Showing posts with label Cologne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cologne. Show all posts

Friday, January 7, 2011

Largest Bell in the World at Cologne Cathedral is Silenced

Largest free swinging bell in the world:  Shortly before the Epiphany Mass the clapper of the 24 ton bell -- The "decke Pitter" is the German Peace Bell.

The Most Famous Spires in Europe




Cologne (kath.net/KAP) Shock in the Cologne Cathedral: The bell known as "Decker Pitter" by the locals is silenced.  On Thursday morning the clapper with a 3.24 Meter diameter and with a weight of 24 tons, the largest free swinging bell in the world, fell.  The cause is still unknown.  Possibly there was some material weakening in the structure connecting the clapper to the bell itself.  No one was injured as the Cathedral Provost said to the Cologne "Express".

For that reason, at least till the repair of the Cologne Bell, the 21 ton St. Stephen's Cathedral bell is the largest free swinging, sounding bell in a church tower.  Its 800 kilogram weight clapper will be replaced by a lighter 200 kilogram clapper.

The deep C of the sound in the Cologne Cathedral should have pealed shortly before the 10 O'Clock hour of the Feast of the "Coming of the Magi" [Epiphany] on Three Kings Day. The approximately one ton clapper fell around 9:30, it is said.  It fell on the floor of the bell room and broke in two.  The Cathedral authority will inform the public, through a report on Cathedral Radio, about the extent of the damages.

Since 1924 "The German Peace Bell"

The Bell was poured in Thuringian Apolda in 1923. It was consecrated on 30 November 1924 as the "German Peace Bell".  The predecessor which was made from melted French rifles in 1873 was removed and melted down to make weapons in 1918.  The "decke Pitter" is struck on high Catholic feasts, and has been rung for the city only after the end of the Second World War and the Reunification of Germany.

The "decke Pitter" has held its record title as the largest free swinging bell till today -- to the annoyance of the citizens of the US City Newport.  There a would be patron financed the pouring of a 30 ton bell in France, which would have left the Peter's Bell in the dust.  In any case there isn't a church tower which is stable enough.

The largest bell in the world overall was probably the "Zar Kolkol" in Moscow poured in 1734.  It weighed 200 tons and is six meters high. It was never struck, because it was severely damaged by a fire at the bell smith.

Kath.net...here.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

SSPX Superior Father Schmidberger: "We Are Happy to Fulfill the Holy Father's Wish"

The SSPX Buys a New Church in Cologne 

Recently Purchased "New Apostle Church" in Cologne
(kreuz.net, Köln) The Society of Pius X has purchased a new church in Cologne.  They've recently just made this known.

The Superior of the German District, Father Franz Schmidberger is "very happy" about the new purchase:

"It is like a Christmas gift, that has come about because of the willingness of our faithful to sacrifice."

Father hopes that the new Church will bring the blessings of the Immemorial mass in and around Cologne. [Where there has been some trouble getting the Mass properly available to those who have requested it from the local Ordinary]

He recalls then that Pope Benedict XVI. has expressly desired the implementation  of the Mass in his 'Summorum Pontificum':

"We are very pleased that we could fulfill the Holy Father's wish and hope for a steadily growing stream of the faithful."

The Society bought the Church from a man-founded [and presumably defunct] sect, which was known as the "New Apostolic Church".

It is already the fourth church which the Society has purchased in this area and the seventh, which they have bought in total.

Also the Society has built twelve churches up till now.

In the meantime there are fifty offices in all where the Society celebrates the Mass in buildings which they've converted to chapels.


A Few Preparations Make a Church of God out of the Buildings

The Society's new church was built in 1951 and was completely rennovated in  1990.

The useable areas of the building consist of  350 Sq meters.  And the property on which is rests is 534 sq. meters.

The pews could be made suitable for the Old Mass with the addition of kneelers.

Also pews could be moved in order to make room for a communion rail where the choir area is.

Finally, they must remove the dinner table and construct a Catholic high altar.

In the gallery an organ will be built.  Otherwise, a place for the schola will have to be provided.

The existing  space could also have, without much building expenditure,  a sacristy, living and sleeping quarters as well as a lecture hall.

Link to kreuz.net...

Related Links:
44 Percent of Germans Want the Old Mass

Three Year Odyssey in Bonn: The Old Mass in Cologne is At Most, Tolerated

Friday, December 3, 2010

David Berger -- Will Homosexual be Fired as Religion Instructor?

The homosexual theologian has been fulminating for days against the teaching of the Church and is also attempting to justify his "homosexual-life" -- A speaker for the Archdiocese offers that matter at this point being arranged "is still in process".


Cologne (kath.net)  Will the contentious Cologne theologian David Berger leave his job as Catholic religion instructure, after he has been outed for months now as a practicing homosexual and having lived a double life for years?  In the Archdiocese of Cologne at this time a kath.net inquiry has been informed, "the entire matter at point being arranged "is still in process", exlained a speaker to kath,.net.

Berger has been publishing for some days his obscure theses to the media.  A very unfounded thesis for example was told to "Spiegel":  "It must be made known that a large number of Catholic priests and seminarians in Europe and the United States are homosexually inclined."  Berger is to this date still the religion teacher and German teacher at Ville-Gymnasium in Efstadt.

Kath.net then offers the Catechism and several citations from Holy Scripture: [Genesis 19, 1-29, Romans 1,24-27; 1 Corinthians 6,10; 1 Timothy 1,10]  They repudiate the natural law, because the propagation of life is closed to such a sex act.  They do not have a true and affective sexual maturity.  They are not in any case to be sanctioned.


Original, kath.net...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Three Year Odyssey in Bonn: At Most the Old Mass in Cologne is Tolerated


The Neo-Conservative, muzzled, Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne is probably a Pap-idolater but no friend of the old Mass. He doesn't care much for the numerous Traditionalists in his Diocese.

[kreuz.net, Bonn] For more than three years already, a group of Traditionalists in the south of the 320,000 population city of Bonn have been fighting for Old Mass.

This Odyssey has been recounted by Friederike Weigmann on the website 'summuorum-pontificum.de'.

Frau Weigmann speaks of a "blocked wall" against the old Literugy of the Church, which the engaged laity can hardly break through.

Bonn belongs to the Archdiocese of Cologne. The current Cardinal Joachim Meisner appears as an enemy of the Old Mass, although he appears at them and has ordained priests using it.

In Bonn there is only one Old Mass every fourteen days, which happens at 5 O'clock.

Bonn needs no Old Mass

Already on 17th November 2007 eighteen Traditionalists from southern Bonn approached Cardinal Meisner for an Old Mass.

They form today the 'Society for the Promotion of Summorum Pontificum Bonn e.V.'.

Shortly before Christmas in 2007 the request bit the dust. There is in the "Cologne Church" -- what is meant is the giant Archdiocese of Cologne -- already at four locations which have a regular Old Mass -- according to the Archdiocese.

In Bonn the qualifications for one regular Sunday Mass according to the so-called guidelines of the German Bishops Conference are not fulfilled -- decreed the Archdiocese.

In the same time frame the Archdiocese advertised a calendar of events of countless Carnival Masses in local Dialect.

The Cry For Help That Was Run in Circles


On December 29th 2007 'The Association for the Promotion of Summorum Pontificum in Bonn' descried its situation in distant Germany for Traditionalists to 'Pro Sancta Ecclesia'.

There the Traditionalists received further requests, which had likewise requested an Old Mass in Bonn.

Furthermore, the Society sent "the rejected request to Pro Sancta Ecclesia' to the Papal commission 'Ecclesia Dei"

Local Negotiations

On the 19th of December 2008 the Society spoke with a priest in the south of Bonn, Father John Nampiaparambil. He was newly established in his office.

The minister engaged in more discussions in the priests council, than he should have.

In summer 2009 he was surprised with an alleged sabbatical year in India.

After a reorganization came the new Pastor, Fr. Josey Thamarassery.

In this June the Society spoke also with him.

There he was also informed, that the number of those interested in the Old Mass had grown in the last three years.

Actually Fr. Thamarassery wanted to be informed over the applicants.

On the 20th of June he put off an invitation to a unique and privately organized gathering him reference to other obligations.

Another discussion date is not presently forthcoming.

Link to Orginal...kreuz.net...

© Bild: birmingham_lms_rep, CC

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Old Mass: New Swiss Archbishop Helps Out in Germany


The new generation of priests and young Catholics become independent of the decaying Old Liberal ideology.


[kreuz.net, Herzogenrath] Beginning this December in the City of Herzogenrath -- by Aachen in west Germany -- a Conference on the Liturgy will take place. This has been organized by the website Liturgische-Tagung.de. They give detailed information about the program and the background of the Conference.

The Congress will be carried by several Traditional Societies.

Among them are the 'Initiativekreise' of Cologne and Hamburg as well as the Lay Society, 'Una Voce'.

Other attendees are the 'Netzwerk katholiscer Priestr' [Network of Catholic Priests] and the youth movement 'Generation Benedikt'.

A highpoint of the Conference is a Pontifical Mass in the Old Rite with [newly appointed and beleaguered] Bishop Vitus Huonder of Chur in Switzerland. It will take place on December 2nd at four o'clock.

A further Pontifical Mass in the Old Rite will be celebrated by Cologne will be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus, Klaus Dick, on the 4th of December at ten o'clock.

Top Participants

The lecturers in appearance are all highly esteemed professors.

Subregent Tomas Stübinger von Eichstätt will speak about the duties and responsibilities of the pastor in the clerical profession.

The Freiburg Liturgist, Deacon Helmut Hoping, will lecture about "the restoration of the understanding of the Eucharistic Celebration as Sacrifice of the Mass."

A special guest will be the famous Norwegian convert Erik Mørstad.

He will have an essay on the them of "High priest Melchizedech and the High Priest Jesus Christ -- the Mystery of the Victim in the common writings of the Old and New Testaments."

The Conservative Anglican Bishop of Fulham in Great Britain, John C. Broadhurst, speaks about the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum Coetibus' as "Way to Rome".

Also there will be a discussion round table with the Bishops of various Christian Confessions.

Further lecturers are also the German Philosopher Robert Spaemann, Father Sven Leo Conrad of the Society of St. Peter and the Dutch Canon Lawyer, Father Gero P. Weishaupt.

Link to original...

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

When One Sees How the Holy Father Celebrates Mass Today, One can Barely Notice Any Difference Between That and His Ordination Mass


The Meal Table Is Frequently Little More than a Night Table in Front of a Magnificent Altar

A German Bishop has sharply criticized the post-conciliar liturgical reform. One wanted to tear out the altar --- and horribly degraded it.


[kreuz.net] The Liturgy must be recovered as the "holy life's blood" of the Church.

Bishop Emeritus Klaus Dick (82) of Cologne explained most recently in a lecture in Cologne. On Friday the Cologne 'Domradio' (Cathedral Radio) recording of the presentation. It consists most substantially from citations -- predominantly from Pope Benedict XVI.


A Break with Tradition


The effect of the post-conciliar Liturgical reform called for-- said Msgr Dick -- "the virtual self-destruction of the Liturgy".

More precisely he criticized so-called "creativity" in the Ligurgy.

He warned about that attitude, "that even the new form of the Liturgy is an obligation".

In the post-conciliar period Msgr Dick perceived with a citation from Cardinal Joseph Höffner (+1987) of Cologne that there was a cataclysmic "break with Tradition".


Porous Texts with an arbitrary Interpretation


In his lecture Msgr Dick criticized the Mass in the vernacular as well as the Eucharistic Celebration on the "Supper Table"

After the pastoral council it was known, that the Latin was suppressed (disestablished). The prelate corrected this, "The opposite is the case."

More accurately the Council deleted the value of the altar.

Indeed after that the Altar "had been so horribly degraded as never before."

In many churches there is placed before a high altar a "post-conciliar thing" -- lamented the Auxiliary Bishop the Furniture Industry.

In the concept "People's Altar" the Auxiliary Bishop said, that every altar must serve as a celebration with the people.

Even the term "celebrations-altar" Msgr Dick indicated was false: "Are there any altars where we don't celebrate?"

Already in these examples Msgr Dick sees, that the Liturgical Reform "is crooked".


Considerable Shortcomings only in the New Mass


In his lecture the Auxiliary Bishop tore the cheap polemics against the Mass of All Ages to pieces: "The Old Liturgy had considerable shortcomings."

He could not find any evidence of these.

In the entire lecture he mentioned only -- at another point --. that in the Old Mass on Sunday that [only] the preface of the Trinity was used.

Against that he found the New Missal used numerous prefaces for Sunday.

The Auxiliary Bishop found these to be "a great honor" for the Old Mass.

He desires practical changes in the Old Mass. So that the Rite would be, which is directed by Peter, supposedly "improved".

For that, he argued for the Pope's wish, that both Masses should enrich one another side by side.

Eucharistic Celebration Without Holiness

Bishop Dick submits, that in the New Eucharistic Celebration it loses sacrality.

Indeed this is a natural part of that Liturgy.

One gets the false intonation of the character of a meal applied to the liturgy: "It must be a successful meal."

Finally, Msgr Dick indirectly points out, that he doesn't understand the difference between the Old and the New Mass:

"When one sees how the Holy Father celebrates, one can barely notice any difference between that and his ordination Mass."

Link to original..