MIAMI: TLMs bringing in young people

A reader alerted me to coverage of a TLM in Miami in which the local Juventutem chapter is involved.

With Ancient Language, Catholic Mass Draws Young Parishioners

Roman Catholic Mass was at one time universally celebrated in Latin, the ancient Roman language.

After the second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Mass was allowed to be celebrated in the language of the people, meaning Mass in Peru was celebrated in Spanish and Mass in the United States was celebrated in English — you get the picture. [It’s in English now.  What it was in in 1973 is debatable.]

Latin is now sometimes referred to as “the dead language,” but it is not dead in Miami. [It’s not dead anywhere else, either!]

The Mission of Saints Francis and Clare is a Roman Catholic chapel in Miami that celebrates traditional Latin Mass every Sunday. It’s one of three local churches that offer this regular service. The mission has about 20 pews facing its single stained-glass window just above the altar.

Father Joe Fishwick has been leading the traditional Latin Mass at the chapel for almost 20 years. He says he’s noticed a change in attendance recently.

“The fascinating thing is the number of young people who discover the old liturgy and who fall in love with it,” he says. “There’s indeed a thirst for a return to one’s roots.”

Father Fishwick says he has seen more and more young people at Sunday’s Latin Mass since the death of Pope John Paul II nine years ago.

“I think maybe the younger generation, which has had no experience of that, has been completely starved of it,” says 30-year-old Miamian Josue Hernandez. “They see it and they run to it because they have been so deprived.”

[…]

Read the rest there.

Apparently they have a “Dogma on Draught” night once in a while.  Great!

I’d like to visit them sometime, maybe for a Mass.  Preferably when it is -10°F at the Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Center.

The New Evangelization, one TLM at a time.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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18 Comments

  1. Brian K says:

    “Dogma on Draught” is such a nice sounding alternative to the drought of dogma we’ve been flooded with lately.

  2. YorkshireStudent says:

    I sense an International Traditionalist Conspiracy (well, we need one…) – my TLM parish in the North of England has ‘Theology on Tap’ which is peculiarly similar to ‘Dogma on Draft’…

    Or perhaps there’s just a database of Catholic alliteration I haven’t been told about?

  3. excalibur says:

    Meanwhile, there apperas to be a nascent move to remove Cardinal Burke from the College of Cardinals. Whether this has any traction we will soon see.

    As reported in Rorate:

    Rome-based journalist and vaticanista Andrés Beltramo Álvarez (a native of Argentina who writes for Mexican newspapers, and also for the Spanish version of La Stampa’s “Vatican Insider”), who used to be very level-headed and even conservative in previous pontificates, albeit always giving neutral coverage, is one of those who have chosen to become unofficial spokesmen of the current pontificate. Interestingly in a blog post last week featuring an extended critique of Cardinal Burke, we can find this pearl:

    Considering all this [the interviews granted by Burke, including the one to Spanish weekly Vida Nueva – ed.], it does not seem strange that several curial [aids] went directly to Francis and told him that there was nothing left for him to do but to ask Burke for his cardinalatial hat back. Because in the Church the title of Cardinal is granted because of the Pope, and not vice-versa. The Cardinals are the Pontiff’s advisers in his universal ministry. If the ship is without a helmsman, what are the sailors good for?

    http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/11/continuing-madness-1-some-in-curia-want.html

  4. Amateur Scholastic says:

    An excellent way to overcome the disgraceful situation of Anglos attending one Mass, and Hispanics another.

  5. Supertradmum says:

    Well, a priest does not have to be either a cardinal or bishop to be elected Pope, and I think a deacon may be elected Pope–If there is a conspiracy to remove the red hat from Burke, it will not mean much except to show the rest of the world how the saintly orthodox clergy are persecuted.

    I still stubbornly expect Burke to be Pope one day.

    As to youth going to the TLM, this is a given, as too many watched their parents make a mess of their lives while going to the NO.

    The Millennials are less conformist as a group as well and more introverted, as studies have shown, and would be naturally drawn to the more sober, quiet, prayerful, etc. TLM.

  6. Andreas says:

    With reference to, “Latin is now sometimes referred to as “the dead language,” but it is not dead in Miami. ”

    Latin is no more a ‘dead’ language any more than the music of Machaut, Palestrina, Haydn, Brahms or that of any composer is ‘dead’. Each time Latin is spoken and serious music is played/sung, it is very much alive, and with it comes the transcendent timeless beauty and grace so intended by those who composed it.

  7. robtbrown says:

    Excalibur,

    That strong-armed attitude of liberal fascists, now seen acting against Cardinal Burke, is exactly what produced the SSPX schism. Let’s hope the pope is smart enough to ignore them, and that he now knows it’s dumb to make an enemy for no reason.

    My understanding is that the removal of Cardinal Burke from his two positions was prompted by Cardinals Wuerl and O’Malley, who objected to Burke’s comments about giving Communion to pro abortion politicians. They thought a problem was being eliminated. In fact, it was not only exacerbated, it was also universalized. And Cardinal Burke’s comments have always been triggered by Catholic doctrine and its relationship to praxis.

    Although a pope might choose to live at Domus Sanctae Marthae instead of the papal apartments, it’s still lonely at the top.

  8. CruceSignati says:

    Praise the Lord!
    I have my reasons to be joyful too. Our bishop sent a letter out yesterday, saying that we will have the Extraordinary Form Mass said in our diocese, starting January 1, 2015! He is re-opening a little church that had been closed last fall, and a diocesan priest is taking a course in the States to learn to say Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Deo gratias! I have spoken to some of my friends (teens like myself) and already, some of them have expressed interest in going. We will see how this goes (I will likely have updates now and then on my blog).
    Brick by brick….

  9. HighMass says:

    Supertradmum says:
    I still stubbornly expect Burke to be Pope one day. One can only hope and Pray……This was the prayer in 2013…..on the other hand in April 2005 our prayer did come true….

    Pray Pray Pray….That is our answer.

  10. Robbie says:

    Sometimes, you think you’ve seen or read it all. Then you read something that proves you haven’t. That’s the way I feel reading the news some in the Curia may have gone to the current pope and asked him to rescind Burke’s red hat. It’s bewildering, but, upon further reflection, also not too surprising. The liberals are playing to win, win at all costs, and, most importantly, win now. They know their 1970’s vision is a dying breed.

    Having said all that, Burke is not going to lose his red hat. If the current pope were to make such a move, open rebellion, schism, and claims of heretic or anti-pope status would come from all sorts of mainstream conservative and Catholic leaders. And almost certainly, whatever is left of the conservative/traditionalist opposition in the College of Cardinals and the Vatican hierarchy would fight back.

    The current pope is already on tenuous ground with a growing number of conservative and tradition minded Catholics. The last thing he needs is a full blown war and that’s what a move like this would produce. As I said, it’s not going to happen, but the removal of Burke from the College would be nothing short of a declaration of war and it would go against the calls for mercy we’ve heard some much about these last 20 months.

  11. wanda says:

    Amateur Scholastic, I coudln’t agree more. I dis-like so badly the divisions in the Church. Let’s eliminate these seperate Masses – yours, mine, theirs, etc. It is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let’s have Mass in our shared sacral language. Let’s fix some of the divisions that we can fix.

  12. Emilio says:

    A little more on topic, I’m very grateful for prelates like Archbishop Wenski, he is a perfect example of a prelate docile to the liturgical catechesis of former Pope Benedict, who selected him for Miami, and has been cleaning up the MESS he inherited in Miami through no less a means than restoring beauty to the Liturgy. He has already celebrated a TLM at the throne himself, and his selections for rector of his cathedral and for his own Secretary/MC could not be better. Many, many years to Archbishop Wenski and to the priests doing such good work there.

  13. oldcanon2257 says:

    excalibur says:

    Meanwhile, there apperas to be a nascent move to remove Cardinal Burke from the College of Cardinals. Whether this has any traction we will soon see.

    I hope His Eminence won’t be forced to take the same drastic action then-Cardinal Louis Billot, S.J. (known for his contribution in drafting “Pascendi dominici gregis”) had to take in 1927 (because of Cardinal Billot’s support of Action Française).

    Cardinal Burke is a loyal son of Holy Mother Church, and he will go wherever he is sent, as long as what he is instructed to do does not contradict Our Lord’s teachings.

    Even if Pope Francis tells Cardinal Burke to go pump gas at a gas station in Millbrook, New York for 40 years(*), I am more than certain His Eminence will obey without hesitance.

    (*)For those of you not familiar with the story of the lost bishop, His Excellency The Most Reverend Bonaventure Broderick, you can look it up. It is amazing.

    We have not heard much from Cardinal Ranjith lately, even though he indeed attended the 2014 synod. Perhaps because the Holy Father is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka in January 2015?

  14. Gratias says:

    The Vetus Ordo should be viewed as an inculturation missionary effort to restore the cultural heritage forgotten by the Babtized. The Latin Mass is the last remnant of our Western Civilization that predates Christianity and comes from Greek and Roman antiquity. These pagans had sacrifices at the altar and burned incense. The Jews also picked up the sacrifice from the surruounding nations. They did this in the form of Holocausts – burning whole- the animal offered. One millenarias cultural tradition is now being held by a very thin thread: the Traditional Latin mass. Each person that can attend a single TLM helps keep the Faith a few years longer. That is why some of us humble Pelagians think we are doing very important work for the Catholic Church. We will be the remnant.

  15. Dutchman says:

    Tonight St. Hugh in Coral Gables is celebrating its first TLM in 40 years. It is at 7:30 if any Miami folks want to attend.

  16. incredulous says:

    As stated, Fr. Fishwick started this mass under Archbishop McCarthy approximately 20 years ago. It was really quite an expression of pastoral care as in 1994 such a thing was practically unheard of as the leftists Bishops were trying to snuff out anything related to Trent. Currently Monsignor Castaneda is the celebrant and is very much devoted to this form of Holy Sacrifice and his flock of, well… sheep (maybe a surly goat or two…).

    Now, Miami has Saint Malachy, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Francis and Saint Clare, St. Paul the Apostle, South Miami Hospital Chapel with regularly scheduled TLM celebrations. Ad hoc high, low or missa cantata masses often occur at the St. Mary’s Cathederal, Gesu and other churches in the Archdiocese on a regular basis.

    These masses are well attended by young and old alike. We have also had the immense fortune of Dr. Jennifer Donelson’s leadership of a beautiful gregorian schola which usually provides the gregorian music for all sung masses.

    The community’s facebook page is pretty active. https://www.facebook.com/Miamiensis

    If Father Z wishes, we would love to have him. I think he’ll find the food on par with any of those places in Europe and they’ll be no Inspector Clouseau looking to bust him for food porn. Further, we can go punch paper targets or eat Alligator nuggets after an airboat ride… Markham Park has a most excellent outdoor public shooting range that is adjacent to the Broward Sheriff’s Office range. Bring your sunscreen.

  17. z4g.mug says:

    While this is good news as far as it goes, it is hard to see how it would not be even better, if Paul VI had not “done a Mahony” on the Mass in the first place. Why find fault with the latter, when the former set an evil example by wreckovating the Liturgy & the Faith ?

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