Thursday, July 29, 2021

Tridentine Community News - Vatican Phase-Out of Latin Books for the Ordinary Form; San Francisco Training Report; Paducah, Kentucky Priest Training Report; San Francisco Archbishop's Secretary Training Report; Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Vatican Phase-Out of Latin Books for the Ordinary Form

Author and speaker Fr. Peter Stravinskas wrote in an article for Catholic World Report on June 30 that Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican publishing house, has discontinued offering its Latin books for the Ordinary Form Mass and Divine Office. This writer has noticed that their web site, www.vaticanum.com, has for many months shown only a travel-sized version of the Latin Altar Missal for the Ordinary Form; the full-sized version is no longer to be found. Likewise the Ordinary Form Breviary is no longer offered in Latin.

Fr. Stravinskas also writes that the Congregation for Divine Worship has rescinded permission for third party publishers to offer these books. The most noteworthy of these, Midwest Theological Forum, continues to advertise its Latin Ordinary Form altar missal [pictured] and Latin Ordinary Form Breviary for sale, but perhaps will not be allowed to reprint them when current inventory runs out.

If this information is true, it puts a firm nail in the coffin of the Latin Novus Ordo Mass. There are few who still hold out much hope for the Ordinary Form in Latin, but if the books that support that liturgy are intentionally made unavailable, then the only future for Latin in the life of the Church is in the Extraordinary Form.

San Francisco Seminarian Training Report

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, eight seminarians of the Archdiocese of San Francisco took part in Traditional Latin Mass altar serving training taught by Extraordinary Faith at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California. Archbishop Cordileone has recommended that his seminarians learn the Extraordinary Form, both for its own merits and for learning how better to offer the Ordinary Form. The seminarians will use their skills to serve a weekly Saturday Low Mass offered at the seminary by Fr. Samuel Weber.

Paducah, Kentucky Priest Training Report

Fr. Bruce Fogle, Pastor of historic St. John the Evangelist Parish in Paducah, Kentucky, celebrated his first Traditional Latin Mass on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 after training from Extraordinary Faith. Three of his altar servers also took part. Fr. Fogle intends to start a Sunday Low Mass later this summer, which will be the first one in the larger region that includes southern Illinois. He would like to turn this into a High Mass eventually.

San Francisco Archbishop’s Secretary Training Report

Fr. Armando Gutierrez, priest secretary to Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, celebrated his first Traditional Latin Mass on Friday, July 16, 2021 at Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco, after training from Extraordinary Faith. Fr. Armando will be part of the archbishop’s initiative to expand the number of priests available to offer the Extraordinary Form in his archdiocese.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Fri. 08/06 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (Transfiguration of the Lord) – Celebrant: Fr. Stephen Pullis. Reception after Mass.