When I lived in Houston, one of my favorite rituals was to listen to the great radio show, With Heart & Voice, hosted by Richard Gladwell, on my way to Mass each Sunday. The show just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

While a podcast is not yet available, you can tune-in to the show at various times throughout the week by online streaming radio. Be sure to check out Mr. Gladwell’s thorough listings and notes.

Day	Time (EST)	Station	Formats
Saturday	1:30pm	WSMC-FM	MP3
Sunday	6:00am	WCLV-FM	WM MP3
Sunday	6:00am	WOSU-FM	RA WM
Sunday	7:00am	WFDD-FM	RA
Sunday	7:00am	WHQR-FM	MP3
Sunday	7:00am	WMFE-FM	WM MP3
Sunday	7:00am	WUWF-FM	WM
Sunday	8:00am	KUHF-FM	RA WM MP3
Sunday	8:00am	WIAA-FM	WM
Sunday	8:00am	WXXI-FM	MP3
Sunday	8:30am	WUOL-FM	RA WM MP3
Sunday	9:00am	KSJE-FM	WM
Sunday	9:00am	KTXK-FM	MP3
Sunday	10:00am	WABE Classical	WM
Sunday	12:00noon	WHRO-FM	RA WM MP3 QT
Sunday	2:00pm	KWAX-FM	RA MP3
Sunday	7:00pm	WUOT-FM	RA QT
Sunday	7:00pm	WXXI-FM	MP3
Sunday	8:00pm	KCSC-FM	RA
Sunday	10:00pm	KWAX-FM	RA MP3
Sunday	11:30pm	MPBN	WM MP3
Wednesday	3:00pm	WABE Classical	WM
Wednesday	11:00pm	KOHM-FM	WM

If one of the links fails to work, please let me know by leaving a note in the comment section below.

DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM

ASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER

DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES: When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE

ELECTION RESULTS: When you rearrange the letters: LIES - LET’S RECOUNT

THE MORSE CODE: When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY

SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z’S

A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: I’M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE

And for the grand finale…

MOTHER-IN-LAW: When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER

September 23 marks the Feast Day for the mystic, stigmatist and saint, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. He was born on May 25, 1887, in the small Italian village of Pietrelcina, and named Francesco in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. It was clear even from early childhood that he was drawn to the priesthood, and at the age of 16, he became a Capuchin novice. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1910. On September 20, 1918, while kneeling in prayer in front of a large crucifix, Padre Pio received the stigmata (the visible marks of the crucifixion), making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Church. Medical examinations performed at that time could not attribute the wounds to any disease process or natural cause. While the blood from the stigmata had a sweet odor reminiscent of flowers, the wounds caused him pain and suffering throughout, which he continually offered up to God. As Padre Pio predicted 50 years earlier, the wounds healed on the day of his death.

There are many other mystical events associated with Padre Pio, including the (well documented) gift of bilocation. Padre Pio dutifully heard 10-18 hours of confession per day, and had the ability to read the hearts of the penitents who flocked to him.

Padre Pio worked exhaustingly to establish a hospital at San Giovanni Rotondo to care for the poor of southern Italy. It remains one of the most advanced and busy hospitals to this day. Spiritually, Padre Pio was particularly devoted to the Rosary and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He was well known for his beautiful celebrations of the Mass. During the course of the Mass, he would cry almost continuously. To an inquirer, he said,

I don’t want to shed small tears. I want to shed a flood of tears. Don’t you see the great mystery of the Mass?

Maria Winowska, who wrote the biography Le Vrai Visage du Padre Pio (”The True Face of Padre Pio”), described his Mass in this way:

The Capuchin’s face which a few moments before had seemed to me jovial and affable was literally transfigured… Fear, joy, sorrow, agony or grief… I could follow the mysterious dialogue on (his) features. Now he protests, shakes his head in denial and waits for the reply. His entire body was frozen in mute supplication… Suddenly great tears welled from his eyes, and his shoulders, shaken with sobs, seemed bowed beneath a crushing weight… One Friday I saw him panting, oppressed as a wrestler at bay trying in vain with swift tosses of the head to shake off some obstacle which prevented him from uttering the words of Consecration. It eventually resembled single combat from which he emerged victorious but broken. On other occasions after the Sanctus great drops of sweat poured from his forehead, bathing his face which was distorted with sobs. Here was truly the man of sorrow at grips with the agony… Between himself and Christ there was no distance…

This mystical Mass could last for three hours. During the time of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Padre Pio was granted permission to continue celebrating the Mass according to the traditional (Tridentine) liturgy.

Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968, at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

Learn more about Padre Pio at PadrePio.com, PadrePio.org, PadrePio.net, EWTN and Wikipedia.

In particular, you may enjoy listening to this wonderful audio lecture series by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, who explores the extraordinary life of Padre Pio through the saint’s own writings and through the eyes of his contemporaries. The files are in RealAudio format:

1. The saints — Special friends of God
2. His Franciscan and his priestly vocation
3. The stigmata
4. Padre Pio’s sufferings
5. The later years
6. His Mass
7. My little lady
8. Spiritual son to St. Francis
9. His many struggles
10. Spiritual fatherhood
11. The gifts of the Holy Spirit
12. Padre Pio and the popes
13. Faithfulness to the Catholic Church

There are arguably two kinds of people in the world: those who like coffee, and those who prefer tea. I suppose it’s possible to like both, or neither; yet the majority of people seem to owe their allegiance to one or the other.

Personally, I would consider myself a tea man. Assuredly, I can enjoy a cup of coffee — especially a nice espresso after dinner with my family. But I don’t drink it frequently; I rarely have a cup in the morning; and I never crave it.

Now, tea, on the other hand… There’s just something about it that always satisfies. Whether it’s the lemony iced tea to appease a summer thirst; or the cup of dark Earl Grey or Darjeeling for late night study sessions; or a hot, semi-sweet cup of chai as the perfect accompaniment to reading a good book by the fire; or the simple perfection of chamomile before bed. (And yes, I know that chamomile is an herbal brew, not really a tea.) Somehow, there’s a tea for every mood and every occasion.

The English will be the first to tell you that there’s a right and a wrong way to make tea. Consider this instruction from the BBC:

There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it’s this - to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it’s merely hot then the tea will be insipid. That’s why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that’s why the American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That’s why they don’t understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don’t know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.

So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this. Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you’re staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful - you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let’s just take this in easy stages). Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let it stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn’t have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it’s probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea. If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.

Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you’ve come to isn’t maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.

The BBC also recommends some specific ways of making a good cup of tea. If you’re dying to know more about tea, you can check out the Stash Tea web site, which includes such tidbits as: the history of tea (and the history of tea pots), tea types and quotes. Twinings describes some of the manufacturing process. And Wikipedia tells you everything else you want to know.

For my part, I just recommend drinking it.

Rocco Palmo, of Whispers in the Loggia blog fame, wrote a nice piece describing the “triumph of the extraordinary” — the triumph of the Extraordinary form of the Mass, that is:

This might be the liturgical commemoration of the Triumph of the Cross — the feast recalling the discovery of what was believed to be the cross of Calvary by St Helena (the mother of Constantine) in the early fourth century…

…but for not a few, the de facto celebration of the day is, of course, the implementation of Summorum Pontificum, B16’s July motu proprio conceding a greater availability for the celebration of the Eucharist according to the 1962 Missal of Bl John XXIII.

Even from this hour, Masses in the pre-Conciliar form — now officially termed the “Extraordinary Use” of the Roman rite — are being said to mark the event the world over, including the first televised ‘62 Mass from the chapel of EWTN’s Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Alabama.

A cherished project of the Pope’s, one long sought by clergy and faithful inclined to the ritual precision and somber dignity of the “Old Mass,” the oversight of the new norms falls to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. On the eve of their effective date, the dicastery’s president Cardinal Dario Castrillion Hoyos — also the Holy See’s top liaison to the traditionalist groups currently out of communion with Rome — was interviewed by Vatican Radio.

The Pope has a special love for the liturgy — a love that is translated into a capacity for study, of learning more about the liturgy itself. This is why Benedict XVI considers the liturgy from before the Council reform an inestimable treasure.

The Pope does not want to go backward. It is important to know and underline that the Council did not prohibit the liturgy of St. Pius V and we must also say that the Fathers of the Council celebrated the Mass of Pius V.

It is not — as many sustain because they don’t know the reality — a step backward. On the contrary.

The Council wanted to give ample freedom to the faithful. One of these freedoms was that of taking this treasure — as the Pope says — which is the liturgy, to keep it alive.

Q: What has changed, really, with this “motu proprio”?

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos: With this “motu proprio,” in reality, there has not been a big change. The important thing is that in this moment, priests can decide, without permission from the Holy See or the bishop, to celebrate the Mass in the ancient rite. And this holds true for all priests. It is the parish priests who must open the doors to those priests that, having the faculty, go to celebrate. It is not therefore necessary to ask any other permission.

Q: Your Eminence, this document was accompanied by fear and polemics. What is not true about what has been said or read?

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos: It is not true, for example, that power was taken away from bishops over the liturgy, because the Code of Canon Law says who must give permission to say Mass and it is not the bishop: The bishop gives the “celebret,” the power to be able to celebrate, but when a priest has this power, it is the parish priest and the chaplain who must grant the altar to celebrate.

If anyone impedes him, it is up to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in the name of the Holy Father, to take measures until this right — which is a right that is clear to the faithful by now — is respected.

Q: On the vigil of the “motu proprio” taking effect, what are your hopes?

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos: My hopes are these: The Eucharist is the greatest thing we have, it is the greatest manifestation of love, of God’s redemptive love who wants to stay with us with this Eucharistic presence. This must never be a motive for discord but only love.

I hope that this can be a reason for joy for all those who love tradition, a reason for joy for all those parishes that will no longer be divided, but will have — on the contrary — a multiplicity of holiness with a rite that was certainly a factor and instrument of sanctification for more than a thousand years.

We thank, therefore, the Holy Father who recovered this treasure for the Church. Nothing is imposed on anyone, the Pope does not impose the obligation; the Pope does impose offering this possibility where the faithful request it.

If there is a conflict, because humanly speaking two groups can enter into conflict, the authority of the bishop — as written in the “motu proprio” — must intervene to avoid it, but without canceling the right that the Pope gave to the entire Church.

Well, here we are at this most historic day: September 14, 2007! The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Our Holy Father, by means of his recent Motu Proprio, has sanctioned the use of the traditional Latin Mass according to the Missal of 1962, effective today. Deo gratias!

Here are some resources that may be of help to you:

• Missalette for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14, 2007) (PDF), which will be celebrated in the traditional form worldwide, as well as televised on EWTN (8 am EST; encore at 6 pm and midnight). If you don’t get EWTN on your TV, you can always watch online. (Access it anytime by clicking on the link in the navigation bar under ‘Resources’.)
• Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum issued Motu Proprio (also available as official Latin text).
• Letter of Pope Benedict to the Bishops of the World on the Motu Proprio
• Sancta Missa tutorial on the Latin Mass according to the 1962 Missale Romanum — fantastic site!
• Online rubrics of the Missale Romanum 1962 (and downloadable PDF).
• Ladies, need a chapel veil? Halo-Works has a large selection of chapel veils and Spanish mantillas.
• Since the traditional liturgical calendar is distinct from the post-conciliar calendar, perhaps you could use a Tridentine calendar.

If you don’t have any experience with the Latin Mass, or haven’t been to one in awhile, you’ll soon realize that you need a 1962 Missal. My recommendations are the handsome leather-bound edition from Angelus Press, or the nearly identical edition from Baronius Press. Each is about $55.

Last summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the great city of Barcelona. More importantly, I finally got to see one of the key attractions that I’ve been yearning to see for years and years: La Sagrada Familia, conceived and designed by Antoní Gaudí, celebrated architect, pioneer of naturalism and pious Catholic.

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