Tridentine Community News - The Doctors of the Church; Book review: The Wonders of the Mass; Miles Christi Mass format; TLM Mass schedule

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (May 8, 2016):

May 8, 2016 – Sunday After the Ascension

The Doctors of the Church

Have you ever wondered just who are the “Doctors of the Church”? We’re not talking about the Vatican Physician Corps here. The term may be casually used, but it actually refers to a very specific set of individuals, known for the depth of their grasp of the faith and the orthodoxy of their teaching. Interestingly, there are some relatively recent additions to the list. The below table, taken from catholic.org, provides the complete list, showing name, lifespan, and the date of designation by a Pope.

• St. Athanasius, 296 – 373, 1568 by Pius V
• St. Ephraem the Syrian, 306 – 373, October 5, 1920 by Benedict XV
• St. Hilary of Poitiers, 315 – 367, May 13, 1851 by Pius IX
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 315 – 386, July 28, 1882 by Leo XIII
• St. Gregory of Nazianzus, 325 – 389, 1568 by Pius V
• St. Basil the Great, 329 – 379, 1568 by Pius V
• St. Ambrose, 339 – 397, September 20, 1295 by Boniface VIII
• St. John Chrysostom, 347 – 407, 1568 by Pius V
• St. Jerome, 347 – 419, September 20, 1295 by Boniface XIII
• St. Augustine, 354 – 430, September 20, 1295 by Boniface XIII
• St. Cyril of Alexandria, 376 – 444, July 28, 1882 by Leo XIII
• St. Peter Chrysologous, 400 – 450, February 10, 1729 by Benedict XIII
• St. Leo the Great, 400 – 461, October 15, 1754 by Benedict XIV
• St. Gregory the Great, 540 – 604, September 20, 1295 by Boniface XIII
• St. Isidore of Seville, 560 – 636, April 25, 1722 by Innocent XIII
• St. John of Damascus, 645 – 749, August 19, 1890 by Leo XIII
• St. Bede the Venerable, 672 – 735, November 13, 1899 by Leo XIII
• St. Gregory of Narek, 951 – 1003, February 21, 2015 by Francis
• St. Peter Damian, 1007 – 1072, September 27, 1828 by Leo XII
• St. Anselm, 1033 – 1109, February 3, 1720 by Clement XI
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090 – 1153, August 20, 1830 by Pius VIII
• St. Hildegard of Bingen, 1098 – 1179, October 7, 2012 by Benedict XVI
• St. Anthony of Padua, 1195 – 1231, January 16, 1946 by Pius XII
• St. Albert the Great, 1206 – 1280, December 16, 1931 by Pius XI
• St. Bonaventure, 1221 – 1274, March 14, 1588 by Sixtus V
• St. Thomas Aquinas, 1226 – 1274, April 11, 1567 by Pius V
• St. Catherine of Siena, 1347 – 1380, October 4, 1970 by Paul VI
• St. John of Avila, 1500 – 1569, October 7, 2012 by Benedict XVI
• St. Teresa of Avila, 1515 – 1582, September 27, 1970 by Paul VI
• St. Peter Canisius, 1521 – 1597, May 21, 1925 by Pius XI
• St. John of the Cross, 1542 – 1591, August 24, 1926 by Pius XI
• St. Robert Bellarmine, 1542 – 1621, September 17, 1931 by Pius XI
• St. Lawrence of Brindisi, 1559 – 1619, March 19, 1959 by John XXIII
• St. Francis de Sales, 1567 – 1622, November 16, 1871 by Pius IX
• St. Alphonsus Ligouri, 1696 – 1787, July 7, 1871 by Pius IX
• St. Therese of Lisieux, 1873 – 1897, October 19, 1997 by John Paul II

Book Review: The Wonders of the Mass

Reader James Murphy follows up on our April 17 book reviews with a recommendation of a third book by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, OP: The Wonders of the Mass. While most of us are familiar with the great benefits of attending Holy Mass, this brief 42-page book enumerates the graces that come from the Mass in great detail. One excerpt:

By the Mass we offer to God the greatest praise, the greatest glory He could possibly desire. We give Him most perfect thanks for all the benefits He has bestowed on us. We make more reparation for our faults than by the severest penances.

As with Fr. O’Sullivan’s other books, this one is filled with anecdotes of how Saints and ordinary people alike have benefitted from devotion to the Mass. He also points out that reverently celebrated Masses will attract more converts to the Faith. The book concludes with a list of practical recommendations in a chapter entitled, “How to Hear Mass with Profit”.

Fair warning: You will want to go to Mass more often after reading this book.

Miles Christi Mass Format

We have received many expressions of concern about the format of Mass being employed at the Miles Christi Family Center on Saturdays. They have chosen a format which is not supported by mainstream liturgical authorities, that of a Low Mass with sung Introit and Mass Ordinary, in essence a hybrid between a Low Mass and High Mass. This is an innovation this author has not seen in 30+ years of visiting Tridentine Mass sites across the globe, and is most definitely odd. Occasionally one sees practices in the Extraordinary Form that are out of the norm, but which circumstances make necessary, for example a priest with mobility problems omitting genuflections. However, this particular innovation has thin justification. Several people including this writer have explained to the regional superior that official references do not permit this particular format, but so far he has been unwilling to make a change.

Let us be grateful that the majority of local Extraordinary Form Mass sites faithfully follow the rubrics.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 05/09 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor)
• Tue. 05/10 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary (St. Antoninus, Bishop & Confessor)
• Sat. 05/14 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Vigil of Pentecost)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for May 8, 2016. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]