Reason #218994 for Summorum Pontificum – UPDATED

UPDATE 29 Dec:

It seems that the priest involved has been involved with his diocese in this matter HERE. There is also an article in a local paper which explains the fallout. HERE

In short, Father is sorry that he did what he did and he apologized.

There were 181 views of the video when I posted this.  Now there are 65k.

_____ ORIGINAL Published on: Dec 27, 2015 @ 11:56 ____

Words fail…

This occurred at Our Lady Of The Miraculous Medal Parish Church in Binan, The Philippines. The priest is Fr Falbert San Jose.

181 views at the time of this post.

It was published on 26 December, so I assume this was for Christmas.

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85 Comments

  1. Father Bartoloma says:

    Well that was bizarre. But on the other hand, the church has the “Benedictine” altar set up. so I guess the conclusion can also be “hermeneutic of continuity” and “brick-by-brick”.

  2. A.D. says:

    I couldn’t finish watching it. What was he thinking? Any priest thinking of doing such a stunt should first ask himself whether Pope Benedict XVI or St. Padre Pio would do that. Picture it! NOT!

  3. benedetta says:

    Extravagant attempts utilizing hoverboards, or, say, liturgical dancers, or other means, will, in the end, I daresay, prove merrittless as to a way towards the deepening of our shared communion.

  4. Roguejim says:

    He forgot the hyssop and punch bowl!

  5. Jim Dorchak says:

    Hey this could be my Church here in Chile….. but they can not afford a segway so I guess we are going to luck out.

  6. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Let’s look at the bright side: the priest does not “ofrece eucaristia” on a hoverboard. He sings a Filipino version of “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You” (one of those cheesy Irish blessing party pieces), and he sings it from the aisles of church, not up on the altar.

    So yes, he lacks decorum by doing it in his vestments, and yes, the whole idea of a priest singing cheesy songs in church is annoying. (Why not in the parish hall afterward? No captive audience?) But it is not a liturgical abuse; it is just stupid and lacks taste. Thank God for that!

  7. Pingback: Fair Warning (Seriously)… | Musings of a Michigan-Man

  8. CatholicMD says:

    Eh, not as good as the roller blading angels at Apparecida.

  9. Jarrod says:

    218,994 is such a large number. On the other hand, it might just be reason #1 for carpets in the church. Really, really thick carpets.

  10. Charles E Flynn says:

    If that is a hoverboard, and it had burst into flames, would it be appropriate to consider the combustion to be divine intervention?

  11. Little84 says:

    Example #218994 of the new clericalism.

  12. Michelle F says:

    Jarrod:
    I don’t recommend carpets in Catholic Churches. We had an incident about 18 months ago in which the burning charcoal in our censer flew out of the censer while the congregation was being incensed. It landed on the carpeted floor and left quite a few holes burned through the carpet.

    I recommend well-textured cobblestone floors for all Catholic Churches!

  13. Maineman1 says:

    Nothing surprises me about Ordinary Form Roman Rite parishes anymore. That’s why I no longer attend them. If, for whatever bizarre reason, such antics strengthen the faith of those in attendance, then may God bless them. I am tired of being outraged.

  14. benedetta says:

    Charles E Flynn, theoretically, but 70s-era chasubles are flame retardant, no?

  15. APX says:

    On the other hand, it might just be reason #1 for carpets in the church. Really, really thick carpets

    No! Carpet in church is evil. It destroys the acoustics and makes chant and polyphony sound bad. I wish they’d tear out the carpet in our church.

  16. PapalCount says:

    God help us.
    These priests have no idea what they are doing or what they are about.

  17. pelerin says:

    Whatever our views this Priest certainly has remarkably good balance on that hoverboard or whatever it’s called! Not sure about his musical abilities though!

    I’ve just seen a photograph of a Priest in France giving his homily with one hand on his microphone and the other brandishing a Star Wars light sabre which apparently he bought over the internet. Strangely whilst the majority of the commenters thought his Star Wars themed homily was completely inappropriate a few thought he was clever in linking to the new film. ‘Que la force de Jesus soit avec vous’ might be remembered by the young people present and according to one report the church was full to overflowing.

  18. JARay says:

    I turned it off in disgust.

  19. pannw says:

    I offer thanks to my priest, for his faithfulness and obedience to Christ and His Church, and for not thinking he knows better than the Church’s liturgical rules: to his associate pastor, for following the same: to my bishop, for giving a faithful shepherd to us for as long as we will be blessed with his care: and most of all, to God, for giving them all to us.

    I am blessed. Deo gratias.

  20. acardnal says:

    Hoverboard? If only we could go “back to the future” and the Traditional Latin Mass . . . saecula sæculórum.

  21. graytown says:

    Where’s a speed bump when you need one ?

  22. robtbrown says:

    pelerin says:

    Whatever our views this Priest certainly has remarkably good balance on that hoverboard or whatever it’s called! Not sure about his musical abilities though!

    Hoverboards are self-balancing.

  23. Fr. Hamilton says:

    Truly stupid and sad. And, despite an earlier comment (Suburbanbanshee), this is a liturgical abuse because it happens within Mass. There is no free pass such that provided antics happen in the aisle and not in the sanctuary proper it is all somehow okay. Because it happens where the people of God sit this isn’t abuse? In a certain sense it makes it worse because it trivializes the Body of Christ attending in order to unite themselves to the sacrifice.

    “Bless and keep you ’till we meet again…?” Is he singing to the Catholics who won’t attend again until Easter?!

    This priest needs to have his faculties removed for public celebration of the Holy Mass. Maybe a few months being kept from the sanctuary will wake him up to his sins in time to repent for his own good and the good of his parish.

  24. JKnott says:

    Such worldliness and disrespect to our Lord! Jesus carried the heavy cross of our sins and fell three times on the way to Calvary.

    In bygone days, it would have been considered a temptation of the devil to even think of doing such a thing. In general, I wonder if these sorts of actions place parishioners in a near occasion of sin? Or is that notion too offensive today.
    Father Hamilton is right.

  25. mharden says:

    This is so wrong. I mean, everyone knows that in homiletics, “segue” refers to moving from one subject to another, not to the means of locomotion used while delivering the homily.

  26. Jarrod says:

    The carpet thing was a bit of a joke – the low number was meant to indicate that there are not really any good reasons for such a thing.

  27. Auggie says:

    Lord preserve us from priests who act like Liberace.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dioRwB4RvrQ

  28. Eugene says:

    The fruit of VII that just keeps on giving. God have mercy on us.

  29. pseudomodo says:

    In this very case we must apply the wise teaching of our Holy Father Pope Francis:

    “… I ask the Lord: ‘But Lord, throw a banana peel in front of them, so that they will take a good fall, and feel shame that they are sinners, and so encounter You…”

  30. Tradster says:

    Well, at least he didn’t have a tambourine.

  31. jflare says:

    I see what appear to be servers and others gathered by the door at the end of the video. Is it possible that this idiocy occurred immediately before Mass, not during?
    Still idiotic, true, but hopefully this wasn’t the sermon.

  32. Augustine says:

    The hovering padre seems more like the ghost of Christmas Mass past any notion of propriety and reference.

  33. johnmann says:

    Summorum Pontificum prohibited singing from hoverboards?

  34. nichols.a.t says:

    Could the priest singing a solo at what appears to be an odd time be a Filipino thing? There is a parish near my home (southern CA) where the (Filipino) priest sings an entire song as the conclusion to his homilies. I wouldn’t argue that there is such a strong Filipino culture locally that such a thing is justified, but it at least may explain where this behavior originates.

    I’m not a fan.

  35. KateD says:

    Yes, mharden, you are so right! Another example of the benefits of using the dead language of Latin, insead the alive and ever changing vernacular. This priest likely had the right intention of singing the Mass, and got confused about how to use a segue between the Kyrie and the Gloria. Our choir had trouble with that at the last Misa Cantada….Were the Church still using Latin, the instruction would’ve read “sequor” and could not have been confused with the noun “currus”.

  36. organistjason says:

    In the name of all that is Sacred……will somebody please haul this priest before 1) Cardinal Sarah, when his eminence is done with him 2) send him over to Cardinal Mueller. When his Eminence is finished with him…….3) send him to Pope Benedict.

    P.S.-No point in bringing the issue up with either Fr. Lombardi or the BOR. Given their “theatrics”, they’d most likely, join him. God help us, the “worst” of the 1970’s, has returned like a persistent illness.

  37. Charles E Flynn says:

    @ benedetta,

    I think that in order to investigate your question objectively, we would have to set aside our prejudices, and find out whether in fact the typical 1970s chasubles were made of polyester. If they were, then we would have to find out whether the polyester fabric was treated with a chemical flame retardant. For extra credit, we could find out whether the flame retardants would prove toxic if the fabric burst into flames.

    Many years ago, I used to wonder if polyester vestments were yet another cause of a decline in vocations to the priesthood.

  38. Colette says:

    This truly makes me feel sick. Why is this allowed? Charles E. Flynn….if only! Holy Mary Mother of God…PRAY FOR US!

  39. VeritasVereVincet says:

    2) That looks super fun.
    3) I want one.
    4) I admire his balance.

    These three thoughts are, naturally, chased away screaming bloody murder by:

    1) This has negative eleventy billion place in church or Mass.

  40. As a Filipino (living in New Jersey, naturalized US citizen, etc) this is why I try avoiding Filipino church events.

    I truly believe that if Filipinos were just catechized properly, they can be a force of good for the world when it comes to the Church.

  41. dixitDOMINUSDOMINOmeo says:

    I hear a lot about how the Philipino church is booming and will be a big player in the Church. But honestly, what I’ve seen so far scares me.

  42. MrTipsNZ says:

    It has to be said, the priest went completely (h)over-board on this one……..

  43. Father K says:

    Colette, such antics are NOT allowed, but they happen when a mediocre singer uses his priesthood to be the centre of attention. We really need to pray for such sad, pathetic people.

  44. Rich says:

    It’s. All. About. MEEEEE!!!!!!!

  45. Fr Sean Coyle says:

    The chances are that Fr San Jose reads the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the country’s leading broadsheet. Its Editor in Chief, Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, a courageous journalist and a daily Mass-goer, died suddenly on Christmas Eve. Among many articles of tribute to her were two on the front page of the December 26 edition of the paper. One, by Candy Quimpo Gourlay, had the title ‘She taught me writing is never about the writer’ [ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/750418/she-taught-me-writing-is-never-about-the-writer ]. The other, by Frankie Joaquin Drogin, carried the title, ‘Letty kept reminding me it’s the story that is important.’ [ https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?source=search_app&gfe_rd=cr&ei=R6pRVKjgEquL8QeOsoCgBQ&gws_rd=ssl#q=Letty+kept+reminding+me+it%27s+the+story+that+is+important.+Frankie+Joaquin+Drogin ]. Fr San Jose might possibly see a link between this journalist’s advice to young journalists and his own antics.

    I’ve been in the Philippines since 1971. Only once have I heard a priest singing ‘non-liturgically’ during Mass. It was while giving the homily at the funeral of a person he knew very well. While it was somewhat corny it wasn’t irreverent. But it did draw some applause, as I recall, not a good sign.

    We might learn something from the late conductor Claudio Abbado at the end of a performance of the Mozart Requiem in Lucerne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLP6kqcmPRI .

    By the way, Suburbanbanshee, ‘May the good Lord bless and keep you’ is not a ‘cheesy Irish blessing party piece’ but, according to Wikipedia, a song written in 1950 by Meredith Wilson, he of The Music Man [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_the_Good_Lord_Bless_and_Keep_You ].

  46. pelerin says:

    Actually this Priest is not the first to use an unusual means of transport in this way.

    According to a report given by a young pilgrim to Lourdes writing about favourite memories of their diocesan pilgrimage, the Bishop at the end of the last Mass in 2001 ‘in all his robes produced a tiny silver scooter and rode off the altar and into the sacristy. ‘ The young person goes on to write (not surprisingly) ‘The congregation were stunned’ and adds ‘ but there was a very joyful atmosphere.’

  47. Strangely, I find myself less bothered by the liturgical hoverboard than by the priest ambling about singing (rather badly) a sappy song like that.

    I would have found it much more interesting to have a priest and two servers in formation on hoverboards doing the Asperges. Plus the wearing of the cope would make the hover effect even more spectacular.

  48. AnthonyJ says:

    If Cardinal Tagle is elected the next pope, we may be seeing a lot more of this.

  49. taffymycat says:

    magistercaesar—the philipinos here are so devout; i attended the processional of the baby jesus at ppadre pio center in barto pa, taking the little statue kissed and blessed by st pio, to the manger to return on epiphany. there was also the blessing with the glove of padre pio’s. i was the only non filipino there i believe; they are on fire with devotion, God bless them.

  50. benedetta says:

    Very soon, merrittricious blatteroons who can’t help but display their own grandiosity on the altar will be relocating to old clergy homes where they can liturgically abuse us no more.

    On Christmas eve and in this octave, I have been observing young people brought to the church by parents as I am curious as to their level of attachment and enthusiasm. How encouraged are they to practice their Faith, make it their own. Despite the level of prideful ownership of the Mass by many, and understanding that many intended great things and are just doing what they think correct according to girm and Haugen and all the rest designed to keep people from fleeing the Church for fear of the bad old days, the reality is that I saw a great number of young people dressed inappropriately, terrifically immodestly (disrespecting themselves and others), snapping their gum and rolling eyes throughout the Holy Sacrifice, and even one who said to her friend as the choir started up “Their horrible!”. Did they sing, did they pray, was there, joy, derived from what was on offer? Quite simply and evidently, no. There was bitterness, judgment, derisiveness, scorn, despair. Is it this way for young Catholics everywhere in the world? Happily, no. All of us here can attest to the great and vibrant youth culture associated with the TLM as well as with other areas of Catholicism even as some come out to beat us over the head just for having a stray thought that they might do, well, one thing different, such as , leave the hoverboard under the rectory tree for after Mass, or, move the tabernacle…It cannot be that we can’t be allowed to contribute our meaningful experiences. I know of a place where a thousand young people live their faith in summer on their own quite meaningfully and joyfully. I was even thinking, I should tell this pastor about this place, as these young people have never heard of such a thing. So when we are prideful about our turf, consider that young eyes are watching every move and not coming away edified. Surely this merritts some consideration and respect, no?

  51. WmHesch says:

    Deacon Sandy had one of those on his Christmas list. Haha.

  52. donato2 says:

    nichols.a.t , no this is not a Filipino thing in particular. It derives from modernism and is found where modernism flourishes. I know of a priest who sings a Broadway show tune during almost every homily he says. He is a relatively young priest and now has a very, very high position within a certain order. He has a fantastic voice that, if put to proper use, could chant the Mass extremely well. It is such a sad waste.

    The Filipino video corroborates my longstanding thesis that television variety shows (and, in the United States, the Johnny Carson show in particular) have been the single greatest influence on the development of the new Mass in the years since Vatican II. [Apart from Mass “facing the people”.] At many parishes the priest sees himself in the role of the show’s host, using the homily as a sort of “monologue” to entertain the people with some comedy while the choir provides the musical entertainment. I know of one parish where the musical director is a sort of side kick, just like Ed McMahon, and another where the former pastor would give a two minute talk immediately after the entrance hymn — apparently picking up on the fact that Johnny’s monologue was always at the beginning of the show. In the Filipino video and in the case of the priest I cited above, we see the influence of variety shows, such as the Dean Martin show, where the host does the signing.

  53. Seattle Slough says:

    New Year’s Eve, one night only, appearing in the Tiki Room, Fr. Falbert San Jose of the Phillippines. No refunds for this special disruption.

  54. Cafea Fruor says:

    Apparently, he’s a holy roller. ;-)

  55. ACS67 says:

    Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners…..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHP4Z84a_WY

  56. MikeR says:

    Words fail me, & that isn’t often…
    How much longer must Catholics be served up this nonsense, how much longer can the Church let this rubbish continue to be served up?

  57. Tantum Ergo says:

    That’s actually Father Aladdin. The carpet’s at the cleaners, this was the “doughnut spare.”

  58. MikeR says:

    Thank God we have the FSSP, & a few others to keep the Holy Liturgy alive. This nonsense is allowed & yet everything possible is done to keep the SSPx in the canonical wilderness.
    For lame brained stupidity that display takes the cake, what was the man thinking…does his bishop approve, he must, the priest won’t do it if he thought his ordinary would haul him over the coals for it?
    “Quo vadis” where the dickens are we going!

  59. quo vado says:

    The Diocese has just issued a statement about this matter. It appears that the priest will be out of his parish because of this incident. Let us keep praying for him. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1025635894165144&id=364821753579898

  60. Mr. Graves says:

    Based on the Facebook post referenced above, the parish reaction was swift and decisive. It is a pity this happened, but there will not likely be such abuses in the near future, given this priest’s censure.

  61. pelerin says:

    It was good to read the link provided by quo vado. I recommend everyone who was shocked to read the impressive statement by the bishop. Let us hope that other bishops keep a close eye on this sort of thing.

    The bishop I mentioned above who scooted out of Mass continued in his diocese – I presume he saw nothing wrong in his action – although he resigned last year over a different matter.

    A couple of years ago I saw a girl scooting down the aisle of the Lourdes Basilica just as Mass was about to begin. Her mother was with her and presumably saw nothing wrong in this. Perhaps she had been present when the bishop had scooted away and thought that if he could do that then there was nothing wrong in her daughter doing it. A sad precedent.

  62. johnmann: “Summorum Pontificum prohibited singing from hoverboards?”

    Didn’t need to. Learning and celebrating the TLM inculcates in priests such an instinctive reverence for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as to automatically preclude such liturgical abuse, both in the TLM and in Novus Ordo Masses they celebrate.

  63. Thomas Sweeney says:

    This kind of nonsense, along with many other abuses, has been going on for too long. We have lost the majority of two generations of Catholics because of modernism. When will our Bishops wake up? Our future should be firmly rooted in our past, anything less will spell disintegration.

  64. Prayerful says:

    The priest was suspended. Hopefully prayer and reflection will make him see how ill considered this stunt was, which hopefully preceded the NO Mass. There have been so many abuses where the foolish priest was supported by his bishop, in spite of parishioner complaints.

  65. The Cobbler says:

    “In short, Father is sorry that he did what he did and he apologized.”
    For what it’s worth, rarely does one of these stories end with such signs for hope.

  66. organistjason says:

    “In short, Father is sorry that he did what he did and he apologized.” His Ordinary gave him a slap on the wrist. Bishop Buenaventura Malayo Famadico clearly is taking this as seriously as this priest is. [Hopefully that’s enough.] This “priests” pastoral care of this parish should be taken from him immediately and completely. Send him on a sabbatical indefinitely. [C’mon.] When Fr.’s time of penance and reflection is complete, assign him, as a Parochial Vicar with a solid, orthodox Pastor of a Parish. I would kindly suggest having him sit down with both Cardinals Sarah and Mueller and the tenant of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican Gardens. That might actually straighten this priest up. To see the comments of other priests take this so casually, is beyond sad. But I suppose all the crazy acts of the “Spirit of Vatican II” and the 1970’s are in vogue again. As they have been since March 13, 2013. (Shift key, close parenthesis) [Remember: People can change and we don’t have to use a hammer when a feather will do.]

  67. stuart reiss says:

    Fr z..clearly you stuck your combat boot right up that ally…insider says the VG is a fan of your blog…which was how the diocese was alerted….
    Cudos Fr Z….in this case not brick by brick but a ton

    [Interesting.]

  68. Raul says:

    At first, I thought this was great, we have a deacon who need 2 canes to walk. This might work for him, like Yoda’s hover couch or what ever it’s called, but then he started singing and rolling up and down the aisles.

  69. Michelle F says:

    I’m glad – and surprised – to see the bishop took action on this, and did so quickly. I just hope the bishop uses this incident as an opportunity to engage in some catechesis on the Mass for his priests and the laymen in his care.

  70. MikeR says:

    Bravo the Bishop!

  71. PostCatholic says:

    Certainly I have a great deal of ambivalence toward the Catholic faith, but it is good to know that there is a point at which a priest has gone too far and should expect to encounter swift and angry action from his superiors for failing to respect the dignity of his congregation’s worship. It is an awful thing when clergy try such inappropriate and pandering attempts to engage with young people in a time and place where such attention is an affront to religion itself. This time the Catholic church acted quickly to say in effect, now Father you’re well outside the lines of decency and the proper use of your office, and we shall remove you from ministry right away for your crime. I am glad to see there is a bishop in the world who knows you have to take a stand with evildoers in the clergy. We need more like him in America and in Ireland, my two countries.

  72. Jarrod says:

    Henry Edwards:

    “Learning and celebrating the TLM inculcates in priests such an instinctive reverence for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as to automatically preclude such liturgical abuse, both in the TLM and in Novus Ordo Masses they celebrate.”

    It does? Then from whence did the original offenders come?

    My father has told me about the way his childhood priest began to have him, an altar server, distribute Communion. (This drew the ire of the faithful and scandalized my father to the point that he began his trek out of Christianity, where as far as I can tell he remains to this day.) Since this couldn’t have taken place any later than the early seventies (my father was born in 1955), and the priest was an old man by then, I have to assume the priest was trained in what we now call the EF/TLM and had celebrated it for decades. At any rate, all the men held up as the villains of the post-conciliar reforms were certainly trained in it.

    [begin tangential rant]
    Today the EF attracts laity and priests who, on average, observe stricter compliance with the liturgical norms. There is every reason to believe that this is because the EF is far, far more rarely practiced than the OF, and this being set apart raises such a barrier to entry that less stringent people don’t bother with it. Should the EF be restored to the current prominence of the OF, the rest of the Church, in all our weaknesses, will return to it and bring that average right back down. The fact is that the Church has always been in crisis and has always been in desperate need of great saints and divine aid just to keep going. The letters of St. Paul make clear that this was just as true in the days of the original Liturgy as it is in the days of the Mass of Paul VI. Let’s not forget that the first recorded sacrilegious Communions happened in a community where the Apostle himself taught. It’s a little hard to explain that by recourse to Vatican II.

    None of this is to minimize the importance of the Liturgy and its proper execution. The Liturgy is central to our correct worship and as such to our very lives. But let’s recognize the factors in play here – proper selection and formation of priests would seem to be far more influential than a superficial imposition of a particular form of the Mass. The same is true of the laity, apart from selection. (We don’t get to pick the masses, but we can certainly work better with the people we get!)

  73. Jarrod: “Should the EF be restored to the current prominence of the OF, the rest of the Church, in all our weaknesses, will return to it and bring that average right back down.”

    You make the salient point that the OF today serves as a refuge (or cesspool) for liturgical abusers, and thereby effectively protects the TLM from their polluting influence.

    However, the 1950s “average” for the TLM was not conspicuously lower than today’s high level. Certainly, it never descended than to today’s OF depths. In the years prior to Vatican II, I attended daily and Sunday Masses in numerous parishes in several dioceses, states, and regions of the U.S., and never once observed any of the abuses that one frequently today hears alleged to have occurred commonly back then. Apparently, today’s myths of such abuses in the old days are are a lot more common than the abuses themselves ever were.

    In a recent article entitled A Myth That Needs To Die Jeff Ostrowski writes “INACCURATE MYTHS are often repeated with regard to the typical American Catholic parish of the 1950s. These rumors—often started by people disparaging the Holy Catholic Church—are presented in a dogmatic way, and then folks who don’t know any better mimic them. It is time for such assertions to cease.”

    He mentions in particular the myth of the 15-20 minute Mass celebrated by a mumbling priest rushing through it. The only 20-minute liturgies I myself have ever witnessed have all been OF Masses.

  74. Kathleen10 says:

    I’m glad he is sorry for it and that the Bishop took it seriously. He made that quite clear by his comments and actions, which makes quite a lot of difference. When abuses are addressed in a timely manner, it makes all the difference. Bishops, please correct these types of abuses quickly! When they are not, the people will suffer even more, because the error is confirmed.
    Father is probably well meaning, but even were this to take place in a hall, what does it say about the dignity of the office he holds. Father doesn’t need to be a stiff, but this type of thing is ill advised considering his position, no matter if it were out in a parking lot. It does seem there are a number of priests who actively seek public adulation, hence these “performances”. It makes one wonder, at the very least Father may appear insecure, or even, prideful. At the least one wonders if Father appreciates the majesty of his own actual role in the church. His bishop will hopefully direct him in that. Bishops must start to crack down. There is no substitute for that. If the Bishop can’t or won’t, the people will suffer.
    Public entertainment can be found anywhere. Unless you are Father Justin Bieber, you probably aren’t going to pack the house for long. Give the people Catholicism and the Holy Eucharist, which is going to be far more interesting than even you are.

  75. Jarrod says:

    Henry:

    I lack both the experiential knowledge and the research to show otherwise, so I am perfectly willing to grant for the sake of argument that the “Catholic-ness” of the average Catholic declined in the Twentieth Century – even following a timeline that correlates with Vatican II and the introduction of the new Mass. But that doesn’t really affect my argument, which was twofold:
    -First, the first innovators and abusers of the new Liturgy were priests who were trained in (what is now) the old way. The Tridentine Form had been around for four centuries, by necessity everyone who started doing things badly had to have been trained in it.
    -Second, the fact that participants and celebrants of the EF today constitute a sort of self-selecting elite within the Church with respect to piety, knowledge of the Faith, and devotion to the Liturgy. This provides fuel for its advocates, who point to the gulf between the typical OF-goer and the typical EF-goer as evidence of how much better by nature the EF is. But it seems likely to me that much of this effect, if not most of it, is a result of the self-sorting that has taken place rather than a supernatural effect. Don’t get me wrong, I believe good liturgy is important and effectual, but the Church teaches us to look for natural explanations before resorting to supernatural ones.

    If someone made the point that Harvard graduates have better careers on average than non-Harvard graduates, a naive person might conclude that we should send everyone to Harvard. We would immediately see, however, that this would never work since post-Harvard success also correlates with, by definition, being the sort of person who can be admitted to Harvard and pass the courses there. (I’m from New England, so I default to Harvard as an example – sub in your own if you like.) Harvard might be a good school that adds to its students, but a dunce would not benefit from it and a genius might have succeeded coming from anywhere else.
    I am even more concerned for the Church since OF parishes need exactly the sort of people who flee to the EF. I believe without question that the Church will survive the “brain drain” that we might be going through, but how many souls are on the borderline now that might critically benefit from even something as simple as the example of a veil-wearer two pews in front of him, let alone the guidance of a well-formed priest with great devotion to the Mass and the Eucharist? I fear for the masses if this sorting continues and the “best” disappear into the EF, which has to be sought out, and are left with an OF that has been left to a progressively lower grade of celebrants and liturgists.
    In a previous sermon notes post I noticed that Fr. Z. said he had celebrated the OF that day. I think it would be amazing to participate in an OF Mass celebrated by someone like him. From where I sit, that’s what will do the most good in the near term.

  76. Jarrod,

    “I think it would be amazing to participate in an OF Mass celebrated by someone like him. From where I sit, that’s what will do the most good in the near term.”

    All your comments are cogent, but this one seems especially pertinent to our current liturgical situation. Generally, I have the good fortune to attend only OF Masses that are celebrated by priests who are also EF celebrants, and observe that–as Fr. Z frequently remarks–this makes all the difference in their OF ars celebranda.

    Indeed, I personally suspect that a principal motivation of Pope Benedict for Summorum Pontificum was to make the way the TLM is typically celebrated more widely available as a model for reforming the typical celebration of the OF Mass.

  77. frahobbit says:

    Unfortunately this is playing on the 1010wins newsradio NYC as big strict mother Church overreacts to the priests creatively interacting with his parish.I won’t be surprised if the Cardinal of the Philippines disciplines the bishop. But I hope that doesn’t happen.

  78. Jarrod says:

    Henry-

    I think I could be on board with that last idea, phrased that way. I was mostly concerned, for the reasons I said, with beating down the idea that knowledge of the EF is by its nature a sure shield against liturgical abuse anywhere. I think it’s fair to say that in the current state of the Church the best practitioners and defenders of the Liturgy will have a good familiarity with the EF, my main issue is that I think this may be, in large part, an indicator – though I agree that the additional training involved may be a cause of better liturgy as well.

    So I guess all of this was mostly to say that it’s complicated.

    Merry Christmas!

  79. Gratias says:

    I am sorry to say that the fish rots from the head. I am thinking of Paul VI and Francis.

  80. Fr Sean Coyle says:

    The Philippine Daily Inquirer today, 31 December, reports: ‘(Fr) San Jose thanked Bishop Famadico for giving him pastoral guidance on the issue. The priest said that the bishop had not suspended him and that it was he who had asked for some time off from parish duties.’ [ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/751450/laguna-priest-on-hoverboard-says-sorry-goes-on-leave ] Clearly, Fr San Jose has learned from the experience and shows humility in apologizing and in asking for ‘time out’. We can all learn from this.

    Anthony J wrote above: ‘If Cardinal Tagle is elected the next pope, we may be seeing a lot more of this.’ I’m not sure how he can jump to such a conclusion. Last year (2014) Cardinal Tagle reminded his priests in the Archdiocese of Manila that such greetings as ‘Good morning’ do not belong in the Mass. [ http://www.cbcpnews.com/cbcpnews/?p=37426 ] He got some flak for this. It’s not only in the Philippines that priests begin Mass with ‘Good morning’, some adding, ‘and you’re all very welcome’. No, if Cardinal Tagle is elected pope I don’t expect to see a dramatic increase in the sale of hoverboards to bishops and priests.

  81. Jarrod,

    Apparently we wind up the year mostly in happy agreement. Certainly, history shows that neither the TLM nor anything else has always served as “a sure shield against liturgical abuse anywhere”. However, I would still suggest that learning the EF appears generally to serve as just a shield for priests at the present time. And that the frequent testimony of priests here and elsewhere–that celebrating the TLM has both provided a new perception of who and what they are as priests, and profoundly affected their celebration of the OF as well, a transformative effect that many of us have observed in our own priests–implies that a knowledge of the EF is a significant causative agent rather than a mere indicator of good liturgical practice.

  82. The Masked Chicken says:

    “First, the first innovators and abusers of the new Liturgy were priests who were trained in (what is now) the old way. ”

    Well, that’s a bit of a simplification. I recommend the excellent review articles, The Day the Mass Changed (parts I and II), by Susan Benofy, to get a good overview of pre-Vatican II liturgies.

    http://www.adoremus.org/0210Benofy.html

    The Church was very manualistic (not a bad thing!) for centuries and even in the 1950’s continued to be so. This tends to foster a rubrical-following mentality, except for the truly ego-driven person. The changes that were being proposed, starting from the early 1900’s and accelerating in the 1940’s, were due to complex factors including the rise of the youth, after WWI, the sneaking of German (later, French) Modernism into seminaries (those darn Germans – Catholic and Protestant liturgies cannot peacefully coexist), the rise of scientism and the appeal to the new and the cutting-edge which mixed, simultaneously, with an increasing historicism, driven, again, by the Germans (I am not anti-German, just reporting the historical development – most science and history studies were under the purview of the Germans until after WWI – most journals prior to WWI were in German, but after WWI switched to English).

    These innovators were salivating to try out their new folk-Liturgies, while the average parish priest was not. Unfortunately, the innovators co-opted the implementation of Vatican II. Had they been smacked-down, as fifty years of sad history suggests that they should have been, the NO Mass would have, probably, resembled a modified TLM, with three readings instead of two and no folk music. Alas, the Church was at the, “fool me once,” stage, having little experience of such blitzkrieg-like actions.

    The Chicken

  83. Jarrod says:

    Chicken-

    I will have to read through those articles for a while to absorb them. Thank you.

  84. Gaz says:

    Well done the Priest who admitted his fault.

    It would be nice if he used his time off active Ministry to learn the extraordinary form.

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