Now a week and a day has passed since my second exposure to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Time, and the experience yesterday of the Ordinary Form again has given me a bit more to reflect on, and the difference is even more striking.
Casting aside the obvious differences between the forms, such as language and posture, the MOST striking difference is one of continuity. Not continuity with the past, but continuity within the rite itself. With the Novus Ordo, there is a great deal of fussing about and going from one "step" to another. It isn't one celebration of the mass so much as a sequential compilation of parts. And no matter how hard I try, I often cannot get past the "when will this end" feeling of experiencing a seemigly endless torrent of disjointed and unrelated prayers. The trasition - in fact and in spirit - from one step to another is gone completely.
With the Old Mass, the experience is one of a continuum that leads slowly and inexorably to the sacrifice itself. Leaving one hearing the bells of the Consecration and trembling at the thought. It is a moving and beautiful experience that one can FEEL without actually being personally outwardly involved at all, but inwardly and on a level that defies description. In a very real sense, I felt that I didn't attend mass, but my SOUL did. It was as if my body carried my soul into the church and my chest opened up like a tabernacle, exposing my soul so it could participate in the sacrifice, only to close back securely at the end and say, in effect "you can go now". Leaving me to step out of that church filled with God's Grace.
It is the difference between a breathtakingly beautiful cathedral and the materials of the same cathedral, stacked up, crated and shrink-wrapped, ready to assemble. Imagine this: Could you take apart St. Peters, neatly stack all of the countless stones, glass pieces, tiles, frescoes, woodwork, and all of the other bits and pieces, look at those neat stacks and honestly - HONESTLY - say it was the same thing????
Showing posts with label tridentine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tridentine. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, June 16, 2008
Coming Soon (maybe) to a Parish Near You!!!!
Fathers' day weekend, combined with two birthday parties, kept me off line for the better part of three days. And what happenings is such a short time! First I saw on Sancte Pater blog a post that said, to my amazement that Card. Castrillon Hoyos had said that the Extrarodinary Form of the Mass, which he referred to as "The Gregorian Rite", should be offered in ALL parishes. He unmistakably said "not many - all." I nearly jumped out of my chair. Wow.
I re-read it again and again, just to be sure what I had seen. Then the amazing Father Z. posted it on his blog, and so it spread.
Now, as if to confirm, the CNS has posted this:
Pope would like Tridentine Mass in each Parish, Vatican official says.
Not that that was required to make it true, but to see it written so clearly in such a "progressive" but well accepted forum gives it all the more impact. The statement can no longer be discounted as a rumor in the rad-trad blogosphere. And once it gets out in the various dioscean papers, it will spark even more interest, and even more reaction, both positive and negative. Keeping in mind, of course, that the vast majority of Catholics have no idea that Summorum Pontificum exists, or even if the do, know little about what it means in terms of the future of Catholic Identity and the Catholic Church as a whole.
So, the die is cast, the gauntlet thrown, and the game afoot, etc, etc. We are on a journey now, the church that is! And nobody knows where it will end. Or, as the old song says, "nobody knows but Jesus".
I re-read it again and again, just to be sure what I had seen. Then the amazing Father Z. posted it on his blog, and so it spread.
Now, as if to confirm, the CNS has posted this:
Pope would like Tridentine Mass in each Parish, Vatican official says.
Not that that was required to make it true, but to see it written so clearly in such a "progressive" but well accepted forum gives it all the more impact. The statement can no longer be discounted as a rumor in the rad-trad blogosphere. And once it gets out in the various dioscean papers, it will spark even more interest, and even more reaction, both positive and negative. Keeping in mind, of course, that the vast majority of Catholics have no idea that Summorum Pontificum exists, or even if the do, know little about what it means in terms of the future of Catholic Identity and the Catholic Church as a whole.
So, the die is cast, the gauntlet thrown, and the game afoot, etc, etc. We are on a journey now, the church that is! And nobody knows where it will end. Or, as the old song says, "nobody knows but Jesus".
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
An Anti Latin Tirade
Last Sunday, mass was said, to my surprise, by our retired pastor, our regular one being on vacation this week. Now allow me to say that I absolutely love this man. He is the one who brought me back into the faith, and his homiletics and loving, caring, strong pastoral care are almost beyond belief. To borrow a line from a Dan Fogelberg song - "a thundering velvet hand" - is the best way to describe him. When he hobbled down the aisle, tears came to my eyes.
THEN..... The Homily.... First, he reflected on the readings, telling how the Mass doesn't belong to the people, but to the Church, and it must be respected as such. Then, after a pause, he stated how there are "some young priests" in the diocese who want to bring back the Latin Mass. And added that you don't see any of us "old timers" wanting to go back to that!! This is all young people! (emphasis mine) This led into a long speech about how much better it was since "Vatican II clearly stated - Mass in the vernacular!!! (emphasis his) Then, after a bit of critique of the old mass, he pointed out, correctly, that a priest - any priest - can say the mass we use today, that is the mass of Paul VI, in Latin, whenever they want to. He even explained that it was in the sacramentary. Gradually, this progressed into a sort of admission that there had been a lot of abuses, "priests doing crazy things", but the solution wasn't Latin.
The whole thing was, while not a surprise, a sort of complete non-sequitur with the rest of his personality and attitude. I find myself amazed at how a priest with that amazing depth of knowledge and reverence could be so absolutely foursquare against both Latin and the old mass.
And I wonder...
Is he just that totally sold on the infallibility of the reforms he lived through and implemented?
Or is he right?
THEN..... The Homily.... First, he reflected on the readings, telling how the Mass doesn't belong to the people, but to the Church, and it must be respected as such. Then, after a pause, he stated how there are "some young priests" in the diocese who want to bring back the Latin Mass. And added that you don't see any of us "old timers" wanting to go back to that!! This is all young people! (emphasis mine) This led into a long speech about how much better it was since "Vatican II clearly stated - Mass in the vernacular!!! (emphasis his) Then, after a bit of critique of the old mass, he pointed out, correctly, that a priest - any priest - can say the mass we use today, that is the mass of Paul VI, in Latin, whenever they want to. He even explained that it was in the sacramentary. Gradually, this progressed into a sort of admission that there had been a lot of abuses, "priests doing crazy things", but the solution wasn't Latin.
The whole thing was, while not a surprise, a sort of complete non-sequitur with the rest of his personality and attitude. I find myself amazed at how a priest with that amazing depth of knowledge and reverence could be so absolutely foursquare against both Latin and the old mass.
And I wonder...
Is he just that totally sold on the infallibility of the reforms he lived through and implemented?
Or is he right?
Monday, January 14, 2008
GREENSBORO TLM
Yesterday, January 13, 2008, marked a great day for tradition loving catholics in North Carolina. A 1962 Rite traditional High Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Grace Church. The celebrant was Father Ferguson, for the FSSP, and in attendance (observing from the loft, I think) there the priests of the Diocese of Charlotte who are learing to celebrate the Mass of Blessed John XXIII. The church was filled to capacity, both by traditional-loving catholics from around the state, and by many many local catholics who were interested in the mass. I was there, along with my dear wife and mother-in-law. And it was awesome. Got a bit hot in there at one point and I shed my jacket, but wow. The only downside was that, in my excitement, I left my glasses at home, rendering my new Missal useless (at least to me).
Our local paper, the News & Record, has a large article and a very well done multimedia presentation. Here is some of the article:
Latin Mass fills pews By Nancy McLaughlin
Staff Writer
Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 3:00 am
The pews quickly filled at Our Lady of Grace on Sunday for this special worship service, with many women wearing head scarves for the first time in decades and the priest speaking in Latin, an ancient language not spoken routinely in Catholic congregations since the 1960s.
"It's as if your grandmother celebrated Christmas a certain way and your mother never did it the same way, and this is grandmother's way," said parishioner Janet Morrison, who was wearing a scarf for the first time since 1963, when she was a teenager. "It's bringing something back from my childhood, and it's wonderful."
Latin was the language of the church for centuries, before the Second Vatican Council of leadership suggested the liturgy of the Catholic Church be reformed to increase the participation of the people. Those reforms included a reduction of the number of blessings and prayers that were spoken, the loss of age-old customs and that Mass be celebrated in the common language of the people. More recently, Pope Benedict XVI loosened restrictions of the Latin rite, referred to as the Tridentine Mass, allowing parishes to celebrate in that way if it is the desire of the faithful. Some churches have slowly added Latin Mass as an option. Most remain in English and Spanish.
Fourteen priests from the Diocese of Charlotte, which includes Greensboro, recently studied the rituals of the prayers in Latin with the Rev. Robert Ferguson, who led the Mass at Our Lady of Grace — partly as a demonstration model for them.
Those in the pews came from across the state.
"Some of these people have been waiting for a long time," said Sister Sheila Richardson of Sacred Heart Mission Church in Wadesboro. She traveled the hour and a half drive with eight others. Some of those who showed up at Our Lady of Grace were too young to have witnessed a Mass in Latin, but said they were there to connect with the roots of their faith.
"My father sent me a videotape of a Latin Mass and it was so beautiful," said 32-year-old Jennifer Carter of Huntersville, who only five years ago joined the religion of her father. "The old prayers are so beautiful, so rich."...
To help those in the pews, ushers passed out programs containing the Latin and English versions of the Mass — even instruction on when to stand and when to kneel...
Some things were more familiar for Banks and the others, ranging from contemplative worship to the use of incense as a symbol of prayers wafting to God...
The sacred songs were in Latin but there also was Gregorian chanting.
In the more modern Mass, for example, the altar is placed in a central location in the sanctuary, allowing the priest to face the congregation during Eucharistic prayers. In the Latin Mass, the altar was placed against the wall at the back of the sanctuary, which meant the priest had to have his back to the congregation. [Actually, the original, marble high altar was used. the wooden table altar was nowhere to be seen]
Like those around her, Tina Witt of Charlotte knelt at the altar rail, which symbolized the gate to Heaven, and received communion on the tongue from the priest. Communion is given in many ways using the more modern Mass, including "by hand" to each parishioner.
"This is something we never should have gotten away from," Witt said of the customs surrounding the service.
The complete original article can be seen here.
And if you follow the link, there is a highly impressive multimedia presentation as well.
Deo Gratias!
Our local paper, the News & Record, has a large article and a very well done multimedia presentation. Here is some of the article:
Latin Mass fills pews By Nancy McLaughlin
Staff Writer
Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 3:00 am
The pews quickly filled at Our Lady of Grace on Sunday for this special worship service, with many women wearing head scarves for the first time in decades and the priest speaking in Latin, an ancient language not spoken routinely in Catholic congregations since the 1960s.
"It's as if your grandmother celebrated Christmas a certain way and your mother never did it the same way, and this is grandmother's way," said parishioner Janet Morrison, who was wearing a scarf for the first time since 1963, when she was a teenager. "It's bringing something back from my childhood, and it's wonderful."
Latin was the language of the church for centuries, before the Second Vatican Council of leadership suggested the liturgy of the Catholic Church be reformed to increase the participation of the people. Those reforms included a reduction of the number of blessings and prayers that were spoken, the loss of age-old customs and that Mass be celebrated in the common language of the people. More recently, Pope Benedict XVI loosened restrictions of the Latin rite, referred to as the Tridentine Mass, allowing parishes to celebrate in that way if it is the desire of the faithful. Some churches have slowly added Latin Mass as an option. Most remain in English and Spanish.
Fourteen priests from the Diocese of Charlotte, which includes Greensboro, recently studied the rituals of the prayers in Latin with the Rev. Robert Ferguson, who led the Mass at Our Lady of Grace — partly as a demonstration model for them.
Those in the pews came from across the state.
"Some of these people have been waiting for a long time," said Sister Sheila Richardson of Sacred Heart Mission Church in Wadesboro. She traveled the hour and a half drive with eight others. Some of those who showed up at Our Lady of Grace were too young to have witnessed a Mass in Latin, but said they were there to connect with the roots of their faith.
"My father sent me a videotape of a Latin Mass and it was so beautiful," said 32-year-old Jennifer Carter of Huntersville, who only five years ago joined the religion of her father. "The old prayers are so beautiful, so rich."...
To help those in the pews, ushers passed out programs containing the Latin and English versions of the Mass — even instruction on when to stand and when to kneel...
Some things were more familiar for Banks and the others, ranging from contemplative worship to the use of incense as a symbol of prayers wafting to God...
The sacred songs were in Latin but there also was Gregorian chanting.
In the more modern Mass, for example, the altar is placed in a central location in the sanctuary, allowing the priest to face the congregation during Eucharistic prayers. In the Latin Mass, the altar was placed against the wall at the back of the sanctuary, which meant the priest had to have his back to the congregation. [Actually, the original, marble high altar was used. the wooden table altar was nowhere to be seen]
Like those around her, Tina Witt of Charlotte knelt at the altar rail, which symbolized the gate to Heaven, and received communion on the tongue from the priest. Communion is given in many ways using the more modern Mass, including "by hand" to each parishioner.
"This is something we never should have gotten away from," Witt said of the customs surrounding the service.
The complete original article can be seen here.
And if you follow the link, there is a highly impressive multimedia presentation as well.
Deo Gratias!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
MOTU PROPRIO LEAK ???
I just did a Google Blog search for "tridentine" and it came back with a hit to the blog of a Lutheran pastor, Paul T. McCain. He has a post about the upcoming motu proprio by the Pope regarding the liberalization of the Old Mass. In his post, among other things, he states that the contents of the document "apparently has already been leaked, in Spanish, in Central America".
My knowledge of Spanish, and my time, being limited here at the office, I have no way of pursuing this. But perhaps some of you can!!!! Keep me posted if you have any success.
My knowledge of Spanish, and my time, being limited here at the office, I have no way of pursuing this. But perhaps some of you can!!!! Keep me posted if you have any success.
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