Tridentine Community News - Phoenix Cathedral Rector to Visit Detroit To Learn the Traditional Mass; Franciscans of the Holy Spirit Evangelize the Extraordinary Form; Ecclésia Dei Commission Potentially to be Restructured; Mass Intentions Primer; 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 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)

[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 6, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Ferrara: apostolic constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere bodes ill for future of cloistered convents

[Disclaimer: Rules ##7-9]

In Part III of what he calls "Ominous Power Grabs," Christopher A. Ferrara, "Francis Attacks the Cloistered Convents" (CFN, July 26, 2016), outlines the implications of the apostolic constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere for cloisters, given that the document mandates they immediately join 'federations' to be governed by Presidents and Councils, requiring the adoptation of new constitutions and 'forms of cloister' to be approved by the Vatican's centralizing control over all religious orders. Repealing all prior papal legislation mandating the strictness of major and minor 'papal enclosures' of nuns (e.g., by Pius XII and John Paul II), Francis' apostolic constitution mandates that even papal enclosures of nuns be opened to the public for Eucharistic adoration and permit the routine coming and going of nuns from their enclosures for such things as "specific courses on formation outside their monastery," including the recommended use of the Internet for their 'formation' and 'cooperation' with other convents.

Part I of the series is devoted to the new means of forcing the 'retirement' of bishops by motu proprio, especially troublesome when they seem in some cases ideologically motivated and to focus on prelates perceived as doctrinally and liturgically conservative, such as Bishops Tebartz-van Elstm of Limburg, Germany; Livieres Plano of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; Oliveri of Albenga, Italy; Finn of Cansas City/St. Joseph, Missouri; and Nienstedt of Minneapolis. Whatever the accusations against them, they seem to dwindle in the presence of the notorious homosexual predator, Mgsr Battista Ricca, whom Francis appointed head of his papal household.

Part II reports on a rescript from the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life that would in essence "block the formation of any new traditionally-oriented society of diocesan right by local bishops sympathetic to Tradition unless the Vatican was satisfied with the 'originality' of it's 'charism,' failing which any attempt to erect the society would be void and without effect."

"Of all the post-conciliar popes, Benedict was the one who finally blinked"

Fr. Karl Rahner with Fr. Joseph Ratzinger during Vatican II
~ Breakin' the law! Breakin' the law! Look, mom, no clerics! ~
A provocative response to those rejecting a favorable comparison of Benedict with Pope Francis. By traditionalist journalist, Michael Matt, "Benedict & Francis: Two Peas in a Papal Pod?" (Remnant, January 26, 2016). Matt offers an educated guess as to why Benedict abdicated, or had to abdicate, suggesting that packs of liberal wolves hounded him out of office. (What pressures they brought to bear, God only knows.) He compares Benedict, whose Summorum Pontificum and lifting of the SSPX excommunications outraged many, with the direction Francis has taken things, asking: "What would life be like right now without the powerful spiritual bulwarks (and human consolation!) provided by hundreds of traditional Mass centers around the world, established as a direct result of [Summorum Pontificum]?" Could anyone in his right mind contend that the escalating crisis in the Church today would not have been exponentially worse, he asks, were it not for those bulwarks thrown up by Benedict? "They got rid of [Benedict] for a reason, which the St. Gallen Group now brazenly admits," writes Matt. "Of all the post-conciliar popes, Benedict was the one who finally blinked. And history may well reveal that the reign of Pope Benedict helped undermine the very Modernist revolution which, ironically enough, Benedict himself had had a hand in a half century earlier," he adds. (Remember, back when Fr. Joseph Ratzinger worked along side Karl Rahner, and was a peritus at Vatican II under Cardinal Frings?) There's much more to it than this bit here, but check it out. Food for thought.

[Hat tip to JM]

Another terrific discussion in Download: "Tradition under fire"

Yes indeed: another excellent Download, a half-hour panel discussion this time of the Anglican Ordinariate, Summorum Pontificum, and the "blowback" and fallout the Church has witnessed -- partricularly for Summorum Pontificum -- from both clerics and laity who identify the post-Vatican II regnum as a rejection of pre-Vatican II tradition: "Tradition Under Fire" (Church Militant, January 29, 2016). A bit of Anglican history about the Book of Common Prayer, a bit of Catholic history about the liturgical changes spanning the last five decades, and a fine discussion of what is at stake.

Why the brouhaha over streamlined annulments?

Here are two contrasting views:

• Fr. Dwight Longenecker, "Faster Annulments: Building a Raft Out of the Wreckage" (Patheos, September 8, 2015):

  Some people complain that there are too many annulments, and no doubt there are some abuses. Some annulments are given out lightly and I expect with the new rules even more annulments will be doled out too quickly and automatically. However, that need not be the case [huh? did I miss something?], and the more efficient rules will mean that the obvious cases for annulment can be dealt with more quickly and this will help all those involved in the pastoral care of those in broken marriages.
  
  Is it necessarily a terrible thing that there will be more annulments?
  
  I will never forget what one pastor said when discussing this matter: “Of course there are more annulments than ever before. That’s because there are more invalid marriages than ever before.”
  
  I’m sure nobody would dispute the fact that marriage and weddings in our mixed up society are a total mess. [Emphasis added by Guy Noir]

  (Our correspondent, Guy Noir, remarks: "[I]f marriage is so difficult a concept to grab hold of, so rarely now actually realized, maybe the communion ban on divorced people should not be an issue at all -- ban most everybody! Buying into the new meme, it could convincingly be suggested but that Church invite to communion only bonafide singles and those they believe were actually and validly married in the first place. Because they seem to think this latter group is a pretty small one, such a practice would be far sounder and much safer, since under a Franciscan diagnosis society has produced within the Church a morally-addled mess. Running with the hospital analogy, the majority need saving before feeding, confession before Mass. And, I guess, somewhere in there, marriage. Yes, I agree, let's make things as complicated as we possibly can!")
  
  
• Roberto de Mattei, "A Would Inflicted on Christian Marriage" (Rorate Caeli, September 11, 2015):

  ... The indissolubility of marriage is a Divine and unmodifiable law of Jesus Christ. The Church cannot “annul” a marriage in the sense of dissolving it. She can, through a declaration of nullity, verify its inexistence, due to the lack of those requisites which assure its validity. Which means that in the canonical process, the Church’s priority is not the interests of the spouses to obtain the declaration of nullity, but the validity of the marriage bond itself [my ephasis].
  
  ... In Pope Francis’ Motu Proprio this view has been overturned. The interest of the spouses has primacy over that of marriage. It is the document itself that affirms this, by summarizing the fundamental criteria of the reform in these points: the abolition of the double-sentence in conformity, substituted by only one sentence in favor of the enforceability of the annulment; the attribution of monocratic power to the bishop, qualified as sole judge; the introduction of an expedite process [brevior], de facto uncontrollable, with the substantial downsizing of the role of the Roman Rota.
  
  ... Favor matrimonii is substituted for favor nullitatis, which comes to be the primary element of the law, while indissolubility is reduced to an impracticable “ideal”. The theoretical affirmation of indissolubility of marriage, is accompanied in practice with the right to a declaration of nullity for every failed marital bond. It will be enough, in conscience, to deem one’s own marriage invalid, in order to have it recognized as null by the Church. It is the same principle with which some theologians consider a marriage “dead”, where according to both, or one of the spouses, “love has died”. [emphasis from Rorate Caeli]

For anyone interested in delving deeper, I recommend, from Canonist Ed Peters' blog, In the Light of the Law:

• "A first look at Mitis Iudex" (September 8, 2015)
• "A second look at Mitis, especially at the new fast-track annulment process" (September 8, 2015)
• "The pope’s niece might be on to something" (September 9, 2015)
• "A linguistic concern occasioned by an important debate over synodal proposals," September 12, 2015.

"Latin Mass prejudices"

Kevin Tierney has a guest post over at Unam Sanctam Catholicam (May 15, 2015), which is quite good. Blog host, Boniface, introduces the piece with the words: "We are grateful for this lovely post on the question of the Traditional Latin Mass and why calls for a 'better tone' among online defenders of the TLM are meaningless."

Tierney gets into the meat of his discussion by raising the question:

But is the Latin Mass at least equal to the Novus Ordo? I think that's where the interesting question is. According to Vatican II, Ecclesia Dei and Summorum Pontificum (amongst many others) the answer is an unqualified yes. It is an approved form of worship within the Church, and like all of the liturgical life of the Church, it is worth cherishing and celebrating.

Does that sound like the way the Latin Mass is treated? The answer is an unqualified no. According to Robert Cardinal Sarah, Summorum Pontificum is not a reality within the dioceses of the world because a spirit of exclusion exists within Catholics who celebrate both forms. They weaponize the liturgy with hate and malice. Those are interesting words, but they don't convey the reality of why those words in Summorum Pontificum are often pious aspirations.

In several dioceses here in America, there is a de facto ban on advertising the availability of Latin Masses on websites, parish bulletins, etc. Other times there are countless hurdles being placed for celebrating the Latin Mass, including the bishop determining for himself whether or not someone is "competent" to celebrate it, something Ecclesia Dei has made clear is wrong. Saying the priest should tell the bishop to go screw while he appeals to Rome is nice in theory, but is probably going to make life quite difficult for the priest, and his congregation. In any such case, when priests have their visas revoked for saying that both the faithful trads and bishops need to be more accommodating towards each other, that is not faithful to the spirit of the Magesterium.

Read more >>

St. Petersburg bishop dismantles Summorum Pontificum in his diocese

Brian Williams, "Bishop Lynch and the Dismantling of Summorum Pontificum" (1P5, May 14, 2015):

Last month members of the Latin Mass community of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida were stunned to receive a letter addressed to them by their local ordinary, Bishop Robert Lynch. Following years of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass being offered at two different diocesan parishes, the faithful of both St. Anthony of Padua in San Antonio and Incarnation Catholic Church in Tampa learned that they would be losing the traditional Mass. Instead of further realizing Pope Benedict’s vision of both forms of the Roman Rite mutually enriching each other through greater availability, Bishop Lynch has instead chosen the path of displacement and containment.

The bishop’s letter is often antagonistic in its tone, surprisingly so at times, and this despite the fact that we should no longer be surprised by such overt hostility toward this group of faithful.

[Hat tip to E.B.]

Michael Davies (13 March 1936 – 25 September 2004): Latin Mass Hero - Part II

New Catholic, "10 years without Michael Davies: II- The Extraordinary Life and Times of Michael Davies, Latin Mass Hero - and a list of his works" (Rorate Caeli, September 19, 2014):

Michael Davies – “A Writer to Cherish”

Leo Darroch*

Michael Treharne Davies was born on 13th March 1936.  His father, a Welshman, was a Baptist and his mother, who was English, was a member of the Church of England. On leaving school in 1954 at the age of eighteen he joined the British Army as a regular soldier and served in Malaya, Egypt, and Cyprus. There is one comment in his army service records that is of particular interest.  In August 1957 his commanding officer stated that,

Seventh Anniversary of Summórum Pontíficum

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News (September 14, 2014):

Today is the seventh anniversary of the effective date of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio, Summórum Pontíficum, which freed any priest to celebrate the Extraordinary Form of Holy Mass without requiring his bishop’s permission. The surge in availability of the Tridentine Mass following this legislation is testimony to the need that it fulfilled.


Summórum has also had a cascading effect on surrounding issues, such as the resurgence of interest in Gregorian Chant, chanting the Propers of the Mass in the Ordinary Form, quality of sacred vestments, and the architecture of new and renovated churches.

Kindly include our retired Holy Father in your prayers. He remains supportive of the Extraordinary Form, as evidenced by his recent visit with leaders of Juventútem and the annual October Summórum Pontíficum Pilgrimage to Rome.

Liturgical Conference in Chicago


St. John Cantius Church in Chicago will be hosting a three day conference on the Sacred Liturgy Friday-Sunday, October 3-5, with an emphasis on the Extraordinary Form. Details and registration information are available at:

http://www.cantius.org/go/events/detail/sacred_liturgy_conference_with_fr._john_zuhlsdorf/

USCCB Revises Its Position on Kneeling for Holy Communion

An interesting discovery was made this week by Corpus Christi Watershed’s Jeff Ostrowski. In 2012, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops quietly revised its earlier policy which stated that standing was the normative posture for reception of Holy Communion in the United States, and that members of the faithful who preferred to kneel were to be “catechized” about the norms. Since those words were published in 2003, the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship has responded to numerous queries about this norm, always supporting the right of the faithful to receive the Sacrament in the traditional posture of kneeling. The USCCB ultimately changed its norm, as explained in the January, 2012 USCCB Newsletter of the Committee on Divine Worship: “In the current edition [of the General Instruction for the Roman Missal], the exhortation to catechesis is removed and the exception to the norm of standing is left to the discretion of the faithful: ‘unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling.’”

Many parishes in North America are adding Communion Rails and/or restoring the practice of kneeling to receive Holy Communion. Locally, Mother of Divine Mercy Parish will now be distributing at the rail at all Masses, Ordinary and Extraordinary Form, at all three of its churches, St. Josaphat, St. Joseph, and Sweetest Heart of Mary. Other parishes already so doing include Old St. Mary’s, Holy Family, and Assumption Grotto in Detroit, Ss. Cyril & Methodius in Sterling Heights, and St. Edward on the Lake in Lakeport.

Weekday Tridentine Masses to Remain at St. Joseph

The Facebook page for St. Joseph Church reports that while Sunday Tridentine Masses have returned to St. Josaphat Church, Monday and First Friday Tridentine Masses will remain at St. Joseph Church.

Cáveat emptor: The September 7 Mother of Divine Mercy Parish Bulletin reports that Monday Masses are also moving to St. Josaphat, though nothing has yet been said about First Fridays. We believe the Facebook information is correct, however.

Ss. Cyril & Methodius Tridentine Masses to End

Ss. Cyril & Methodius Church in Sterling Heights will be ending their weekly Saturday 6:00 PM Tridentine Mass at some point in October. Celebrant availability challenges are the reason.

Finding celebrants for our local Extraordinary Form Masses is the single biggest challenge we face. The priest shortage makes it difficult for even those priests who want to help us to find time to do so. All the more reason for all of us to pray and work for vocations to the sacred priesthood.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 09/15 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Joseph (Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Tue. 09/16 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor (Ss. Cornelius, Pope & Cyprian, Martyrs)
• Sat. 09/20 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular, Wyandotte (St. Eustache & Companions, Martyrs)

[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 Assumption (Windsor) bulletin inserts for September 14, 2014. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]

Juventutem Thanks Benedict XVI for Summorum Pontificum

The future of the Church lies with our youth. God bless 'em!

Vetran EF emcee on what it takes to get and sustain an EF Mass

David L. Alexander, "The Latin Mass: Why You Can't Have It" (Man with black hat, September 12, 2014).

"Well, you can, actually ... Every major reform of the Church began in two ways; from among the laity, and through personal reform. We must, at the end of the day, be the solution within ourselves that we seek from others."

Read more >>

Minority within Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate wanted to scrap the Old Mass

From Vatican Insider (La Stampa, August 6, 2013): Andrea Tornielli interviews the Procurator General of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, the Institute of the Holy See recently placed under the supervision of a commissioner. Key excerpts:

To what extent did the issue of the use of the old missal influence the decision to send an apostolic visitor?

“It had a big influence on the decision because the group of friars I mentioned before accused the founding Father of imposing the Vetus Ordo on the whole Institute. Although the accusation is completely unfounded, people believed it and our attempts to prove it was false proved futile. This false accusation has spread like an oil slick, with various newspapers and news agencies passing it on. This has seriously harmed the good name of the Institute’s founding Father.”

Traditionalist blogs and websites have reacted to this news – and to the decision that prior authorisation will have to be obtained before the Institute can celebrate Mass according to the Old Rite – by saying that these decisions disavow Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio. Do you agree with this interpretation? What can you say about these decisions?

“Fr. Lombardi has clearly stated that the decisions taken regarding our Institute are not a disavowal of the Motu Proprio. However, we are still waiting for an authentic interpretation of the Holy See’s liturgical provisions for our Institute. For example, it is still unclear who exactly the “competent authorities” who will give the aforementioned authorization, are. Will it be the commissioner, the Congregation for Religious, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the local ordinary, one of these or all of these? We hope this is just a temporary disciplinary provision and that we will soon be given authorisation to celebrate according to the Vetus Ordo also, as we have always done. Without all the current restrictions which – unless a better reason can be given – deprive us of the universal right granted to us in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum and the Instruction Universae Ecclesiae.”

Have any members of your Institute played a role in spreading the above interpretation?

“No.”

When you have asked for clarifications regarding some of our articles, you have always stressed that you did not only use the old missal and that all decisions were taken bearing in mind the provisions of the Motu Proprio. Is it true that before the apostolic visit, the “Ecclesia Dei” commission had cautioned the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate to be prudent in their use of the old missal?

“Yes, we tried to be as prudent and discreet as possible in exercising our special right which gives the General Chapter in session “supreme authority in the Institute”, in accordance with the Constitutions (§ 81). The last General Chapter held in 2008, established that the General Council (that is, Fr. Stefano M. Manelli and his five advisors) was to draft a protocol for the Vetus Ordo to be introduced in our communities. This was done in the form of a letter sent on 21 November 2011. The Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” considered this letter carefully, taking account Benedict XVI’s thinking, but this official judgement was not taken into consideration during the developments in our case. We do not understand why and are greatly saddened by this. We entrust our cause to Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order.” (Emphasis added by Fr. Z on his post about this)

Pop song parodies honoring 5th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum

Back in 2007, official WDTPRS Parody Song Writer, our own esteemed Tim Ferguson, offered Fr. Z a tune in honor of the July 7, 2007, release of the text Summorum Pontificum by Pope Benedict XVI. The tune was based on Pete Seeger’s classic, made famous by the Byrds in 1965, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Fr. Z thought Ferguson's lyrics good enough to repost again this year HERE, and anyone unfamiliar with the tune can find the Byrds' rendition of it HERE.

Inspired by the reposting of his offering 5 years ago, Ferguson has come to Fr. Z's service again this year with an endeavor that takes the cake, this one to the Beatles’ “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” Ferguson remarks: "Unfortunately, to fit the tune, you have to put the emphasis on the last syllable of “Summorum”, but it works." Indeed it does.

In case you don't know the tune, click on the following online recording of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" by the Beatles, and sing along with Ferguson's lyrics HERE.

Remembering the liturgical war dead

From "Four years: Memento etiam, Domine ..." (Rorate Caeli, July 7, 2011):

The beautiful words of that great French hero of the Traditional Mass, Jean Madiran, who has lived to see the miracle, remembering the names of some who died in the battlefield:

"For thirty seven years, a whole generation of militant Catholics, religious or lay members of the Militant Church (a generation reaching from 7 to 97 years of age) suffered, without giving in, openly defying the arbitrary interdict on the Traditional Mass. We think of our dead: Cardinal Ottaviani, Father Calmel, Father Raymond Dulac, Monsignor Renato Pozzi, Monsignor Lefebvre, Father Guérard. And, among the laymen: Cristina Campo, Luce Quenette, Louis Salleron, Eric de Saventhem. The pontifical goodwill is for them as a light breeze, which sweetly brings peace to their tombs. Wherever they are now, they do not need it anymore. But it is their memory amongst us which is appeased and elevated."

And also: Bishop Castro Mayer, Father Gamber, Michael Davies, Tito Casini, and so many, many others (priests, laymen and laywomen- God knows their names!), each of whom placed his own brick, large or small, in the great dam built for decades against the tumultuous tides of the late twentieth century. Thank you, thank you, thank you dearly! The heat of the battle has caused so much personal attrition, exaggerations, and misunderstandings... Yet, justice cannot be denied: gratitude is owed to those who did not live to see, on this earth, the glorious date of July 7, 2007.

"The older rite is here to stay" - analysis of Universae Ecclesiae by Alcuin Reid

From the Catholic Herald via Fr. Z, who writes:

There is a piece on The Catholic Herald‘s site (full disclosure: I write regularly for CH now) about Benedict XVI’s provision in Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae by Alcuin Reid who reedited Fortescue/O’Connell Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described.

My [i.e., Fr. Z's] emphases and comments.

The Pope has made clear the older rite is here to stay

By Dr Alcuin Reid on Friday, 20 May 2011

It may seem rather odd that Pope Benedict XVI?has expended so much energy on rules about the use of the old “Latin Mass” – after all, it would appear that most Catholics are content with the modern liturgy in the vernacular. [Which, to date, they really have never experienced. The new translation will help to change that. But... quaeritur...] Why, then, yet another set of rules from Rome in this Instruction?

The answer is found in the fact that, as the Instruction insists, the older rites are a “precious treasure to be preserved,” and that the Holy Father wants to offer this treasure “to all the faithful”, not as a quaint museum piece but as a living source of life and grace for the whole Church of today and into the future. All laity, clergy and religious should have access to its diverse riches. [The clear implication is that all should be exposed to the traditional Form.]

These latest rules envisage the inclusion of recent saints and some new texts in the older liturgy. They even foresee new editions of the missal and other liturgical books of the older rites: the older liturgy will continue to exist [attention...] and develop as it has over the centuries up until the Second Vatican Council. But it cannot, however, now have certain modern practices (altar girls, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, etc) imposed on it. Its integrity is guaranteed. [NB: He doesn't seem to think that the inclusion of new texts puts its "integrity" at risk. Neither do I, depending on the texts, of course. How can the inclusion of new saints harm its integrity? How can the option of some additional prefaces be harmful?]

Of course, there are historical realities behind this Instruction and the 2007 Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which it clarifies. [1] In the first place there is the controversy over the liturgical changes that followed the Council. [Many changes were not foreseen by the mandates of the Council Fathers. But... quaeritur...] Were they a legitimate development or did they involve a rupture with tradition? Neither of these documents settles that question, but the Instruction does, significantly, speak of the development of the Missale Romanum “until the time of Blessed Pope John XXIII” and of the “new Missal” approved for the Church in 1970 by Paul VI. [Sounds rather like a rupture. No?] This authoritative recognition of a clear distinction between the two – both of which, the Instruction maintains, must be seen to be legitimate and valid – does admit a clear “difference” between that of Paul VI and what came before. Discussion of the implications of this will continue. [Ever since Summorum Pontificum came out, I have argued that the Pope provided a juridical solution to the relationship of the EF and OF, but he did not settle the issue of whether there were two distinct rites. In Universae Ecclesiae, which moves the discussion into more theological grounds, with its reference to Summorum Pontificum as part of the Holy Father's Magisterium, perhaps we are moving closer to an answer.]

Univérsæ Ecclésiæ: The Clarification on Summórum Pontíficum

Tridentine Community News (May 15, 2011):

Ever since Pope Benedict XVI published his Motu Proprio, Summórum Pontíficum, on July 7, 2007, freeing any priest to celebrate the Tridentine Mass without requiring the permission of his bishop, there has been expectation of a follow-up document clarifying some issues raised by the Motu Proprio. In the intervening time, it had been reported that the former President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclésia Dei, Dario Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, had prepared a Clarification and was waiting for the Holy Father’s approval. After Cardinal Hoyos’ retirement, it was reported that Msgr. Guido Pozzo, the new Secretary and effective leader of the PCED, had worked on a document. There was widespread concern a few months ago that the new document was too restrictive; an on-line petition to the Holy Father to intervene was available to be signed by those concerned. Subsequent reports stated that the message had gotten across to the Holy Father, who modified the Clarification before permitting its publication. How much of this actually transpired is beyond our knowledge.

On Friday, May 13, 2011, the mystery was put to rest with the publication of the Clarification, officially called the “Instruction on the application of the Apostolic Letter Summórum Pontíficum of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI given Motu Proprio”, and to be known by the Latin title Univérsæ Ecclésiæ, “to the whole Church.” Below we comment on some highlights of the document, which will take its place beside Ecclésiæ Dei Adflícta and Summórum Pontíficum as a landmark step in the further renewal of the Tridentine Mass in the life of the Church.

Article 15 supports the notion of cross-diocesan Tridentine Mass groups. The Windsor Tridentine Mass Association which administers the Extraordinary Form Masses at Assumption Church has been a living example of this from the day of its founding in 1991 by a joint group of Canadians and Americans. It is interesting that Rome recognizes the viability of this operational model.

Article 16 seems to make it almost obligatory for a pastor to permit a Tridentine Mass at his parish when the essential resources are available and a request has been made.

Article 17.2 seems to support the use of appropriately outfitted churches when they are available. It is a shame to see certain Tridentine Masses celebrated in humble or excessively modern facilities when a more fitting church or chapel is available nearby.

Article 21 is perhaps the most significant in the document:

“Ordinaries are asked to offer their clergy the possibility of acquiring adequate preparation for celebrations in the forma extraordinaria. This applies also to Seminaries, where future priests should be given proper formation, including study of Latin and, where pastoral needs suggest it, the opportunity to learn the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite.”

Such a strongly-worded exhortation has far-reaching implications for the future of the Tridentine Mass. With the longest and most far-reaching experience in this region in every aspect of organizing and celebrating the Extraordinary Form dating back to 1991, our joint group of volunteers and priests from Assumption-Windsor and St. Josaphat will heed this call by offering training services to the Diocese of London, the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Diocese of Lansing, and the three regional seminaries.

Article 25 makes it clear that Saints and Prefaces will be added to the 1962 Missal, and that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei will administer the process. With a uniquely accurate and growing set of Microsoft Word®-based Propers and Chant Sheets that will facilitate the creation of a master Missal which can be extended over time, we will offer our work to the PCED.

Article 28 clarifies the ban female altar servers and Communion in the hand in the Extraordinary Form.

Article 31 is the one part of the document likely to be unpopular, in that it restricts use of the traditional rites of Ordination to the orders devoted to the Extraordinary Form, such as the Fraternity of St. Peter. This may be intended to prevent the perception of there being two classes of priests within a diocese.

Article 32 says that those obliged to pray the Breviary may use the 1961 books, but may not pray the vernacular version. An important point for those affected, and an important clarification as Baronius Press is about to publish a Latin/English edition of the traditional Divine Office.

Article 33 confirms our ability to hold the Sacred Triduum at a church (or cluster) that also offers it in the Ordinary Form. Universal Church Law trumps diocesan norms.

Article 34 allows orders with their own historic liturgies, such as the Norbertines and Dominicans, to use them.

Article 35 clarifies that we are to use the 1961 Rituále Románum and Colléctio Rítuum for blessings and certain Sacraments, and not the 1964 editions.

The Introductory Notes may be found at:
http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/27408.php?index=27408&lang=en

The Instruction itself is at:
http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/27407.php?index=27407&lang=en

Click on “Inglese” on the above pages to get the English versions.

We request your prayers for Pope Benedict XVI, under whose reign the Extraordinary Form continues to gain ground.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Mon. 05/16 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Ubaldus, Bishop & Confessor, and St. Simon Stock, Confessor)

Tue. 05/17 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Assumption-Windsor (St. Paschal Baylon, Confessor)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@stjosaphatchurch.org. Previous columns are available at www.stjosaphatchurch.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Josaphat bulletin insert for April 26, 2011. Hat tip to A.B.]

Must read

"Msgr. Pozzo’s comments on the Instruction “Universae Ecclesiae” in L’Osservatore Romano," with introductory comments by Fr. Z (WDTPRS, May 14, 2011).

The second paragraph of his introductory remarks is telling:

I was convinced before that Summorum Pontificum aimed at promoting the use of the Extraordinary Form, not merely providing it for those who asked for it. Card. Castrillong, former President of the PCED, said this openly. The will of the Pope in the Motu Proprio included that people who don’t know the older form actually come to be exposed to it. The older, Extraordinary Form is a gift for all, not just those who know about it. For all. Every Catholic of the Latin Church – and also in the whole of the Catholic Church – has the Extraordinary Form as part of their heritage. It belongs to all of us. We must not be cheated out of our inheritance. If someone were to die and leave you a precious thing in his will, and the executor of that will kept from you, that executor would be robbing you, defrauding you, cheating you our of the treasure the person who wrote the will desired you to have. Bishops and priests: we have a responsibility now to mainstream the Extraordinary Form and those who don’t will be remiss in their responsibility. (emphasis added)

Vatican clarification this Friday

"Instruction Universae Ecclesiae on Friday" (Rorate Caeli, May 11, 2011):

The Holy See Press Office announces that the Instruction Universae Ecclesiae of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", on the application of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, will be made public on Friday, May 13th, and will be published on that afternoon (May 14th edition of L'Osservatore Romano). The Instruction will be published in its Latin typical version, and in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese translations.

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf adds, in "Notes about today’s Fishwrap" (WDTPRS, May 11, 2011):

... I predict [Fishwrap] will say that this Instruction means nothing, it’s no big deal, it is only for a few disgruntled troglodytes. Blah blah blah. I respond saying that, if it isn’t an earthquake, it is surely a rumble. And it means that, among other things, the three year study period critics of the Motu Proprio set their hopes on is overrrrr. Summorum Pontificum is here to stay and it was not weakened.

Of course, someone will observe that promulgated law may continue being ignored in the absence of any particular love for the lawgiver or the law, and the absence of any obliging compulsion to accede.

[Hat tip to T.F.]

Una Voce survey results: Much done, much more to do

The latest (Spring 2011) issue of Una Voce America Nota carries the results of a survey conducted on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum, the papal document calling for an increased availability of the traditional (EF) Latin Mass. Responses to the survey, concluded late last summer, were received from 34 dioceses. Here are some excerpts from the results compiled by Allen Maynard.

General key results include the following: There was a 41% increase in every-Sunday Masses in the dioceses surveyed. 19 dioceses saw an increase in the number of every-Sunday Masses, 14 remained status quo (three remained at zero), and one saw a decrease. Sacraments in the traditional form appear to be generally available:

• Baptisms - 79%
• Nuptial Masses - 71%
• Requiem Masses - 68%
• Confirmations - 53%

Only two dioceses offer training in the Extraordinary Form to their seminarians, and only seven dioceses have had any organized training available locally.

20% of dioceses had personal parishes for the EF Mass.

Attitude of the local ordinary toward the EF was rated:

• Bad and no hope - 35%
• Bad but improving - 3%
• Stagnant - 18%
• Generally improving - 15%
• Good - 9%
• About as good as can be imagined - 6%
• No response - 15%

Change in EF situation since Summorum Pontificum:

• Worsened - 9%
• Unchanged - 18%
• Slightly improved - 32%
• Substantially improved - 21%
• Dramatically improved - 6%

The UVA Board drew the following conclusions:

1. There is indeed a demand for the EF and Summorum Pontificum has helped make the EF more accessible to the faithful.
2. There is still an unfulfilled demand for the EF. Some increased oversight or better "enforcement" of SP may be necessary to insure the demand is met.
3. Training for seminarians must become mandatory.
4. There is a significant need for training in the EF of already-ordained priests. Una Voce America must continue to support the F.S.S.P. initiative on priestly training. Bishops should make more training available on a local basis and encourage priests to attend the F.S.S.P. training week. (UVA is financially able to assist clergy with the costs of training, if necessary -- thanks to the generosity of its members and supporters.)

In summary, local results parallel local responses to the bold and clear directive of the Holy Father's Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum. On the one hand, where there has been an enthusiastic response to the Holy Father's requests, dioceses have seen growth and spiritual fulfillment. On the other hand, where, for a variety of reasons, the papal document has not been implemented, there remains dissatisfaction and much more work to be done.

[Acknowledgement, Allen Maynard and Nota editor, "Much done ... much more to do," Una Voce America Nota, No. 45, Spring 2011]

State of the Church: dead wood and new life

• "The Good Schism in the Church" (RealCatholicTV, April 5, 2011): "Many faithful Catholics recognize an 'undeclared' schism in the Church. While the schism is quite clear, what might not be as evident at first glance is what is forming on the side of Truth."
• "Massive Attack" (RealCatholicTV, March 22, 2011): "There is a powerful bishop who is leading the fight to bring the Traditional Mass back to the faithful. Who could this Catholic hero be?" Will the forthcoming Instruction from the Vatican increase the power of Summorum Pontificum, require seminaries to prepare their students in the use of the traditional liturgy, and instruct bishops to stop placing restraints on the use of the EF?