Here is a nice follow up story to what I posted the other day about the implementation of Summorum Pontificum in the area of Davenport, Iowa.
The following is from The Catholic Messenger with my emphases and comments.
Tridentine Mass returns to diocese
By Celine Klosterman[Photo: Father Scott Lemaster celebrates the first Tridentine Mass at St. Anthony Church in Davenport Aug. 3. Another Mass was celebrated at St. Wenceslaus Church in Iowa City the same day.]
More than 400 people combined attended the first two Tridentine [They need a new term here, but let that go for now.] Masses held in the Diocese of Davenport since last summer, when Pope Benedict XVI issued his apostolic letter that relaxed restrictions on use of the Mass.
Fathers Scott Lemaster and Paul Appel celebrated the Aug. 3 services at St. Anthony’s in Davenport and St. Wenceslaus in Iowa City, respectively. A diocesan survey [intriguing] found that the Iowa City and Davenport areas expressed the greatest interest in celebrating the Tridentine Mass.
“For many years we have waited for our eyes to see and our ears to hear what we see and hear today — the Mass of the ages,” Fr. Lemaster told more than 200 people at St. Anthony’s.
“So many people have wanted this Mass,” said Fr. Paul Appel to about 220 Catholics in his sermon at St. Wenceslaus. He’s one of six diocesan priests who will take turns celebrating Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal. [If they are pastors, they can do this in their parishes as well.]
His sermon and readings of Scripture were the sole English-language portions of the service, at which people of all ages followed — or attempted to follow — the Mass in booklets featuring both Latin and its English translation.
Because of the language and “silence” of the Tridentine Mass, “you have to work harder, but I think that’s good,” said Fr. Appel. “You have to pay full attention.” [Yes… this is full, conscious and active participation desired by the Second Vatican Council’s Sacrosanctum Concilium.]
Besides the language difference, other notable contrasts from the ordinary form of the Mass were the absence of lay Eucharistic ministers, lectors and female altar servers; the general silence of the congregation; the choir’s embrace of Gregorian chant; and reception of Communion on the tongue, not in the hand.
The richness and defining characteristics of the Tridentine Mass, also known as the Latin Mass, helped Fr. Appel feel drawn to it, though it made up only a fraction of his post-Vatican II priestly formation, he said. To prepare to preside at Tridentine services, he joined other diocesan priests in traveling to Chicago for training through the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius.
“Let us pray for all those who didn’t get to see this day,” he said during his first celebration of the Latin Mass. He voiced hope that those attending would “find something profound and wonderful, that draws you closer to Christ.” [THAT’s the point! Good!]
“This is so reverent,” said Anna Kane of Cedar Rapids after Mass in Iowa City, one of several women who wore a head scarf, or mantilla, to St. Wenceslaus or St. Anthony.
“It puts concentration on the fact that we honor Christ at the altar,” said Peter Kennedy, a St. Wenceslaus parishioner. “And the Latin hymns create a sense of solitude and peacefulness.” [I wonder if "solitude" here isn’t really a way of trying to say "stillness" or "quiet", rather than isolation. The older form of Mass most certainly also can create a sense of broad solidarity as well.]
He and Kane, who each have lived or traveled in Europe, also voiced appreciation for the universality of Latin Mass. “You can go anywhere and it’s the same,” said Kane.
“Deo gratias,” said Teresa Oltman of Geneseo, Ill., thanking God after attending Mass at St. Anthony with family. Her family has attended Latin Mass [Another bad term. Some more catechesis is needed here.] for the past 10 years in the Chicago and Peoria, Ill., areas, but “we finally have a place that is close,” Oltman said. Geneseo is about a 30-minute drive from Davenport.
The Tridentine Mass “is more proper,” said Michael Smith of Monticello, who with his four sons was an altar server at St. Wenceslaus. He wanted his sons to be trained to serve at Latin Mass, a Mass he predicted “everyone will be doing eventually.”
“Maybe someday we’ll get ambitious and do even funeral Masses” in the Latin rite, [Let me go out on a limb here, but I predict that they will be needed.] said Tom Rowland, who helped coordinate preparations for St. Wenceslaus’ service. He said he was pleasantly surprised by turnout at that Mass, having expected to see only half the number who showed up. “I think a lot of people are interested in this,” he said, noting he’s still getting e-mails from people wanting to help with the Mass.
“It will be interesting to see how many people continue coming” after the novelty wears off, he added. “This will click with a lot of people; with others it won’t.”
Still, he said, “I couldn’t be happier about the way things went today.”
Tridentine Masses will take place every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at St. Wenceslaus and 4 p.m. at St. Anthony, and on the third Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. at Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish in Sugar Creek.
(Anne Marie Amacher contributed to this story.)
Tridentine Mass returns to diocese
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Excellent article, why oh why are these masses always held at 1pm, 1:30pm and 4pm? It just shouts out to me “this mass will be treated differently”, why not 9am, 10am or 12:00pm? For those who prefer to fast from midnight it does make it harder. I’m sorry if I sound negative its the only criticism that I have, and this is absolutely great news as it shows SP slowly but surely working.
You know, all these stories about “the return” of the Traditional Rite–although piece-meal–really got me to thinking: What Pope Benedict XVI did was quite brilliant. He didn’t “impose” something, as Paul VI did, with consequences vis-a-vis Cardinal Villot (a desgusting, horrible man,) he merely gave Traditional license.
The Catholic faith is inherently traditional and “conservative,” as God Himself has a single, immutable, nature. God is “ever old, but ever new,” as nature itself is. Nature spends itself, but is never “spent,” (paraphrasing Gerard Manly Hopkins.) Therefore, God, too, has an eternal Nature which does not change. Following that immutable will is the goal of “conservativism.” Many (some say, most) “conservatives” are actually “liberals” in the religious sense. But Political conservativism is different than religious traditionalism. A Catholic Traditionalist merely wants to maintain a mode of worship “built” (Christ said He would “build” His Church) since the time of Christ, instead of novelty, which is a deconstruction, not a building up. Actually, in this sense, Traditionalists are more progressive than the modern Barbarians tearing down the faith.
For instance, if one happens upon a Palestrina Mass, though the music is centuries old, is he diminished in his worship compared to the “inclusive” worship administered in Mass. for John Kerry, where they sing “Kumbaya,” with eucharistic ministresses?
Which is more “progressive,” and which “more basic,”? Which is more transcendental? Which one helps with lex credendi?
Great to see the true mass offered in another parish, and so close to my family. Geneseo is the home to relatives, and the first stop in America for my Great grandparents coming from Belgium.
Good News for America’s heartland….I hope it spreads out through the veins of this country to even the farthest of cities coast to coast…And reading the article and hearing what people say about it does make me think maybe it should be officially called “Tridentine”.The name seems as timeless as the Mass itself, and so many are comfortable with that name. Although certainly not the actual Mass to come out of Trent it does represent the organic development from that. Even with the proper Cathesis, I still seems to say Tridentine myself..
I have been wondering about this for a while and a comment in this post brought it to mind. The stillness and interior participation of the Extraordinary Form draw its participants toward the altar and up to the brink of Heaven itself. However, Sacrosanctum Concilium, during the period when the 1962 Missal was in universal use, called for full, conscious, and active participation of the lay faithful. If I remember right, this was not said in the context of catechizing the faithful for such participation but for ordering Holy Mass for such participation. I wonder, what exactly were the Council Fathers getting at – what changes to the then-present Missal would they have wanted to see?
I am glad to hear this news but across the pond in England, things aren’t fairing so well. A priest was just punished for wanting to do the EF of the Mass.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2008/08/09/the_suppression_of_a_latinloving_parish
Those cases are not isolated.
The one thing I fear, is that the Holy Father is old, and his replacement will most likely be of a later generation with no appreciation for the EF of the Mass. I was never exposed to it growing up, since I am too young, so I never knew what I was missing, but I came to realize it was what I was longing for.
Although I would love to see Pope B16 reign at least 20 more years if possible… most likely this wont be the case. Things are improving but, how many people have been
exposed to the older Mass? Not nearly enough. A very very very miniscule percentage of the 1.1 billion Catholics.
I feel blessed that I get to attend a church (St. Matthews in Dix Hills, NY) where three different priests take turns celebrating the EF of the Mass, including the pastor.
And they each give wonderful homilies.
-Alan
Oh dear… oh dear… please forgive me, Fr Z, if this is a bit off-topic in the context of this thread on the beautiful Mass in Davenport IA and the thankfully very healthy situation there, but reading some of the comments in the link to the Damien Thompson blog posted by Alan is just very depressing.
It’s all the more puzzling in the light of Bishop Roche’s well-publicised interventions at the ICEL conference last year(?) where he was very positive on the new translations. To some of us on this side of the pond (I’m from Ireland, but the situation in the UK is similar) there’s a certain irony in that the post-V2 wackiness was perceived to have come from the US in the first place, while we still retained relative traditionalism, at least up to the end of the 70s, only beginning to take on the kumbayah culture from the late 70s and 80s onwards, which unfortunataely is now fully entrenched with wreckovations aplenty ongoing from day to day. The reason of course is that the US was seen as the source of all that was progressive (man). Believe it or not, folks, that’s the way it was and is.
And you in the Church in the US are now in the forefront of faithful interpretation of the MP. But will the entrenched libs over here follow your example? Excuse me while I kiss the sky! We need a new missionary movement from the US back to Ireland and the UK, of faithful and educated priests. We gave it to you in the last century. Please give it back to us. Although you already do through the blogosphere.
Believe me, the influence of what you do in the US is still huge over here, so the growing movement you have towards wholehearted faithfulness to the Magisterium, in all its aspects, can and will be be of immense influence. Meanwhile, it’s 1.30 a.m. and the nearest TLM to me is over 60 miles away, while I know what I’ll be attending in 9 hours time to will be…
oh, offer it up, offer it up. Have been doing for years.
I agree that we need a better name than Tridentine (sounds like the gum!). Everyone’s always referred to the Novus Ordo as the New Mass. Since it’s an even bigger debacle than was New Coke, we could keep the apt analogy and refer to the Tridentine Mass as Mass Classic!
Only half-serious, of course. Actually, I like the idea of calling it The Classic Mass.
Fr,
I for one advocate the term ‘Tridentine Mass’, and find the youth whom we’re working with, inclined to it than the longer Traditional Latin Mass. Although agreed that the latter is more accurate and exact, but it has a sort of baggage due to the words “traditional” and “Latin”. Some even thought that it was a Mass that began in South America. And even those, more or less “knowledgeable”, quickly brands the extraordinary form as boring since it is “traditional” without even attending a service. Forgive my “modernism” (or should I say postmodernism), but I think it’s more “cool”, “mysterious” and easy to distinguish the form of Mass by using the term “tridentine”, well at least from where I’m at. Anyway, it’s just my opinion.
Instavrare Omnia In Christo.
Great news that more TLMs are celebrated. I hope with time they will be offered at even more convenient times, but I suppose much will depend on the visible benefits such masses will surely bring.
I also like the term “Tridentine” mass despite the drawbacks it does have. Positively, it draws its name from the Council of Trent; such a fact would be a strong bridge to a conversation concerning what the Church has taught and continues to teach, i.e. the constancy of her faith and morals. “Gregorian” is also substantial appellation with its reference to a sainted Pope of 1400 years ago; such a name bears immediate witness to the timeless nature of the Church’s liturgical worship.
There’s a very simple reason these cities expressed the greatest interest: they were the only choices the survey offered. My family submitted write-in votes for St. Anthony (Knoxville). Iowa City is a two-hour drive from here; Davenport, nearly three. Fortunately, St. Anthony (Des Moines) is only about an hour away (in the diocese of Des Moines), and offers (their term) every Sunday at 8:30 AM.
My daughter will be getting married there in two weeks.
Somewhat OT (but touching on one of Fr Z’s point about terminology and catechesis), but I just saw this piece in the Archdiocese of Brisbane’s offical rag:
http://www.catholicleader.com.au/index.php?search=4407
The local “liturgist” takes the media to task for using the expression “Mass in Latin”, when they mean “Tridentine Rite”. She then goes on to say that Vatican II “banned” the Extraordinary Form, and “encouraged the use of the vernacular”. I bet she’s never even read Sacrosanctum Concillium. How many errors can we count in her piece?
Here’s the relevant bit:
“2. One newspaper had a story about a group of young people who like to celebrate Mass in Latin “which was banned by the Second Vatican Council held in the early 1960s”.
Vatican II did not “ban” Latin at all but did encourage the use of vernacular languages rather than Latin so that, as Pope John Paul II put it, “every individual can understand and proclaim in his or her mother tongue the wonders of God”.
What Vatican II did “abolish” was the Tridentine Mass, the Order of Mass from the Council of Trent in the mid-1570s, which was celebrated in Latin.
It was replaced by the new Order of Mass with the publication of the Missal of Paul VI in 1970.
Where and when appropriate, this order of Mass may be celebrated in Latin, or in any of more than 300 languages spoken by Catholics around the world – a wonderful sign of unity in diversity.”
Hmmm. Brisbane is the place where they cannot even baptise properly, without help from the CDF. Any wonder? If you’re going to fact-check the media, get your own facts right.
I also like the word, Tridentine, instead of the “Traditional Latin Mass – TLM” or the “Extraordinary Form” (boy, what a mouthful). There’s nothing wrong with the word, “Tridentine”, and it does separate it from the Latin Novus Ordo (albeit, the very few Latin Novus Ordos being offered nowadays). I’ve also heard the term, “Gregorian Mass”, being thrown about too, but in my opinion, “Tridentine” is much more accurate.
I like and use the term the ‘Traditional Mass’.
Imagine just imagine for one moment what an outcry there would be if the Novus Ordo Mass was moved to the 1:30 or 4:00 time slot !!!!
Please Holy Father we need more direction to get this restoration of the Faith on the road. The battles in the trenches are unbearable.
But it’s not the Tridentine Mass. It’s the 1962 Mass. So logically, you’d have to call it the Johannine Mass or the Vatican II Mass, or something like that.
Anyway, I spent YEARS trying to figure out what was three-toothed or pitchfork-y about the “Tridentine” Mass, not to mention whether sugar-free gum was important to the Rite. So the sooner that misleading title is gone, the better. :)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Pope Benedict XVI call it the “Gregorian Rite”?
Luke: Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos called it the “Gregorian Rite” a few months ago, in the UK, I think. In Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI called it the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, which I would think is “official”.
I think my side comment touched a subject that was talked about in a previous post. But all the comments about it seem to validate that like it or not that is what so many people call it and feel comfortable with. I have heard no one call it Extraordinary Use, at least in lay circles. Perhaps we should just call a blue sky, blue.
Golly folks – Fr Z had this debate over what to call the usus antiquior last year! In fact, he held a poll between the different terms ranging from Tridentine, TLM, Extraordinary Form and several other options. And..TLM won the contest hands down; it is short, concise, distinguishes it from the NO Latin Mass and is not overly technical about particular pre-Vatican II missals [which is not a relevant issue when discussing the TLM in general terms and in most cases].
Tridentine merely commemorates the first occasion on which the TLM was legislated – until then liturgical usage was ‘regulated’ by custom. Moreover, the Council of Trent [whence ‘Tridentine’] merely endorsed the usage of Rome and trimmed more recent liturgical additions less than 200 years old (whilst preserving Latin rite usages older than 200 years old as at 1570). In the context of today, the term Tridentine allows post-conciliar types to erroneously claim that all Vatican II did was follow what Trent did in making changes to the liturgy. In any case – the term was only dreamt up 38 years ago as a descriptor for the TLM in the wake of the NO’s promulgation in 1970.
While 4pm is surely not an ideal time for the Mass, pariticularly since its adherents are more likely to take fasting prior to Mass more seriously, we have to be aware that the success of these Masses depends on the generosity of the priests who ARE overworked, particularly on Sundays when they are often responsible for Masses in two, three, or even four parishes, especially in more rural dioceses such as Davenport. While it is certainly true that they could offer the traditional Mass at any time, or even in their own parishes, they simply do not feel at liberty to change a Novus Ordo Mass to a Traditional Mass, be it for pastoral or “political” reasons. I regularly attend both forms of Mass and am simply happy that today we are able to actually talk about how a particular Traditional Mass was celebrated or how the music was accomplished, whereas a few years ago it would have been nearly miraculous that the Mass was offered at all. All in due time.
The Tridentine Latin Mass is also offered each Sunday (noon) at the
the lovely (gothic) Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville Iowa. This is a rural town in the rolling hills of NE Iowa that draws Catholics from all over the state to attend the Tridentine Mass.
The heartland of Iowa embracing the Tridentine Mass of the ages – Impressive!
note: Only ~2 hours due south of La Crosse, Wisc. (new Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe)