Traditional Latin Mass

The Impressive Growth Of The Traditional Latin Mass

2009-08-29T15:01:00.011-04:00

Why the Growth of the Traditional Latin Mass? This growth may be best explained by way of two excerpts from speeches and writings by Pope Benedict XVI when he served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under his then name Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, while Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, consistently showed his support for those Catholics who wish to worship in the old form of the Mass of the Roman Rite.

In his 1997 book, Salt of the Earth, the then-Cardinal Ratzinger wrote:

"I am of the opinion that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It's impossible to grasp what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community that suddenly declares that what, until now, was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden makes the longing for it seem downright indecent, calls its very self into question.”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, to the Bishops of Chile, given 13 July, 1988, in Santiago, Chile:

"...we ought to get back to the dimension of the sacred in the liturgy. The liturgy is not a festivity; it is not a meeting for the purpose of having a good time. It is of no importance that the parish priest has cudgeled his brains to come up with suggestive ideas or imaginative novelties. The liturgy is what make the Thrice-Holy God present amongst us; it is the burning bush; it is the Alliance of God with man in Jesus Christ, Who has died and risen again. The grandeur of the liturgy does not rest upon the fact that it offers an interesting entertainment, but in rendering tangible the Totally Other, Whom we are not capable of summoning. He comes because He wills. In other words, the essential in the liturgy is the mystery, which is realized in the common ritual of the Church; all the rest diminishes it. Men experiment with it in lively fashion, and find themselves deceived, when the mystery is transformed into distraction, when the chief actor in the liturgy is not the Living God but the priest or the liturgical director."

These aforementioned excerpts accurately reflect the thinking of devout Catholics who favor the return and current growth of the Traditional Latin Mass wherein entertainment, ongoing experimentation and innovation, distraction and so forth are disallowed because [thanks to its sacred prayers and rubrics] full attention of the priest and laity is primarily focused on God and God alone. It is theocentric and it lacks elements that would make a worshiper or a stranger believe that it is anthropocentric. Deo gratias!

Reform of the reform: Italian Religious Journalist Andrea Tornielli reaffirms his report

2009-08-29T14:30:00.009-04:00

Hat tip to the Rorate Caeli blog.Click Here for story.

Excerpts:

All of this is to tell you not to believe those who today write that nothing is happening, that the Pope and the Congregation for Worship are not thinking of anything, that the “reform of the reform” and its recovery of a greater sacrality of the liturgy is a piece of news falsely published by the undersigned.

Since I have been a vaticanista, I have committed many errors – and I will commit many in the future: but the article in question, believe me, is not among these.

A bombshell of an interview. Mons. Domenico Bartolucci on the liturgical reforms and the reform of the reform

2009-08-29T14:13:00.004-04:00

An interview with Mons. Domenico Bartolucci, Maestro Perpetuo of the Sistine Chapel. Click Here

Vatican Publishes DVD To Help Faithful with 1962 Latin Mass

2009-08-29T13:54:00.014-04:00

(Rome, Italy, Aug 12, 2009 CNA)- The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which was recently incorporated into the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has announced the publication of two DVDs to help “priests and the community” celebrate Mass according to the extraordinary form of the Latin Rite.

The two DVDs include an entire Mass celebrated by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos—until recently the president of the Commission—at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in 2003.

The discs also feature segments explaining in detail the “gestures and rubrics, from the preparatio ad missam (preparation before Mass) to the act of thanksgiving in the sacristy.”

The video is available in four languages (Italian, English, Spanish and French) and is intended to be the “first concrete contribution of the Holy See for the implementation of the Pope’s wishes contained in Summorum Pontificum.” The Motu Propio “Summorum Pontificum,” which was released in July of 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI, granted universal permission to the faithful to celebrate the Tridentine Mass adapted by Blessed John XXIII in 1962.

The Commission has not yet announced where or how the DVDs can be purchased.

Bishop of Tulsa Abandons “Mass Facing the People”: Bishop Slattery on Mass Ad Orientem

2009-08-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE (see pages 2-3)

“From ancient times, the position of the priest and the people reflected this understanding of the Mass,” writes Bishop Slattery, “since the people prayed, standing or kneeling, in the place that visibly corresponded to Our Lord’s Body, while the priest at the altar stood at the head as the Head, We formed the whole Christ – Head and members – both sacramentally by Baptism and visibly by our position and posture. Just as importantly, everyone – celebrant and congregation – faced the same direction, since they were united with Christ in offering to the Father Christ’s unique, unrepeatable and acceptable sacrifice.”

Mass Of The Ages In The Ancient Mountains Of West Virginia

2009-04-26T22:40:00.005-04:00

A Missa Cantata, Extraordinary Form, will be offered by Fr. Timothy Grassi at 4:00 pm on Sunday, May 17, in Thomas, WV (Tucker County), at the small but warm and beautiful St. Thomas Aquinas. Fr.Grassi offers the traditional Latin Mass every weekday morning at St. Thomas, and every other Sunday in nearby Parsons, WV at Our Lady of Mercy Mission.

According to Gratton Gannon, chairman of the Una Voce chapter in West Virginia, musicians from St Anthony’s of Follansbee, WV with their organist Robert Fulda will travel to Thomas to assist local parishioners. Thomas is a tiny remote mountain town with few accommodations, but nearby are Canaan Valley and Blackwater Falls, both with good accommodations and gorgeous natural settings.

“The last two stirringly sung High Masses at St Patrick in Weston and St. Francis Xavier in Parkersburg were overwhelmingly attended with over 400 people and standing room only each time,” Gannon said.

“People came to these two wonderfully- preserved churches from all over West Virginia and Ohio. There seems to be a genuine thirst for the Latin Mass in this area. Currently in the diocese, the Extraordinary Form is offered monthly by Fr. Kevin Quirk at the Cathedral of St Joseph in Wheeling in response to local requests. We are grateful for these grace-filled opportunities to assist at the ancient rite, and we pray for more,” Gannon added.

For further information, contact: Fr. Timothy Grassi, olm@yahoo.com, (304-463-4488); Grattan Gannon, Gannon2006@hotmail.com, (304-522-2014); John Roush, jroush@mountain.net; or Mike & Mary Tillman, Tillmans@hotmail.com.

Link to original

Summorum Pontificum in the Parish by Father Tim Finigan

2009-02-18T13:35:00.005-05:00

Father Tim Finigan, well-known for his blogsite, The Hermeneutic of Continuity, presented a ‘nuts and bolts’ lecture at the Latin Mass Society's Merton College training conference for priests. Any priest wishing to introduce the Traditional Mass into his parish will benefit from Fr Tim’s wise words.

Click here to read article.

Excerpt:

"{...} the celebration of the Mass in the older form is a tremendous relief for the priest. No longer the entertainer, the leader of a ‘school assembly’ style of worship, he can pray the Mass with and for his people. The same could be said about the other sacraments. Since Summorum Pontificum, I have routinely baptised children using the old Roman Ritual. Nobody has as yet complained and I still have the customary compliments (“Lovely service, Father”). Pastorally, it is so much more effective. People have a visceral sense that their baby needs to be protected from evil and they are reassured by the prayers beginning, “Exorcizo te...” They are happy that the priest carries out a rite that is unambiguously sacral and do not naturally ask for any didactic element apart from the sacred character of the rite itself."

Recent news concerning Fr. Finigan...

Click here to read article.

Excerpt:

"Fr Tim Finigan, author of the Hermeneutic of Continuity blog, is one of the finest parish priests in the country: a scholar, evangelist and pastor who is as happy spreading the Gospel over a pint in the pub as he is from the pulpit. But now there are rumours that the Tablet is planning a hatchet job on him, for the grave crime of... saying the [Traditional] Latin Mass....they want to deprive other parishioners of the rights granted to them by Summorum Pontificum. "

Liturgical shakeup: Pope Benedict XVI replaces all members of Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff

2008-09-27T14:56:00.006-04:00

Vatican City (CNA) -- Pope Benedict XVI has made a low profile but significant move in the direction of liturgical reform by completely changing his liturgical consultants.

A hardly noticed brief note from the Vatican Press Office on Sept. 24 announced the appointment of new consultants for the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. It did not mention, however, the importance of the new appointees.

The new consultants include Monsignor Nicola Bux, professor at the Theological Faculty of Puglia (Southern Italy), and author of several books on liturgy, especially on the Eucharist. Bux recently finish a new book, Pope Benedict’s Reform, printed by the Italian publishing house Piemme, scheduled to hit the shelves in December.

The list of new consultants also includes Fr. Mauro Gagliardi, an expert in dogmatic theology and professor at the Legionaries of Christ's Pontifical Athenaeum “Regina Apostolorum;” Opus Dei Spanish priest Juan José Silvestre Valor, professor at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome; Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, C.O., an official of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and author of the book Turning Towards the Lord -- about the importance of facing ad orientem during Mass; and Fr. Paul C.F. Gunter, a Benedictine professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant Anselmo in Rome and member of the editorial board of the forthcoming Usus Antiquior, a quarterly journal dedicated to the liturgy under the auspices of the Society of St. Catherine of Siena. The Society, which has an association with the English Province of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), promotes the intellectual and liturgical renewal of the Church.

Also relevant to the appointments is the fact that all former consultants, appointed when Archbishop Piero Marini led the office of Liturgical Celebrations, have been dismissed since their appointments were not renewed.

Link to Original

Vatican Information Service:

Official Press Release

Recent Articles Concerning the Traditional Latin Mass ("Extraordinary Form")

2008-08-22T22:33:00.003-04:00

1. Address to the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales By Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

2. Homily for Mass at Westminster Cathedral on June 14th 2008 By Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

3. Usus Antiquior: New Quarterly Journal to Focus on the Sacred Liturgy

4. Latin Revival-170-Year-Old St. Francis Xavier Mission Brings in Latin Mass

5. Bishop McMahon gets standing ovation at old Mass conference

6. St. Mary’s brings back a tradition: Massillon Catholic church will hold three Latin Masses

Canons Regular of St. John Cantius: Priest and Seminarian Training Workshop on the Traditional Mass a Huge Success!

2008-06-10T15:50:00.007-04:00

Excerpt:

"The entire success of this workshop was entrusted to Our Blessed Mother, and each day the priests and seminarians begged her intercession as they continued to study the celebration of the Extraordinary Form, so that they might return to their parishes and serve the faithful attracted to the Sacred Liturgy celebrated according to the venerable traditions of our fathers."

Click HERE to read the entire news article.

New CD Audio Tutorial in Gregorian Chant and Liturgical Prayer for the Traditional Latin Mass ["Extraordinary Form"]

2008-05-19T09:36:00.003-04:00

The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius have released a new CD Audio Tutorial in Gregorian Chant and Liturgical Prayer for the Traditional Latin Mass. This may be of interest to all Catholics throughout the Latin Rite, especially priests and seminarians.

From the santcamissa.org webite:

Missa in Cantu & Missa Lecta Audio CD’s and Workbook provides you with the most complete way of studying the Latin prayers and chants of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (1962 Missale Romanum).

Includes:

*Latin prayers of the Ordo Missae of the Roman Missal
*High-quality digital audio of the sung parts of the Mass as sung by priests, deacons, and subdeacons
*Audio of altar server responses and dialogue
*Accompanying handbook with latin texts and over 60 pages of musical notation
*Gregorian Chant Mass VIII - Missa de Angelis
*Almost 200 audio tracks in a two CD set
*And more...

For more information, including ordering information, please CLICK HERE.

PCED’s Card. Castrillon Hoyos: celebrate TLM in parishes even when it isn’t requested

2008-05-04T20:12:00.009-04:00

From Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" blog...

(Link to Original)-An alert WDTPRSer, our friend Henry, caught an interesting comment in an article from CNA on the new DVD being made by the FSSP - which I haven’t seen yet and therefore reserve comment about.

Let’s take a look at the comments of Card. Castrillon Hoyos. The issue of the DVD, while interesting, is just a side item compared to the meat of the Cardinal’s comments:

FSSP to distribute free copies of new Latin Mass DVD

Denton, NE, May 2, 2008 / 05:31 am (CNA).- The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), in cooperation with EWTN, will soon release an instructional video on the 1962 Latin Mass. A free copy will be available to any priest or seminarian who reserves the video on its web site.

The video includes over three hours of footage on two DVD discs, giving a step-by-step explanation and demonstration of the Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form. The production includes multiple appendices with instructions on the general principles of gesture and movement, as well as commonly encountered variations in the elements of the Mass.

Also featured is a real-time demonstration of the Mass, which is viewable from multiple camera angles on demand. A spiritual commentary on the Mass, as well as an explanation from an FSSP priest on the liturgical principles of the Extraordinary Form are also included.

Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Ecclesia Dei Commission, provides an introduction for the DVD. The Ecclesia Dei Commission is tasked with the implementation of Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio on the 1962 Latin Mass.

In the cardinal’s introduction, he explains that Pope Benedict XVI hoped to foster a “spiritual and theological richness” by promoting wider use [NB: This says "promoting", not just permitting.] of the Mass of St. Pius V through the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

The cardinal also emphasized that this Mass was a universal gift.

“All this liturgical richness, all this spiritual richness, and all the prayers so well-preserved during the centuries, all of this is offered by the Rome of today for all. As a gift for all, it is not a gift merely for the so-called traditionalists. No, it is a gift for the whole Catholic Church,” Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos said.

The “sacred silence” and contemplation of the ancient rite, the cardinal said, “makes present the Lord Jesus in an expression of rich liturgical beauty, as the conqueror of death and sin… this rite brought unity to the faith and became the single expression through which the Church adores God.”

The cardinal said that parishes and priests should make available the Extraordinary Form so that “everyone may have access to this treasure of the ancient liturgy of the Church.” He also stressed that, “even if it is not specifically asked for, or requested” it should be provided. [! Did you get that? Even if it is not requested?] Interestingly, he added that the Pope wants this Mass to become normal in parishes, so that “young communities can also become familiar with this rite.” [So… CNA says that Card. Castrillion, Pres. of the PCED says that the POPE wants the TLM as a normal part of parish life.]

The DVD has also been reviewed by Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, Chairman of the Committee for Divine Worship of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

So, according to Card. Castrillion Hoyos, the Holy Father desires that the TLM be a normal part of parish life. He also says that priests should offer it in their parishes even if there is no specific request for it.

This is really huge.

Some people have contended that priests may not celebrate a public TLM in their parish unless they have first received a petition from a "stable group" (though that not a good translation of what Summorum Pontificum has in the Latin). Then some bishops, contra legem, have treid to limit the public celebrations of TLM’s even more by trying to impose a minimum number of people in such a "stable group".

Now we are getting the sense that priests should simply start using the 1962 Missale Romanum in their parishes so that people can get to know it and benefit from this gift.

Recent News Concerning the TLM

2008-05-02T10:30:00.001-04:00

Solemn High Mass in Fresno, California on Pentecost Sunday, May 11

Traditional Latin Mass Returns to Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Weekly Latin Mass Begins in Berryville, Arkansas

Indiana's Bishop Higi Accepts Una Voce Carmel's TLM Proposal

Boston Globe: Latin Mass Finds a Home (Mary Immaculate of Lourdes) Newton, MA

Inside Bay Area: East Palo Alto church revives Tridentine Mass - Latin liturgy was previously lost to modernization

Traditional Latin Mass Returns to San Francisco Archdiocese

Mass of the Ages to Be Offered in Weston, West Virginia

Wisconsin Parish Adds Weekday and Sunday Traditional Latin Masses

TLM at St. Joseph's Church in Woonsocket, Rhode Island-Second Sunday-3:00 p.m. -beginning on Sunday 13 April. Additional Sunday Masses will be on 11 May and 8 June. Music will be provided by the Schola Sancta Caeciliae directed by Mr. Henri St. Louis.

Cardinal Ratzinger's 2003 letter on the Traditional Latin Mass

2008-02-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

To Dr. Heinz-Lothar Barth, 23 June 2003

Dear Dr. Barth,

I thank you cordially for your letter of April 6 to which I find the time to answer only now. You are asking me to act for a broader availability of the old Roman rite. Actually, you know yourself that I have no deaf ears towards such a request. My work on behalf of this cause is meanwhile generally known.

Whether the Holy See will “admit the old rite again for every place and without restrictions” as you desire and have heard it rumoured cannot be simply answered or confirmed without further ado. Still too great is the aversion of many Catholics, instilled in them over many years, against the traditional liturgy which they scornfully call “preconciliar”. Also one would have to reckon with considerable resistance on the part of many bishops against a general readmission.

Things look different, however, if one thinks about a limited readmission. The demand for the old liturgy is limited, too. I know that its worth, of course, does not depend upon the demand for it, but the question of the number of interested priests and laypeople, nevertheless, plays a certain role. Besides, such a measure can now, only some 30 years after the liturgy reform of Paul VI, be implemented only stepwise. Any new hurry would surely not be a good thing.

I believe, though, that in the long term the Roman Church must have again a single Roman rite. The existence of two official rites is for bishops and priests difficult to “manage” in practice. The Roman rite of the future should be a single rite, celebrated in Latin or in the vernacular, but standing completely in the tradition of the rite that has been handed down. It could take up some new elements which have proven themselves, like new feasts, some new prefaces in the Mass, an expanded lectionary - more choice than earlier, but not too much, - an “oratio fidelium”, i.e., a fixed litany of intercessions following the Oremus before the offertory where it had its place earlier.

Dear Dr. Barth, if you commit yourself to work for the cause of the liturgy in this way, you will surely not stand alone, and you will prepare "public opinion in the Church" for eventual measures in favor of an expanded use of the earlier liturgical books. One should be cautious, however, about awakening too high or maximum expectations among the traditional faithful.

I am using the opportunity to thank you for your appreciated commitment to the liturgy of the Roman Church in your books and lectures, even if here and there I would wish still more charity and understanding towards the magisterium of the pope and bishops. May the seed you are sowing germinate and bring much fruit for the renewed life of the Church the “source and summit” of which, indeed its true heart, is and must remain the liturgy.

With delight I give you the blessing you have asked and remain sincerely yours,

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

SOURCE

Abp. Ranjith on Kneeling for Communion and Communion on the Tongue

2008-01-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted by Shawn Tribe
New Liturgical Movement blog

Link to Original

Archbishop Ranjith believes that it is time to reconsider Communion in the hand

Libreria Editrice Vaticana has published a book, Dominus Est by Bishop Athansius Schnedier, where that Bishop analyzes the question of communion recieved kneeling and on the tongue.

Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith has written the foreward to this book, which the NLM is happy to present an unofficial translation here to follow. (Many thanks to a good friend of the NLM for providing the link to this, which came originally through, Associazione Luci sull'Est.

Without further adieu, the foreword of Msgr. Ranjith, Secretary to the CDW:

In the Book of Revelation, St. John tells how he had seen and heard what was revealed and prostrated [himself] in adoration at the foot of the angel of God (cf. Rev 22, 8). Prostrating, or getting down one one's knees before the majesty of the presence of God in humble adoration, was a habit of reverence that Israel brought constantly to the presence of the Lord. It says the first book of Kings, "when Solomon had finished putting this prayer to the Lord and this plea, he stood up before the altar of the Lord, where he was kneeling, with palms stretched heavenward, and blessed the whole assembly of Israel "(1 King 8, 54-55). The position of supplication of the King is clear: He was kneeling in front of the altar.

The same tradition is also visible in the New Testament where we see Peter get on his knees before Jesus (cf. Lk 5, 8); when Jairus asked him to heal her daughter (Luke 8, 41), when the Samaritan returned to thank him, and when Mary the sister of Lazarus asked for the life of her brother (John 11, 32). The same attitude of prostration before the revelation of the divine presence and is generally known in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 5, 8, 14 and 19, 4).

Closely linked to this tradition was the conviction that the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the dwelling place of God and therefore, in the temple it was necessary to prepare one's disposition by corporal expression, a deep sense of humility and reverence in the presence of the Lord.

Even in the Church, the deep conviction that in the Eucharistic species the Lord is truly and really present, along with the growing practice of preserving the Holy Sacrament in tabernacles, contributed to practice of kneeling in an attitude of humble adoration of the Lord in the Eucharist.

[...]

...faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species already belonged to the essence of the faith of the Catholic Church and was an intrinsic part of Catholicism. It was clear that we could not build up the Church if that faith was minimally affected.

Therefore, the Eucharist, bread transubstantiated in Body of Christ and wine into the Blood of Christ, God among us, is to be greeted with wonder, reverence and an immense attitude of humble adoration. Pope Benedict XVI... points out that "receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive [...] only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature."(Sacramentum Caritatis 66).

Following this tradition, it is clear that it became coherent and indispensable to take actions and attitudes of the body and spirit which makes it easier to [enter into] silence, recollection, and the humble acceptance of our poverty in the face of the infinite greatness and holiness of the One who comes to meet us in the Eucharistic species. The best way to express our sense of reverence to the Lord in Mass is to follow the example of Peter, who as the Gospel tells us, threw himself on his knees before the Lord and said, 'Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner " (Luke 5, 8).

As we see in some churches now, this practice is decreasing and those responsible not only require that the faithful should receive the Holy Eucharist standing, but even eliminate all kneelers forcing the faithful to sit or stand, even during the elevation and adoration of the [Sacred] Species. It is ironic that such measures have been taken in [some] dioceses by those responsible for liturgy, or in churches, by pastors, without even the smallest amount of consultation of the faithful, even though today, more than ever, there is an environment desiring democracy in the Church.

At the same time, speaking of communion in the hand, it must be recognized that the practice was improperly and quickly introduced in some quarters of the Church shortly after the Council, changing the age-old practice and becoming regular practice for the whole Church. They justified the change saying that it better reflected the Gospel or the ancient practice of the Church... Some, to justify this practice referred to the words of Jesus: "Take and eat" (Mk 14, 22; Mt 26, 26).

Whatever the reasons for this practice, we cannot ignore what is happening worldwide where this practice has been implemented. This gesture has contributed to a gradual weakening of the attitude of reverence towards the sacred Eucharistic species whereas the previous practice had better safeguarded that sense of reverence. There instead arose an alarming lack of recollection and a general spirit of carelessness. We see communicants who often return to their seats as if nothing extraordinary has happened... In many cases, one cannot discern that sense of seriousness and inner silence that must signal the presence of God in the soul.

Then there are those who abuse takes away the sacred species to keep them as souvenirs, those who sell, or worse yet, who take them away to desecrate it in Satanic rituals. Even in large concelebrations, also in Rome, several times the sacred species has been found thrown onto the ground.

This situation not only leads us to reflect upon a serious loss of faith, but also on outrageous offenses...

The Pope speaks of the need not only to understand the true and deep meaning of the Eucharist, but also to celebrate it with dignity and reverence. He says that we must be aware of "gestures and posture, such as kneeling during the central moments of the Eucharistic Prayer." (Sacramentum Caritatis, 65). Also, speaking about the reception of the Holy Communion he invites everyone to "make every effort to ensure that this simple act preserves its importance as a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ in the sacrament." (Sacramentum Caritatis, 50).

In this vein, the book written by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Karaganda in Kazakhstan entitled Dominus Est is significant and appreciated. He wants to make a contribution to the current debate on the real and substantial presence of Christ in the consecrated species of bread and wine... from his experience, which aroused in him a deep faith, wonder and devotion to the Lord present in the Eucharist, he presents us with a historical-theological [consideration] clarifying how the practice of receiving Holy Communion on the tonue and kneeling has been accepted and practiced in the Church for a long period of time.

Now I think it is high time to review and re-evaluate such good practices and, if necessary, to abandon the current practice that was not called for by Sacrosanctum Concilium, nor by Fathers, but was only accepted after its illegitimate introduction in some countries. Now, more than ever, we must help the faithful to renew a deep faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in order to strengthen the life of the Church and defend it in the midst of dangerous distortions of the faith that this situation continues to cause.

The reasons for this move must be not so much academic but pastoral - spiritual as well as liturgical - in short, what builds better faith. Mons. Msgr. Schneider in this sense shows a commendable courage because he has been able to grasp the true meaning of the words of St. Paul: "but everything should be done for building up" (1 Cor 14, 26).

MALCOLM RANJITH
Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship

The Latin Mass Explained By Fr. George Moorman

2008-01-26T11:20:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire
1/26/2008 - 10:59 AM PST

CHICAGO, IL (JANUARY 26, 2008) - Everything Needed to Understand and Appreciate the Traditional Latin Mass. Fr. George Moorman. Extremely informative, but very easy to read!

The Latin Mass Explained tells the Catholic faithful what happens, prayer by prayer, in the Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Missale Romanum).

Why does the Church use Latin exclusively in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite? What is the sacred silence of the Mass? Why does the altar boy ring the bells? What vestments does the priest wear and why?

Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio opening the door to celebration of the Latin Mass.

We are happy to offer The Latin Mass Explained at the very low price of $15.00 (USD), plus shipping and handling charges.

The Latin Mass Explained
Tells the Catholic faithful what happens, prayer by prayer, in the Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Missale Romanum)
Rev. George Moorman
185 pages, paperback

Click here to order
Contact: Canons Regular of St. John Cantius
Canons Regular of St. John Cantius website
Rev. Scott Haynes - webmaster, 312-243 7373

May All Of You Have A Most Blessed And Merry CHRISTmas Day And Season!

2007-12-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

Stabat Mater speciosa

By the Crib Wherein Reposing

Stabat Mater speciosa is considered one of the seven greatest Latin hymns of all time and one of the tenderest. It is based upon the Gospel account of the birth of Jesus. The hymn originated in the 13th century and has been attributed to Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306). There is a mirror image to this hymn, Stabat Mater dolorosa, which echoes the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Source

English version:

BY the crib wherein reposing,
With His eyes in slumber closing,
Lay serene her Infant-boy,
Stood the beauteous Mother feeling
Bliss that could not bear concealing,
So her face o'erflowed with joy.

Oh, the rapture naught could smother
Of that most Immaculate Mother
Of the sole-begotten One;
When with laughing heart exulting,
She beheld her hopes resulting
In the great birth of her Son.

Who would not with gratulation
See the happy consolation
Of Christ's Mother undefiled?
Who would not be glad surveying
Christ's dear Mother bending, praying,
Playing with her heavenly Child?

For a sinful world's salvation,
Christ her Son's humiliation
She beheld and brooded o'er;
Saw Him weak, a child, a stranger,
Yet before Him in the manger
Kings lie prostrate and adore.

O'er that lowly manger winging,
Joyful hosts from heaven were singing
Canticles of holy praise;
While the old man and the maiden,
Speaking naught, with hearts o'erladen,
Pondered on God's wondrous ways.

Fount of love, forever flowing,
With a burning ardor glowing,
Make me, Mother, feel like thee;
Let my heart, with graces gifted
All on fire, to Christ be lifted,
And by Him accepted be.

Holy Mother, deign to bless me,
With His sacred Wounds impress me,
Let them in my heart abide;
Since He came, thy Son, the Holy,
To a birth-place, ah, so lowly,
All His pains with me divide.

Make me with true joy delighted,
To Child-Jesus be united
While my days of life endure;
While an exile here sojourning,
Make my heart like thine be burning
With a love divine and pure.

Spotless Maid and sinless Woman,
Make us feel a fire in common,
Make my heart's long longing sure.
Virgin of all virgins highest,
Prayer to thee thou ne'er denyest,
Let me bear thy sweet Child too.

Let me bear Him in my bosom,
Lord of life, and never lose Him,
Since His birth doth death subdue.
Let me show forth how immense is
The effect on all my senses
Of an union so divine.

All who in the crib revere Him,
Like the shepherds watching near Him,
Will attend Him through the night,
By thy powerful prayers protected,
Grant, O Queen, that His elected
May behold heaven's moving light.

Make me by His birth be guarded,
By God's holy word be warded,
By His grace till all is done;
When my body lies obstructed,
Make my soul to be conducted,
To the vision of thy Son.

Latin version:

STABAT Mater speciosa
Juxta foenum gaudiosa, Dum
jacebat parvulus;
Cujus animam gaudentem,
Laetabundam et ferventem
Pertransivit jubilus.

O quam laeta et beata
Fuit ilia immaculata
Mater unigeniti
Quae gaudebat, et ridebat,
Exultabat, cum videbat
Nati partum inclyti.

Quisquam est, qui non gauderet,
Christi matrem si videret
In tanto solatio?
Quis non possit collaetari,
Christi matrem contemplari
Ludentem cum filio?

Pro peccatis sum gentis
Christum vidit cum jumentis
Et algori subditum;
Vidit suum dulcem natum
Vagientem, adoratum
Vili diversorio.

Nato Christo in praesepe
Coeli cives canunt laete
Cum immenso gaudio;
Stabat senex cum puella
Non cum verbo nec loquela
Stupescentes cordibus.

Eja, mater, fons amoris,
Me sentire vim ardoris
Fac, ut tecum sentiam;
Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
In amatum Christum Deum,
Ut sibi complaceam.

Sancta mater, istud agas,
Prone introducas plagas
Cordi fixas valide;
Jam dignati foeno nasci
Poenas mecum divide.

Fac me vere congaudere,
Jesulino cohaerere
Donec ego vixero;
In me sistat ardor tui,
Puerino fac me frui,
Dum sum in exsilio.

Virgo virginum praeclara,
Mihi jam non sis amara,
Fac me parvum rapere;
Fac,ut pulchrum infantem portem,
Qui nascendo vicit mortem,
Volens vitam tradere.

Fac me tecum satiari,
Nato me inebriari,
Stantem in tripudio;
Inflammatus et accensus
Obstupescit omnis sensus
Tali me commercio.

Fac me nato custodiri,
Verbo Dei praemuniri,
Conservari gratia;
Quando corpus morietur
Fac, ut animae donetur
Tui nati gloria!

Cardinal Stickler, one of the all time great Cardinals has died

2007-12-13T17:22:00.000-05:00

Cathcon translation of obituary in Der Standard

Austrian Curial Cardinal Stickler has died (he passed away on Wednesday, December 12, 2007)

The eldest member of the Cardinalate was in his ninety eighth year and "passed away peacefully"

The Austrian Curia, Cardinal Alfonso Maria Stickler, the oldest member of the College of Cardinals, died in the Vatican on Wednesday evening at the age of 98, as Kathpress reports. The former prefect of the Vatican Library and Papal Archives (until 1988) came from Neunkirchen in Lower Austria, where he was born on 23 August 1910. While still young, he joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1937, and was ordained a priest. In September 1983 - just before the first visit to Austria by Pope John Paul II - was Stickler appointed in May 1985 to the Cardinal’s college, as Cardinal Bishop.

In 1983, Pope John Paul II appointed him as a successor to the Austrian Cardinal Antonio Samore, the "Pro-Librarian of the Holy Roman Church" and appointed him archbishop simultaneously to the Titular See of Bolsena. On 7 In July 1984, Pope John Paul II gave him responsibility also for the Vatican Secret Archives. During his tenure, Stickler tirelessly contined the the preservation and modernization of the Vatican library, which is not a repository of the world's richest collection of manuscripts (about 70,000), but also contains one million printed books, roughly 150,000 copper engravings, and a very valuable coin collection. Under the leadership of the Austrian cardinal, a great nuclear bomb proof bunker was built, in which the most important treasures of the library (including the "Codex Vaticanus) are accommodated.

The conservative traditionalist Stickler was extremely hostile to the "Popular Church Movement" in Austria. The Cardinal, who was a strong supporter of the pre-Conciliar rite of the Mass said at that time in precise words that the "rebellion" was directed against the Pope and "against the very essence of our faith." The conscience of the individual must be subordinate to the authority of the Magisterium.

"Passed away peacefully"

Cardinal Stickler passed away peacefully on Wednesday night at 19.30 pm said the Linz diocesan Bishop Ludwig Schwarz in conversation with Kathpress. Stickler knew well Schwarz from his time as Provincial of the Roman province of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The oldest Cardinal lived in his last years secluded in his apartment in the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio.

The late Cardinal came from a large family. He was the second of twelve children. After graduation in Vienna, he entered the novitiate of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and was professed on 15 August 1928. He completed his theological studies in Benediktbeuern and taught in Turin and Rome. He was a Doctor iuris utriusque of the Lateran University

Stickler taught ecclesiastical legal history at the Canon Law Faculty of the Salesian University in Rome, was Dean of the faculty and finally Rector of the university. On 25 March 1971 (Ash Wednesday) Pope Paul VI appointed him the Prefect of the Vatican Library, which was according to Stickler himself, the most significant "change in his career path". On 8 September 1983, Stickler was appointed "Pro Librarian of the Holy Roman Church", while as well as Titular Bishop of Bolsena. Pope John Paul II personally consecrated him Bishop on the Feast of All Saints 1983. On 7 July 1984, Pope John Paul II also gave him responsibility for the Vatican Secret Archives. In the Consistory of 25 May 1985, Pope John Paul II made him Cardinal and give him as titular, the Church of San Giorgio in Velabro (the church was on the night of 27 to 28 July 1993 severely damaged in a bomb attack, believed to be the work of the Mafia). From this time, until his retirement, Stickler was Official Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church.

Psalm 129

1. de profundis clamavi ad te Domine

2 Domine exaudi vocem meam fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae

3 si iniquitates observabis Domine Domine quis sustinebit

4 quia apud te propitiatio est propter legem tuam sustinui te Domine sustinuit anima mea in verbum eius

5 speravit anima mea in Domino

6 a custodia matutina usque ad noctem speret Israhel in Domino

7 quia apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud eum redemptio

8 et ipse redimet Israhel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius

2:20 PM Labels: austria, cardinal, Cardinal Stickler, rome Posted by Gillibrand

+ + +

1. Letter of the Pope on the Occasion of Cardinal Stickler's 70th Anniversary in the Priesthood

2. Recollections of a Vatican II Peritus

3. The Attractiveness of the Tridentine Mass

More Good News From Rome: Holy Father Plans To Restore Traditional Sacred Music To The Vatican & The Latin Rite

2007-11-21T18:10:00.000-05:00

Pope to purge the Vatican of modern music

The Pope is considering a dramatic overhaul of the Vatican in order to force a return to traditional sacred music.

Telegraph.co.uk
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
2:19am GMT 20/11/2007

Link to Original

The Pope wants to widen the use of Gregorian chant and baroque sacred music

After reintroducing the Latin Tridentine Mass, the Pope wants to widen the use of Gregorian chant and baroque sacred music.

In an address to the bishops and priests of St Peter's Basilica, he said that there needed to be "continuity with tradition" in their prayers and music.

He referred pointedly to "the time of St Gregory the Great", the pope who gave his name to Gregorian chant.

Gregorian chant has been reinstituted as the primary form of singing by the new choir director of St Peter's, Father Pierre Paul.

He has also broken with the tradition set up by John Paul II of having a rotating choir, drawn from churches all over the world, to sing Mass in St Peter's.

The Pope has recently replaced the director of pontifical liturgical celebrations, Archbishop Piero Marini, with a man closer to his heart, Mgr Guido Marini. It is now thought he may replace the head of the Sistine Chapel choir, Giuseppe Liberto.

The International Church Music Review recently criticised the choir, saying: "The singers wanted to overshout each other, they were frequently out of tune, the sound uneven, the conducting without any artistic power, the organ and organ playing like in a second-rank country parish church."

Mgr Valentin Miserachs Grau, the director of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, which trains church musicians, said that there had been serious "deviations" in the performance of sacred music.

"How far we are from the true spirit of sacred music. How can we stand it that such a wave of inconsistent, arrogant and ridiculous profanities have so easily gained a stamp of approval in our celebrations?" he said.

He added that a pontifical office could correct the abuses, and would be "opportune". He said: "Due to general ignorance, especially in sectors of the clergy, there exists music which is devoid of sanctity, true art and universality."

Mgr Grau said that Gregorian chant was the "cardinal point" of liturgical music and that traditional music "should become again the living soul of the assembly".

The Pope favoured the idea of a watchdog for church music when he was the cardinal in charge of safeguarding Catholic doctrine.

He is known to be a strong supporter of Mgr Grau, who is also in charge of the Cappella Liberiana of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

+ + +

Why the Pope is right to purge modern music

Telegraph.co.uk
By Damian Thompson
Last Updated: 2:06am GMT 20/11/2007

Link to Original

For decades, the standard of singing in St Peter's basilica has struggled to match that of a Gilbert and Sullivan society.

Church music in Italy is generally atrocious, and the Vatican is no exception.

Since he arrived in Rome nearly 30 years ago, the music-loving Joseph Ratzinger has had to endure the sub-operatic warbling of bad 20th-century music. Now he has had enough.

The Pope, who last year appointed a new choir director of St Peter's, wants Gregorian chant, polyphony and baroque masterpieces to dominate the repertoire in the basilica and the Sistine chapel. And, by making his preferences clear, he is sending out a message to the whole Catholic Church.

We are moving into an era of liturgical revolution. Benedict detests the feeble "folk Masses" that have remained the staple fare of Catholic worship long after they went out of musical fashion.

He wants the Church to rediscover the treasure of its heritage - and that includes Gregorian chant as well as the pre-1970 Latin Mass that can now be celebrated without the permission of bishops.

The old guard of trendy choir directors and composers (many of whom have signed lucrative contracts with dioceses) will fight his reforms every inch of the way, egged on by philistine bishops.

But younger church musicians, like young priests, are conservative in their tastes.

The next generation of choir directors have been charged by the Pope with the task of reintroducing beautiful music into church. If they succeed, then at long last the pews may begin to fill up again.

Damian Thompson is editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald

Letter on Summorum Pontificum by the Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

2007-11-19T12:12:00.000-05:00

DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG — office of the Bishop

November 15, 2007

Dear Friends in Christ,

On July 7, 2007, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, promulgated motu proprio, the Apostolic Letter, Summorum Pontificum. The norms contained in this letter became effective on September 14, 2007. In this letter, our Holy Father defined two forms of the rule of prayer (Lex orandi) of the Catholic Church of Latin Rite: an ordinary form, as contained in the Missale Romanum of Pope Paul VI, and an extraordinary form, as contained in the Missale Romanum promulgated by Blessed John XXIII. The guidelines previously provided by Pope John Paul II for the use of the Missal of Blessed John XXIII are now replaced by the new norms promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI. I am certainly grateful to the Holy Father for the clarity of the norms contained in Summorum Pontificum.

In my first year as Bishop of Harrisburg, I was happy to grant permission for the celebration of Holy Mass every Sunday and Holy Day, according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, at Saint Lawrence Chapel in Harrisburg. I am very grateful to Father Thomas Rozman and the Cathedral Parish for their openness and hosp itality in providing for the use of this beautiful church for the celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII these past two and a half years.

In light of the prescriptions of Summorum Pontificum, it is my joy to announce the appointment of a full-time Chaplain for the pastoral care of the community of the faithful that celebrates the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite at Saint Lawrence Chapel. At the presentation of Father George Gabet, superior of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in the United States, I have appointed Father Frank Parrinello full-time Chaplain of the community, with residence at the Saint Patrick Cathedral rectory. I am deeply grateful to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter for providing this priestly ministry in Harrisburg.

It is also my joy to announce that the community of the faithful which worships at Saint Lawrence Chapel according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII shall be called the Mater Dei Community, in honor of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God. The Mater Dei Community will o fficially come into existence on the First Sunday of Advent of this year, December 2, 2007. Within the diocesan structure, this chaplaincy will fall within the Secretariat for Catholic Life and Evangelization.

With the priestly ministry of a full-time chaplain, the Mater Dei Community will have the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass daily as well as the celebration of all the sacraments and other rites of the Church according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, according to the prescriptions contained in Summorum Pontificum. The chaplain of the Mater Dei Community will be available for visitation of the sick, both the homebound and the hospitalized. He will also be available for pastoral counseling and other priestly ministries as needed and requested.

The Mater Dei Community will begin programs of sacramental preparation and catechetical instruction and may host other activities and programs under the direction of the chaplain. It is my hope and prayer that the spiritual life of this community will flourish and bear many good fruits for its members and for our diocese.

Catholics who so desire may choose to register as members of the Mater Dei Community, thus assuming rights and obligations which parallel membership in a parish. The Mater Dei Community has the financial responsibility to provide the salary and benefits for the chaplain as well as rent and utilities for the use of the Saint Lawrence Chapel facilities of Saint Patrick Cathedral Parish. The Mater Dei Community will also be assessed for the Bishop's Annual Lenten Appeal and for students of the Community who attend Catholic schools. Those who attend the liturgy according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII who choose not to register as members of the Mater Dei Community will retain membership in their territorial parishes with the rights and obligations that pertain to that membership.

I wish to extend my fervent best wishes to Father Parrinello and to all who choose to become members of the Mater Dei Community. As this new chaplaincy begins, please know that you are especially remembered in my prayers. I offer for your reflection the following words of Pope Benedict near the end of his beautiful Apostolic Letter, Sacramentum Caritatis: the most holy mystery of the Eucharist "needs to be firmly believed, devoutly celebrated and intensely lived in the Church. Jesus' gift of Himself in the sacrament which is the memorial of His passion tells us that the success of our lives is found in our participation in the Trinitarian life offered to us truly and definitively in Him. The celebration and worship of the Eucharist enable us to draw near to God's love and to persevere in that love until we are united with the Lord whom we love."

May the Holy Eucharist, the wondrous sacrament of charity, be the center of the life and mission of the Mater Dei Community. And may the Mother of God intercede for you as I commend your community to her loving care!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades Bishop of Harrisburg

Interview with Archbishop Ranjith

2007-11-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

Ranjith speaks to Fides: the message of the motu proprio

From an interview granted by Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, to Fides, the official news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (in Italian; the English translation will appear in the next few days in the English section of Fides):

Your Excellency, what is in your opinion the deep significance of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum?

I see in this decision not only the solicitude of the Holy Father to open the road for the reentry into the full communion of the Church of the followers of Archbishop Lefebvre, but also a sign for all the Church on some theological-disciplinary principles [which must] be safeguarded for its deep renewal, so much desired by the Council.

It seems to me that there is a strong desire by the Pope to correct those temptations [which are] visible in some circles which see the Council as a moment of rupture with the past and of a new beginning. It is enough to recall his speech to the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005.

Nevertheless, not even the Council itself thought in such terms. Both in its doctrinal and in itsjuridical-pastoral choices, the Council was another moment of development and aggiornamento of the rich theological-spiritual heritage of the Church in its bimillenial history. The Pope intends to clearly affirm, with his motu proprio, that every temptation of disregard for these venerable traditions is out of place. The message is clear: yes to progress, but not at the expense of history or without it. Even liturgical reform must be faithful to all that has happened from the beginning up to now, without exclusions.

On the other hand, we must never forget that for the Catholic Church, Divine Revelation is not something which comes solely from Sacred Scripture, but also from the living Tradition of the Church. This faith is clearly distinct from other manifestations of the Christian faith. Truth for us is what emerges, as it were, from both these poles, that is Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

This position is to me quite richer than others because it respects the liberty of the Lord to guide us to a more adequate understanding of revealed truth, even through what may take place in the future. Naturally, the process of discernment of what may come will be effected through the Magisterium of the Church. But what we must grasp is the importance which is attributed to Tradition. The Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum stated this truth clearly (DV 10).

---

The Motu Proprio, in my opinion, also operates in this sense. This is a possible boost for a necessary course correction. In fact, in certain choices of the liturgical reform effected after the Council, orientations were adopted which have overshadowed some aspects of the liturgy, better reflected in the previous praxis, because, for some, liturgical renewal was understood as something to be made ex novo. But we know well that that was not the intent of Sacrosanctum Concilium, which underlines that "any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing." (SC, 23).

Archbishop Ranjith also speaks of a "crisis of obedience" regarding the Motu Proprio as a great problem in the Church:

"It is felt that in some nations or dioceses rules have been handed by the Bishops which practically nullify or deform the intention of the Pope. This behavior is not appropriate to the dignity and nobility of the vocation of a Shepherd of the Church."

+ + +

Related thread: Vatican Official Decries Opposition to Summorum Pontificum

Recent News Stories on the TLM

2007-11-18T08:07:00.001-05:00

1. Vatican document clarifying some issues re: Summorum Pontificum before Christmas

2. Important: Ecclesia Dei to ask seminaries to teach Traditional Mass

3. Pope gets radical and woos the Anglicans

4. Australia Celebrates Letter on 1962 Missal

5. “The Tridentine Mass for Joe Sixpack”-Parish offers refresher course on Latin Mass, sacraments

Vatican Official Decries Opposition to Summorum Pontificum

2007-11-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Rome, Nov. 5, 2007 (CWNews.com) - In an interview with the Italian Petrus web site, Archbishop Albert Ranjith Patabendige, the secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, acknowledged that the papal document, Summorum Pontificum, has been met in some dioceses with criticism and resistance. In some cases, the Sri Lankan prelate said, the hostility amounts to "rebellion against the Pope."

Reminding the interviewer, Bruno Volpe, that every bishop swears allegiance to the Roman Pontiff, Archbishop Ranjith said that "everyone, and particular every pastor, is called to obey the Pope, who is the successor to Peter." He called bishops to follow the papal directive faithfully, "setting aside all pride and prejudice."

Archbishop Ranjith complained that in some dioceses, bishops and their representatives have set out policies "inexplicably" limiting the scope of the Pope's motu proprio. He charged that the resistance to the Pope's policy has been driven by "on the one hand, ideological prejudices, and on the other hand pride-- one of the deadliest sins."

Early in October, in an address to the Latin Liturgy Association in the Netherlands, Archbishop Ranjith had delivered an equally blunt assessment of the response to Summorum Pontificum, saying that bishops were being "disobedient" to the Pope, and stifling the impact of the motu proprio by their policies. Diocesan bishops "do not have this right," he said, and bishops who defy the Pope's authority are allowing themselves "to be used as instruments of the devil."

+ + +

Rome’s fury: Motu Proprio mutiny ‘sinful’

By Damian Thompson on 05 Nov 2007 at 16:27
telegraph.co.uk

Link to Original

The Vatican has vented its fury at the mutinous response of liberal bishops and cardinals to the Pope’s liberation of the traditional Latin Mass.

Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, has accused dioceses that try to sabotage the Pope’s Motu Proprio [Summorum Pontificum]of “prejudices of an ideological kind” and “pride, one of the gravest sins”. Well said!

The archbishop does not name the prelates he considers to be in a state of “rebellion towards the Pope”, as he puts it. But one thing is clear: overall, the reaction of the Bishops of England and Wales to Pope Benedict’s ruling has been truly dismal.

This is just guesswork, but I wouldn’t surprised if Archbishop’s Ranjith’s remarks were directed partly at the Diocese of Portsmouth, whose “director of liturgy” Paul Inwood produced an appalling set of guidelines that tried to ban Catholics for asking for the traditional Mass.

Two other names that come to mind are Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton and Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, both of whom have written letters contrary to the letter and spirit of the Pope’s wishes.

Hat-tip to Petavius and the Rorate Caeli blog for alerting me to the archbishop’s interview, given to Bruno Volpe of the papal news website Petrus. Here are the money quotes:

“There have been positive reactions [to the Motu Proprio] and, it is useless to deny it, criticisms and opposition, even from theologians, liturgists, priests, bishops, and even cardinals. I frankly do not understand these rifts, and, why not [say it], rebellion towards the Pope. I invite all, particularly the Shepherds, to obey the Pope, who is the Successor of Peter. The Bishops, in particular, have sworn fidelity to the Pontiff: may they be coherent and faithful to their commitment…

“You know that there have been, by some dioceses, even interpretative documents which inexplicably intend to limit the Pope’s Motu Proprio. These actions mask behind them, on one hand, prejudices of an ideological kind and, on the other, pride, one of the gravest sins. I repeat: I call all to obey the Pope. If the Holy Father decided to promulgate the Motu Proprio, he had his reasons, which I fully share.”

Such ferocious comments by a senior figure in the Curia indicate that Rome is not prepared to stand by and watch liberal bishops ignore Pope Benedict’s decision to restore the former Tridentine Rite to full parity with the Mass of Paul VI.

Archbishop Ranjith, 58, a Dutch-born Sri Lankan, is a man after the Pope’s heart: he loves the traditional Mass and celebrates it in his private chapel. He speaks with a forthright eloquence rarely encountered among English bishops. Here is a taste of his style, from a recent address in the Netherlands:

“The Church cannot be the arena of confusion, philosophical or moral relativism, sophistry and casuistic dilution of the revealed truth which is the foundation of its Credo, the Word of God as revealed in the Sacred Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church and interpreted by the official magisterium of the Church and open dissent or public debate even in the name of the freedom of theological research.

“My mind goes back to the story of the construction or shall we say the attempted construction of the Tower of Babel. Its constructors felt confident that they could scale the heavens with their own resources and strength without God. Hasn’t that same spirit re-appeared perhaps in a more sophisticated form in the world and the Church today?”

Archbishop Ranjith is no fool: he is appalled by the stroppy, work-to-rule mentality of bishops who think they are popes in their own dioceses and have no intention of implementing a ruling they don’t like.

As for the identity of the unnamed cardinals, your guess is as good as mine. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminster hasn’t said anything that could get him into trouble – but neither has he manifested the slightest enthusiasm for – or interest in – this crucial aspect of Benedict’s reform of the liturgy. He’s keeping his head down, as usual.

+ + +

Catholic World News
Commentary by Phil Lawler, Editor:

It's unusual for a top Vatican official to release public criticism of other bishops. It's even more unusual when the criticism comes from the second-ranking official in a Vatican dicastery.

The #2 man in the Congregation for Divine Worship, Archbishop Ranjith, has now issued two stinging rebukes to bishops who are blocking implementation of Summorum Pontificum. His very blunt statements are even more remarkable in light of the fact that Cardinal Arinze, his immediate superior as prefect of the Congregation, has been very quiet-- in fact utterly silent, conspicuously silent-- about the motu proprio.

Is Archbishop Ranjith speaking out on his own initiative? If so, he's endangering his future at the Vatican. But what if he's not speaking on his own? What if he's been encouraged to take such a strong stand? There's only one person in Rome whose encouragement would be enough to push this mild-mannered prelate out onto the front lines.

+ + +

Recent comments by Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei:

"...Priests can decide, without permission from the Holy See or the bishop, to celebrate the Mass in the ancient rite. And this holds true for all priests…It is not therefore necessary to ask any other permission...The Code of Canon Law says who must give permission to say Mass and it is not the bishop: The bishop gives the "celebret," the power to be able to celebrate, but when a priest has this power, it is the parish priest and the chaplain who must grant the altar to celebrate. If anyone impedes him, it is up to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in the name of the Holy Father, to take measures until this right is respected…The Pope does not impose the obligation; the Pope does impose offering this possibility where the faithful request it. If there is a conflict, the authority of the bishop must intervene to avoid it, but without canceling the right that the Pope gave to the entire Church.” (Source)

Vatican Press announces publication of 1962 Edition of the Roman Missal

2007-10-23T13:16:00.000-04:00

Vatican City, October 23 (CNA).-The Vatican Press, Libreria Editricie Vaticana, has announced that it will begin selling the Roman Missal of 1962.

The publication is being viewed as a sign of support from the Vatican for those who wish to celebrate the Mass in Latin according to the 1962 rite, recently encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio instruction, "Summorum Pontificum."

It is available for purchase at a price of 59 Euros. Further details can be found at http://www.libreriaeditricevaticana.com/it/news/

Priests' opposing views on Latin Mass

2007-10-19T11:11:00.000-04:00

Matt C. Abbott
October 17, 2007

In recent parish bulletins, Father J. Patrick Wissman, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bolivar, Mo., lashed out at Pope Benedict's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Father Wissman wrote, in part:

'The Pope seems to be out of touch with the ordinary church. He seems to be acting in good will, but giving into the 'letter writers' who have been complaining for years, he will create a shadow church and cause great divisions in every diocese. Such will be that when churches are built, they would have to accommodate both rites and seminarians would have to take courses in Latin. During many centuries seminarians have fallen through the cracks and not been able to reach the goal of the priesthood because Latin was too difficult for them. This was a scandal! To return to such a course would be lunacy!

'The nature of the language we worship in is crucial. Worship language must be immediate...namely, not translated in the head — Latin would speak to the intellect at bestand that is not good enough. The language of worship must speak to the heart as well as the head.

'The gospel is meant to enlighten and challenge us! It is my opinion that the use of Latin should have been done away with hundreds of years ago. This is one of the things that Martin Luther was right about. After WWII Christians worldwide shook their heads in sober sadness and declared that Christianity had failed in Europe because it had let Hitler and his hateful and mad ways to succeed. Some very holy people said: 'No, Christianity was just never tried.' I fault the use of Latin as partly responsible for the rise and success of Hitler and his neo-pagan mythology which was obviously the religion he was supporting and that actually managed to capture the German imagination. I say the people, because of Latin never were confronted by the gospel. The Mass and the sacraments never really reached down deep into the soul. There are some notable exceptions of priests and laity and some very heroic ones as well as Protestant theologians who confronted the lies of Hitler — of course, they were gotten rid of...."

Father John Trigilio, Jr., president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, provided me (upon my asking) with the following response to Father Wissman's commentary.

'This pastor was born in 1938 and ordained in 1964; hence, he grew up and was trained in the seminary according to the Tridentine Mass. Yet, most of his priesthood has been in the Novus Ordo. While he has experience of the extraordinary as well as the ordinary form of the Roman Missal, his statements and judgments about the motu proprio are totally non sequitur.

'First, he classifies the request for a Latin (and not just Latin but the usus antiquior, i.e., Missal of 1962) as being 'selfish.' That is an ad hominem attack to say the least. Are Hispanics 'selfish' for asking for a Mass in Spanish? Are Italo-Americans selfish for wanting an Italian Mass? Of course not. The desire and request for a Latin Mass, be it Novus Ordo according to the 1970 Missal or the Tridentine based on the 1962 Missal, is not selfish. What is selfish is the prejudicial attitude to refuse and to ridicule those who have a spiritual need for something the Church allows, permits and now encourages.

'Secondly, he insults anyone who likes Latin as being 'disobedient' and being dissenters from the Second Vatican Council. Actually, priests and bishops who refuse to implement the papal motu proprio are the ones who are disobedient, not the faithful who have the right to request the extraordinary form of the Mass and the Sacraments. Selfish priests are the ones who refuse to provide for the spiritual needs of their flock just because their requests do not conform to his own personal preferences. The same papal authority which inaugurated the ordinary form of the Mass (Novus Ordo) also issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Benedict XVI is as much pope as was Paul VI. Both enjoyed full, immediate, universal and supreme authority, hence, one cannot pick and choose which pope or which act of papal authority to comply with and which to disregard.

'It is not dissent to want and to request the Latin Mass, either. Vatican II did not mandate a totally vernacular Mass. It allowed the possibility of some parts of the Mass to be in the vernacular. Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963) #36 states '[T]he use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.' It goes on to say in #54, '[I]n Masses which are celebrated with the people, a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue ... Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.'

'So, how can the request for Latin be construed as anti-Vatican II?

'Third, he resorts to the reductio ad absurdam fallacy in saying the pope is 'out of touch with the ordinary church' and that he risks creating a 'shadow church' which will divide the true church. The pope is head of the universal church and not just the church in North America. With several continents, cultures, languages and ethnic traditions within Roman Catholicism, some elements of unity need to be preserved. Latin language and Gregorian chant are not threats, nor are they antithetical to English or to contemporary church music. Whenever the pope visits a nation or presides at World Youth Day, it is amazing how many Catholics from outside the U.S. can pray and sing both in Latin and in their own mother tongue. Young and old can express both unity and diversity by sharing the same liturgical language (e.g., Hebrew in Judaism, Arabic in Islam and Greek in Eastern Orthodoxy) and by retaining some of their own vernacular.

'Fourth, Pope Benedict acutely recognizes that Catholicism is the 'great religion of the Et ... Et ' (both/and) rather than the Aut ... Aut (either/or) found in other religions. Hence, we have both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition; both faith and good works; both Eastern (Byzantine) and Western (Roman) rites. The motu proprio continues this process by affirming both the ordinary and the extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite. Father Pat, however, prefers to have it reduced to either/or. Either vernacular or Latin but not both, according to him. Pope Benedict and others believe differently.

'Lastly, I find it most offensive and bizarre to blame Nazism on Latin. While it is true that Catholics in Germany had the Latin Mass before, during, and after 1933-1945 (Hitler's Third Reich), 62 percent of the nation was Lutheran and only 32 percent was Catholic. Germany also had the third largest population of Jews in Europe. Though he himself was born and baptized a Catholic, Hitler repudiated the Catholic faith and never received any other sacraments. He practiced no religion as an adult. There is no corollary between the Latin Mass and the Nazi rise to power, and Father Pat should be ashamed to create one. That's what is misleading, not Pope Benedict, not the motu proprio and certainly not Latin or the usus antiquior.

'On the contrary, as Father [John] Zuhlsdorf has pointed out, there is a mutual gravitational pull between the ordinary and the extraordinary forms of the Roman rite. The 'old Latin Mass' and the 'new vernacular Mass' will reciprocally and beneficially affect each other since they come from one and the same Roman Rite. The dichotomous opposition is not intrinsic to either liturgical form, rather the focal point of animosity and foments of discontent originate in the paranoia of those who vehemently hate anything connected to Catholic tradition and custom. Catholicism preserves the best of the past while adopting the best of the new. It did so with Hebrew and Greek centuries ago and continues to do so with Latin and the vernacular today.

'I find Latin a unifying rather than dividing language. Attend a papal Mass in Rome where millions come year round on pilgrimage. Despite the plethora of languages and cultures, everyone joins in the Sanctus, the Pater Noster and the Agnus Dei. Whether the Mass is entirely in Latin or just the common parts; whether the ordinary form (1970/2000 Missal) or the extraordinary form (1962 Missal); the beauty of Catholic Liturgy and worship is that it transcends time and space. Ironically, more irreverence and heresy have emanated from modern 'liturgical Nazis' who seek to impose their illegitimate abuses and agendas on the rest of the faithful.''

UPDATE: Priest Apologizes For Comments Against The Traditional Latin Mass

+ + +

Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic columnist with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, Media and Theatre from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, and an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Management from Triton College in River Grove, Ill. He is the former director of public affairs for the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League and the former executive director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee. He was a contributor to The Wanderer Catholic newspaper and had numerous letters to the editor published in major newspapers, including the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times. He can be reached at mattcabbott@gmail.com

© Copyright 2007 by Matt C. Abbott

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/071017

Daily Traditional Mass Restored-Diocesan priests speaks out on tradition, the Mass and the Pope's MP

2007-09-25T14:43:00.000-04:00

Interviewed by Michael J. Matt
Editor, The Remnant

Link to Original

At Right: Fr. John Echert offers first daily traditional Mass at Holy Trinity since 1969

Editor’s Note: We are very pleased to present the following interview of Father John Echert— pastor of the Church of St. Augustine (site of the Indult Mass here in St. Paul/Minneapolis since 1984) and the Church of the Holy Trinity (So. St. Paul). Ever since Pope Benedict XVI released his historic motu proprio in July of this year, we have maintained that not only the prayers of traditional Catholic laypeople have been answered, but also those of countless tradition-minded priests within the diocesan structure of the Church. It is also our contention that a seismic shift in the direction of Tradition is taking place. As persecution of the Church throughout the world becomes imminent, it shouldn’t surprise any Catholic that God in His mercy would allow this dramatic restoration of the Old Mass (even on a daily basis) as part of the process by which we might all strengthen our resolve and prepare our souls for whatever eventuality may be in the offing. Fr. Echert’s courageous compliance with the wishes of the Holy Father is well worth considering and perhaps could be seen as a model for other diocesan priests trying to return to Tradition during these turbulent days in the life of the Church. MJM

Michael Matt: Can you give us some background on your priestly career thus far, i.e., your areas of expertise and maybe a word or two on the apostolates you’ve served?

Fr. John Echert: I was ordained twenty years ago, though my awareness of a vocation to the priesthood goes back about forty-five years (I just turned fifty).

Even as a little boy I knew that I wanted to be a priest, and expressed that dream to my parents and any priest who would listen. Without doubt my vocational awareness was awakened by the traditional form of the Mass, even at that young age. My parents were in the church choir and I have lasting memories of the beautiful music, the smell of incense, and the graceful movements of the priest in the sanctuary. Were it not for those early experiences which occasioned a very strong desire in me to be a priest, I do not know that I would have found sufficient inspiration in subsequent years.

As for my assignments as a priest: after having served three years in a large suburban parish, I was sent away for studies in Sacred Scripture to the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, after which I spent a dozen years teaching in my field at the local major seminary and Catholic university. During this period I also served as a Catholic Chaplain in the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard, and was twice deployed to desert locations in connection with the War in Iraq. Five years ago I began assisting at the local Indult Parish, and a bit over two years ago I was assigned as pastor of two parishes, one of which is that same Indult Parish at which I had assisted.

MJM: So, how is life these days for a tradition-minded priest serving in the military chaplaincy?

Fr. Echert: I have been connected with the military since 1975, at which time I enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school. Years later I received a commission as a Catholic Chaplain. With regard to the issue of serving as a priest in the military, it is not without its complexities. When we are serving our own religious communities we have full freedom to operate as we would with any civilian congregation or individual. But when we function within the context of the broader military community, there are limitations.

Recently, as a response to a Protestant Chaplain who was too evangelical with troops, the military curtailed many aspects of our public function as chaplains. This actually seems preferable to having the troops exposed to evangelization by non-Catholic chaplains and to requiring Catholic chaplains to dumb-down their invocations to the lowest common religious denominator—which is now quite low, given the plurality of religions and chaplains in the military.

The military follows the principle of “religious liberty”: one has the right to any religion, but no religion is favored or excluded—unfortunately! Once in Kuwait I had a Satanist request to use the chapel altar, and in Qatar I had Wickens [Wiccans] request religious support. In both cases I did not accommodate them but these are examples of “religious liberty” at its worst. Still, at least one fourth of our military troops identify themselves as Roman Catholics on their dog tags (whether or not they attend Mass), and we represent the largest single religious group. Let me add that with regard to the present situation in Iraq, over time I have reconsidered my position on the war and its aftermath; still, my months of priestly ministry to the troops there were rewarding. As they say, “there are no atheists in foxholes”—or behind sand dunes.

MJM: So, some years ago you began offering the Traditional Mass. Why?

Fr. Echert: I began offering the traditional form of the Mass about five years ago, at a time when there was a need for a priest to assume primary responsibility for the weekly Indult Mass. I had the advantage of college Latin studies and so my language skills were functional. I was encouraged by close traditional friends to learn the Mass and request permission from the local bishop to say the Mass at the Indult parish.

I learned the Mass through videos, attending the Tridentine Mass itself, and with the assistance of a priest friend who was steeped in tradition. For weeks I offered the Mass in private and, once comfortable and after approval, I began offering the weekly Indult Mass. Beyond my love for the traditional language and form of the Mass, I was also becoming more familiar with aspects of traditional thinking, through books and publications (to include The Remnant) and conversations with tradition-minded Catholics.

MJM: In the first sermon you preached after July 7, 2007, you said something that hadn’t, to my knowledge, been considered before: You said it is well within the spirit of Pope Benedict’s motu proprio for a priest to actually initiate with his parishioners the discussion of the benefits of restoring the old Mass. Can you explain?

Fr. Echert: The Holy Spirit works in many ways and through the instrumentality of human beings. If we are called to evangelize the nations with regard to Christ and the Church, it is also legitimate—and imperative, may we say—to evangelize with regard to tradition, including the traditional form of the Mass. In other words, instead of waiting for the Holy Spirit to whisper to the souls of the faithful or for someone to stumble into the world of tradition, should not traditional parish priests be inclined to introduce the souls entrusted to them to the traditional form of the Mass? It seems to me that the allowance of the Holy Father that any priest can privately offer the traditional Mass without restriction, at which the faithful may be present, suggests this as support for this view and even a means to accomplish this end of the evangelization of tradition.

MJM: You recently restored weekday Masses according to the Traditional Rite both in your Indult parish as well as in the other parish (non-traditionalist!) you serve as pastor (thus providing Catholics with daily access to the Traditional Mass). Can you tell me why you took this dramatic step in accord with the MP?

Fr. Echert: The past model for the now defunct Indult system often became the means to contain, control and restrict the traditional Mass and Sacraments—the “leper colony” approach. The new model allows for an expansion of the traditional Mass and Sacraments to any parish or community which desires it, with minimal restrictions (faithful who request it and a priest capable of offering it). While I could have continued with the old model and scheduled all additional traditional Masses at the former Indult parish, I didn’t do that because I see a positive value in introducing this venerable form of the Mass into my other parish as well, with the consequence that more Catholics will have contact with and access to the Tridentine Mass. Again, it is a method of the evangelization of tradition.

Thus, I used the following strategy: in the former Indult parish, I changed some weekday Masses to Tridentine; but in the other parish, I also added some Tridentine Masses to the existing schedule. In both cases, I have heard very few complaints from those accustomed to English Masses only—many of whom are now attending both forms of the Mass and learning more about tradition every day. I suspect that Pope Benedict XVI sees value in having the Novus Ordo and the Tridentine forms of the Mass side-by-side in parishes in order that contact with the traditional Mass by the faithful will eventually lead to a reform of the Mass of Paul VI or a complete return to the traditional form.

MJM: Communion rails are reportedly being reinstalled and table altars permanently removed from some churches that now offer the old Mass around the world (most recently, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin designated St. Kevin's church in Dublin as a chaplaincy where Mass will be celebrated regularly using the 1962 Missal, and the priest in Dublin is now permanently restoring the interior of the church building to accommodate the Traditional Mass.) What are your thoughts on this development and how do you account for such a strong desire among priests to implement Benedict’s MP that they’d voluntarily renovate their sanctuaries to facilitate this initiative?

Fr. Echert: In my own parishes, this is being accomplished even now. In the former Indult parish we have eliminated the free-standing altar completely, even for the Novus Ordo Masses. By the grace of God and with many words, my Parish Council (with only one traditionalist among the dozen members) was recently persuaded of the value of this change. Many parishioners who attend only English Masses urged me to eliminate the free-standing altar, and several guest priests who have assisted us at the English Masses later told me that saying the Mass ad orientem was a most reverent experience for them. In my other parish, which has only now been introduced to the Tridentine Mass, we are presently soliciting funds to restore the Communion Rail that was discarded decades ago. Again, even from among those who are only familiar with English Masses, there are many who support this restoration plan.

Two months ago, I had our parish carpenters rebuild the front steps to the High Altar, which, ironically enough, they were quite happy to do since a previous pastor had long ago directed these same men to remove them.

MJM: On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, you compared the Church’s rediscovery of the traditional Mass to the rediscovery of the true Cross in AD 312. This is a fascinating analogy and I wonder if you would be good enough explain what you mean by it.

Fr. Echert: It is the comparison of something which is most sacred and precious that had been lost—or taken—that has now been restored to its rightful place. In one case it was the most sacred relic of the Church: the True Cross of Christ; in the other case it is the most sacred worship of the Church: the Traditional Mass. Just as our Lord taught in the parables recorded by Saint Luke (chapter fifteen): there should be great cause for rejoicing when that which is lost has been found! In many ways, having been nearly without the traditional form of the Mass for forty years (practically speaking), I anticipate that as this Mass is more widely restored to its rightful place, the faithful will appreciate it all the more—that is the experience of many already.

MJM: Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis was, I believe, the first bishop to introduce daily Masses according to the old Rite after the MP (I’m told he’s now set up a program to teach Latin and the old Rite to the many young priests requesting instruction, as well). Bishop Finn, who himself recently offered the Old Mass in Kansas, also seems to be looking in that direction, as does, obviously, the Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland. Is such a thing possible here in St. Paul, and is there any move to establish traditional personal parishes here?

Fr. Echert: Thus far there has been no official communication to priests in this diocese with regard to the implementation of the motu proprio. I am not complaining about that silence, as it is preferable to other dioceses in which there have been directives which may thwart its implementation. I know of several priests—mostly young—who are interested in learning the Tridentine Mass and hope for opportunities to say it publicly. I have an open invitation to them to offer Mass in my two parishes.

For the short term, then, it appears that in this diocese my parishes will remain the primary parishes to serve traditional faithful, though I know of Catholics in many other parts of the diocese who are requesting the traditional Mass of their pastors. This is the beauty of the motu proprio: it falls to the faithful and pastors (the grass roots) to bring about the resurgence of this Mass, rather than from the top down—which did not work well or at all, in countless dioceses.

As to personal parishes (those which are strictly and fully traditional), I pray that such parishes will be allowed in every diocese and region worldwide. It is a very complicated matter to have a fully functioning mixture of Novus Ordo and Tridentine faithful and Sacraments in the same parish and it would be preferable for both pastor and congregation that there would be exclusively traditional parishes. My hope is that one day I will serve as pastor of such a parish. Locally we have had the support of the Ordinary for a limited use of the Tridentine Mass since the Indult was first granted; pray for a generous response to the allowance of the Holy Father for bishops to establish personal parishes in their dioceses.

MJM: In an interview with Vatican Radio on September 13, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos explained that Pope Benedict's MP affirms the right of any priest to use the "extraordinary form" of the Latin liturgy even without his bishop’s permission. The Cardinal seems intent to prevent certain liberal bishops from frustrating the Pope’s plan to restore the old Mass as they did with John Paul’s 1988 MP Ecclesia Dei. Why do you suppose the Pope is so determined to establish wider use of this Mass that he would even encourage his priests to offer it without their bishops’ permission if it comes to that?

Fr. Echert: The Pope is affirming a universal right which belongs to all clergy in good standing with the Church, as is fitting for his supreme office and the matter at hand. One thing I learned in the military: a subordinate authority does not have the right to countermand the law of a higher authority. In spite of the fact that Pope John Paul II asked for generosity on the part of bishops in establishing Indult parishes in their dioceses, this approach did not work. In my own state, there were only two Indult parishes with weekly Sunday Masses, which meant that many Catholics had to drive incredible distances to attend a Tridentine Mass (one man drove 500 miles round trip to my parish). Had this motu proprio entrusted primary responsibility to the bishops to establish the traditional Mass, there is no reason to believe the outcome would have measurably exceeded that of the Indult in the past.

In spite of incredible pressure to the contrary—as was widely reported—the Holy Father entrusted responsibility for responding to the needs of the faithful into the hands of pastors. And while there will be many pastors who will not comply, there are many more parishes than dioceses, and traditional Masses will soon be found scattered everywhere.

MJM: There are a few traditionalists who still argue that so-called “approved” traditional priests are more or less in business only to undermine “unapproved” traditionalist priests. Judging from your sermons, however, undermining anyone except modernists and liberals doesn’t seem to enter your mind. You seem to have a good relationship with the priests in the SSPX, for example, and I’ve heard you recommend The Remnant from the pulpit. Is it fair to say, then, that you offer the old Mass because you regard its restoration as vital for the life of the whole Church and that you are not attempting to undermine anyone?

Fr. Echert: I offer the traditional Mass for its own value and for what it has to offer to the faithful and the future of the Church. I have never offered the traditional Mass with any ulterior motive of undermining other expressions of tradition. I am on good terms with priests who belong to the SSPX and have worked with the local Society pastor on some pastoral issues of mutual concern. I am an avid reader of The Remnant and many other traditional publications and books. These are difficult times and sadly there is much discord among traditionalists. Even at my Indult parish there is not universal agreement on many of the fine points of liturgy, theology and strategy, and so the issues get battled out in the parking lot or at coffee and donuts in the church hall. I know that there are many Catholics and clergy in particular who view the Indult as a means to keep Catholics from SSPX and other expressions of tradition but this has never been a motive or goal for me. I believe that the multiplicity of adherents to tradition has collectively helped to bring about this important step of Pope Benedict. As you note, I principally go after the modernists, who should be the common enemy of all traditionalists—and all Catholics!

MJM: Father, put your prophet’s hat for a moment. How’s all this going to end? If the Mass is restored widely and throughout the whole world, would that change everything, or is it too late?

Fr. Echert: It is never too late, unless we are living in the end times, of which I am not yet convinced. It will be like seed which is widely scattered but in a variety of difficult and sometimes extreme conditions. Here and there a seed will take root but it will be some time before the field is clothed in the mantel of tradition. There will be many clergy who will resolutely oppose it and refuse it to the faithful, but there will be others who will enable it.

There are certainly some initial hurdles, but, over the course of years—less than a blink of the divine eye—this Mass will be widely found throughout the Church. One of the looming questions is what impact it will have upon the Novus Ordo Mass. Will there be a “reform of the reform,” as some suggest, or a replacement of the reform with the traditional form? One concern I have is that some priests—including some good-willed priests who are misguided—will offer Tridentine Masses in their parishes, but may allow some modern practices to infiltrate the traditional Mass: altar girls, the new lectionary, Communion in the hand. Hopefully, clarifications from Rome will prohibit such aberrations.

Let me sum up my hope with this biblical lesson: forty is often a number of testing (Israel in the Old Testament, our Lord in the New Testament). We have wandered through a veritable desert for forty years but now have a glimpse of the Promised Land (forgotten land). We have not yet arrived, by any means, but we have taken a giant step in the right direction. May the Lord now speed us on our pilgrimage back to tradition!

MJM: If you had to choose one rite of Mass to offer exclusively every day for the rest of your life which would it be, New or Old? Why?

Fr. Echert: The traditional Mass, hands down! It was the Mass which first inspired in me a vocation to the priesthood and it is the Mass which I intend to offer until my last breath on earth.

Editor's Note: Please forward this interview to as many priests as you possibly can. Also, The Remnant is giving out free physical reprints of the interview upon request. Those requests can be emailed to editor@remnantnewspaper.com, requested by telephone at (651) 204-0145, or sent via snail mail to:

The Remnant
PO Box 1117
Forest Lake, MN 55025

Sermon by Fr. Calvin M. Goodwin, FSSP

2007-09-20T09:34:00.000-04:00

On 14 September 2007, at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Hanceville, Alabama, Fr. Calvin M. Goodwin, of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, gave the sermon at a televised (on EWTN) celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass at the Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament, in observance of the Motu Proprio of Pope Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum.

First of all, we members of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter whom you see in the sanctuary today would like to thank Rev Mother Angelica, Mother Vicar, and the Poor Clare community for their gracious invitation to celebrate this Mass here today in this magnificent church. We are particularly grateful to Bishop Foley of the diocese of Birmingham for supporting our presence here and to the members of the EWTN staff and the Board of Directors of this tremendous enterprise, born of Mother Angelica’s faith and wisdom and which has been so fruitful for the needs of the Church now for more than a quarter-century.

There are so many things that could be said on this momentous occasion. I will do no more than offer a few reflections as the least of all the members of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. Many would be able to offer more eloquent and apposite reflections. My comments reflect only my own poor grasp of the great gift that the Successor of Peter offers to the Church in his teaching and his decrees in the Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum. I cannot claim to represent the Priestly Fraternity as a whole nor any other ecclesial body.

Today marks a great moment in the history of the Church in modern times. This Mass, offered today for the needs and intentions of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is a concrete and visible token of that “interior reconciliation” within the Church which the Holy Father has both called for and made possible through his recent Motu Proprio which restores the traditional liturgical rites of the Church to a central place at the heart of the Church’s life.

Surely no one now is unaware of the painful confusions and divisions which afflicted the Church’s interior life during recent years. The Supreme Pontiff bears poignant witness to these afflictions when, in the letter to the universal episcopate which accompanied the Motu Proprio he writes: “I am speaking from experience, since I too lived through that period with all its hopes and its confusions. And I have seen how arbitrary deformations of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the Church. And so the Vicar of Christ, making use of that personal authority binding the universal Church which is his alone, has determined that the healing of those painful wounds must begin, and it must begin at the heart of the Church, in the sanctuary, in the Holy Sacrifice which makes present on the altar that very exaltation of the saving Passion of Christ which is commemorated in the feast which we celebrate here today.

Let any spirit of suspicion which has led to division amongst Catholics be banished once and for all by the proclamation of the Vicar of Christ: “What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.” And we cannot fail to note that the ancient feast which we celebrate today bears witness to the fact that, out of the most abject suffering the world has ever witnessed, the ignominious Passion and death on the Cross of the Son of God, there emanated reason for a joy and exaltation that will endure so long as this world does and, indeed, is crowned for all eternity in heaven. So too though the Church has witnessed contradictions and conflicts throughout her history, She, the unspotted Bride of Christ, always emerges intact to continue her mission for the honour of God and the needs of souls. Out of this conviction the Vicar of Christ offers to the whole Church an invitation to what he calls an “interior reconciliation” much needed and long-awaited and so deeply appreciated by faithful Catholics everywhere.

Still, it is not enough to take advantage of the joy of this great moment. We must also apply ourselves to the task of appreciating more fully the substance of the mind of the Church as articulated by the Successor of Peter. What then does the Holy Father have in mind as he restores the immemorial rite of Holy Mass, along with all the traditional liturgical rites and uses of the Latin rite? What does he expect it to achieve in the life of the Church?

Well, without attempting to speak for him, let us briefly look at the rite itself so as to glean from its evident nature and character what it is that the Supreme Pontiff wishes to offer, through its restoration, to the attention of the whole Church. Certainly we will find there, in the rite itself, the elements revelatory of the essence of authentic Catholic liturgy. For, as John Paul II, of blessed memory, reminded us just a few years ago, “In the Roman Missal, so-called of St Pius V…….one finds the most beautiful prayers with which the priest expresses the deepest sense of humility and reverence before the sacred mysteries: these reveal the very substance of what liturgy is.”

No doubt much of the ceremony of today’s Mass will be unfamiliar to many. Two things in particular will probably stand out. One is that the Mass is celebrated entirely in Latin. The other is that, for much the greatest time of the ceremony, the priest celebrant prays facing the altar. These phenomena are by no means the only significant ones but they are both immediately different to what many have become accustomed to in the liturgy as most often celebrated in recent times. Yet these phenomena, however much they may bring with them the shock of the unfamiliar, are nonetheless integral to the most central principles of liturgical prayer in the Catholic Church. And they are hallowed by an unbroken tradition which, as the Council of Trent solemnly defined, is rooted in the liturgy of apostolic times.

Still, given the more common liturgical practice of recent times, it should cause no surprise if good and sincere people simply ask: why is the Mass in a language I don’t understand and the rites in a configuration which makes it impossible for me to see what’s going on. It should be made clear then: this venerable rite of Holy Mass in no way has as its goal the obscuring of the elements of the Mass. Just the opposite! It is so constructed as to be eminently revelatory, as Pope John Paul said, of “the very substance of what liturgy is.” There is no need, nor would it be germane to the context of a sermon, to analyse elements which may have contributed to certain confusions and anomalies during a time of tumultuous change in the Church’s life. For his part – and this is surely sufficient for us - the Holy Father clearly comprehends the historical context and does not forbear to draw certain difficult but unavoidable conclusions: “In many places the [new Missal] actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear.”

Beyond that it is surely our priority to note, first, the profound compassion with which the Vicar of Christ seeks to bind up the wounds of those who have suffered and then the sober and insistent fashion in which he summons the whole Church, bishops, priests, and faithful, to that “interior reconciliation” without which our service of God, liturgically and otherwise, would be gravely impaired. All the varied rites of the Church stand together in offering to God that same worship which all his human creatures owe Him, and all these rites, singly and together, are equally bound constantly to reflect upon the fidelity and constancy with which they do so.

The texts of today’s Mass reveal to us as well as any a great deal about the authentic essence of liturgical prayer. In the Introit we read: “May God have mercy on us, and bless us; may He cause the light of His countenance to shine upon us….” What do we perceive here if not that we are threatened by a darkness, a darkness founded in elements of sin and error and, further, the acknowledgement that it is God’s merciful action that we must await to effect the dispelling of that darkness. In the Gospel we read just how that darkness is dispelled: it is through Christ alone, Christ our light: And it is Christ Himself who guides us, by the light of Truth, to the light which saves: “Whilst you have the light, believe in the light; that you may be the children of light.” What is our response to the action of God Who saves us in Christ, the eternal light? It is must be to believe in the light.

Thus in Holy Mass, everything builds on that belief in the light. But, and this should lead us to profound reflection, the initiative is God’s and Christ alone is, in the Incarnation, the means of that initiative. Just a few days ago the Holy Father gave an allocution reflecting upon the essential elements of Catholic liturgical prayer.These are his words: “In all our efforts on behalf of the liturgy, the determining factor must always be our looking to God. We stand before God – He speaks to us [first] and [then] we speak to Him…..I ask you to celebrate the sacred liturgy with your gaze fixed upon God within the Communion of Saints – the living Church of every place and time.” The liturgical prayer of the Church is therefore, first of all, something GIVEN to us by God, something which we receive, something to which we are obliged faithfully and humbly to conform ourselves, our hearts, our minds. What is obscure to a world so convinced of its own self-sufficiency is made plain to the eyes of faith turned and lifted toward Him. It is given and revealed to us, in fact, by God through an unbroken tradition of rites which embody that tradition which stretches back directly to the apostles.

The cultural inclinations and fashions of this world pass and fade away. But the light remains constant. The ancient character of the Church’s liturgical action, its words, gestures, and ceremonies, reflect this enduring light in a concrete and sensible way. The words pronounced at the altar today are, to a very significant degree, the same words, the gestures and motions are the same, as those used by Bl John XXIII and St Pius V, by St John Vianney and St Dominic, by St Miguel Pro and St Edmund Campion, by the martyrs of North America and the martyrs of the Crusades, by St Maximilien Kolbe and St Augustine of Hippo. Hallowed words. Hallowed action. Hallowed not only by use but by where they come from: that precious and holy tradition that has sanctified individuals, made devout families, given abundant vocations and martyrs to the Church and to the honour of God for almost two millenia. As the Holy Father states in Summorum Pontificum, “It is evident that the Latin Liturgy…..has stimulated in the spiritual life of very many Saints in every century of the Christian age and strengthened in the virtue of religion so many peoples and made fertile their piety.”

Latin is, in effect, our iconostasis. It serves as a “verbal” curtain drawn over the mysteries being carried out at the altar to remind us that, yes, there is a wide and fathomless gap between the incomprehensible majesty and holiness of God on the one hand, and our human sinfulness and smallness on the other. It is a gap which cannot be breached by human presumption or initiative. It is a gap unbridgeable by anything we DO and is overcome only by what GOD does and which we RECEIVE from Him.

The Holy Father Benedict XVI, has repeatedly warned against the tendency in modern liturgical prayer for the community to drift towards celebrating itself and Pope John Paul II insisted, in pointed criticism of elements undignified and inappropriate to liturgical prayer, that “It is necessary to purify worship of deformations, of careless forms of expression, of ill-prepared music and texts which are not very suited to the grandeur of the act being celebrated.” In all the several liturgical rites and uses of the Church then we are, in common, obliged to seek only those elements which authentically and worthily reflect the august sacrifice they embody.

Thus today, in the ancient Roman rite, we bow as did our fathers in the Faith. We kneel as those who have gone before us these many centuries have done. We prostrate ourselves before the awesome re-presentation on the altar of the Sacrifice of the Cross. The epistle of today’s feast reminds us that even “in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.” If this is the appropriate action to the mention of the Holy Name, how much more reverence and devotion should inform our acknowledgement of His very presence on the altar! Nothing casual but, instead, a communal “turning toward the Lord” (the words again of our Holy Father) in gratitude, love, and awe for what is DONATED to us by a merciful God when we could NEVER achieve it or make it happen for ourselves. And by this submission we are united, as St Paul reminds us, to the Church triumphant in heaven and the Church suffering in Purgatory in offering to God our common homage.

The first thing then which we need to understand is that this mystery takes us BEYOND the limits available to unaided human comprehension. It CANNOT be grasped or encompassed by puny human intellect alone, darkened as it is by the inroads of sin. We can find our way to it only through a humble and reverent and faith-founded attentiveness. Not a passivity, mind you, but an attention which is, in fact, the “activity” most essential to our participation in the Mass. As Pope John Paul II put it, making his own the words of St Augustine from so long ago, but still wholly normative for authentic Catholic worship, “The highest music is the one that arises from our hearts. It is precisely this harmony that God wants to hear in our liturgies.”

The most perfect participation in that sacrifice is in fact exemplified by Our Blessed Lady at the foot of the Cross. And what is it that she does there at the foot of the altar of the Cross – nothing, in fact, that mortal eyes can perceive. What does she say there – nothing that mortal ears can hear. And yet no human being ever was or ever could be more fully or more intimately involved in that Sacrifice than she was at that moment. As always, she shows us the way. Thus with Our Lady at the foot of the Cross, we too can only be present and wonder, asking ourselves in union with the prayer of the priest at the altar, “Quid retribuam…..,” what return shall I make to the Lord for all that He hath GIVEN unto me……….. This is both the beginning and the goal of participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Everything that fails to lead to that reverence and interior union, or which impedes it, impedes authentic participation. And all elements of exterior participation consonant with these principles will inevitably have the character of authenticity.

And when that sacrifice is crowned in the moment of Holy Communion what is it that we “do”? We RECEIVE, receive what we could never fashion or make for ourselves but which is freely GIVEN to us by a loving and merciful God in His Son, Our Saviour. The body and blood, soul and divinity of the Son of God: a moment, above all, for devout and humble receptivity. This is the moment of Mount Thabor when the apostles are rapt in silent wonder, their heads bowed low in awe and holy fear until, as St Matthew tells us, “Jesus came and touched them” and then, “looking up, they saw only Jesus.” That is a text in which the early Christians would have recognised their own rite of Holy Communion.

Through this rite of Holy Mass, and not infrequently without particular verbal comprehension, saints and martyrs have been raised up for the Church, simple people and children have entered into heroic holiness – not because they grasped or saw but because they revered and believed. Oh how we need today, how young people need that simple and humble faith of a Bernadette who attested, when questioned by the priest, that she did NOT understand the awesome message that Our Lady had chosen her to convey, but nevertheless her FAITH in Our Lady was real enough and wholly unshakeable – and thus became richly fruitful for her own relationship with God as well as for the mission which had been entrusted to her. Yet how many have forgotten that their first responsibility is to know God in this world through the exercise of the virtue of faith! The world’s modalities are insufficient in themselves for divine worship. We must surrender to the Christ our light Who alone guides us beyond the world’s deceptions to the realm of divinely-given revelation. And that revealed Truth is made present here today, and every day that Holy Mass is celebrated in all the approved rites of the Church, through the renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross.

Let’s be clear. No one here has the slightest intention of proposing the immemorial liturgy as the “solution” to the Church’s sea of troubles. The purpose of liturgical prayer is, in any case, not to fix things for the Church but so to unite us to Christ, Our Lord that we can navigate the troubled sea of this world always oriented towards, and one day finding our repose in, Him. But the Church will surely benefit so much from the reintegration in her life of this “most beautiful thing this side of heaven, “ as Fr Faber memorably described the ancient rite of the Mass! Priests will benefit in their interior life and countless souls will benefit from that silence in which alone the voice of God may be discerned.

No, this Mass is not a challenge to the Church, nor an act of condemnation, nor a political act but an immeasurable enrichment of her life. It is a sign, this restoration, a sign of renewed vigour and self-awareness for the Church. We should familiarise ourselves with the provisions that the Holy Father has made in Summorum Pontificum, ponder them for the wisdom they embody beyond their immediate practical prescriptions. The sacrifice of the Cross in this ancient and venerable form is to be exalted as is the Cross itself in this ancient and venerable feast which we celebrate today.

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Photo Highlights From The Solemn High Mass Extraordinary Form Of The Roman Rite on EWTN

Letter to the Editor by Dr. Brian Kopp

2007-09-14T23:25:00.000-04:00

My friend, Dr. Brian Kopp, who resides in the Diocese of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, sent the following Letter to the Editor today to the Johnstown (PA) Tribune Democrat newspaper.

Pope Benedict recently published a new law that gives permission to all Catholic priests to offer the old Latin Mass. This was clarified on September 14, the law’s effective date, by Cardinal Hoyos, president of the Ecclesia Dei commission which enforces the law.

Cardinal Hoyos stated, "priests can decide, without permission from the Holy See or the bishop, to celebrate the Mass in the ancient rite. And this holds true for all priests…It is not therefore necessary to ask any other permission...The Code of Canon Law says who must give permission to say Mass and it is not the bishop: The bishop gives the "celebret," the power to be able to celebrate [i.e., both the old and new forms of the rite], but when a priest has this power, it is the parish priest and the chaplain who must grant the altar to celebrate. If anyone impedes him, it is up to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in the name of the Holy Father, to take measures until this right is respected…The Pope does not impose the obligation; the Pope does impose offering this possibility where the faithful request it. If there is a conflict, the authority of the bishop must intervene to avoid it, but without canceling the right that the Pope gave to the entire Church.”

Many thanks are due to our Pope for this new law, to Cardinal Hoyos for clarifying and enforcing it, and to Bishop Adamec for graciously acknowledging and obeying it locally.

Dr. Kopp is a podiatrist and a prolific Catholic writer. He is a husband and homeschooling dad. He is also the vice president of the Catholic Family Association of America and a member of the board of the Polycarp Research Institute.

Related Articles: No more permission needed for [Traditional] Latin Mass, cardinal [Hoyos] says

Update:

The statements by Cardinal Hoyos also need to be read in light of the further clarifications made this weekend by Archbishop Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship (one reason why Summorum Pontificum seen the light of day is due, in part, to the work of Archbishop Ranjith, who publicly supports the Traditional Latin Mass):

"I am certain that above all the bishops, who at the moment of assuming their episcopal ministry have professed their complete loyalty and obedience to the Supreme Pontiff, will accept this decision with sentiments of generous collaboration and will safeguard the faithful implementation of the instructions of the Motu Proprio in the manner in which it is assigned to them, respecting the specific identities of the two manners of celebrating.

...it is the Church who celebrates the liturgy: adoration and praise of its Lord, as his people. Because of this ecclesial dimension, in the words of the Council in "Sacrosanctum Concilium", "no one else at all, be he even a priest, shall add, subtract or change anything on his own initiative in matters liturgical." The current problem is a spirit of disorder in the liturgical discipline, widely spread in different parts of the world. This situation is the result of a defective liturgical formation on different levels. Various priests do not know the true meaning of what is celebrated and propagate a "do it yourself" liturgy.

Unfortunately, in some cases even the bishops themselves have become immobile and inconsistent, passively tolerating this situation or even, in some rare cases encouraging such attitudes. And then there are rather pedantic attitudes of some theorists, who have unfortunately forgotten that the liturgy is not so much an intellectual act as an act of adoration, and therefore of prfound spirituality and faith.

Some of the major changes in the liturgy have never been wished for by the Council. The banalisation of the eternal mysteries of the liturgy, achieved and justified by some liturgists, is now creating a growing demand to abandon altogether the earthly aspects..."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

The Solemn High Mass-Extraordinary Form Of The Roman Rite On EWTN

2007-09-14T18:09:00.000-04:00

Readings and Homily from the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on September 14, 2007. (20:00) MP3 16 megs. To listen to the readings and homily, CLICK HERE. The homily is very beautiful, inspiring and theologically and liturgically educational.

Full Video of the Solemn High Mass-Extraordinary Form Of The Roman Rite (2hrs) Real Video. Entire celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on September 14, 2007. To view the Mass, CLICK HERE.

Also,

The entire Mass is available on DVD. Description: Celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. September 14, 2007. 90 minutes. Price: $25.00. Item # HV SHMRR D. CLICK HERE.

Recent News Articles on the Traditional Latin Mass

2007-09-14T12:39:00.000-04:00

1. No more permission needed for [Traditional] Latin Mass, cardinal says

2. Abp. Burke to discuss [Traditional] Latin Mass on EWTN [tonight, Sept. 14, at 7:00p.m. EST]

3. The [Traditional] Latin Mass and the Orthodox

4. Ecclesia Dei Leader to Celebrate Tridentine Mass

5. Latin Mass returns to St. Patrick parish [Warning: this article is partly inaccurate. It includes the completely worn-out, erroneous claim that the Second Vatican Council suppressed the TLM and brought about changes such as "adopted reforms that permitted priests to face the congregation and celebrate the Mass in their local language." This is NOT true!!! The liturgical constitution of the Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, never called for innovations such as Mass celebrated facing the people (i.e., versus populum rather than ad orientem). Furthermore, the Council never suppressed the Latin liturgical language. As a matter of fact, it called for the retention of Latin in the "fixed parts" of the Mass, e.g., the Credo, the Canon, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Per Ipsum and the Pater Noster (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36. 1; 54) while, at the same time, it encouraged greater use of the vernacular in other parts (e.g., during the readings and some other parts of the Mass; ibid., §36(2)). The Council also stated in unambiguous terms that Gregorian chant should be given "pride of place" in the liturgy (ibid., 116). Additionally, to better understand the fact that the Council and the post-Conciliar popes preserved both Latin and Gregorian Chant for the Mass of the Latin Rite consider the fact that in 1974 Pope Paul VI issued a small, yet significant document called Jubilate Deo. It was issued to Latin Rite bishops in order for them to implement both Latin and Gregorian Chant within the revised liturgy. This document was fully in accord with the aforementioned liturgical constitution of the Second Vatican Council. Of course, the implementation of this document throughout the Latin Rite was never accomplished despite the fact that the inside cover of Jubilate Deo contains the following description: "Easy Latin Gregorian Chants For The Faithful According To The Intent Of The Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy Second Vatican Council" (emphasis mine). In brief, the Council never called for the wholesale replacement, suppression, omission or distortion of the Traditional Latin Mass. It asked for simple revisions, i.e., revisions rooted in the "organic development" of the liturgy and not something resembling a break from our liturgical patrimony.]

6. EWTN Theology Roundtable: The Motu Proprio on the Traditional Latin Mass (60:00) NEW (MP3-32 megs) Colin Donovan hosts an EWTN Roundtable discussion on the recent Motu Proprio on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass issued by Pope Benedict XVI. (NOTE: this is not an article but a recording of a recently televised program).

EWTN Specials on the Traditional Latin Mass

2007-09-11T09:49:00.000-04:00

SOLEMN HIGH MASS EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE ROMAN RITE (90:00) LIVE
Celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.
Sept. 14 8:00 AM - Live
Sept. 14 6:00 PM Encore
Sept. 15 12:00 AM Encore

Mass Booklet - EWTN Televised Mass, September 14, 2007 (Courtesy of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Print and fold into a booklet. PDF format - requires free Adobe reader)

EWTN THEOLOGY ROUNDTABLE: THE MOTU PROPRIO ON THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS (60:00) NEW
EWTN Roundtable discussion on the recent Motu Proprio on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass issued by Pope Benedict XVI.
Sept. 12, 10:00 PM
Sept. 13, 10:00 AM

THE IMMEMORIAL TRIDENTINE MASS (90:00) NEW
This is a recording of a High Easter Mass in Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Chicago in 1940. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen narrates.
Sept. 12, 11:00 PM

Also:

AT THE GATE OF HEAVEN: THE SOLEMN CONSECRATION OF ST. MARY’S ROMAN CATHOLIC ORATORY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (60:00)
This solemn consecration is performed by the Most Reverend Bishop of La Crosse, Raymond L. Burke, in three parts: (1) the purification and dedication of the Church; (2) the translocation of the relics; (3) the Consecration of the Church; and, (4) the Celebration of the first pontifical high Mass in the newly consecrated Church. The traditional Latin rite is used for the Liturgy. Sept. 13, 1:00 AM

PILGRIMAGE: A REDISCOVERY OF CATHOLIC TRADITION (60:00)
This look at the renewal of Catholic Tradition, examines pilgrimages made in honor of the 10th anniversary of both the Motu Proprio, Ecclesia Dei, and the founding of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
Sept. 13, 11:00 PM

Specials schedule is subject to change without notice.

SOURCE

The Beauty and Spirituality of the Traditional Latin Mass by David Joyce

2007-09-07T13:04:00.000-04:00

(The Holy Mass as referred to in this essay is the traditional Latin Mass of the ancient Roman rite, as celebrated until 1965 in the Latin Church)

It is the Mass that Cardinal Newman, the leader of the Oxford movement into the Church, said that he could attend forever, and not be tired. Father Faber, priest of the Brompton Oratory in the last century, described the Mass as the "most beautiful thing this side of heaven", and he continued:

"It came forth out of the grand mind of the Church, and lifted us out of earth and out of self, and wrapped us round in a cloud of mystical sweetness and the sublimities of a more than angelic liturgy, and purified us almost without ourselves, and charmed us with the celestial charming, so that our very senses seemed to find vision, hearing, fragrance, taste, and touch beyond what earth can give"

Father Adrian Fortescue, a great English liturgical historian, has said that the Mass of the Roman rite is the most venerable rite in Christendom.

Pious Popes, too, have often wondered at the majesty of the Mass. Pope Clement VII said in 1604:

"Since the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist by means of which Christ Our Lord has made us partakers of His sacred Body, and ordained to stay with us unto the consummation of the world, is the greatest of all the Sacraments, and it is accomplished in the Holy Mass and offered to God the Father for the sins of the people, it is highly fitting that we who are in one body which is the Church, and who share of the one Body of Christ, would use in this ineffable and awe- inspiring Sacrifice the same manner of celebration and the same ceremonial observance and rite"

and Pope Urban VII in 1634 said:

"If there is anything divine among man's possessions which might excite the envy of the citizens of heaven (could they ever be swayed by such a passion), this is undoubtedly the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by means of which men, having before their eyes, and taking into their hands the very Creator of heaven and earth, experience, while still on earth, a certain anticipation of heaven.

How keenly, then, must mortals strive to preserve and protect this inestimable privilege with all due worship and reverence, and be ever on their guard lest their negligence offend the angels who vie with them in eager adoration!"

The Mass! What a treasure! Christ's very own sacrifice on the cross left for us wrapped in an act seeping with beauty and divine celebration. Below I describe a few of its important qualities that set it apart in this day and age, that truly make it "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven".

1. The Silence of the Canon

The entire Canon of the Mass is devoid of any vocal sounds, other than one phrase "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" where the priest strikes his breast, emphasising his own sinfulness and unworthiness of celebrating such an unspeakably divine action. The only other sound is when the bell is rung, initially at the "Hanc igitur" as a warning bell to inform the faithful of the impending consecration, and then three times at each consecration: when the priest genuflects before the divine oblation, when he raises the divine victim in an elevation of worship and adoration, and finally when he genuflects again. Otherwise, complete silence.

Why this silence, when the canon is the most important part of the Mass? Simply because of that fact. The canon of the Mass joins the earthy sphere to the heavenly sphere. Christ's sacrifice was performed once and for all; it can never be repeated as it was the eternal and perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices. However, since the victim and the priest was God, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the effects are infinite: the entire human race was redeemed wherever they lived, regardless of time or space. But an important fact is that the act that Christ performed was placed within His creation, and at a particular point in time. Therefore, for the sacrifice of the cross to become effective universally over all time, it needed to be perpetuated through the ages by a priesthood acting in the person of our Lord and presenting His sacrifice anew to a new generation. This is why Christ built His Church: to bring forth the graces of the incarnation, to prolong it and "make present" its effects to all people. The sacrifice of the cross, and the consecration in the Mass, are timeless entities in a temporal world.

The silence, therefore, enables us to transcend our present existence and become present at the foot of the cross itself. Our senses, so active in the outside world, are suppressed so that our soul can touch the divine presence of God on the altar, so that we may be lifted up with the oblation to the altar of God Himself in heaven, surrounded by all the Hosts and angels in constant prayer and adoration. We, in effect, dip our toes into the pool of eternity, no longer limited by our earthly existence in time and space, but instead become one with our Lord in offering ourselves to God the Father in the one perfect act of self-giving, love and adoration.

Our senses are not totally silenced though. Through our eyes, we see the Holy Victim raises up to the Father in the form of bread and wine; closing our eyes we see the cross above us and the angelic party beyond. In our ears, we hear the ringing of bells, confirming what we see and what we feel in our hearts. In our nostrils, we smell the sweet odour of incense, floating up to heaven accompanying the Victim to the altar of God. It is truly an entire experience of Body and Soul where the carpet of life is swept from underneath us revealing the eternal reality of the cross and the truth of God's love for each and everyone of us.

Using vocal words in the canon would defy this divine reality, it would seemingly bring the events down to a level of speech and thought, rather than action and sacrifice. We must feel with our heart and soul the event taking place, not hear with our ears the words which enact the event. Only silence can penetrate this mystery, with our spirit lifting us above that temporal actions of the priest into the divine and eternal reality of the High Priest: our Lord on the Cross.

2. The Orientation of the Priest

Traditionally, the priest has always faced east, standing before the altar leading the people in worship and sacrifice with Christ our Lord to our Father in heaven. The east is where the sun rises, a symbol of the rising of the Son of God, His glorious resurrection and the direction of His eventual second coming. Standing before the altar, the symbol of the offering of the sacrifice is clear to all, elevated slightly above the nave and the rest of the sanctuary, lifting the sacrifice heavenward in an act of worship and atonement.

Please note that I do not use the terminology "facing the altar" or "facing the people", because this inevitably confuses why the priest is standing before the altar and not behind it. The people who are there are following the priest along the path to eternal life. Holy Mass is not merely a meeting or an act of praise with the presider guiding the people: it is an act of sacrificial worship and a step to eternal life. We join the priest, who acts in "persona Christi", in offering the sacrifice, Christ Himself, to God the Father. The entire proceedings are a spiritual affair: we leave our worldly worries behind at the doorway and enter a place of dimmed lights, hushed tones and reverence towards the divine presence within. The priest leads the people in prayer and worship, we follow as his obedient flock, as a shepherd leads his sheep to green pastures and lush grass. It allows for intense prayer: the priest concentrates on the offering of the sacrifice, the people concentrate on following him and lifting their hearts up to the Father with their Lord on the cross. The interaction between priest and the faithful is minimised so that the interaction between the soul of each person and God is emphasised through the sacred liturgy.

3. The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar

The job of a priest is awesome indeed. Offering any sacrifice to God is a heavy responsibility. When the offering is also God, with God acting through your ordained ministry, the responsibility is beyond human comprehension. Suppose that when walking you turned a corner and met a priest talking to an angel, who would you greet first? The angel would be constantly in the presence of God, sinless and perfect in his praise and worship of God. However, you should greet the priest before the angel, due to the dignity of his vocation: in his capacity, he acts in "persona Christi" bringing forth the graces of God's sacraments, whilst an angel merely carries messages from God, he does not act in His place.

Due to this immense responsibility, in the traditional Latin Mass the priest approaches the altar with extreme care and awareness of his own unworthiness. Once the altar pieces are in place, he positions himself at the level of the surrounding sanctuary (normally two or three steps down from the altar itself) and starts the prayers at the foot of the altar. These include psalm 42, which pleads for God's grace, preparing the priest for his actions on the altar. He then, without moving forwards, bows down low and prays the Confiteor confessing to God - thrice - that through his own fault he has sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed. The server pleads to God: "May almighty God have mercy on thee and, having forgiven thee thy sins, bring thee to life everlasting" - asking God for his forgiveness for the poor and frail priest! The Confiteor is then repeated, this time for the server and the faithful present, thus signifying a deep divide between priesthood and laity. The priest continues, with the server, in asking for God's help, and finally - after all this - ascends the steps to the altar with the prayer:

"Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech Thee, O Lord; that, being made pure in heart we may be worthy to enter into the Holy of Holies. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

These proceedings reflect the theology of the Old Testament priesthood, thus providing us with a continuation and fulfilment of that priesthood in the person of Christ Himself, and the priests He has since ordained.
Once the Mass is over, the priest again bows low and offers up the following prayer:

"May the lowly homage of my service be pleasing to Thee, O most holy Trinity: and do Thou grant that the sacrifice which I, all unworthy, have offered up in the sight of Thy majesty, may be acceptable to Thee, and, because of Thy loving-kindness, may avail to atone to Thee for myself and for those for whom I have offered it up. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Thus the priest further emphasises his inadequacy in offering the divine victim, recognising his human frailty before God and all those present. For me, this is a great expression of humility before Almighty God, who in His own infinite humility in the incarnation, instituted the Catholic priesthood in offering up the Eucharist until the end of the age.

4. The Use of Latin

The use of Latin in the Mass is very important. Firstly, it is the language of the Roman Catholic Church. It symbolises a real and true unity across the many countries in which the Mass is celebrated. Wherever you may enter a church in the Latin rite, the whole proceedings will be instantly familiar to you, bringing home an immediate feeling of the universality of the Church. The Catholic Church is truly universal, not fixed to one country or culture, but transcends national boundaries by simply using the same language, symbolising its unity in faith, authority and sources of revelation.

Secondly, Latin is a dead language. It is no longer used as a language in the streets, therefore it has stopped evolving as vernacular languages constantly do. Due to this, the meaning of the words has set in stone, and the liturgy does not need to be revised to avoid offending certain people for whom the words have taken on a different meaning. The dead language has, then, been turned into a "liturgical language" used for the liturgical celebration of the Church. This is not specific to the Latin rite either. The Russian Orthodox Church (although separate from Rome) uses Church Slavonic and the Greek Orthodox Church uses ancient Greek. When the Church was setting up in China, the missionaries there appealed to Rome that the locals truly could not use Latin as a language since it was so foreign to them. Subsequently, the Vatican decreed that the Church there could use ancient Chinese that was no longer in use, thus retaining its liturgical usage.

Thirdly, Latin exhibits a beauty and elegance that seemingly no vernacular tongue can match. Dietrich von Hildebrand, described by Pope Pius XII as a doctor of the 20th century Church, describes this feature as follows:

"Latin is in a unique position here. First, Latin grammar has an uncommon clarity, and to know it, is an incomparable training for our thinking. Secondly, Latin has a great beauty, a spiritual nobility of quite a special sort. This is also true of medieval Latin, which moreover produced works of highest poetical art and religious depth. One need only think of the Dies irae, which is ascribed to Thomas of Celano, of Jacapone da Todi's Stabat mater, of the magnificent hymns of St. Thomas Aquinas, of the sequences of Venantius Fortunatus, and many others. The role which Latin has played in history, especially in the liturgy, and the universality which it possesses, gives the learning of Latin quite a special place" ("The Devastated Vineyard" by Dietrich von Hildebrand, page 90).

Latin is not a barrier, but an invitation into the treasures of the Church, both in liturgy and music. It cannot be seen as an obstacle to potential converts, or to the laity in general, as the personal piety of the laity, and conversions to the Church and also to the priesthood, were flourishing when the Latin Mass was the jewel in the Church's crown.

5. The Gregorian Chant

As many popular music charts have indicated recently, the Gregorian chant appeals to the soul now as much as ever. Its sublime effect on the proceedings of the Mass is never to be underestimated; it truly seems to be music from heaven. St. Gregory the Great, a Pope in the 6th/7th centuries, organised the Church music and formally defined the Gregorian chant as it has been sung in the Church ever since. St. Pope Pius X further reformed the music of the Church, making a revision "not of the text but of the music. The Vatican Gradual of 1906 contains new, or rather restored, forms of the chants sung by the celebrant, therefore to be printed in the Missal" (according to Adrian Fortescue). Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council stated that the Gregorian chant "should be given pride of place in liturgical services" (Sacrosanctum concilium, 116). Mozart himself said that "he would gladly exchange all his music for the fame of having composed the Gregorian Preface", and Berlioz, who himself wrote a grandiose Requiem, said that "nothing in music could be compared with the effect of the Gregorian Dies Irae" (Latin Mass Society, newsletter no. 111, page 23).

The Gregorian chant connects with the soul, not the mind of the believer (and non- believer alike). Without any knowledge of the traditional Mass, people are somehow drawn towards the divine mysteries of the Church through the treasure of the Gregorian chant. I personally was at a loss in the first Latin Mass I ever attended - a Low Mass - but subsequently I attended a Sung Mass with the Gregorian chant and to term a present day saying: "I was blown away"! It has a mysterious quality that silences the senses and speaks directly to the spirit within, connects with that ever- present desire - however suppressed - that yearns for the "unmoved mover" Who answers all our questions and aspirations. The chant, an expression of most religions, has seemingly found its perfect setting in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - not the concert hall or opera house - but praising the merits of our Saviour before the Holy of Holies.

6. The Reception of Communion

The reception of Communion within the rubrics of the traditional Mass takes place within a sublime and prayerful world, separated from the rushed and physical world in which we live. Again, in the traditional Mass the physical actions of the faith are downplayed so that the spiritual aspect of our existence can revel and take precedence.

Firstly, the priest receives Holy Communion at a distinctly separate time apart from the servers and laity. He recites many beautiful prayers whilst consuming the Host and Chalice, before turning his attention to the servers and faithful present. He does, for instance, have a separate "Lord, I am not worthy..." prayer, said three times with the bell ringing. When he turns to the faithful, holding a piece of the Sacred Host towards them, he says "Behold the lamb of God...", and the faithful then recite their own "Lord, I am not worthy...", further emphasising the different roles of priest and laity.

Secondly, when the faithful themselves receive Communion, they receive It kneeling at the altar rail, and directly onto their tongue. This is very significant. Receiving Communion whilst kneeling means that the faithful line up in a row before the sanctuary, and thus have time to prepare themselves for this most sacred of events: coming into spiritual and substantial union with Christ Himself. The communicant kneels down, and whilst he waits for the priest to make his way around, he can settle himself, concentrate on the upcoming Communion with our Lord praying intensely. When it is his turn, the priest says the prayer: "May the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul until life everlasting. Amen". This means, besides the beauty and the significance of the words themselves, that the priest says the word "Amen" so that the communicant need not invoke his voice to receive the King of Kings, allowing a constant stream of prayer and thanksgiving to flow from soul to Saviour. The communicant simply needs to expose his tongue, and his side of the proceedings is complete. Upon receiving Christ, he can continue praying for a little while, and only then does he need to return to his seat, leaving room for the next communicant. Moreover, having the priest come over to the communicant signifies that Christ comes to us, feeds us with His own divine life, whilst we wait kneeling and unmoving like little children totally dependent on His love, mercy and compassion. This is the message of the Gospel: to become like little children, submitting our wills to His and depending totally on Him for everything. We cannot even feed ourselves without Christ's help, and the action of Communion in the traditional manner demonstrates this in a very vivid manner.

Finally, receiving Communion directly on the tongue further increases the spiritual tranquillity of the whole act. The priest, as above, performs the entire action in dealing with the sacred Host Itself. The danger of leaving particles of the Host on one's own hands is then avoided, as well as more worrying sacrileges such as the Host being taken away, uneaten, dropped on the floor, or even taken to Satanic gatherings. If a particle is left on the communicant's hand, however small and invisible to the eye, It is still our Lord entire, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He remains fully present in the species of the Host until the Host looses the accidents of bread. Moreover, if we are allowed to directly touch the Blessed Sacrament, we may become casual or careless in our Lord's presence, thus giving rise to irreverence before the great Sacrament Itself. Only allowing the priest to touch the Host also increases our respect and reverence, not only of the Blessed Sacrament, but of the priesthood itself and all who take it upon themselves to enter it. The sacred Host is, after all, the very substance of God incarnate: something that demands our extreme reverence and holy fear. To restrict touching It to the priesthood alone can only increase these virtues.
__________

I have covered six main qualities of the traditional Latin Mass above which are certainly not the only ones. The whole ethos of the Mass exhibits a profound belief in the doctrines of the one true Church of Christ, especially in the Holy Sacrifice and the substantial presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The beauty and Catholicism of the offertory prayers confirm the doctrine of the Catholic faith in the upcoming consecration, unambiguously. The rubrics of the Mass are very strict; when we attend a Latin Mass we know what to expect - it depends on the Mass itself, not the personalities that surround it. The repeated genuflections of the priest before the sacred species confirm this most divine presence, as well as his repeated signs of the cross over It, before and after the consecration. Before the consecration these actions serve to bless and set the offering apart, after the consecration to signify the reality of the cross before us and its redemptive quality. The genuflections within the creed and the last gospel emphasise our belief in the profound doctrine of the incarnation, the centre of the Christian faith. The striking of the breast, during the Confiteor and the "Lord I am not worthy..." bring in all aspects of our existence to increase our realisation of own unworthiness and the infinite love and mercy of God.

The traditional Mass is not something heard or listened to. It is a divine experience seeping with the beauty of the faith, that touches the heart and soul of all who participate, giving a boost to the spirituality of those who immerse themselves in its mysteries. The secular world is the battleground; the Mass is the place that charges us up, puts us in touch with our divine mission and motivates us to face the prince of this world with great courage and faith.

I conclude by completing the quote by Cardinal Newman, who composed the following glowing praise for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, speaking by the mouth of his hero in his book "Loss and Gain":

"I declare, to me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us. I could attend Masses forever and not be tired. It is not a mere form of words, it is a great ACTION - the greatest action that can be on earth. It is not the invocation merely, but, if I dare use the word, the evocation of the Eternal. He becomes present on the altar in flesh and blood, before Whom the angels bow and devils tremble. This is that awful event which is the end and is the interpretation of every part of the solemnity. Words are necessary, but as means, not as ends; they are not mere addresses to the throne of grace, they are instruments of what is far higher, of consecration, of sacrifice. They hurry on, as if impatient to fulfil their mission. Quickly they go - the whole is quick; for they are all parts of one integral action. Quickly they pass, for the Lord Jesus goes with them, as He passed along the lake in the days of His flesh, quickly calling first one and then another. Quickly they pass, because as the lightning which shineth from one part of the heaven unto the other, so is the coming of the Son of man. Quickly they pass; for they are as the words of Moses, when the Lord came down in the cloud, calling on the name of the Lord as He passed by: 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth.' And as Moses on the mountain, so we, too, 'make haste and bow our heads to the earth, and adore.' So we, all around, each in his place, looking out for the great Advent, 'waiting for the moving of the water,' each in his place, with his own heart, with his own wants, with his own thoughts, with his own intentions, with his own prayers, separate but concordant, watching what is going on, watching its progress, uniting in its consummation; not painfully and hopelessly following a hard form of prayer from beginning to end, but like a concert of musical instruments, each differing but concurring in a sweet harmony, we take our part with God's priest, supporting him, yet guided by him. There are little children there, and old men, and simple laborers, and students in seminaries, priests preparing for Mass, priests making their thanksgiving; there are innocent maidens, and there are penitent sinners; but out of these many minds rises one eucharistic hymn, and the great Action is the measure and the scope of it."

Taken from the January 1999 edition of Christian Order.

Why Latin?

2007-09-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

The Mass is said in some eight languages or dialects by Catholics of the Eastern Rites. Latin was not introduced into the Mass in Rome itself until the late second century. The Holy See will never force the surrender of the ancient Eastern liturgies. But the great body of Catholics use Latin in the liturgy, and it is doubtful, despite the desires of some Catholics, that the Holy See will ever permit, as a general rule, any substantial part of the Mass to be replaced by the vernacular.

The Mass must not be judged like private prayers, which a person must understand in order to express his thoughts or feelings to God. In a sense it is less the prayer of the people than that of the priest, who usually says it in too low a voice to be heard. The retention of Latin is a magnificent affirmation that our beliefs are those of antiquity; we pray as our fathers prayed because we believe as they believed. The fixity of language helps impress this fact.

It is wrong, moreover, to suppose that Latin is gibberish to the people. Every Catholic knows and loves the words before the distribution of Communion: *Domine, non sum dignus,* "O Lord, I am not worthy"; and the other key words, pronounced in an audible voice, the *Dominus vobiscum, orate Fratres, ecce, Agnus Dei.* He is not ignorant of the meaning of the *O Salutaris Hostia,* the magnificent Latin hymn of Saint Thomas sung before the exposed Host. English is inferior to Latin as a language of liturgical song.

Taken from "What is a Catholic?" by Paul H. Hallet (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1955)

For further study, please click on the following link: The Latin Liturgical Language

Rabbi Jacob Neusner on the traditional Good Friday prayer: "It Doesn't Bother Me"

2007-09-06T15:03:00.000-04:00

"When asked about the restoration of the Latin Mass and the traditional Good Friday prayer for the conversion of the Jews, Neusner replied that it does not bother him. In fact, he said, 'I've pointed out that the synagogue liturgy has an equivalent prayer which we say three times a day, not just once a year.'

This is a very interesting statement on the part of the rabbi. The following blessing (Baruch atah Hashem Elokenu melech haolam, shelo asani goy) is recited every day by Orthodox and Conservative Jews: 'Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who did not make me a Gentile.'" To read more, CLICK HERE.

Notre Dame to offer Traditional Latin Mass in the fall

2007-09-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

South Bend, September 4 (CNA).-The University of Notre Dame has announced it will offer the Mass in its extraordinary form, that is in Latin, on campus as soon as the necessary requirements, outlined in Pope Benedict's motu proprio July 7, are fulfilled.

The requirement specified in an announcement from the university's campus ministry department is a celebrant who is familiar with Latin and the rubrics of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII.

This Mass is tentatively scheduled for Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. in the chapel of Alumni Hall.

Celebrants for these liturgies will be appointed by the director of campus ministry or the rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, who each have jurisdiction over the celebration of some of the sacraments on campus.

The current form of the Mass, known as the ordinary for of the Roman Rite, will continue to be celebrated at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart as well as in the residence halls.

This fall, campus ministry will provide a catechesis on the Eucharist. It will provide students with a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass, and the Pope's motu proprio.

Original Source

Graph: Traditional Latin Masses in the USA 1988 - 2006

2007-08-28T17:15:00.000-04:00

This post was originally posted on the former "Universal Indult" blog that was run by my friend, Dr. Brian Kopp:

If there is "no demand" then why the steady growth?

Anyone want to predict what this graph will look like five years from now, with the rocket boost that the Motu Proprio is going to provide?

The graph and the text below are from the COALITION ECCLESIA DEI web site:

The Celebration of the Mass: A Study of the Rubrics of the Roman Liturgy (1962)

2007-08-28T16:59:00.000-04:00

Celebration of Mass
Item#: COB
Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days.
$40.00

Link to Original

Product Description
By Rev. J. B. O'Connell

This book is a must have for all english speaking priests who celebrate the Roman Rite according to the liturgical books of 1962.

Contains a description of the "General Rubrics of the Mass," "The Low Mass" and its special forms, as well as, serving low Mass, and "The Rite of Solemn Mass and Sung Mass." Describes the laws as they were in force in 1962, citing frequently from church documents up until 1962.

It is recommended that priests learn the directions for the motions of Mass using Learning the Mass and then use this book for learning thoroughly the laws governing the saying of Mass. This book is helpful for interpreting the rubrics of the missal and the rite of celebrating mass, which are essential for every priest to know before offering the traditional rite. Finally it is important for the priest to have an Ordo.

To order CLICK HERE.

Recent News Articles on the Traditional Latin Mass

2007-08-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

1. Priests to get a course in chanted Latin Mass (Spero News).

2. Leading in Latin-Saint Stephen is the only Catholic church in Pensacola to offer the traditional Mass (The Pensacola News Journal).

3. EWTN'S "The World Over" to tape program on Summorum Pontificum.

Excerpt from link #3:

The World Over Live will be taping a program on Pope Benedict XVI's recent motu proprio on the Traditional Roman Mass, Summorum Pontificum. Our guests will be bishops and canon law experts who will be able to answer your questions on this very important document that restores the use of the pre-Vatican II liturgy (1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII). Email us your questions now to worldover@ewtn.com or Click Here and we just might use your's on the show."

The taping will occur on Thursday, August 30. It will air on the September 14, 2007 World Over Live. [September 14, 2007 is the date when Summorum Pontificum officially goes into effect. EWTN plans to air a live celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass that same day at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time].

The Spirituality of the Ancient Liturgy-Part Two

2007-08-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

By Father Chad Ripperger, F.S.S.P. - Fall 2001

Continued from the Summer 2001 issue of the Latin Mass Magazine. To read part one, Click here.

Link to Original

Novelty begets spiritual gluttony. By spiritual gluttony is understood the spiritual defect by which one takes delight and concerns oneself only with the physical and spiritual consolations sent by God rather than using the consolation as a means to growing more holy. Spiritual gluttony occurs when people do spiritual or religious things because of some consolation or delight they derive from them and so the delight, rather than God, becomes the end of the action. Novelty begets spiritual gluttony because people tend to think that newer is always better, and so each new thing brings them some new delight. Here we see that novelty can easily degenerate into keeping people entertained, but the danger is that insofar as it prompts one to stop looking at God and fixating on the new thing that sates our appetites, it impedes our spiritual growth. All of the saintly spiritual writers warn that spiritual gluttony is very dangerous for the spiritual life.

The ancient ritual actually destroys spiritual gluttony on three levels. First, all of the silence takes away from our appetites the desire to talk. It is a fact that some people like vocal prayer because of the “spiritual high,” to use a degenerate sixties and seventies term, that comes from doing the talking. Second, the repetition ensures that the appetites, which constantly want something new, are not satisfied. Repetition in a spiritual good is something that is appreciated on an intellectual level, not an appetitive level. Our appetites can get bored when we experience the same thing; the intellect, on the other hand, is able to see the value of the thing each time it encounters it. Thirdly, a certain pleasure comes from being in control of something. This is another reason that the ritual must be fixed or determined by the Church and not by ourselves. For insofar as the ritual is determined by our choice among options and not according to the universal laws of the Church, we take a certain pleasure in being in control. But this to subordinate a spiritual good to our natural desires.

Moreover, while it is not part of the newer rituals themselves, some of the forms of music employed in them are used because of some sensible or appetitive pleasure derived from the music rather than for their usefulness in drawing the mind and will into closer union with God. This leads people to confuse the pleasurable experience with actually experiencing God. In effect, it leads people to think that authentic experiences of God are always pleasant. While in the next life they are, in this life the experiences of God are often arduous and exceedingly painful for us – not because of some defect in the way God handles us, but because of our imperfections and sinfulness which cause our pain. As St. Theresa of Avila once said, “God, if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them.”

The point is that music and all of the other aspects of the ritual should be geared toward weaning people off sensible delights and consolations as the mainstay of their spiritual lives. This is why Gregorian chant which, has an appeal to the intellect and will, naturally begets prayer, which is defined as the lifting of the mind and heart to God. Gregorian chant does not appeal to one’s emotions or appetites; rather, the beauty of the chant naturally draws us into contemplation of the divine truths and the mysteries of the ritual.

To return to our discussion of liturgical options, by having a predetermined ritual by the universal laws of the Church, one avoids having one person force his disposition and his own spiritual life or lack thereof on the rest of the people attending Mass. In other words, it avoids having someone impose himself or intrude on the spiritual lives of the laity by the choices he makes which flow from his own interior dispositions and spiritual life. Since people naturally differ in disposition, when the ritual becomes the product of one individual or even a few, it loses its spiritual appeal to the rest of the people, who may not share the same dispositions.

The traditional rite, on the other hand, avoids this pitfall by determining the ritual itself. One of the advantages of the ancient ritual is that it does not matter which parish you attend; it is everywhere the same. Insofar as the options of the new rite allow for the particularization of the ritual, it ceases being catholic (meaning universal). In fact, in an age of hyper-mobility, it seems especially imprudent to have changed the ritual. I realized this when I went to Rome and attended Mass in Italian. Had the Mass been in Latin according to the ancient rite, I would have felt right at home at Mass; instead, I was left with the impression that I was merely an onlooker from the outside. This is why Latin and a fixed ritual allow the Mass to have a universal appeal: one can attend it in every country, in every parish in the world and still feel right at home. While we may not understand the homily or sermon when we are in a foreign country, we can nevertheless enter into the ritual in the same depth and fervor that we can at our home parish. This also avoids the unfortunate problem of people parish shopping, as it were, trying to find a priest whose choice of Mass options suits their own dispositions.

Latin also provides a form of self-denial by taking the translation of the ritual out of the hands of questionable agencies. Inclusive language is a classic example of what we have been describing: the desire of a small group to impose its own spirituality on everyone else. The desire for inclusive language is a manifestation of the expectation that the ritual should conform to the group rather than vice versa. Latin undermines this idea because everyone, as Pope John XXIII says in Veterum Sapientia, is equal before the Latin language. Latin forces a type of self-denial on us because we can not manipulate the language to our own ends. It also thwarts the inclination of the priest to ad lib, foisting his own personal disposition on those attending the Mass.

The Latin, the fixed rubrics, these things strip us of our selves so that we can become nothing. St. John of the Cross often noted that we must be nothing so that God can become everything in us, or, as in the words of St. John the Baptist (which we can apply to the ancient ritual), “I must decrease, so that He may increase.” Stripping ourselves of self, which the ancient ritual does, is a requirement for any authentic spirituality.III. Perfection in Virtue

This brings us to the next topic: perfection in virtue. The old Mass, insofar as it strips us of self, humbles us. This is necessary, since every one of us suffers from pride. Moreover, by not giving us control over the ritual, the old rite begets meekness, the virtue by which one does not go to extremes in one’s reactions or actions. There are countless stories of laity and priests being furious after attending the new rite because of something the celebrant did. The priest should not be the cause of anger during the Mass. By becoming the cause of anger, he erodes the meekness of the laity. Having a fixed ritual, provided the priest follows the rubrics and says the Mass reverently, minimizes the chance that the priest will anger the laity. In this way, the old rite assures meekness.

Humility is the root virtue in the concupiscible appetite, i.e., the thing in us that inclines us toward bodily goods. Humility is the virtue by which one does not judge oneself greater than he is. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us it is the root virtue of all the other virtues and that no other virtue can exist without it. The old Mass roots out pride and begets humility because it is not our action or our product but the product and action of God. Moreover, by coming up against the mysterious which for us in this life is insurmountable, it naturally causes in us a sense of our smallness in comparison to God. This in turn tempers the way we behave because we are in the presence of someone who causes “awe,” which is an overwhelming sense of wonder or admiration. “Awe” naturally causes us to stop and consider ourselves in the light of that which is awesome; it captivates us and therefore moderates what we do. The ancient ritual, in begetting humility and meekness – upon which all the other virtues rest – reminds us of the words of Christ, Who said, “Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” In other words, “ I conform myself to the truth, I am not proud and do not judge myself greater than I am, I do not go to extremes in my reactions.” This is what we must desire in any ritual. The ritual should speak to us – not in our own words, but in the words of Christ. In this way the ancient ritual can be seen to be saying metaphorically, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”

Once meekness and humility are in place, the virtue of reverence naturally follows. Reverence is the virtue contained under the more universal virtue of justice, and more particularly religion, in which one holds in honor and esteem some thing, usually sacred. The ancient ritual helps us to honor those things that are holy because, first, we are humble and recognize the greatness of sacred things. Secondly, we approach God in a sense of self-denial and subservience, and in this respect the ancient ritual excels. For the priest bows his head, genuflects and humbles himself often in the prayers that God might look upon his actions and be pleased.

Fortitude is also taught in the ancient ritual, if in no other way than that it is clear that it is spiritual warfare. At the very beginning, when the priest vests by putting on the amice, he says a prayer in which he asks Our Lord for the helmet of salvation so that he can fight off the incursions of the devil. Also, since the priest is not subject to a liturgical committee in making decisions on what should and should not be done, the traditional rite strengthens the priest and reaffirms the masculine aspects of being a priest.

Here we highly recommend the article by Fr. James McLucas on the emasculation of the priesthood, (The Latin Mass, Spring 1998) in which he argues that the newer rituals have, in fact, taken away from the priest those things that are masculine: e.g., the role of providing for and protecting his spiritual family. In the ancient ritual, he alone feeds his spiritual family by distributing Holy Communion. This also means he can protect the sacred mysteries. The systematic removal of all these things that emphasize the masculine and fatherly role of the priest has weakened our vision of the priesthood. Moreover, we tend to get what we offer as an example. Thus, if we place before people a weakened view of the priesthood that has little or no virtue of fortitude, then we can expect priests to become weak and effeminate, and attract seminarians who follow suit. Fortitude is defined as engaging the arduous good and the ancient ritual provides an avenue for the priest to obtain the greatest and most difficult type of fortitude: self-discipline through self-denial.

The ancient ritual also avoids violations of justice. The new Code of Canon Law states that the laity have a right to attend the liturgy said according to the rubrics. Now all the options have eroded the sense that the priest must render to the people their due; the flow of the Mass is at his discretion. This leads the priest to think that he can do whatever he likes. While Church documents are clear that he cannot do so, the fact is that all these options contain the implicit principle of “do what you want.” This is why, when the ritual is out of the hands of the priest, it naturally begets a sense of the requirement of justice in all of us. For when the priest does something that is contrary to the rubrics, or even in the rubrics but included as optional, it gives people a sense that the priest is concerned not so much about what God wants as about what he wants, especially if one attending the Mass does not like the particular option. Ultimately, the ritual of the Mass is about God, and ought to seek the best way of rendering to God His due. This comes through a deep sense of justice. Through the sacrifice to God and the conformity of the ritual to that sacrifice, we recognize that with respect to God, we have no claim of justice insofar as we are mere creatures. Therefore, the Mass must be about God and not ourselves. The ancient ritual helps us to forget and lose ourselves in the rendering of justice to God through the Sacrifice.

The ancient rite begets faith, hope and charity. It begets faith because it excels in its expression of Catholic theology. Faith comes through hearing and we hear the Faith in the very prayers of the ancient ritual. It begets hope because of its deep sense of the transcendent and our participation in the transcendent. It begets charity because it helps us to realize that worship is about God, not us. Charity is defined as love of God and neighbor for the sake of God. Even when we love our neighbor, it must be for the sake of God. Hence the ritual helps us to focus everything on God, thereby giving a proper direction to our spiritual lives. Even if this were not the case, the ancient ritual begets charity if for no other reason than that it keeps people’s imperfections at bay by taking away the ability of one person to impose himself on another, thereby averting anger, hurt feelings and the like.

IV. Ascendance in Prayer

The last aspect is ascendence in prayer. We have already mentioned the silence that is necessary to ascend the heights of prayer. While it is not required for vocal prayer, it is required for mental prayer and the other seven levels of prayer. St. Augustine said that no person can save his soul if he does not pray. Now it is a fact that mental prayer and prayer in general have collapsed among the laity (and the clergy, for that matter) in the past thirty years. It is my own impression that this development actually has to do with the ritual of the Mass. Now in the new rite, everything centers around vocal prayer, and the communal aspects of the prayer are heavily emphasized. This has led people to believe that only those forms of prayer that are vocal and communal have any real value. Consequently, people do not pray on their own any longer.

The ancient ritual, on the other hand, actually fosters a prayer life. The silence during the Mass actually teaches people that they must pray. Either one will get lost in distraction during the ancient ritual or one will pray. The silence and encouragement to pray during the Mass teach people to pray on their own. While, strictly speaking, they are not praying on their own insofar as they should be joining their prayers and sacrifices to the Sacrifice and prayer of the priest, these actions are done interiorly and mentally and so naturally dispose them toward that form of prayer. This is one of the reasons that, after the Mass is said according to the ancient ritual, people are naturally quieter and tend to pray afterwards. If everything is done vocally and out loud, then once the vocal stops, people think it is over. It is very difficult to get people who attend the new rite of Mass to make a proper thanksgiving by praying afterward because their appetites and faculties have habituated them toward talking out loud.

The ancient ritual also gives one a taste of heaven, so to speak. Since the altar marks the dividing line between the profane and sacred, between the heavenly and the earthly, and the priest ascends to the altar to offer Sacrifice, the traditional rite leaves one with a sense of being drawn into heaven with the priest. This feature naturally draws us into prayer and gives the sense of the transcendent and supernatural that are key in the spiritual life. The numerous references to the saints foster devotion rather than minimizing it. The Latin provides a sense of mystery. The beauty of the ritual, the surroundings that naturally flow from the ritual itself (such as the churches that are designed for the ritual), the chant – all of these things lead to contemplation, the seeking after that which is above.

Conclusion

Clearly we have not exhausted all the spiritual aspects of the ancient ritual, but the four areas we covered demonstrate that the ancient ritual and the newer forms have different spiritualities. If the Church is to capture the sense of the transcendent for the laity, if we are to have humble and saintly priests, if we are to have a ritual that is driven by charity and therefore has God as the sole focus of our longings and desires, it must restore that liturgy that God Himself fashioned both when Christ was on earth and through the loving hands of the saints throughout history. We cannot be satisfied with a liturgy that is the work of our own hands. For this reason, I do not subscribe to the theory that we need to produce yet another ritual. We need the work of God back, because if the ancient ritual does anything, it teaches us that we do not need our own self-expression. We need God.

Fr. Chad Ripperger, F.S.S.P., is a professor at St. Gregory’s diocesan minor seminary and Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary, both in Nebraska.

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The Spirituality of the Ancient Liturgy By Father Chad Ripperger, F.S.S.P.

2007-08-21T18:34:00.000-04:00

Taken from the Summer 2001 Issue of the Latin Mass Magazine

First of two parts.

Among liturgists and theologians, it is generally considered true that each form of ritual embodies a kind of spirituality which is proper to that ritual. Thus, for example, the Eastern rites tend to emphasize the mysterious aspects of the spiritual life as well as the role of icons in promoting devotion to Our Lord, Our Lady and the saints. The ancient rite of Mass embodies a spirituality and spiritual lessons that can appeal to every generation and time. By ancient ritual is meant that rite which was codified by St. Gregory the Great and which underwent a very slow organic development over the course of centuries. The last missal promulgated that enjoys that organic growth is that of 1962.

It is the common perception in the Church today that the liturgical development of the medieval period was, in fact, decadent and that we must return to the apostolic and early Church period in order to know what real liturgy is as well as God’s will regarding the liturgy. This is, however, a fundamentally flawed notion. Aside from the fact that modern liturgical experts (and by modern I mean of the last 100 years or so) were not accurate in their understanding of the liturgies of the early Church, the notion that medieval liturgical development was somehow an aberration is really a rejection of what was an authentic development based upon the understanding of the Mass as sacrifice. Moreover, such figures like to harken back to an era when the liturgy was supposedly “pristine,” by which they usually mean that it conformed to their faulty theology of the Mass as a meal.

The point here is not to give a history lesson, but to explain that one of the premises on which this essay is based is that the ancient rite of Mass is actually the product of the hand of God Who used saints throughout history to develop it according to His holy intention. The desire to reject our liturgical patrimony seems to me to be in fact a desire to reject those things which God has done. Insofar as it is the work of God and the saints, the liturgy embodies certain spiritual principles in the very nature of the ritual that are worthy of reflection. Obviously, we cannot exhaust them all, so we shall limit the discussion to four: 1) the awareness of our sinfulness, 2) the need for self-denial, 3) perfection in virtue and 4) certain aspects about prayer. All of these are essential elements of any sound spiritual life.

I. Awareness of Sin

The first is, again, an awareness of our own sinfulness. The ancient rite of Mass starts with the prayers at the foot of the altar, which begins the Mass with the priest orienting himself to the altar – the altar of his youth. The altar is, of course, the place where the sacrifice for our sins takes place, and the priest asks God to judge his cause. Immediately, there is a clear understanding that there are good and bad in this world. Since the Confiteor is required in every Mass, the ancient ritual makes it clear to us that we have sinned and the priest, and later the people, confess their sins not only to God but also to the whole heavenly court – i.e., to specific saints as well as to all the saints in general. The priest himself must confess his sinfulness independently of the people, both as an example for them and a sign that the priest needs to be keenly aware of his own personal sinfulness. The priest asks to be washed and forgiven repeatedly throughout the ritual in order to foster a sense of humility and unworthiness before God to perform the function that belongs to him. No priest who takes the prayers seriously can be overcome with pride. As the priest ascends to the altar, he asks for the sins of the people to be taken away and then as he reverences the altar he asks specifically that all his sins be pardoned.

There is of course the Kyrie, which is an appeal for God’s mercy, and before the Gospel the priest asks again that his heart and lips be cleansed. Aside from the Confiteor, perhaps the most notable recollection for the priest for his sins is contained in the offertory prayer Suscipe, sancte Pater. The priest says during this prayer that he offers the spotless Host to “atone for my innumerable sins, offenses, and negligences.”

It is necessary for the priest to remind himself constantly of his sinfulness and his proclivity to evil so that he will be motivated to root the sin out of his life. It is also necessary for the priest to do this so that he recognizes his unworthiness to offer the sacrifice and the need to strive for purity and holiness in order to offer it worthily. Since the first step toward sanctified perfection is to be aware of and admit to one’s own sinfulness, these prayers are highly important for the spiritual lives of priests. None of us who are aware of the scandals and sins associated with priests over the past forty years should desire that these prayers be taken out of the offertory or Mass. The laity must desire that the priest be sinless, and one of the ways that is facilitated is by recognizing in the prayers at Mass that he is offering this sacrifice not only for the people but also for himself. If a priest has a sensitive conscience and knows that he must remain pure for the sake of offering the sacrifice, then he merits more graces from God for the people. Today people say that as long as the Mass is valid, the state of the priest does not really matter. While it is true that a priest does not have to be in the state of grace to offer the Mass validly, nevertheless, he has an obligation to be as holy as possible in order to merit more for those under his pastoral care.

There are of course two kinds of merit in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The first is Our Lord’s own Sacrifice in which, by the hands of the priest, He is offered to God the Father in expiation for our sins. Here we are referring to the fact that the Mass is the participation in the Sacrifice of Calvary and the merit flowing from this Sacrifice is infinite since That Which is offered is Infinite. But in addition to this essential or primary merit, there is a secondary merit that flows from three things: (1) the holiness of the priest, (2) the holiness of the people who join their own particular sacrifices to the Sacrifice of the priest and (3) the ritual itself. In order for us to gain more fruits from the Mass, we must do everything we can to aid the priest in being holy, e.g., by offering our prayers and mortifications for him so that he will obtain a holiness of life. But this is possible only when the priest is constantly reminded of his ability to fall into sin if he does not rely on the grace of God. It does not help us to ignore this reality and remove it from the ritual. Rather, the awareness of our sinfulness is absolutely necessary for our spiritual advancement, and the ancient ritual is not lacking in this regard.

The word culture comes from the Latin word “cultus.” While our subject does not allow us to go too far into the discussion, we should be aware of the fact that the cult – that is, the liturgy or rituals of the predominant religion – actually determines the culture of the society. We have seen this historically during the Protestant revolts and we have even seen it in our own lifetimes: when the Church changed the ritual of the Mass, the Catholic subculture in this nation collapsed. The point here is that if we want to transform our culture, we must have a ritual that possesses a keen awareness of our sinfulness; if we expect our society to have an awareness of sin, the priest when he approaches the altar must have a sense of his sinfulness. Since all graces come into the world by means of the Catholic Church, if our ritual is deficient, then perhaps we are cheating the world of the graces that the ritual we offer is meant to convey.

II. Self Denial, Detachment and Mortification

The second spiritual aspect of the ancient ritual that is manifest in a number of ways in the old rite is the sense of self-denial and mortification. One of the clearest manifestations of this self-denial is the old rite’s silence. When we meet someone who has the vice of loquacity, of talking too much, it is usually because the person is full of himself. It is a fact of human nature that any time we do something that is in accord with our physical dispositions, we get a certain pleasure from it. People often speak of being in the “mood” for certain things and not others, and when they get the thing that corresponds to their mood, they experience a certain pleasure in it. Talking is much the same way: the appetites can become attached to talking, and this is precisely what the old rite militates against. By requiring the silence of the people, it provides an opportunity for the appetitive desire to talk to be stripped from those in attendance.

I have had many discussions with laity who come to the old rite for the first time and they often find an appetitive revulsion to the ritual because of the silence. They do not express it exactly that way, of course, but as they talk it becomes clear that they do not like the fact that they are not being talked at and not doing some of the talking themselves. St. John of the Cross used to say that before he would enter into mystical contemplation his “house,” as he called himself, became all quiet; and by this he meant that all of his appetites and faculties had quieted down. This is a sign to us that we must be quiet, we must be stripped of self in order to ascend the heights of perfection, and the old Mass aids that understanding. Moreover, it teaches us that we do not have to be the center of attention by talking in order for the ritual to have a deeper meaning and significance.

The old ritual also fosters a sense of detachment on the side of the priest and the people because the ritual is completely determined by Holy Mother the Church. We see in the Old Testament that God gave very detailed instructions on how He was to be worshiped. This is key in understanding the liturgy in two ways. The first is that the liturgy is not our action, it is the action of God by means of the priest; it is not something we do, it is essentially something God does, for the consecration cannot take place without God Who is the first cause of the Sacrifice. The second way is that it is God, and not ourselves, Who determines how we will worship Him. This has been one of the most notable failings in modern times: a desire to determine for ourselves how we will worship God. It is erroneous because it is up to God to tell us the type of worship that pleases or displeases Him and, therefore, only He should be the one to determine the ritual. It was mentioned earlier that God had fashioned the liturgy over the course of time through the saints, who were filled with love of God – everything they did came from Him and led back to Him. The old rite teaches us the important spiritual lesson that if we are going to be holy and pleasing to God, then our task is to conform to the liturgy and not make the liturgy something of our own doing or make it conform to us.

Furthermore, since it is God who must determine the ritual, we learn that the Mass is not about us but about God. We are only a secondary aspect of the rite. This is made clear in the ancient ritual in that control over the liturgy is taken away from us, and we thereby recognize that it is not about us. While our desire is to benefit from the Mass, our benefit ultimately must be referred back to God; that is to say, we become holy because it gives God greater glory. So even the aspects that affect us are ultimately about God.

The traditional rite, by determining how the ritual is to be done, provides two important spiritual benefits for the priest. The first is peace, for he can go and conform himself to the will of God by following the rubrics of the Mass since they are predetermined; as a priest I cannot say what a great sense of freedom this gives. He does not have to fret over what he will choose and say because he is worried about what the congregation may think. He does not have to listen to a liturgical committee trying to tell him what to do. The second is that it teaches the priest self-denial and sometimes mortification when the ritual is out of his hands. The Mass is not about the priest; it does not have to be sustained by his personality. Obviously only a priest can offer the Mass, but he can lose and forget himself when the whole ritual is determined by the Church, which is the Vox Dei, the Voice of God. It makes it possible for him to forget himself and everything else so that he can perfectly enter into the mystery and the sacred realities present, and thereby derive the greatest benefit from them. In a most perfect fashion, he acts in persona Christi – in the person of Christ – because his own personality is minimized and he can become more like Christ. Since he says Mass facing God and not the people, his own personality, or lack thereof, is not what sustains the ritual. He is able to let his own personality fade into the background so that he can concentrate fully on attending to God. Here when we talk of service, the priest serves God first and foremost. Too often when the term “service” is used in conjunction with the priesthood, it usually means some type of social service, rather than its real meaning of service to God.

The old Mass has only two kinds of options, both of which are heavily regulated. The first is that on certain days, according to certain conditions, votive Masses can be said; but that is something exterior to the ritual. The second is that under certain circumstances and on certain days, predetermined optional prayers may be added to the propers, e.g., to pray for rain, for peace, or something of this sort. But these are heavily regulated so that the priest understands that while he may choose to do them, when and how are not entirely up to him. The point is that options within the ritual should be minimized in order to foster obedience to superiors, self-denial and the reduction of self-will, all of which are necessary to the spiritual life. If many options are allowed, it actually militates against the priest’s self-denial and it fosters self-will, since the ritual becomes subject to his choice. It also leaves him with the impression that the liturgy is really his doing rather than an action performed by God through him.

Lack of options teaches the priest detachment and it also teaches the laity self-denial because they know they cannot try to manipulate the priest to do in the liturgy what they want, since it is out of his hands. Detachment is key to any discussion of the liturgy and any sound spiritual life. Modern man has lost all detachment regarding the liturgy and he is constantly subjecting it to his appetites. But we need detachment, and any discussion of liturgical restoration requires that people first detach themselves from what they want so that they can know what God wants. Furthermore, the multitude of options and lack of detachment in the liturgy has led to a type of Immanentism. Immanentism is a philosophy or notion which holds that everything of importance is about us and comes from us. If it is not from us, then it has no meaning or significance. Immanentism comes from the two Latin words in and manere which mean to remain in. Since man is incapable of reaching the heavens on his own (Babel and the Pelagian heresies have clearly demonstrated that), the liturgy must be from God and about God in order to draw us out of ourselves and to foster any sense of the transcendent, the striving for which is deeply rooted in the heart of man.

The ancient liturgy also provides a depth to one’s spiritual life for three reasons. The first is that it takes us out of ourselves and brings us to God; if we remain in ourselves and if we fashion a liturgy that is at our whim and ultimately about us, then we are doomed to shallowness and superficiality. Rather, insofar as the liturgy is out of our hands, we recognize that it is beyond us, it is mysterious, and insofar as it is about God, it can forever be contemplated. The second is that it is founded on tradition. Tradition provides a mechanism in which man can abandon himself to God who fashions the tradition rather than taking control of it himself and jettisoning the tradition. In other words, tradition provides a mechanism by which the spiritual and liturgical patrimony of the saints can be given to each generation, who can use it to their spiritual benefit. Like someone who does not know his historical roots and therefore does not know himself, modern man has chosen to reject liturgical tradition and replace it with himself, only to be lost in self and never truly to understand himself. Tradition provides a way for the young to ground themselves in the wisdom of the past. This applies not only to cultural things but to the liturgy and the spiritual life as well.

The third thing that the ancient liturgy provides is repetition. Now modern man has rejected repetition because he has a fixation on novelty. Novelty, of course, gives our appetites delight but does not necessarily indicate depth. To enter into something in depth requires time and repeated considerations of a thing. Repetitio mater discendi, as we say in Latin: repetition is the mother of learning. This principle applies not only to learning but to our spiritual lives as well. By repeating a prayer, its meaning becomes more known to us and therefore is able to be entered into more perfectly and with greater depth. Since the ancient rite allows not for novelty but repetition, it provides a way in which people can focus on the mysteries present rather than the new things that are constantly popping up. With the silence quieting our faculties and the repetition that characterize each Mass, we are able to participate in and enter more perfectly into the mysteries of the Mass. Too often participation is equated with physical activity rather than the higher and more active form of participation which is spiritual participation.

to be continued next issue

Fr. Chad Ripperger, F.S.S.P., is a professor at St. Gregory’s diocesan minor seminary and Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary, both in Nebraska.

Calls made for weekly Traditional Latin Mass at Letterkenny Cathedral

2007-08-21T13:30:00.000-04:00

It's been claimed that there has been a significant increase in interest in the Latin Mass [i.e., the Traditional Latin Mass] amongst the youth in Donegal with calls being made for the introduction of a regular Sunday Latin Mass in Letterkenny [in accord with Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum].

A religious group, Juventutem Ireland, says it has received enquiries from a number of young people in Donegal who are backing calls for a Latin Sunday mass in Letterkenny Cathedral.

Spokesperson Robert Lane says that while there is already one weekly Latin mass in the Raphoe diocese there is an appetite for more.

Source: Highland Radio-Ireland's No.1 Local Radio Station

Recent News Articles on the Traditional Latin Mass

2007-08-20T14:07:00.000-04:00

1. A sense of the sacred (Burlington Free Press); High turnout at [Traditional] Latin Mass (WCAX.TV). The Mass was celebrated by the Most Rev. Salvatore Matano, Bishop of the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont.

2. Two rural parishes planning to begin weekly Latin Mass in fall (St. Louis Review).

3. Traditional Latin Mass Returns to Lithuania (Catholic Online/Catholic PRWire).

4. New Yorker Petitions Cardinal Egan to Celebrate Midnight Mass in Latin (PewSitter.com).

5. CNS article by a priest hostile toward the older Mass and people involved with it (article with commentary by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf).

EWTN to Televise Live Tridentine Mass Celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

2007-08-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY

EWTN to Televise Live Tridentine Mass Celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

DENTON, Nebraska – AUGUST 17, 2007 – For the first time in its 26 year history, Mother Angelica’s Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) will be broadcasting a live Solemn High Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on September 14, 2007 at 8:00AM EST. EWTN has asked for the assistance of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an international Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, to help celebrate this "extraordinary" form.

This past July 7th, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the beauty and importance of the Tridentine Mass by issuing Summorum Pontificum, a papal document encouraging and confirming the right of all Latin Rite priests to use this more ancient use of the Mass starting September 14th. The Tridentine Mass was the normative liturgy experienced by Latin Rite Catholics prior to the Second Vatican Council.

"Most Catholics have not seen this heavenly celebration in over 40 years," said Father Calvin Goodwin, a professor at the Society’s international English-speaking seminary located in Denton, Nebraska. "We are very excited to help EWTN and to support the Holy Father’s call for a wider presence of this form of the Mass. This is a cause for great joy."

Priests and seminarians from Denton, Nebraska will travel to Alabama and provide the celebrant, deacon, subdeacon, preacher, master of ceremonies and altar servers.

About the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is an international society of Catholic priests entrusted with the preservation and administration of the Catholic Church’s ancient Latin liturgical traditions. Over 120 seminarians are preparing for the priesthood in the Fraternity’s two seminaries in Bavaria, Germany and Denton, Nebraska.

About EWTN

Founded by Mother Angelica, a Poor Clare nun, the Eternal Word Television Network has become the largest religious media network in the world, transmitting programming 24 hours a day to more than 123 million homes in 140 countries and territories on more than 4,800 cable systems, wireless cable, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), low power TV and individual satellite users.

Contact:

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

7880 West Denton Road

Denton, NE 68339 U.S.A.

(402) 797-7700

seminary@fsspolgs.org

New Online Multimedia Tutorial of the 1962 Traditional Latin Mass

2007-08-16T11:04:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire
8/14/2007 - 23:12 PST

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 14, 2007 - In thanksgiving for Our Holy Father's recent Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius (societycantius.org) are pleased to have the opportunity to train priests to celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite according to the 1962 Missale Romanum. In developing resources to train priests, we have developed a new website entitled SanctaMissa.org.

In addition to providing an online multimedia tutorial, SanctaMissa.org provides the rubrics of the 1962 Missale Romanum in English, as translated by Rev. Dennis M. Duvelius, the text of Fortescue‘s Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, a ceremonial for altar servers, artilces on the spirituality of the Tridentine Latin Mass, a large resource of liturigical articles, and a ceremonial for liturgical music of the liturgical books of 1962. Please check SanctaMissa.org regularly for new updates, as the documents we have prepared are put online.

Rev. C. Frank Phillips, C.R., the Founder and Superior of the The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius (Chicago), hopes that SanctaMissa.org will assist priests in praying the Mass of the Ages with deeper reverence and love, so that the faithful attracted to this venerable rite might more profoundly enter into the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

To further assist priests in the celebration of the ancient Roman Rite, the webstore of The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius (cantius.org/webstore or 1-800-345-6665) will be adding new liturgical items (Liber Usualis, Missale Romanum, Rituale Romanum, altar cards, etc.) to its catalogue in the coming week.

As we begin our 10th year of service in the Archdiocese of Chicago dedicated to the Restoration of the Sacred, we will continually be working to enhance and expand SanctaMissa.org. At present the website is only available in English. We are now gathering resources for the traditional Latin Mass now in Chinese, Lithuanian, Spanish and Polish. Those persons who might be able to assist us in gathering resources in these and other languages are invited to contact the Rev. Scott A. Haynes (email@sanctamissa.org).

At present SanctaMissa.org provides a multimedia presentation of Low Mass for Trinity Sunday. We would like to produce other multimedia presentations of a Requiem Mass, a Missa Cantata, a Missa Solemnis and a Missa Pontificalis, but in order to do this contributions are necessary. Only with by the generosity of the Catholic faithful are we able to continue forming, training and educating priests to celebrate the Traditional Mass according to the 1962 Missal. But exceeding in importance this monetary support is the support of prayer and sacrifice. Tax-deductible donations [Law 501(c)(3)] may be sent to:

Rev. C. Frank Phillips, C.R.
The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius
825 N. Carpenter Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622 USA

www.SanctaMissa.org

Contact: Canons Regular of St. John Cantius
http://www.sanctamissa.org IL, US
Rev. Scott Haynes, SJC - Webmaster, 312-243-7373

In 2004, the then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) Expressed Sorrow Over The Ruins Of The Liturgy

2007-08-11T09:13:00.000-04:00

"It seems to me most important that the Catechism, in mentioning the limitation of the powers of the supreme authority in the Church with regard to reform, recalls to mind what is the essence of the primacy as outlined by the First and Second Vatican Councils: The Pope is not an absolute monarch whose will is law, but is the guardian of the authentic Tradition, and thereby the premier guarantor of obedience. He cannot do as he likes, and is thereby able to oppose those people who for their part want to do what has come into their head.

His rule is not that of arbitrary power, but that of obedience in faith. That is why, with respect to the Liturgy, he has the task of a gardener, not that of a technician who builds new machines and throws the old ones on the junk-pile.

The rite, that form of celebration and prayer which has ripened in the faith and the life of the Church, is a condensed form of living tradition in which the sphere which uses that rite expresses the whole of its faith and its prayer, and thus at the same time the fellowship of generations one with another becomes something we can experience, fellowship with the people who pray before us and after us. Thus the rite is something of benefit which is given to the Church, a living form of paradosis the handing-on of tradition.

Anyone like myself, who was moved by... the Liturgical Movement on the eve of the Second Vatican Council, can only stand, deeply sorrowing, before the ruins of the very things they were concerned for."

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
26th July 2004

Taken from the preface to the second edition of The Organic Development of the Liturgy, Dom Alcuin Reid.

Prayers of Preparation at the Beginning of the Traditional Latin Mass

2007-08-04T06:22:00.000-04:00

Holy Mass is the most sacred of all actions at which we can assist. Because it is so holy, we ought to prepare for it in a holy manner. The Church bids the priest do this as he begins the Mass. The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar have been composed so that priest and faithful might prepare their hearts well. A short reflection on these prayers will help us to see this. The Mass begins with the Sign of the Cross. From the very first ages of Christianity, the Church has begun her liturgical function with this holy Sign. At the end of the second century Tertullian wrote: "At every moving from place to place, at every coming in and going out, in dressing, at the baths, at table on lighting candles, going to rest, sitting down, in whatever action we are engaged, we sign ourselves on the forehead with the Cross." The first prayer to be recited is Psalm 42 with its accompanying antiphon. Antiphon means a song response. The word is used by the Church to denote short verses prefixed and added on to the Psalms, and frequently taken, as in this case, from the Psalm to which it is joined. The antiphon is a key to the intention of the Church in using a particular Psalm. It unlocks the treasures of grace that we can gain by proper meditation and reflection on the words. The antiphon also draws our attention to that part of the Psalm or prayer that the Church wants to particularly emphasize.

Let us look at the opening Antiphon as an example of this. The priest first says, "I will go unto the Altar of God," and the response from the server is, "To the God who gives joy to my youth." We may regard these words as a spiritual encouragement to the priest to proceed. Renewal of spiritual strength is the great end of the Holy Eucharist, and its effect is felt on every rightly prepared heart. There is a singular propriety and beauty in reminding the priest of this quality of Almighty God as the renovator of youth at a moment when, like the publican of the parable, he is "standing afar off," holding himself aloof from the altar, as if waiting for encouragement to carry his desire into effect. Some of the faithful remark that the servers at Mass generally say their part rapidly, leaving little time for reflection. This might be true in some parishes, yet it should pose no problem as long as the responses are not said in an irreverent manner. First of all, Holy Mass is a continuous action. There must be a certain "flow" or "meter" to it. There should be no real speed to the Mass except that which is set by the priest himself as keeping with the reverence proper to the August Sacrifice. Likewise, slowing down and speeding up at Mass, even for what might be termed devotional reasons, has no place at the Altar of God. The priest acts as the representative of Jesus Christ, and he is directed by the Church to leave his private devotions and prayers aside as he renews the Sacrifice of Calvary.

Understanding this point we can see that the priest must continue Holy Mass at a proper pace and not pause for reflection of the words. However, through constant recitation of the words, inspirational thoughts will cross the mind in an instant which will be suitable for the occasion. Psalm 42, which begins "Judica me, Deus", is a most fitting beginning for Holy Mass. This is the same Psalm used for the preparation of the altar in the Old Law. In these words the priest pleads with God for deliverance from his spiritual enemies. There is a theme of hopeful prayer that runs throughout the lines of this Psalm. This is most obvious in the words "Spera in Deo", which means "Hope in God". The grounds for His hope and confidence rests in God and not on the feeble and fickle promises of men. Assured of this hope, he concludes the Psalm with the verse of triumphant adoration: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." Confidence tempered by humility always brings with it a humble confession of sins. The priest and server alternate the recitation of the Confiteor. The priest makes a public confession of his sins, praying to ascend to the Altar of God with a clean conscience. Likewise the server, on behalf of the people, prays for similar peace of mind, heart and soul. The Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints and angels of the heavenly Court are called to witness this act of repentance and sorrow for sin. They are also asked to enlist their prayers in our service.

The Confiteor is likewise a confession of sins between priest and people. This public act of humility is a sure strength against further falls. This is in compliance with the words of St. James: "Confess your sins to one another, and pray one to another, that you may be saved." (5:16). Does the dignity of the priestly office suffer when he makes himself as one of the people, confessing with them and even to them, and asking for their prayers? Far be this from the truth! The dignity of the priestly office is strongly secured in the eyes of both priest and people by the whole ritual of the Church, and by the tenor of his dealing with his flock. On the other hand, it is most important that he should remember how he is a sinner like others and that they should be moved to compassion and self-abasement by seeing one whom God has "set among the princes of His people" humbling himself in such a public way. Following the Confiteor are prayers of forgiveness and renewed confidence in the mercy of God. As the priest ascends the altar steps, he stops before the middle to bow and kiss the relics present there. By this he does honor to the holy martyrs whose sacred remains are entombed in the altar stone.

Fortified in this manner, he can now begin the Prayers of the Mass.

Taken from the book, Order and Ceremonial of the Mass, (London, 1848)

+ + +

Dom Prosper Guéranger, O.S.B., Abbot of Solesmes:

1. Judica

2. Confiteor

Baronius Press: The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Guéranger (only $21.95)

Exclusive Interview with Fr. Joseph Santos of the Diocese of Providence (Bp.Fernando Rifan served as his consultant during the interview)

2007-08-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

The following interview took place via an e-mail exchange between the webmaster of this website, Traditional Latin Mass, and Fr. Joseph D. Santos, Jr., of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. Bishop Fernando Rifan, head of the Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney in Campos, Brazil, was kind enough to serve as a consultant for Fr. Santos during this interview.

The following questions are in black. The answers are in red.

1. What is the significance of the recent motu proprio Summorum Pontificum? What is the Holy Father saying to Latin Rite Catholics by publishing a document on the Traditional Latin Mass at this time in the Church's history?

The Holy Father is very clear in the text of his letter that he is seeking Liturgical peace for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. He is also seeking to show that the Old and New Rites are intimately linked to one another in the continuous tradition of the Church. There can be no rupture in the doctrine and praxis of the Church. Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi is still the rule.

2. In a recent article published in the Providence-Journal-Bulletin ("Latin Mass spoken here" by Richard C. Dujardin, Sunday, July 8, 2007) you [Fr. Santos] claimed that there are "30 priests" in the Diocese of Providence who would like to bring "the old liturgy to a younger generation who never had the opportunity to experience the old Mass in all its splendor." Do you envision that some or all of these 30 priests will celebrate the Traditional Mass once the motu proprio goes into effect on the 14th of September?

I don't think that I could say that. It is not simply a matter of knowing how to celebrate the Rite. There is the need for the prober training of Altar boys, choir, sacristans, etc. The need and the willingness to work for it needs to be there.

3. One place where some local Catholics would like to see the Traditional Mass restored is at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul where the high Altar, as some claim, is still in place, yet it hasn't been in use for a very long time. Are there plans on the part of local priests or on the part of an organization like Una Voce Rhode Island to encourage our Bishop to approve of a celebration of the Traditional Mass at the cathedral, especially in accord with the norms laid down by our Holy Father in Summorum Pontificum?

The High Altar is not in place at the Cathedral, only the central part of the reredos is still there. The Mass would have to be celebrated at the new Altar properly vested.

4. Summorum Pontificum indicates that religious orders may also celebrate the Traditional Mass. This, of course, includes the Dominicans and the traditional Dominican Rite. Since you have mentioned that there are "30 priests" in the Diocese of Providence who would like to bring "the old liturgy to a younger generation who never had the opportunity to experience the old Mass in all its splendor", do you envision that Providence College, a Dominican institute of higher learning, will restore the Dominican Rite, especially at St. Dominic Chapel which was built mostly for students?

One of my teachers at Maryvale Institute in England regularly celebrated the Dominican Rite and he is now the Prior of Leinster. Friar Richard Conrad is an excellent teacher on the theology of grace and very knowledgable in the Rite of his Order.

5. Concerning the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus Church, how many people often attend the Traditional Mass each Sunday?

Anywhere between 250 and 300 on a regular Sunday.

6. Do the people who attend the Traditional Mass at your parish mostly consist of the elderly? I ask this because so many people who oppose the Traditional Mass often claim that the "old Mass" is only attended by the very old.

There are many families with 3, 4, 8 or even 9 children at the Latin Mass. The average age of the Scola Cantorum is, I believe, 19.

7. Some critics have raised concern over the fact that in the Traditional Mass Latin is the official language, the priest mostly has his "back to the people", and "participation" is resticted. Do you believe that their concerns are based on a lack of education in respect to the Traditional Mass and on various misconceptions leveled against the Traditional Mass by so-called "liturgists"?

Most definitly. When a general leads his troops into battle does he face them? When a representative of the people approaches the Ruler on their behalf does he face them? When a priest is going to the Lord on behalf of his people should he face them? When the priest is acting as the intermediary between the people and God he faces the Altar. When he is dispensing the gifts of God, or speaking to the people., he faces the people. You might want to look up a quote by Lacordaire:

"To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; to be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; to share all sufferings; to penetrate all secrets; to heal all wounds; to go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; to return from God to men to bring pardon and hope; to have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity; to teach and to pardon; console and bless always. My God, what a life! And it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ!"

8 As a priest, why is the Traditional Mass spiritually important for the Church and for the bishops, priests, religious and laity?

See the above quote.

9. Fr. Frederick Faber once called the Mass "the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven". What is so beautiful about the Traditional Mass?

The reverence, the silence, the ceremonies, all of these things added together.

10. What books would you recommend so that the average lay person may be able to develop an appreciation for the Traditional Mass and become more familiar with their liturgical patrimony? Would you recommend The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Gueranger?

Most definitly. Also, "The Liturgical Year" by Gueranger, "The Spirit of the Liturgy" by Cardinal Ratzinger, "The Reform of the Roman Rite" by Klaus Gamber, the many books being published in England by Farnborough Abbey and by Le Barroux in France.

Thank you!

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Fr. Joseph D. Santos, Jr., is pastor of The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.

Bishop Fernando Rifan currently serves as head of the Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney in Campos, Brazil.

All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, re-posted, re-written, edited, or re-distributed in any way, shape or form without the expressed written permission of the blogmaster of this ["Traditional Latin Mass"] blog.

The Pastor of the Parish of St. Leo the Great in Rhode Island plans monthly celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass

2007-08-01T07:27:00.000-04:00

In accord with our Holy Father's recent motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum,the pastor of St. Leo the Great, Fr. Kevin R. Fisette, of the Diocese of Providence, recently announced that he plans to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass on a monthly basis in his parish.

The following excerpts were taken from Fr. Fisette's parish bulletin:

"With the Holy Father’s statement on granting permission for the Traditional Latin Mass to be celebrated without having special permission granted by the local bishop, it raises the issue of what to do here at Saint Leo the Great. Having celebrated the Tridentine Rite Mass for seven years every Sunday at my last assignment, I am still rather familiar with the ritual of the celebration. I am certainly open to offering the Latin Mass at a time that would not interfere with or change our present Mass schedule. Once I am able to have the altar servers trained for the Latin Mass, then I will announce when I will be celebrating the traditional Mass. Stay tuned for details." Source

"We are all set to train servers for the Traditional Latin Mass. Any male high school server who is interested in being trained should inform me within a week. According to church tradition, only males may serve this Mass. Several people have already expressed an interest in attending this Mass; more than likely it will be offered once each month at 5 PM on a Sunday. What is very interesting is that most people who attend this Mass are not senior citizens but, rather, folks in their 20’s through 40’s…it is a very interesting phenomenon." Source

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Deo gratias! However, let's hope and pray that in the near future the TLM will be celebrated at St. Leo the Great daily rather than monthly.

Recommended reading: "Old rite wins new Mass appeal" By Julia Duin (The Washingtom Times)

Suggestions on How to Successfully Promote and Implement 'Summorum Pontificum'

2007-07-26T09:53:00.000-04:00

There are several ways to bring about a successful and effective implementation of the recent motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Listed below are three easy steps that Catholics in general should consider if they wish to successfully promote and implement Summorum Pontificum, especially at the local level.

Three Easy Steps:

I. Ask webmasters of various diocesan websites why they haven't added a link to both Summorum Pontificum and the Holy Father's Letter to Bishops which accompanied it.

II. Concerning the implementation of Summorum Pontificum in local parishes, it would be wise to start off a Summorum Pontificum campaign by encouraging your bishop and key diocesan officials to schedule a celebration of the Traditional Mass, in accord with Summorum Pontificum, within the archdiocesan or diocesan cathedral. It would be wise for you to find out if there is a local chapter of Una Voce in your area. If there is then immediately contact its president and kindly ask him if Una Voce would be willing to assist you in your endeavor.

Of course, encouraging the pastor of your local parish to add a TLM to the parish schedule is also important (it may be better to organize a group of lay people before approaching your pastor! Again, ask Una Voce for help). However, having the TLM celebrated in the local cathedral is a publicity "tactic" that is needed in order to show the public, both Catholic and secular, that the Holy Father’s motu proprio is respected and obeyed by the local Ordinary and by those in union with the Magisterium. It would also be an effective way to publicly demonstrate the fact that the TLM, as Summorum Pontificum clearly states (Art. 1), was never abrogated by the Church, but is truly a part of our liturgical patrimony. It can never be suppressed nor eradicated. After all, the TLM has its roots in the early Church and grew, with the guidance of the Holy Ghost, through the centuries until it was finally codified by Pope St. Pius V and established by him as an “immemorial rite” in the 16th century (read Quo Primum). This was done in response to the Protestant “reformation” which denied the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, sacrificial prayers, prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints (especially in the original and official Latin version of the Confiteor) and the sacrificial priesthood. This is a fact that must be stressed often, especially in light of the recent motu proprio on the Traditional Latin Mass.

III. Another place that should be key in promoting and implementing the Traditional Mass are Catholic college and university campuses. In order to introduce young people, especially future intellectuals, to the Traditional Mass it is imperative for all of us to encourage chaplains and their superiors to add a Traditional Mass to their weekly Mass schedule and to do so in accord with the norms laid down by our Holy Father in Summorum Pontificum. But it would be prudent to first encourage the student body to demand a reverent celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Going directly to a college chaplain would mostly likely prove to be counter-productive. It depends on their theological and liturgical proclivities. Therefore, as previously stated, reaching out to the student body should be first on your list before you decide to approach the chaplain or anyone else in authority.

Of course, some may find it to be more beneficial to start out by promoting and establishing the TLM by first encouraging its celebration in diocesan parishes and chapels that are small, yet theologically and liturgically orthodox and vibrant rather than trying to establish the celebration of the TLM in cathedrals or college campuses. That’s perfectly fine. It all depends on the type of diocese where you reside. Obviously, it is important to add the TLM to as many small and large parishes as possible!

Just be prudent when making decisions on how to promote and establish the TLM in your area. Be sure to get down on your knees and pray for the success of Summorum Pontificum! Once again, try working with a local chapter of Una Voce. If a chapter doesn't exist then try establishing one yourself (Chapter Information).

IMPORTANT ADVICE: When writing to a bishop, priest, religious or to any diocesan official please make sure to be brief, intelligent and charitable. charitable being the operative word. Let the following Latin phrase be your motto: in omnibus caritas.

Oremus pro invicem.

Traditional Latin Mass blog.
26 July 2007. All Rights Reserved.

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Highly Recommended: Summorum Pontificum Contact Database

Castrillón Speaks to 30 Giorni Re: Summorum Pontificum

2007-07-24T16:44:00.000-04:00

According to the blog, Rorate-Caeli, 30 Days magazine has published an interview with Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. His Eminence addressed some questions concerning the recent motu proprio.

Excerpts:

Your Eminence, what is the sense of the motu proprio which liberalizes the use of the Missal said of Saint Pius V?

DARÍO CASTRILLÓN HOYOS: When, after the Second Vatican Council, there were changes in the liturgy, consistent groups of lay faithful and even of clerics, felt confused because they were strongly attached to the liturgy in force for centuries. I think about the priests who for fifty years has celebrated that Mass said of Saint Pius V and that all of a sudden found themselves forced to celebrate another one, I think about the faithful, for generations accustomed to that rite, I also think about the children such as the altar boys who all of a sudden found themselves overwhelmed about serving Mass with the Novus Ordo.

It was then a confusion in several levels. For some, it was even of a theological nature, believing that the ancient rite expressed the sense of sacrifice better than the one introduced. Others, even for cultural reasons, remembered with nostalgia the Gregorian [chant] and the great polyphonies which were a richness of the Latin Church.

Making it all worse was the fact that those who experienced this confusion blamed the Council for these changes, when in truth the Council itself had neither asked for nor predicted the details of these changes. The Mass celebrated by the Conciliar Fathers was the Mass of Saint Pius V. The Council had not asked for the creation of a new rite, but for a wider use of the vernacular language and for a greater participation of the faithful.

...and the second [mistake of those who oppose the motu proprio]?

CASTRILLÓN HOYOS: That it is about reducing the episcopal power. But that is not so. The Pope has not changed the Code of Canon Law. The bishop is the moderator of the liturgy in his own diocese. But the Apostolic See has the competence to order the sacred liturgy of the universal Church. And a bishop must act in harmony with the Apostolic See and must guarantee to each faithful his own rights, including the one to be able to participate in the Mass of Saint Pius V, as an extraordinary form of the rite.

The motu proprio does not set a minimal number of faithful needed for the request to celebrate the Mass of Saint Pius V. Yet, in the past, the news was leaked that a minimum number of thirty faithful was considered...

CASTRILLÓN HOYOS: That is the clear evidence as to how, regarding this motu proprio, pseudo-news[reports] were spread out by those who had not read the drafts or by those who, in an interested manner, wished to influence its elaboration. I have followed the entire iter which has led to the final text and, as I recall, no minimum limit of faithful ever appeared in any draft, not of thirty, not of twenty, not of a hundred.

In the aftermath of this meeting [on June 27, with Bishops chosen to know the text of the motu proprio], what were the variations [introduced] to the text of the motu proprio which had been prepared?

CASTRILLÓN HOYOS: Some small lexical variations were requested and thus introduced, nothing else.

The Latin Liturgical Language

2007-07-23T18:49:00.000-04:00

“For the Church, precisely because it embraces all nations and is destined to endure until the end of time...of its very nature requires a language which is universal, immutable, and non-vernacular.” (Pope Pius XI, Officiorum Omnium, 1922)

“The use of the Latin language prevailing in a great part of the Church affords at once an imposing sign of unity and an effective safeguard against the corruption of true doctrine.” (Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei, 1947)

“The Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic and non-vernacular.” (Pope John XXIII, Veterum Sapientia, 1962)

“The Latin language is assuredly worthy of being defended with great care instead of being scorned; for the Latin Church it is the most abundant source of Christian civilization and the richest treasury of piety... we must not hold in low esteem these traditions of your fathers which were your glory for centuries.” (Pope Paul VI, Sacrificium Laudis, 1966)

With thanks to Byron Smith, Chairman, Una Voce-Syracuse for the above references.

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Addendum by the TLM blog:

"The use of the Latin language ... is to be preserved in the Latin rites." (Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium(Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), para. 36.1)

"In accordance with the age-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the Divine Office." (Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), para. 101.1)

"The program of priestly formation is to provide that students not only are carefully taught their native language but also understand Latin..." (Code of Canon Law,1983, Can. 249; see also the USCCB's Handbook for Vocation and Seminary Personnel)

"The Eucharist is to be celebrated in the Latin language or in another language provided the liturgical texts have been legitimately approved." (Code of Canon Law, 1983, Canon 928)

"We address especially the young people: In an epoch when in some areas, as you know, the Latin language and the human values are less appreciated, you must joyfully accept the patrimony of the language which the Church holds in high esteem and must, with energy, make it fruitful. The well-known words of Cicero, 'It is not so much excellent to know Latin, as it is a shame not to know it' [Non tam praeclarum est scire Latine, quam turpe nescire(Brutus, xxxvii.140)] in a certain sense are directed to you. We exhort you all to lift up high the torch of Latin which is even today a bond of unity among peoples of all nations." (Pope John Paul II, 1978; cited from various sources)

"Nevertheless, there are also those people who, having been educated on the basis of the old liturgy in Latin, experience the lack of this 'one language,' which in all the world was an expression of the unity of the Church and through its dignified character elicited a profound sense of the Eucharistic Mystery. It is therefore necessary to show not only understanding but also full respect towards these sentiments and desires. As far as possible these sentiments and desires are to be accommodated, as is moreover provided for in the new dispositions. The Roman Church has special obligations towards Latin, the splendid language of ancient Rome, and she must manifest them whenever the occasion presents itself." (Pope John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, sec. 10)

"Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant." (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, para. 62)

"The Latin language is consecrated as a sacred language by the mystic inscription attached to the Cross, as well as sanctified by the usage of nearly two thousand years. The inscription on the Cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (John 19:19-20). These were the three principle languages of that epoch, and by divine dispensation were destined and consecrated on the Cross for the liturgical use of the Church. Through the inscription on the Cross they proclaimed to the whole world the dignity, power, and glory of the Redeemer, the royalty and dominion of grace which He acquired by His bloody death. Of these three languages, Latin at an early date gained the precedence; for, being the language of the Roman world, it became throughout the West with the spread of Christianity also the language of the liturgy. Divine Providence from eternity selected Rome as the center of the Catholic Church. Thus, the language of the Roman Catholic Church became the common language of worship. For centuries the Latin language has ceased to be spoken in the daily life of the world, but it will continue to live by ecclesiastical usage and in the sanctuary of divine worship." (Rev. Nicholas Gihr. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Dogmatically, Liturgically, and Ascetically Explained. St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 194)

"The use of an unknown tongue conveys to the mind of the vulgar that something is going on upon the altar which is past their comprehension, that a mystery is being enacted." (The Catechism Explained. "The Language of the Mass". Rockford: TAN, 565)

"Hatred for the Latin language is inborn in the hearts of all the enemies of Rome. They recognize it as the bond among Catholics throughout the universe, as the arsenal of orthodoxy against all the subtleties of the sectarian spirit. . . .The spirit of rebellion which drives them to confide the universal prayer to the idiom of each people, of each province, of each century, has for the rest produced its fruits, and the reformed themselves constantly perceive that the Catholic people, in spite of their Latin prayers, relish better and accomplish with more zeal the duties of the cult than most do the Protestant people. At every hour of the day, divine worship takes place in Catholic churches. The faithful Catholic, who assists, leaves his mother tongue at the door. Apart form the sermons, he hears nothing but mysterious words which, even so, are not heard in the most solemn moment of the Canon of the Mass. Nevertheless, this mystery charms him in such a way that he is not jealous of the lot of the Protestant, even though the ear of the latter doesn't hear a single sound without perceiving its meaning....We must admit it is a master blow of Protestantism to have declared war on the sacred language. If it should ever succeed in ever destroying it, it would be well on the way to victory. Exposed to profane gaze, like a virgin who has been violated, from that moment on the Liturgy has lost much of its sacred character, and very soon people find that it is not worthwhile putting aside one's work or pleasure in order to go and listen to what is being said in the way one speaks on the marketplace. . . ." (taken from "The Anti-Liturgical Heresy" by Dom Prosper Guéranger, O.S.B., Abbot of Solesmes)

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Satan hates Latin:

"Nothing rankles demons more than prayers in Latin, according to a new book about exorcism. "The devil doesn't like Latin," writes Tracy Wilkinson in The Vatican's Exorcists (Grand Central Publishing)...."He [Fr. Gabriele Amorth, Rome's "chief exorcist"]prefers to use Latin when he conducts exorcisms, he says, because it is most effective in challenging the devil."

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Mass...In Latin?

Why In Latin?

It has been said that the use of any language in itself was immaterial, but in its consequences, or in view of the commands of the Church, it is by no means immaterial. The Church has wisely ordered the Latin tongue only to be used in the Mass and in the administration of the Sacraments, for several reasons.

1. Latin was the language used by St. Peter when he first said Mass at Rome. It was the language in which that Prince of the Apostles drew up the Liturgy which, together with the knowledge of the Gospel, he or his successors the Popes imparted to the different peoples of Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Hungary, and Poland.

2. From the time of the Apostles down, Latin has invariably been used at the altar through the western parts of Christendom, though their inhabitants very frequently did not understand the language. The Catholic Church, through an aversion to innovations, carefully continues to celebrate her Liturgy in that same tongue which apostolic men and saints have used for a similar purpose during more than eighteen centuries.

3. Unchangeable dogmas require an unchangeable language. The Catholic Church cannot change, because it is the Church of God, Who is unchangeable; consequently the language of the Church must also be unchangeable.

4. Mass is said in Latin because a universal Church requires a universal language. The Catholic Church is the same in every clime, in every nation, and consequently its language must be always and everywhere the same, to secure uniformity in her service.

5. Variety of languages is a punishment, a consequence of sin; it was inflicted by God that the human race might be dispersed over the face of the earth. The holy Church, the immaculate Spouse of Jesus Christ, has been established for the express purpose of destroying sin and uniting all mankind; consequently she must everywhere speak the same language.

6. It is a fact well known that the meaning of the words is changed in the course of time by everyday usage. Words which once had a good meaning are now used in a vulgar or ludicrous sense. The Church, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, has chosen a language which is not liable to such changes. The sermons and instructions, and in short everything that is addressed directly to the people, are all in the language of the country; even the prayers of the Mass are translated in almost every Catholic prayerbook, so that there can be no disadvantage to the Catholic worshipper in the fact that the Mass is celebrated in the Latin tongue; especially as the pastors of the Church are very careful to comply with the injunctions of the Council of Trent, to instruct their flocks on the nature of that great Sacrifice, and to explain to them in what manner they should accompany the officiating priest with prayers and devotions best adapted to every portion of the Mass.

In the second place, faithful Catholics know well that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the self-same sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered to His Father on the Cross, because both the Priest and the Victim are the same; their faith in the Real Presence is abundantly sufficient to enkindle devotion in their hearts, and to excite in their souls appropriate acts of adoration, thanksgiving and repentance, though they may not understand the prayers which the priest is uttering. For this reason it is that the faithful, pressed by different wants, go to the adorable mysteries of the Mass, never thinking of the language in which they are celebrated. Some, moved by the force of calamities, hasten thither to lay their sorrows at the feet of Jesus. Others go to ask for some grace and special mercy, knowing that the heavenly Father can refuse nothing to His Son. Many feel constrained to fly thither to proclaim their gratitude, and to pour forth the love of a thankful heart, knowing that there is nothing so worthy of being offered to God as the sacred Body and Blood of the eternal Victim. More press forward to give glory to God and to honor His saints, for in the celebration of these mysteries of love alone can we pay worthy homage to His adorable Majesty, while we bear witness to our reverence for those who served Him.

Lastly, men hasten to Mass on the wings of charity and compassion, for it is there that they can hope to obtain salvation for the living and rest for the dead. Thus to the thirsty pilgrims through the rocks of the desert do the fountains of water appear. Thus do the generation of those who seek justice received benediction from the Lord and mercy from God their Savior.

Pity for those who know not this heavenly Sacrifice! What a misfortune to see one driven from this Eden, and yet to do nothing to obtain the favor of readmittance! How unhappy too are those Catholics who, though knowing it, by their unpardonable indifference deprive themselves of this exhaustless mine of inestimable riches.

(The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Fr. Michael Muller C.SS.R., Chapter 37. Rockford: TAN)

The Anti-Liturgical Heresy By Dom Prosper Guéranger, O.S.B., Abbot of Solesmes

2007-07-21T16:29:00.000-04:00

Dom Prosper-Louis-Pascal Guéranger, founder of the Benedictine Congregation of France and first abbot of Solesmes after the French revolution, wrote in 1840 his Liturgical Institutions in order to restore among the clergy the knowledge and the love for the Roman Liturgy.

Here we present to our readers a fragment of the Liturgical Institutions, where Dom Guéranger summarizes what he calls the anti-liturgical heresy, a summary of the doctrine and liturgical practice of the Protestant sect, from the XIVth to the XVIIIth century. As it can easily be seen, many of these principles have a striking similitude with the post-Conciliar liturgical reform . . .

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The first characteristic of the anti-liturgical heresy is HATRED OF TRADITION AS FOUND IN THE FORMULAS USED IN DIVINE WORSHIP. One cannot fail to note this special characteristic in all heretics, from Vigilantus to Calvin, and the reason for it is easy to explain.

Every sectarian who wishes to introduce a new doctrine finds himself, unfailingly, face to face with the Liturgy, which is Tradition at its strongest and best, and he cannot rest until he has silenced this voice, until he has torn up these pages which recall the faith of past centuries.

As a matter of fact, how could Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism establish themselves and maintain their influence over the masses? All they had to do was substitute new books and new formulas in place of the ancient books and formulas, and their work was done. There was nothing that still bothered the new teachers; they could just go on preaching as they wished: the faith of the people was henceforth without defense.

Luther understood this doctrine with a shrewdness worthy of the Jansenists, since he, at the beginning of his innovations, at the time he still felt he should maintain a part of the external form of the Latin cult, gave the following rule for the reformed Mass:

“We approve and preserve the Introits of Sundays and of the feasts of Our Lord, that is to say Easter, Pentecost and Christmas. We should much prefer that the entire Psalms from the Introits should be taken, as was done in former times; but we will gladly conform to the present usage. We do not blame even those who would wish to keep even the Introits of the Apostles, of the Blessed Virgin and other Saints, since these three Introits are taken from the psalms and other places in Scripture.”

He hated too much the sacred songs composed by the Church herself as the public expression for her faith. He felt too much in them the vigor of Tradition, which he wanted to ban. If he granted to the Church the right to mix her voice with the oracles of the Scripture in the holy assemblies, he would expose himself thereby to have to listen to millions of mouth anathematizing his new dogmas. Therefore, his hatred for everything in Liturgy which does not exclusively derive from Holy Scripture.

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This, as matter of fact, is the second principle of the anti-liturgical sect: TO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FORMULAS OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL TEACHINGS READINGS FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURE.

This involves two advantages: first, to silence the voice of Tradition of which sectarians are always afraid. Then, there is the advantage of propagating and supporting their dogmas by means of affirmation and negation. By way of negation, in passing over in silence, through cunning, the texts which express doctrine opposed to errors they wish to propagate; by way of affirmation, by emphasizing truncated passages which show only one side of the truth, hide the other the eyes of the unlearned.

Since many centuries we know that the preferences given by all heretics to holy Scripture, over Church definitions, has no other reason than to facilitate making the word of God say all they want it to say, and manipulating it at will.

( . . . ) Protestants . . . have nearly reduced the whole Liturgy to the reading of Scripture, accompanied by speeches in which one interprets by means of reason. As to the choice and determination of the canonical books, these have ended by falling under the caprice of the reformer, who, in final analysis, decides the meaning of the word itself.

Thus Luther finds that in his system of pantheism, the ideas of the uselessness of good works and faith alone sufficing should be established as dogmas, and so, from now on, he will declare that the Epistle of St. James is a “straw epistle” and not canonical, for the simple reason that it teaches the necessity of good works for salvation.

In every age, and under all forms of sectarianism, it will be the same: No ecclesiastical formulas, only Holy Scripture, but interpreted, selected, presented by the person or persons who are seeking to profit from innovation.

The trap is dangerous for the simple, and only a long time afterwards one becomes aware of having been deceived and that the word of God, “a two-edged sword”, as the Apostles calls it, has caused great wounds, because it has been manipulated by the sons of perdition.

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The third principle of the heretics concerning the reform of the Liturgy is, having eliminated the ecclesiastical formulas and proclaimed the absolute necessity of making use only of the words of Scripture in divine worship and having seen that Holy Scripture does not always yield itself to all their purposes as they would like, their third principle, we say, is to fabricate and introduce various formulas, filled with perfidy, by which the people are more surely ensnared in error, and thus the whole structure of the impious reform will become consolidated for the coming centuries.

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One will not be astonished at the contradictions which heresy shows in its works, when one knows that the fourth principle, or, if you will, the fourth necessity imposed on the sectarians by the very nature of their rebellious state is an habitual contradiction of their own principles.

It must be this way for their confusion on that great day, which will come sooner or later, when God will reveal their nakedness to the view of the people whom they have seduced; moreover, it is not in the nature of man to be consistent. Truth alone can be consistent.

Thus, all the sectarians without exceptions begin with THE VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANTIQUITY. They want to cut Christianity off from all that the errors and passions of man have mixed in; from whatever is “false” and “unworthy of God”. ALL THEY WANT IS THE PRIMITIVE, AND THEY PRETEND TO GO BACK TO THE CRADLE OF CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS.

To this end, they prune, they efface, they cut away; everything falls under their blows, and while one is waiting to see the original purity of the divine cult reappear, one finds himself encumbered with new formulas dating only from the night before, and which are incontestably human, since the one who created them is still alive.

Every sect undergoes this necessity. We saw this with the Monophysites and the Nestorians; we find the same in every branch of Protestantism. Their preference for preaching antiquity led only to cutting them off from the entire past. Then they placed themselves before their seduced people and they swore to them that now all was fine, that the papist accretions had disappeared, that the divine cult was restored to its primitive form . . .

-5-

Since the liturgical reform is being undertaken by the sectarians with the same goal as the reform of dogma, of which it is the consequence, it follows that as Protestants separated from unity in order to believe less, they found themselves led to cut away in the Liturgy ALL THE CEREMONIES, ALL THE FORMULAS WHICH EXPRESS MYSTERIES.

They called it superstition, idolatry, everything that did not seem to be merely rational, thus, limiting the expression of faith, obscuring by doubt and even negation all the views, which open on the supernatural world.

Thus, no more Sacraments, except Baptism, preparing the way for Socialism, which freed its followers even from Baptism. No more sacramentals, blessings, images, relics of Saints, processions, pilgrimages, etc. No more altar, only a table, no more sacrifice as in every religion, but only a meal. No more church but only a temple, as with the Greeks and Romans. No more religious architecture, since there is no more mystery. No more Christian paintings and sculpture, since there is no more sensible religion. Finally no more poetry in a cult which is no longer impregnated by love or faith.

-6-

The suppression of the mystical element in the Protestant liturgy was bound to produce, infallibly, the total extinction of that spirit of prayer, which in Catholicism, we call unction.

A heart in revolt can no longer love, a heart without love will be all the more able to produce passable expression of respect or fear, with the cold pride of the Pharisee. Such is Protestant liturgy.

-7-

Pretending to treat nobly with God, Protestant liturgy has no need of intermediaries. To invoke the help of the Blessed Virgin, or the protection of Saints, would be, for them, a lack of respect due to the Supreme Being.

Their liturgy excludes that entire “papist idolatry” which asks from a creature what only should be asked from God. It purges the calendar of all those names of men, which the Roman Church so boldly inscribes next to the name of God. It has a special horror for those names of monks and other persons of later times who one can find figuring next to the names of the Apostles, whom Jesus Christ had chosen, and by whom was founded this primitive Church which alone was pure in faith and free from all superstition in cult and from every relaxation in morals.

-8-

Since the liturgical reform had for one of its principal aims the abolition of actions and formulas of mystical signification, it is a logical consequence that its authors had to vindicate the use of the vernacular in divine worship.

This is in the eyes of sectarians a most important item. Cult is no secret matter. The people, they say, must understand what they sing. Hatred for the Latin language is inborn in the hearts of all the enemies of Rome. They recognize it as the bond among Catholics throughout the universe, as the arsenal of orthodoxy against all the subtleties of the sectarian spirit. ( . . .)

The spirit of rebellion which drives them to confide the universal prayer to the idiom of each people, of each province, of each century, has for the rest produced its fruits, and the reformed themselves constantly perceive that the Catholic people, in spite of their Latin prayers, relish better and accomplish with more zeal the duties of the cult than most do the Protestant people. At every hour of the day, divine worship takes place in Catholic churches. The faithful Catholic, who assists, leaves his mother tongue at the door. Apart form the sermons, he hears nothing but mysterious words which, even so, are not heard in the most solemn moment of the Canon of the Mass. Nevertheless, this mystery charms him in such a way that he is not jealous of the lot of the Protestant, even though the ear of the latter doesn’t hear a single sound without perceiving its meaning.(...)

. . . We must admit it is a master blow of Protestantism to have declared war on the sacred language. If it should ever succeed in ever destroying it, it would be well on the way to victory. Exposed to profane gaze, like a virgin who has been violated, from that moment on the Liturgy has lost much of its sacred character, and very soon people find that it is not worthwhile putting aside one’s work or pleasure in order to go and listen to what is being said in the way one speaks on the marketplace. ( . . .)

-9-

In taking away from the Liturgy the mystery which humbles reason, Protestantism took care not to forget the practical consequence, that is to say, liberation from the fatigue and the burden of the body imposed by the rules of the papist Liturgy.

First of all, no more fasting, no more abstinence, no more genuflections in prayer. For the ministers of the temple, no more daily functions to carry out, no more canonical prayers to recite in the name of the Church.

Such is one of the principal forms of the great Protestant emancipation: to diminish the sum of public and private prayers.

The course of events has quickly shown that faith and charity, which are nourished by prayers, were extinguished in the reform, whereas among Catholics both still nourish all the acts of devotion to God and men, since they are impregnated by the ineffable resources of liturgical prayer as accomplished by the secular and regular clergy, and in which the community of the faithful participate.

-10-

Since Protestantism had to establish a rule in order to distinguish among the papist institutions those which could be the most hostile to its principle, it had to rummage around in the foundations of the Catholic structure to find the corner stone on which everything rests. Its instinct caused it to discover first of all that dogma which is irreconcilable with every innovation: Papal authority. When Luther wrote on his flag: “Hatred for Rome and its laws”, he only promulgated once more the underlying principle of every branch of the anti-liturgical sect. From then on he had to abrogate, ‘en masse’ both cult and ceremonies as the idolatries of Rome. The Latin language, the Divine Office, the calendar, the breviary: all were abominations of the great Harlot of Babylon. The Roman Pontiff weighs down reason by his dogmas and the sense by his ritual practices. Therefore, it must be proclaimed that his dogmas are only blasphemy and error, and his liturgical observances nothing but a means of establishing more firmly a usurped and tyrannical domination. (. . .)

One should here bring to mind the marvelous reflections of Joseph de Maistre in his book The Pope, where he demonstrates with so much wisdom and depth that, in spite of the disagreement which should isolate the diay aent sects, there is one thing in which they are all alike, namely, they are non-Roman.

-11-

The anti-liturgical heresy needed, in order to establish its reign for good, the destruction in fact and in principle of all priesthood in Christianity. For it felt that where there is a Pontiff, there is an Altar, and where there is an Altar there is a sacrifice and the carrying on of a mysterious ceremonial.

Having abolished the office of Supreme Pontiff, they had to annihilate the character of the bishopric, from which emanates the mystical imposition of hands, which perpetuates the sacred hierarchy. From this derives a great presbyterianism, which is nothing other than the immediate consequence of the suppression of the Supreme Pontiff. From now on there is no longer a priest, properly speaking. How could simple election without consecration make a man sacred? Luther’s and Calvin’s reforms only know of ministers of God, or of men, as you prefer. But this is not enough. Chosen and established by laymen, bringing into the temple the robe of a certain bastard ministry, the minister is nothing but a layman clothed with accidental functions. In Protestantism there exit only laymen, and this necessarily so, since there is no longer a Liturgy. (. . .)

Such are the principal maxims of the anti-liturgical sect. We certainly did not exaggerate in any way. All we did was to reveal the hundred times professed doctrines of the writings of Luther, Calvin, the One Hundred Signers of Magdeburg, of Hospinien, Kemnitz, etc. These books are easy to consult. That is to say that what comes out of them is under the eyes of all the world. We thought it useful to throw light on the principal features of sectarianism. It is always profitable to know error.

It is now up to the Catholic logician to draw the conclusions.

From Faith of Our Fathers, New Zealand Dec. 1988

+ + +

Baronius Press: The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Guéranger (only $21.95)

Description:

Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805-1875) devoted himself to liturgical scholarship, polemics, and the establishment of Benedictine communities in France. The Holy Mass is Guéranger’s most extensive treatment of the heart of the liturgy and firmly established him as a leading liturgist. By turns devotional, exegetical and historical, this is therefore a timely publication of one of the great treasures of Catholic liturgical spirituality.

Simple, straightforward facts concerning the Traditional Latin Mass by Mother Angelica

2007-07-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

Latin was the perfect language for the Mass. It's the language of the Church, which allows us to pray a verbal prayer without distraction. See, the purpose of the Mass is to pray and to be associated with the crucifixion and with that glorious banquet that we partake of in Holy Communion. He is there. But so much is spoiled in the vernacular.

During the Latin Mass you had the missal if you wanted to follow it in English. It was almost mystical. It gave you an awareness of heaven, of the awesome humility of God who manifests Himself in the guise of bread and wine. The love that He had for us. His desire to remain with us, is simply awesome. You could concentrate on that love, because you weren't distracted by your own language. You could go anywhere in the world and you always knew what was going on. It was contemplative because as the Mass was going on you could close your eyes and visualize what really happened. You could feel it. You could look to the east and realize that God had come and was really present. The way it is today with the priest facing the people, it's something between the people and the priest. Too often it's just some kind of get-together, and Jesus is all but forgotten.

Taken from Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality (Doubleday, p. 206)

A Note on the Latin Phrase perfidus Iudaeus by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

2007-07-19T18:57:00.000-04:00

Since the Second World war there has be a worldwide movement to understand the underlying causes of the racist ideology of the Nazi Party. Some writers, confusing their zeal to do all that can be done so as to prevent such horrific crimes happening again with their own personal hatred of Christ and His Church have attacked traditional phrases and terms used by Catholics, asserting that these are the seeds that led to the anti-Semitism of Adolf Hitler and his government. Alas, not a few of such authors have been or claim to be Catholics themselves.

Among the terms targeted as "anti-Semitic" is the Latin phrase perfidus Iudaeus, "perfidious Jew", which appears in the most ancient texts of the Roman Rite during Good Friday and among many authors of western Europe, even saints and doctors of the Church, as St. Bonaventure does at the beginning of his "Collationes de septem donis Spiritus Sancti."

This criticism is wholly false. First, the charge that there was a medieval anti-Semitic racism is advanced on shaky grounds. Proponents of this theory often fail to recognize that among the various movements of the human will, hatred, like many others, has many manifestations. As a passion of the will, it is directed against what is perceived as a threat. As a virtue, it is directed against evil; as a vice, it is directed against the good, or in an inordinate manner against what is partly evil and partly good. In short, not all hatred is the same hatred. And thus without identical causes, hatred has no heritage.

To hate a person is quite different than to hate the error or vice in which he is involved. Christ and His Church have always taught hatred of sin and not hatred of sinners. This is the distinguishing characteristic of the New Testament. However, since Christ's promulgation of the Gospel, not everyone has received this good news. If someone freely refuses the Gospel, certainly no sane and impartial judge would lay the responsibility for their actions after such a refusal upon the Church. The Church for Her part has always condemned all forms of hatred which wish, desire, intend or rejoice in the destruction or damnation of one's neighbor: this is in accord with Christ's commandment: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." As such, racial hatred of the Jewish people is a mortal sin, worthy of eternal damnation. That many Europeans have promoted irrational and unjust hatred of various ethnic groups, the Jews included, is a fact of history; however, to be honest, every historian must recognize that there have been many different sponsoring groups and differing reasons motivating it.

Christ is a Jew, the Blessed Virgin Mary, His ever-Virgin Mother is a Jewess. The Apostles who founded the Catholic Church are Jews, as well as many of Her greatest saints. In this sense, the word "Jew" is being used in an ethnic or racial sense. However this is not the sense used by the Catholic Church in Her liturgy, nor of the Saints and Doctors of the Church, when they speak of the perfidus Iudaeus. In Latin, Iudaeus has various meanings. Originally it meant an inhabitant or citizen of the province of Judea (political sense). By extension, since this region was nearly wholly occupied by descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this term also referred to a racial or ethnic category. Since this people also distinguished themselves by their religious customs, it also obtained a religious sense.

As a term reflecting religious adherence to the Law after the coming of Christ, St. John the Evangelist, in his Gospel, uses the Greek equivalent of Iudaeus to refer to his own countrymen and kinsmen, who rejected Christ. The other New Testament writers do the same. Following the Apostles, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, the Saints and nearly all ecclesiastical writers for the next 1900 years employ the term Iudaeus in this sense.

Hence, it is that the Traditional Roman Rite and saints such as St. Bonaventure speak of the perfidus Iudaeus. Frequently citing scripture and reliving the events of Christ's life, the Church adopted a dramatic style in which these happenings were retold as present events. The rejection of the Jewish Messiah by the Jews was thus aptly described in the liturgy and ecclesiastical texts as an act of treachery and disbelief. The term perfidus Iudaeus thus refers properly, in a Catholic context, to the individual, who adopting or retaining the Law and its observances after the Ascension of Christ, knowingly and without reason or justice rejects Christ's claims to be the Son of God. Typically, in the liturgy this individual is associated with the crowd of citizenry from Jerusalem, who in fact shouted, "Let his blood be upon us and upon our children" (Matthew 27:25). It is noteworthy that the Jewish tax-collector, Matthew, was the one to record these historic words for posterity). In this manner the term has only a religious sense in the context of Catholic liturgy and theology.

With the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob slain by the Romans at the request of the religious representatives of the Jewish People and with the consent of the crowds of Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the prophecies of the Jewish prophets from Moses to Malachi and of Christ Himself, it was not surprising that the Catholic Church, which was founded by the direct, personal command of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, would retain the memory of this and re-echo the truth of these events to all the world.

That the Jewish Nation endures to this day the effects of the sin of their forbearers, especially of the rabbis, who to cement their rejection of their own Messiah, excluded inspired books of the Old Testament (Wisdom, Maccabees, etc.), and composed over the centuries a commentary on the Law, the Talmud, which reinterpreted the accepted meaning of the Moses and the Prophets in an anti-Christian manner, is an undoubted fact, testified to by the history and events of the last 2000 years: they remain without prophets, revelation, without a Temple, without any possibility of fulfilling the proscriptions of the Law. Many Jews have fallen into superstition and diabolism, through the practices of the kabbalah: belief in the non-existence or non-eternity of Hell, of reincarnation, in the ontological superiority of the racial Jew to the non-Jew, are commonplace. To be a Jew today, for a Jew, is primarily a genealogic or ethnic classification; secondarily a religious one. Hence the common misunderstanding of the Catholic Church's use of the term "Jew", particularly by secular Jews today.

If the Church and Her representatives would ever forget the sin of the Jewish People of old, who rejected their own Messiah, it would be a most tragic offense against His brethren according to the flesh. Moreover, it is the very central dogma of Christianity, that the God of Israel became a Jew to save both Jew and Gentile. Thus, to exclude the Jewish People from salvation would be an extreme offence against the Divine Mercy. And since salvation is offered to those who both believe in the Messiah and repent of their sins; the memory and fact of this unique sin of the Jewish People is an integral and inalienable part of the heritage of salvation which belongs to both them and to the Church: for unless the Jewish people recognize that they have indeed rejected their own Messiah, how will they every come to believe in Him and be saved? For there is no salvation except in the name Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and in His Church, the Catholic Church.

Hence, it is that the Latin phrase "perfidus Iudaeus", found in the Good Friday liturgy of the Missale Romanum of Pope St. Pius V, is an inalienable and just part of Catholic liturgy, theology, and ecclesiastical writings, and its proper use a work of charity, justice and mercy to the Jewish people. On the other hand, to transfer this proper meaning to racial categories would be both heretical and diabolic. It is important, therefore, for all Catholics that the correct meaning of this term be retained and understood. If some catholics have altered this term to racial categories or abandoned it out of irenicism, they have justly merited to be condemned by all the faithful and especially by the Pope.

Taken from the June 27, 2003 edition of Seattle Catholic.

Four important excerpts regarding the Traditional Latin Mass made by the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)

2007-07-18T17:23:00.000-04:00

In light of the recent motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, it is most important to reflect upon four comments on the Traditional Latin Mass that were made by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, long before his elevation to the sacred Papacy. These comments are useful in proving to those who are shocked over the motu proprio that our Holy Father had always envisioned the re-implementation of the Traditional Mass in our Latin Rite churches, especially since it was never abrogated by the Church, as Summorum Pontificum clearly states (Art. 1). It was simply and wrongly suppressed by the Modernists.

Here are the four relevant comments made by Cardinal Ratzinger:

"Anyone who nowadays advocates the continuing existence of this [Traditional Latin] liturgy or takes part in it is treated like a leper; all tolerance ends here. There has never been anything like this in history; in doing this we are despising and proscribing the Church's whole past." (Cardinal Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy. San Francisco: Ignatius. 416)

"I am of the opinion, to be sure, that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It's impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent." (Cardinal Ratzinger. Salt of the Earth. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1997. 176)

"The second great event at the beginning of my years in Regensburg was the publication of the Missal of Paul VI, which was accompanied by the almost total prohibition, after a transitional phase of only half a year, of using the missal we had had until then. (...) The prohibition of the missal that was now decreed, a missal that had known continuous growth over the centuries, starting with the sacramentaries of the ancient Church, introduced a breach of the liturgy whose consequences could only be tragic." (Cardinal Ratzinger. Milestones–Memoirs 1927–1977. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1998. 146)

"A venerable rite such as the Roman rite in use up to 1969 is a rite of the Church, it belongs to the Church, is one of the treasures of the Church, and ought therefore to be preserved in the Church." And "what was up until 1969 the Liturgy of the Church, for all of us the most holy thing there was, can not become after 1969…the most unacceptable thing." (Cardinal Ratzinger. Address to a liturgical conference at the Benedictine abbey of Fomtgonbault, 2001)

Comments on the Traditional Latin Mass composed by a priest in 1974

2007-07-18T12:30:00.000-04:00

I remember how, when, as a young priest, I was preparing to say my first Mass, I was drilled most strictly and told to drill myself in such a way that every word and gesture of mine at the altar of sacrifice would be exactly correct. Everything--tone of voice, blessings, bows, genuflections, turn-rounds to the people, height and breadth at which one held extended arms--had to be as laid down in the rubrics, exactly correct. Why? Because, at the altar, one was performing the noblest action open to a human being; the sacrifice of God's Son to God. It followed, both logically and theologically, that one had to bring to it every ounce of reverence of which a human being was capable. And because human beings are made up of body and soul, it followed further that every word spoken, every bodily gesture undertaken, had to be tuned in with the utmost reverence to this supreme act of worship, the highest to which any man could ever aspire. Human nature being what it is, individual idiosyncrasies would come out to take from reverence, if priests were left to themselves in the matter of words and gestures at Mass. It followed that idiosyncrasies had to be cut to a minimum. Hence, the rubrics, which bound all priests at Mass; depersonalizing them, so to say, in the interests of the reverence which men had to put forth when they offered sacrifice to God. How else could they acknowledge adequately in their hearts their total dependence on Him Who had made them from nothing, except that they manifested it in every bodily gesture that was theirs at Mass? If the mouth speaks out of the fullness of the heart, the converse is also true; the heart is filled with reverence if the mouth of the celebrating priest is trained to speak with a reverential tone and the body to express itself in a whole series of dignified gestures. I do not think I need press the point. Man is not a desiccated calculating machine. He is a human being made up of body and soul. He worships with the whole of himself. Precisely for that reason the celebrating priest was never left to himself in the Old Mass. He was made to conform to a celebrating code; depersonalized in the interests of the dignity that had to surround the supreme sacrifice. It has always been that way wherever men have offered sacrifice, paid honor where honor is due. After all, one does not go to see the Queen in an old pair of jeans and tatty tennis shoes. I think the point is made. (Fr. Paul Crane, SJ. Christian Order. April 1974; 240-241)

The Mass of All Time will outlive the Sixties revolutionaries

2007-07-17T20:24:00.000-04:00

Scotsman.com/Scotland on Sunday
GERALD WARNER
Sun 15 Jul 2007

Link to Original

'AND then how shall I lie through centuries,/And hear the blessed mutter of the Mass," exulted Browning's bishop ordering his tomb at Saint Praxed's church, in the well-known poem. His repose would have come to a raucous end in 1969, when the New Mass was imposed on the Catholic faithful; but he might have relapsed into contentment from next September 14, when the motu proprio of Benedict XVI restoring the Latin 'Tridentine' Mass comes into effect.

Not since 1850, when Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman hurled his pastoral letter 'From Out the Flaminian Gate' like a grenade into the heart of the British establishment, proclaiming the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales, has a Roman document provoked such consternation among the ungodly.

It is important, however, to keep this development in perspective. Benedict XVI is not the awaited Pope of Tradition who will fully restore the Church; but he is a holy man of deeply orthodox convictions who is paving the way. On the other hand, the motu proprio may be a modest step, but it has significance far beyond its actual contents - beyond even the Catholic Church. For the first time in living memory, a major institution is reforming itself by turning back to earlier precepts: David Cameron might profitably take note.

The bishops of England and Wales tried furiously to prevent the liberalisation of access to the Traditional Mass, lobbying the Vatican against it, although they had recently approved the regular celebration of a Mass for homosexuals. On the eve of the publication of the Papal document, Bishop Kieran Conry, of Arundel and Brighton, said: "Any liberalisation of the use of the rite may prove seriously divisive. It could encourage those who want to turn the clock back throughout the Church." So, a liberal opposes liberalisation - why are we not surprised?

As for turning the clock back throughout the Church, it is the only possible remedy for the crisis that has afflicted it since the Second Vatican Catastrophe. The Novus Ordo (New Order of Mass) was invented by Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, assisted by six Protestant pastors, after the Vatican Council. When this appalling confection was presented to the 1967 Synod of Bishops it was indignantly rejected. Yet two years later it was universally imposed. Bugnini described it in 1974 as "a major conquest of the Catholic Church".

Strange language from a Catholic bishop; but there were stranger things to come. In July, 1975 Bugnini was abruptly sacked after Pope Paul VI was shown evidence he was a Freemason. Bugnini denied the fact, but when the register of Italian Freemasonry came to light in 1976, it recorded Bugnini as having been initiated on April 23, 1963, with the esoteric code name 'Buan'. So, even during the Vatican Council, Bugnini was already under automatic excommunication for Masonic membership. What possessed Paul VI to sack the author of the New Mass, but retain his liturgy for universal use? At least this episode throws light on the handshake at the 'kiss of peace' in the new rite.

For decades now, the assorted Lollards, Shakers and Fifth Monarchy Men who have capered in Catholic sanctuaries have used the Bugnini Mass as their plaything. It is at its bleakest when, on high days and holidays, it attempts to mimic past solemnities, the concelebrants in minimalist vestments fronted by a communion table rather than an altar - three dentists behind an ironing-board. It is the New Mass that is now on the danger list. The Vatican talks about "reform of the reform"; but the "reform" is beyond reformation.

For 40 years frenzied efforts have been made to stamp out the Traditional Mass and yet it has flourished. It is now past the point where there is the remotest prospect of extinguishing it. As Pope Benedict said in his explanatory letter accompanying the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum ("Of Supreme Pontiffs"), one of his reasons for freeing the Old Mass was the number of young people now flocking to it.

That is what the faded 1960s trendies who are now bishops and seminary rectors fear: the impossibility of maintaining a revolution that has burned itself out. The Second Vatican Council means as little to today's youth as the Council of Chalcedon. Its elderly adherents are like dads dancing at the school disco. Many young people are seeking the mystical and the numinous. The Mass of All Time answers that need.

Within the past month the Vatican has issued two other documents: one restoring the requirement for a two-thirds majority at Papal conclaves, which rules out the future election of an extreme radical; and a reassertion of the doctrine that the Protestant sects cannot be recognised as 'churches'. It will not damage ecumenism, because that died long ago. Its premise was that Rome must endlessly divest, while Canterbury ordained priestesses and moved ever further from Catholicism. When you see a Church of Scotland congregation praying the rosary you may believe ecumenism is a two-way process.

The task facing traditionalists is to claw back, inch by inch, everything that was lost in the 1960s, until the Church is restored to its full integrity. It will mean trench warfare for decades, probably generations; but, for the first time, the heretics are on the defensive and they will be defeated.

There is a revived spirit infusing the Church, a spirit once defined by GK Chesterton: "I am very proud of my religion; I am especially proud of those parts of it that are most commonly called superstition. I am proud of being fettered by antiquated dogmas and enslaved by dead creeds (as my journalistic friends repeat with so much pertinacity)... I am very proud of being orthodox about the mysteries of the Trinity or the Mass; I am proud of believing in the Confessional; I am proud of believing in the Papacy."

Triumphalism, so monotonously condemned by the Catholic agnostics, is the only logical response to the glory of the Resurrection. Tremble, all Modernists and you who presumptuously claim We Are Church - the spirit of Trent is abroad once more. Welcome to the Counter-Reformation.

Pope Benedict uses older ritual for his private Mass

2007-07-17T16:20:00.000-04:00

Vatican, Jul. 16, 2007 (CWNews.com)- Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news), who recently issued a motu proprio allowing all Catholic priests to celebrate the old Latin Mass, uses the older ritual himself for his private Mass, CWN has learned.

Informed sources at the Vatican have confirmed reports that the Holy Father regularly celebrates Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal.

In his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum the Pope says that the older form, the form in universal use before the liturgical changes that followed Vatican II, was never abrogated.

Since becoming Roman Pontiff, Benedict XVI has always used the new ritual--which he identifies in Summorum Pontificum as the "ordinary form" of the Roman rite--for public celebrations of the Eucharistic liturgy. However few people have witnessed the Pope celebrating his private daily Mass.

Unlike his predecessor John Paul II, who regularly invited visitors to attend the Mass that he celebrated each morning in his private chapel, Benedict XVI has made it his regular practice to celebrate Mass with only a few aides. The Pope's closest associates have established a reputation for preserving confidences.

Shortly after his election in April 2005, Pope Benedict ordered renovations of the Redemptoris Mater chapel in the apostolic palace. The changes included replacing the free-standing altar at which Pope John Paul celebrated Mass facing the congregation with a longer altar, closer to the rear wall of the chapel and with a tabernacle in the center. The new arrangement allows for the Pope to celebrate Mass in the ad orientem posture required for the older ritual.

Pope Benedict has long been known as an ardent defender of the Catholic liturgical tradition. In the early 1990s he raised eyebrows in Rome by writing a laudatory preface to the book The Reform of the Roman Liturgy, in which Msgr. Klaus Gamber decried many of the liturgical changes of the past few decades.

Then-Cardinal Ratzinger also traveled to Wigratzbad, in Bavaria, to ordain priests for the Fraternity of St. Peter, a group devoted to the use of the traditional liturgy. He performed those ordinations, as well as Mass on Easter Sunday in 1990, using the 1962 Roman Missal.

Misleading CNS report: Vatican spokesman: Pope concelebrates daily Mass using current missal

UPDATE: CWN stands by its story. In his daily e-mail feed to CWN subscribers, CWN editor Philip Lawler wrote:

Another Catholic news service today carries a story challenging yesterday's exclusive CWN headline story, and citing the Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, to say that Pope Benedict XVI uses the current Roman Missal at his daily private Mass.

CWN stands by the accuracy of that original report.

There is no doubt that the Holy Father celebrates the Novus Ordo Mass; that was never in question. The thrust of our story was that the Pope also uses the 1962 Missal. Nor should that news be particularly surprising, in light of the recent motu proprio underlining the rightful place of the older liturgy in the Catholic tradition.

Unfortunately, our report yesterday included some confused reporting about the renovation of the Pope's private chapel. We have removed that paragraph from the story; we apologize for the confusion it caused. The remainder of the story, we remain fully convinced, is accurate.

Phil

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Fr. John Zuhlsdorf: CNS v CWN on Benedict XVI using older Mass in private

Traditional Latin Mass missals are now available at relatively cheap prices!

2007-07-17T11:38:00.000-04:00

1. Latin-English Sunday Missal (only 8.95) LINK

2. Missale Romanum 1962 (only $155) LINK

3. Daily Missal 1962 - Motu Proprio Edition (only $54.95) LINK

4. 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal (only $35.00)LINK

I highly recommend purchasing The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Guéranger. It's available at Baronius Press (click here) for only $21.95. I bought a copy just a week ago at Mother Angelica's monastery.

Here's a brief description:

Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805-1875) devoted himself to liturgical scholarship, polemics, and the establishment of Benedictine communities in France. The Holy Mass is Guéranger’s most extensive treatment of the heart of the liturgy and firmly established him as a leading liturgist. By turns devotional, exegetical and historical, this is therefore a timely publication of one of the great treasures of Catholic liturgical spirituality.

Negative reactions against Summorum Pontificum answered by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

2007-07-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

I. The Tablet: against Summorum Pontificum

II. Boston Globe on “Pope Benedict’s mistake”

Baronius Press announces new "Motu Proprio Edition" of its bestselling 1962 Daily Missal

2007-07-16T08:16:00.000-04:00

Daily Missal 1962 - Motu Proprio Edition

Following the Holy Father’s Motu Proprio on the 7th July 2007, Baronius Press, the only publisher of a Church approved edition of the 1962 Roman Missal, is delighted and honoured to announce a Motu Proprio Edition of the 1962 Daily Missal, to be published on the Feast of the Holy Triumph (September 14th). This edition will include the full text of the Motu Proprio in Latin and English.

Copies can be Preordered at our webshop, and will be shipped as soon as printing has been completed (Sept/Oct 2007).

Click here for detailed information (including ordering information) on the Daily Missal 1962 - Motu Proprio Edition.

Latin Mass spoken here

2007-07-16T07:26:00.000-04:00

By Richard C. Dujardin

Journal Religion Writer

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 8, 2007

PROVIDENCE (Link to Original)— As pastor of Holy Name Church on the East Side, the Rev. Joseph Santos admits that he is starting to feel nervous.

After years of advocating for more widespread use of the traditional Latin Mass, which has been offered at Holy Name with the express permission of a series of bishops going back to the Most Rev. Louis E. Gelineau, the priest is about to see his dream fulfilled. Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI issued his long-awaited document, a motu proprio titled Summorum Pontificum, which authorizes priests to celebrate the once-suppressed Tridentine Mass publicly — without having to get the bishop’s permission.

The Rev. Joseph Santos, pastor of the Holy Name Church in Providence, is about to begin last Sunday’s Latin Mass. “There are about 20 priests who have asked me to teach it to them,” he says.

With the roadblock removed, will priests who have long grown accustomed to the new Mass, sometimes called the Novus Ordo — which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI four decades ago to bring the Mass closer to people in the pews — dare to open their parishes to the old Mass once again? And if so, how popular will it be?

Time will tell, but Father Santos says he estimates there are 30 priests in Rhode Island alone who have expressed an interest in bringing the old liturgy to a younger generation who never had the opportunity to experience the old Mass in all its splendor. The old Mass is not simply the present-day Mass recited in Latin. It is more elaborate in both words and choreography.

“There are about 20 priests who have asked me to teach it to them, and I think I’m going to get them all together for classes. I find the most interest among our younger priests, which is remarkable because most priests today don’t even get Latin when they go to seminary.”

Those who follow the Latin Mass, also known as the Tridentine Mass, know that the nation’s Catholic bishops haven’t all been in favor of allowing the rite in their dioceses, even though Pope John Paul II directed them to be open to it. Many have either refused requests for their churches to have the Latin Mass or have strictly limited it, judging that the use of the Tridentine Mass might be used as a rallying point for those broadly opposed to the changes in the church that were ushered in in the early 1960s by the second Vatican Council, known as Vatican II. For many, the new Mass symbolized Vatican II teachings because it was the most visible sign of change.

Here in Providence, Holy Name’s pastor emeritus, the Rev. Joseph T. Gallagher, got permission in 1978 from Bishop Gelineau to celebrate the new Mass in Latin. The parish was given approval 13 years ago for the Tridentine rite after a trusted friend of the bishop convinced him that allowing the older rite would provide hope to Catholics who felt alienated from the church.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, expressed the view that it was a mistake to try to completely suppress the traditional rite. He has suggested that more openness to the rite would restore reverence and show a continuity with the church’s past. It might also bring back Catholics who had always favored the older Mass, he has said. At Holy Name, the attendance at the 11 a.m. Sunday Solemn High Latin Mass has gone from about 125 people as recently as seven years ago to an average of 250 people now from September through June — close to a third of them families with young children and another third older folks who remember the Mass as it once was. Others come for a range of reasons, including curiosity.

Among those at Mass last week were Patrick Fiorillo, 21, a college student from Franklin, Mass., and Edward Evans, 32, who usually makes the trek to Holy Name from Sturbridge, Mass., with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Alexander, 5, Amanda, 4, and John Paul, 17 months.

Fiorillo, a student at the University of Hartford, said he knew very little about the traditional rite until a friend invited him to attend a Latin Mass last November in New Haven.

It took some getting used to, Fiorillo said, but by the fifth time there he began to understand and appreciate the Mass in a new way. In the Tridentine Mass, which was codified and promulgated by Pope Pius V in the 16th century after the Council of Trent, many of the prayers are elaborate, emphasizing the sacrificial aspects of Jesus’ death on the cross and man’s need for atonement.

“I just think it offers more, and spiritually it is much more fulfilling,” Fiorillo said. “It goes a lot deeper in many aspects.”

Would he continue to visit Holy Name if he could find another Latin Mass closer to his home? “Yes, if my parish in Franklin began offering it, I would love to go there. But this is a great well-established community here, so I would be definitely coming back here.”

Evans, a systems engineer, said that while he was a lifelong Catholic, he knew little about the Mass until his brother-in-law invited him and his wife to check out an old-rite Mass in Albany, N.Y.

He finds it interesting that the new Mass had been put into place with the idea of making the Mass more accessible and understandable to the people, but thinks the reverse is more true. Unfortunately, he said, the words of the regular Mass have been made to sound so ordinary that the prayers almost sound banal. “There is nothing special, nothing mysterious about it anymore, and people wonder why should they even come.”

It’s not that way with the Latin Mass, he said. “Once people experience it I think they’ll want to come. Here there is more a feeling of being with God.”

Exactly how different are the prayers? These words of the Offertory in the two Masses provide some clues.

In the Tridentine rite, the priest prays: “Accept, O Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God, this spotless host, which I, your unworthy servant, offer to You, my living and true God, to atone for my numberless sins, offenses and negligences; on behalf of all here present and likewise for all faithful Christians living and dead, that it may profit me and them as a means of salvation to life everlasting. Amen.”

In the newer, regular Mass, the priest says: “Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life.”

The Rev. Richard Bucci, the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick and a priest since 1973, says he’s not surprised that the Latin Mass is becoming popular with younger priests. The younger priests are not part of the generation of the ’60s, which tended to reject anything that came across as rigid, he said.

“I think one of the problems with the changes we saw in the Mass was that those who did the translation eliminated words like sacrifice, grace and priesthood. We’re told that in a couple years we’ll have a new translation that will be much better. When parishes have the new translation and the Tridentine Mass, I think people are going to have a renewed sense of the continuity of the church and teachings.

“Obviously not everyone is going to be enthused about it, and a pastor has to be sensitive to that,” Father Bucci said. “But I would consider having it on special occasions, such as Midnight Mass at Easter or the last Mass during the day at Easter, when people are looking for a religious experience that is uplifting.”

Among the staunchest advocates for a return of the Tridentine rite to Rhode Island have been the members of Una Voce Rhode Island, originally headed by George Bedford of Pawtucket. The Tridentine Mass was the one he experienced when he became a Catholic many years ago, and he thinks the rite will bring more people to the faith. Allen M. Maynard, president of Una Voce, makes the trip to Holy Name every week from North Carver, Mass., with his wife, Wendy, and their four children. He believes that having only one church in the state regularly offering the Latin Mass gives Catholics the impression that the celebration is an oddity that belongs in a museum. But if the use becomes more widespread, he said, “people will feel it is a legitimate thing to go to, not just something my crazy neighbors go to.”

rdujardi@projo.com

Press Release from the Latin Mass Society

2007-07-11T12:24:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release

9 July 2007

Latin Mass Society Welcomes Pope Benedict’s Motu Poprio, ‘Summorum Pontificum’

Link to Original

Thirty-seven years ago, the Latin Mass Society was denounced by The Universe newspaper for its attachment to the Traditional Latin Rite under the banner headline, ‘Latin Madness’. Today, the loyalty, determination and sufferings of the Traditional faithful have been vindicated by Pope Benedict XVI’s wise and pastoral motu proprio. This document puts an end to the discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion which, too often, Traditional Catholics have suffered. Instead, Pope Benedict has stressed legitimate diversity in the liturgical life of the Church and has enjoined the equality of all validly celebrated rites. In this respect it is important to note Pope Benedict’s explicit statement that the 1962 Missal of Blessed John XXIII ‘was never juridically abrogated and consequently, in principle, was always permitted.’

The consequences of Pope Benedict’s motu proprio and accompanying letter to the bishops will be worked out in the years ahead. The LMS draws attention to Pope Benedict’s statements that this motu proprio was necessary to accommodate the legitimate desire of the many young people and young families who have attached themselves to the Traditional usage worldwide, and to his wish that the frequent celebration of the Traditional Rite might be a yardstick to assist in the stabilisation of the new rite.

Particularly important is Pope Benedict’s implicit admission that many bishops could and should have done more over the years to accommodate the legitimate needs of those attached to the Traditional Rite.

However, now is the time for the ‘interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church’ for which Pope Benedict calls. The Latin Mass Society intends to do all in its power to facilitate this reconciliation and to ‘make room for everything that the faith itself allows’. In concrete terms the LMS will prepare the ground to make available practical advice and resources to priests and faithful who wish to introduced the Traditional usage into their parish life. We also propose to work closely with the bishops to ensure adequate and widespread provision of the Traditional Rite at convenient locations and convenient times. This, of course, will include all the Sacraments.

Julian Chadwick, Chairman of the LMS, said, “The LMS will roll out new initiatives and landmark events in the autumn after the motu proprio comes into effect. We propose to ask the Holy Father to celebrate publicly the Traditional Rite as a mark of unity. This is a great day for the Church, particularly in Europe, where those attached to both the Traditional and new usages can now pull together as equals to launch the re-evangelisation of the continent.”

. . . . ENDS . . . .

For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or Yvonne Windsor, LMS Office Administrator, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585;

E-mail: thelatinmasssociety@snmail.co.uk

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PRESS RELEASE

BARONIUS PRESS WELCOMES WIDER USE OF THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS

Link to Original

Baronius Press, the London based Catholic book publisher, warmly welcomed the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum issued on Saturday 7th July by Pope Benedict XVI. As the only publisher in the world of a Church approved 1962 Latin Missal1, they already sell thousands of Traditional Latin Missals each year. They are expecting celebrations of the rite of 1962 to increase as a result of the Moto Pproprio and are expecting sales to increase significantly.

“Everyone at Baronius Press is exceedingly pleased that the Holy Father has issued this decree, which Catholics who are attached to the Traditional latin Mass have been keenly anticipating for several months now” commented Baronius Press’s Editor John Newton.

“A general misconception is that the Traditional latin Mass is only attended by the older generation. In fact, most of our sales of the 1962 Missal are over the internet, to the generation born after the Vatican Council. With this announcement today, we feel that the increasing popularity of the Traditional latin Mass has been given a marked boost.”

To commemorate Summorum Pontificum Baronius Press, will publish a special “Motu Proprio” edition of their 1962 Missal on 14th September, the day the Motu Proprio will be implemented.

“Pope Benedict wisely speaks of the Missal of 1962 and that of 1970 as being two aspects of one and the same rite. The Missal issued by John XXIII at the beginning of the Council had already been influenced by the scholarship of the orthodox Liturgical Movement and actually anticipates many of the reforms called for by the Second Vatican Council. There are points of contact between the two forms, and hopefully this Motu Proprio will also encourage sacred and beautiful celebrations of the Missal of 1970 in line with the Council’s vision, and using Gregorian chant which was prescribed by the Fathers of Vatican II.”

www.baroniuspress.com

Links to Articles on the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum"

2007-07-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

1. Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos speaks

2. Institute of Christ the King's Msgr. Schmitz on motu proprio (Inside the Vatican)

3. RORATE CÆLI Interview: Rifan speaks

4. RORATE CÆLI Interview: Rifan speaks. Part Two: Comments on Summorum Pontificum

5. Article by Dr. Thomas Woods

6. International Federation UNA VOCE Statement on the Motu Proprio SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM

7. (UPDATE) A beautiful statement (French) by the Superior of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, Father Philippe Laguérie

8. Lefebvre Successor Thanks Pope, Says Letter Restores Tradition to Church

Summorum Pontificum by Pope Benedict XVI

2007-07-09T10:47:00.001-04:00

Published on 7 July 2007

"Up to our own times, it has been the constant concern of supreme pontiffs to ensure that the Church of Christ offers a worthy ritual to the Divine Majesty, 'to the praise and glory of His name,' and 'to the benefit of all His Holy Church.'

"Since time immemorial it has been necessary - as it is also for the future - to maintain the principle according to which 'each particular Church must concur with the universal Church, not only as regards the doctrine of the faith and the sacramental signs, but also as regards the usages universally accepted by uninterrupted apostolic tradition, which must be observed not only to avoid errors but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, because the Church's law of prayer corresponds to her law of faith.' (1)

"Among the pontiffs who showed that requisite concern, particularly outstanding is the name of St. Gregory the Great, who made every effort to ensure that the new peoples of Europe received both the Catholic faith and the treasures of worship and culture that had been accumulated by the Romans in preceding centuries. He commanded that the form of the sacred liturgy as celebrated in Rome (concerning both the Sacrifice of Mass and the Divine Office) be conserved. He took great concern to ensure the dissemination of monks and nuns who, following the Rule of St. Benedict, together with the announcement of the Gospel illustrated with their lives the wise provision of their Rule that 'nothing should be placed before the work of God.' In this way the sacred liturgy, celebrated according to the Roman use, enriched not only the faith and piety but also the culture of many peoples. It is known, in fact, that the Latin liturgy of the Church in its various forms, in each century of the Christian era, has been a spur to the spiritual life of many saints, has reinforced many peoples in the virtue of religion and fecundated their piety.

"Many other Roman pontiffs, in the course of the centuries, showed particular solicitude in ensuring that the sacred liturgy accomplished this task more effectively. Outstanding among them is St. Pius V who, sustained by great pastoral zeal and following the exhortations of the Council of Trent, renewed the entire liturgy of the Church, oversaw the publication of liturgical books amended and 'renewed in accordance with the norms of the Fathers,' and provided them for the use of the Latin Church.

"One of the liturgical books of the Roman rite is the Roman Missal, which developed in the city of Rome and, with the passing of the centuries, little by little took forms very similar to that it has had in recent times.

"'It was towards this same goal that succeeding Roman Pontiffs directed their energies during the subsequent centuries in order to ensure that the rites and liturgical books were brought up to date and when necessary clarified. From the beginning of this century they undertook a more general reform.' (2) Thus our predecessors Clement VIII, Urban VIII, St. Pius X (3), Benedict XV, Pius XII and Blessed John XXIII all played a part.

"In more recent times, Vatican Council II expressed a desire that the respectful reverence due to divine worship should be renewed and adapted to the needs of our time. Moved by this desire our predecessor, the Supreme Pontiff Paul VI, approved, in 1970, reformed and partly renewed liturgical books for the Latin Church. These, translated into the various languages of the world, were willingly accepted by bishops, priests and faithful. John Paul II amended the third typical edition of the Roman Missal. Thus Roman pontiffs have operated to ensure that 'this kind of liturgical edifice ... should again appear resplendent for its dignity and harmony.' (4)

"But in some regions, no small numbers of faithful adhered and continue to adhere with great love and affection to the earlier liturgical forms. These had so deeply marked their culture and their spirit that in 1984 the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, moved by a concern for the pastoral care of these faithful, with the special indult 'Quattuor abhinc anno," issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship, granted permission to use the Roman Missal published by Blessed John XXIII in the year 1962. Later, in the year 1988, John Paul II with the Apostolic Letter given as Motu Proprio, 'Ecclesia Dei,' exhorted bishops to make generous use of this power in favor of all the faithful who so desired.

"Following the insistent prayers of these faithful, long deliberated upon by our predecessor John Paul II, and after having listened to the views of the Cardinal Fathers of the Consistory of 22 March 2006, having reflected deeply upon all aspects of the question, invoked the Holy Spirit and trusting in the help of God, with these Apostolic Letters we establish the following:

"Art 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the 'Lex orandi' (Law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. Nonetheless, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by Bl. John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of that same 'Lex orandi,' and must be given due honour for its venerable and ancient usage. These two expressions of the Church's Lex orandi will in no any way lead to a division in the Church's 'Lex credendi' (Law of belief). They are, in fact two usages of the one Roman rite.

"It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the Church. The conditions for the use of this Missal as laid down by earlier documents 'Quattuor abhinc annis' and 'Ecclesia Dei,' are substituted as follows:

"Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal published by Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, and may do so on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum. For such celebrations, with either one Missal or the other, the priest has no need for permission from the Apostolic See or from his Ordinary.

"Art. 3. Communities of Institutes of consecrated life and of Societies of apostolic life, of either pontifical or diocesan right, wishing to celebrate Mass in accordance with the edition of the Roman Missal promulgated in 1962, for conventual or "community" celebration in their oratories, may do so. If an individual community or an entire Institute or Society wishes to undertake such celebrations often, habitually or permanently, the decision must be taken by the Superiors Major, in accordance with the law and following their own specific decrees and statues.

"Art. 4. Celebrations of Mass as mentioned above in art. 2 may - observing all the norms of law - also be attended by faithful who, of their own free will, ask to be admitted.

"Art. 5. § 1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the guidance of the bishop in accordance with canon 392, avoiding discord and favouring the unity of the whole Church.

§ 2 Celebration in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII may take place on working days; while on Sundays and feast days one such celebration may also be held.

§ 3 For faithful and priests who request it, the pastor should also allow celebrations in this extraordinary form for special circumstances such as marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages.

§ 4 Priests who use the Missal of Bl. John XXIII must be qualified to do so and not juridically impeded.

§ 5 In churches that are not parish or conventual churches, it is the duty of the Rector of the church to grant the above permission.

Art. 6. In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII, the readings may be given in the vernacular, using editions recognised by the Apostolic See.

"Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 § 1, has not obtained satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".

"Art. 8. A bishop who, desirous of satisfying such requests, but who for various reasons is unable to do so, may refer the problem to the Commission "Ecclesia Dei" to obtain counsel and assistance.

"Art. 9. § 1 The pastor, having attentively examined all aspects, may also grant permission to use the earlier ritual for the administration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick, if the good of souls would seem to require it.

§ 2 Ordinaries are given the right to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation using the earlier Roman Pontifical, if the good of souls would seem to require it.

§ 2 Clerics ordained "in sacris constitutis" may use the Roman Breviary promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962.

"Art. 10. The ordinary of a particular place, if he feels it appropriate, may erect a personal parish in accordance with can. 518 for celebrations following the ancient form of the Roman rite, or appoint a chaplain, while observing all the norms of law.

"Art. 11. The Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", erected by John Paul II in 1988 (5), continues to exercise its function. Said Commission will have the form, duties and norms that the Roman Pontiff wishes to assign it.

"Art. 12. This Commission, apart from the powers it enjoys, will exercise the authority of the Holy See, supervising the observance and application of these dispositions.

"We order that everything We have established with these Apostolic Letters issued as Motu Proprio be considered as "established and decreed", and to be observed from 14 September of this year, Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, whatever there may be to the contrary.

" From Rome, at St. Peter's, 7 July 2007, third year of Our Pontificate."

(1) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 3rd ed., 2002, no. 397.

(2) John Paul II, Apostolic Letter "Vicesimus quintus annus," 4 December 1988, 3: AAS 81 (1989), 899.

(3) Ibid.

(4) St. Pius X, Apostolic Letter Motu propio data, "Abhinc duos annos," 23 October 1913: AAS 5 (1913), 449-450; cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter "Vicesimus quintus annus," no. 3: AAS 81 (1989), 899.

(5) Cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Motu proprio data "Ecclesia Dei," 2 July 1988, 6: AAS 80 (1988), 1498.

© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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Letter to the Bishops on the Occasion of the Publication of Summorum Pontificum
by Pope Benedict XVI

My dear Brother Bishops,

With great trust and hope, I am consigning to you as Pastors the text of a new Apostolic Letter “Motu Proprio data” on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. The document is the fruit of much reflection, numerous consultations and prayer.

News reports and judgments made without sufficient information have created no little confusion. There have been very divergent reactions ranging from joyful acceptance to harsh opposition, about a plan whose contents were in reality unknown.

This document was most directly opposed on account of two fears, which I would like to address somewhat more closely in this letter.

In the first place, there is the fear that the document detracts from the authority of the Second Vatican Council, one of whose essential decisions – the liturgical reform – is being called into question.

This fear is unfounded. In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration. It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were “two Rites”. Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.

As for the use of the 1962 Missal as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgy of the Mass, I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted. At the time of the introduction of the new Missal, it did not seem necessary to issue specific norms for the possible use of the earlier Missal. Probably it was thought that it would be a matter of a few individual cases which would be resolved, case by case, on the local level. Afterwards, however, it soon became apparent that a good number of people remained strongly attached to this usage of the Roman Rite, which had been familiar to them from childhood. This was especially the case in countries where the liturgical movement had provided many people with a notable liturgical formation and a deep, personal familiarity with the earlier Form of the liturgical celebration. We all know that, in the movement led by Archbishop Lefebvre, fidelity to the old Missal became an external mark of identity; the reasons for the break which arose over this, however, were at a deeper level. Many people who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council, and were faithful to the Pope and the Bishops, nonetheless also desired to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them. This occurred above all because in many places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the latter actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear. I am speaking from experience, since I too lived through that period with all its hopes and its confusion. And I have seen how arbitrary deformations of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the Church.

Pope John Paul II thus felt obliged to provide, in his Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei (2 July 1988), guidelines for the use of the 1962 Missal; that document, however, did not contain detailed prescriptions but appealed in a general way to the generous response of Bishops towards the “legitimate aspirations” of those members of the faithful who requested this usage of the Roman Rite. At the time, the Pope primarily wanted to assist the Society of Saint Pius X to recover full unity with the Successor of Peter, and sought to heal a wound experienced ever more painfully. Unfortunately this reconciliation has not yet come about. Nonetheless, a number of communities have gratefully made use of the possibilities provided by the Motu Proprio. On the other hand, difficulties remain concerning the use of the 1962 Missal outside of these groups, because of the lack of precise juridical norms, particularly because Bishops, in such cases, frequently feared that the authority of the Council would be called into question. Immediately after the Second Vatican Council it was presumed that requests for the use of the 1962 Missal would be limited to the older generation which had grown up with it, but in the meantime it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them. Thus the need has arisen for a clearer juridical regulation which had not been foreseen at the time of the 1988 Motu Proprio. The present Norms are also meant to free Bishops from constantly having to evaluate anew how they are to respond to various situations.

In the second place, the fear was expressed in discussions about the awaited Motu Proprio, that the possibility of a wider use of the 1962 Missal would lead to disarray or even divisions within parish communities. This fear also strikes me as quite unfounded. The use of the old Missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical formation and some knowledge of the Latin language; neither of these is found very often. Already from these concrete presuppositions, it is clearly seen that the new Missal will certainly remain the ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also because of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful.

It is true that there have been exaggerations and at times social aspects unduly linked to the attitude of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition. Your charity and pastoral prudence will be an incentive and guide for improving these. For that matter, the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The “Ecclesia Dei” Commission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical possibilities in this regard. The celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage. The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this Missal.

I now come to the positive reason which motivated my decision to issue this Motu Proprio updating that of 1988. It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church. Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew. I think of a sentence in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, where Paul writes: “Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return … widen your hearts also!” (2 Cor 6:11-13). Paul was certainly speaking in another context, but his exhortation can and must touch us too, precisely on this subject. Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows.

There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place. Needless to say, in order to experience full communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness.

In conclusion, dear Brothers, I very much wish to stress that these new norms do not in any way lessen your own authority and responsibility, either for the liturgy or for the pastoral care of your faithful. Each Bishop, in fact, is the moderator of the liturgy in his own Diocese (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22: “Sacrae Liturgiae moderatio ab Ecclesiae auctoritate unice pendet quae quidem est apud Apostolicam Sedem et, ad normam iuris, apud Episcopum”).

Nothing is taken away, then, from the authority of the Bishop, whose role remains that of being watchful that all is done in peace and serenity. Should some problem arise which the parish priest cannot resolve, the local Ordinary will always be able to intervene, in full harmony, however, with all that has been laid down by the new norms of the Motu Proprio.

Furthermore, I invite you, dear Brothers, to send to the Holy See an account of your experiences, three years after this Motu Proprio has taken effect. If truly serious difficulties come to light, ways to remedy them can be sought.

Dear Brothers, with gratitude and trust, I entrust to your hearts as Pastors these pages and the norms of the Motu Proprio. Let us always be mindful of the words of the Apostle Paul addressed to the presbyters of Ephesus: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the Church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son” (Acts 20:28).

I entrust these norms to the powerful intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, dear Brothers, to the parish priests of your dioceses, and to all the priests, your co-workers, as well as to all your faithful.

Given at Saint Peter’s, 7 July 2007

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope broadens access to 1962 Mass (news/analysis) by Phil Lawler

2007-07-09T10:47:00.000-04:00

Vatican, Jul. 7, 2007 (CWNews.com) - With a motu proprio entitled Summorum Pontificum, made public on July 7, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has provided for a much broader use of the Roman Missal of 1962, explaining that he hopes to encourage "interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church."

The long-awaited motu proprio, which had been the subject of intensive speculation within the Church for more than a year, gives every priest the right to celebrate the Mass using the 1962 Missal, and instructs pastors to "willingly accept" requests from the faithful for access to the older liturgical form.

The motu proprio sets forth new norms for the Roman liturgy, superseding the norms previously established by Pope John Paul II (bio - news) in his own motu proprio of 1988, Ecclesia Dei. The new canonical norms established by Pope Benedict will take effect on September 14.

Pope Benedict emphasizes that there are not two different rites, but two different forms of the Roman rite: the ordinary form, according to the current Roman Missal, and the extraordinary form, which uses the Missal that was in universal use prior to the liturgical changes that followed the Second Vatican Council.

The full text of Summorum Pontificum can be found in the original Latin on the Vatican web site. An unofficial English translation is also available.

Pope Benedict issued this motu proprio-- the 5th such document of his pontificate-- along with a letter to the world's bishops explaining the move. The text of the Pope's letter is also available on the Vatican web site.

In his explanatory letter the Holy Father acknowledges that some bishops expressed strong opposition to the release of the motu proprio. Their opposition, he writes in his explanatory letter, was based on fears that the wider use of the pre-conciliar liturgy could appear to undermine the authority of Vatican II, and/or cause divisions with the Catholic Church. These fears will prove unfounded, Pope Benedict says, if the faithful recognize the two forms of the Roman rite as equally valid forms of the same universal liturgy.

The Pope also acknowledges that some Catholics find a greater sense of reverence in the older liturgy-- in what will now be known as the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. He voices the hope that "the two forms of the usage of the Roman rite can be mutually enriching," suggesting that the simultaneous existence of the two different forms will encourage an organic development of new liturgical practices, stimulating "the reform of the reform."

Why it was needed

From the first days of his pontificate, Benedict XVI has emphasized the continuity of the Catholic tradition, insisting that the teachings of Vatican II must be interpreted in light of the constant teachings of the Church in the preceding centuries. With Summorum Pontificum he applies that same rule to the Roman liturgy-- and provides new norms of canon law to carry out that rule.

Even before he became Pope Benedict XVI, in his many written works on the liturgy, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger remarked that the Novus Ordo liturgy was not the organic reform that had been recommended by Vatican II, but a break in continuity-- a new form that had been imposed upon the faithful, while the old order of the Mass was abruptly discarded. In the opening passage of Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict indirectly refers to that complaint when he says that the universal Church must uphold "the usages universally handed down by apostolic and unbroken tradition."

These traditions, the Pope continues, "are to be maintained not only so that errors may be avoided, but also so that the faith may be passed on in its integrity, since the Church’s rule of prayer (lex orandi) corresponds to her rule of belief (lex credendi).” Because the old Latin liturgy nourished the faithful for centuries, he reasons, it is incumbent upon the Church today to ensure that "this liturgical edifice, so to speak, might once again appear splendid in its dignity and harmony.”

While recognizing the glory of the older liturgical forms, Pope Benedict also frankly alludes to the chaos that has followed the liturgical changes of Vatican II. In his letter to the world's bishops the Pontiff reminds them that he has lived through the era of change-- indeed he was one of the champions of liturgical reform as envisioned by the Council-- and seen the uneven and sometimes appalling results. He remarks, "I have seen how arbitrary deformations of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the Church."

With his motu proprio the Holy Father hopes to restore reverence through a wider use of the "extraordinary form" of the liturgy-- the Mass of the 1962 Missal. At the same time, it is clear, he hopes that the wider use of the old form, with its scrupulous attention to rubrics, will encourage a more faithful and reverent approach to the ordinary form in the Novus Ordo Mass.

What is new?

Summorum Pontificum states flatly that the old form of the Mass, the 1962 Missal, was never abrogated. Implicitly the Pope is recognizing that many faithful Catholics have suffered a grave injustice, since they were told that the old form of the liturgy was now forbidden.

At present-- until the new norms established in the motu proprio take effect on September 14-- Catholics who seek access to the old Mass must petition their diocesan bishop, who may grant permission of the use of the 1962 Missal, under the terms of Pope John Paul's Ecclesia Dei-- or he may choose not to allow it.

With his new norms Pope Benedict recognizes that many bishops have not allowed the "wide and generous" access to the old form that his predecessor had encouraged. Citing St. Paul's words to the Corinthians (2 Cor 6), the Pope now exhorts all bishops: "Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows."

But Pope Benedict goes beyond exhortation, and establishes the rights of the faithful in terms of canon law. Every priest has the right to use the "extraordinary form," and needs no further permission. Wherever a "stable group" of parishioners asks for the old Mass, their pastor should "willingly accept" their request, the Pope adds.

In short, whereas Ecclesia Dei treated the celebration of old Mass as an unusual concession that the diocesan bishop could grant, Summorum Pontificum establishes the "extraordinary form" as a normal usage of the Roman rite. For the past two decades the presumption has been that the 1962 Missal could not be used, and the bishop has had the authority to make exceptions to that norm. Now the presumption is that the 1962 Missal can be used, and bishops have the burden of explaining why it should not be available-- as, for instance, when no priest is adequately qualified to celebrate the old Mass.

If the faithful do not have access to the "extraordinary form," because of particular circumstances in their parishes, Pope Benedict says that they should approach the bishop. And if their bishop does not satisfy their request, he invites them to bring their problem to the Vatican's Ecclesia Dei commission-- where, one assumes, they will find a sympathetic hearing.

Pope Benedict does insist that priests who use the extraordinary form of the Mass should recognize the validity of the new liturgy. He writes that "priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books." However, he allows for the celebration of the other sacraments-- confirmation, ordination, weddings and funerals-- according to the old rubrics.

The Pope stipulates that the "extraordinary form" of the Mass should be celebrated using the Roman Missal of 1962-- that is, in accordance with the old liturgical calendar. He does suggest that the readings from Scripture could be done in the vernacular. Otherwise he makes no change in the old liturgy.

The Pope allows for the possibility that some "personal parishes" will be created in which the old liturgy is the regular usage. He allows religious institutes to choose the old liturgy for their own communities. In ordinary parishes he envisions the use of the "extraordinary form" for one Sunday Mass. He stipulates that the 1962 Missal should not be used for private Masses during the Easter Triduum, since during the Triduum the entire parish is drawn together for the celebration in the ordinary form. (Note that this does not mean the 1962 Missal is banished during the Easter Triduum; presumably it would be used in those parishes or institutions devoted primarily to the extraordinary form. But in the typical parish where the Novus Ordo is the regular usage, the old Mass would not be celebrated privately because the whole community would come together for the celebration of the Easter Triduum. In short the Pope is barring the private celebration of Mass, not the use of the old Missal.)

What the motu proprio is not

Because much coverage of the motu proprio has been misleading-- especially in the secular media-- it is important to be clear about several things that Summorum Pontificum does not do, and several effects that the Holy Father obviously does not intend:

The motu proprio does not restore the use of Latin to the liturgy. Priests have always had the right to use Latin in celebrating the Novus Ordo liturgy-- the "ordinary" form of the Roman rite. Indeed the use of Latin has always been strongly encouraged by the Vatican, even if few pastors have responded.

The motu proprio does not require priests to use the older liturgy. Pope Benedict is not imposing any new liturgical forms; he is allowing the faithful to make use of an old form-- which, as he carefully points out, was never banned. Those lay Catholics who prefer the post-conciliar liturgy have no cause for concern; the new liturgy will remain the commonplace experience in most parishes.

The Pope is not aiming this document solely at reconciliation of the alienated traditionalists in groups such as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)-- although he recognizes that the revival of the old liturgy will be viewed by traditionalists as a positive sign. Summorum Pontificum is intended for the entire Catholic Church, not for a small, disaffected minority. The restoration of the Latin Mass has been only one of several demands consistently made by SSPX leaders, and the motu proprio will not bridge the gap that separates them from the Holy See. Pope Benedict recognizes this fact in the letter that accompanies the document. He writes: "We all know that, in the movement led by Archbishop Lefebvre, fidelity to the old Missal became an external mark of identity; the reasons for the break which arose over this, however, were at a deeper level." And in the first formal response to the motu proprio from the SSPX leadership, Bishop Bernard Fellay, while welcoming the document, confirmed that it was not enough to bring about reconciliation. Bishop Fellay told his followers that the Pope's explanatory letter "does not conceal that difficulties still remain." The SSPX leader voiced his hope that the new policies "would allow for a calmer approach to the doctrinal questions that are at issue-- after the removal of the decree of excommunications that still affects the SSPX bishops."

The motu proprio does not prescribe policies for a 3-year trial period. Although the Pope encourages bishops to report on their experiences with the new norms after 3 years, he gives no indication that the policies will be subject to change after that interval.

The document does not restore the use of language that Jewish leaders have found offensive. Stories that spread quickly through the secular press, based on confused reporting, predicted that Jewish people would be shocked by the liturgical changes. Those stories were wholly inaccurate; the language in question was never a factor in the Pope's decision.
Future tests

Pope Benedict is not the first Pontiff to authorize wider use of the 1962 Missal. Pope John Paul II called for a "wide and generous" application of the indult he provided in Ecclesia Dei in 1988. But that "wide and generous" application was not forthcoming from the world's bishops. In all too many cases the bishops discourage the use of the old liturgy, and offer permission only under very limited circumstances-- in some cases clearly hoping to make it inconvenient for the faithful to attend the Latin Mass.

During the last year many bishops-- especially in France, Germany, the US, and Great Britain-- actively opposed the Pope's plan to release Summorum Pontificum. Will their resistance now manifest itself within their own dioceses, despite the Pope's extra efforts to answer their concerns?

The motu proprio gives diocesan bishops far less discretion in enforcing the liturgical norms, since the Pope emphasizes that priests have the right to celebrate the older form of the Mass without any special permission. The practical test of the motu proprio, then, may be whether bishops put pressure on their priests to discourage the extraordinary form.

Informed sources believe that the Pope plans to augment the authority of the Ecclesia Dei commission, enabling that Vatican bureau to answer complaints about resistance to the motu proprio as well as to help with its implementation. No doubt the powers of that pontifical commission will be tested soon after the September 14 date when the new norms go into effect.

In America, the liturgy committee of the US bishops' conference has already released a special newsletter dedicated to Summorum Pontificum, including both the papal documents themselves and a series of questions and answers about the new norms and the extraordinary form of the liturgy. Particularly in light of the hostility that the US bishops' committee has sometimes exhibited toward liturgical norms from Rome, the newsletter offers a remarkably even-handed and sympathetic perspective on the motu proprio.

In particular it is gratifying to read that the US bishops' liturgy committee recognizes the many Catholics have been troubled by the Novus Ordo liturgy because of "the false sense of creativity unfortunately practiced by some in the celebration of the post-conciliar liturgical rites." Citing the words of Pope Benedict, the newsletter notes that this "creative" approach has led to "deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear." Insofar as the US bishops are now officially recognizing that experimentation has deformed the liturgy, Summorum Pontificum is already yielding rich fruit.

To be fair one must acknowledge that although many bishops have shown themselves unfriendly toward tradition-minded Catholics-- despite the pleas of John Paul II in Ecclesia Dei-- some traditionalists have been every bit as unfriendly in their attitude toward their bishops. Some traditionalists pounce on any opportunity to criticize the new liturgy, and a few-- a minority, certainly, but a very outspoken and divisive minority-- question whether the Novus Ordo liturgy is valid. The response to Summorum Pontificum in traditionalist circles will be another key test. If the motu proprio is warmly welcomed, that positive response might encourage bishops toward a generous implementation; if traditionalists fall into a pattern of carping criticism, bishops will feel that their hostility is justified.

In his explanatory letter, Pope Benedict is writing to bishops, not to lay traditionalists. So he can only urge the bishops to make an extra effort to accommodate reasonable requests. "It is true," he concedes, that there have been and at times social aspects unduly linked to the attitude of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition. Your charity and pastoral prudence will be an incentive and guide for improving these."

The "reform of the reform"

Perhaps the most intriguing line in the Pope's explanatory letter accompanying the motu proprio comes immediately after he notes that "the two forms of the usage of the Roman rite can be mutually enriching." The Pope says that new Prefaces, and celebrations for some new saints, should be added to the 1962 Missal. Then he adds: "The Ecclesia Dei ommission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical possibilities in this regard."

That passage confirms that Pope Benedict sees Summorum Pontificum as one necessary step in a long-term reform of the liturgy. He apparently hopes that some elements of the new Novus Ordo liturgy will be integrated into the old Mass, while as some aspects of the extraordinary form will enrich the ordinary. In the long term, one suspects, the Pope sees a convergence of the two forms, bringing about the true organic reform of the liturgy that Vatican II envisioned.

"In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture," the Pope writes. "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."

The "Norms" of 1986

2007-06-30T08:16:00.000-04:00

In the summer of 1986, a commission of eight curial Cardinals was established ad hoc to consider whether the Indult [re: the Traditional Latin Mass] of 1984 was capable of functioning. It found that in practice the Indult had been shown to be "not very helpful" and it presented some detailed recommendations for a new regulation for the whole Church. The substance of these recommendations can be summarized as follows:

1. In the offices of the Roman Rite, the honour due [debita honor] to the Latin language should be accorded it. Bishops should ensure that on Sundays and ferial days at least one Latin Mass should be celebrated in each important locality of their diocese. However the readings could also be said in the vernacular.

2. For their private Masses all priests can, at all times, use the Latin language.

3. For every Mass celebrated in the Latin language - with or without the faithful present - the celebrant has the right freely to choose between the missal of Paul VI (1970) and that of John XXIII (1962).

4. If the celebrant chooses the missal of Paul VI, he should observe the rubrics of that missal.

5. If the celebrant chooses the missal of John XXIII, he must observe the rubrics of that missal, but he may also:

*use either the Latin language or the vernacular for the readings

*make use of the additional prefaces and prayers of the Proper of the Mass contained in the missal of Paul VI, and introduce "preces universales" (bidding prayers).

6. The liturgical calendar for feasts will be that of the missal chosen by the celebrant.

The Reform of the Roman Liturgy (Msgr. Klaus Gamber)--Where the modern Liturgy went wrong

2007-06-30T07:44:00.000-04:00

By Michael Davies

In his second Epistle to the Thessalonians St. Paul admonished them to stand fast and keep the traditions which they had learned either by word of mouth or from his epistles (II Thess 2:14). Writing in the fourth century, St. Jerome observed: "the best advice that I can give you is this: Church traditions - especially when they do not run counter to the faith - are to be observed in the form in which previous generations have handed which we have received from the fathers of old".

The principle enshrined in these quotations had been implemented consistently by every Pope until the pontificate of Pope Paul VI.

The significance of the Reform of the Roman Liturgy with its servere critique of the new Mass derives not so much from what it says but from who says it. As Cardinal Ratzinger expressed it, Msgr. Gamber was "the one scholar, who, among the army of pseudo-liturgists, truly represents the liturgical thinking of the center of the Church." Quite an endorsement of three cardinals, Oddi, Stickler and Ratzinger.

In his preface to the French edition of Msgr. Gamber's book, Cardinal Ratzinger has this to say on the subject of post-conciliar renewal:

"What happened after the Council was something else entirely: in the place of liturgy as the fruit of development came fabricated liturgy. We abandoned the organic, living process of growth and development over centuries, and replaced it - as in a manufacturing process - with a fabrication, a banal on-the-spot product. Gamber, with the vigilance of a true prophet and the courage of a true witness, opposed this falsification, and, indefatigably taught us about the living fullness of a true liturgy". What, then, does this true prophet have to say about a reform which is, in reality, a continued revolution? "The pastoral benefits that so many idealists had hoped the new liturgy would bring did not materialize. Our churches emptied in spite of the new liturgy (or because of it?), and the faithful continued to fall away from the Church in droves." And again: "In the end, we will all have to recognize that the new liturgical forms, well intentioned as they may have been at the beginning, did not provide the people with bread, but with stones."

Canon 214 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states that the faithful are entitled to the prescriptions of their own rite. Many of the faithful of the roman rite find it impossible to recognize what takes place in their parish churches each Sunday as their own rite, despite the fact that the Vatican II liturgy constitution ordered that all existing liturgical rites should be preserved and fostered in every way. Cardinal Ratzinger has remarked: " Today we might ask: is there a Latin Rite at all any more? Certainly there is no awareness of it. To most people the liturgy appears to be something for the individual congregation to arrange."

Destruction

The Cardinal's acceptance that the tradiional Latin or Roman rite no longer exists does no more than confirm the frank acceptance of this fact in 1976 by Fr. Joseph Gelineau, one of the most influential members of the Commissioin which composed the New Mass: "The Roman Rite as we knew it no longer exists. It has been destroyed." Msgr. Gamber testifies to the destruction of the Roman rite several times in his book:

"The real destruction of the traditional Mass, of the traditional Roman rite with a history of more than one thousand years, is the wholesale destruction of the faith on which it was based, a faith that has been source of our piety and our courage to bear witness to Christ and his Church, the inspiration of countless catholics over many centuries. Will someone, some day, be able to say the same thing about the New Mass?" Msgr. Gamber also insists, quite correctly, that the replacement of the Traditional order of Mass by the Novus Ordo Missae, is not simply a flagrant breach with tradition but a contravention of what the liturgy constitution of the Council actually ordered:

"Unfortunately, and in summary, the Council's urging in Article 23 that 'there must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them' has been widely ignored . .. Although the argument is used over and over again by the people responsible for creating the New Mass, they cannot claim that what they have done is what the council actually wanted. The instructions given by the liturgy Commission were general in nature, and they opened up possible ways for implementing what the commission had stipulated, but one statement we can make with certainty is that the new ordo of the Mass that has now emerged would not have been endorsed by the majority of the Council Fathers".

Liturgical bureaucrats frequently use the argument that if Pope St. Pius V was able to promulgate a new Missal in 1570, there is no reason why Pope Paul VI should not have done the same thing four hundred years later. But, of course, Pope Paul VI did not do the same thing. St. Pius V did no more than codify the existing Missal with a few changes that did not affect the actual order of the Mass. Msgr. Gamber writes: "The reform under Pope Paul VI was in no way comparable to that of St. Pius V, as the former for the first time in the entire history of the Church broke with tradition and authorized what was an artificially created rite. Msgr. Gamber states correctly that the council gave no mandate to introduce a new rite of Mass. It simply called for a revision of the existing one. In a very radical analysis, Gamber suggests that Pope Paul VI exceeded his authority in introducing the Novus Ordo: "The argument could be made that the Pope's authority to introduce a new liturgical rite, that is, to do so without a decision by a Council, can be derived from the 'full and highest power' (plena et supreme potestas) he has had in the Church, as cited by the First Vatican Council, i.e., power over matters quae ad disciplinam ad requimen ecclesiae per totum orbem diffusae pertinent (That pertain to the discipline and the rule of the Church spread out over the world' - Denziger, 1831)."

However the term disciplina in no way applies to the liturgical rite of the Mass, particularly in the light of the fact that the popes have repeatedly observed that the rite is founded on apostolic tradition. For this reason alone, the rite cannot fall into category of "discipline and rule of the Church".

To this we can add that there is not a single document, including the Codex Iuris Canonici, in which there is a specific statement that the Pope, in his function as the supreme pastor of the Church, has the authority to abolish the traditional liturgical rite. In fact, nowhere is it mentioned that the pope has the authority to change even a single local liturgical tradition. The fact that there is no mention of such authority strengthens our case considerably.

There are clearly defined limits to plena et suprema potestas (Full and highest power) of the pope. For example, there is no question that, even in matters of dogma, he still has to follow the traditons of the universal Church - that is, as St. Vincent of Lerins says, what has been believed, always, everywhere and by all (quod semper, quod ubique quod ab omnibus). In fact, there are several authors who state quite explicitly that it is clearly outside the pope's scope of authority to abolish the traditional rite. Thus the eminent theologian Suarez (1617), citing even earlier authorities such as St. Cajetan, took the position that a pope would be schismatic "if he as is his duty, would not be in full communion with the body of the Church as, for example, if he were to excommunicate the entire Church, or if he were to change all the liturgical rites of the Church that have upheld by apostolic tradition."

And what of the result of such an unprecedented breach with tradition?

"As we have already observed, the liturgical reform, welcomed with so much idealism and hope by many priests and lay people alike has turned out to be a liturgical destruction of startling proportions-a debacle worsening with each passing year. Instead of the hoped-for renewal of the Church and of Catholic life, we are now witnessing a dismantling of the traditional values and piety on which our faith rests. Instead of the fruitful renewal of the liturgy, what we see is a destruction of the forms of the Mass which had developed organically during the course of many centuries."

False Translation

In Chapter Five of his book, Msgr. Gamber conducts a detailed examination of the actual changes made in the traditional rite and suggests that they must "Be understood as the deliberate destruction of the traditional order because the newly placed Accent clearly contradict the traditional faith from which the traditional order because the newly placed accents clearly contradict the traditional faith from which the traditional rite has developed."

He does not mince his words in this analysis and has, for example, the following to say about the false translation of pro multis: "Pope Paul VI saw fit to alter the words of Consecration and Institution, unchanged in the Roman Liturgy for 1,500 years- a change that was never intended by the Council nor is of any discernible pastoral benefit. Truly problematic, in fact truly scandalous, is the translation of the phrase pro multis as "for all", a translation inspired by modern theological thinking, but not found in any historic liturgical text."

In Chapter V and Chapters XII to XV, Msgr. Gamber provides a meticulously documented study of the questions of the Mass facing the people. He shows that it has never been the custom in the Roman Catholic Church, is a clear breach with liturgical tradition of both Eastern and Western Christians, and brings no obvious pastoral benefits. In other words, the continuing destruction worldwide of countless numbers of (in many cases) beautiful, magnificently constructed Catholic sanctuaries has really been based on an historical myth.

Moreover, Mass facing the people has undermined the entire ethos of the sacrificial nature of the Mass, with the cost incalculable in terms of our artistic heritage, and most incalculableof all in its cost to souls - of Catholics alienated from their Church by the Literal and metaphorical destruction of their Catholic heritage.

Msgr. Gamber also denounces the changes in the calendar, both in the saints' days and the method of counting Sundays, and in the completely new order of readings, as devoid of any spiritual advantage to the faithful, and poses the most pertinent question: "Was all this really done because of a pastoral concern about the souls of the faithful, or did it not rather represent a radical breach with the traditional rite, to prevent the futher use of the litugical texts and thus to make the celebration of the "Tridentine Mass" impossible- because it no longer reflected the new spirit moving through the Church?"

In Chapter XI Msgr. Gamber pin-points the fundamental deficiency of the new liturgy in the most radical manner that I have yet encountered, terming it as nothing that the liturgical expression of Modernist Theology: "Great is the confusion! Who can still see clearly in this darkness? Where in the Church are the leaders who can show us the right path? Where are the bishops courageous enough to cut out the cancerous growth of modernist theology that has implanted itself and is festering within the celebration of even the most sacred mysteries, before the cancer spreads and causes even greater damage?"

And what is Msgr. Gamber's solution to the adverse consequences of the liturgical reform, a reform which as far as this writer can discern has borne no good fruits and has no redeeming features? "In the final analysis, this means that in the future the traditional rite of the Mass must be retained in the Roman Catholic Church, and not only as a means to accommodate older priests and lay people, but as the primary Liturgical form for the celebration of the Mass. It must become once more the norm of our faith and the symbol of Catholic unity throughout the world, a rock of stability in a period of upheaval and change."

There is not the least doubt that the liberal bureaucracy which controls the Church in English-speaking countries today will do all in its power to keep the existence of a book such as this unknown to the faithful. At least one leading Catholic weekly in the United States has refused to take a paid advertisement for the book on the grounds that it is divisive! Anything less divisive than the liturgy it critiques would be hard to imagine. It is vital that this book be widely circulated and publicized in order to help break through the barrier of official silence which continues to mask the costly errors of judgment that have occurred under the banner of liturgical renewal.