EWTN and the older Mass revisited

Some time ago I posted an entry that EWTN plans to transmit celebrations of the older form of Mass, according to Summorum Pontificum, "occasionally".

Now I am being told this will occur "periodically".  Here is a snip of what I was sent from the owner of Secretum meum.

Regarding this entry on Your blog, we have received an email from EWTN viewer services where they use the term "periodically" instead of "occasionally". By the way, The franciscans missionaries of the eternal world are learning the Old Mass!

Hmmm… I wonder what the scoop is on this.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. Berolinensis says:

    That would be great. But, as is explained on the secretum meum mihi blog, the “periodically” was in a Spanish email sent out by EWTN (“periódicamente”) and could also mean “from time to time”, i.e. the same as “occasionally”. We’ll find out.

  2. Tommaso says:

    I tried to assure my trad friends that when the Holy Father finally does the right thing, the so-called “neo-catholics” would fall in line and be [B]our[/B] useful idiots.

    Now, the thaw is well under way and it’s hard to believe (and we may forget) that these people were our loudest critics.

  3. Tommaso says:

    Welcome aboard Karl Keating and EWTN.

    I don’t mean to gloat, but this reminds me of the liberation of France in the last days of WWII. Suddenly, everywhere you looked, there were members of the French Resistance. Makes you wonder how the litugical terrorists ever got the upper hand and held us hostage for so long!

  4. John says:

    Tommaso, remember that line Lincoln is supposed to have said near the end of the civil war: “let ’em up easy.” Or as that impeccably traditional line from the Roman liturgy has it: cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites.

    Anyhow, I certainly hope it’s true that Missionaries of the Eternal Word are learning the TLM.

    Pray for priests!

  5. Henry Edwards says:

    I don’t think there’s any real “scoop” or secret about it. I recall blog-casting almost two years ago that EWTN would telecast a TLM the very first day they had the green light — which they did at 8 am on September 14, after the biggest lead-in promotion for any EWTN special event telecast that I can recall. And now their Motu Proprio Resources page is following this up with more ancillary offerings — DVD, photos, audio, video and text downloads and streaming feeds, etc. — than for any single EWTN telecast ever.

    It’s certainly no secret that at least three EWTN priests have been preparing to celebrate the TLM, and that the first of their “periodic” TLM telecasts from Mother Angelica’s Shrine — which was designed specifically for broadcasting The Mass — will be on Saturday, December 15.

    No one familiar with EWTN’s devotion to beautiful and reverent liturgy will be surprised when global Catholic television turns out to be the Holy Father’s most influential single supporter in changing hearts and minds around the world. (Too many people, having suffered through the 1970’s and 1980’s, first learned from EWTN that right liturgy was still possible, and are expecting no less.)

    I myself will only be surprised if and when EWTN has the wisdom to get one Fr. John T. Zuhlsdorf on board as the centerpiece of its campaign. Think of the possibilities! A weekly WDTPRS series, “periodic” Latin Masses (both old and new forms) celebrated by no less than he himself. Imagine the Preface sung in Father’s Z’s wonderful Latin! What greater bliss?

  6. David G says:

    Those of us in Pittsburgh know that one of the priests who is seen from time to time offering Mass on EWTN had been a frequent celebrant for our Latin Mass Community. So I’m confident at least one priest in Alabama is already well qualified.

  7. William says:

    It’s certainly no secret that at least three EWTN priests have been preparing to celebrate the TLM, and that the first of their “periodic” TLM telecasts from Mother Angelica’s Shrine—which was designed specifically for broadcasting The Mass—will be on Saturday, December 15.

    I don’t have real information, just my personal impression after visiting the Shrine, but it seems actually to be slightly better suited to the ordinary form.

    Yes, it works well with the extraordinary form as well, but the sanctuary is quite narrow front-to-back, which is why the deacon actually had to leave the sanctuary to read the Gospel on Sept 14.

    Furthermore, the altar seems clearly designed to be used either with the people, or against the people.

  8. Henry Edwards says:

    William: Furthermore, the altar seems clearly designed to be used either with the people, or against the people.

    It might appear this way because it’s a free-standing altar — as most altars have been throughout much of the history of the Church, including many in great old cathedrals and basilicas dating to ancient and medieval times, and as some think best independent of current issues. But there’s not really enough space between the altar and the Tabernacle behind it for versus populum celebration.

    In any event, it certainly was intended by Mother Angelica solely for ad orientem celebration. And, so far as I know, it has only been used this way. With the exception of its consecration Mass, when the bishop insisted on versus populum despite Mother’s wishes, and when she consequently declined to come out for her schedule remarks.

  9. Stu says:

    When I went to Hanceville to visit the shrine, Mass was conducted ad orientem.

  10. Brian Crane says:

    The altar in Hanceville’s upper church can be used for both versus populum and ad orientem, but is best suited to ad orientem. It’s a tight fight for versus populum. The altar in the Irondale chapel (the one you see daily on television) is also extremely close to the tabernacle, but that is not because they ever have ad orientem celebrations in there; the chapel is just extremely small. Given the current setup there, it would be difficult to have a proper ad orientem I think.

  11. CPT Tom says:

    The chapel is very small…remember, this was the original chapel for the convent. I’m surprised that it has lasted so long. Also, this past year or so, EWTN has gone from a all English mass to a mostly or totally Latin NO affair (seems to depend on which priest says the mass) and the quality has improved greatly. It probably is time to expand the chapel if they continue using it. I suspect that we may see more of the Sunday masses out at the shrine, as Mother originally intended, but apparently was prevented by the previous bishop.

  12. fr.franklyn mcafee says:

    The deacon is supposed to proclaim the gospel at a distance from the main altar and sometimes that means doing it outside the sanctuary.Indeed it is usually done at one end of the sanctuary but it should be done down the aisle and high anglicans now do it and as we will at my parish.

  13. Geri says:

    “The deacon is supposed to proclaim the gospel at a distance from the main altar and sometimes that means doing it outside the sanctuary”

    Fr McAfee, what is the source for that rubric?
    Thank you.

    (Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

  14. Anon says:

    Yes, another special televised Mass is around the corner and details shall be released soon. Things are being finalized with the Fraternity.

  15. Roseberry says:

    Actually, EWTN did telecast ad orientem Masses from the Irondale chapel until the practice was forbidden by the Diocese, although one could interpret the practice in different ways. At that time, the priest actually faced the nuns, who sat in the area now usually occupied by the choir, but he had his back to the visitors.

  16. Mike says:

    Here is a document I found from the website of the diocese of Erie. It explains a lot about their attitude to the liturgy in Latin. (They’re against it.) Fr. Z has probably noted this before (It’s about not slavishly translating the liturgy from Latin), but here it is:

    http://www.eriercd.org/pdf/translations.pdf

  17. Mike says:

    Oops. Wrong post. :-(

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