(Above) An engraving of a censer by Martin Schongauer (15th century).

A most unusual exhibition can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until July 19th. It displays medieval and early renaissance designs for works of Gothic architecture and art. Many of these architectural drawings are actual working documents for the creators of the Gothic cathedrals.  Some of them are of considerable size. The condition of the drawings is astoundingly good, the penmanship incredibly precise. 

What is noteworthy is the unity in Gothic art of aesthetics, mathematics and engineering. In the age of the Gothic there was no separation of these elements. There was no contrast, as in modernity, between the “decorative” and the “structural,”  between the “symbolic” and the “functional.”  And of course, each Gothic cathedral also “preached” in a mystic, liturgical and symbolic language – sophisticated, but nevertheless accessible to those who shared the religion and culture of  that time .   

But the genius of the Gothic was not confined solely to ecclesiastical architecture. This exhibition displays drawings of secular buildings, outdoor shrines, tabernacles and liturgical vessels. And in addition to drawings, we see examples of early engravings produced by artists in collaboration with the artisans and cathedral builders. In all these cases the same design principles governed. 

The overwhelming majority of the exhibits comes from the German world, as it was then organized in the Holy Roman Empire. There are also major objects on display from France, England and the Low Countries. The relative  lack of examples for these regions has to do, I would guess, with losses due to centralized destructive campaigns  as in case of   the English reformation or the French Revolution. In the more diffuse political and religious environment of the Holy Roman Empire much more survived. 

(Above) Drawing of a crozier by Hans Holbem the Elder – perhaps in collaboration with a goldsmith..

For starting from Strasbourg, Cologne and Mainz in the West  to Freiburg, Ulm, Regensburg and on to Vienna the various lodges of masons within the Empire exchanged ideas and developed creative “solutions” (as we would say today)to the design challenges of their projects. For the construction of a Gothic cathedral proceeded for generations, even centuries. So, we can see in the exhibition early versions of such masterpieces as the facade of Strasbourg cathedral or the tower of the minster of Freiburg-im-Breisgau. Inevitably, much remained unrealized. 

(Above) Design for a since-destroyed outdoor shrine in Ulm.

I can only give this exhibition my highest recommendation!

(Description of the Exhibition – with many photographs)

It intrigued me to discover several years ago that Ida Görres had written a review of Dietrich von Hildebrand’s Trojan Horse in the City of God. 1)  Her review of the Trojan Horse was published in Erbe und Auftrag (“Heritage and Mission”),  a somewhat obscure Benedictine publication.  Nevertheless, it is prominently described in the collection of correspondence between Ida Görres and Paulus Gordon OSB (the editor of Erbe und Auftrag). 2) My curiosity was piqued by this encounter of two German Catholic authors who in the distant past, in various ways, had been considered in Church circles as “progressives.” I had looked forward to an encounter of these two writers, having similar views in many cases, but with seemingly contrasting reactions to Vatican II. I was disappointed to find Görres’s review to be not a detailed appraisal of von Hildebrand’s thought, but a minor polemical response, not even a full page in length.  It does, however, reveal much about Görres’s – and the official Church’s – attitudes toward reform, tradition and the emerging post-Conciliar culture. Unfortunately,  I find that I need to write a review longer than her original to do justice to this matter!

I’ve already reviewed several works by Ida Görres.  I would summarize her position as that of a supporter  – in a somewhat nebulous but real sense – of renewal and even revolution in the Church. Yet she also – both before and after the Council – profoundly disagreed with specific concrete applications of the renewal, such as in sexual morality, politics, liturgy, or the nature of the Catholic priesthood.  On the latter point,  Ida Görres, in contrast to most other Catholic literary figures of her generation that I have read, was extremely focused on the institution of the Church. Her concern here was not so much the papacy or the hierarchy, but the clergy’s evangelizing leadership – or lack thereof. She obviously set the greatest importance on maintaining good connections with the clerical establishment,  especially its progressive members. The concern – even reverence –  for the role of the clergy was combined with a quest for saints – both living and dead. This,  despite her series of disappointments in men she had once revered  – like Karl Rahner.

Paulus Gordon had been a correspondent of Görres for many years. About the time her review of von Hildebrand’s book appeared,  he was appointed to be the secretary of none other than Rembert Weakland in Rome. So,  her review is very much in harmony with the attitudes of the clerical establishment of the day. In fact, Görres reassured Gordon that although he may have feared that she would be favorable to von Hildebrand’s book,  her review was going to be very critical.

I don’t want to write my own review of the Trojan Horse for the purposes of these remarks,  but I do need to say something about this very early (1967) reaction to the developing crisis in the Roman Catholic Church in the wake of Vatican II. 3) Von Hildebrand’s book is a kind of 20^th century Adversus Haereses, describing non-Catholic philosophies, perverse attitudes and heretical tendencies which by then were manifesting themselves throughout the Roman Catholic Church. Compared to subsequent works it is restrained: generally, the proponents of these tendencies are not named. One conspicuous exception is a footnote castigating none other than Fr. Paulus Gordon! 4) An even more significant exception is von Hildebrand’s extended critique of the thought of Teilhard de Chardin who of course had been dead for many years by the time von Hildebrand wrote his book. By 1967, however, his ideology was all the rage in Catholic circles  – the 1969 volume of Erbe und Auftrag lists several works dealing with Teilhard in its “books received” section. 

Görres begins her review by pointing out  – astutely, I would say – that the “Trojan horse” metaphor is a little out of date because by 1967 the horse’s crew had disembarked and in fact were swaggering shamelessly throughout the city. She also finds that in substance the book does indeed make many valid points. However,  Görres attacks the book above all for its style. According to her, von Hildebrand is rigid, thinks only in black and white terms, lacks empathy and understanding. “(The book) lacks any fraternal sympathy for the pains of anxiety, of seeking, of the distress of straying.” Instead of seeking out the good even in erroneous positions, von Hildebrand delivers only blanket condemnations. Furthermore,  he supposedly falls into the sentimental and outmoded rhetoric of past devotional writing.

But the real crux of Görres’s review is her emotional reaction to von Hildebrand’s criticism of the thought of Teilhard de Chardin. For von Hildebrand had systematically attacked a man who Görres elsewhere had praised for his “angel-like nature”  (Engelhaftigkeit). 5) Görres accuses von Hildebrand of defaming this “great mystic and fervent apostle.” She insinuates that von Hildebrand was motivated by personal animosity based on one direct encounter with Teilhard in 1950. Görres herself, however, did not share all of the philosophical positions of Teilhard. 6) Görres concludes her review by lamenting how some of those who seek to defend the Church and address the acknowledged problems use such weird weapons to do so. 

Now in commenting on Görres’s critique,  I would first say that her review gives the reader hardly any idea of von Hildebrand’s book. He would get the impression from her review that, stylistically, it is a violent polemic interspersed with old-fashioned, mawkish passages. But the Trojan Horse is in fact a sober catalogue of mostly philosophical aberrations in the Church. Further, Görres does not reveal to the reader the positions of the book she is reviewing – even those with which Görres agrees. Indeed, some of what von Hildebrand says about the state of the Church prior to Vatican II is not dissimilar to what Görres herself had written – if von Hildebrand does so in a more nuanced manner. 7)

Clearly, Ida Görres as late as 1969 remained committed to the “vision” of Catholic renewal. In no way was she a progressive on issues of morality, nor was she an adherent of the Catholic Church’s left in secular politics. Nevertheless,  in this review, she rejected public, straightforward criticism of aspects of the Catholic culture that had developed after Vatican II. I think she in some way intuited (which von Hildebrand at this stage perhaps did not) that a too forthright attack on abuses was actually an unstated attack on the origin of the abuses  – namely the Catholic movement of renewal and Vatican II itself.  Despite all her disagreements with the unfortunate developments which she saw exploding all around her, Görres never could never do that. In a sense,  although the term is anachronistic,  her position resembled that of what later became known in the United States as “conservative Catholicism.” 

But this review is relevant to more than just elucidating the personal philosophy of Ida Görres towards the end of her life. For the argumentation of her review already illustrated deeply problematic aspects of the post-Conciliar Church. First is the attraction Görres feels for “angelic” ecclesiastical figures. Their sanctity inspires blind devotion and insulates them from any rational criticism of their practices and ideas. What Görres writes about Teilhard, for example, is exactly the same as what the devotees of Dorothy Day have been repeating for decades: Day’s supposed sincerity and sanctity render any criticism of her political and economic ideas an act of treason. Celine Hoyeau has recently summarized for us the history of devotion to charismatic founders and spiritual leaders of Catholic movements in France and the resulting disastrous consequences in the area of sexual abuse. And we all know of numerous other examples elsewhere throughout the Catholic world (e.g.,Maciel). 

Second,  Görres’s review of course was not just the private opinion of that author. It appears in an official publication of the German Benedictines. I see her review as an initial response of the Catholic clerical establishment to the first stirrings of criticism of the post-Conciliar developments. For von Hildebrand was associated with those thinkers who in the United States coalesced around Triumph magazine and attempted to understand the rapidly unraveling Church and secular culture in which they were living. Görres’s review shows the answer of the clerical establishment: a total refusal to “dialogue.”  Von Hilderbrand’s attempt to set out a rational framework for analysis of the contemporary Catholic scene was met with a blistering response and ad hominem attacks. For there was never a possibility of dialogue with a “reform” movement that, as Pope Francis much later explained,  proceeds from the axiom that it directly embodies the will of the Holy Spirit. This stance of the establishment has remained intact until the present day!

1.  45 Erbe und Auftrag at 348(1969). I would like to thank Dr. Nicholas Salazar and the Yale University Libraries for their aid in locating this review.
2. Görres, Ida, “Wirklich die neue Phönixgestalt?”  Über Kirche und Konzil: Unbekannte Briefe 1962-1971 an Paulus Gordan. Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz (Editor) (Be & Be Verlag, Heiligenkreuz, 2015) See the discussion at pages 318 and 420 (both pages have footnotes with a not totally accurate citation to Görres’s review) 
3. Hildebrand, Dietrich von, Trojan Horse in the City of God, (Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, N.H.1967 (this edition 1999)). There are questions about the edition of this book reviewed by Görres. First,  the German edition is a translation, and the advertisement  in Erbe und Auftrag (to which Görres refers) indicates it includes additional material by the author.I don’t know if these additions made it into the subsequent English reprints . Second, the Sophia edition I am using states that an “appendix” in previous editions has been deleted. I strongly suspect this is the document that can be found online here:  “Critique of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin by Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand, Absoluteprimacyofchrist.org. (posted 10/11/2012; accessed 1/22/2026).This is referred to in several online discussions of Hildebrand’s critique of Teilhard. Hildebrand, however, criticizes Teilhard on several other pages in the Trojan Horse. 
4. Hildebrand, Trojan Horse at 48 n.26 (wondering about Paulus’s belief in the Resurrection as a historical fact).
5. Görres, “Wirklich die neue Phönixgestalt? at 69.
6. Id. at n.83
7. E.g., Hildebrand, Trojan Horse at pp. 51-60.

CHANT CAMP
August 2026 • St. Mary’s, Norwalk

Monday, August 10–Friday, August 14
9:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.

Learn to read and sing Gregorian chant and great sacred polyphony • Enjoy fun and fellowship • Lift your voice to the glory of God!

The Chant Camp scholars will sing a Missa cantata daily at 12:10 p.m., starting on Tuesday and ending with Mass for the Vigil of the Assumption on Friday.

Led by Charles Weaver and Elizabeth Weaver (St. Mary’s)
and Nicholas Botkins (St. John’s Basilica, Stamford)

Age range: 8–18 years 
(Both high and low voices welcome)
Camp fee: $50 per participant

Open to participants from any school or parish

Register at: stmarynorwalk.net/chantcamp

Fr. Joseph Marie Falciano, FSSP, celebrated a traditional Solemn Mass last evening at St. Mary’s Church in Norwalk. Having been ordained to the priesthood on May 28, Fr. Falciano was celebrating his first Mass in his former parish. After Mass he offered his first priestly blessing to each of the faithful. This Mass and the music was sponsored by our Society.

This Friday, June 12, is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The following churches will offer traditional Masses.

St. Mary Church, Nowalk, CT, 12:10 pm low Mass

Georgetown Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Redding, CT, 7 pm, Byrd Mass for Five Voices. A light reception follows.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, CT, High Mass at 6:00 p.m., followed by followed by the Litany and Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Please note that this will be the ONLY Mass (no morning Mass or confessions). Music: Missa Brevis of Andrea Gabrieli, and motets by Handl and Amerio.

Transfiguration Church, New York (Chinatown), 7pm Missa Cantata followed by benediction and consecration to the Sacred Heart.

St. Vincent Ferrer Church, New York, NY, 9:30 am, Solemn Mass, featuring Josquin des Prez “Misssa Pange Lingua.”

Holy Innocents Church, New York, NY, 6 pm High Mass

Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, 7 pm High Mass

St. Josaphat Oratory, Bayside, Queens, 7 pm High Mass.

St. Margaret of Cortona, Riverdale, Bronx, 6 pm, Solemn Mass. Following the Mass, there will be a procession to the parish’s Sacred Heart shrine. The celebrant of the Mass will be Fr. Shane Conlon, FSSP. The Church’s address is 6000 Riverdale Avenue. There is a large parking lot adjoining the Church on its north-side.

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, NY, 12 noon

Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, NJ, 7 pm

St. John the Baptist, Allentown, NJ, 7 pm High Mass, followed by a reception.

Corpus Christi Church, South River, NJ, 7 pm

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, is giving to the Church two new priests this year.

Fr. Joseph Marie Falciano, FSSP, was ordained to the priesthood at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha on May 28.   He will be celebrating at Solemn Mass at St. Mary’s on Tuesday, June 9 at 7 pm. He will be giving first priestly blessings after Mass. A reception will follow.

Deacon Juan Colon will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Bridgeport on Saturday June 13 at 11 am in St. Augustine Cathedral.   He will be celebrating his First Mass at St. Mary’s  on Sunday June 14 at 12 noon (Spanish Mass). 

Please keep both of these young men in your prayers.

Fr. Falciano will be celebrating traditional Masses at the following churches in the area:

Tuesday June 9, St. Mary Church, Norwalk, 7 pm Solemn Mass, reception to follow

Wednesday, June 10, St. Josaphat Oratory, Bayside, Queens, 7 pm, Solemn Mass, reception to follow

Friday, June 12, St. Vincent Ferrer, New York, NY, 9:30 am, Solemn Mass for Feast of the Sacred Heart, Missa Pange Lingua by Josquin des Prez.

Saturday, June 13. St. Margaret of Cortona, Bronx, NY, 10 am, Solemn Mass

Sunday, June 14, Annunciation Church, Crestwood, NY, 2 pm, Solemn Mass, reception to follow

The following churches will celebrate traditional Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Please contact us, if you know of a Mass that is not on our schedule.

Thursday, June 4

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, 12:10 pm low Mass

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, 6 pm Solemn Mass and outdoor procession

St. Patrick Oratory, Waterbury, 6 pm high Mass followed by outdoor procession. Reception afterwards.

St. Joseph Church, Danbury, 6 pm Solemn Mass followed by procession to St. Peter Church, benediction. Bus transportation back to St. Joseph’s will be provided.

New York

Holy Innocents, New York, NY, 6 pm High Mass followed by outdoor procession with triple benediction.

Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, 7 pm sung Mass followed by outdoor procession and benediction

St. Josaphat Oratory, Bayside, Queens, 7 pm High Mass and Eucharistic procession

St. Margaret of Cortona, Riverside, Bronx, 6 pm Solemn Mass and procession

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, 12 noon

Blessed Sacrament, New Rochelle, 6 pm Solemn Mass followed by 40 hours devotion

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, 7 pm Mass and outdoor procession

Holy Trinity Church, Hackensack, 7 pm Sung Mass

Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock, 7 am, 9 am, 7 pm

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, West Orange, 9 am Low Mass; 7 pm High Mass and procession

St, John the Baptist, Allentown, NJ, 6:30 pm, Solemn Mass followed by outdoor procession and the start of 40 hours devotion, which ends with Benediction and closing Mass at 12:45 pm on Sunday.

Sunday, June 7, external feast day

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, 10 am Solemn Mass and outdoor procession

Georgetown Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Redding, 12 noon

New York

Holy Innocents, New York, NY, 9 am Low Mass; 10 am High Mass followed by procession in the church and benediction

St. Josaphat Oratory, Bayside, Queens, 9:30 am Mass followed by a procession

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, 2 pm

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, 9 am

Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock, 7 am, 9 am, 11 am, 1:30 pm, 5 pm

Shrine Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, 11 am Mass followed by outdoor procession

The Rev. Joseph Falciano, who was ordained a priest for the FSSP on May 28, offered his First Mass the next day at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Valparaiso, Nebraska. The cloistered Carmelite nuns chanted the ordinaries and propers from behind the grill.

The parents of Fr. Falciano receive Holy Communion from the hands of their son.

During a Solemn Pontifical Mass, twelve men were ordained to the priesthood for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter this past Thursday, May 28 in the Cathedral of St. Cecilia in Omaha. His Excellency the Most Reverend Tomas Wenski, the archbishop of Miami, was the celebrant. Over 100 priests were in attendance and laid hands on the ordinands.