Amid Outcry, Black Mass at Harvard Cancelled

A reenactment of a black mass, a sacrilegious ceremony designed as a parody and a mockery of the Catholic Mass, scheduled at Harvard University for the night of May 12 was cancelled amid outcry from students, alumni, Catholic groups, and Church officials.

The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club was to host an “educational” black mass performed by the Satanic Temple out of New York. In response to this news and many calls and emails to our customer service, America Needs Fatima sent an email alert to members and friends in the Boston area and gathered with fellow Catholics to protest at Harvard.

A group wearing black clothing with satanic insignias mocked the prayerful protesters and showed special animosity towards the accompanying statue of Our Lady of Fatima, but the Catholics continued to pray and sing Marian hymns peacefully and undeterred, the Blessed Mother watching over.

An online petition by TFP Student Action, affiliated to America Needs Fatima, gathered 39,000 signatures calling on Harvard to cancel the event. In total, the number of signatures which TFP Student Action submitted to Harvard’s president Dr. Drew Faust was 44,000. The signatures were still climbing after the presentation, at times the website had frozen due to the surge of incoming messages.

After the black mass was cancelled, Harvard senior Aurora Griffin told Catholic News Agency, that despite the “great evil” of the sacrilegious attempt, “there’s been some very good things coming out of the opposition to it.” She remarked that the response of concerned Catholics “has been overwhelmingly positive.”

According to CNA, Catholics across the U.S. and around the world gathered to hold Eucharistic Adoration and Masses in reparation. At St. Paul’s the university’s parish there was standing room only for a Holy Hour held at 8 p.m. after the Campus Eucharistic Procession.

Steeped in witchcraft, and invoking Satan, the black mass is centered around the desecration of the Eucharist; a consecrated host is typically procured for this purpose. Initially, a spokesman for the Satanic Temple said a consecrated host would be used at Harvard, but later both the temple and the Cultural Studies Club denied the affirmation.

Indeed, Catholics refused to be indifferent or remain silent in face of the vile outrage. The result was the cancellation of a sacrilegious act at Harvard that attacks not only the Holy Eucharist and the Catholic Church, but also reveals a broadening agenda to destroy the very notion of "one nation under God." In addition, it aims to mainstream Satanism in America, which must not be allowed to happen.

Reaction obtains results. Go Catholics!