Today is the anniversary of the happy day when Summorum Pontificum went into force.
A lot of progress has been made but there is still a great deal to do.
But consider the fact that, even though many seminaries and even bishops are resisting the formation of priests for the whole of their Roman Rite, after five years, all the major seminarians in formation now have not known a time as seminarians when the provisions were not in effect.
It seems to me that, though sometimes it seems as if the wheels are spinning once in a while, this is going to get traction soon. And when it does….
Perhaps we shall see some great gains during this Year of Faith? Perhaps you can redouble your efforts to promote and stimulate and bring about a wider implementation of the provisions of the Motu Proprio.
Please say a pray for Benedict XVI today, who gave priests and laity alike this great gift.
To night, on the day of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I’m going to a TLM in my parish! Father uses to “bounce ” with joy when he gets to celebrate in the old form :-)…
Pray for someone I know who will be ordained priest in a few months and has had a hard time from his superior because he wants to celebrate both uses of the Roman Rite.
And let us thank God for what has been achieved.
Fr. A.M.- I am counting the days until these younger priests get their own parishes. If I have to wait 10, 15 years, no matter. That day is coming!
Went to 6:30am Mass today with the three oldest children before school. It is always edifying to have the old calendar and the many great feasts. Today, the exaltation of the Holy Cross, and tomorrow the 7 sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It almost makes one want to jump for joy.
If I might make a suggestion to my fellow laymen who wish to see the the older Rite gain
traction– invite people to attend the EF Mass with you. Answer questions, make introductions
after Mass, and generally try to get out of the way and let the older Rite work its ineffable magic.
It’s something we can all do to help, brick by brick…
Yesterday evening, on the eve of the anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, pastor of St. Edward Church in Newark, CA, said his first public EF Mass, and will do so every Thursday when he isn’t traveling. Deo gratias!
Usually, I attend Mass at an Oratory staffed by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, which is the designated site for Extraordinary Form Masses in the San Jose CA diocese. It is gratifying to see that priests here and there in the SF bay area who aren’t in institutes or orders dedicated to the EF are learning how to say the EF Mass. These include Fr. Donald Kinney, abbot at Mt. St. Joseph Monastery, Fr. Donald Morgan, San Jose diocesan priest and hospital chaplain. We also hear that seminarians are pushing up to their superiors their desires for the EF.
moon: “It is always edifying to have the old calendar and the many great feasts. Today, the exaltation of the Holy Cross, and tomorrow the 7 sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Of course (speaking as an EF advocate myself) we should remember that these are features of the OF calendar as well. Indeed, with several of the same propers–the same Preface of the Holy Cross today, and the same Stabat Mater sequence before the Gospel tomorrow.
Tonight @ 7 p.m. there will be the second consecutive Sacrament of Confirmation celebrated in the traditional rite followed by Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Church of St. Agnes in St. Paul, MN.
May Summorum Pontificum continue to do away with baggage!!! The facts become clear:
Seminary staff (and other authorities) who resist the Extraordinary From, or fear its implementation in the seminaries, are acting weird and rigid, insofar as they want to turn something totally legitimate and reasonable into huge and DANGEROUS undertaking, demanding meticulous monitoring and EXTREME CAUTION.
Seminarians who love the TLM will be healthy and well formed, until those in authority over them start acting weird and paranoid. Paranoia breeds paranoia. It is authorities who get weird about the TLM that make devotees of the TLM start acting weird.
Speravi,
May have commented on this before, but it bears repeating.Been a member of our local EF community off and on for twenty years. Back in the day, it was kind of hard to tell legitimate complaints against the hierarchy from paranoia. In fact, I had to take occasional breaks from attending b/c of the overheated-ness of many of my fellow attendees. Not being continually het up about the Way Things Were made me feel guilty about being a bad Trad. There were, in fact, plenty of weird Trads, and it was not all the fault of the hierarchy, though it was often presented that way.
What I noticed immediately on returning, when we were allowed to buy a property and become a parish, was how much everyone had calmed down. In strict honesty, some of that may have been the biological solution- many of the most fervent complainers were those who had been mature in 1969 and had the most to lose but had since died. But there was a different atmosphere in general, from being accepted as a parish in our own right. When we were no longer treated with paranoia and disdain, we cheered right up.
SP was huge in this change as well. “The Holy Father says so- for all priests- no permission needed” completely trumps “Well, we have special permission from the bishop to do this.” The former stops arguments much better than the latter.
Being “nice” doesn’t hurt when it comes to asking for the Traditional Mass, or much of anything in life. But, if you really want to know why you don’t have one, and what it takes to have one, please consider this:
The Latin Mass: Why You Can’t Have It