I got this nice note by e-mail:
Dear and Reverend Father-
I am the Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s parish in Kalamazoo, Michigan. My pastor, Fr. Robert Sirico, suggested that I send you the following information about our parish:
St. Mary’s will be offering the EF every Sunday at 12:15. Some of these will be Missae Cantatae, but most of them will be Low Masses. The new schedule takes effect on Sunday; February 10th (First of Lent).
Also, it might be helpful to let people know that this coming Saturday, Candlemas will be celebrated at 9 AM. Blessing of Candles and Procession followed by Missa Canata.
Fr. David Grondz
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how far is this from Hillsdale?
Click on this URL for directions from Hillsdale High School to St. Mary’s in Kalamazoo
Good news…
…one suggestion.
Low Mass is not the way to proceed.
It is my hope that a schola can be formed for this parish Mass. I currently have three men with whom I am working on the various chants for the Mass. It will take some time for everything to come together. I have had to celebrate “Low” Masses up to this point for lack of a choir. My personal preference is to have at least the “Sung” Mass.
Tom: …one suggestion. Low Mass is not the way to proceed.
Don’t fall into the trap of seeing the better as the enemy of the good. This is a good start. This deserves support while it gets established in whatever form they can muster.
Wonderful news!
No one should be surprised that scholas have to be started with difficulty, from scratch outside of the large urban cultural centers. There is only one school that I know of in the Kalamazoo diocese that has been endeavoring to pass on the Church’s great cultural heritage–Vineyard Academy–a small, but valiant institution. I also know that efforts are being made in at least three rather small parishes. But in the larger high schools, snappy guitar “L-oo-rd have mercies” have been the norm for years–not to mention some parishes where Latin was scorned. Hopefully, that will be changing, but Rome won’t be rebuilt in a day. In the meantime, one small suggestion to Father Grondz–How about changing you bulletin listing for the EF? Right now it’s listed as the “Latin Mass”, which should mean “Novus Ordo” to the uninitiated reader.
Mary Conces
There is also a TLM, mostly Missae Cantatae, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Watervliet MI for those of you further west. Every Sunday at 2:00 pm, confessions prior, pot-luck in the church hall afterward. Also, holy days of obligation as announced.
Fr. Grondz, can we post this information on tlmmichiana.blogspot.net? It is an information resource for those of us in the Michiana area.
“Don’t fall into the trap of seeing the better as the enemy of the good. This is a good start. This deserves support while it gets established in whatever form they can muster.”
Father, I agree…a good start. My hope is that St. Mary’s parish will find a way to move beyond the Low Mass.
When I think of Low Mass, I recall the following from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (our Holy Father):
“On the other hand, it must be admitted that the celebration of the old liturgy had strayed too far into a private individualism, and that communication between priest and people was insufficient.
“I have great respect for our forefathers who at Low Mass said the “Prayers during Mass” contained in their prayer books, but certainly one cannot consider that as the ideal of liturgical celebration.
“Perhaps these reductionist forms of celebration are the real reason that the disappearance of the old liturgical books was of no importance in many countries and caused no sorrow. One was never in contact with the liturgy itself.”
That is amazing! Fr Sisco is an amazing priest who was always constantly traveling between Rome and Kalamazoo. The Bishop (if he is still there I moved away from Kzoo 2 years ago) is very nice. While most of the parishes in Kzoo (especially St Thom’s Student Parish) are very much against tradition, I always enjoyed the Masses at the Cathedrale. They had a real choir that would sing a few of the propers in Latin. I never went to St Mary’s because it was on the other side of town and I was a student at WMU, but the few times that Fr Sisco said the Mass at St Thoms’ (it was close) were always enjoyable. He always did the priestly prayers (the one’s whispered, I can’t remember what they are called) in Latin. I was actually confirmed at St Thoms and the leaders there do not like any sort of tradition. I had to catechise them! Also I think Fr Sisco and the Bishop have started a St Philp Neri Oratory, does anyone know?
Pax
sorry that is Fr Sirico