Next Tridentine Mass at St. Albertus Scheduled

Tridentine Community News (May 24, 2009):

St. Josaphat’s neighbor down Canfield Avenue, and Detroit’s first Polish parish, St. Albertus Church, will be holding its next Extraordinary Form Mass on Sunday, June 7 at noon. Fr. Mark Borkowski will be celebrant, and musicians and servers from Assumption-Windsor and St. Josaphat will be assisting.

St. Albertus has had quite a bit of press recently because of two bold, and unfortunate, thefts of copper from their roof. Fortunately, the bandits were caught, and security around the church has been improved.

Readers may recall that the organ at St. Albertus, which had not functioned for many years prior, was made playable once again in 2008 for the last Tridentine Mass. However, the stops, which control the sounds that an organ can make, were not functional; the organ had to be played with all pipes on. In the intervening months, the console (keyboard) of the organ has been rebuilt, with new ivory key covers and new electrical contacts under the keys and stop levers, thereby enabling the organist once again to select the sounds the instrument can make.

Each pipe in the instrument has been or will be removed and cleaned by volunteers under the direction of organ-builder Vladimir Vaculik – the same Vladimir who substitutes at St. Josaphat and Sweetest Heart of Mary, and who plays most weeks for the Tridentine Mass at All Saints Church in Flint. Approximately half of the pipes have been refurbished thus far. St. Albertus leaders wanted to achieve a reasonable degree of completion of this second phase of organ reconstruction before the next Tridentine Mass was held.

Concurrent with the organ project, St. Josaphat and Assumption substitute organist Dr. Steven Ball, an expert in bell systems, has offered to repair St. Albertus’ long-dormant tower bells this summer. God willing, they will once again ring out at the Consecration at a Tridentine Mass in the near future.

We encourage all of our readers who have not yet been to St. Albertus to see a Mass held in this ornate and expansive house of worship, and to thank the dedicated volunteers there for making improvements to their edifice to benefit the Extraordinary Form. One has to wonder, is there any other place on earth where three such majestic churches stand so near one another on one street, and all regularly host Tridentine Masses?

Pilgrim Virgin Statue to Return

Arrangements have been made for the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima to return this fall. As in 2008, the statue will visit St. Joseph, St. Josaphat, and Sweetest Heart of Mary Churches on three successive days. Tridentine Masses will be held at each of the three churches in the evening.

Fr. Bisig Visits Flint Tridentine Community

On Sunday, May 10, our sister Tridentine Mass Community at All Saints Church in Flint, Michigan welcomed guest celebrant Fr. Josef Bisig, FSSP. Choir members and altar servers from Assumption-Windsor and St. Josaphat were invited to assist at this Mass. A regular visitor to Assumption and All Saints, Fr. Bisig is the co-founder of the Fraternity of St. Peter and current rector of its U.S. Seminary.

It is an honor for St. Josaphat and Assumption to be asked to help with such special liturgical events. How blessed we are to live in an era and region in which there is openness to restoring the classic liturgy to our churches.

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@stjosaphatchurch.org. Previous columns are available at www.stjosaphatchurch.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Josaphat bulletin insert for May 24, 2009. Hat tip to A.B.]