Detroit Archbishop-designate Vigneron on liturgy

I found a couple of interesting discussions of Archbishop-designate Vigneron's liturgical views this week. The first I discovered via "More on Archbishop-elect Vigneron" (Exsultate Iusti in Domino, January 9, 2009) -- namely "(Arch)Bishop Vigneron on Liturgy" (Thrown Back, January 9, 2009), where a certain Fr. Rob Johanesen, a priest of Diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan, writes:

I know Bishop Vigneron from his days as rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where I had the good fortune to complete my studies for the priesthood from 1998-2001. He is an outstanding teacher and pastor. He is loyal to the Church and her Magisterium, and patient and generous as well.

Bishop Vigneron is deeply concerned with the state of the liturgical life in the church in the country, and as rector of the seminary tried to inculcate in us seminarians a sense of reverence and a respect for the liturgy as something given. Toward that end he implemented significant reforms of the seminary's liturgical practice, most notably introducing and establishing as normative the use of the Proper antiphons at seminary Masses, and moving away from the use of hymnody. He brought the late Calvert Shenk to Sacred Heart, and one of his specific charges to Cal was to restore the Propers to their rightful place in the liturgy.

... Back in 2000, while I was still a seminarian, I wrote an article for Adoremus based on an interview I had with Bishop Vigneron. The article, titled "Liturgy as Ecology" discusses the liturgical formation and training offered by the seminary. However, it provides insight not only into Bishop Vigneron's approach to the liturgical life of the seminary, but into his broader liturgical vision as well:

The single greatest problem is the tendency to turn the Liturgy into a focus on the self, rather than on God. Bishop Vigneron believes these tendencies are misguided, because they "obscure the Christological and Trinitarian focus inherent in liturgy."

"Liturgy", he says, "is not entertainment, it is not self-validated. Liturgy is the experience of heaven, not something that happens to me in some sort of emotional-personal state."

The second discussion comes from the weekly online column, "Tridentine Community News" [PDF] (January 11, 2009), which is also printed as part of the Sunday St. Josaphat Church bulletin. Here is the relevant portion of that discussion:

Archbishop-designate Vigneron and the Tridentine Mass

Much has been, and will be, written about newly-announced Archbishop-designate of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Allen Vigneron. Readers of this column, of course, will be most curious about his stance on the Tridentine Mass. We believe that our Holy Father’s selection of this particular man bodes well for the cause of the Classic Roman Liturgy in our region.

Let’s consider Bishop Vigneron’s record as Bishop of Oakland, California. In the March, 2003 edition of San Francisco Faith, an interviewer asked His Excellency:

“Q: What's your opinion of the Tridentine Mass?

A: The Holy Father has certainly encouraged the indult for Ecclesia Dei, and I certainly want to respond to the leadership of the pope in that matter.”

Bishop Vigneron followed up this statement with action: St. Margaret Mary Church near downtown Oakland had always been an impressive parish. With both Novus Ordo Latin and Tridentine Masses on the schedule, traditional architecture, and a competent music program, St. Margaret was already a home for those who prefer classic liturgy. In January, 2005, Bishop Vigneron brought in the Institute of Christ the King to assist at the parish. In addition to being made Assistant Pastor, the Institute priest was given the title “Episcopal Delegate [to the Diocese of Oakland] for the Latin Rite of 1962”. Bishop Vigneron instituted weekday Mass and permitted all of the sacraments to be celebrated according to the Extraordinary Form. A catechetical program conducted according to traditional norms was also begun.

What happened next was instructive: This longstanding home of the Traditional Mass saw their Sunday Tridentine Mass attendance increase from about 130 to over 300, essentially filling this medium-sized church. Virtually nothing about the Mass itself had changed; what was new, and obviously attractive to people, was the evident commitment of the bishop to creating a fuller traditional parish experience than just Sunday Mass.

Bishop Vigneron has participated in at least two events at St. Margaret Mary: On December 10, 2005, he celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation according to the Extraordinary Form, then celebrated [what appears to have been from the photos] a Pontifical Low Mass. On January 23, 2008, he delivered a homily about St. Francis de Sales at, but did not celebrate, a weekday evening Tridentine Mass. For copyright reasons, we cannot reproduce the photos here, but they are available at www.institute-christ-king.org.

In the kind of cross-diocese cooperation that we see here between the Tridentine Communities of the Diocese of London (Windsor) and the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Vigneron and Diocese of San Jose Bishop Patrick McGrath established an arrangement where St. Margaret’s Institute priest was also given charge of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in Santa Clara, south of Oakland. This formerly schismatic chapel had been regularized with the San Jose Diocese.

The September 19, 2005 edition of Bishop Vigneron’s column in “The Catholic Voice,” the Oakland diocesan newspaper, was entitled, “10 Rules for Handling Disagreement Like a Christian”. Rule #3 is pertinent to us today:

“3. The Rule of Legitimate Freedom: ‘What the Church allows is not to be disallowed.’

This rule means that in situations where the Church says that a variety of views or opinions is legitimate, I should not impose my option as a mandate on others. For example: we can receive Holy Communion in the hand or on the tongue. Either one is acceptable.”

In other words, if the Holy Father supports Latin in the liturgy, so should we. If he supports wider use of the Extraordinary Form, so should we. Liberality is not merely about permitting innovation, it is also about restoring the traditions of the Church. Again, His Excellency walks the talk: Prior to being assigned to Oakland, during his tenure as rector of Detroit’s Sacred Heart Seminary, Gregorian Chant was reintroduced and a schola was formed.

We cannot imagine that Detroit could realistically have been assigned a greater friend to the Tridentine Mass, and to sound liturgical practice in general. But let us be realistic and understand that he will be the archbishop to all Catholics in the Archdiocese, and as such, support for Latin Liturgy will occupy a tiny fraction of his time. The wonderful news is that we have reason to be optimistic that His Excellency’s proven sympathy and support for the Extraordinary Form will translate into additional growth of, and events involving, our beloved Traditional Liturgy.

Discussion?