Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Two DVD's from the heart of modern Tridentine Benedictine Catholicism

Kudos to one of our faithful priestly readers (whose name I shall leave anonymous unless he should so choose to identify himself!) for pointing out these little gems from the traditional Benedictine Abbey of Le Barroux (please note, they are in French, here is a rough translation):

Dedication of the Abbatial Church

Description: May 12, 2005, Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, as a special envoy of Pope Benedict XVI, consecrated the splendid abbey our Sisters. This presents the primary features of the extraordinary six hour ceremony, during which Heaven met Earth. 77 minutes + 2 bonus features.


Blessing of Dom Louis-Marie

Description: January 25, 2004. Cardinal Medina-Estevez conferred the abbatial blessing on Dom Louis-Marie, first successor of Dom Gerard [Calvet]. A rare and very solemn ceremony which one will find here in a digest form at 80 minutes in length (with explanations). Includes the entire homily given by the Cardinal as well as the Litany of the Saints.


These are rare treats indeed people. Despite the fact the commentary is likely to be in French, the Latin liturgy that will be present in these DVD's is surely to be heavenly. Additionally, one can hope that English subtitles might be available. But even if not... good stuff.

Le Barroux has been considered by some to be one of the epicentres of the moderate traditionalist movement and is of value to anyone interested in the classical Roman liturgy or the Reform of the Reform (I believe they may use, for example, a modified form of the 1965 Ordo Missae for their Conventual Mass, in addition to the 1962 Missale Romanum.) It is also of great interest to anyone with a liking for monastic and Benedictine life, liturgy and spirituality.

Anything that comes out of Le Barroux or Fontgambault is worth scooping up!

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