It is with sorrow that the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter learned today, December 31, 2022, of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was on several occasions a providential support for our community. As Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he was instrumental in the founding of the Fraternity and even visited its seminary in Wigratzbad for Holy Week in 1990. After his election to the chair of Peter, the personal contact continued, especially with the private audience he granted to his founders and the Superior General on July 6, 2009: it was for us the occasion to thank him for the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. A few months ago, from his place of retirement at the Mater Ecclesiæ monastery in the Vatican, he sent a private letter of encouragement to the Superior of the Fraternity of Saint Peter following the Motu Proprio Traditiones Custodes. The priests of the Fraternity, together with the faithful who are close to it, will be ardently praying for the repose of his soul. Requiem Masses with the absolution will be celebrated in the apostolates entrusted to the Fraternity in order to “pray to God that through the Sacrifice offered for the soul of his servant, the Sovereign Pontiff Benedict XVI, and after having raised him in this world to the papal office, he may be admitted into the celestial kingdom in the company of all the saints.” (secret of the Requiem Mass for a Sovereign Pontiff)  

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen  

The priests of Corpus Christ Chapel would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May the joy of the Christ Child reign in your homes this Christmas season. Please continue to pray that by the merits of Christ born in a cave that we will soon be able to give Christ a new home by building a big beautiful Church where He will be honored, adored, and loved!

On Tuesday, December 27th the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, there will be a special blessing of wine and spirits after the 5:15pm Mass at St. Agnes. Please bring your bottles with you to Mass and keep them with you in your pew. We will bless them and then pass through to sprinkle them with holy water. 

Wine is blessed on this day because according to tradition, St. John was served poisoned wine but survived because he blessed the wine before he put it to his lips; the poison rose from the chalice in the shape of a serpent. In his happy memory, Catholics bring wine to church, which the priest blesses, turning it into a sacramental called the “Love of St. John.” Catholics use this sacramental wine for special occasions throughout the year and to give to the sick.

The wine is also a symbol of the great love of Christ that filled St. John’s heart with loyalty, courage and enthusiasm for his Master. He alone of all the apostles was not afraid to stay close to Jesus during the Passion and Crucifixion and he was the only Apostle not martyred. At least some of the wine blessed on the feast should be enjoyed on the day of the feast itself. When it is drunk on his Feast Day, we drink it before dinner as a toast to St. John. The Father of the house lifts his glass toward Mother and says, “I drink you the love of St. John.” The Mother replies “I thank you for the Love of St. John” and then turns to the oldest child, lifts his glass, and says, “I drink you the love of St. John…” –and on it goes down the line until each has been toasted. The wine may be drunk as is, out of the bottle, or may be prepared as in this recipe:

St. John’s Love (serves 8)1 quart red wine

3 whole cloves

1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 two-inch cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar

Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Boil for 5 minutes (this pretty much evaporates all of the alcohol). Serve hot.

Here’s an English translation of the ritual for blessing the wine, translated from the 1962 Rituale Romanum:

BLESSING OF WINE on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

At the end of the principal Mass on the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, after the last Gospel, the priest, retaining all vestments except the maniple, blesses wine brought by the people. This is done in memory and in honor of St. John, who drank without any ill effects the poisoned wine offered to him by his enemies.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

If it please you, Lord God, bless and consecrate this vessel of wine (or any other beverage) by the power of your right hand; and grant that, through the merits of St. John, apostle and evangelist, all your faithful who drink of it may find it a help and a protection. As the blessed John drank the poisoned potion without any ill effects, so may all who today drink the blessed wine in his honor be delivered from poisoning and similar harmful things. And as they offer themselves body and soul to you, may they obtain pardon of all their sins; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Lord, bless this creature drink, so that it may be a health- giving medicine to all who use it; and grant by your grace that all who taste of it may enjoy bodily and spiritual health in calling on your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come on this wine (or any other beverage) and remain always.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water. If the blessing is given privately outside of Mass, the priest is vested in surplice and stole and performs the ceremony as given above.

On Thursday January 5th, the vigil of the Epiphany, we will have the traditional blessing of the Epiphany water. Mass will be at 4:00 pm at St. Agnes and not at 5:15pm. The blessing of the Epiphany water will take place immediately after Mass. This blessing takes time and there is another group using the chapel after us. This is why Mass will begin early. 

If you would like to have water blessed, please bring it in large containers (as opposed to many small containers) to the back of the chapel by the tables which are near the entrance.

Kits with Epiphany water, blessed incense, and blessed chalk (water, incense, and chalk were all blessed last year) will be available to use for renewing of the blessing already imparted on your home; a donation of $5 is asked. The prayer of blessing to print here; just make sure to change the year to '2022.'  

If you are a registered parishioner with Corpus Christi Chapel and your house has not been blessed, please feel free to sign up.

Gold, incense, myrrh, and chalk will be blessed after Mass on January 6th. 

A plenary indulgence may be gained by publicly saying or singing the Veni Creator Spiritus on the first day of the year (January 1st). Click here for all the requirements to gain a plenary indulgence.

All are invited to the funeral Mass of Corpus Christi parishioner Gilda Porcelli who died this past Sunday, December 11th. Her sung Requiem Mass will be on Wednesday, December 21st at 11am at St Agnes' Chapel. Even if you cannot be present, we ask you to pray 3 Hail Marys for the repose of her soul. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

As we count down the days till Christmas, the Church presents several beautiful liturgical items for our contemplation as we prepare ourselves interiorly for the coming of the Savior. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed right about now by the tasks on your holiday to-do list, perhaps take a moment to recall the things that the Church places before our minds at this time in Advent.

On Saturday the 3rd we celebrated the traditional Rorate Mass, the early-morning votive Mass in honor of Our Lady that is celebrated in the hour before dawn. With a plethora of candles providing the only light for the Mass, it is an image of the Light Who is soon to dispel the darkness of the world. Next was Gaudete Sunday, when, amidst the waiting and penances of Advent, we expressed liturgically the joy and excitement that is building in our hearts: Gaudéte in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte (“Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice.” – from the Introit for Gaudete Sunday).

This week we celebrated the Advent Ember Days on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as the first of the Greater Advent Antiphons, commonly called the “O Antiphons.” These occur on the 7 days leading up to Christmas Eve, the 17th through the 23rd, and are a part of the office of Vespers on those days. While not all of us say the Divine Office regularly, these Antiphons should sound familiar to us nonetheless, because one of the best-known Advent hymns, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” is based on them. They are a beautiful reflection on the role of the Savior, the long expectation of His coming among the people of Israel, and the convergence of the events of the Old Testament into the point in history, the fullness of time, when the Savior was to appear.

So we encourage you to reflect on the O Antiphons as we draw near to the time of Our Lord’s Nativity, and may these final days of Advent be free from worldly worries and filled instead with the peace of the coming Savior. 

December 17th

O Wisdom, Which camest out of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come and teach us the way of prudence.

December 18th

O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and didst give unto him the law on Sinai: come and with an outstretched arm redeem us.

December 19th

O Root of Jesse, Which standest for an ensign of the people, before Whom kings shall keep silence, Whom the Gentiles shall beseech: come and deliver us, and tarry not.

December 20th

O Key of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel, that openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: come and bring the prisoner forth from the prison-house, and him that sitteth in darkness and in the shadow death.

December 21st

O Day-Spring, Brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice, come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

December 22nd

O King of the Gentiles and the desire thereof, Thou cornerstone that makest both one, come and deliver mankind, whom Thou didst form out of clay.

December 23rd

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the desire of the nations and the Savior thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God.

Sunday, December 11th, from 10:30am to 12:30pm we will have a potluck for the whole parish at Royal Palm Academy. Please bring food to share. Coffee and baked goods will be sold by the Maidens of our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament to fund their "nun-run" trip. 

Monday, December 12th, is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Diocese of Venice. We will have a sung Mass at 5:15pm at St. Agnes. 

Tuesday, December 13th, we will have our women's group from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. 

Wednesday, December 14th, we will have our men's group meeting from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

Thursday, December 15th, we will have our weekly Legion of Mary meeting. 

Saturday, December 17th, at 9am we will have our usual activities and classes at Royal Palm Academy. 

Saturday, December 17th, we will have our Las Posadas celebration at 5pm at a parishioner's home. Feel free to bring food to share. 

The Maidens of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament are hosting a bake sale (and a few other items) at the potluck this Sunday, December 11th. The proceeds will go to the "Nun-Run" trip in the spring. The senior Maidens have the chance to learn about the life of a Sister, to awaken a desire to pray for their vocation, and to ultimately do God's will no matter what vocation He calls them to. The trip will include stops at various monasteries, FSSP apostolates, and attendance at the FSSP ordinations. Donations would be appreciated. Please take this unique opportunity to support vocations in our community. 

Did you know the building fund qualifies for tax-free IRA distributions?

It's true! Corpus Christi Chapel is a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is eligible to receive tax-free donations directly from certain IRAs. For years members of our community have used this process provided by law to maximize their giving to the building fund rather than Uncle Sam.

The simple way it works:

Instead of taking a normal IRA distribution to a personal account, paying tax, and then making a donation from your personal account, a donation can be made directly from qualifying IRAs to the building fund without any taxation. Depending upon one's tax rate this could be a significant increase in the impact of your donation without costing an extra penny!

What's the catch?

To qualify for the calendar year, donations must be made by the end of December. Otherwise, there really isn't one - if you qualify it's a very straightforward process which allows donors to maximize their impact to causes they care about.

Next Steps to Smarter Giving:

If you think this may be a tool you or someone you know can use:

1. Confirm your eligibility for Qualified Charitable Distributions from you IRA with your tax professional and investment advisor
2. If you are eligible arrange for a check to be made out to Corpus Christi Chapel directly from the account. (Some members of our Chapel community have checkbooks specifically for the purpose of making direct distributions to qualifying charities such as Corpus Christi Chapel.)

If you have any questions you can reach out to Fr. van Zee at [email protected]

Details, Eligibility and Donation Limits

Certain IRA holders have the opportunity to make tax-free distributions from their IRAs to qualified charitable organizations. For tax-free eligibility, the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) must be sent directly from the IRA payable to the receiving qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The distribution may be processed by the IRA custodian or by the IRA owner via checkwriting.

Although the SECURE Act raised the required minimum distribution age to 72, IRA holders can continue to make QCDs at age 70 1/2.* In addition, beneficiaries of inherited IRAs who meet the age requirement can also take advantage of QCDs. For those who qualify, the maximum IRA charitable distribution is limited to $100,000 per individual per tax year. Any distribution in excess of this limit will not qualify for the tax exclusion benefit and will be treated as ordinary income. The provision applies for traditional, Roth, and inherited IRAs, but does not typically apply to distributions from “active” SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, or any Qualified Plan.

* Deductible contributions to your traditional IRA after age 70 1/2 may reduce your ability to make tax-free QCDs in the future.