What Does The Prayer Really Say?
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There was an article in Corrierre della sera today which made me truly happy.  Here it is in my translation.

The Church of Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini

"Ite, missa est": The old rite in Latin returns to the Ponte Sisto

Very soon a parish for the pre-Conciliar Missal

Carlotta De Leo Ester Palma

The Church of Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini near the Ponte Sisto is becoming a parish dedicated exclusively to the Tridentine Rite.

The celebraton in Latin, the priest "versus Deum" with his back to the faithful and Gregorian chant: this is how Mass was celebrated for hundreds of years, this is how, according to the rite of St. Pius V, there will begin again celebration every day in the Church of Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini, in the piazza of the same name, a few steps from the Ponte Sisto.

The old baroque church will become the first parish in Rome (and in Italy) dedicated exclusively to the "Tridentine" rite.  The faithful will be able to assist at Mass in Latin and also receive the sacraments in the old manner: baptism, Communion, Confirmation, matriomony and funerals.

"There is no official act yet from Cardinal Ruini [Vicar of Rome]": Msgr. Ernesto Mandara, who oversees the churches in the center of Rome, is cautious.  But the document is ready for the birth of the new parish which will entrust to the Fraternity of St. Peter, which has more than 200 priests around the world to carry forward the older rite.  Barring unforeseen problems, the work [of the parish] will start right after Holy Week.

The finalization of the news is lacking only a definitive agreement about the management of the space between the Fraternity, the Archconfraternity of Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini (to whom the church is entrusted) and the Community of Sant’Egidio – a movement along the lines of deocratic Catholicism – what has use of the premises.  "Polemics?  Macchè ["’course not!"].  Of course our work here will continue", their spokesman Mario Marazziti assured.

The church will will become a "personal parish", or rather without a territorial jurisdiction, but bound to the faithful who identify with the old rite.  A numerous group that now gathers in the little church of S. Gregorio dei Muratori, almost hidden in a back alley of the Piazza Nicosia.  There Masses in Latin are celebrated and the Sunday ceremonies, accompanied by magnificent Gregorian chant, is always jammed.

These aren’t nostalgic octogenarians, but really young people, including a few families with children in diapers.  Many are foreigners, armed with bilingual missals.

The birth of the new parish stems from the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum with which in 2007 Benedict XVI wanted to save from oblivion, "for its venerable and ancient use", the Missale Romanum issued in 1570 by St. Pius V and revised in 1962 by John XXIII.  The liturgy in Latin nearly completely disappeared in 1970, substituted the liturgy in the vernacular advanced, but not imposed, by the Second Vatican Council.

I had posted something about this quite a while ago, back in December, but I was asked by the FSSP to remove it for the time being.  Here is something of what I originally had. 

The great church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini has over the main altar one of the truly great paintings in Rome: Most Holy Trinity by Guido Reni.

The church is a treasure with a rich history.  This is where St. Philip Neri, co-patron of Rome with St. Peter, had his confraternity to care for pilgrims to the holy City.

I celebrated my third Mass there and helped with other solemn liturgies in years past.

And, friends, you should see the sacristy and the vestments.  Unbelievable.

Now I learn that the FSSP may be given this church as a personal parish for those who desire the older use of the Roman Rite! 

I just got off the phone with Fr. Kramer, the priest who is in charge of the FSSP mission in Rome.  He is hopeful and asks for your prayers that everything be done according to God’s will.  [BTW… to the right is a photo of your’s truly as celebrant at little San Gregorio for the 8 December Solemn Mass and Fr. Kramer is the subdeacon.]

With Summorum Pontificum in effect, and having seen tha the FSSP has made a real go fo things in Rome even in tough conditions, Card. Ruini is seeing the whole situation favorably.  The Diocese of Rome will be taking action.

The FSSP guys might inevitably have to share a some space with the Communità di Sant’Egidio, (I am conjuring imagees of Felix and Oscar as I write).   But since the Communità doesn’t use the church for very much, that shouldn’t be a problem.

The guys from the super-tiny S. Gregorio ai Muratori, where the FSSP is now in Rome, will be at Ss. Trinità (or Tirnità in Roman dialect) for Christmas Eve.  It should be wonderful to see a glorious Solemn Mass at the altar with that painting. 

The church will need some cleaning and fixing, but it is a glorious space, a classic Roman church.

Yes… it’s a lot bigger.

 

On Sunday morning I stuck my head into St. Augustine’s parish in South St. Paul.  This is the parish where the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had approved the celebration of the older form of Mass, many years ago. 

Now, under Summorum Pontificum, my friends Fr. John Echert and the assistant Fr. Bryan Pedersen with the help of Fr. Robert Altier celebrate the older form.  I have written of Fr. Echert here and here.  I have written of Fr. Altier as well, for example, here.

I used to help out there years ago, and I have my own memories.  However, I wanted to see what was going on today.

I figured there were about 250-300 people present, though I was told the crowd was down a little.

There were, as you might expect, rose vestments, though they were a bit on the pinker side.

 

I saw a lot of people I knew, for example, families and individuals who once might have frequented St. Agnes and other sound parishes in the area.  Apparently they are looking more for the Extraordinary Form.

After Mass Fr. Pedersen was training young men who will be serving the solemn liturgies of the Triduum.

I simply took a pew in the very back and watched and listened.

There were, in the back, many young families with several children.  They were very well behaved indeed.  The people were quite devout.   After the consecration there was some organ music until the end of the Canon, which I could have done without I think: silence is good.

It was a very nice glimpse into a normal parish where normal people can have the older form of Mass normally.

BTW… since the hideous red shag carpet was stripped from the sanctuary, the old ironing-board altar never found its way back to its place.  They use the main altar for all Masses now, older and newer.

Wonderful things are happening there.

Brick by brick.