Sacred Chrism

The Sanctum Chrisma (note the abbreviation SC) sits in St. John's Chapel.

Pure oil of olives with an admixture of balsam and blessed by our Archbishop, this sweet smelling chrism glistens on the head and hands of a bishop at his consecration and on the hands of a priest at his ordination.

For we are the good odour of Christ unto God…

You Know What's Next to Cleanliness

Detail of drawers in the sacristy at St. Michael's Cathedral.

The tidy labels visible in this photo range from the traditional (Pyx, Sick Call Set, Rosary) and the modern (Microphone, Batteries) to the delightfully mysterious (Spare Parts and Tools – and my personal favorite - Unknown Keys).

Foresight and Hindsight

 Extra original exterior bricks are stored in the basement of St. Michael's Cathedral.

Foreseeing that repairs would one day be necessary, the builders of St. Michael's Cathedral wisely set aside (more than 160 years ago) extra bricks for future use. Some of these are still stacked in the basement of St. Michael's Cathedral and reveal the original light yellowish (!) colour of the exterior.

In Response to a Recent Query

Why do I receive Holy Communion on the tongue?

I received my first Holy Communion in this manner and have never felt the slightest desire to stop receiving Him in this way.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider's touching answer:

Saint Simon the Apostle

A small statue of St. Simon the Apostle (not Simon Peter) in St. Michael's Cathedral.

St. Simon practiced law before receiving his call. He is thus sometimes pictured holding a book or scroll, as here. More distinctively, he rests his hand on the implement associated with his gruesome martyrdom – a saw.

St. Simon, pray that I’ll have a fraction of your zeal.

The Power of Pilgrims' Kisses

The faithful have worn away the paint on the foot of this statue of St. Thérèse of Lisieux at St. Michael's Cathedral with their tender touches and reverential kisses.

Catholics (and Orthodox) do not worship statues. We do make use of images of Our Lord and His saints and martyrs. Leontius the Hierapolian explains:

...I do reverence to the image of Christ. Not to the substance of wood and paint - that shall never happen... But, by doing reverence to an inanimate image of Christ, through Him I think to embrace Christ Himself and to do Him reverence... We Christians, by bodily kissing an icon of Christ, or of an apostle or martyr, are in spirit kissing Christ Himself or His martyr.

The flattened toes of the bronze (!) statue of St. Peter in St. Peter's Basilica similarly attest to the power of pilgrims' kisses.

A Natural

His Excellency, Bishop William McGrattan greets parishioners outside St. Michael's Cathedral.

An affable and natural person, His Excellency mixes effortlessly with the faithful who crowd around him after mass.

God is a simple Being in Whom there are no parts. Hence, if we want to become as much like Him as possible, we must strive to become by virtue, what He is by nature, that is, we must be simple in spirit and action, natural in speech and behavior, without sham or deception… - St. Vincent de Paul

Paschal Candle

The 2010 Paschal candle in a darkened St. Michael's Cathedral.

This Paschal candle features the Sacred Heart at the centre of a rather understated cross, the current year (since Christ is with us now), the Alpha and Omega in the upper golden band (since He shall ever be) and the Paschal Lamb in the lower golden band.  Five grains of incense, representing the 5 wounds of Christ, are pressed into the candle with the white nails.

Oramus ergo te, Domine: ut Cereus iste in honorem tui nominis consecratus, ad noctis huius caliginem destruendam, indeficiens perseveret...

The Holy Trinity: The Essence of Our Catholic Faith

Crest in honour of the Holy Trinity hangs in St. John's Chapel (attached to St. Michael's Cathedral).

Fides autem catholica haec est: ut unum Deum in Trinitate, et Trinitatem in unitate veneremur. Neque confundentes personas, neque substantiam seperantes…Ita Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres dii, sed unus est Deus.  – The Athanasian Creed

Want to see the mystery of the Holy Trinity a bit more clearly? Stand on the shoulders of Saints Augustine and Boethius.

The Papal Portrait

This portrait of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI hangs in the sacristy of St. Michael's Cathedral.

+ Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. +

+ May the Lord preserve him and give him life and make him blessed upon the earth, and not deliver him up to the will of his enemies. +

Via Crucis III

The third of the Stations of the Cross at St. Michael's Cathedral: Jesus falls the first time.

Note the delightful way that the stations echo the gothic-style architecture of the cathedral itself. Each station is a like a little cathedral, topped with a cross, decorated with arches, statuary, quatrefoil, trefoil, etc. 

For more on the Via Crucis at St. Michael's see here and here.

Pray For Vocations

Members of the St. Michael's Senior Boys' Choir

If no boys from the St. Michael’s Choir School answer a call to the priesthood, it won’t be because I didn’t pray for it.

How It's Done:

His Grace, Archbishop Lynch depicted kneeling in a pane of stained glass in the nave of St. Michael's Cathedral.

The [expanded] Latin inscription:

In memoriam Ill[ustrissimi] ac R[eve]R[endissimi] D[omini] D[omini] Joannis 

Joseph Lynch primi Archiepiscopi 

Torontonensis, qui per viginti et 

novem annos magno cum zelo et 

fructu in hac dioecesi laboravit.  

Obiit die XII Maii A[nno] D[omini] MDCCCL XXXVIII.

In memory of the Most Illustrious Most Reverend Lord Lord John Joseph Lynch, the first Archbishop of Toronto, who for twenty-nine years laboured in this diocese with great zeal and fruitfulness.  He died on the 12th day of May in the year of Our Lord 1888.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

A painted panel of the ceiling of St. Michael's Cathedral depicting the Sacred Heart. The physical heart of Jesus is a symbol of His divine love.

His Sacred Heart is represented with the instruments of His passion: the crown of thorns, the three nails, the wound from the holy lance. A burning furnace of charity, it shines with divine light.

Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy on us.

Surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia!

A carving of the Risen Lord hanging on the wall in the narthex of St. Michael's Cathedral.

Et apparuit Simoni, alleluia!

Haec Nox Est......

A parishioner kneels in prayer at St. Michael's Cathedral.

The stained glass window to her right (not shown) is beautifully reflected on the wall at her left.

At tonight’s long awaited vigil Mass the new fire will be blessed, the Paschal candle lit, and another group of catechumens and candidates will (Deo gratias) be received at last into the heart of Holy Mother Church and admitted to her soul-saving Sacraments.

...in qua, destructis vinculis mortis, Christus ab inferis victor ascendit.

Good Friday

  Arrestingly stark: the tabernacle is empty, its golden door stands open, the sanctuary lamp which hangs before it is extinguished, and the altars are stripped bare at St. Michael's Cathedral.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus, et sepultus est.

Holy Thursday

Stained glass depiction of the Last Supper 

in the nave at St. Michael's Cathedral

The Last Supper commemorates especially Our Lord’s Institution of the Eucharist.  Jesus is central, the host in his left hand, his right hand in a gesture of blessing, the chalice prominently placed before him. The hanging grapes surrounding the scene similarly emphasize the Precious Blood.  Judas Iscariot, clutching a bag (John 13:29), is separated from Our Lord and from the other Apostles by his position.

Tenebrae

Altar server lights 15-candle hearse in preparation for Tenebrae Service at St. Michael's Cathedral.

Sung by current and former choristers of St. Michael’s Choir School and overseen by His Grace, Archbishop Thomas Collins, the Tenebrae service begins with these 15 candles lit.  One by one they are extinguished until a lone candle remains, the light of Christ in the world.  Even this is momentarily hidden, leaving the church in total darkness for the crashing strepitus which recalls the earthquake at Christ’s death.  The candle is re-placed, a sign of His resurrection, and after a few more prayers the congregation slips away into the night.

Mass of the Chrism

His Grace, Archbishop Thomas Collins consecrates Sacred Chrism at the annual Mass of the Chrism at St. Michael's Cathedral. Among other things, the Sacred Chrism is used to anoint priests and bishops at their ordination.

Ordination is not employment; it is consecration. We are consecrated, anointed with the Oil of Chrism. The priesthood is not what we do, it is who we are…

 - His Grace, Archbishop Thomas Collins (Chrism Mass Homily)

Is the diocesan priesthood your vocation?

Relief

A bas-relief in the narthex of St. Michael's Cathedral

This small painted bas-relief probably represents the reception of Holy Eucharist.  The Christian soul (the dove) is nourished by the Precious Blood (the grapes prefigure the wine which is consecrated at Holy Mass). 

Such depictions were not unknown to the early Christians, as this one from the Catacombs of Priscilla attests:

Palm Sunday

A blessed palm after Palm Sunday mass at St. Michael's Cathedral

So let us spread before His feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves…let us present the Conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of His victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches…

                        - St. Andrew of Crete

40 Days for Life

A 40 day peaceful vigil of prayer and fasting outside abortion clinics for an end to abortion.

Just to be clear: Catholics are pro-life. The Church has affirmed this continuously from the first century. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.

Do you want to live in a world where more than 90% of babies with Down's Syndrome are eliminated? Or is it just possible that the Church is offering a better way to understand who these babies are and who they might become?

Episcopal Bling

Episcopal ring on the hand of His Excellency, Bishop William McGrattan at St. Michael's Cathedral

Early Bishops, such as St. Augustine, sealed their letters with wax into which a signet ring was pressed. The Episcopal ring, in part, recalls this practice. It is associated with His Excellency’s Episcopal dignity, with the sealing of secrets, and most beautifully, with the mystical betrothal of the Bishop to the Holy Church.  This is, so to speak, His Excellency’s wedding ring, marked with the Chi-Rho.

It is a traditional reverential gesture (and thus a thumb in the devil’s eye) to kneel on your left knee and kiss the Episcopal ring as a sign of respect for his office upon greeting or leaving a Bishop.  Who could resist such a gloriously Catholic and delightfully counter-cultural practice?  

Not I.

Don't Keep Him Waiting

Mass times posted outside St. Michael's Cathedral

He loves, He hopes, He waits. If He came down on our altars on certain days only, some sinner, on being moved to repentance, might have to look for Him, and not finding Him, might have to wait. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep him waiting one instant.

                          - St. Peter Julian Eymard

Light from Above

Lights suspended from ceiling in the nave of St. Michael's Cathedral.

The lights of the central aisles may be distinguished from those of the outside aisles by their alternating white and yellow panels. 

The more a man hath unity and simplicity in himself, the more things and the deeper things he understandeth; and that without labour, because he receiveth the light of understanding from above.    

                    – The Imitation of Christ

A Tower of Refuge

260 ft. tower and steeple of St. Michael's Cathedral which dates from Confederation

The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed to destroy her; in fact, it was during times of persecution that the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves...are the very ones who came to nothing…Again, errors have assailed her; but in fact, the greater the number of errors that have arisen, the more has the truth been made manifest…Nor has the Church failed before the assaults of demons: for she is like a tower of refuge to all who fight against the Devil.

                              - St. Thomas Aquinas

Catholic Ukraine Arise!

Ukrainian / Canadian youth attend mass at St. Michael's Cathedral in traditional attire

Ukrainian Catholics have suffered much. Over the years there have been arrests, labour camps, and torture. Priests have been martyred by the thousands, churches razed by the hundreds. Still, Ukrainian Catholics resisted the atheism and brutality of the Soviet regime and laid down their lives rather than deny the faith. It's a painful legacy but one of which Ukrainian Canadians can be proud. 

Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, pray for Catholic Ukraine, pray for Ukrainian Canadians, pray for us!

Legion of Mary: Acies Ceremony

Banner of St. Michael's Cathedral's Legion of Mary

I AM ALL THINE, MY QUEEN, MY MOTHER

AND ALL THAT I HAVE IS THINE.

The Legion of Mary is the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church.  We voluntarily pursue good works, especially the spiritual works of mercy, in union with Mary.  Join us.

That Adorable Sign

Detail of decorative post top on the restored metal fence at St. Michael's Cathedral

In fact, we see in everything that adorable sign which is, at once, the cause and emblem of our victory. We have it in our houses, we hang it and paint it on our walls, we engrave it on our doors, and we should ever carry it in our hearts; for the cross is a sacred monument...

                          - St. John Chrysostom

For St. Joseph

A Sister of St. Joseph outside St. Michael's Cathedral

This year Sister is celebrating her golden jubilee in la vie consacrée. That is a lifetime of poverty, chastity, and obedience in service of God and neighbour.  Thank you, Sister.

The Sisters of St. Joseph founded Toronto’s Food Bank. These days they care for the poor and disabled, visit the lonely, provide transitional housing to vulnerable woman, and do a good many other worthy and unglamorous  things for people.

Is this your vocation?  Go here.  You won't get an awesome habit but you WILL get a pretty good shot at personal holiness, community life, and quiet service.  Oh...and if you're really, really lucky, you'll get 50 years espoused to The Most High.

The Alpha and Omega

Panel of painted ceiling, nave

The Alpha (A) and the Omega (Ω): the first and last letters of the Ancient Greek alphabet respectively.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord God who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.  Rev. 1:8

In the manner of the ancient Christians, we too adorn the vaulted ceiling with the Alpha and Omega. See below a late 4th century depiction of Christ between these symbols from the vault of the cubiculum leonis in the catacombs of Commodilla (Rome).

Éirinn Go Brách

 Irish pride after the St. Patrick's Day mass at St. Michael's Cathedral

Remember Catholic Ireland in your prayers today by praying: 
The Breastplate of St. Patrick.

Also, young men, FYI: This is how gentlemen dress for mass.

Baptismal Font

This baptismal font was donated by the Carroll Family, Toronto September 27, 1988: In loving memory of Mai and Jack Carroll, Portlaoise, Ireland. What a beautiful tribute. It gladdens the heart to think of the many souls that have been indelibly marked as God’s in the waters of baptism right here.  


The usual minister of baptism is, of course, a priest. But did you know that in an emergency ANYONE (pagan, Christian, Jew, etc.) can baptize? Yes, in case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that he have the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that he pours water on the candidate's head while saying: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1284). 

Memorize the formula and be ready to use it for the good of a soul, if need be.

Via Crucis II

Station II: Jésus chargé de sa croix

Bishop Armand François Marie de Charbonnel (b.1802 France) had these handsomely carved Stations of the Cross imported from France and installed in the Cathedral. The inscriptions are thus in His Excellency's mother tongue. The stations are a beautiful testimony to de Charbonnel’s generosity and to his good taste.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee

R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.


For more on the Via Crucis see here.

St. Andrew

nave, epistle side

St. Andrew, recognizing the Messiah, introduced his brother Peter to Jesus. These two fishermen were eventually numbered among the 12 Apostles. Andrew was with Our Lord in his public ministry and at the Last Supper.  He beheld the Risen Lord, the Ascension, and Pentecost.

Sentenced to death by crucifixion and feeling himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Our Lord, he is held by tradition to have been crucified on a decussate cross such as the one he holds here.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

nave, flooring under pews

It looks like it’s vinyl asbestos tile.  Probably safe but utterly hideous.  If Yours Truly had some money I would pay for a more fitting floor to be installed together with a Latin dedication like this very charming one from Rome.

Presentation of the Lord

Nave, Gospel Side

On the left: Joseph (who holds a small cage with two birds for sacrifice) and  Mary bring Jesus to the Temple (Luke 2:22-40). On the right is Anna, a pious widow who dedicated her life to constant prayer and fasting.  In the background two priests of the Temple look on.  
Centrally placed is Baby Jesus and St. Simeon who had received a promise from the Holy Ghost that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Here that promise is fulfilled. A very aged Simeon takes Our Little Saviour in his arms and prays the nunc dimittis:  Lord, now let Your servant go in peace, according to Your promise because my eyes have seen Your salvation…
The scene is popularly called the “Presentation”. Can it be a coincidence that the dedication across the bottom of the windows reads (emphasis mine): PRESENTED by Eugene O’Keefe.  For more on Eugene O’Keefe see here.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Statue of St. Thérèse of Liseux in the nave

St. Thérèse de Lisieux, The Little Flower, is pictured here with her characteristic roses.  A French Carmelite nun, a saint, and a Doctor of the Church, she advanced a simple but beautiful spirituality called the “Little Way”:

Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.

                 - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

The base of this statue used to contain a first class relic of the saint until...

Memento Mori

Nave, back wall

It has ever been the practice of the Catholic Church to recommend to her spiritual children the meditation on man's four last things: 

Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. 

Keeping these sobering aspects of human destiny ever before our eyes, we will be that much less likely to fall into mortal sin and be lost eternally. 

          - Fr. Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C.

Papal Insignia

Ceiling Panel in Nave

This panel of the Cathedral's beautifully painted ceiling depicts the Papal Tiara and the crossed keys (Matthew 16:18-19) which appear together on the Holy See Coat of Arms and on the flag of Vatican City.  These are symbols of the papacy and are thus a call to Christian unity under the legitimate authority of the Successor of St. Peter.

Pray for Pope Benedict XVI.  They don't call him "The Pope of Christian Unity" for nothing. It can be done.

Noah's Pudding

Local Muslims were at the Cathedral today after mass to offer a cup of Noah's Pudding, a tasty symbol of our common Abrahamic heritage and of the duty to share with others.  As Catholics, we can justly admire many of our Muslim neighbours for their diligence in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Since there are certainly parts of the world where Muslim - Christian relations are bad, very dangerously bad, it is so pleasant to be reminded of what is possible.  Let us give thanks for religious freedom and pray for progress in true ecumenism.

              Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us.

Via Crucis I

Nave

Station I: Jesus is Condemned to Death


I suppose you know that in almost every Catholic church around the world you will find 14 numbered and blessed stations such as this one.  They depict particular scenes from the passion of Christ and at St. Michael's Cathedral they are hung high on the walls around the nave.  In a public liturgy or as a private devotion we kneel at each station in its turn and prayerfully contemplate its significance and our own sinfulness. 

Never prayed the Via Crucis?  St. Aphonsus Liguori can walk you through it.

Fort Knox Poor Box

Narthex       

You cannot begin to imagine the good which is done with the loose change and crumpled bills in this locked, nay, double-locked poor box.

Extend mercy towards others so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for us if God should withdraw His mercy from us?

                          -St. Vincent de Paul                                    

The House of God and Door of Heaven

Main Doors (central)

The pointed arch over the door, so typical of Gothic architecture, draws the eye upwards emphasizing the loftiness and grandeur of the structure and, by extension, of God into whose very house we are privileged to enter.

Non est hic aliud nisi domus Dei et porta caeli.

                   - Gen.28.17

Suitable to Greatness and Majesty

The world thinks that our cathedrals should be less ostentatious, that such an expense is wasted.  What piffle.  We shall go on breaking the alabaster jar forever.  (Mark 14:3-9.)

"The Cathedral Church belongs properly to no particular parish, but that it is the Mother Church of the whole Diocese, such a temple should be built in a manner and style suitable to the Greatness and Majesty of Our Holy Religion."

     
       -  Bishop Michael Power, builder of St. Michael’s Cathedral

Remember Your Prelates

In the Narthex

No man is deader than a dead priest. 

His celibacy means that when he dies he leaves behind no wife or children.  No grandchildren will remember him.  In his retirement he loses touch with the parishioners he once served (who now have a new priest to think of) and if he was a prelate his authority may have separated him a little even from his fellow priests.

Remember Your Prelates Who Have Spoken the Word of God Unto You.

Night View from Starbucks

Roman Catholics do still observe a Eucharistic fast you know.  We must abstain from any food or drink no matter how deliciously dark-roasted for at least one hour before reception of Holy Eucharist. See 919.

This is much reduced from the fasts required of previous generations of Catholics and there are some who think it should be lengthened beyond only one hour again.

In any case, it is so nice to get a Starbucks Chai Latte...AFTER... mass.