First Solemn High Mass of Fr. Brendan Buckler - Diocese of Raleigh, NC

The day following his ordination, Fr. Brendan Buckler offered his first Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Raleigh, NC.

The servers and clergy line up:

Fr. Carlos Viego (Diocese of Newark) assists as Deacon. Rev. Mr. Don Maloney (Diocese of Raleigh) assists as Subdeacon. Fr. John Brancich (F.S.S.P.) assisted as Assistant Priest:

The Vidi Aquam reminds us of our baptism:

Fr. Buckler vests in the chasuble, and the cope transfers to the Assistant Priest:

The sacred ministers recite the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar: "I will go unto the altar of God..." (Psalm 42).

Incensation of the altar:

The Gloria:

The Deacon receives Father's blessing before chanting the Gospel:

The elevation of our Blessed Lord:

Servers' communion:

Our Vicar General was in choir, among many diocesan priests and seminarians:

Photos by Paul Tomas

Scripture and Tradition

A passage that stuck out while reading for my Fundamental Theology course:

"He who denies Tradition its character and source, loses the accurate reality of the Scripture. He who renders relative the one also relativizes the other. And this minimization of Tradition is a great obstacle to perceiving in all its fullness and depth, what God has been gracious enough to reveal to us.

‎But there is one consoling truth: even if someone denies a truth such as that of the two sources manifesting the revelation of the unique Source, that does not mean that this man is not affected... positively or negatively by the truth carried all the way to him by the immutable unity of Tradition and Holy Scripture. It is like the man who would deny or hate God: he would none the less be living thanks to the Wisdom, Omnipotence and Goodness of God."

- Cardinal Joseph Siri, Gethsemane

Fr. Brendan Buckler Ordained to Priesthood

The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge bestowed the Sacrament of Holy Orders on Father Brendan Joseph Buckler at an Ordination Mass celebrated at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh on June 4, 2011:

Deacon Buckler vests:

The Litany of the Saints is sung as Deacon Buckler lays down his life for the Church:

The imposition of hands:

Bishop Burbidge receives the first blessing of Fr. Buckler:

Followed by blessings bestowed on the faithful:

The following day, Father Buckler offered his first Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the Cathedral. Fr. Carlos Viego (Diocese of Newark) served as Deacon, Deacon Don Maloney (Diocese of Raleigh) served as Subdeacon, and Fr. John Brancich (F.S.S.P.) served as Assistant Priest:

Remember to Support Holy Souls Hermitage!

Visit the website of Holy Souls Hermitage (http://holysoulshermitage.com) and be sure to support Fr. George in his priestly apostolate:

"The Bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, has welcomed me as a hermit on one of the ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains in his diocese.

The Fathers of Mercy have agreed to my being a hermit since it is said that it would be good to have some prayers for the Fathers of Mercy. I am eager to do apostolic work, always, but I look at eremitical life as entering more fully and intensely into the New Evangelization: if priests are sanctified, they will be all the more available for the sanctification of those called by the Lord to go to heaven.

I’m a hermit by choice, by way of life-long desire, ever since my vocation at two and a half years old, both to the priesthood and to be dedicated to the sanctification of the priesthood. For much of my life I didn’t think it was possible to be a hermit, but I finally figured out that it has to do with trust in the Lord. With this realization I gave up a coveted teaching position of Scripture, Theology and Liturgy at the Pontifical College Josephinum (where I was also a Spiritual Director, Confessor and Formation Advisor). I had standing invitations to teach in major seminaries right around the world, with the last, very hard to turn down invitation coming in from an Archdiocesan Major Seminary just minutes before entering my new hermitage.

We hermits are as different one from another as Saint Jerome the hermit was from Saint Paul the hermit. There’s lots of time for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Prayer of the Church, Rosaries and time before our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In consultation with my Spiritual Director and Confessor, not to mention my Superior General and the Bishop, Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to prayer and penance especially for the sanctification of priests in the purgatory of this world and the next. Along with this, I write on such subjects as the Immaculate Conception and the Priesthood, the Spiritual Life and the Priesthood, Confession and the Priesthood, and so on.

Accompany me as I start out being a hermit to assist my fellow priests and bishops to bring souls to heaven."

He still has many expenses to cover. Visit his "Benefactors" page to support him in his mission!