What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

Many people want to express their gratitude to someone for the provisions of Summorum Pontificum.

It costs almost nothing to write a note of appreciation.

I suggest you write a very brief, VERY brief note to

His Holiness
Benedict XVI
Palazzo Apostolico
00120 Vatican City

Tips for writing to the Pope to thank him:

1) one side of one sheet of paper
2) unless your penmanship is perfect, type or word processor
3) don’t say anything negative about anyone
4) in two lines, express why you love the older liturgy and ho you participate
5) in one line promise prayers for His Holiness and some work of mercy do will do for him and his intentions

Start with "Dear Holy Father," or "Most Holy Father", and address him as "Your Holiness".

Also write to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", who shouldered the burden of the M.P. and will so in the future.

Here there are two good possibilities:

His Eminence
Dario Card. Castrillon Hoyos
President
Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"
Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio
00120 Vatican City

Start with "Your Eminence," and address him as such.

Tips

1) one side of one sheet of paper
2) unless your penmanship is perfect, type or word processor
3) express your hopes for the fruits of the document
4) say how you concretely participate NOW in the older rite, and where, and how many people come
5) do not say disrespectful things of the bishop or priests
6) don’t say what you think the MP OUGHT to have been
7) express your support of prayers for his difficult role

Also, for all these years, the point man in the Commission has been the long-suffering

Msgr. Camille Perl
Secretary
Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"
Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio
00120 Vatican City

Start with "Dear Monsignor" or "Reverend Monsignor".

While curial officials don’t look for recognition, Msgr. Perl has been in the Commission from the beginning.  I think he would be touched by kind notes.

1) one side of one sheet of paper, or a greeting nice card
2) good penmanship, type or word processor
3) tell him some little prayer or work of mercy you will perform for his intention
4) express your support of prayers everyone in the office

And for Msgr. Perl, you can tell him Fr. Z sent you!  o{];¬)

For the Commission, you might do this right away, before the August curial recess.

For all of the above, don’t try to be flowery or overly formal.  Just be respectful and sincere…. and brief.  They get enough long flowery formal stuff during the day.

REMEMBER: When you think about the M.P., if there is something you don’t like about it, don’t spoil the situation by falling into the trap of seeing

Thanks for your huge full, conscious and active participation here and your support.

I have gotten lots of e-mail for years, but it is rapidly getting to the point where I can’t read it, much less answer. 

Many of you are sending hot tips and links, interesting documents and observations.   I am grateful.  They are useful!

Others are asking for information, sometimes detailed answers and explanations.  I am swamped.  Don’t hold your breath.

If you write, for whatever reason, and I don’t answer, don’t be alarmed or offended.  I am seeing nearly everything that comes in, mirabile dictu!

TIPS for Writing E-Mail to Fr. Z:

1) Be sure to type out a sound and relevant subject in the e-mail subject line.   If you send something without a subject at all, or one so generic (My favorite: "a question") that I or my filters (set on super-hyper-I hate spam-paranoid level) can’t see instantly that you are not a perv, bot or schmendrick, your e-mail will be deleted unread and I will not feel a shred of remorse.  When I hit DELETE, I smile.

2) If you write it to me, it is MINE!  I can do anything I want with it, including – ignore it.   Remember, writing an e-mail is an invitation I may decline, not an obligation I must shoulder.  I will generally accept e-mail in the spirit it is sent. 

3) Keep it really really short.  And don’t be surprised if I write really really short responses, if I write at all.