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Older Mass and Newer Mass: gravitational pull
The Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum is one dimension of Pope Benedict XVI’s larger vision for the Church, his ecclesiastical "Marshall Plan".
Why do we need the usus antiquior on a wider and more generous basis? To correct and redirect, reorient, the way we use the newer form of Mass.
For example, take a look at this photo of an ordination in Gricigliano, Italy, where the Institute of Christ the King has its HQ. The ordaining bishop is His Eminence Antonio Card. Cañizares Llovera, Archbishop of Toldeo and Primate of Spain.
Here is the singing of a Solemn Te Deum by His Eminence Ennio Card. Antonelli, Archbishop of Florence. Cardinal Llovera is also present.
This communicates something about style…. attitude. It doesn’t mean that parishes have to do this… unless they want to, of course.
Cathedrals ought to.
Quantum potest tantum aude!
Magnificent, Father! Best posting ever.
Comment by Antonius — 7 September 2007 @ 11:00 amIndeed, Cathedrals ought to, and what is being done through the work of the Institute is a sublime grace to the Church communicating volumes.
An antiquarian question. Aren’t they trying to achieve a position of the Cardinal’s cope while kneeling (surrounding what in this case looks like a faldstool) that was only possible for the Pope, since his cope was larger than normal?
Comment by David Kubiak — 7 September 2007 @ 11:19 amAntonius: Please understand…. this is about the older form of liturgy, not the Institute.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 7 September 2007 @ 11:31 amFather Z wrote:
“Why do we need the usus antiquior on a wider and more generous basis? To correct and redirect, reorient, the way we use the newer form of Mass.”
Those are splendid pictures, but actual Novus Ordo celebrations of that kind are fewer than hen’s teeth.
This is the crossed-finger approach.
If the real desire of the Holy Father and “reform of the reformers” is to revitalize the Novus Ordo, if they are serious about saving it (God knows why), what’s wrong with the direct approach? Why not make the foremost point of a “new liturgical movement” an all-out campaign before the Holy See to re-write the instruction book, and re-issue the GIRM with concrete, exact, traditional rubrics? Get rid of the ambiguity, cancel the options. That’s a real solution.
Anything less is just wishful thinking.
Comment by Belloc — 7 September 2007 @ 11:35 amVery good point, Belloc, although I would put it in a different manner.
I share Antonii enthusiasm.
Comment by Jon K — 7 September 2007 @ 12:38 pmBelloc,
I think there’s a danger to such an immediate and sudden refocusing of the liturgy to traditional forms. Yes, we’re faced with bad liturgies that are heavily influenced by Protestant practices. There are some that have gone so far as to be sacreligious. But there is a danger in simply throwing down the gauntlet. One result of the sudden shock will be the alienation of flaky Catholics, the sort who only go to mass on occasion and don’t have any real conviction behind their faith. Another danger is a split with the “reformers,” either those who are satisfied with the reforms, or those who are seeking further, and often impossible, changes.
Might we be better off without such people? Perhaps, but the Church is in the business of saving souls. I look forward to the day when the Church, as a whole, has returned to the notions of tradition and beauty and holiness, but I can’t realistically expect hat day to be tomorrow.
Comment by Michael J. — 7 September 2007 @ 12:44 pmBelloc: Why not make the foremost point of a “new liturgical movement†an all-out campaign before the Holy See to re-write the instruction book, and re-issue the GIRM with concrete, exact, traditional rubrics? Get rid of the ambiguity, cancel the options. That’s a real solution.
Wouldn’t a real solution require that an actual offertory oblation be inserted? (I assume that cancelling the options includes deleting the plethora of additional canons, so only the Roman Canon would remain.)
Comment by Henricus — 7 September 2007 @ 1:05 pmWhat a nice surprise – I didn’t know that Cardinal Cañizares, apart from being an integral player on Team Benedict, was also friendly enough towards the extraordinary form to merit an invitation to Gricigliano! If only he himself would celebrate a Solemn High Pontifical Mass in the classical Mozarabic rite (not the post-Vatican II revision in Spanish), whose mother church is his own Cathedral in Toledo.
Comment by EJ — 7 September 2007 @ 1:26 pmFather Z: Older Mass and Newer Mass: gravitational pull
I started wondering how long the gravitational pull of the older Mass might take to make the newer Mass resemble these photos. Then, as a sometime student of Newton’s Principia Mathematica (composed in Latin, of course) and considering the relative numbers of these Masses being celebrated, I imagined a marble (old Mass) at some distance from the Sun (new Mass), and began to wonder how long it might take the gravitational pull of the marble to cause the Sun to …...
But maybe I’ve got the two interchanged. Suppose I think of a faithful Catholic somewhere between the Sun (old Mass) and marble (new Mass). Under their respective gravitational attractions, which form does the believer naturally incline towards? Hmm …..
Comment by Henry Edwards — 7 September 2007 @ 1:34 pmHenricus,
An actual Offertory would certainly be part of the “real solution”, along with suppression of that outrageous plethora of eucharistic rayers.
Are you aware that this past May, Bishop Fellay of the SSPX stated that your solution is even now quietly afoot?
I’ve seen the conference. He claims that Benedict wants to, in his phrase, “make the 1970 Missal more Catholic.” To do this, Fellay said the Holy Father will include the TLM Offertory as an option, and will suppress all eucharistic prayers with the exception of Prayer III and the Roman Canon.
Time will tell.
Comment by Belloc — 7 September 2007 @ 2:34 pmThey look kind of squished together and elongated, but that’s OK —it gives the scene an El Greco look, and what could be more Counter-Reformation than that?
For me, though, the bravura touch is the 18th-century-style officer on the right-hand side of the second picture. Right out of Act I of TOSCA! Can Baron Scarpia be far behind? Te Deum, dude! Down with the “Volteriani, nemici del Santissimo Goberno!” :)
Comment by Cacciaguida — 7 September 2007 @ 4:18 pmThe WOW factor!
That is really a foretaste of heaven!
Comment by Philip Andrews — 7 September 2007 @ 4:20 pmYou cannot imagine the fury of the commentaries in the Spanish press and blogs against Cardinal Cañizares. His pictures in Gricigliano, particularly those with cappa magna, have been ridiculed beyond excess.
Comment by Melo — 7 September 2007 @ 4:34 pmMelo, you wouldn’t happen to have some links to Spanish reports of Cardinal Cañizares and his visit to Gricigliano in particular?
Comment by Antonius — 7 September 2007 @ 5:13 pmBelloc: Are you aware that this past May, Bishop Fellay of the SSPX stated that your solution is even now quietly afoot?
Let’s hope His Excellency is as well-informed about the reform of the reform as he seems to have been about the motu proprio.
Comment by Henricus — 7 September 2007 @ 5:24 pmWho are those in the black and blue vestments in the first picture?
Comment by M Kr — 7 September 2007 @ 6:30 pmI believe that is the Choir Dress for the Insitute. That what was worn in St. Lewis this summer.
Comment by Christophorus — 7 September 2007 @ 6:43 pmthe 18th-century-style officer on the right-hand side of the second picture. ...
That, of course, is an Italian Carabinieri police officer in full parade uniform. I’m with Caccia here … the brauvura touch is exactly right.
However, the Squished Together look is a distraction, I’m afraid. I’ve been in these situations in composing Web pages before, and the only thing for it is to put proportional height and width declarations in the “img src” code. You have to know the pixel height and width of the original pic, then reduce each by the same percentage.
On another matter—As Father Z states: It doesn’t mean that parishes have to do this… unless they want to, of course. Cathedrals ought to.
For those that agree with Father Z that cathedrals ought to, you might want to have a look at this.
Comment by PMcGrath — 7 September 2007 @ 8:08 pmM Kr,
The black and blue that you see is in fact the new choir dress for the Institute. The blue mozetta is worn by the superiors of the Institute while the other members wear a black mozetta with blue trim. They also all have black birettas with blue tuft.
The US members of the Institute were presented with their new choir dress in June just prior to the ordinations conducted by His Excellency Archbishop Burke of St. Louis.
Joe
Comment by Mr. Joseph P. Bradley, OP — 8 September 2007 @ 12:14 amM Kr:
Comment by Antonius — 8 September 2007 @ 6:19 amI believe the one to the left is Abbé Benoît Jayr, Provincial of France and the one to the right is Abbé Olazabal, Prior in Madrid. If that was what you were wondering about. ;)
It is so obvious what or rather Who the focus of this Mass and Benediction is!
The almost universal abandonment of ad orientem in practice in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite is lamentable…
Comment by Bruce T. — 8 September 2007 @ 9:21 amAntonius – Below I copy a link from a Spanish blog mocking Cardinal Cañizares for this celebration at Gricigliano. I think it’s a liberal Catholic blog. Even from it’s title “The Long Red Cape of Cardinal Cañizares,” you can get a feel for the post’s tone of mockery. For what it’s worth, at least we can see a couple more images of the celebration. God bless His Eminence for swimming against the current like this, which in Spain, can be overwhelming. Please pray for him and other bishops of similar resolve and courage.
http://blogs.periodistadigital.com/nidopoesia.php/2007/08/16/la_larga_capa_roja_del_cardenal_canizare
Comment by Emilio — 8 September 2007 @ 4:53 pmIf there is a convergence of the two rites, and the 1962 Missal is updated with saints’ feasts, will that mean that all the missals that everyone is buying will be obsolete? Will they then need to turn around and buy a new missal that has the new feast days?
Comment by RichR — 8 September 2007 @ 9:17 pmEmilio, if you want to see many more photos of the events & ceremonies in Gricigliano, Florence, see: http://www.icrsp.org/Evenements-2007/ordinations-2007/ordinations-2007.htm
Comment by Syriacus — 9 September 2007 @ 2:29 amthat you can reach from the main page of the Institute CKSP : http://www.icrsp.org/accueil.htm
If we could truly reform the Roman Rite and achieve one authentic traditional form, I think it would be worth the money it takes to buy new missals. :-)
Comment by Sylvia — 10 September 2007 @ 9:12 amBelloc,
Having read JRatzinger’s writings on liturgy, I had thought that the first move would be instituting ad orientem for Novus Ordo masses. No language excuse, etc.
Instead, they decided to start by re-introducing the 1962 Missal. Good enough.
The next few years will be very interesting.
Comment by RBrown — 10 September 2007 @ 10:36 am