"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (January 6, 2019):
January 6, 2019 – The Epiphany of Our Lord
Phoenix Cathedral Rector to Visit Detroit To Learn the Traditional Mass
In the Latin Mass world, connecting the dots explains a lot. Former Windsor Tridentine Mass organist Matthew Meloche now serves as the Music Director at the Cathedral of Ss. Simon & Jude in Phoenix, Arizona. Formation Director of the Franciscans of the Holy Spirit Fr. Athanasius Fornwalt commutes between Phoenix and Detroit, as his order is based in Arizona, while its brothers train for the priesthood at Detroit’s Sacred Heart Seminary. Both Fr. Athanasius and Matthew have been gently urging the rector of the Phoenix cathedral, Fr. John Lankeit, to learn the Traditional Mass, as his conservative liturgical preferences suggest it might appeal to him. It didn’t take much convincing. Fr. Lankeit has decided to “immerse himself in the TLM”, via a two-week visit to our region, January 14-28, during which he will take the Extraordinary Faith celebrant training program. He will celebrate the Extraordinary Form privately and publicly during his residence here. Look for him to attend Masses at St. Alphonsus Church in Windsor, and to celebrate Masses at the Oakland County Latin Mass Association, on the Sundays of January 20 and 27. We look forward to welcoming him to, as Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz terms it, the “Tridentine Center of the Universe.”
Franciscans of the Holy Spirit Evangelize the Extraordinary Form
Speaking of the Franciscans of the Holy Spirit, during their visit back to their home base of Phoenix over Christmas, Fr. Athanasius Fornwalt offered a Solemn High Tridentine Mass on Christmas Day at St. Catherine Mission, one of the churches entrusted to his order. This was the first Extraordinary Form Mass to have been offered at St. Catherine in almost 50 years, and hopefully the first of many to come there and at the Franciscans’ other mission churches.
Ecclésia Dei Commission Potentially to be Restructured
Rumors abounded last week of a possible impending restructuring of the Pontifical Commission Ecclésia Dei, the Vatican Department in charge of the Extraordinary Form. Unconfirmed as of press time, it is being reported that Pope Francis is preparing a Motu Proprio absorbing the PCED into the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the body under which it has operated for the past few years. Some believe this is a concession to the SSPX, who desire a closer relationship with the Cardinal Prefect of the CDF during their regularization negotiations. It is being reported that the Holy Father believes the “state of emergency” which necessitated the creation of the PCED in 1988 has ended, and thus it is better suited to being an office within the CDF rather than a quasi-independent commission.
Is this good or bad? Both opinions are being proffered. Optimists contend this is a healthy development, while pessimists fear it may signal the beginning of a suppression of the Traditional Mass. This writer believes we should focus less on the particular canonical structure and more on the personalities involved. Those of us involved with diocesan Tridentine Masses rely on the PCED for answers to liturgical questions. We hope that those questions will continue to be answered by the knowledgeable staff of the PCED, and not assigned to the Congregation for Divine Worship, the Vatican department in charge of the Ordinary Form. The CDW was recently purged of its more traditionally-minded members, save for Prefect Robert Cardinal Sarah; it would not serve the TLM well to have its liturgical strings controlled by those of a modernist mindset.
Mass Intentions Primer
A reader requested that we print the basics on requesting Mass intentions. For St. Benedict, the Oakland County Latin Mass Association, and Old St. Mary’s, you may request Mass intentions by filling out one of the pink forms available at the back of the church. Mass may be offered for living or deceased individuals, or for a special intention. An optional stipend may be included, typically $10 for a regular Mass and $20 for a Requiem Mass. Return the forms to a volunteer or in the collection basket. Requiem Masses are offered at St. Benedict on Tuesdays of the Fourth Class. Only one intention will be scheduled for each Mass.
The wait time varies greatly: At St. Benedict, Mass intentions are booked solid through October, 2019. As a result, St. Benedict reserves the right to restrict the number of intentions a given individual may request, to ensure fair access to others. At the OCLMA and Old St. Mary’s, there is generally a 2-3 month backlog. Rather than waiting almost a year at St. Benedict, consider allowing your intentions to be redirected to these other local TLM sites, where your intention will be offered sooner. Our cooperative relationship makes such possibilities easy and convenient.
Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
- Tue. 01/08 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Requiem Mass for Andrew Gatto)
- Sat. 01/12 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)
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