardinal Burke’s Forward) – Slaying Dragons Press is releasing an excellent book on the cassock, authored by Fr. Lawrence Carney, the Holy Face priest (who visited St. Thomas Aquinas parish a few years ago). The Cassock: Sign of Christ, Sign of Contradiction examines the powerful witness of the cassock and its impact on both the priest and faithful. Slaying Dragons Press, is run by St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner and local writer Charles Fraune. To order your copy, click here.
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
Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop and Confessor, was born in the eastern European region of Pannonia around the year 316. His father, a Roman army officer, was transferred to northern Italy when Martin was still a child; and it was there that the boy encountered Christianity and was first drawn to the Faith. As the son of a Roman officer, he was required to enter military service himself at the age of fifteen. Stationed at Amiens, he was approaching the town on horseback one winter day when he saw a poorly clad beggar shivering in the cold outside the city gate. Ignored by the crowd of people passing by, no one stopped to relieve the man’s suffering until Martin, drawing his sword, sliced his cloak down the middle and gave half to the beggar. According to Sulpicius Severus, a friend of the future saint who wrote an early biography, Martin saw Jesus in a dream the following night. Our Lord, surrounded by angels and wearing the half of Martin’s cloak he had given away, invited the young soldier to inspect the riven garment and say if he knew it. Upon doing so, Martin heard Jesus say to the angels, “Martin, as yet only a catechumen, has covered me with his cloak.” Inspired by this vision of Our Lord, Martin hurried to be baptized.
This single act of simple Christian charity is the one thing most people know about Saint Martin, although it came five years before he discerned his true vocation. When he was about twenty, Gaul was invaded by Teutonic tribes; and Martin was moved to address the Emperor Julian as the monarch was distributing bounties to the soldiers preparing to fight the invaders. “Up to now I have served you as a soldier,” Martin told the emperor. “Allow me henceforth to serve Christ.” He suggested his bounty be given to those going into battle, saying, “I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight.” The emperor, unimpressed by this appeal, had Martin locked up and held in prison until a truce with the Teutonic invaders was negotiated.
Upon his release, Martin made his way to Poitiers, where he was received by the renowned bishop and defender of the Faith, Saint Hilary. The bishop promptly ordained Martin to the diaconate, launching his career in the Church. During a visit to his homeland, where he secured the conversion of his mother and others, Martin became embroiled in the battle against the Arian heresy. His zeal for the true Faith drew the ire of the Arians, who were ascendant in the area, and they had him scourged before driving him away. Returning to Gaul, he found the Aryans had seized control at Poitiers and banished his mentor, Bishop Hilary. When the bishop was restored to his see in 360, he granted Martin’s wish to pursue his religious calling in solitude and gave him a small tract in central France to which he could withdraw. Joined there by other men of like mind, Martin became the head of a community that has been called the fist monastery in France. It survived until 1607 and was reestablished in 1852 by the Benedictines of Solesmes under the leadership of Dom Prosper Guéranger.
Martin spent a decade in this monastic environment before a delegation of bishops arrived with the intention of consecrating him to replace the recently deceased bishop of Tours, Lidorius. He tried unsuccessfully to escape consecration, almost convincing the consecrators that he was unworthy by the poverty of his appearance. Once installed, he launched an aggressive campaign to suppress pagan practices in the vicinity of Tours. Severus reports that on one occasion a pagan mob fell on him in a fury. One man, armed with a sword, was about to strike when Martin turned on him and bared his breast. The pagan stopped in his tracks and fell back terrified, begging forgiveness.
The early biography of Martin by his friend, Severus, records numerous marvelous events which occurred during the period of his episcopacy. The bishop ardently went about the business of destroying pagan temples and felling trees considered sacred that stood near them. Once, after razing a temple, he was preparing to bring down a pine tree that stood nearby when the pagans offered to cut it down themselves on the condition that he would stand under it wherever they ordered. Placing his trust in God, Martin agreed and was bound where the pagans planned to have the tree fall; but when they chopped the tree down it fell in the opposite direction from which they had planned. Severus also included in the story of Martin’s life numerous revelations and visions experienced by the bishop of Tours.
Saint Martin died on November 8, 397 and was buried three days later. Two thousand monks and nuns attended his funeral. His successor as bishop of Tours erected a chapel over his grave, later replaced by a basilica. A still later church destroyed during the French Revolution was also replaced. Fr. Lawrence Daniel Carney III, author of The Secret of the Holy Face, credits Venerable Leo Dupont, the “Holy Man of Tours,” with having recovered the relics of Saint Martin following the revolution. Born in 1797 on Saint Martinique, the Caribbean island named for the saint, Dupont relocated to Tours later in life in order to honor his late wife’s wish that their daughter be educated by the Ursuline nuns in that city. Making his way from church to church, some of which were only ruins left by the revolution, he began seeking information that would lead him to the remains of Saint Martin. Eventually a woman who had been selling vegetables on the street for 25 years was able to identify the exact spot where the saint’s tomb had been before the church above it was torn down by the revolutionists.
Saint Martin was proclaimed the patron of France, and his restored tomb became a national shrine visited by pilgrims from across Europe and throughout the world. The Feast of Saint Martin is celebrated on November 11th, the date of his burial.
Closing Commentary
We offer, in closing, an excerpt from Dom Prosper Guéranger’s commentary on the “Dedication of the Archbasilica of Saint Savior.” A link to the full text from The Liturgical Year follows.
Dedication of the Archbasilica of Saint Savior
In the fourth century of our era, the cessation of persecution seemed to give the world a foretaste of its future entrance into eternal peace. “Glory to the Almighty! Glory to the Redeemer of our souls!” wrote Eusebius at the opening of the tenth and last book of his History. Himself a witness of the triumph, he describes the admirable spectacle everywhere displayed by the dedication of the new sanctuaries. In city after city the Bishops assembled, and crowds flocked together. From nation to nation, the goodwill of mutual charity, of common faith, and of recollected joy, so harmonized all hearts that the unity of Christ’s body was clearly manifested in these multitudes animated by the same inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies: the living city of the living God, where all, whatever their age or sex, praise together the Author of all good things. How solemn were then the rites of the Church! The complete perfection therein displayed by the Pontiffs, the enthusiasm of the psalmody, the inspired readings, the celebration of the ineffable Mysteries, formed a divine pageantry!
Constantine had placed the imperial treasure at the disposal of the Bishops; and he himself stimulated their zeal for what he called in his edicts the work of the churches. Rome, the place of his victory by the Cross, the capital of the now Christian world, was the first to benefit by the prince’s munificence. In a series of dedications to the glory of the holy Apostles and Martyrs, Sylvester, the Pontiff of peace, took possession of the eternal city in the name of the true God.
Today is the birthday of the mother and mistress of churches, called “of our Savior, Aula Dei (God’s palace), the golden Basilica;” it is a new Sinai, whence the apostolic oracles and so many Councils have made known to the world the law of salvation. No wonder this feast is celebrated by the whole world. [Dedication of the Archbasilica of Saint Savior]
~
“[L]et us make use of our treasures, and exercise mercy towards the poor suffering souls.” - Dom Prosper Guéranger (All Souls Day Reflection)