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

This is in from CFSfaT. This concerns how Angelus Press (operated by the SSPX - which at the least in very questional unity with Rome) is reprinting older liturgical books.

My emphases and comments:

More From Angelus Press

I thought this was interesting. In response to his appeal for donations so that they could reprint certain books which had sold out due to the advent of Summorum pontificum, Fr. Novak of the SSPX sent out a ‘thank you’ email via Angelus Press. Part of it:

I want to give you three numbers. The first is zero. This is the number of 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missals we currently have in stock. The second number is 700. This is the number of our daily hand-missals sold last Friday to a church in the Chicago Archdiocese celebrating the Mass of the Extraordinary Form (a.k.a., the Latin Mass of 1962). The third number is 105,650. [ka-ching] This is the number of dollars contributed in September by our apostolate partners allowing Angelus Press to amp up its revised production schedule for the rest of 2007.

On behalf of Angelus Press and the Society of St. Pius X for which it publishes, I thank you for putting your money where your prayers are in response to our Emergency Reprint appeal. If I throw out the highest and lowest contributions, the average donation came to $382.52.  [Pretty impressive.]

Ambrosius had the right question – I still can’t figure why they needed these donations when they were selling books like crazy, but apparently, many other people didn’t have this concern and donated abundantly.

Yes, that is a good question.  Why do they need donations if they sell so many books?

Printing books is pretty expensive.  I suspect the sales of the books hardly covers the expense of printing and distributing.

Market forces will help these things iron out.

Despite the questionable unity of Angelus Press, I am pleased that books are being made available.

This whole thing reminds me of a rather unpleasant exchange with a prelate of a large city in the USA many years ago when I still worked for the first president of Ecclesia Dei.  This bishop claimed that that nobody in the diocese was interested in the older Mass.  I produced from our correspondence copies of petitions sent to him with hundreds of signatures.  He said that he never saw them.  I showed him a copy of a letter he sent back to the person who had sent him a petition.  He said that the separated chapel in his city was of no consequence.  I showed him copies of the "parish bulletins" we had received… with the weekly amounts of contributions tallied for him with a bottom line.  [The bottom line was pretty impressive.] His response?  He got angry.  With us.   He said that we didn’t know what was going on in his local church.   That was true.  We didn’t in fact know what was going on. 

I know now, however, that "market forces" drive many different facets of people’s choices.  People with vote with their cars and their feet and they will take the weekly contributions with them.

I think we who are not in questionable unity should do something to provide resources for the older Mass.

With all the other liturgical books the liturgy offices of bishops’ conferences pushes out, could they print also Missals for the older Mass?

Would it be better to leave this in the hands of private companies and simply support those who are going to be reprinting them, even if they are maybe not in clear unity?

Market forces will work this out too.  People want the books.  Money is to be made and demand satisfied.  The cause is good.  The opportunity is there. 

Those who produce good books will do a great service and, I hope, everyone will profit.

A warm xie xie goes out to the kind soul, JW, who plucked an item from my amazon wish list and sent me some Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong Tea.

I am sipping it with appreciation right now on this blustery autumn day. 

Leaves swirl both in the wind and in my cup.

In Rite Magazine (described as "the liturgy magainze for the whole parish) there is an article by Fr. Robert Tuzik, PhD, who is described as "special assistant to Cardinal Francis George, OMI, in the Archdiocese of Chicago."  The article concerns the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

My emphases and comments.

 

 Considering the Motu Proprio        
        Robert Tuzik      
           

As the date nears for the observance of the Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, some may wonder what the effect this Apostolic Letter will have on their parish. [He cuts straight to a practical issue.] Will the Mass from the 1962 Missal approved by Blessed John XXIII replace the Mass that we pray—the Mass from Pope Paul VI? Still others ask whether the Mass from the 1962 Missal must be celebrated in their parish.

Since it has been over 40 years since some priests last celebrated the Mass from the form prior to the Second Vatican Council, who will update our priests on the rubrics to be followed for those liturgies? Moreover, what training is needed for the congregation, the servers, and the musicians?  [Good concrete questions.]

Some concerns address the attitudes [!] that people have toward those who would like to participate in the celebration of the Mass from the 1962 Missal (a liturgy many refer to as the Tridentine Mass). Other concerns address the fear that the reforms of the Second Vatican Council are being questioned. As more concerns are raised, the challenges ahead weigh on ministers.

Parish staff should rest assured that the Apostolic Letter will not place an undue burden on them. All of the faithful may want to consider the opportunities for reconciliation and greater unity within the Roman Catholic Church that are being provided.

By issuing the Motu Proprio, Pope Benedict XVI is reaching out to three groups. He is attempting to heal a [1] schism [NB: schism] with members of the Saint Pius X Society, to return to the fold [2] Catholics who felt alienated by changes in the Mass after the Second Vatican Council, and embrace the needs of those [3] young people who have found the celebration of the Mass of the 1962 Missal inspirational.

Provisions in the Motu Proprio

As of September 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Motu Proprio allows priests who desire to celebrate a private Mass without a congregation to use the 1962 Missal approved by Blessed Pope John XXIII. Qualified priests [priests should be idonei] also may celebrate a Mass from that Missal with a congregation. Such public celebrations require that the priest celebrant have sufficient knowledge of the Mass, that is, an understanding of the rubrics or directives on how to celebrate the Mass and at least the ability to pronounce the Latin words correctly.  [that is reasonable.]

As a result of these qualifications, not every priest will be able to celebrate the Mass from the 1962 Missal. Some Catholics may have the impression that the local parish priest must accede to requests to celebrate the Mass. This is not what our Holy Father intends. Rather, only priests with sufficient training may celebrate the Mass. However, if a qualified priest desires to celebrate the Mass from the 1962 Missal a group can petition their pastor for use of the church.  [Well… I am not quite sure about that.  Pastors are supposed to receive willingly the petitions addressed to them.  They ought to respond in some way, at least.  That might involve simply making the church available if they have another priest willing to come in.  It might involve more.  I don’t think it can be left mere at "Sorry, folks, I don’t think I can do it.  You are out of luck."]

A provision in the Motu Proprio states the need for a stable community [here is that problematic translation again] of worshippers of this form of the Mass. In other words, the Motu Proprio is not meant to sanction a one-time experience of the Mass for the sake of curiosity or even education. [Hmmm… not sure about that.   This is a legitimate use of the Roman Rite, after all.] Numerous videos of Masses celebrated with the Missal of 1962 can meet this need. Rather, Pope Benedict wants all Catholics to see the 1962 Missal as a legitimate part of our prayer tradition, which needs to be recognized as an extraordinary celebration provided for those who want to celebrate that form as a regular, ongoing experience.  [But the provisions also say "occasional" celebrations, that is, celebrations of Masses for particular occasions.]

The ordinary expression of the Church’s rule of prayer is the Mass from the Missal that Pope Paul VI promulgated in 1970. Pope Benedict does not expect the celebration of that Mass to be replaced by the Mass of the 1962 Missal, except in extraordinary circumstances.

In the letter to the bishops that accompanied the Motu Proprio, Pope Benedict XVI states, “In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal form—the ‘forma ordinaria’—of the Eucharistic liturgy. The last version of the ‘Missale Romanum’ prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a ‘Forma extraordinaria’ of the liturgical celebration.”

Pope Benedict has placed limits on the frequency of celebrations of the Mass of the 1962 Missal. He allows only one Mass from that Missal to be celebrated in a parish. Not every parish will have a Mass in the extraordinary form.  [Okay… okay… okay… we get it, already.   The writer is really hammering the issue of "extraordinary".  We get it.]

Reconciliation

Keep in mind the pastoral nature of this Motu Proprio. The Pope is making an effort to end a schism [There is the S word again.] on the part of the St. Pius X Society, return alienated Catholics to a regular practice of their faith, and embrace the young who have found praying the Mass of the 1962 Missal inspiring. This is a pastoral goal that is obviously commendable.

At the same time, it would be wrong to think that Pope Benedict is backing away from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, [Okay… okay…. we got it before.] which calls for full, active, and conscious participation. Participants at the extraordinary form of the Mass need to follow the Mass prayerfully, participating in the responses and chants to the extent that it is possible.

Pope Benedict also reminds that priests must follow the directives of their bishop in the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass. In his letter, the Pope states, “I very much wish to stress that these new norms do not in any way lessen your authority and responsibility, either for the liturgy or for the pastoral care of your faithful. Each bishop, in fact, is the moderator of the liturgy in his own diocese.”  [However, this document explains the rights of priests in a pretty clear manner.]

It is necessary for priests who wish to celebrate the Mass from the 1962 Missal with a congregation to attend a training session [I don’t see why such a thing is "necessary".   Priests are free to find the training they desire.   Some priests don’t need any training at all.  Why should it be necessary for them to attend training sessions?] reviewing the theology and rubrics found in the Missal. Even priests whose seminary training prepared them to celebrate that Mass will need a refresher course.  [Maybe they will and maybe they won’t.]

Pope Benedict envisions a dialogue between bishops and priests [Where in the Motu Proprio is that made explict?] on the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass. In many dioceses, deaneries will address the following:

    * The number of requests for Masses from the 1962 Missal.
    * The number of parishioners interested in celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass regularly.
    * The number of priests able and willing to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass in the deanery.
    * At which parish in the deanery the extraordinary form of the Mass will be celebrated.

Some deaneries will not receive requests for the Mass from the 1962 Missal. [Whoa!   The Motu Proprio does not talk about deaneries.  It talks about the parish priest, pastors of parishes.] In other deaneries, the extraordinary form of the Mass will be added to a parish and that Mass will need to be publicized.

Parishes where the extraordinary form of the Mass will be celebrated will need to train servers and musicians. Worship aids should be provided to assist participation. Finally, catechesis must be done in parishes that will introduce the extraordinary form of the Mass into their schedules. It will also be desirable if all parishes, even those not celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass, do some catechesis on why it has been reintroduced.  [This is a good idea!]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on the Liturgy has published, the Motu Proprio, the letter from the Pope to the bishops, and questions and answers on the Motu Proprio in its June newsletter. The newsletter is available at http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/bclnewsletterjune07.pdf.  [Caveat lector!]

 While not too bad, this piece over emphasizes some points and fabricates a few others. 

There are misleading points in here about training sessions (thought they could be useful, not all priests need them) and about deaneries.  It can be helpful for parishes to coordinate resources in a deanery, but that is not the level for decision making: the parish is.

The Bishop of Christchurch (NZ), Most Reverend Barry Jones, has issued a statement on the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.  It is dated 7 August, so it isn’t current.  Still, it is interesting to read what the bishop says.

My emphases and comments.

Cathedral House
122 Barbadoes Street, P O Box 4544
Christchurch, New Zealand

August 7, 2007

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In recent weeks, Pope Benedict has authorised an extended use in the Catholic Church of the form of Mass found in the Roman Missal published in 1962 by Blessed Pope John XXIII before the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. It is in Latin and is the form of the Mass celebrated in the Roman Rite up to, and during the Council. [This is a good point.  It was used during the Council.] One of the results of the Second Vatican Council was the reforming and renewal [There is that word "renewal" again, which, depending on the author, I find problematic.  Let’s see where we go this time.] of the liturgical celebrations of the Roman Rite so that Pope Paul VI published a new edition of the Roman Missal in 1970. This new form [H.E. is using a phrase similar to what I often use "older… newer form".] of the Mass now in use included new features, [A good observation.] such as new Eucharistic Prayers to be proclaimed audibly, a wider selection of the Sacred Scriptures, the possibility of the priest facing the congregation, [Right!   Not the "obligation".] and the [possibility of the] use of vernacular languages, even though Latin remained the official language of the Roman Rite.  [Right!  Good observations all along so far.]

The Holy Father has made it clear to us that the old Roman Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII “was never officially abrogated” and “that it must be given due honour for its venerable and ancient usage.” That is why, in 1988, Pope John Paul II was able to encourage the bishops of the Church to make this traditional form of the Mass available to Catholics who wanted to use it in worship. In our Diocese, it has been celebrated in the Cathedral as a vigil Mass for Sundays for many years.

Why has Pope Benedict made this decision to widen the use of the old form of the Mass? It has been apparent, he says, that in some places, “a good number of people remained strongly attached [Presumably oler people.] to this usage of the Roman Rite.” Also, “young persons too [Excellent!] have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery [Very good… this is the purpose of liturgy.] of the Holy Eucharist particularly suited to them.” He also makes it clear that there is no contradiction between the old form of the Mass and the new form which came into the Church after the Second Vatican Council. He wants everyone in the Church to be able to benefit from the riches of both the old Roman Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII and the new Roman Missal of Pope Paul VI. The Roman Rite now has, therefore, two authorised forms of its liturgy. The Pope calls the Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII “an extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the Church” while the Roman Missal of Pope Paul VI is the “normal form” and is to seen as “the ordinary expression” of the Catholic Liturgy.

Pope Benedict hopes that “the two forms of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching.” [Right!  To renew, perhaps in a new liturgical movement, the organic development of liturgy that always characterized the Church’s worship.] Even as he calls our attention to the old form of the Mass, he reminds us of the “spiritual richness and theological depth” of the new Missal of Pope Paul VI. This ordinary form of the Mass will unite parish communities and be loved by them when it “is celebrated with great reverence in harmony with liturgical directives.”  [And, I surmise, if it isn’t celebrated with great reverence and according to the rubrics, it will produce division and discontent.]

I am at present taking counsel on how we may together prepare to implement a wider use [This frames the issue in positive terms.] of the Missal of Pope John XXIII in our diocese. The new instruction from the Holy Father takes effect from September 14th this year.

However, a problem which has existed in the Church over a number of years is now affecting our Diocese in a new way. [Here is a practical matter.] In spite of the fact that the extraordinary form of the Mass has been celebrated every weekend in our Cathedral for many years, there have been unauthorised visits by priests from outside our Diocese promoting it. [He threw me a curve, here.  I thought he was going to bring up a priest shortage problem.] They belong to two groups, namely, the Society of St. Pius X, and very recently, the Transalpine Redemptorists. Both of these groups have broken away from full communion with the Holy Father. [Broken from communion…. it sounds like they are therefore schismatic.] The old form of the Mass is their external mark of identity but the reasons for their difficulties with the Holy See are at a deeper level.  [Yes.  This is a very good point to repeat.   The liturgical issues, and even excommunications, etc., can be solved with the flick of a pen.  The theological issues are far thornier.]

The long established custom of the Church requires any priest coming to a Diocese for priestly ministry to seek and obtain the authorisation of the diocesan bishop. The priests of the Society of St. Pius X and the Transalpine Redemptorists have not been authorised to exercise priestly ministry in this Diocese. Pope Benedict wants us all to understand that, where the Eucharistic celebration and the other sacraments are concerned, we must, within the limits of the possible, seek priests who are in full communion with the Pope. [This is a good way to put this.  Very delicate, but clear.  It leaves open the possibility that when people are physically or morally impeded from seeking sacraments from priests with faculties, they can seek them elsewhere, even from "schismatics", or at least those in questionable union with the Holy See and local bishop.]  As the successor of St. Peter, he is the visible source and foundation of the unity of Christ’s Catholic Church.

May God bless you all.
Yours sincerely
+Barry Jones
Bishop of Christchurch

e-mail: bp_jones@chch.catholic.org.nz 

 

This is a very good letter.  Take note that it came out pretty soon after the text of Summorum Pontificum was released.  Thus, His Excellency was writing before many other bishops issues their statements.  He got in before the spin, as it were.  So, we can see that he had a real desire to align himself and his priests and his flock in harmony with the provisions. 

Well done!