Above is The Denver Post's picture of Ms. Joyce Calvo-Chen In December 2019, a young woman named Miss Alana Chen (see picture far below) was found dead at age 24 and Boulder County, Colorado ruled it a suicide. Her mother, Ms. Joyce Calvo-Chen (see featured image at top) immediately pinned it on the past counseling of two diocesan priests (including myself) and two religious sisters. This was despite the fact I had not seen Alana for three years before her death.  This was despite the fact that I was a priest at Joyce and Alana's Boulder parish from 2010-2011—a full nine years before Alana's death.  At her death, I blogged [...]

In the 16th century, Pope St. Pius V wrote that no "superiors" can ever push "secular priests" or "religious" to be  "coerced to alter" the Traditional Latin Mass, for the Council of Trent showed that it has its roots in Apostolic times.  The following is a quote from Quo Primum from Pope St. Pius V.  This document is part of the ordinary Magisterium that has been considered infallible and unchangeable.  It entirely binds the Roman Catholic priest to never offer anything except the traditional Roman Rite, frequently called the Tridentine Mass: Furthermore, by these presents [this law], in virtue of Our Apostolic authority, We grant and concede in perpetuity that, for [...]

There are a few different ways to offer the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM): 1) The Solemn High Mass (which is the standard from the early Church, even though it is the most ornate.  See picture above for an example.) The Solemn High Mass requires three clerics (priest, deacon and sub-deacon) as well as many acolytes and a choir.  (A Pontifical High Mass is a Solemn High Mass with a bishop as the main cleric.) 2) The Missa Cantata, which requires a priest, several servers and a choir. (Thus, it is less ornate than the Solemn High Mass.) 3) The low Mass which can be offered by a priest with no [...]

The above is the renewal of my rule of life under the Archdiocese of Denver from 26 July 2021 to 30 June 2024.  I blurred out my chancery's seal so as to prevent online hackers from copying it.  But more interesting:  Notice that first date in reference to the life of the Latin Mass world in the Church. Now, some people ask me: Why does a hermit maintain some external apostolates?  Isn't this more the life of a monk-missionary than a hermit?  Yes.  But I give two reasons here: 1) I struggle with insomnia, I may do my several hours of prayer one day at a different time from the [...]