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

There is news from the Archdiocese of Anchorage in Alaska about the implementation of the provision of Summorum Pontificum.

Shall we have a look with my emphases and comments.  The following is from a letter from Archbishop Roger Schwietz the in the Catholic Anchor  of 22 February. 

Implementing ‘old Mass’ takes time to do right
Brothers and Sisters in Christ

On July 7, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI issued the Moto Proprio "Summorum Pontificum." In this apostolic letter the pope examined the development of the Roman Missal. He traced the development from the time of St. Gregory the Great until the last changes that were authorized by Pope John Paul II.

While Pope Benedict XVI sees the Roman Missal approved by Paul VI in 1970 as the "ordinary expression of the Lex orandi (Law of Prayer) of the Latin Rite Catholic Church," he also authorized the Roman Missal approved by Pius V and revised by Blessed John XXIII as an "extraordinary expression of that same Lex orandi."

Pope Benedict goes on to say that these two expressions of the Lex orandi will not lead to a division of the Lex credendi (Law of Belief).

Pope Benedict has expanded the special indult, "Quattor abhinc anno," issued by Pope John Paul II in 1984. [I wonder if this is accurate.  There is no longer any indult.  Now priests have the faculty to say this Mass.] In the 1988 document, "Ecclesia Dei," Pope John Paul II requested that the indult be given generous usage. In "Summorum Pontificum," Pope Benedict indicates that it is permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the Roman Missal, issued by Blessed John XXIII in 1962, without requesting a special indult from the Holy See or from one’s bishop.

Every priest may celebrate the "old Mass" without the people on any day except that of the Sacred Triduum. If people, of their own free will, ask to be admitted to this celebration, they are to be permitted to do so.

In parishes where there is a stable group of faithful [Not a good translation.] who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, pastors should ensure the welfare of these faithful. The pastor should do so in a way that avoids discord and favors unity of the whole Church. While there may be multiple celebrations of the "old Mass" during the week, there may be only one such celebration on a Sunday.

In a letter to the bishops, issued the same day, Pope Benedict makes some interesting statements. He notes that he anticipates a "liberalization" of the 1962 Missal. There would be new prefaces and the potential addition of new saints. Additionally, a priest must be willing to celebrate the Novus Ordo issued by Pope Paul VI. Thus, a priest must be willing to celebrate the "new Mass" if he wished to ever celebrate the "old Mass." He is prohibited from only celebrating the 1962 Rite. 

As a result of the Moto Proprio, and the accompanying letter, the bishops in the United States have asked for clarification on a number of points. To date those clarifications have not been received. In order to celebrate the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, several challenges must be dealt with.

First, the 1962 Roman Missal must be celebrated with all of the rubrics in place. These would include a sanctuary that has 3 steps, an altar rail, and an altar that does not face the people and is permanently attached to a wall.  [There are mistakes here.  If there are not three steps, which is ideal, the altar can still be used.  This is NOT prescribed in the Missale Romanum.  An altar rail is NOT prescribed: people can kneel anywhere, at a prayer bench, for example.  An ad orientem altar is NOT prescribed.  As a matter of fact, there are directions in the Missale Romanum on how to incense a free standing altar.  Mass was celebrated at free standing altars in Roman Basilicas.  So, this is simply … well… wrong.]

The priest must use all of the approximately 400 rubrics required for a licit and valid celebration of the Mass.  [Instead of using, say, half of those prescribed for the Novus Ordo? Sorry… couldn’t resist.  But don’t be intimidated by this comment about 400 rubrics.  Piece o’ cake, frankly, especially when you learn the principles behind them.]

The priest must be able to use the Latin language in the appropriate fashion.  [That is reasonable.  This probably means that, minimally, he can pronounce the words properly.]

All of the vestments must be those that are approved for the 1962 Roman Missal. [?  Okay… so?]

There must be a stable community that desires and will benefit from the celebration of the 1962 Rite.  [This is based on an inaccurate translation of the Latin of Summorum Pontificum.  I am sure this will be clarified by the Pope in an upcoming document.]

There are also some effects on the participants in these Masses.  [Such as… say… edification?  A sense of having "been to church"?  An increased desire for reverence and the tradition of Roman liturgy?  Gratitude for being Catholic?]

Women, for instance, would not be permitted to be present at the Baptism of their children. [HUH??  Ummm… noooo….] Women would also need to be "Churched" (a rite of purification after childbirth) before they could return to the sacraments.  [Nooo… although this is a wonderful custom.  I wonder if this wasn’t put in here simply to shock or scare people.]

There would be no lectors or eucharistic ministers.  [YAY!]

The readings for Mass would be from the one year and not three year cycle.  [YAY!]

All servers would have to be male. [YAY!] So where do we go from here? [Straight to the petition list?]

Some priests in the Anchorage Archdiocese are now being trained in the Latin language. They are also learning the rubrics of the "old Mass."  [Excellent.] We are discerning potential locations for the liturgy.  [Though pastors of parishes can make this decision for their own parishes without additional "discernment" by a committee.]

We are exploring potential physical changes in the sanctuary. There is still much work to be done and I ask that you continue to pray as we try to discern the best way to implement the teachings of this Apostolic Letter.

We are all waiting for the Holy Father’s upcoming document, of course, but I don’t think we have to wait for that document to know that some of the things in the above are simply wrong.
 

There is a good story in the online version of the Albuquerque Journal

My emphases and comments.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Church Offers a Weekly Mass in Latin

By Kiera Hay
Journal Staff Writer

    If you happened into the San Miguel Mission Church on Old Santa Fe Trail some Sunday afternoon, you might think you were in another decade. [Or in 2008… this is more our future than our past.]
    Starting last month, Santa Fe’s much-loved "oldest church," as locals often refer to it, began offering a weekly mass in Latin.  [Novus Ordo?...  Yah… yah, I know.  I don’t want people to forget that Latin is the language of the Novus Ordo, too.]
    The service is the first new Latin Mass [Look how confusing this gets.] offered in New Mexico since Pope Benedict XVI resurrected [It wasn’t dead.] the Catholic celebration of the Latin Mass in July 2007. The only other Roman Catholic church to offer a Latin Mass is the San Ignacio Catholic Church in Albuquerque, which has offered a Latin Mass for more than a decade.  [See? It wasn’t dead.]
    Benedict’s decree hasn’t been universally embraced by Catholics, but several of the faithful who attended San Miguel’s service on Sunday spoke passionately about their desire to take part in the Latin rite.
    "It was the way I was raised and I was waiting for the traditions to come back to Santa Fe," said Tracy Crumbacher, 40. [This isn’t about nostalgia.]
    Crumbacher, who was at the service with her husband and 2-year-old grandson, said she’s been a regular attendee of San Miguel’s Latin Mass since it began in January. She also attends St. Joseph Parish in Cerrillos.
    "I think people want to raise their children in the traditional Mass. It’s beautiful. I think people realize it’s a beautiful way to get to know our traditional Catholic faith," she said.
    Benedict’s decree has made it easier for Catholics to celebrate the Latin Mass, also known as the Tridentine rite, by allowing a priest to conduct the service at the request of a group of the faithful. Previously, the approval of a bishop was required.
    Crumbacher’s family was part of a crowd of 50 or so people at Sunday’s Latin Mass in Santa Fe. The new service has attracted some 40 to 60 people each week, said Brother Lester Lewis, mission director. Churchgoers are drawn from Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española.  [It will be interesting to track the growth, if any.]
    "This is a rather conservative group and they’re concerned with tradition," [NEWSFLASH!  DOG BITES MAN!] said the Rev. Arthur J. Jakobiak, who leads the Mass. "Here, they’re a better educated group. They’re business people and they come from professional backgrounds." [Interesting.]
    Many were old enough to have at least vague recollections of the Latin Masses that took place before church reforms in the 1960s effectively replaced the traditional liturgical language with local tongues.
    But San Miguel’s service did attract a few younger individuals, as well as a handful of families with small children and babies.
    "It’s a misconception that people want the Mass out of some sort of nostalgic memory. In fact, there’s been a lot of young people interested in bringing this back," said churchgoer Raymond Saccoccia.
    San Miguel— which also offers an English Mass on Sundays at 5 p.m.— is among the oldest churches that remains in use in the United States, Lewis said. The original church dates to 1610, but the structure was largely replaced in 1710, he said.
    But the historical nature of the church had nothing to do with the decision to offer a Latin Mass there. Lewis said the Archdiocese of Santa Fe asked San Miguel to host the Latin Mass because other churches are booked up with funerals, weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies.
    During the church’s service on Sunday, folks were aided by readers containing the Latin and its English translation. Jakobiak conducted most of the Mass with his back to the congregation— as is traditional during the Tridentine rite— but faced the congregation and spoke in English during his sermon and the Scripture readings.
    The priest, a slight but spry man who says he is "pushing 82," had done Masses before in Latin in the U.S. Air Force. After spending 20 years as chaplain at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, he said he has been "brushing up" on the language.
    It was the students from St. John’s College who triggered the move, Jakobiak said. "They got to me because somebody told them I could" do it.
    Students Mark Scully and Murphy Harkins sent a letter, signed by several members of the college community, asking that the rector of the Cathedral Basilica implement the Latin Mass. The rector approved, Scully said, but couldn’t accommodate the request. So a second letter was sent to the Archbishop of Santa Fe, who arranged for Jakobiak to perform the rite at San Miguel.
    Scully, 21, said he didn’t regularly attend Latin Masses while growing up in Washington, D.C., and has only a partial understanding of the language.
    His desire for such a service, he said, was fueled by spiritual readings on subjects such as the lives of the saints, as well as the Gregorian chants and liturgical music he was required to read during his studies at St. John’s.
    "When I realized I could express that every Sunday, I realized this was something worth pursuing," he said.
    "My personal inclination is just toward the solemnity and the ancient traditions that are wrapped up in the old Mass," he said.
    Journal staff writers Polly Summar and Olivier Uyttebrouck contributed to this story.

We tackle a thorny issue: Communion in the hand. 

To help us drill into this practice, which we can only hope will diminish over time, we have the help of comments by His Excellency Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments.

We also will hear from Thomas E. Woods Jr., in his fairly new book, Sacred Then and Sacred Now: The Return of the Old Latin Mass.

In case you are wondering, I add plenty of my own thoughts on the matter.





 
http://www.wdtprs.com/podcazt/08_02_25.mp3

Biretta tips to NLM and to Musica Sacra  o{]:¬)  for letting us all know that the new prayer for the Jews on Good Friday with the 1962 Missale Romanum has been realized in Gregorian notation, in PDF format, useful for printing and singing.

Check it out!  It is well done.

 

Yesterday the Holy Father visited a parish in the Testaccio area of Rome, along the river, S. Maria Liberatrice.  He was presented with a poem, in honor of his visit, in Romanesco, the dialect of Rome.  The Holy Father said:

I am very happy to be with you here today. Unfortunately I don’t speak Romanesco, but as Catholics we are all a little Roman and we carry Rome in our hearts, and so we understand a little of the Roman dialect. 

Too true!

Did you know that the Internet Prayer I wrote some years ago was rendered into Romanesco?  Yep, it’s true!  I had a recording of it, read by the Roman who made it, but, alas, I have lost track of where it is!  I will get another soon, I hope.

Mind you, Romanesco, or in this case Romanacci, isn’t really a good language for very literal translations.  This time I make the exception of dynamic equivalence.  If you know something of Roma, well… you wouldn’t need to ask why.

ROMANACCIO (ROMAN)

Orazzione prima da collegasse a la rete
Oddio ‘nnipotente ‘n zempiterno, che c’hai fatto apparo de ‘na pittura de Sampietro, (1)
e c’hai detto:"bbadate da cerca’ le cose bbone, ‘ndo’ stanno stanno e senza torna’ ‘ndietro,(2)
e speciarmente in de la perzona de Mi’ fijo e Signore Vostro Ggesucristo",(3)
fa’ che Sant’Isidoro, Vescovo e Dottore come sarvognuno nun z’era mai visto,(4)
ce dia ‘na mano a ggira’ co’ ‘sti machinari in de la rete de’ internette,
addopranno occhi e mmano cercanno da piacette
e trattanno tutti quelli che che ‘ncontramo
come farebbe Cristo, fijo Tuo, e nno Ccaino, fijo d’Adamo.
Pe’ Ccristo Nostro Signore. Ame’.

(1) A reference to the Sistine Chapel and the catechetical intent of the depiction of Gen 1,26-27
(2) Luke 9:62
(3) Surely a Roman commoner would have God speak in first person.
(4) "sarvognuno" = "no disrespect to all others"

Outside the window of my office area, I have a bird feeder.  On return to the Sabine Farm from the UK, I immediately refilled the feeder, much to the delight – and I daresay great need – of the rather greedy little chickadees and the occasional nuthatch which frequent it. 

Here is a nuthatch coming in for a landing.  I think these birds are so hungry they just don’t care if I am standing right there.

 

I cannot speculate about the considerations of the aforementioned nuthatch.  But I do have a pretty good rapport with the less than elusive chickadee.  Here is one hammering away at a seed, which it is clutching against the metal bar.

Chickadees present no special mysteries to me, since I am able to imitate their call well enough that, during the warmer times, they fly up to me to check me out.

There was some light hoarfroast which improves the already nice view.

Something nice to look at over breakfast.


 

"But Father! But Father!" you might be saying, "What did you have for breakfast?  You show the view, but I can’t tell from that what you made!  What ever it was, you don’t exactly eat like a bird."

Ehem…

Inspired by my recent trip, I had a very proper breakfast, with thick bacon, fried tomatoes, an eggs and muffin with some orange marmalade and very strong black coffee.

I was lacking a "Say the Black – Do the Red" coffee mug this morning, however, though you don’t have to.

Though I couldn’t possibly eat this way every morning, it was a nice way to start a day, I can tell you.

Then comes the trudge though the snowy banks to the Sabine Chapel:

 

UPDATED: 24 Feb 08 – 16:57:

Archbp. Ranjith has denied what is reported below.  Check out the bottom of this entry for the details.

__________________

An old story has floated back into the news by way of The Earth Times.  Let’s have a quick look with my emphases and comments:

Rome – The Vatican is poised to introduce stricter norms on Roman Catholic mass, including halting the taking of communion in the hand and setting a time limit for homilies, an Italian newspaper reported Monday. Turin-based daily La Stampa quoted senior Vatican official, Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don saying the move was necessary to eliminate "extravagancies" that have crept into Mass celebrations.

Provisions include restricting to 10 minutes homilies [While I could think of some folks I would happily impose this on, this will never happen.] and sermons and ensuring that they be exclusively based on the Gospel readings, [This undermines this whole report.  Ridiculous.] said Ranjith who is Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

The practice of allowing the faithful to receive Communion – the bread host which Catholics believe represents the body of Christ [Wrong again.] – in their hands would also be "urgently reviewed", Ranjith was quoted as saying.

The Vatican wants the host "placed directly into the mouths of the faithful so they don’t touch it (with their hands)... because many don’t even realize they are receiving Christ and do this with scant concentration and respect," Ranjith said.

The distribution of communion on the hands of those attending mass has been widespread since the so-called Vatican II Council – a series of reforms introduced in the 1960s aimed at making church celebrations more accessible [Can you sense the bias of the writer?] to the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics.

But according to Ranjith the practice was "illegally and hastily introduced by certain elements of the Church immediately after the Council".

"Some people keep hosts with them as a sort of souvenir, others sell them while in some cases the hosts have been taken away to be used in blasphemous Satanic rituals," he said.

Ranjith said the measures to bring back "dignity and decorum" to mass celebrations were in line with Pope Benedict XVI’s wishes, but he did not specify when they would be introduced, nor if they would be issues as an order or a set of guidelines.

Benedict, who earned a reputation as a conservative before being elected pontiff in 2005, last year eased restrictions introduced by Vatican II on the celebration of the traditional Latin mass.

The move which has included softening a prayer for the conversion of Jews contained in the Latin liturgical text, has drawn criticism from Jewish groups who resent what they say remains a singling out of members of their faith.

Meanwhile hard-line traditionalist Catholics have expressed anger over what they say is Benedict’s tampering of the original Latin mass which they regard as sacred.

 

Meanwhile, back at La Stampa, which inspired that piece, this is what was printed (my translation):

The Secretary for Divine Worship proposes reflection on the proproety of Communion in the hand

The Number Two at the Congregation for divine Worship, Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don, has tossed out the hypothesis of a reconsideration of distribution of the Host in the hand, widespread after the Second Vatican Council.  The proposal is express in the preface of a book by the auxiliary bishop of Karaganda, in Kazakhstan, H.E. Athanasius Schneider, entitled “Dominus Est: riflessioni di un vescovo dell’Asia Centrale sulla Santa Comunione”.  "The Eucharist, being bread and wine trasubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, God in our midst, must be received with reverence and in an attitude of humble adoration."  Archbp. Ranjith writes that the Second Vatican Council never authorized the practice of receiving Communion in the hand, a practice that was "introduced contrary to law and hastily in some places" and only later authorized by the Vatican.  And he affirms that this practice has coincided with the beginning of "a gradual and increased weakening of reverential attitudes concerning the Eucharistic species."  He concludes: "I believe that the time has come to take stock of these practices, to rethink them, and, if necessary, to abandon the current practice."  According to Archbp. Ranjith, "now more than evern it is necessary to help the faithful renew a living faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, with the goal of reinforcing the very life of the Church and defending it in the midst of dangers distortions of the faith."

Mind you, this is all old news, reported here in August 2007 and on other blogs a long time ago now, at least in the time frame of the blogosphere.

Keep in mind also that this same auxiliary of Karaganda is auxiliary to H.E. Jan Pawel Lenga, MIC, who made a bit of a name for himself during the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist on this very quesiton of Communion in the hand.  Hee is what I wrote in The Wanderer and on this blog back in October of 2006:

Although at the time of this writing there have only been a few days of speeches, some themes are emerging as common concerns on the part of the attending bishops. We will look at these in the next weeks. For now, however, the issue of the effect of Communion in the hand has been raised and it is worth looking at what was said. His Excellency Jan Pawel Lenga, M.I.C., Archbishop of Karaganda (Kazakhstan) gave us of the materialistic West something to ponder (my translation): “Among the liturgical innovations that have grown up in the West, there emerge two in particular which obscure in a certain sense the visible dimension of the Eucharist in regard to its centrality and sacred nature; these are: the removal of the tabernacle from the center and the distribution of Communion in the hand. When you remove the Eucharistic Lord, ‘the sacrificed and living Lamb”, from the central position and when in the distribution of Communion in the hand there is undeniably increased the danger of losing particles, of profanations, and of a virtual reduction of the Eucharistic bread to the level of ordinary bread, you create unfavorable conditions for a growth in the depth of faith and in devotion. Communion in the hand is becoming common, and is even more and more becoming dominant as the easiest way to go, almost as a kind of fad. … I therefore want humbly to make the following concrete proposals: that the Holy See might establish a universal norm according to which the official manner of receiving Communion would be on the tongue and kneeling. [Amen and amen.] Communion in the hand would be reserved to clerics. May diocesan bishops where Communion in the hand has been introduced, work with pastoral prudence gradually to lead back the faithful back to the official rite of Communion, valid for all the local Churches.”

 

Apparently the auxiliary has taken up the banner and Archbp. Ranjith has sounded the trumpet.

WDTPRS applauds, again, Archbp. Ranjith for his bold words, which – though this story is a little dated – bear fruitful repetition.  

Communion in the hand is a scourge. 

While people still have the right by law to receive this way, we must respect the practice. 

But we must also teach teach teach about this important issue so that, even while the practice remains licit, fewer and fewer will opt to receive in the hand.

_________

From Rorate with my emphases and comments:

The Italian daily La Stampa suggested today that there could be a vast Vatican plan to reform some practices in the new Mass (according to the Missal of Paul VI). It seems, however, that no new norms and regulations for the Missal of Paul VI are foreseen, as Vatican Radio reports:

    Abp. Ranjith denies an article of the daily La Stampa: there will be no new pronouncements on the matter of the celebration of the Mass

    The secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Abp. Malcolm Ranjith, has denied today what is contained in an article published with today’s date on the daily La Stampa.

    The article mentions a supposed "turning point in the Vatican against – it is written – the ‘extravagances’ in Mass and to review some recent practices such as communion in the hand."

    Abp. Ranjith notices that there is in the article a collage of sentences pronounced by him in different contexts which have given rise to out-of-place construction.

    [Ranjith] Clarifies thus that, in the matter of the celebration of Holy Mass, with respect both to the priest and to the faithful, the binding discipline contained in the liturgical books is clear.

    Therefore – Abp. Ranjith affirms -, no ulterior pronouncements regarding the matter are foreseen. The expectation – he concludes – is that the existing norms and indications shall be regularly applied and that the Eucharist be celebrated with devotion, seriousness, and nobility.


RORATE Editorial Note: It seems that all the advocates of the "Reform of the Reform" will have to get used to the idea that the great measure of authentic reform is the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum – and that the Missal of Saint Pius V is their only hope.

The plot thickens.  Remember that there is even within the Congregation a faction arrayed against Archbp. Ranjith.

In the main WDTPRS agrees with Rorate on this point about Summorum Pontificum being the greatest source of hope! 

 

As I had said time and again, the use of the older form of Mass will exert an inexorable "gravitational pull" on the way the newer Mass is celebrated.  It will shift the perception of younger priests about who they are and what Mass is.  It will instill more and more a sense of the Sacrifice that is Holy Mass and the reverence to due the Eucharistic Lord.

With that "gravitational pull" will come, slowly at first to be sure, a shift in the practice of reception of Holy Communion.  That must happen.

I got a question from a reader:

I am new to the Church so please forgive me if this is a stupid question. I have ordered a 1962 Missal ( your reviews were so good I decided to get both the Angelus and Baronius editions) but are there Missals for the Novus Ordo as well? I sometimes attend a Latin mass near me but also attend a very reverent NO mass as well. If possible I would like to use a missal there as well since I really don’t like the paper back ones stuck in the pew, and would also like to study the readings beforehand.

I know that there is a good  hand missal produced, I believe, by Opus Dei, called the Daily Roman Missal.

However, I have a hard time recommending anything for the Novus Ordo right now because, as we speak, the English translations of our liturgical texts is being updated.  Any book that uses the lame-duck ICEL texts is itself a lame-duck.

Perhaps some of our readers have ideas.

For now we can limit ourselves to English language resources.