This sketchy news comes from San Diego. I am guessing by "tommorow" he means "Sunday"
Folks… if you send news, send complete information.
I wanted to tell you that tomorrow, our Bishop, His Excellency Robert Brom, will be celebrating mass at St. Anne’s in SD.
Tomorrow will be the last day the parish will be in use for normal parish function, starting monday the parish will be dedicated solely to the celebration of the Extraordinary rite the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius the X [?!? Perhaps the Fraternity of St. Peter?] will be taking over the parish, renovating it and it will be made the diocese’ first parish to be dedicated exclusively to the venerable older form of the mass. The Parish it located just south of downtown, It is an excellent location for the largest possible accessibility.
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That would be most welcome news indeed, if true. I think Monday I’ll trolley on over to St. Anne’s during my lunch break and check it out.
San Diego has the oldest TLM community in the U.S.A., having been up and running since 1984. Bishop Brom is turning the TLM community, and St. Anne’s (in the Logan Heights area of San Diego) over to the FSSP, NOT the SSPX. This TLM community is very large, full of young families. Through thick & thin, they have held strong, held the Faith. (www.sandiego-tlmc.org)
Semper Fi
God bless Bishop Brom. San Deigo has the Tridentine Mass in a full expression. Oceanside’s got it although mixed-use and that’s fine. Fresno’s putting it together… For California, this is great. The civilized world going up around the bleak and barren territory of Los Angeles filled with the spiritually starving huddled masses and Liturgical depravity. Her leader ensconced in his great sandstone bunker.
How blessed are Faithful of San Diego. Thank you, Lord. Touched the heart of one more bishop.
Matt Q:
Fresno has had regular, twice a month Tridentine Mass since 1989. In 2002 it became weekly. Fr. Bisig visited the community back in 1992. Bakersfield, in the Fresno diocese, has the larger community, having enjoyed weekly Tridentine Mass since 1988.
It is great to hear about San Diego’s good news. I prepared to receive First Holy Communion at St. Anne’s, when now-retired Bishop Chavez was the pastor (before becoming a bishop). Then my family moved to St. Michael’s in Paradise Hills and that is where I ended up receiving First Holy Communion.
One drawback is the church is very tiny. And I gather TLM held on the grounds of Holy Cross cemetery is packed with a few hundred people every Sunday. This summer I was at a TLM at St. Ann’s, but they would be hard pressed I think to accommodate a Sunday Mass due to lack of space. UNLESS they are going to greatly enlarge it.
Yeah, that’s a mistake; it’s being given over to the FSSP, not the SSPX. My folks were in San Diego on vacation a week or two ago, and it was the last Mass that was being offered by the Norbertine fathers from St. Michael’s Abbey, who have been offering it up to now.
Why cannot it still function for a “normal parish use”? I believe the FSSP does do this …
I live in the San Diego diocese, and we are blessed beyond measure to be able to be in St. Margaret’s parish in Oceanside, where we not only have a Solemn High Mass every Sunday at 6:00 pm (and every Wednesday evening at 7 pm as well), but also Novus Ordo Masses that are all celebrated with “High Mass” reverence, complete with incense, a growing choir that regularly sings Gregorian chant, the Benedictine altar arrangement, an MC at every Mass, and above all, a faithful pastor who totally understands and is completely obedient to the wishes of the Holy Father and to the spiritual needs of the parish. In doing so, he is shepherding a growing parish which is slowly but surely re-invigorating the Liturgy to be all that our 2000 years of Tradition has taught us it should be. Deo gratias!
Slight correction: Actually, it’s a Low Mass on Wednesdays…
Let us not get carried away. The same bishop who is turning over St. Ann’s to the Fraternity as a personal parish is the same bishop who has placed obstacles in the way for his own local priests to celebrate the traditional Mass in their own parishes. What he has done is moved traditional Catholics into a dangerous crime and gang infested area of San Diego where the church is tiny and parking is extremely limited. Yes, light can shine out from the darkest corner but I fear this tactic will be the diocese’s reason to discourage its own local priests offering the traditional Mass in their own parishes. So much for the gravitational pull Fr. Z often talks about. This is sad. Btw. St. Margaret’s in Oceanside which began celebrating the traditional Mass before the San Diego bishop threw down the road blocks is now celebrating a Missa Cantata every Sunday evening and have around 300 parishioners attending. They have a beautiful schola and a battalion of extremely well trained altar boys. What will happen when some of them want to be priests for their own local diocese???
I hereby nominate David for the \”Sour Grapes\” award. The diocese gets a personal parish turned over to the FSSP and all you can do is complain about it. More will follow over time. You can\’t fight gravity.
Father Z,
I’m glad you finally posted this news. My previous e-mails to you about this obviously didn’t reach you. Here are the facts.
St. Anne’s had already been downsized some time ago from a parish to a mission of nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. The church , which seats 220, comes with a rectory, a hall, and some parking. It can certainly handle the congregation we know have at the chapel in the local Catholic mausoleum (where the TLM has been relegated for the past 23 years!) If the new location draws new EF Mass-goers, I’m sure Father can add a Mass rather than enlarge the church! Yes, St. Anne’s is located in a notorious gang neighborhood, but goblins usually only come out at night.
Our new chaplain is Fr. Carl Gismondi, FSSP, who has been told we may become an actual parish before long. Father has already started a Sunday school for catechism. He is already living in the rectory. Please pray for our new, future “parish.”
I would like to inform those individuals desiring to hear Mass in the extraordinary form, who live in the Corpus Christi, TX, area; St. Helena’s Church offers Mass at 08:00 every Sunday Morning. Thank you.
I haven’t (yet) met Fr. Gismondi but he sounds like my kind of a priest:
http://sandiegooratorians.blogspot.com/2008/09/oh-hes-that-fr-gismondi.html
I just wanted to check in and set the record straight on a few items.
First, it is the FSSP not the SSPX who will be offering the Mass at St. Anne.
Second, the church is not smaller than Holy Cross cemetary chapel where the Mass has been celebrated for the past 23 years. They are about the same size.
Third, the community is not small. The were TWO Masses on Sunday, and the attendence lately has been about 400 souls. I have been told that the Masses in the northern part of the Diocese has reduced the numbers a bit from a higher total. This is understandable and welcome.
Fourth, the neighborhood is not a gang infested slum. Yes, it is a poorer neighborhood, but it is not a slum. There are many families, here, who own their houses and all have a great pride in the neighborhood.
Fifth, the location is almost ideal for a Litin Mass Church. It is one block off of an exit for I-5, and is, therefore, very easy to get to from all over the city.
God Bless,
Fr. Gismondi FSSP
Fr. Gismondi: Thanks for chiming in! May God bless your undertaking in San Diego!
Fr. Gismondi:
Thank you for the clarifications and for the work you will do in San Diego. As I mentioned, I lived in that neighborhood (1970-72). I went back to visit a few years ago when my Jesuit uncle was stationed at O.L. of Guadalupe. It is true that it is a poor area, but there is nothing wrong with offering Mass among the poor. In fact, St. Lawrence said they were the treasures of the Church. As a little boy at St. Anne’s, I remember when the Tridentine Mass left and the Novus Ordo was ushered in, so it is wonderful that you will preside over the return of the EF in that parish. I offer many heartfelt prayers for your apostolate.
Fr. Z and others monitoring this post for further news: today I went down to St. Anne’s for noon mass — it appears this noon mass is no longer offered contrary to the San Diego TLMC website (in dire need of an update!). I did take two pictures of the signs posted out front notifying the community of precisely what’s going on. I’ve transcribed the two signs here for your information (Fr. Z: feel free to post separately as it contains some interesting learning opportunities for the San Diego community — an interesting venture undertaken by Fr. Gismondi before the Sunday noon mass).
The two signs follow, seen on the facade of the church on Tuesday just before noon, 7 October 2008.
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St. Anne Church
All masses are celebrated in Latin using the liturgical books of 1962, with the full permission of Bishop Brom and in union with Pope Benedict XVI.
Todas las misa son celebrandas en latin usando los libros litúrgicos del año 1962, con el permiso del Obispo Brom y en unión con el Papa Benedicto XVI.
Sunday Masses starting October 5th.
Misa Dominical empezando Octubre 5.
7:30 A.M.: Low Mass / Misa rezada
10:00 A.M.: High Mass / Misa cantada
12:00 P.M.: Bilingual introduction of the Latin Rite Mass followed by Low Mass. / Introducción en bilingüe de la Misa en Latin seguida con misa rezada
Daily Mass starting October 6th
Misa Diaria empezando Octubre 6
9:00 A.M.: Low Mass / Misa rezada
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St. Anne Church
On October 5, there will be a special introduction to the Traditional Latin Mass by Fr. Gismondi at the 7:30 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. Masses. The introduction will be during the homily in English. Coffee and donuts will be served after the 7:30 and 10:00 A.M. masses in the hall.
At 12 Noon, the introduction will be given in English and Spanish, followed by Mass. Father hopes to continue the 12 Noon Mass, but only if there is interest from people wanting to learn more about the Traditional Latin Mass.
All are welcome to attend St. Anne
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I found out about the Latin Mass leaving Holy Cross and moving to St. Anne’s just this morning, when I was handed a flyer after daily Mass.
I then searched all over looking for news of this change, and did not find any except here at WDTPRS.
I have been to St. Anne’s only once, one morning last year for a Mass said by Bp. Cordileone; and while it is a far from wealthy neighborhood,
I did not feel unsafe there.
I am looking forward to getting down to St. Anne’s with my family. God grant this new community every blessing!
**CORRECTION**
I was mistaken – I had St. Anne confused with Our Lady of Angels, which is just off the 94 at 24th. and G.
When I realized my mistake and realized where St. Anne is located, its proximity to Logan Heights and Barrio Logan/Chicano Park is
indeed an indication of high gang activity and crime, well-know to most San Diegans.
God bless Fr. Gismondi and the parishioners of St. Anne.