March 2018 - SSPX Ordo Notices
Society of Saint Pius X    Regina Coeli House
11485 N. Farley Rd.    Platte City, MO  64079
(816) 733-2500

Note: This document is for the purpose of apostolate planning and offers a collection of practical advice and announcements. Items may be included in priory and church bulletins if desired; simply copy and paste these announcements into your weekly/monthly bulletin.  We tried to make this list as complete as possible. Please let us know if we are missing something. Going forward it will be updated every 20th of the month and uploaded to the online ordo.

Month of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church. Fac nos innócuam, Ioseph, decúrrere vitam, sitque tuo semper tuta patrocínio.

Litany of St. Joseph: It is ordinarily said after the Rosary and at Benediction during the month of March, in addition to the customary prayer To Thee, O Blessed Joseph.
Feast of St. Joseph: It is celebrated on March 19, and is often solemnized in a greater way outside of Lent. Formerly this was done on the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph, on the Wednesday after Good Shepherd Sunday, with an External Solemnity on the Sunday following. In 1955, Pope Pius XII transferred the second feast (that of the Patronage) to May 1, incorporating an artisan theme.
St. Patrick’s Day: March 17. The Lenten feria takes precedence over the feast unless there is a local first-class observance (as regards the SSPX). However, certain popular devotions to St. Patrick may be held on his feast, and a votive Mass of the Apostle of Ireland may be said outside of Lent.

Collect for the Pope: March 20. In all Masses except Requiems, the collect for the Pope is added under one conclusion with the collect of the day (Orationes diversae, n. 5: Deus omnium fidelium pastor et rector), which is also done at the Secret and Postcommunion. This commemorative observance, during the present reign, is permanently transferred from March 19 per the rubrics (RG 362-65, 449-50).

Ferial days & first-of-month votive Masses: Apart from local observances, all days of March are ferial except for March 19, the feast of St. Joseph (therefore, plan on violet for nearly the whole month). However, the votive Masses of First Thursday, First Friday, and First Saturday are permitted, with the Lenten ferias commemorated.

Daylight saving time: It begins in the USA on the second Sunday of March (March 11). Spring forward one hour!

Laetare Sunday: The IV Sunday of Lent, March 11. Flowers may be used on the altar, the organ and other musical instruments may play, relics are exposed on the altar gradines, and Rose vestments are substituted for violet in the Office and Mass.

Passiontide: The last two weeks of Lent are Passiontide, beginning with Passion Sunday (March 18). Crosses and statues are covered with violet veils from Passion Sunday until Good Friday (for the Cross) and the Easter Vigil (for statues). Flat images are not covered, such as wall murals, stained glass, or bas-reliefs such as those on the front of the altar. 

Good Friday: March 30. It is a day of strict fast and abstinence, and the other Lenten Fridays are days of abstinence (de jure). 

Fasting and Abstinence: Lent is a season of penance: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. (1) Traditional rules: The last regulations issued in the USA before the conciliar reform were in 1956, and are these for the Lenten season: Fasting (ages 21-59) is observed on all of the weekdays and Saturdays of Lent. Abstinence (ages 7+) is observed on Ash Wednesday, Fridays of Lent, and Holy Saturday, with partial abstinence observed on Ember Wednesday and Ember Saturday; (2) Current rules: The current regulations strictly oblige (de jure) fast for ages 18-59 on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstinence for ages 14+ on these two days and the other Fridays of Lent.

Stations of the Cross: During Lent, it is customary that the Stations of the Cross be held, especially on Fridays; there is a plenary indulgence for making them. Check the church bulletin for the Stations schedule. The faithful certainly can and should individually make the Stations in the church at other times also. There are no prayers strictly prescribed for this, although there are many manuals with fruitful prayers and meditations which may profitably be used.

Lenten reading: Lent is the time par excellence to take up good spiritual reading. Take some time to browse the priory or chapel bookstore to find some good titles, or ask your confessor.

Holy Week schedule: Faithful: take note of the Holy Week schedule posted in the vestibule. Make plans to attend these sacred ceremonies. Palm Sunday is March 25 (the feast of the Annunciation is transferred to April 9). Maundy Thursday is March 29, Good Friday is March 30, and Holy Saturday, with the Easter Vigil, is March 31.

Palms & Paschal Candle: If not done already, order palms for Palm Sunday, quamprimum. The suppliers generally have a very early cutoff date for pre-ordering. Palm Sunday this year is March 25. Also order a Paschal Candle soon if you will need a new one.
Weddings & Funerals: Lent is a closed time for the solemn nuptial blessing; it may not be given without permission or equivalent supplied regulations. Nuptial blessings may resume on Easter Monday. Marriages may be celebrated, with the nuptial blessing to be imparted at a later time (e.g., because of a military deployment), but spouses are to be admonished to avoid excessive festivity during this penitential season. Funerals are not permitted during this season on Sundays, the Sacred Triduum, and Easter Sunday.

Chrismal Mass: March 29. It is held at STAS at an early hour so that priests may more easily be able to participate before flying back to their priories and chapels for the evening Mass in Cena Domini. All priests are welcome and certainly encouraged to assist at the Chrismal Mass if able. Contact the Seminary for details.

STAS
March 9-16: Subdiaconate retreat
March 16: Minor Orders
March 17: Sitientes, Subdiaconate
March 29: Chrismal Mass

Looking ahead
April 9-14, Priests’ Retreat at Phoenix (by Fr. Wegner)
April 15: District collection for Good Shepherd Sunday
April 17: Tax filing deadline

Prayers for the General Chapter: From July 11 to 21, 2018, the fourth General Chapter of the Society will take place in Ecône. The Superior General has prescribed prayers that are to be recited daily in all the houses of the SSPX for six months before the beginning of the Chapter: the recitation of the Veni Sancte Spiritus to ask the Holy Ghost for enlightenment, and the invocation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Pius X to obtain their protection and intercession. The faithful and all men of good will are cordially invited to join in these prayers.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. 
V. Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur;
R. Et renovabis faciem terrae.
Oremus. Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de eius semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
-Cor Immaculatum Mariae, ora pro nobis qui ad Te recurrimus.
-Sancte Pie decime, ora pro nobis.

Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 
Let Us Pray: O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost, grant that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
-Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us who have recourse to thee. 
-St. Pius X, pray for us.
Local observances
Dillwyn: March 6-7, Titular, I class. March 6: First Vespers of St. Thomas Aquinas, with commemoration of the feria. March 7: Festal Office and Mass of the Saint, with commemoration of the feria in Lauds, Mass, and Vespers. Priests assigned to Dillwyn observe the feast in private recitation of the breviary regardless of location.
El Paso: March 16-17, Primary Patron of the Diocese, I class. March 16: First Vespers of St. Patrick, with commemoration of the feria. March 17: Festal Office and Mass of the Saint, with commemoration of the feria in Lauds and Mass. Vespers of St. Patrick, with commemoration of Passion Sunday (which cedes its I Vespers to the feast). The feast is first class also in Woburn (Boston), North Caldwell (Newark), and Carmichael (Sacramento). Priests assigned to El Paso observe the feast in private recitation of the breviary regardless of location.
Los Gatos: March 20-21, Feast of the Dedication of the Cathedral (of San Jose), I class. March 20: First Vespers of the Dedication, with commemoration of the feria. March 21: Festal Office and Mass of the Dedication, with commemoration of the feria in Lauds, Mass, and Vespers. Priests assigned to Los Gatos observe the feast in private recitation of the breviary regardless of location.
Arcadia: March 1. Collect for the Ordinary after that of the day, under one conclusion (…famulum tuum Joseph… Ecclesiae Angelorum…)
Saint Paul: March 24 (Saturday). Collect for the Ordinary after that of the day, under one conclusion (…famulum tuum Bernardum… Ecclesiae Sancti Pauli…)
Spokane (Carmel): March 12. Collect for the Ordinary after that of the day, under one conclusion (…famulum tuum Thomam… Ecclesiae Spokanensis…)

SSPX Necrology
March 1: Abbé Ludovic-Marie J. Barielle (1983), French
March 2: Abbé Louis Golvan (2015), French
March 2: Bruder Armin Lenz (2011), Swiss
March 8: Sr. Marie de la Paix Laurent (1994), French
March 11: Sr. Marie John Bosco André (2005), Canadian
March 15: Abbé Charles Baillif (2015), French
March 19: Frère Regis-Marie Serve (1992), Belgian
March 25: Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1991), French

Cor Unum et Anima Una