The Nazareth Community of the Institute of St. Joseph welcomes you to our Sunday Conventual Mass celebrated according to the Forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite, often referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass.

The Institute of St. Joseph is a public association of the faithful in the Diocese of La Crosse, and four fraternities of consecrated men and women constitute the membership from all the Christian states of life: monastic men and women, diocesan priests, single laity, and married laity. Through the kindness and generosity of the pastor and people of Sacred Heart Church in Edson, this beautiful, historical, and sacred site is being transferred to the Institute of St. Joseph to be the new home of our monastic members—the Nazareth Community, and the formation center for our other members.

The Sunday conventual Mass in a monastic community is the Mass at which all members of the community attend, and to which visitors are invited. For seventeen years now, Fr. Norbert Wilger of St. Mary’s Church in Altoona has been offering the Traditional Latin Mass for those drawn to it. Because of age, he will no longer do so beginning the first Sunday of October 2007. Bishop Listecki has asked that the Nazareth Community take over this apostolate for our region in the Diocese of LaCrosse, especially with the new motu proprio coming into effect on September 14, 2007.

It is most important that those who attend the Sunday conventual Mass realize Sacred Heart Church is no longer a parish. Faithful Catholics attending this Mass for the purpose of participating in the Traditional Latin Mass should also be registered members of their own respective parish, financially support their respective parish regularly, and remain active in parish activities and apostolates. Additional sacraments and liturgical rites, such as funerals, weddings, baptisms will not be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church, except in rare circumstances.

The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council developed the call of the First Vatican Council and papal documents for the "active participation" in the sacred liturgy by the faithful. The essence of actual participation is an interior participation, an interior entering into the realities of what is transpiring during the sacred liturgy. Actual participation also includes spoken and sung responses and various postures such as sitting, standing and kneeling. We encourage you to participate fully. To this end, booklets are available in the back of church and you are invited to join in making the responses made by the server, as indicated in the booklet.

Mass Intention cards are available in the back of church. Sadly, today, the practice of remembering our loved ones in Masses said for the repose of their souls is declining. The Church’s teaching on Purgatory has not changed: Purgatory is real, and fact is, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches: Of all the prayers, the most meritorious, the most acceptable to God are prayers for the dead, because they imply all the works of charity, both corporal and spiritual. And our late, beloved Pope John Paul II said: There is an intense participation in life between us and the sisters and brothers who… are still being purified after death. St. Anslem reminds us: a single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death.

Out of respect for the Blessed Trinity, our Eucharistic Lord, our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, all the saints and angels, and indeed for one another, proper attire at Mass is expected.

For women and girls, skirts, dresses, and blouses should meet the norms of Christian modesty. Although not required, women and girls are welcome and encouraged to wear a chapel veil or hat as a sign of their special dignity in the Body of Christ.

Men and boys should wear a collared shirt, dress trousers and dress shoes, at minimum. A coat, jacket or a dress sweater and tie are encouraged.

Clothing which would call undue attention to oneself is also inappropriate.

Holy Mother Church encourages Catholics to receive Holy Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive our Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, one must not be conscious of being in the state of mortal (serious, grave) sin and must have fasted from food and drink, (water is permissible) for at least one hour. A person who is conscious of mortal sin must receive absolution in individual, integral sacramental confession prior to receiving Holy Communion, except for a grave reason where there is where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, one must make a perfect act of contrition with the intention of sacramentally confessing as soon as possible (Code of Canon Law, Canon 916).

We welcome our fellow Christians to the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We pray for the day when sad divisions will cease. Until that time, because the Eucharist is the fullest sign of unity, members of ecclesial communions are not admitted to Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is distributed in the traditional manner on the tongue and kneeling at the communion rail. Please note that for each communicant the priest says Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat anima tua in vitam aeternam, Amen. No response (i.e. “Amen”) is given by the communicant.

Confessions are heard before Mass from 9:45 to 10:15. Frequent confession of sins is encouraged for all.

Thank you for kindly respecting the norms for assisting at Mass in the Sacred Heart Monastery Chapel. We ask that silence be kept in the chapel at all times to preserve the prayerful atmosphere. We are sorry there are no restrooms in the church at the present time. We also ask that if you plan on regularly attending Sunday Mass here, that you sign our registry book in the entrance of the chapel. Please include your family name, address, and phone number. This is in case our schedule changes, making it possible for us to contact you. Blessings to you, and welcome!

Institute of St. Joseph
The Nazareth Community