The Motu Proprio -- One Year in Retrospect

The following is from the Trindentine Community News insert in today's parish bulletin of St. Josaphat Catholic Church, Detroit, MI:

Monday, July 7 is the one year anniversary of the issuance of our Holy Father's Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum. Let's reflect on what has happened locally and globally over teh past year. Locally, one year ago, there was one Tridentine Mass site in Detroit and one in Windsor. Now there are nine sites in the Archdiocese of Detroit, but still only one in Windsor. Significantly, during at least one week per month, it is now possible to attend an Extraordinary Form Mass at eight different churches, eight days in a row. On some Sundays, one can attend three Tridentine Masses in a row at churches within close proximity....

Worldwide, there has been a significant increase -- we'll stop short of calling it an explosion -- in the number of Traditional Masses being celebrated. At least two schismatic orders have reconciled with Rome. Numerous chant and church music conventions have been held, to accommodate the growing interest in the traditional music repertoire of the Church. Not all of these conventions have been focused on the Extraordinary Form; our Holy Father's plan for the Motu Proprio to inspire a greater sense of the sacred in the Ordinary Form of the Mass has been working out. EWTN has telecast four live Extraordinary Form Masses, the last of which, of July 1, barely attracted attention, demonstrating how the unusual has become virtually mainstream.

As more priests and parishes undertake Tridentine Masses, the second year of the Motu Proprio promises to bring still more graces to the Church.

Of related interest

• Thomas E. Woods Jr. "Long Live Pope Benedict: The Motu Proprio, One Year Later" (InsideCatholic.com, July 7, 2008).
• "One year: Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quæ retribuit mihi?" (Rorate Caeli, July 7, 2008)
• "One year: ...in primis..." (Rorate Caeli, July 7, 2008)
• "One year: Memento etiam, Domine..." (Rorate Caeli, July 7, 2008)
• Fr. Zuhldorf, "7 July: Your reflections on Summorum Pontificum one year later" [Part One] (WDTPRS, July 7, 2008)
• "ZENIT and Fr. Z: “Summorum Pontificum” One Year Later (Part 2)" (WDTPRS, July 7, 2008)

[Hat tip to A.B. for the St. Josaphat newsletter, and to T.P. for the Thomas Woods essay.]