Show some love for the raddest rock climbing dad in your family!

Radical Traditionalist T-Shirt. With a subtle, classic color palette, this trendy typography design shirt will please the most discerning traditional Catholic! Wear it to meet with your Rad Trad friends, or give as a unique TLM gift. HOW TO ORDER 1) Choose the shirt size you'd like in the 1st drop down menu. See below for help with Sizing & Fit. 2) Select the shirt color you prefer in the 2nd drop down menu. PRODUCT FEATURES & SPECS This Premium Unisex t-shirt has a crew neck, standard-length short sleeves, and a flattering fit on both men and women. Made by Bella + Canvas, it’s lightweight, super soft and comfortable, with just the right amount of give. The Solid colors are 100% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton. Heather colors are 52% cotton and 48% polyester. FIT AND SIZING These shirts have a unisex fit and run true to size. Ladies – please order a size down if you prefer a slimmer fit. Size chart for this shirt is included in the product photos. Just scroll though to view. Shirt measurements are listed for each size. If you’re not sure about what size to order, the surest way to get a good fit is to grab a favorite shirt at home whose fit you love. Lie that shirt on a flat surface and measure the width and length. Compare that measurement to our size chart and order the closest match. HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR SHIRT For best results: Turn t-shirt inside out before washing. Machine wash with like colors, using mild deterrent and in cold water. Tumble dry low or hang to dry. (You can also tumble in the dryer for 6-10 minutes, then hang to finish drying. This will remove wrinkles but also keep fabric from excessive shrinking.) Do not dry clean and never iron shirts over designs. COLOR VARIATIONS We try very hard to be sure colors of shirts and designs are depicted as accurately as possible. However, different devices and screens interpret colors differently. Please be aware that the colors of the actual product may differ slightly than what you see on your screen. HOW LONG TILL IT ARRIVES? The time to print your made-to-order shirt is typically 2-5 business days. Shipping time is an additional 3-5 business days for US orders; 4-15 days for international. REFUND & RETURN POLICY : PLEASE READ CAREFULLY All t-shirts are made to order, therefore we are unable to issue refunds for items purchased. Exceptions to this are shirts that arrive damaged, defective, or if you did not receive the product your ordered. If you're not satisfied with the product or if you need a change due to a defect, damage, or incorrect item, please message me within 3 days of receiving your order. I'll do my best to make sure things are made right! ORDER CANCELLATION OR MODIFICATION Please check your order details carefully. If you're considering any kind of changes, please message me before purchase! Since your order will be sent to production immediately after purchase, I'm generally not able to make changes or cancellations once the order has gone through. QUESTIONS / CONCERNS? Please reach out to us directly if you have any questions on our products or policies. We are here to help, and truly want your experience with Character Study Studio to be exceptional. All the best and thank you for shopping with us! ~ Character Study Studio

First, let me say that contrary to many contemporary opinions the old Holy Saturday liturgy was not at the wrong time. It was at an unusal time, morning, rather than after the canonical hour of None, around 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm, but it was never a night time liturgy. Also, it is not Easter's Mass done the day before, nor is it a midnight Mass, as at Christmas. It is a Mass and liturgy meant to help us anticipate the Resurrection. Let us see what the Church has given us. The liturgy begins after None, the last "little hour" of the afternoon. The deacon and subdeacon still wear the folded chasubles, their penitential vestments. The clergy and laity gather outside the church, where, hopefully, someone has lit a fire. The priest, vested in violet, sings three luminously themed prayers: the first referring to the "brightness of Your Son," the second calling God the "Creator of all lights," and the third an actual blessing. This is very reminiscent of the Eastern blessing at the end of Divine Liturgy, which quotes St. James in calling God the "Father of Lights," of all that is perfect, luminous, and good. A server ignites coals and the priest imposes and blesses incense. He sparges the Holy Fire with blessed water and then incenses it. He also blesses five grains of incense which he be inserted into the Pascal Candle, representing the light of Christ throughout Easter season, inside the church. The deacon then changes his penitential folded chasuble for a white dalmatic and maniple. He takes a large, triple-branched candle and, lighting a new wick from the Holy Fire, enters the church exclaiming Lumen Christi—"The Light of Christ." This happens twice more until we are in the church proper. A deacon with the triple-candle preparing to enter the church. The deacon then petitions the priest for a blessing, approaches the Paschal Candle, which is off to the Gospel side of the altar, and sings the Exultet, a long blessing. The Exultet is rich with imagery of light in the night and the deliverance from Egypt. This day is the deliverance from our spiritual Egypt: Sin and Death. Part way through, the deacon inserts the five grains of incense, calling them an "evening sacrifice," and lights the Paschal Candle. The video to the left is a singing of the Exultet at St. Peter's Basilica two years ago. I find the continued use of the prayer in the newer rites odd, given that none of the actions mentioned in the text are performed, nor is the intention any longer to bless! The prayer concludes with a petition for the Pope and the, no longer extant, Holy Roman Emperor. The lights of the church go on at the words Vere beata nox—"Oh, truly blessed night!" In the middle ages, when this ceremony took place in day light, the windows of the church would be covered in dark cloth, which would be removed at those words, washing the church in God's light after a spiritual slumber. The deacon returns to his penitential folded-chasuble and, along with the priest and subdeacon, read twelve prophecies, which are chanted by lectors in the middle of the choir. The prophecies together form the story of salvation, both in anticipation and in prediction of Christ: Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-2: The creation of the world by God, the ruler of all things. He sees that it is good. Genesis chapters 5-8: The Great Flood and God's commissioning of Noah to build an ark. The ark is a foreshadowing of the Church, which God gives us to protect us from the Flood of Sin. Genesis 22:1-9: Abram is about to offer his son, Isaac, but an angel intervenes. For his love of God, the Lord makes a covenant with him and renames the man Abraham. Exodus 14:24-15:1: God lets the Israelites pass through Egypt unto freedom through the Red Sea, which drowns the pursuing forces of the Pharoah. Baptism will be our watery means of passing unto freedom. Isaiah 54:17, 55:1-11: God has heard the cry of His people and will honor the promises to David. Baruch 3:9-38: God has absolute knowledge and dominion over His creation. Ezekiel 37:1-14: The bones of the fallen will rise again under the spirit of the Lord. Isaiah 4:1-6: The Lord will wash away the "filth of Jerusalem" and build a covenant. Exodus 12:1-11: God prescribes the Passover sacrifice of a lamb to the Jews, which will deliver them from God's plague over the first-borns of Egypt. They will be free. Christ is the perfect, spotless Lamb, the perfect sacrifice. He will intercede for us before the Father. Jonah 3:1-10: The prophet Jonah convinces the city of Nineveh to repent of their sins and do penance, averting their impending destruction. Penance is necessary to pay the debt of sin, not just to be forgiven. Deuteronomy 31:22-30: Moses provides for his death and the continuation of the Israelites into the promised land. This succession of leaders will continue until Christ. Daniel 3:1-24: King Nabuchodonosor attempts to kill three Jewish children for not worshiping his idols. They are thrown into a fire, but angels guard them. In between these readings are sung various prayers and sung psalms. A procession forms and heads to the baptismal font. The priest blesses the empty font and the water in it by plunging the Paschal Candle three times. He sprinkles water towards the four points of the compass and then the faithful with Holy Water from the font, and then infuses Holy Oils into it. He proceeds to baptize and confirm any converts present in the normal manner. The procession then returns to the altar as the choir sings the Litany of Saints, doubling the invocations and answers (ex: choir: Pater de caelis, Deus, Miserere nobis people: Pater de caelis, Deus, Miserere nobis). If there is no font, everything until the Litany is excluded. Everyone kneels for the duration of the Litany, which takes the place of the Introit of the Mass. The intention of the Litany is mainly to pray for converts, but also for the Church as a whole, as She enters the Paschal mystery. The priest, deacon, and subdeacon remove their outer vestments and prostrate themselves. Towards the end of the Litany the priest and his ministers rise and head to the sacristy to vest in white vestments for Mass. Servers prepare the altar with the missal and put on the best, most festive frontal. The altar candles are lit from the Paschal Candle. The ministers of Mass return and sing a normal solemn high Mass. The Gloria is the lovely Lux et Origo setting. The Epistle is from St. Paul's letter to the Colassians, in which the Apostles tells us that if we are dead with Christ, Christ will rise and us with Him. The priest sings Alleluia for the first time in two months. Absorbed in joy, he sings it three times, each higher and each repeated by the choir. The Gospel, taken from St. Matthew's account of the myrrh-bearing women finding the empty tomb, is accented by the fact that candles are not carried in the procession, emphasizing that the Resurrection has not yet happened for us, but that we are anticipating it. All of this subtlety is indicative of the restraint of the old Roman rite. The celebrant reads the Gospel before the deacon sings it. As this is a vigil, the Creed is not sung. There is no verse or chant prescribed for the offertory, so the organ is played or Latin hymns are sung. The preface is of Easter. During the Canon of the Mass, the Communicantes prayer is unique: "Communicating, and keeping this most holy night of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh; and also reverencing the memory...." The Pax is not given and the Agnus Dei is omitted. This may be for two reasons: (1) the Lamb is not yet risen and with us or (2) this liturgy is so old that it pre-dates the eighth century introduction of the Agnus Dei. After communion and the cleansing of the vessels, a short Holy Saturday Vespers is sung rather than a communion chant. It is psalm 116, surrounded by a triple Alleluia. The priest begins the antiphon on the Mangificat: Vespere autem sabati.... During the Magnificat everyone is incensed as usual. The priest sings the post-communion prayer, which I have given below: Pour forth, O Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit of thy love into our hearts, and by thy mercy make all them to be of one mind to whom Thou hast given to eat of thy mystic Passover. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen. The dismissal is Ite, missa est, alleluia! Alleluia. The Deo gratias response is also given a double alleluia. The priest says the Placeat, gives the blessing, and recites the Last Gospel as normal. It is traditional to end the liturgy with the Regina Coeli. Queen of Heaven, rejoice! Alleluia! For He Who you did merit to bear, Alleluia! Has risen as He said, Alleluia! Pray for us to God, Alleluia! These rites would end about four hours after they started. The main point of celebrating this liturgy early was so that Paschal Mattins and Lauds could start at a reasonable time. The twentieth century de-emphasis of the Divine Office saddens me. Paschal Mattins and Lauds are the most important liturgical event of the entire week, more so than any Mass or office. In these offices we formally begin the celebration of the Resurrection. In Eastern Churches the people wander the church looking for Christ, but not finding Him! He is risen! They then sing Mattins and Lauds at midnight, followed by Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is of Easter Sunday, it is not a vigil nor is it a midnight Mass, as we have on Christmas. The reformers lost this critical difference and canned the most important office of the year in the process. In the West there would be a Resurrection ceremony, which would find the sepulcher created on Good Friday empty, the crucifix would be adored again as on Good Friday, and Mattins and Lauds would be sung. Mattins has one nocturn, with lesson from a sermon of Pope St. Gregory the Great, in which the saintly pontiff says we, the Church, must come to Christ's tomb bearing gifts like the women if we are to be surprised and rejoice. The Te Deum is sung de tempore for the first time in two months. At Lauds, the first antiphon declares that an angel descended from heaven to roll back the stone. The antiphons for this Lauds are among the most beautiful of the year. There is no hymn at Mattins or Lauds. The dismissal has a double Alleluia, as at Mass. The office ends with the Regina Coeli again. Easter has begun at this point.

Gewicht: 22g/m

Some readers versed in medieval History or sacred architecture will know the name Cluny immediately. A monastery famous for the abbot St. Hugh, for the diffusion of Benedictine monasticism in France, and for two particularly great reformer-Popes (St. Gregory VII and Urban II), Cluny was perhaps the most iconic religious center of Europe in the Middle Ages. A community of remarkable wealth, the monks had different colored habits for the corresponding color of the day or liturgical season. Cluny did not possess a reputation for taking penance very seriously. At its height the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and a separate segment of the complex for the housing and education of novices. The order's spreading of monasticism eventually led to its own undoing, as more people joined Cluniac priories or new orders that arose during the high Middle Ages, such as the Cistercians. The Great Western Schism further weakened the monastery and the French Revolution ended up as the straw that broke the camel's back—the archives were incinerated and the abbey church became a rock quarry. The abbey church of Cluny, in its third incarnation, was large enough to give St. Peter's and St. Paul Outside the Wall in Rome a serious run for the title "largest church in the world." The church has dozens of substantially sized chapels for private Masses, which pilgrims probably attended when passing through the abbey. In the morning and evening one or two hundred monks would line each side of the choir for Mattins, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, and the conventual Mass(es). Today only one transept of the abbey church, the third built on that spot, survives. Although Romanesque, it looks a little bit Armenian, with the octagonal sides and vertically accentuated windows. The inside of the remnant From americansinfrance.net A model collating the remnant with a skeleton of the actual abbey church A layout of the monastery proper. Note the narrow entrance to the abbey church, which widens in the narthex, and more so in the nave. Windows would have progressively increased in size, illuminating the church as one approached the sanctuary, which would be washed in bright light, a physical reminder of the spiritual journey to God. The placing of the baptismal font in the rear of most churches reflects the same idea. A drawing of the sanctuary and transepts. The rood screen, which has no rood in this image, separates the sanctuary from the nave. Note the communion rail. I do not know which era the artist intended to capture in this image, but the railing seems improper, unless I am missing something. from: learn.columbia.edu A cross section of the same area from: soffits.wordpress.com One artist's idea of what walking through the abbey might have been like. Unfortunately the artist has neglected the colorful décor of the Middle Ages. Statues, or even walls, would have been painted in numerous beautiful colors, depicting Christ, angels, saints, and events in an overwhelming visual blaze. from: http://flashinformatique.epfl.ch/spip.php?article1360 The exterior of the church from: ioansoran.wordpress.com A large-scale depiction of the entire Cluniac complex from: brynmawr.edu A cutaway of the church, exposing the bases of the columns, whereby the arches would force the pillars to support one another The apse of the abbey's retreat chapel, likely a replica of the apse of the conventual church from: wga.hu A 3D reconstruction of the church We are in dire need of a greater emphasis on the vertical and on color and luminosity in Christian architecture today. Let us drop the psuedo-simplistic, bare-walls style of modern day, and also that "sweet" look so popular in a lot of 19th and early 20th century churches, and go for that which makes man look up to God. Even in a small parish this is a very plausible endeavor. Was this that much cheaper to build.... ....than this? Come on. 

Some readers versed in medieval History or sacred architecture will know the name Cluny immediately. A monastery famous for the abbot St. Hugh, for the diffusion of Benedictine monasticism in France, and for two particularly great reformer-Popes (St. Gregory VII and Urban II), Cluny was perhaps the most iconic religious center of Europe in the Middle Ages. A community of remarkable wealth, the monks had different colored habits for the corresponding color of the day or liturgical season. Cluny did not possess a reputation for taking penance very seriously. At its height the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and a separate segment of the complex for the housing and education of novices. The order's spreading of monasticism eventually led to its own undoing, as more people joined Cluniac priories or new orders that arose during the high Middle Ages, such as the Cistercians. The Great Western Schism further weakened the monastery and the French Revolution ended up as the straw that broke the camel's back—the archives were incinerated and the abbey church became a rock quarry. The abbey church of Cluny, in its third incarnation, was large enough to give St. Peter's and St. Paul Outside the Wall in Rome a serious run for the title "largest church in the world." The church has dozens of substantially sized chapels for private Masses, which pilgrims probably attended when passing through the abbey. In the morning and evening one or two hundred monks would line each side of the choir for Mattins, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, and the conventual Mass(es). Today only one transept of the abbey church, the third built on that spot, survives. Although Romanesque, it looks a little bit Armenian, with the octagonal sides and vertically accentuated windows. The inside of the remnant From americansinfrance.net A model collating the remnant with a skeleton of the actual abbey church A layout of the monastery proper. Note the narrow entrance to the abbey church, which widens in the narthex, and more so in the nave. Windows would have progressively increased in size, illuminating the church as one approached the sanctuary, which would be washed in bright light, a physical reminder of the spiritual journey to God. The placing of the baptismal font in the rear of most churches reflects the same idea. A drawing of the sanctuary and transepts. The rood screen, which has no rood in this image, separates the sanctuary from the nave. Note the communion rail. I do not know which era the artist intended to capture in this image, but the railing seems improper, unless I am missing something. from: learn.columbia.edu A cross section of the same area from: soffits.wordpress.com One artist's idea of what walking through the abbey might have been like. Unfortunately the artist has neglected the colorful décor of the Middle Ages. Statues, or even walls, would have been painted in numerous beautiful colors, depicting Christ, angels, saints, and events in an overwhelming visual blaze. from: http://flashinformatique.epfl.ch/spip.php?article1360 The exterior of the church from: ioansoran.wordpress.com A large-scale depiction of the entire Cluniac complex from: brynmawr.edu A cutaway of the church, exposing the bases of the columns, whereby the arches would force the pillars to support one another The apse of the abbey's retreat chapel, likely a replica of the apse of the conventual church from: wga.hu A 3D reconstruction of the church We are in dire need of a greater emphasis on the vertical and on color and luminosity in Christian architecture today. Let us drop the psuedo-simplistic, bare-walls style of modern day, and also that "sweet" look so popular in a lot of 19th and early 20th century churches, and go for that which makes man look up to God. Even in a small parish this is a very plausible endeavor. Was this that much cheaper to build.... ....than this? Come on. 

Some readers versed in medieval History or sacred architecture will know the name Cluny immediately. A monastery famous for the abbot St. Hugh, for the diffusion of Benedictine monasticism in France, and for two particularly great reformer-Popes (St. Gregory VII and Urban II), Cluny was perhaps the most iconic religious center of Europe in the Middle Ages. A community of remarkable wealth, the monks had different colored habits for the corresponding color of the day or liturgical season. Cluny did not possess a reputation for taking penance very seriously. At its height the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and a separate segment of the complex for the housing and education of novices. The order's spreading of monasticism eventually led to its own undoing, as more people joined Cluniac priories or new orders that arose during the high Middle Ages, such as the Cistercians. The Great Western Schism further weakened the monastery and the French Revolution ended up as the straw that broke the camel's back—the archives were incinerated and the abbey church became a rock quarry. The abbey church of Cluny, in its third incarnation, was large enough to give St. Peter's and St. Paul Outside the Wall in Rome a serious run for the title "largest church in the world." The church has dozens of substantially sized chapels for private Masses, which pilgrims probably attended when passing through the abbey. In the morning and evening one or two hundred monks would line each side of the choir for Mattins, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, and the conventual Mass(es). Today only one transept of the abbey church, the third built on that spot, survives. Although Romanesque, it looks a little bit Armenian, with the octagonal sides and vertically accentuated windows. The inside of the remnant From americansinfrance.net A model collating the remnant with a skeleton of the actual abbey church A layout of the monastery proper. Note the narrow entrance to the abbey church, which widens in the narthex, and more so in the nave. Windows would have progressively increased in size, illuminating the church as one approached the sanctuary, which would be washed in bright light, a physical reminder of the spiritual journey to God. The placing of the baptismal font in the rear of most churches reflects the same idea. A drawing of the sanctuary and transepts. The rood screen, which has no rood in this image, separates the sanctuary from the nave. Note the communion rail. I do not know which era the artist intended to capture in this image, but the railing seems improper, unless I am missing something. from: learn.columbia.edu A cross section of the same area from: soffits.wordpress.com One artist's idea of what walking through the abbey might have been like. Unfortunately the artist has neglected the colorful décor of the Middle Ages. Statues, or even walls, would have been painted in numerous beautiful colors, depicting Christ, angels, saints, and events in an overwhelming visual blaze. from: http://flashinformatique.epfl.ch/spip.php?article1360 The exterior of the church from: ioansoran.wordpress.com A large-scale depiction of the entire Cluniac complex from: brynmawr.edu A cutaway of the church, exposing the bases of the columns, whereby the arches would force the pillars to support one another The apse of the abbey's retreat chapel, likely a replica of the apse of the conventual church from: wga.hu A 3D reconstruction of the church We are in dire need of a greater emphasis on the vertical and on color and luminosity in Christian architecture today. Let us drop the psuedo-simplistic, bare-walls style of modern day, and also that "sweet" look so popular in a lot of 19th and early 20th century churches, and go for that which makes man look up to God. Even in a small parish this is a very plausible endeavor. Was this that much cheaper to build.... ....than this? Come on. 

Most "EWTN Catholics” (for lack of a better term) might be surprised to find that in the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) world, there is sharp divide down the middle between those who believe that the private revelations of Sr. Faustina Kowalska are authentic, versus those who do not. I am referring to the

Ancient Rome was the capital of the known and civilized world. Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire recalls the power and honor due to the City at the height of her Imperial powers: "In the second century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilised portion of mankind. The frontiers of that extensive monarchy were guarded by ancient renown and disciplined valour. The gentle but powerful influence of laws and manners had gradually cemented the union of the provinces. Their peaceful inhabitants enjoyed and abused the advantages of wealth and luxury. The image of a free constitution was preserved with decent reverence: the Roman senate appeared to possess the sovereign authority, and devolved on the emperors all the executive powers of government. During a happy period of more than fourscore years, the public administration was conducted by the virtue and abilities of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines. It is the design of this, and of the two succeeding chapters, to describe the prosperous condition of their empire; and afterwards, from the death of Marcus Antoninus, to deduce the most important circumstances of its decline and fall; a revolution which will ever be remembered, and is still felt by the nations of the earth." Gibbon was quite gifted with adjectives. In the modern day, scholars and tourists alike remember and glorify Renaissance and baroque Rome for its humanism, its revival of painting and sculpture, its place at the center of emerging nationalistic politics, and for its romantic ambiance. This is the Rome of Bernini, Michelangelo, Sixtus V, and Urban VIII. One would think Rome was a city in eternal strife, earmarked at opposite of its history with two periods of adroit artistic and political vibrancy. The understanding of Rome is natural, intuitive, grounded in artistic history and a deep appreciation for the ancient City. It is also completely and utterly wrong. Rome, aside from these two epochs, also enjoyed a period of religious revival, prosperity, and recovery of self-identity during the high Middle Ages. Renaissance Rome sprung forth from the fountainhead of medieval Rome, not from a vacuum of dark illiteracy and religious ignorance. Rome entered a truly dark age after the sackings and raids of the fifth century, the abandonment by the Byzantine empire, and the waves of plague which sent most of the still-living populace into the countryside. Rule of the city devolved to the Pope, known until Pius IX as the "Lord Pope," a title used even within the Magna Carta. A form of Senate continued to run the daily, micro-level affairs of the City and the old families held some level of authority, but the Popes' spiritual and administrative power over the churches meant that the Bishop of Rome was the Lord of Rome. Unfortunately, [St] Leo III crowned Charlemagne and the various families of Italy sought the papacy so they could play king-maker and live off papal beneficences. In the 9th century, the Mohammadans sacked Rome and ravaged St. Peter's Basilica. The papacy entered its absolute nadir, when the Bishops of Rome descended from Marozia—mistress of the murderous Pope Sergius III. Indeed, six popes (John XI, John XII, Benedict VII, John XIX, Benedict VIII, and Benedict IX) came from her line, with a few elderly men functioning as placeholders in between, murdered if they lived too long. Finally, the Gregorian reforms emancipated Rome from central Italian politics and the un-Holy Frankish Clan Holy Roman Empire. What emerged was a Rome revived in continuity with its past, aware of its present, and vivacious in faith. Ancient peoples were not so introspective and concerned with documenting their own ways as we are today. One is often struck by the absence of ritual descriptions or theological treatises on non-Scholastic during this age. The ancient and medieval Christians expressed what they believed in what they did, not in word alone. They manifested their Roman tradition of faith in their church and secular architecture, as well as in their liturgical and artistic endeavors. Roman art during the Middle Ages derived from the older Roman mosaic tradition. While the Orthodox Greek tradition had long ago transitioned into painted, "written" icons, less and less realistic in their appearance, the Romans, a people averse to change and innovation in religious matters, kept their mosaic tradition and even imported it into new places. The below mosaic outside of Santa Maria in Trastevere looks quite ancient, but in fact dates to the 12th century. source: wikipedia Unlike the Norman French and English, who built their new churches along the soaring vertical lines of gothic pillars and arches, the Roman people conscientiously kept in continuity with their received identity and tradition in all matters, especially architecture. Between 1198 and 1216, one of the great men of the Middle Ages, Lothar Segni, sat atop Peter's chair. Keeping with his own doctrine of the spiritual power's place over the temporal power, he refitted the Lateran palace for the government of the Church and as an example to the world. Sadly, few if any records or reconstructions of the ancient Lateran palace exist for us today. Dante called the Lateran palace a place "above all earthly things." Below are two rare representations of what the palace and adjoining cathedral looked like prior to the tearing down of the palace and the addition of a baroque facade on the Archbasilica. source: mmdtkw.org source: augustineofcanterbury.org These views are from the north, not the front entrance to the cathedral, which is to the east. The Lateran palace, built by the Lateran family and given to the popes by Constantine, encompassed a large courtyard—a feature of Roman palatial architecture imitated with the building of the Apostolic palace adjacent to St. Peter's basilica and the new Lateran palace. Until the 9th century or so, the popes were elected by the people of Rome in the field in front of the cathedral. Often violence would break out and whoever won control of the Lateran complex became pope. This author once recalls reading about a victor having difficulty convincing the mob to spare his opponent's life. Next to the courtyard, at the upper left of the above picture, was the Triclinium of Leo III where Innocent III held the fourth Council of the Lateran. This remarkable hall was torn down, its former foundations replaced by roads. Its apse still stands tall in memorial to its previous function. source: wikipedia.org The revival of education in France and trade with the East incited by the Crusades brought Rome back to significance in the intellectual and economic realms, attracting students seeking theological knowledge and merchants looking for middle-points in their routes of trade between the Continent and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Colosseum returned to use after half a millennium of dormancy as an open market and, what we would now call, an industrial park. The Colosseum during the Middle Ages source: wikipedia Above all, the Romans still realized that they were the ancient City that ruled the world and that they were now, without contradiction, the City that ruled the Christian world. As such, Rome revived many of its more catholic Catholic features. The early praxis of reading the lessons of the Mass and Office in both Greek and Latin returned, as did use of the stational churches by the Lord Pope on great feasts. The ancient, un-gallicanized rite of Mass remained in use by the pope one day a year on the feast of St. Peter's Chair in Rome. This ancient use involved numerous deacons and subdeacons, long psalms instead of simple chants, no offertory or silent prayers, a sung Canon, and concelebration. The Lateran and Vatican basilicas also retained the ancient Divine Office, which uses the same orations, antiphons, and psalms as the pre-Pius X Office, but sans introductory rites, no hymns, and a more communal ritual. Moreover, the canons recited the Offices of the Dead, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of All Saints on ferial days per annum and provided pastoral care to the great many pilgrims. Innocent III himself was a canon of the Petrine basilica before his election and familiar with the observances. These rites remained in use until Franciscan pope Nicholas III squashed everything not done in the Franciscan Order. The Byzantine monastery in Rome also enjoyed a resurgence, with no less that six hundred monks and priests in residence in the 12th and 13th centuries. This also suggests that the Rome-Constantinople schism was not taken as seriously during this period as it would be after 1453. The clergy and people of Rome were the enemies of streamlining. Far from assuming the Church required one way of celebrating Mass, as the capital of Catholicism, they welcomed the catholicity of rites practiced within the City. Medieval Rome was not the superpower ancient Rome was, nor was it the artistic center baroque Rome would be. But it was once again alive and acting as the center of the Christian world. Perhaps this is why modern historians are unable to see that the period between the Gregorian reform and the Avignon papacy was a glorious one, because they cannot understand how Christianity can be the lifeblood of a people. Rossellino's proposal for the new St. Peter's basilica source: studybluecom Then came the Renaissance. Much would have to be lost and rebuilt because of the neglect of the popes while they lived in Avignon. St. Peter's basilica is particularly flagrant example of the paradigm shift. The roof on the old basilica was wood needed regular replacement, something ignored during those dark French years. As a result, the roof collapsed, fires occasioned the church, as one of the walls warped out by six feet. The basilica, built 1,100 years earlier, was beyond saving. Bernardo Rossellino proposed a new basilica built in the same style and with the same features as the old church, only with longer transepts to accommodate devotions and a longer choir for the new, medieval choir praxis. His proposal was canned by Julius II, who wanted a grand new church to house his tomb. Bramante began the construction of the modern basilica, a significant departure in style and outlook from the previous building. With the new basilica, Pope Julius baptized Rome into the Renaissance and gave precedent for a severe remodeling of many churches of the City along new lines. Rome became a center of baroquerie and its old identity began to fade. Lex supplicandi legem statuat credendi. The old basilica, along with Cluny and St Paul outside of the Wall, the largest church in the world, is demolished and covered with the new basilica. Medieval Rome is gone, but we ought not forget how wonderful a Catholic city it was nor should we neglect its example as a city conscientiously dedicated to God.

Some readers versed in medieval History or sacred architecture will know the name Cluny immediately. A monastery famous for the abbot St. Hugh, for the diffusion of Benedictine monasticism in France, and for two particularly great reformer-Popes (St. Gregory VII and Urban II), Cluny was perhaps the most iconic religious center of Europe in the Middle Ages. A community of remarkable wealth, the monks had different colored habits for the corresponding color of the day or liturgical season. Cluny did not possess a reputation for taking penance very seriously. At its height the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and a separate segment of the complex for the housing and education of novices. The order's spreading of monasticism eventually led to its own undoing, as more people joined Cluniac priories or new orders that arose during the high Middle Ages, such as the Cistercians. The Great Western Schism further weakened the monastery and the French Revolution ended up as the straw that broke the camel's back—the archives were incinerated and the abbey church became a rock quarry. The abbey church of Cluny, in its third incarnation, was large enough to give St. Peter's and St. Paul Outside the Wall in Rome a serious run for the title "largest church in the world." The church has dozens of substantially sized chapels for private Masses, which pilgrims probably attended when passing through the abbey. In the morning and evening one or two hundred monks would line each side of the choir for Mattins, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, and the conventual Mass(es). Today only one transept of the abbey church, the third built on that spot, survives. Although Romanesque, it looks a little bit Armenian, with the octagonal sides and vertically accentuated windows. The inside of the remnant From americansinfrance.net A model collating the remnant with a skeleton of the actual abbey church A layout of the monastery proper. Note the narrow entrance to the abbey church, which widens in the narthex, and more so in the nave. Windows would have progressively increased in size, illuminating the church as one approached the sanctuary, which would be washed in bright light, a physical reminder of the spiritual journey to God. The placing of the baptismal font in the rear of most churches reflects the same idea. A drawing of the sanctuary and transepts. The rood screen, which has no rood in this image, separates the sanctuary from the nave. Note the communion rail. I do not know which era the artist intended to capture in this image, but the railing seems improper, unless I am missing something. from: learn.columbia.edu A cross section of the same area from: soffits.wordpress.com One artist's idea of what walking through the abbey might have been like. Unfortunately the artist has neglected the colorful décor of the Middle Ages. Statues, or even walls, would have been painted in numerous beautiful colors, depicting Christ, angels, saints, and events in an overwhelming visual blaze. from: http://flashinformatique.epfl.ch/spip.php?article1360 The exterior of the church from: ioansoran.wordpress.com A large-scale depiction of the entire Cluniac complex from: brynmawr.edu A cutaway of the church, exposing the bases of the columns, whereby the arches would force the pillars to support one another The apse of the abbey's retreat chapel, likely a replica of the apse of the conventual church from: wga.hu A 3D reconstruction of the church We are in dire need of a greater emphasis on the vertical and on color and luminosity in Christian architecture today. Let us drop the psuedo-simplistic, bare-walls style of modern day, and also that "sweet" look so popular in a lot of 19th and early 20th century churches, and go for that which makes man look up to God. Even in a small parish this is a very plausible endeavor. Was this that much cheaper to build.... ....than this? Come on. 

Gone are the days of boring old ankle or bicep tattoos depicting dolphins and yin-yang signs - wrist tattoos are the new “it.” But what do they look like and are they good enough for you? Well, check out our article dedicated to wrist tattoos, and let’s find out!

Cabinet card, circa 1887.

A good living room lighting idea can be the difference between a space that's warm, welcoming, and eye-catching and a room that seems to fade into the distance. Read on to learn how to use lighting to bring out the best in your living room.

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Some readers versed in medieval History or sacred architecture will know the name Cluny immediately. A monastery famous for the abbot St. Hugh, for the diffusion of Benedictine monasticism in France, and for two particularly great reformer-Popes (St. Gregory VII and Urban II), Cluny was perhaps the most iconic religious center of Europe in the Middle Ages. A community of remarkable wealth, the monks had different colored habits for the corresponding color of the day or liturgical season. Cluny did not possess a reputation for taking penance very seriously. At its height the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and a separate segment of the complex for the housing and education of novices. The order's spreading of monasticism eventually led to its own undoing, as more people joined Cluniac priories or new orders that arose during the high Middle Ages, such as the Cistercians. The Great Western Schism further weakened the monastery and the French Revolution ended up as the straw that broke the camel's back—the archives were incinerated and the abbey church became a rock quarry. The abbey church of Cluny, in its third incarnation, was large enough to give St. Peter's and St. Paul Outside the Wall in Rome a serious run for the title "largest church in the world." The church has dozens of substantially sized chapels for private Masses, which pilgrims probably attended when passing through the abbey. In the morning and evening one or two hundred monks would line each side of the choir for Mattins, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, and the conventual Mass(es). Today only one transept of the abbey church, the third built on that spot, survives. Although Romanesque, it looks a little bit Armenian, with the octagonal sides and vertically accentuated windows. The inside of the remnant From americansinfrance.net A model collating the remnant with a skeleton of the actual abbey church A layout of the monastery proper. Note the narrow entrance to the abbey church, which widens in the narthex, and more so in the nave. Windows would have progressively increased in size, illuminating the church as one approached the sanctuary, which would be washed in bright light, a physical reminder of the spiritual journey to God. The placing of the baptismal font in the rear of most churches reflects the same idea. A drawing of the sanctuary and transepts. The rood screen, which has no rood in this image, separates the sanctuary from the nave. Note the communion rail. I do not know which era the artist intended to capture in this image, but the railing seems improper, unless I am missing something. from: learn.columbia.edu A cross section of the same area from: soffits.wordpress.com One artist's idea of what walking through the abbey might have been like. Unfortunately the artist has neglected the colorful décor of the Middle Ages. Statues, or even walls, would have been painted in numerous beautiful colors, depicting Christ, angels, saints, and events in an overwhelming visual blaze. from: http://flashinformatique.epfl.ch/spip.php?article1360 The exterior of the church from: ioansoran.wordpress.com A large-scale depiction of the entire Cluniac complex from: brynmawr.edu A cutaway of the church, exposing the bases of the columns, whereby the arches would force the pillars to support one another The apse of the abbey's retreat chapel, likely a replica of the apse of the conventual church from: wga.hu A 3D reconstruction of the church We are in dire need of a greater emphasis on the vertical and on color and luminosity in Christian architecture today. Let us drop the psuedo-simplistic, bare-walls style of modern day, and also that "sweet" look so popular in a lot of 19th and early 20th century churches, and go for that which makes man look up to God. Even in a small parish this is a very plausible endeavor. Was this that much cheaper to build.... ....than this? Come on. 

Nave of Salisbury Cathedral, taken by the author. "Henry VIII, we must remember, was a Roman Catholic." These uncomfortable words a tour guide uttered at an audience in St. Peter da Vincula in the Tower of London four years ago. At the time, I was reading Church History at university and enamored with the decentralized view of Christianity 19th century Tractarians offered. The guide's words tore that veil in two. He continued, "We must remember that in Henry's time, there was no Church of England, only the Church in England." While the branding of all Western Christendom as "Roman Catholicism" was not yet accomplished in the 16th century, any pre-Reformation historian would be sorely tempted to call England the most "Roman" of all Catholic European nations. Both in the age of Henry VIII and before Hastings England situated herself spiritually very close to the Mother Church in central Italy. This is essential to understanding the origins of the Sarum rite, or usage, a variation of the pre-Tridentine liturgy that was in fact a three fold synthesis of the ancient Roman liturgy, the Norman liturgy, and the monastic liturgy. It is to the second Sarum owes its grandeur, the third to which she owes part of her ritual and architecture, but to the first she owes her birth. As a province of the Roman Empire, Britannia presumably practiced the Christian faith in some capacity after the Edict of Milan in 313. Nearly three centuries later, St. Gregory the Great saw a man with pallor in a Roman square and inquired if he was an angel. A man replied to the pope "Non angelus, sed anglus." The Roman bishop then dispatched St. Augustine to the fallen away isle, where he planted the Church at Canterbury and became the first of many bishops in that see. The Roman Church's liberation from Imperial persecution was followed by the collapse of the Eternal City and her Western Empire a century later, leaving the faith like water spilled on the floor, running over every smooth surface. Without considerable compulsion, churches throughout Europe deigned to imitate the practices of the Roman Church in their local settings. Of particular interest were the liturgies of the Lateran Cathedral and of St. Peter's Basilica, the former because it is the Papal cathedral and the latter because it was the most prominent destination for pilgrimages in Europe in the first millennium. Romanization was so prevalent that Msgr. Pierre Batiffol hypothesized that Europe would still have adopted the Roman tradition, albeit at a later time, if not for the efforts of Alcuin and Charlemagne. England itself engage in proactive Romanization. St. Bede the Venerable recounts that his mentor, Benedict Biscop, found a Benedictine abbot named John in Roman and brought him to Britain with the permission of Pope Agatho so that "at Wearmouth he might teach the monks in [Biscop's] monastery to sing the office as it was sung at St. Peter's in Rome." Meanwhile, Pepin and the Frankish court requested of the pope a copy of the Roman Sacramentary for the celebration of Mass according to the Roman tradition as well as the Antiphonaries and Responsories for the celebration of the Office. In 809, Charlemagne made his friend, Amalarius, the Archbishop of Treves. Amalarius visited Pope Leo III in Rome in 795 and would visit Gregory IV in 831. Amalarius recounts various discrepancies in both text and music between the several editions of the Roman Office possessed by his clergy. Initially one is tempted to blame textual corruption, but further consideration adds multiplicity of sources, too. St. Peter's, the Lateran, the Papal Court, and the monasteries of Rome would all have sung the Office with some degree of variation just as the Frankish recipients of those Antiphonal and Responsorial books would have done. In the late first millennium the Roman liturgy was governed by a strong traditional taxis without the force of positive law or ritual ornament. While textually the books that traveled to Britain and the Frankish court were identical to those used by the Roman Church, the physical interpretation varied tremendously. The Roman liturgy was a communal affair by a self-consciously ancient and holy city wherein each person had his proper role. The responsorial psalm, which has little to do with its ill-named descendant in the Pauline Mass, was sung alternatively by the district subdeacons who ran a given parish church; the priests existed for sacramental expediency and the deacons handled administration in the Papal court. In northern Europe there was no ancient city, there were no district subdeacons, and there was no papal court. In turn, those in monastic orders or those studying for ecclesiastical life substitute their role with monastic choir ritual. In a like manner, the minimalist use of incense, the eschatological elements of the Papal rites, and the communal processions on great feasts were either done away with or interpreted according to local use. Europe, through Africa, learned to appreciate the use of incense in the manner of the Greek Church. Local churches of note substituted for the Roman stational churches on feasts, vigils, and the days of Lent. Everything un-written Roman element either fell away or was retained in a re-imagined local setting. While this sounds off putting, it means that the spirit of the ancient Roman rite, if not its words, diffused throughout northern Europe and remained alive there long after the Minorites succeeded in suppressing the grand rites of Roman in favor of the reduced Curial books. One could say that the Sarum use was just as Roman as St Pius V's Tridentine Missal and Breviary. Tomb of St. Osmund, taken myself in 2011 After William the Conqueror won his victory at Hastings, he proceeded to replace, at the behest of Pope Alexander II, the corrupted Saxon clergy with his own Norman clerics (a successful, if inaccurate, attempt was made to explore this in the movie Becket). They brought their exuberant liturgical customs to a British Church which had long been practicing a version of the Roman rite. Among these clerics was a nobleman named Osmund, who, under St. Gregory VII, was appointed and consecrated the first bishop of the new and condensed diocese of Salisbury, where he was buried in the cathedral. St. Osmund's first cathedral, in the defunct city of Old Sarum, had six altars that reflect medieval devotion—the high altar of the church, one for St. Stephen, St. Martin, St. Nicholas, the Holy Cross, and All Saints—and hint at the origin of the processions before Mass codified in the Sarum Missal. A cloister adjoined both the Old Sarum and the Salisbury cathedrals through which processions typically passed. It was in this environment that the Sarum liturgy grew until the Reformation. At the time of "the king's great matter" Sarum and its brother liturgy in York had become so deeply ingrained in the English Church's mind that they would not pass into memory until after the death of Elizabeth I. The Pilgrimage of Grace, when they had Mass available to them, would have heard Mass in the Sarum rite, refusing Prayer Book services. Decades later the Northumberland uprising of 1570 revived use of the Sarum rite as a spiritual element of a plot to depose Elizabeth and replace her with a faithful queen. After the death of Edward VI churches in London spontaneously began celebrating Mass, theoretically a forgotten ritual, according to the Sarum liturgy, temporarily given an official return to prominence during the brief reign of Queen Mary. Priests who wished to continue the old ways often continued to celebrate low Mass in their rectories according to the Sarum books. Missionaries who were not trained by the Jesuits were known to celebrate the Sarum Mass during Recusant days. Sarum was even considered for revival during the re-establishment of diocesan structure in the 19th century. Eventually, Sarum was passed on in favor of the Roman liturgy without adhering to the canonical norms of Quo primum tempore of St. Pius V, which requires both the approval of the bishop and the unanimous consent of the chapter of canons to jettison the local use for Roman books. Relics of Sarum can still be found in the Book of Common Prayer, which numbers its Sundays after Trinity, retains many readings and collects, and keeps some of the ritual in more "high church" settings. The loss of the Sarum rite to the Catholic Church is one of the great liturgical tragedies of the Counter-Reformation that has nothing to do with Ultramontanism, positive law, or minimalism. The loss of Sarum was Henry and Elizabeth's theft of England's great treasure, a theft beyond any form of taxation. It is my goal in this series to explore the Mass, Office, readings, feasts, and seasons of the liturgy of the Sarum church, to deepen our appreciation of the Church's patrimony, and to take these lessons, in some measure, to our own parishes.

Tweed Run For more Oxford, Trad, Tea and Tweed: http://etonian.tumblr.com/

Radical Traditionalist Sweatshirt. With a subtle, classic color palette, this trendy typography design crewneck will please the most discerning traditional Catholic! Wear it to meet with your Rad Trad friends, or give as a unique TLM gift. WELCOME TO MY SHOP! ❤️️ Thanks so much for visiting! 😊 If you'd like to purchase this design but on a different product, please reach out! We can print it on hoodies, tank tops, mugs, totes, and MUCH more. HOW TO ORDER 1) Choose the size you'd like in the 1st drop down menu. See below for help with Sizing & Fit. 2) Select the color you prefer in the 2nd drop down menu. Please note that the design colors may vary according to sweatshirt color! PRODUCT FEATURES & SPECS This well-loved Gildan 18000 Unisex Sweatshirt is the perfect addition to any wardrobe. It has a crew neck, and it's made from air-jet spun yarn and quarter-turned fabric, which eliminates a center crease, reduces pilling, and gives the sweatshirt a soft, comfortable feel. All designs are professionally printed. • 50% cotton, 50% polyester • Fabric weight: 8.0 oz/y² (271.25 g/m²) • Pre-shrunk • 1x1 athletic rib-knit collar with spandex • Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling • Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem FIT AND SIZING These sweatshirts have a unisex fit and run true to size. Size chart for this shirt is included in the product photos. Just scroll though to view. Shirt measurements are listed for each size. If you’re not sure about what size to order, the surest way to get a good fit is to grab your favorite sweatshirt at home that has a fit you love. Lie it on a flat surface and measure the width and length. Compare that measurement to our size chart and order the closest match. HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR SWEATSHIRT For best results: Turn sweatshirt inside out before washing. Machine wash with like colors, using mild deterrent and in cold water. Tumble dry low or hang to dry. (You can also tumble in the dryer for 6-10 minutes, then hang to finish drying. This will remove wrinkles but also keep fabric from excessive shrinking.) Do not dry clean and never iron over designs. COLOR VARIATIONS We try very hard to be sure colors of shirts and designs are depicted as accurately as possible. However, different devices and screens interpret colors differently. Please be aware that the colors of the actual product may differ slightly than what you see on your screen. HOW LONG TILL IT ARRIVES? The time to print your made-to-order shirt is typically 3-5 business days. Shipping time is an additional 3-7 business days for US orders; 4-30 days for international. REFUND & RETURN POLICY : PLEASE READ CAREFULLY All t-shirts are made to order, therefore we are unable to issue refunds for items purchased. Exceptions to this are shirts that arrive damaged, defective, or if you did not receive the product your ordered. If you're not satisfied with the product or if there is a defect, damage, or incorrect item, please message me within 3 days of receiving your order. I'll do my best to make sure things are made right! ORDER CANCELLATION OR MODIFICATION Please check your order details carefully, and let me know ASAP if there are any errors. I am not able to cancel your order once it's been sent to the printer. QUESTIONS / CONCERNS? Please reach out to us directly if you have any questions on our products or policies. We are here to help, and truly want your experience with Character Study Studio to be exceptional. All the best and thank you for shopping with us! ~ Character Study Studio

We know the feeling: You’d like to get your first tattoo but you’re scared to make the leap. You have questions about how to pick a good design and what subject you should choose, and you’re nervous about the commitment and wonder if you’ll ever regret getting one. In these cases, you can’t go wrong with a minimalist tattoo!