I received a note that H.E. Most Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas has permitted the Institute of Christ the King to set up shop there, their 13th place in the USA, I think.
From the Bishop’s "Monday Memo" (Vol. 6, No. 17 – Aug. 18, 2008). It is in the hated pdf format, so this reposting is a little choppy.
1. Rector Assigned for St. Gianna Latin Mass Community – I am very pleased to announce
that the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest has accepted my invitation to provide
ministry to the St. Gianna Latin Mass Community in Tucson.
Yesterday, Msgr. Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute and its Provincial Superior for
the U.S., joined me at Holy Family Church in Tucson for Mass and for the announcement that
Father Richard von Menshengen has been assigned to serve the Community as its rector.
Father von Menshengen, who will begin his ministry at St. Gianna next month, recently has
served as the Institute’s Provincial Superior for German Speaking Countries. He will establish
an office for the Community at Holy Family Parish. With Father von Menshengen’s
assignment, the St. Gianna Latin Mass Community becomes the Institute’s thirteenth
apostolate in the U.S.
As the Institute takes responsibility for the pastoral care of the Community, Msgr. Schmitz and
Eduardo Huerta, our Chancellor, will formulate statutes for the Community as an oratory (a
place of prayer other than a parish that is set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and
celebration of the Mass) located at Holy Family Parish.
I established St. Gianna as an informal association in 2006 and named Father Richard Rego its
first chaplain. Father Richard provided dedicated service to the Community until his untimely
death in July of last year.
I thank Father David Reinders, Catholic Chaplain at the Veterans Administration Medical
Center in Tucson, for his dedicated ministry this past year as the Community’s chaplain.
Father David will continue to be involved with the Community. I am grateful, too, to Father
Robert Rankin, who has helped recently to serve the Community. He will resume his fulltime
responsibilities as pastor of St. Melany Parish.
I am grateful to Father Alonzo Garcia, pastor, and the community of Holy Family Parish for
their hospitality to the St. Gianna Latin Mass Community.
More about the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest: Msgr. Gilles Wach and Father
Philippe Mora founded the Institute in 1990 in Gabon, Africa. The motherhouse and
international seminary of the Institute are located in Gricigliano, in the Archdiocese of
Florence, Italy.
The mission of the Institute, according to its Web site, “is to spread the reign of Christ in all
spheres of human life by drawing from the millennial treasury of the Roman Catholic Church,
particularly her liturgical tradition, the unbroken line of spiritual thought and practice of her
saints and her cultural patrimony in music, art and architecture.”
The Institute’s headquarters in the U.S. are in Chicago at the Shrine of Christ the King
Sovereign Priest.
I am very pleased at this development.
Doors close in one place and windows open elsewhere.
I would remind all readers here, however, especially parish priests, that Summorum Pontificum says they can establish Mass with the 1962 Missale Romanum and also use the Rituale.
Let us not enclose and isolate people interested in the older forms.
Ecclesia Dei adlflicta is no longer defining our interests. Summorum Pontificum is.
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This is great news for Tucson. A former attendee of St. Gianna’s myself, I was always grateful for the dedicated service of Frs. Rego and Reinders, but lamented that they weren’t singers. It’ll be great for St. Gianna’s to have more High Masses.
How will they have more high Masses with just one priest?
Oh, I should have been more clear. Previously, the priest rarely sang and there was only two or three Missae Cantatae a year. But a Solemn High Mass will still probably be a rara avis.
Deo Gratias, this is a true miracle and I am immensely happy about the news. I lived in Tucson for nine months and St. Gianna was a very beautiful community, I was a St. Ambrose parishioner and St. Gianny Community was a great source of inspiration lots of dedicated people.
Teyra
In my parish, and I assume at most small parishes in those days, except on major Holy Days and Events (Christmas, Easter, Holy Week, Confirmations, etc.), all regular High Masses were celebrated by a single priest.
There were four altar boys, though, at regular High Masses. Six candles were lit and there was Benediction afterwards.
The assistant pastor stood at the back of the church and noted those who snuck out to avoid Benediction. It didn’t seem to phase them.
I had the pleasure of attending one Mass with Fr. Richard Rego while I was on vacation in Arizona in January 2007. He gave a wonderful and clear homily. Do yourself a favor and head on over to the St. Gianna Latin Mass Community website and listen to the homilies and talks given by Fr. Rego. He was a great priest and teacher. His direct style is not easily forgotten.
It’s all the more noteworty because Bishop Kicanas is a progressive by reputation. He won the 2008 Bernardin Award and was a protege of the late cardinal.
http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/desertbeliefs/9984
It’s Tucson, Father, not Tuscon (a common mistake made even in Arizona!).
I believe it was Msgr. Wach who founded the Institute of Christ the King Sovreign Priest. Fr. Mora is the head of the Seminary in Griciliano.
If only the ICKSP would establish an apostolate here in San Francisco, my prayers would be answered. Tucson, congrats! You are lucky.
Phillip wrote:
“If only the ICKSP would establish an apostolate here in San Francisco, my prayers would be answered. Tucson, congrats! You are lucky.”
Phillip, it can only happen if the bishop allows them. Like here in Los Angeles, forget it. ( Pray, 2011. )
While we do have the Tridentine Mass regularly in different parishes, they are said by order priests, not diocesan ones. Oh, no no! ( Under pain of what, only God knows. ) On top of that, they are spread out too far apart to make it significant for the Faithful. Los Angeles is too huge–and gas outrageous–for most to be travelling such distances to get to these Masses, sadly.
Regarding the concern about Solemn High Masses, if the oratory in Tuscon follows in the path of the Institute’s NJ apostolate, the ICK priests will assist interested diocesan priests in learning the older rite, allowing them to assist the Institute in the liturgies.
“Ecclesia Dei adflicta is no longer defining our interests”
OK, then maybe it’s time to rename that commission… or name some members of the commission who would habitually celebrate according to ’62.
Now if only we can get a TLM in Casa Grande- in the Diocese of Tucson, but 70 miles or so from St. Gianna…
After college I entered as a candidate with the Institute of Christ the King. After three months in St. Louis at the then-new apostolate at St. Francis de Sales, I was sent to the Institute’s house in Bayerisch Gmain, Germany, and lived under the guidance of Abbé Richard von Menshengen-Thernberg for a year. It is a great joy to hear that he’ll be returning to the USA (as he spent the first few years of priesthood in Wausau, WI). Apparently, Msgr Wach always told him that he’d return to America some day. This is a great loss to the Church and the traditional movement in Bavaria, but this is a greater gain for the Church in Tucson. Fr. von Menshengen will be loved dearly by those over whom he has care.
“If only the ICKSP would establish an apostolate here in San Francisco, my prayers would be answered.”
Phillip, my heart goes out to you, especially considering this.
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=6437c20e-3ff9-41e8-8bf8-a4d4303b58fa
Philip,
The ICKSP has an apostolate in Oakland: http://www.institute-christ-king.org/oakland/ Father Jean-Marie Moreau has just been re-assigned from Green Bay to Oakland. Prior to Green Bay, he spent 13 years at the Institute’s mission in Gabon, Africa. Take the opportunity to attend one of his Masses and absorb his sermon——–he is a true missionary and a special gift from God.
You have been blessed to have him in your area.
The Diocese of Tucson, to say the least, has had its problems. This is therefore especially good news.
One door closes and a window opens. Fr.Z.? do you know about Fr. Pavone and the Priests of Life? Blog AMP just posted a question.
This is huge for two reasons: one, the obvious, that this diocese will now have a FULLY traditional parish and, two, because the bishop actually reached out to the Institute to have them come in. I’ve spoken with Msgr. Schmitz in the past and it is his policy to never reach out to a bishop for a meeting – he only meets with a bishop who requests the meeting with him.
Even more impressive on the bishop’s part
sempercatholic,
I saw the photo of the alleged nun in the article you linked us to. I guess you do have problems. Tom
You think that nun is bad, this one isn\’t much better. She\’s giving the closing prayer at the Democrat National Convention and is supporting Obama:
http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/08/cleveland_nun_to_offer_prayer.html#more
Chris wrote:
“This is huge for two reasons: one, the obvious, that this diocese will now have a FULLY traditional parish and, two, because the bishop actually reached out to the Institute to have them come in. I’ve spoken with Msgr. Schmitz in the past and it is his policy to never reach out to a bishop for a meeting – he only meets with a bishop who requests the meeting with him. Even more impressive on the bishop’s part.”
Isn’t it rather limiting of Msgr Schmitz with this one-way street mentality? That’s like saying we won’t speak up about the Faith until we’re asked? Just curious.
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Father Z wrote:
“Ecclesia Dei adlflicta is no longer defining our interests. Summorum Pontificum is.”
Interesting Father. I didn’t think of the two like that, but now that you mentioned it, it’s true. Like Dominic suggested, maybe a name-change would be in order, but I think the name can stay but the focus and premise of the Department should be Summorum Pontificum.
Father, in your opinion, is this the way it’s going to be, a parish here, a diocese there instituting a Tridentine Mass. If you do it, fine. If not, oh well? I’m hoping not because it would be true then that Summorum Pontificum has created a Liturigcal cafeteria of its own because there is no mandate or “Clarification” regarding the Motu Proprio, and thus once again the rights of the Faithful are being denied.
Phillip,
This is how the announcement from Msgr. Schmitz reads: ” Reverend Father Jean-Marie Moreau, until now Rector of St. Joseph’s Oratory in Green Bay, will be appointed Episcopal Delegate for the Extraordinary Form in the Diocese of Oakland and Rector of the Oratory of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in the Diocese of San Jose.”
Matt Q,
I think it really comes down to a supply and demand issue and not of a “one-way street mentality”; the Institute is suffering from growth pains. It would be foolhardy for Msgr. Schmitz to go out actively seeking new apostolates when he knows he does not have the manpower (they are turning away candidates for lack of space)to serve the communities. When asked, however, he is obliged to find a way to provide a priest.
Want to help? Donate to their seminary. we need a seminary in America.
Matt Q,
It’s not shortsighted at all — the Institute is a very, let’s say, refined group of gentlemen. There are certain rules of politeness I believe that they live by and this is one of them. The Fraternity is the aggressive order and they are much more laid back in terms of growing their hold in the world. They really have a much more European outlook on things. But they’re rock solid and I wish they’d come into the Archdiocese of Washington.
William of the Old
Thanks for all the info. I will be sure to go to mass soon at St. Margaret Mary’s, so I can see Fr. Moreau. However, it is just a pain to have to cross bridges, pay toll, and drive just to attend the mass I love. Plenty of priests would probably love to say mass in the Extraordinary form, but will be shunned here in SF. The sad fact is, the “official” TLM according to Abp. Niederauer’s “Norms” on Summorum Pontificum is 45-60 minutes away, across the Golden Gate bridge. It is just inconveniet, and until the Great Year of Retirement, AD 2011, there will probably be no TLMs in the city. If the people were exposed to it, they would love it, and would realize they have been missing out. There is a Latin Mass in the City. It is in a rentable chapel, and its by the scoundrel sedevacantist “Fr” ME Morrison, the guy who runs that TRADITIO web site. The guy was probably not ordained, and he is a heretic. Several people have attended that “mass,” not knowing he was a heretic and probably not a priest. I’m just counting down to 2011. Thanks.
this has been a very slow and painful upward climb for the Community especially after Fr. Rego died. I know that the community had hoped to stay at St Ambrose because it is a larger parish and in a better neighborhood. However I am glad that Holy Family has open its doors again to the Community. I just hope that the Community is given a space to grow. With the Institute backing them, I pray that there will be more improvement. Also on a side note I know that Fr. Reinders had hoped to NOT form a seperate parish but to be intergrated with an existing one so that Tradition can be shared. Also I hope that the Community’s finacial situation has improved so that they can put aside money for better liturgical items.