Sunday, January 19, 2020

Tridentine Community News - Musical Talent Hidden in Our Midst; Priest Training in Saginaw; Third of Four London Episodes of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo; Interesting Chancery Perspective; TLMs This Coming Week


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (January 19, 2020):
January 19, 2020 – Second Sunday After Epiphany

Musical Talent Hidden in Our Midst

One Sunday in 2004 at St. Michael’s Church, then the home of the Windsor Latin Mass, our usual organist cancelled at the last minute. For reasons known only to God, this writer was moved to ask his wife to go up and down the aisles, asking each member of the faithful present if he or she might be able to play the organ. With only around 30 in attendance, this was a ludicrous idea. Or was it? It turns out there was a young man present who could indeed play the organ, and he ended up doing the job very well. So well, in fact, that he eventually became the Music Director of the Windsor Tridentine Mass, the first step in what has become an illustrious career in Catholic church music. That young man was Matthew Meloche, who currently serves as Director of Music at Ss. Peter & Paul Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona.

All parties involved still get a laugh when reminiscing about this event, but it turns out the same strategy could have been used once again to fill a temporary vacancy at the Oakland County Latin Mass Association. After several weeks of the choir singing without an organist, we recently learned that OCLMA member and Sacred Heart Major Seminary Associate Professor of Philosophy Dr. Victor Salas happens to be an accomplished organist and used to play at a seminary in Pennsylvania. After a little arm twisting, he recently began subbing for Sunday Mass at the Academy of the Sacred Heart Chapel. Even more amazing, the OCLMA has been getting two for the price of one: Victor’s daughter Adrienne has been accompanying him on the violin.

If you happen to have (unknown) music talent, by all means ask to audition for the choir at your Latin Mass site. Perhaps your gift could be put to good use in the service of the Lord.

Priest Training in Saginaw


Congratulations to Fr. Christopher Coman of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, who celebrated his first Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Tuesday, January 14, after training from Extraordinary Faith. Fr. Christopher has been invited by the diocese to be one of the priests to serve a new Latin Mass Community being formed, the first in the diocese. Local faithful are delighted that their many years of prayer and hard work to establish a TLM site are finally coming to fruition.

Third of Four London Episodes of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo


Episode 17 of Extraordinary Faith – London Part 3 of 4 – is now available for viewing on the Extraordinary Faith channel on YouTube and Vimeo. We’ll take you to St. James Spanish Place [pictured], an historic church in London’s embassy district known as a home for traditional Catholic worship. We’ll listen to St. James’ renowned professional choir and learn about London’s thriving sacred music scene from its young music director. We’ll talk with the chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, the largest organization in the world dedicated to promoting the Extraordinary Form. We’ll journey south of the Thames River to St. George’s Cathedral, where a girls’ choir has embraced the classical Latin repertoire. And we’ll meet the convert priest who heads the Anglican Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a quasi-diocese which serves Anglicans who join the Roman Catholic Church.

Interesting Chancery Perspective

An official from a chancery somewhere in the United States recently held a meeting with this writer with an interesting premise: He stated that his diocese has come to the realization that over the next few decades there will be a slow decline of attendance at the Ordinary Form, while the Traditional Mass will experience slow but steady growth, and his diocese wants to be prepared for this shift. It plans to devote an increasing amount of resources to educating, supporting, and promoting traditional liturgy. The official gave permission for us to report this, but not to identify the diocese. Hopefully we will see other dioceses embrace this evolution with a similar positive outlook.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Tue. 01/21 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Agnes, Virgin & Martyr)
  • Sat. 01/25 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Conversion of St. Paul)
[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 January 19, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Tridentine Community News - 2019 Year in Review; Thanks to Our Priest Celebrants; Thanks to Our Volunteers


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (December 29, 2019):
December 29, 2019 – Sunday in the Octave of Christmas

2019 Year in Review

As is our annual custom, we present a list of some of the most significant local Latin Mass developments from the past year:

More Churches Offer Special Occasion Tridentine Masses: The Orchard Lake Seminary Chapel, the Solanus Center Friars’ Chapel, St. Mary of Redford, St. Mary in Royal Oak, and Our Lady of the Rosary in Detroit opened their doors for the first time this year for special celebrations of the Traditional Mass.

More Frequent Pontifical Masses: 2019 saw three significant Pontifical Masses: Raymond Cardinal Burke celebrated a Pontifical Solemn Mass at Assumption Grotto; Bishop Earl Boyea celebrated his first Pontifical Solemn Mass at St. John Vianney in Flint; and Bishop Donald Hanchon celebrated a Pontifical Low Mass and conferred Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form for the OCLMA at Old St. Mary’s.

Opening of First Local Classical School: The conversion of John Paul II School in Lincoln Park to a classical format marked the debut of a Latin and classics-centric curriculum in our region. The Archdiocese of Detroit is willing to open more classical schools if the first one proves operationally and financially viable.

Continued Growth in Priest Training: 2019 set another record for number of priests taking advantage of Extraordinary Faith’s two-day training program in celebrating the Extraordinary Form. All three of the priests ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2019 have learned and celebrated the Traditional Mass.

Thanks to Our Priest Celebrants

Please include in your prayers those priests who have celebrated Holy Masses in the Extraordinary Form for us over the past year. Without them, we have no Mass: Fr. Lee Acervo, Fr. David Bechill, Fr. Mark Borkowski, Msgr. Ronald Browne, Fr. Athanasius Fornwalt, Fr. Peter Hrytsyk, Fr. Brian Hurley, Fr. David Johnston, Fr. Louis Madey, Fr. Clint McDonell, Fr. John McKenzie, Fr. Adam Nowak, Fr. Derik Peterman, Fr. R.J. Slaton, Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz, Fr. Jake Van Assche, and Fr. Cy Whitaker.

Thanks to Our Volunteers

The thriving Latin Mass scene we enjoy is in large part due to the consistent effort put forth by a dedicated team of volunteers. Those listed in bold deserve special commendation for volunteering at multiple sites across metro Detroit and Windsor.

Oakland County Latin Mass Association

Altar Servers: Nathan LaMendola, Riley LaMendola, Tyler LaMendola, Thomas McCourt, Kieran McDonnell, Liam McDonnell, Dominic Salas, Manny Salas, Edward Schmick, Vincent Schmick, Charlie Shane, Jude Shane

Board Members: Chris Batts, James Hitchcock, Cecilia Lakin, Sanford Lakin, Jon McDonnell

Choir Members (not including paid professionals): Joe Baldiga, Brian Bogedin, Maggie McCourt, Jill McDonnell, Anne Shane

Collection Counting: David Schmick

Rosary Leader: Mary Strahorn

Set-up & Take-down: Henry McCourt, Patrick McCourt

Ushers: Chris Batts, Pete Higgins, Patrick McCourt, Jon McDonnell, Michael Merriman

St. Benedict Tridentine Community

Altar Servers: Gabriel Ang, Matthew Charbonneau, Damien Cincurak, Martin Janisse, Benjamin McKinley, James Murphy, Jonathan Ozorak, Lucas Sarweh, Mitchell Witteveen, Dillon Yetman

Choir Members – Tuesday: Irena Hurajt, Laura Hurajt, Michel Ozorak, Celina Sarweh, Regina Sarweh

Choir Members – Sunday (not including paid professionals): Radek Budzik

Collection Counting: Agnes Arias, Theresa McKinley, Tim McKinley, Claudia Rutter

Finance Council: Ted Jankowski, Charlotte Parent [Treasurer]

Receptions & Social Events: Diane Begin, Christina Grossi

Rosary Leader: Tom Gilbert

Set-up & Take-down: Theresa McKinley, Tim McKinley

Ushers: Francis Ang, John Foot, Will Foot, Ted Jankowski, Frank O’Reilly, Ron Parent

Vestment & Altar Linen Laundry & Maintenance, and Newcomer Orientation: Diane Begin

Old St. Mary’s, Bus Tours, & Other Sites

Altar Servers: Xavier Erskine, Matthew Hanstad (seminarian), Elliott Schmick, John Tome, Zach Trailer

Ushers: Andrew Assenmacher, Mike Campeau, Pat Zelenak

- Alex Begin, Tridentine Community News editor
[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 December 29, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - First Tridentine Mass Held at St. Joseph Chapel, Pontiac; Pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul Westside Commences TLMs; The Untapped Masses; Tridentine Masses This Coming Week


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (January 12, 2020):
January 12, 2020 – The Holy Family

First Tridentine Mass Held at St. Joseph Chapel, Pontiac


Founded in 1923 as a mission church of Orchard Lake Seminary to serve the Polish community in Pontiac, St. Joseph Chapel closed in 2013. Following in the footsteps of St. Albertus Church in Detroit and the former St. Claude Church, now the Divine Mercy Center, in Clinton Township, St. Joseph Chapel was sold by the Archdiocese of Detroit to an independent non-profit institution, in this case Terra Sancta Ministries, a pilgrimage organization headed by Fr. Alex Kratz, OFM. It reopened after refurbishment in 2017 and now offers Holy Mass in the Ordinary Form on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 12:00 Noon.

On Monday, January 6 St. Joseph Chapel returned to its roots as former Orchard Lake Seminary faculty member and current Thomas Aquinas College (California) chaplain Fr. Robert Marczewski returned to town to celebrate a Tridentine Low Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany. The faithful were delighted and look forward to additional Traditional Masses offered at this historic church.


Pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul Westside Commences TLMs


Many of our readers will recall the numerous Tridentine High Masses offered over the past decade at Ss. Peter & Paul Westside (Detroit). All of those Masses were offered by Fr. Mark Borkowski, who for a while served as Associate Pastor there. The pastor, Fr. Jerry Pilus, was supportive but not yet ready to start offering the Traditional Mass himself. However, he was inspired to take a significant step in that direction by removing the freestanding altar and celebrating all of his Ordinary Form Masses ad oriéntem.

On December 8, Fr. Jerry took that final step and offered his first Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form. His intention is to offer the Tridentine Mass at least once per week in the not-too-distant future, and to have his organist, the unforgettably-named Johnny Kash, be prepared to supply the music for High Masses.

You know progress is being made when a new TLM debuts quietly like this, without the usual channels knowing.

The Untapped Masses

As more and more churches add the Traditional Latin Mass to their schedules, whether on a special occasion basis like St. Joseph Chapel, above, or on a more regular basis like Ss. Peter & Paul Westside and St. Mary of Redford, experience is teaching us an important lesson: Many of the faithful will choose the Tridentine Mass if it is available to them at a convenient place and time.

The first example of this phenomenon was at Immaculate Conception in Lapeer, where shrinking attendance at the 12:00 Noon Novus Ordo Mass was completely turned around when that Mass was changed to an Extraordinary Form High Mass. Around 200 people started showing up for this Mass, some from the nearby Flint Tridentine Community, but many others just regular parishioners who preferred a more reverent liturgy. A similar experience is about to take place at the gigantic, 9,500 family Prince of Peace Parish in Houston, Texas, where a Sunday morning Tridentine Mass is about to be added to the parish schedule. With over 16,000 views and numerous enthusiastic comments on the Extraordinary Faith Facebook post announcing this impending Mass, in spite of the parish’s nondescript, modern architecture and despite its proximity to an FSSP parish, it seems that the effort is destined to be a success. Dare we quote the cliché, if you build it [and promote it], they will come.

When opponents of the Traditional Mass maintain that few people want the Old Rite, how do they know this? Is this simply justification to banish the TLM to a relatively inconvenient Sunday afternoon time? What if a large parish simply tried the experiment of adding a prime-time Sunday morning Latin Mass to the schedule for, say, three months as an experiment? Support it with appropriate advertising. If it is successful, great! If few people attend, then cancel it, and no one will die. It’s a low-risk way to learn if there is latent demand for the classic liturgy.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Tue. 01/14 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Hilary, Bishop, Confessor, & Doctor)
  • Sat. 01/18 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)
  • [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 January 12, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

    Sunday, January 05, 2020

    Chick-fil-A has emboldened the LGBT mob.

    Patrick B. Craine, "Chick-fil-A has emboldened the LGBT mob" LifeSiteNews (November 29, 2019):
    We have sadly decided to boycott Chic-fil-A. Sadly, because we LOVE Chic-fil-A chicken. No one makes better chicken. Much better than KFC or any other vendor. And normally I wouldn't care much where I'm getting my fast food on the road, as long as it's good. I wouldn't care if those making my food are religious, agnostic, or gay. But when an institution stands for traditional Christian family values, is closed on Sundays out of respect for Judeo-Christian sabbath observance, and has "Christian" in its mission statement, but then caves in to anti-Christian lobbies where it’s hard – where the Gospel butts up against our culture of death and sexual licentiousness – they have betrayed their Christian identity. Chic-fil-A is the warning canary in the coal mine, and it just died. Sad. Caveat emptor!
    If you’re still defending them, watch this:



    [If you would prefer to read a transcript of the video, click here.]

    Saturday, January 04, 2020

    Tridentine Masses this Sunday (Jan. 5th) in metro Detroit and east Michigan


    Tridentine Masses This Sunday, Jan. 5, 2019 - Holy Name of Jesus

    Sunday - Jan. 5, 2019



    * NB: The SSPX chapels among those Mass sites listed above are posted here because the Holy Father has announced that "those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins," and subsequently extended this privilege beyond the Year of Mercy. These chapels are not listed among the approved parishes and worship sites on archdiocesan websites.

    Epiphany Tridentine Masses in metro Detroit and east Michigan


    Epiphany Tridentine Masses

    Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 - The Epiphany of Our Lord