Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad

The ever wonderful blogger Dymphna on Cardinal Burke:

“Sure, I’d like the cardinal to stand up and start preaching like a lion but he’s not that guy. He’s not coming to save  the Faith as practiced by traditional Catholics.  Burke will get a Mass at St. Peter’s in October. It will be lovely. Trad Inc. will trot out that, “We’re back,” nonsense and Michael Matt, bless his heart will get all red in the face and sweaty while bellowing, “Unite the clans!”. Soon afterwards Fr. Martin will either get another visit to the Vatican or there will be another  event for those who are living in sexual sin.”

Read the rest here.

Is a great state fair!

Howdy, folks! This here is my new friend Boris (or as I call him, “Future Bacon”). He weighs 1,000 lbs at the tender age of 4.

This is the upswing in my love/hate relationship with the great state of Texas.

Hopefully the final update. Reader TM sent the following link. www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2025/08/arranging-breviary-for-rest-of.html?m=1 This seems to be due to a revision in the rubrics of 1960 which explains why my parish celebrated the Ember Wednesday today (9/24) but many others did so last week (9/17).

*******I posted the following a few minutes ago and quickly received an email pointing out my error. It seems the ember days were last week. My parish bulletin has a misprint. Nevertheless, fasting and prayer are still a good idea. Carry on. **********

DOUBLE UPDATE: Not only does my parish bulletin have them as starting today but the calendar on the wall of my kitchen has them starting today. So, mindless of the confusion…

Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of this week are the Ember Days for Autumn.

Though not enforce, nor hardly even mentioned anymore, these are three days set aside, seasonally as days of fasting and penance.

What is the state of your soul?

How much time do you wish to spend in purgatory?

Is there anything afflicting your family, your parish, your community?

Do we really need additional reasons to fast and pray?

Husbands and fathers, this is a beautiful time and a salutary way to edify your families.

Fast and pray.

Go to confession.

Lead those in your care.

Perhaps it may be said of you one day, “Fidelis servus et prudens…”

“The faithful and wise steward whom his Lord set over his family to give them their measure of wheat in due season.” – Luke 12:42

On my recent business trip I was pleasantly surprised to find a TLM in a diocesan parish. It only took me driving thirty minutes from the edge of the suburbs where I was staying into downtown at 6:30 in the morning. The downtown thing didn’t bother me. I’m just thinking of the fact that he Mass of all time used to be the only Mass at every Catholic Church and now I have to be “pleasantly surprised” to find one when I travel to a major American city.

In any event, the good people of this parish were welcoming as I would expect. I was a little thrown off by the Epislte and Gospel in the vernacular (as in at the altar, not as a translation before a sermon). Also, I generally bristle at a dialogue Mass. Nonetheless, it was more than edifying to see the entire student body of the adjacent academy at Mass in the morning.

God is far better to me than I deserve.

I got to see the Benjamin Harrison house!

It’s the little things in life that keep this presidential history nerd happy.

I’ve been thinking about the terrible assassination of Charlie Kirk a lot over the past week, as I know May of you have as well.

I have been praying for the repose of his soul. I have also been praying for his widow and two children.

In the daily novena prayers that I pray every day to St. Rita of Cascia, there is a line that has been bouncing around my mind lately.

“By the anguish you felt at the murder of your husband, obtain our request for us.”

I don’t dare to presume Erika Kirk will ever read this post but if she does, I want her to know that she can always take comfort and find solace in the saints of God, the saints of our shared Catholic faith.

St. Rita witnessed her husband’s assassination too. She had two children who lost their father. And she also publicly forgave her husband’s killer.

I urge you to take her as an advocate and protectress and to make her your intercessor.

God bless you!

St. Rita of Cascia, patron of the impossible, pray for us!

Prayers for safe travels (again) are always appreciated.

Without divulging precisely where I’m headed, I pls to visit the home of Benjamin Harrison while there. For those who didn’t follow along in US History class, look him up and then you’ll get the title of this post.

Holy Angels, protect us in our travels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Harrison?wprov=sfti1#Cabinet