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

A kind reader has provided a transcript of a radio interview with the Bishop of St. Augustine, Florida, His Excellency Most Reverend Victor Galeone.  You might remember that his statement about Summorum Pontificum was very severe.  I wrote about it here.

His Excellency is described on this blog by people in that diocese as "a very solid bishop", "orthodox bishop" who "wrote a pastoral letter strongly endorsing Humanae Vitae".   Another commenter wrote: "Bishop Galeone is very strong on marriage, family life, sexual morality, and other topics". 

So, let’s give this fellow his due about those things.  

It remains that his statement on the Motu Proprio was pretty harsh.   Also, it has influenced other bishops!

Let’s hear what he said on the radio now that some time has gone by since his Memorandum was examined.

His Excellency was on the radio live on WQOP on 31 August.  He took questions from callers.  A reader here transcribed the entire conversationHe also has the audio.  It is also posted on the transcriber’s blog who has adopted a rather familiar looking method of commenting.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery, I hear!  o{];¬)

I have removed the transcriber’s comments from this text, below. 

In what is below, the emphases and comments are mine.

Announcer: You are listening to WQOP AM1600 in Atlantic Beach Queen of Peace Radio and this is Chris Williams, President of the Board of Queen of Peace Radio and we have
Bishop Victor Galeone from the Diocese of St. Augustine our very beloved bishop here in the studio with us…

And on the phone now we have Jay. Jay can you hear us?

Caller: Yes, I can hear you.

Announcer: Jay, go ahead. You’re with Bishop Galeone.

Caller: Your Excellency, thank you so much for taking my call.


Bishop Galeone: Hey, you’re more than welcome Jay. What’s your question please?

Caller: My question is about the implementation of the pope’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum allowing for the use, the wider use of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. I wanted to ask you what sort of requirements you would expect the clergy to demonstrate before they can offer the rites according to the extraordinary form. And would you, yourself be willing or available to offer the traditional rites yourself?  [Two good questions.  Bishop Galeone had said that he would reserve to himself the right to determine if a priest evidenced "ability" with the Latin language.  That statement said the priest had to know what the texts meant rather than just be able to pronounce the words.  That seems to go beyond the meaning of idoneus in the Motu Proprio.]

Bishop Galeone: OK, very good question Jay. Jay, first I would like to say that I am very loyal and obedient to whatever directives come from Rome. So, we’re going to implement this just as our Holy Father intended. So, so far as the norms, or guidelines that we’ll establish- they’ll be the guides, the norms of the motu proprio itself. [Okay… are they norms? guides?  Are these suggestions?  wishes?  dreams?  What are they?  They sure sounded official in the Memorandum (pp. 1 and 2).] Interesting, we’re going to discuss this at our Priest’s Council meeting this coming Wednesday. This is one of the agenda items. We sent confidential notice [hmmm…] to the priests in advance letting them know that this does not become effective until actually September 14. It’s not in effect yet, but we would be implementing it here. 

The Holy Father mentioned, for example there, that the priest would have to have sufficient command of Latin to more or less realize what they would be praying. [I would like to see a quote for that.  I don’t think he said that was a requirement.] They cannot [I could agree with "ought not", but… "cannot"?]  just be mouthing syllables or words that they don’t have any understanding of that. [Let’s have a little exam of priests saying the Novus Ordo, in various languages, even their mother tongue, and find out if they understand what they are saying.] And there’s another document that the Church has given that when priests are concelebrating the Church says it’s… This comes from Redemptionis Sacramentum, No. 113. It says that, "If a priest is concelebrating at an altar where the language being used for the celebration of the Mass is not only not his native language but he knows nothing at all about it he is not to concelebrate that Mass. He is to excuse himself and celebrate Mass with someone or by himself elsewhere."  [In the CDW’s Redemptionis Sacramentum 113 we read that in the case Bishop Galeone mentions the priest should "attend the celebration in choral dress in accordance with the norms".]

So that’s taken a given that the priest must more or less understand in general. Now, I’m not saying every single word or syllable of what he is saying. Also he must know the rubrics, as we call them to celebrate that Mass properly and whatever else. The private Masses, all of that will be granted here. I’m not going to stand in anyone’s way that wants to do that.  [What did that Memorandum with the diocesan prescriptions really say?  "2. Only priests who are qualified may celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass and the sacraments, even privately."  So, perhaps the bishop’s "norms…guidelines…guides… norms" will be revised a bit in light of His Excellency’s clarification.]

Now, the second part of your question. Would I be willing to celebrate the Mass? Jay, I love Latin. [Here it comes…] Before I answer your question I want to preface it with this; I love Latin. I studied six years of Latin in the seminary. I did all my philosophy, theology, all the classes were in Latin. All the exams, oral and written were in Latin. To this very day I read an article (to…) St. Thomas Aquinas in the original Latin before I turn the light out any night. On the third part of the Summa. I go through it just regularly. I sing the antiphons at the end of Mass in my bishop’s chapel there at the residence concluding Night Prayers. I pray it in Spanish normally but the antiphons to Our Lady I sing the old ones at the season in Latin. [Ehem… the older form of Mass is not principally about the Latin language and those "old ones" are still in the newer books…  But let’s go on.]  My first ten years were celebrating the Rite of… Well first, before 1962 the Missal of basically John XXIII, which Benedict says is going to be the Missal followed by the Tridentine Rite, until 1970. To this day I still say the prayers to myself as I am vesting in Latin. So I have nothing against Latin.  [BUT…]

However, Jay, and please do not misunderstand me, in my opinion it’s been a blessing to have the liturgy in the vernacular for our people. I’d like to quote, if I may an article I wrote in our St. Augustine Catholic Magazine of the June 2006 issue. I’m going to quote just a few sentences here [I guess he came prepared for this question!]  "Periodically parishioners write to me requesting a Latin Mass in their parish. [That’s nice, no?  It is nice to be invited, no?] They’re well aware that a Latin Mass is celebrated at Immaculate Conception every Sunday but they would like one closer to home. [Reasonable.] I am convinced that what these parishioners truly desire is not so much Latin in the Mass, as a spirit of reverence. [Okay, Your Excellency, sure.  I agree.  But you are starting with the wrong premise.  It is not about Latin alone.  There is far more to this issue than Latin.  If that were the case, the Novus Ordo in Latin would be enough.] A sense that they have been in contact with the sacred while worshiping with their fellow parishioners."

And then I went on to quote in that same article an excerpt from a columnist back in the 1970’s. Actually it’s from Progressive Catholic Monthly. [?!?  There is such a magazine?  O LORD!  Can you imagine?] A critic it was called. And Dan Herr was rather forward-thinking. [?!] I used to… I had to get a subscription to that. [I sure can’t say the same.] I didn’t subscribe to that on my own but I did read it and… But anyway, Dan in this column says, "How wonderful it is supposed to be once Latin is gone, the celebrant about-face, laymen permitted to make themselves hear from the sanctuary, choirs disband in favor of community singing. My God it was beautiful! Or at least it would be as soon as a few problems were worked out." Then it goes on to say, "Someone may ask what can be done about the lack-luster liturgies that we have." I’m quoting now, "Bring back the Latin Mass!" he says. "However I realize that we can never go back. But truly something can be done to recover some small part of the enchantment that is so patently missing from the Mass today." End of quote.  [Am I missing something about the relevance of this quote?]

As early as 1974, that was when that article appeared, four years after the new rite went, in the progressives, this is a progressive journal I’m quoting from said something is missing in the new liturgy. Well, unfortunately Jay it’s still missing in the way many priests celebrate the Mass. So would I celebrate the Mass? I could do it, yes but I would rather not. I have nothing against Latin, [It’s not about the Latin!] it’s just that I can pray [But, with due respect, it isn’t just about how we as celebrants can pray but also how the people can pray.  Isn’t that the sense of Sacrosanctum Concilium?] so much better at a public Mass now, praying in my native tongue or in Spanish, which I understand perfectly. I could do it in Latin but I’d rather not because the people don’t understand Latin. [Don’t they really?  They have translations in their hands, which they follow.  The ordinary of Mass isn’t all that mysterious, after all.  It isn’t as if most of these folks have never been to Mass before.  Many of them will understand quite well what is being said.  As a matter of fact, people are put off when the priest’s Latin is poor, which suggests they understand more than one might think.  And… again… "understanding" what is going on is on many levels, as is "participation".  This is always going to remain a mystery.]

I don’t know if that answered your question or not but I hope that I made my… I explained myself properly.  [I don’t think he did.  He said he would prefer not to.  He didn’t say that he would not do it.  We will have to wait and see.  From what I read in comments people made about this bishop, it strikes me that he would eventually be willing, if approached properly, to celebrate the older form of Mass himself.  Shepherds with big hearts will do even these things, I think.]

Announcer: Thank you Jay. Does that… Does that answer your question for you?

Caller: Thank you very much. Yes.

Announcer: You’re welcome Jay.

Okay, that is what I have of the transcript that pertains to Bishop Galeone’s responses about the older form of Mass.

In the balance, I think this is what we see.

• First, His Excellency has modified the position that was set out in his Memorandum in regard to priest’s being qualified to say the older form of Mass.  He is adjusting his view.
• Second, there is a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Memorandum.
• Third, the bishop seems stuck in the view that this is all about the Latin language.  I don’t think that most people who go to the older Mass will say that the issue with them is mainly Latin.  Latin is part of it, because it is hard to separate it from the Rite.  And we do belong to the Latin Rite…right?  The bishop is reducing this to an issue of Latin, and therefore comprehension of Latin on the part of those involved. 
• Fourth, there seems to be yet a double-standard stemming from the issue of "understanding" the texts of Mass. I suspect that His Excellency would be very much against quizzing his priests about the meaning of this or that vernacular Mass text.  And the priests would be pretty angry about that, too!   But somehow he thinks that it is fair to do this in respect to the Latin texts of the older Missal.  This seems like a double standard.

Would it not be more helpful, rather than to focus on the inability of people and priests to understand Latin well, to focus more on helping priests understand the Latin and rubrics, etc. better?  Rather than present the negative view full of obstacles, why not say "Sure, Latin is going to be a problem right now.  But I will personally help or find help for every priest who wants to use this Missal to learn Latin and the rubrics well enough so that he can do it properly."

Would that not be a better approach?

The University of Notre Dame has issued an iverly long statement about the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

My emphases and comments.

 

 

Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI

Introductory Remarks

Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI Introductory Remarks On July 7, 2007, the Vatican released a motu proprio 1 of Pope Benedict XVI entitled Summorum Pontificum. The effective date for its implementation is September 14, 2007. The document states that the celebration of the “Tridentine Mass,” that is, the Roman Missal published by Blessed John XXIII in 1962, becomes optional but not mandatory as of that date.

Pope Benedict XVI explains that over the course of the years, “it has been the constant concern of supreme pontiffs [sic] to ensure that the Church of Christ offers a worthy ritual to the Divine Majesty, ‘to the praise and glory of His name,’ and ‘to the benefit of all His Holy Church.”

The Holy Father continues stating that “Since time immemorial it has been necessary – as it is also for the future – to maintain the principle according to which ‘each particular Church must concur with the Universal Church, [Watch for this point later.] not only as regards the doctrine of the faith and the sacramental signs, but also as regards the usages universally accepted by uninterrupted apostolic tradition, which must be observed not only to avoid errors but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, because the Church’s law of prayer corresponds to her law of faith.’” 2

In this way, the first words of the motu proprio describe Our Holy Father’s intention in issuing this document. He traces the work of Saint Gregory the Great who insured that “the new peoples of Europe received both the Catholic faith and the treasures of worship and culture that had been accumulated by the Romans in the preceding centuries.” 3

[Now we start getting a little pedantic.]  Pope Benedict XVI points out that of special importance was the work of Saint Pius V who “sustained by great pastoral zeal and following the exhortations of the Council of Trent, renewed the entire liturgy of the Church, oversaw the publication of liturgical books amended and ‘renewed in accordance with the norms of the Fathers,’ and provided them for the use of the Latin Church.

“One of the liturgical books of the Roman rite is the Roman Missal, which developed in the city of Rome and, with the passing of the centuries, little by little took forms very similar to that it has had in recent times.” 4

The revised edition of the Roman Missal was reissued by Blessed John XXIII and is the Mass in Latin that is the object of the motu proprio and which “is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of ‘Lex orandi,’ and must be given due honor for its venerable and ancient usage.” 5

The Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite

Hence, the Holy Father writes that “following the insistent prayers of the faithful, long deliberated upon by our predecessor John Paul II, and after having listened to the views of the Cardinal Fathers of the Consistory of 22 March 2006, having reflected deeply upon all aspects of the question, invoked the Holy Spirit and trusting in the help of God” established these changes. 6

Through the motu proprio, Pope Benedict XVI creates new law which supersedes provisions in earlier documents with regard to the form of Mass in the Roman Rite. He recognizes the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the ordinary form of the Roman Rite but indicates that the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII is the extraordinary expression of the same law of prayer of the Mass since it had never been abrogated. 7

Other Provisions of Summorum Pontificum

All priests may celebrate the ordinary form of the Roman Rite (promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970) or the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962) without people present, without seeking permission from Rome or his bishop. The Holy Father goes on to state that the celebration of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII on a regular basis in oratories with the authorization of Major Superiors and attended by people who wish to be present is also a possibility. Our understanding of Article 2 in our particular situation is that this celebration of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII without people present would not be a regularly scheduled liturgy.

Furthermore, the motu proprio provides for the celebration of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII when approved by pastors in parishes where a stable group of faithful request it, under the guidance of the bishop, with provisions for the celebration of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII only by priests qualified to do so through their knowledge of Latin and rubrics.

Of special interest to celebrations of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII on the campus of the University of Notre Dame is Article 5, Number 5, which states “In churches that are not parish or conventual churches, it is the duty of the Rector of the church to grant the above permission.” In our specific situation at Notre Dame, this reference would be to the rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, who would receive petitions from “a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition” 8

Pastoral Practices for the University of Notre Dame Derived from the Motu Proprio

According to the new rules, therefore, Pope Benedict XVI states that the current form of the Mass, as it has been celebrated on our campus and throughout the world for nearly four decades now, [Compared to the 5 or so centuries of use of the older Mass… just to add some perspective….] that is, since the reform of Pope Paul VI in 1970, is the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, that is, the way in which the Mass will continue to be celebrated with a few possible exceptions. The extraordinary form will be celebrated from time to time and under special circumstances.  [Doesn’t sound very promising, does it?]

The University of Notre Dame as such is not a parish, although there is a territorial parish which includes the university campus among other geographical areas. Sacred Heart Parish celebrates its liturgies in the Crypt of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

The Office of Campus Ministry and the Rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, as well as the rectors of the residence halls, will continue to schedule regular Masses in the ordinary form for those persons for whom they have responsibility. This will include Masses celebrated in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart as well as Masses celebrated in the residence halls.

After September 14, 2007, and as soon as it is possible to fulfill the requirements of Article 5, Number 4, which addresses the need for celebrants of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite to be familiar with the Latin language and the rubrics [Why should it be so hard at a University such as Notre Dame, which puts on airs about its excellence and the qualification of its clerical faculty, to find priests who know Latin or who are smart enough to learn rubrics?] of the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII, a recited Mass in the extraordinary form will be celebrated on Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. in the chapel of Alumni Hall. [This is pretty good, all in all.  Though I hope this is not perceived as being too much on the margin of daily life.  This is an alumni chapel, after all, and probably not the usual place students go.  Perhaps the alumni chapel was not wreckovated?] Celebrants for these liturgies will be appointed by the Director of Campus Ministry or the Rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart who each hold jurisdiction with regard to the celebration of some of the sacraments on campus. Beginning in the second semester, celebrations of the extraordinary form of the Mass may occur on one or two occasions each semester with the participation of Basilica choirs.   [Isn’t that a bit stingy?  Consider how grand and resourceful this University has considered itself to be for so long.  This is the best they can muster?]

The Celebration of Marriages and Baptisms on Campus

According to the law of the Church, pastors are the only ones permitted to approve of baptisms or marriages for members of their parishes in the parish church. Their permission is required for these sacraments to be administered outside the parish. The celebration of baptisms and marriages in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and in the Log Chapel, the only two places approved for these celebrations by our local bishop, are therefore a privilege and not a right. Those who seek this privilege will be advised that the sacraments of baptism and marriage on the campus in the locations indicated above will be celebrated according to the 1970 Missal. The same is true with regard to “Notre Dame funerals.”   [Not very promising.]

Final Considerations

Any priest in good standing on campus is to first contact and seek permission from the Director of Campus Ministry or the Rector of the Sacred Heart if he wishes to celebrate the extraordinary form.   [Ehem… for public celebration or for private?  He doesn’t need permission if it is private, even if some people want to attend.]

Public Celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart will be according to the revised breviary.

While liturgies celebrated in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and other public liturgies will continue to welcome members of the campus community as well as others, celebrations in the residence halls, whether in the ordinary or extraordinary form, will normally be available only to residents on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and those who are associated with the University as members of the faculty, staff and student body.

In a letter which the Holy Father sent to the bishops on the occasion of the publication of the motu proprio, he states, “In the second place, the fear was expressed in discussions about the awaited motu proprio, that the possibility of a wider use of the 1962 Missal would lead to disarray or even divisions within parish communities. This fear also strikes me as quite unfounded. The use of the old Missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical formation and some knowledge of the Latin language; neither of these is found very often. (emphasis added) Already from these concrete presuppositions, it is clearly seen that the new Missal will certainly remain the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also because of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful.” 9 [This is may he case now.  But will it be in a couple years?  I bet not.]

It seems to us that this is the situation on our campus as well as in the great majority of places [Remember what I said above?  Watch for this point?  I think this is a way of showing that this University perceives itself to be liturgically in synch with the "Universal" Church. But is that what the issue of the Universal Church meant?  I am not sure.  Universality and majority are really different ideas.   To my reading, this seems to be merely a way of saying "we are doing what most everyone else does" without considering deeper issues of what ought to be done.  Perhaps, however, I am being too picky.] where the Holy Eucharist is celebrated around the world.

During the first semester, Campus Ministry will provide a catechesis on the Eucharist [Who will not say that this is a good idea… if it is good catechesis.] which will be prepared in such a way as to further deepen the knowledge and appreciation of the Eucharist on the part of our students, further explore the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the celebration of the Roman Rite, and promote faithful adherence to the new law of the Church promulgated by Our Holy Father while promoting at the same time unity among the worshiping community which has always been the case at Notre Dame. [Always?  I wonder if they are following Ex corde Ecclesiae with "faithful adherence"?]

Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C.
Vice President for Student Affairs

Rev. Richard V. Warner, C.S.C.
Director, Campus Ministry

August 22, 2007
Feast of the Queenship of Mary

NOTES:

1 A motu proprio is an instruction which means “of his own accord.”
2 The first two paragraphs of Summorum Pontificum citing the general instruction of the Roman Missal, 3 rd ed., 2002, no. 397. Summorum Pontificum, par. 7
3 Summorum Pontificum par. 3
4 Summorum Pontificum par. 5
5 Summorum Pontificum Article 1
6 Summorum Pontificum par. 9
7 Summorum Pontificum as positive law, replaces the faculties and indults granted by Quattuor Abhinc Annos (1984) and Ecclesia Dei (1988)
8 Summorum Pontificum Article 5, Number 1
9 Letter from the Holy Father to the Bishops on Summorum Pontificum dated July 7, 2007, par. 9 

 

 

Remember that viciously about the Tridentine Mass?  It was full fo factual errors about the "neighboring" parish where the older Mass is celebratred. It portrayed the people attending that Mass in the worst light.  The article was distributed by Catholic News Service, which is an instrument of the USCCB.  You might remember this brilliant quip about people who like to attend the older form of Mass:

For them a good liturgy also is one where they don’t have to speak to anyone or do anything. Their whole attitude says "I want no commitment and I want no communication."

Even the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, The Tidings, distanced themselves from that awful piece by Daly.

Not so The Catholic Commentator, the diocesan newspaper of Baton Rouge, LA. 

They ran Daly’s scurrilous piece in its recent issue!

We have seen the excellence of The Catholic Commentator before when Fr. John Carville wrote some pretty awful things about the usus antiquior.  You might remember that one.  It was the article that lead off with "At least it isn’t sex scandals this time,..." and went on to opine that interest in the "novelty" of the older Mass would die off soon.

I am unaware that this newspaper has published anything but negative column inches about the Holy Father’s provisions.  If they have published anything positive I hope the readers here will chime in.

The California Catholic Daily has an article with statements by His Excellency Most Revedrend Daniel Walsh, bishop of the long-suffering Diocese of Santa Rosa.

My emphases and comments.

Published: August 30, 2007
A fond hope

It will be “some time” before the Tridentine Mass will be celebrated in Santa Rosa diocese, says Bishop Walsh.

In the Aug. 2007 “Bulletin from the Diocese of Santa Rosa,” Bishop Daniel Walsh expressed his delight that “the Holy Father has reached out to those whose attachment to the missal of Pope John XXIII has made them feel alienated from the Church after the Second Vatican Council.” Walsh expressed his hope that Pope Benedict’s recent motu proprio freeing celebrations of the Tridentine Latin Mass “will bring back many who have distanced themselves from our Church and faith because of their love for the former form of celebrating the mass.”  [The problem here is that these are NOT the only people for whom the provisions of summorum Pontificum were intended.  Pope Benedict was concerned with everyone who wants to participate in the older form of Mass, even only occasionally!]

The pope’s desire, said Walsh, is “to make every effort to make it possible for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew” – and the bishop quotes Benedict XVI: “It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.”  [Again… this is far too narrow a vision.  Far too narrow.]

Walsh noted that in the motu proprio the pope “allows [Here is something to consider.  This "allows" makes it sound like something special, like a special permission.  That is not what the Motu Proprio does.  The MP establishes that it the older use is part and parcel of a priest’s options.] priests to celebrate” the traditional Mass “with the people who request it” [And privately.] and “gives permission to use the old ritual in administering the Sacraments of Baptism, Matrimony, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick as the good of souls may suggest.”

However, said Walsh, “It will be some time before we see what concretely this permission for the use of the old missal will mean for our Diocese.”  [Right!  And that moment in time will be 14 September, when the provisions of summorum Pontificum go into effect in Santa Rosa and everywhere else in the world.]

Walsh said he asked “our priests if any of them can and are willing to offer the mass according to the old Missal. Only one priest came forward.” [Now.] Walsh called this “most understandable since the few of us who were ordained before 1970 and had some familiarity with the old Missal have not celebrated that form of the mass since 1970. The many priests ordained after 1970 have no experience of offering the mass according to the old missal.” [But they can learn.  Look… if the older men learned it, younger men can learn it today.]

Thus, said Walsh, “we have the challenge of finding priests who are capable of offering the mass according to the old Missal.”

And there is a further problem, given the fact that “the extraordinary form” of the Mass “may now be used on Sundays.” “We recognize,” said Walsh, “that our parishes and priests already have full schedules on Sundays.” And, “obviously the old missal and the accompanying rituals will have to be reprinted.”  [CHECK THIS OUT!]

Walsh said he hoped [Okay, that’s good.] “these challenges can be overcome for those who seek to celebrate the holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the extraordinary form.”

Santa Rosa diocese currently has two indult Tridentine Mass celebrations: at St. Mary’s Chapel, Petaluma, and Holy Family Church, Rutherford. 

Either the reporter or the bishop seem to have a somewhat deficient view of the Motu Proprio.

I do not take the bishop’s statements as being overly hostile, though they are a little cautious.  If he truly sees a problem with the shortage of priests who know what to do, then he is right!  It will take a while before the older form of Mass can be celebrated well in that diocese more than it is at present. 

But perhaps His Excellency could have sounded a bit more upbeat about this whole thing.  Sure there are some obstacles.  But for Pete’s sake!  They are not that hard to overcome!

UPDATE (4 Sept): Be sure to look at "brendan"’s comment below.  He checked on the availability of this Missale.

A while back I wrote that if you were looking for a perfect gift for a traditionally minded priest you might consider this reprint of a travel-sized volume  of the 1962 Missale Romanum.

One of you kind readers made a donation through the button on the left side bar so that I could buy one.   I am grateful for that.

Here is my review.

First, the details.

It costs $225, without shipping.  It is a hard cover in a slip case.  The dimensions: 8½" x 6" x 1½".  Thus, it is really slightly larger than I would consider a true travel-sized volume.  I have an old truly portable Missale Romanum printed by Benziger in 1957, which has soft leather cover and is the size of your average smaller format paperback, about half the size of this new book.  That is what priests really need.  However, none of that takes away from the utility of this new book.

Let’s look at it closely. 

These days, in my opinion, the physical construction of liturgical books is terribly deficient.  How does this book stack up? 

The book is hard bound and covered with a faux leather, which looks good, promises to be durable, is nice and bright in color, but has a slightly plastic feel to the hand.
 
The gold on the pages is done fairly well.  The cover has a nice Cross impression, front and back.

There may be a problem down the line with the binding, as you can see from this closeup of the binding just as the title page.

 

The paper is very fine, thin and smooth, high quality I believe.  It feels good and cool to the touch.  It seems durable.

Priests know that ribbons and page turning tabs are very important in a missal.   Bad ribbons and bad tabs can make your life miserable.

The ribbons are decent, though a tiny bit stiff.  They may loosen up a little with use.   They are synthetic.  Someone took the time to burn the ends, so they would not start to fray.

There are only five ribbons, but I am not sure how they could have bound in more, given their width.  Given how fine the paper is, were the ribbons a little narrower, they might tear the paper rather than turn the grouping of pages.

The tabs are a bit of a problem.  They are large enough to get your fingers to grasp.  However, when the book was put into the slip case, the tabs obviously pressed against the inside of the slip case and caused havoc with the pages.  And since the pages with the tabs those of the Ordinary, this is a problem.

 

I am not happy about this.  I will probably attempt along the line to iron these out.  They are on every page where there are tabs.  I suggest that the slip cover be altered somehow.  I don’t think that making the cover larger in relation to the pages is the way to go.

How are the pages to read?  No real problems there.  The only observation I have is that the black print doesn’t strike me as truly black, but rather a very dark gray.  Also, the red of the rubrics seems a bit on the pale side to me.  The print just doesn’t leap off the page at you, which is, I think, desirable.  

 

You can click the image above for a large view. 

Just to get your bearings, compare the red of the cover to the red of the print and the black of the tab to the black of the print.

 

Here is the book in its slip case with a little 6 inch rule, so that you can get an idea of its size.

 

My bottom line is that this book is still going to be the perfect gift to a traditionally minded priest who does not already own a copy of the 1962 Missale Romanum.  

• First, it is a good size, even for travelling, though not perfect.  Something even smaller would be great.  With a caveat about the binding it should stand up pretty well.  
• Second, it is large enough to use on an altar as a regular altar edition.  That is an advantage.
  
• Third, editions of the 1962, a true 1962 edition are really hard to get.  One reprint edition on sale for some years now, often called a 1962 is not really a 1962, as I explained elsewhere.  Therefore, this book fills an important niche.
  
• Fourth, the book has some dignity.  The color image at the Canon is nice.  The font is easy to read.
• Fifth, giving this book to a priest who doesn’t have an older Missal could encourage and support him.  I suspect some priests will really only have the chance to say the oler Mass in private when they are travelling or on vacation.  Therefore this small format book is very good.  Were it any larger, a priest might just not chose to haul it around. 
• Sixth, the sales of this book help the community at St. John Cantius in Chicago.  A worthy way to help worthy men.

They still need to polish this edition, perhaps in the next printing.  Before then they could adjust the slip cases. 

It is still, in my estimation, a perfect gift for a traditionally minded priest.

I am very glad to have this book.