Mater Dei Catholic Parish

A parish of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Installation of Bishop Edward J. Burns as Eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas

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All parishioners are welcome to attend Solemn Vespers at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Wednesday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m. As Vespers begin, Bishop Edward J. Burns will knock three times at the door of the Cathedral, and be welcomed by Bishop Greg Kelly. All are welcome to come pray and sing the Evening Prayer of the Church, led by Bishop Burns. The A Cappella Choir from Bishop Lynch High School and the Union Performance Choir from Holy Cross Catholic Church will be among the musicians for this service. A reception in the Gran Salon will follow Evening Prayer. Come and help prayerfully welcome our new bishop on the eve of his Installation.

A live stream of the Solemn Vespers service will be available on the diocese Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dallascath

The Installation Mass of Bishop Edward J. Burns as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Dallas will be held on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at 2:00 p.m., with the procession beginning at 1:45 p.m.

Due to limited seating in the Cathedral, the diocese will provide a live stream of the Installation Mass at https://livestream.com/dallascath/ BishopBurns.

Printable Installation Resources (PDF)

Traditional Blessing of Wine on the Feast of St. John – Tuesday, December 27th

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Blessing of Wine on the Feast of St. John

Our priests will be doing the traditional blessing of wine for the Feast of St. John following the 6:30 AM and 12:10 PM Masses on Tuesday, December 27th. If you would like to have your wine blessed for this feast, bring a bottle or two (or as many as you wish) to Mass, and Father will let you know what to do with the bottles to have them blessed.

Wine is blessed on this day because according to legend, St. John was served poisoned wine, but survived because he blessed the wine before he put it to his lips; the poison rose from the chalice in the shape of a serpent. In his happy memory, Catholics bring wine to church, which the priest blesses, turning it into a sacramental called the “Love of St. John.” Catholics use this sacramental wine for special occasions throughout the year and to give to the sick.

The wine is also a symbol of the great love of Christ that filled St. John’s heart with loyalty, courage and enthusiasm for his Master. He alone of all the apostles was not afraid to stay close to Jesus during the Passion and Crucifixion and he was the only Apostle not martyred.
At least some of the wine blessed on the feast should be enjoyed on the day of the feast itself. When it is drunk on his Feast Day, we drink it before dinner as a toast to St. John. The Father of the house lifts his glass toward Mother and says, “I drink you the love of St. John.” The Mother replies “I thank you for the Love of St. John” and then turns to the oldest child, lifts her glass, and says, “I drink you the love of St. John…” –and on it goes down the line until each has been toasted.
The wine may be drunk as is, out of the bottle, or may be prepared as in this recipe:
St. John’s Love (serves 8)
1 quart red wine
3 whole cloves
1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 two-inch cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Boil for 5 minutes (this pretty much evaporates all of the alcohol). Serve hot.
Here’s an English translation of the ritual for blessing the wine, translated from the 1962 Rituale Romanum:

BLESSING OF WINE on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

At the end of the principal Mass on the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, after the last Gospel, the priest, retaining all vestments except the maniple, blesses wine brought by the people. This is done in memory and in honor of St. John, who drank without any ill effects the poisoned wine offered to him by his enemies.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

If it please you, Lord God, bless + and consecrate + this vessel of wine (or any other beverage) by the power of your right hand; and grant that, through the merits of St. John, apostle and evangelist, all your faithful who drink of it may find it a help and a protection. As the blessed John drank the poisoned potion without any ill effects, so may all who today drink the blessed wine in his honor be delivered from poisoning and similar harmful things. And as they offer themselves body and soul to you, may they obtain pardon of all their sins; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Lord, bless + this creature drink, so that it may be a health- giving medicine to all who use it; and grant by your grace that all who taste of it may enjoy bodily and spiritual health in calling on your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come on this wine (or any other beverage) and remain always.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water. If the blessing is given privately outside of Mass, the priest is vested in surplice and stole and performs the ceremony as given above.

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Christmas Mass Times at Mater Dei

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We welcome all to join us this Christmas at Mater Dei!

Christmas at Mater Dei

Christmas Schedule at Mater Dei Latin Mass Parish

Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord or Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24

8:00 a.m. – Low Mass

Feast of the Nativity of the Lord
Sunday, December 25

Midnight Mass
11:00 PM – Christmas Carol program
12:00 AM – Sung Mass
Cookie/Apple Cider Reception after Midnight Mass

Christmas Day Masses
7:30 AM – Low Mass
9:00 AM – Solemn Mass
11:30 AM – Low Mass
1:00 PM – Low Mass

Practical tips on how to go to Confession

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Confession is not difficult, but it does require preparation.

Before going to the confessional, please review the following. Also, make sure to review these points with  your children.

Printable Version (PDF)

In preparation for Confession

  • Examine your conscience.
  • Be sorry for your sins, including the firm purpose to avoid these and all sins in the future, and to give up all occasions of sin. Without this, the priest cannot take your sins away.

REMEMBER: Thinking that you may fall again in the future does not negate your good intention here and now – the intention here and now to be done with the sin is sufficient for absolution.

When in the Confessional

  • Begin with “Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been [time] since my last confession. I am [age, status (married with children, single, widow, etc), gender], and these are my sins ..”
    Confess your sins to the priest according to their number and kind, beginning with mortal sins.

REMEMBER: While it is possible that a habit may mitigate the gravity of a sin, we cannot know in each case how this might apply. Therefore, we treat all objectively mortally sins as mortal sin.

  • End your confession with “for these and all my sins I am truly sorry,” or words to that effect (the priest should not have to ask you if that is all you have to confess).
  • Say an Act of Contrition when the priest asks you to recite it, thinking about the words you are saying, unless you have a question for Father about your confession, his advice or penance, or some other matter appropriately brought up in the confessional – this would be the time to ask it.
  • When the priest finishes giving you absolution, you may say “Thank you Father,” or some other suitable closing.

Rorate Mass in Honor of our Lady – Saturday, December 17 at 6:00 AM

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Rorate Caeli Mass

Rorate Mass in Honor of Our Lady
Saturday, December 17 at 6:00 AM

What is a Rorate Mass?

The Rorate Caeli Mass is a traditional Advent devotion wherein the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Advent is offered just before dawn. In many instances families and individuals travel an hour or more, rising and arriving very early for this stunningly beautiful Mass. The interplay of light and darkness speak to the meaning of Advent and the coming of the Light of the world.

The Mass takes its title, Rorate Caeli, from the first words of the Introit, which are from Isaiah 45:8:

“Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.”

“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”

The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.

The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel, and call on all to raise the gates of their hearts and their societies to let Christ the King enter; asking for the grace to receive eternal life by the merits of the Incarnation and saving Resurrection of Our Lord.

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Source: FSSP.com

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