Today at Rorate there is a positive post.
Fr. Tim Iannacone, a young priest ordained in 2017, assistant in a Connecticut parish, contributed an essay on his experience of learning to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, discovering its benefits for himself, for the congregation and, significantly for another priest: his pastor!
Aside: I’ve corresponded with Fr. Iannacone about various vocation choices since 2011. It’s great to see how he is flourishing and that his head is screwed on in the right direction.
The column was penned originally for a parish bulletin, but it deserves wider visibility.
Please check it out. They don’t have a combox over there, but you can discuss it here.
Here’s a sample:
Through the Extraordinary Form, Catholics can come to see the beauty and love of Christ in the Holy Mass, which has organically developed over centuries. If more Catholics come to understand the Church, and more importantly the Traditional Mass, we will undoubtedly see the laity and clergy become champions of Truth; a Truth that ultimately is Jesus Christ. No longer ought we be discouraged by statistics showing decline in the practice of the faith, but instead we can be encouraged by this solid liturgical grounding to further conform our lives to Christ, Who offers Himself without reserve in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In this paragraph, Fr. Iannacone touches on something I insist upon. We are our rites. Participation in this rite or that rite of the Church, over time, affects deeply who we are. Fiddle around with our rites, changing them or adapting them to the worlds ways – rather than giving what the Church has to give logical priority – fiddles around with our Faith, our identity. And not in a good way.
Recovery of the traditional rites which were lovingly crafted and polished and embellished by our forebears and then handed lovingly down to us as a precious gift is essential for a recovery of our Catholic identity and, hence our continuing mission ad extra.
We are our rites.
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Priests like Father Iannacone warm my heart. For almost 60 years we have been in the desert, and now, I feel with young priests like this, we might be approaching the promised land.
I can testify to this young man’s ardor and effectiveness. His pastor, Fr Sam Kachuba is not so much older than Fr Iannacones and had a baptism by fire on his first assignment at St Pius. The then pastor , a Monsignor, left the priesthood to marry his childhood sweetheart. This was mid Lent and three weeks before Easter. Fr Sam sailed through that trial. Both men are energetic in their vocation and have changed the very flavor of that Parish. As an example, I heard the Veni Creator Spiritus in Latin at the Ordinary form Mass this year. Note well also, with Father Tim,the photo at Rorate, the assistant priest at what appears to be his first Mass is Father Cipolla. It is not surprising that Fr Cipolla’s hard work has yielded this vocation.
I tell my downhearted Catholic friends and family to hang in there for ten years. Attrition will solve many problems. God is good.