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

I want to share an e-mail I received. 

Edite and with my emphases and comments.

Dear Fr. Zuhlsdorf,

I wanted to share my family’s good news today!

We were happy to hear at this morning’s Mass at Omaha’s St. Patrick church (a shared indult parish), [I take it that means both uses were in use there.] that the Archbishop of Omaha (His Excellency Elden Curtis) has decided to make Immaculate Conception Church the first Traditional Latin Mass Parish in Omaha as of August 20, 2007. It is designated as a Personal Parish and entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, with Fr. John Brancich as Pastor, and Fr. Chad Ripperger as Parochial Vicar. [I am pleased that this is occuring.  However, I would have been far more pleased had it been staffed by diocesan priests.] We will enjoy full use of the Traditional form of the sacraments. Our move will begin on August 20, and the first Mass will take place on August 26th. The Church even comes with its own bowling alley under the gym!  [Interesting!  I know three old German parishes in St. Paul, MN which had bowling alleys!]

The archbishop is providing a transition period for the approx. eighty parishioners who attended the Novus Ordo Mass, by allowing one Saturday evening Mass in english until December 31st of this year. They will also be able to request a Novus Ordo funeral Mass in the future, in which case a priest will be brought in to offer the Mass. [Too bad it isn’t staffed by diocesan priests who could use both Missals.] Ten or more of the olderparishioners have stated that they will stay at Immaculate Conception even with the Traditional Mass being offered. They stated "That’s what they grew up with, we can get used to it again". Thatis great news for us. We are growing even before it’s official!

Our Pastor mentioned this as an historic day for us. He said we may be, in fact, the first parish where the full implementation of the Motu Proprio will take place in its full implementation. Incredible!  [I think the provisions of the Motu Proprio were implemented long before there was a Motu Proprio at Mater Ecclesiae in the Diocese of Camden.  It is a fully functional "Tridentine" Parish, but staffed by diocesan priests. But I am delighted that this is happening in Omaha!]

Immaculate Conception Church is in the National Registry of Historic places, and our pastor mentioned that this is perhaps the most beautiful parish that the Fraternity of St. Peter has use of in all of North America. It is simply stunning!

We have been waiting for this day for almost 20 years! Deo Gratias!

This is a very good piece of news.  I am delighted for the people there in Omaha. 

His Excellency  Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark has made a statement in The Catholic Advocate about the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum as well as the recent CDF document.

My emphases and comments.

Seizing and Celebrating Teachable Moments in Life
by Archbishop John J. Myers
08/08/07

In the past month, a lot has been written and said about the two most recent announcements from the Vatican: the Holy Father’s letter permitting wider use of the Latin Mass, and the document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Church.

My office has received letters and phone calls about both items, and I have to say that, as often happens, the secular media has made far too much of the announcements. As a result, they have riled up Catholics and non-Catholics unnecessarily.

In fact, if I were to believe some of the letters and calls I have received, I’d say it might be time for all of us to start preparing for another round of religious warfare among Christians that would make the time of the Reformation look tame. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Let’s look at the two announcements and what they really mean.

The Latin Mass [oopps]

First, the wider use of Latin Mass (see The Catholic Advocate, July 18). What did the Holy Father really say? Why did he say it?
 
Simply put, Pope Benedict XVI said that any priest who wishes to celebrate Mass privately using the pre-Vatican II liturgy in Latin, which we now call an "extraordinary form" of the liturgy, can do so without receiving permission from his local bishop. Up to now, any priest who wished to celebrate the traditional Mass in Latin publicly needed that permission.

Nowhere in his letter did the Holy Father say that Latin Mass would replace Mass in the vernacular or local language. In fact, the pope very strongly emphasized that Latin could not replace the local language.  [Huh?] The priest celebrant must know Latin and know the rubrics of the extraordinary form. The pope said it could be offered only on Sunday or Solemnities.  [Is that what the Pope said?  I know he indicated that there could be one celebration on those days.  I don’t think that excluded daily Mass.  Am I wrong?]

Most emphatically, he said that for Latin Mass to be offered publicly, the parish had to ensure that it could gather a stable community [The Latin said coetus, which is not quite the same as a "community".] of worshippers willing to participate in the liturgy under the older form, which, by the way, remained as a valid form of liturgy even after the changes in the Mass took place back in 1965. The decision about public Mass pertains to the pastor. He also said emphatically that this permission does not in any way soften, lessen or diminish the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

There had been strong speculations regarding the pope’s reason behind this permission. He acknowledged that it is his desire to bring back into the Church some people who have felt uncomfortable with the reforms, but who truly wanted to remain Catholic. One group in particular, based in France, has been in schism with the Church almost since the time of the Second Vatican Council.

The hope is that, through an offer of reconciliation that includes permission to celebrate Mass in the extraordinary form, this group could eventually return to union with the Church. Time will tell, because this group still has issues with some of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council-reforms that will not be rescinded.

For the most part, however, the wider permission is seen really as an opportunity for people who feel that they can find a greater spirituality in the extraordinary form of the liturgy. In this respect, providing the wider permission can in some ways be likened to Rome accepting the charisms, the special gifts of the Holy Spirit, of a particular religious community or movement.  [This is really good.]

The Franciscans, the Benedictines, the Dominicans, the Carmelites and their communities all express their senses of spirituality in slightly different ways. Yet they are all Catholic and in communion with the universal Church. In fact, one little bit of history worth noting is that, before the Second Vatican Council, when the entire Latin Rite Catholic world celebrated Mass in Latin, these different religious communities often celebrated slightly different forms of the Latin Mass. Those differences reflected certain elements of their spirituality and made the Mass unique to them. But it was still the same Mass.

The universal Church today has many forms of liturgy that its priests celebrate. Each of the Eastern rite churches that is in union with Rome celebrates its own form of liturgy, exercises its own traditions and uses a language different from Latin. Former Episcopalian or Anglican parishes that have rejoined the Church in recent years under the Pastoral Provision worship using an approved Anglican form of liturgy.  [This is a very good point, and rarely made in the many statements we have read here.] And every week, the people of this great archdiocese celebrate the liturgy in some 20 different languages, including Latin. Some may view this as a cacophony; I view it as a joyful sound.  [Sure.  I accept that.  But isn’t it rather sad that there can’t be one Mass they are all attending together?]

Truth is, the vast majority of Catholics enjoy the celebration of Mass in the local language and that’s as it should be. [I don’t want to pick, and I am sure His Excellency isn’t intending to mean this, but I think "enjoy" might not be the right word, in the sense that Mass is not about our enjoyment.  We have to read "enjoy" here more along the lines of "benefit from".]  In our own experience with Latin Mass, some groups have become smaller after a time. For some, the novelty of the extraordinary liturgy may wear off or they begin to understand and appreciate the reasons behind the liturgy we use today. [Ehem…. and he was doing so well…]  For those who do remain with Latin Mass, it is an expression of their particular devotion.

[At this point His Excellency discusses the CDF document to the end of his article.]

What I gather from this is more tolerance, than warmth.  "Okay, there are a lot of ways people do things.  This is just one more way." I believe that doesn’t go far enough in weighing the significance of this move by Pope Benedict nor the real issue of what the older Mass is useful for in Benedict’s vision.

This has a gem in it, however: "In this respect, providing the wider permission can in some ways be likened to Rome accepting the charisms, the special gifts of the Holy Spirit, of a particular religious community or movement."  I am not entirely on board with the idea that this is an "acceptance", since the older form of Mass has been around for a heck of a lot longer than the newer form and and really has nothing to prove.  The newer form still has a lot to prove, I think.  Still, this places the discussion in another light, a spiritual light, which is insightful and respectful.  Well done, on that point.

His Emnience Edward Card. Egan, Archbishop of New York made a statement last month on the Motu Proprio summorum Pontificum.  It is a surprisingly chatty.  His Eminence is a canonist of note and his Latin credentials are very fine indeed.

Emphases and comments are mine.

In the Holiness of Truth – July 19, 2007

Room for All

On December 4, 1963, the bishops who participated in the Second Vatican Council in union with Pope Paul VI issued a document entitled "The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy." In it, they called for a revision of the prayers of the Mass which would, of course, "preserve their substance" but also make adjustments in them so as to increase the participation and devotion of the faithful.

In addition, in the same "Constitution," the bishops with the Holy Father noted that "the use of the mother tongue (the vernacular of a particular area), whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, may [may] frequently be of great advantage to the people" and, accordingly, proposed a translation of the Latin texts of the liturgy into the vernaculars of the world and their appropriate use under the direction of ecclesiastical authorities.

All of this was done for no other reason than better to assist the members of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ in their prayer. Unfortunately, however, some felt that what the bishops and the Holy Father had decided was either mistaken theologically, disdainful of ancient uses or uncaring as regards the sentiments of those who had been reared in the established liturgy and both revered and loved it. Indeed, a community of clergy, religious and laity under the leadership of a French Archbishop who had been a missionary in Africa rejected the liturgy that was developed after the Council and separated itself from the Church because of it and other Conciliar teachings and directives.

Thus it was that in 1984 the Congregation for Divine Worship published a document with the Latin title, "Quattuor Abhinc Annos," making the traditional liturgy more available and Pope John Paul II in 1988 published another with the Latin title, "Ecclesia Dei," making it even more available. It was hoped that these measures would put an end to the various feelings of discontent and especially to the aforementioned separation, and to some extent they were successful.  [To "some" extent, maybe, but a very small extent.  The SSPX has grown.  The numbers of their followers have grown… except in those places where bishops were very generous with the older form of Mass.] Still, our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, was convinced that something further needed to be done; and this is the origin of the document that he issued regarding the liturgical prayer of the Church this past July 7th.

In briefest terms, here is what the document, which is entitled in Latin "Summorum Pontificum," provides: [Keep in mind that Card. Egan is a noted canonist and his Latin skills are very strong indeed.]

     I. There is one Eucharistic liturgy for members of the Roman Catholic Church of the Latin Rite. It has two forms ("expressions")—an "ordinary" one that is to be found in the Missal of Pope Paul VI published in 1970, and an "extraordinary" one that is to found in the Missal of Blessed John XXIII published in 1962.

      II. The "ordinary" form (usually identified as the Missal of Pope Paul VI) is the one to be used regularly.

      III. The "extraordinary" form (usually identified as the Missal of Blessed John XXIII) may, however, be used—

      A. in Masses where the priest does not have a congregation, except on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday,

      B. in Masses of religious communities in their chapels and oratories and

      C. in parishes where a group of the faithful requests it, but only once on a Sunday or feast day.

There are, though, three more provisions in the new norms which are of interest mostly to the clergy. All the same, it might be well to at least mention them here.

      I. Pastors are to agree "willingly" to the "extraordinary" form in their parishes. If, however, there is a problem in this regard, the matter should be referred to the local bishop; and if there is a further problem, to the Holy See.

      II. Pre-Vatican II rites may be used for Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Matrimony and the Anointing of the Sick, "as the good of souls suggests."

      III. When Mass is celebrated in the "extraordinary" form, the Readings may be in the vernacular.

And to all of this our Holy Father, in a letter to the bishops of the world, added three further points.

     I. The changes in the liturgy do not in any sense detract from the authority of the Second Vatican Council.

     II. Priests who choose to celebrate Mass in the "extraordinary" form must have a sufficient knowledge of the Latin language to pronounce the words correctly.  [Excellent.  The priest does not have to be an expert Latinist.  He must have sufficient knowledge to pronounce the words.  That is what idoneus is all about: it is minimum qualification, not expertise.]

     III. The changes in the liturgy must not be the occasion of divisions in the Church. They are rather to strengthen the unity of that community of believers for whom the Lord prayed on the night before he died that "they may be one as You, Father, in Me and I in You" (John 17:21).

Concerning this last point, perhaps it would be well to conclude what may seem to be a rather tedious lesson in Church Law by recounting two recent events in my life that might be helpful in thinking about the new liturgical norms.  [Here is where the chatty part starts.]

This past June 6th I was in the Sheraton New York Hotel on the dais for a dinner sponsored by the Building and Construction sector of the Cardinal’s Committee for Charity to raise funds for Archdiocesan schools that educate children who are physically or emotionally disabled. One of the more than 600 guests approached the dais toward the end of the dinner and began in jest to recite the responses of the altar server to the opening prayers of the traditional Latin Mass. [This happens are the time to priests who are warm towards traditional liturgy, btw.] On my right was one of the most prominent labor leaders in the nation and on my left one of the most successful construction company executives in New York. Together they joined in with the man who had approached the dais, reciting every word with remarkable accuracy. And when they were done, the man on my right launched into the longest of the altar server’s prayers in the Latin liturgy, the so-called "Suscipiat." Both got even the most difficult pronunciations correct, and it was clear from the looks on their faces and the sound of their voices that what they had recited by heart had a very special place in the heart of each of them. Nor are they alone in this. Many feel a strong attachment to the Mass before the Council, and this we must understand and respect—from the heart.  [Aside from the obvious respect for the feelings of these men, His Eminence seems to be suggusting that this is not all that mysterious.  Learning the Latin prayers is just not that hard.  My conclusion: If these men could do it, surely priests can do it, right?  Even bishops!  GD&R]

This past July 8th I was in Rome at the conclusion of a week of meetings. Early in the morning I received a telephone call from the new superior general of the Conventual Franciscans, a priest from Boston. One of his priests from Spain who had worked with me in the early 1960s when I was on the faculty of a Roman seminary was in town and would like to see me. He had come to the Eternal City to direct the recording of new musical settings he had composed for the Mass in Spanish. I had a 3:30 appointment with a mother general on the outskirts of the city and a 6:30 appointment with an official of the Holy See in the Vatican. Nonetheless, taking a chance on the Roman traffic, I fit a third appointment in between the other two and arranged to visit the priest where he was staying at the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian on the edge of the Roman Forum.

The superior general met me at the door and brought me in to see the priest whose musical compositions are performed in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and across the world. After a brief exchange of niceties, the priest began to tell me in remarkable detail about what he was composing and recording in order to make the singing of the prayers of the post-conciliar Mass more devout and compelling in Spanish. He conceded that it would take a good deal of time to achieve all he had in mind. "But I am only 94," he observed jokingly, as he tapped out for me the rhythm of a responsorial psalm of his creation. The superior general did not dare even to smile. Nor did I. For I knew this immensely gifted artist is but one of millions upon millions who have come to love the new liturgy in the vernacular, and indeed, love it with fervor.  [Okay, there are people who love the old ways, but "millions upon millions" who like the new way.  Is that the point?  Note that in this second case, the old guy was probably older than the fellows who were reciting the Latin prayers (above).]

"Ours is a big Church," I mused to myself as I walked to my car after the meeting. "There is room within it for all expressions of what is Catholic, noble and holy; and for this each of us, whatever our tastes and inclinations, should be grateful to the Lord."

With prayerful best wishes, may I remain
Very truly yours in Christ,
Edward Cardinal Egan
Archbishop of New York

Here is a statement from a man far closeer to the end of his ecclesiastical career than the beginning.  He succinctly presented the provisions of Summorum Pontiticum, with the sharpness of a canonists mind.  He spoke of respect for the older ways but also the newer ways.  He seems to lean to the newer Mass and the vernacular, but he is no wy belittled the older form or Latin.