I was delighted to receive news that His Excellency Most Rev. Michael Olson, Bishop of Ft. Worth, will preside at Holy Mass celebrated in the Extraordinary Form on Sunday 13 July. HERE
Details are a little sketchy. I assume that Mass will be at St. Mary of the Assumption located on the South side of downtown Fort Worth. There may be a pot luck after. It seems that Mass may begin at 5:30 pm. The web site of the TLM community isn’t too descriptive, but I think those are the basics.
I think this is great news!
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Earlier this year, when Bishop Olson found himself so much in the firing line, over his actions at Fisher More College, to regulate the practice of the old liturgy there, nobody can now say his actions in any way were because he is opposed to the usus antiquior.
He does however rightly criticize an Old Mass culture, accompanied by opposition to a number of popes, criticism of Vatican II, and abhorrence of the new liturgy, even when done in accordance with the rubrics, and in a spirit of solemnity and reverence.
Anyone who took the trouble to read Pope Benedic’ts letter to the bishops of the world, which accompanied the motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum, would know that he said the liberalization of the celebration of the Tridentine ritual, was not in any to be interpreted as a rejection of Vatican II, and the liturgical reform.
Therefore, the use of the Tridentine liturgy at the school, was an abuse of the motu proprio, and while it does make me sometiems a minority in various traditional circles, I applauded Bishop Olson’s action.
We continue to pray for you, and lament the comments of some, who should know better.
May the traditional Mass culture spread, but not used as justification for these sort of polemics.
If only the CDF would issue a document clarifying, paragraph by paragraph, each confusing point in the VCII documents, that would help us all immensely. For example, it seems obvious to me that neither the EF nor the OF celebrations of the Holy Mass are faithful to the letter of SC. Therefore, a line by line clarification of SC would help me understand why I’m wrong.
At any rate, yes, it’s good to see that the bishop is not opposed to the old rite of Mass, but the situation is still confusing.
Amen, Andrew! Fisher More is now dust and ashes. Bishop Olsen — ever friendly to the TLM, is still here, and still here is the TLM in his diocese.
That is so good to know, Jack. Do you live in the diocese of Forth Worth? Even though I am from Australia, I was appalled at the attacks on a number of websites, this good bishop received. The ideas that were approvingly propagated at FMC, set back our cause enormously. When bishops become aware of this kind of rhetoric (which I can tell you is hardly confined to that liberal arts college in Texas) I understand why they become suspicious of traditionalists, regardless of what personal empathies I have for them.
Dear Andrew, it seems as though you are rather knowledgeable regarding happenings at Fisher More College as well as canonical and spiritual interpretation of various ecclesiastical documents – a rare and envious knowledge bank! Would you mind sharing your expertise with the lesser of us who have never quite grasped what was egregiously wrong at the college?
JABV,
Perhaps Andrew noted the updated March 3rd post here at Fr. Z.s blog, which directs attention to Dr. Marshall’s insights into the situation. Whatever Andrew’s source, perhaps a less sarcastic request on your part would prompt a quicker reply on his.
My apologies – I actually follow Taylor Marshall closely as a member of his New Saint Thomas Institute, but I didn’t note the same conclusiveness to the situation. I aimed to be gracious about my lack of knowledge. not patronizing.
It’s great news!
Hopefully the daily TLM and Sunday morning TLM which were cancelled earlier this year will soon be restored.
@Andrew
Supposedly, the appeal is being heard in Rome and a ruling is expected this month.
Hopefully Rome will have a solution and healing process.
I think traditionalist feel picked on when they are held to strict interpretation of rules, while liturgical abuse is rampant (especially in Fort Worth). It would have been nice to have seen the top 5 or so liturgical abusers in Fort Worth suspended at the time Fisher More was closed to be fair to all sides.
Whenever traditionalist feel picked on, the SSPX ranks grow, so the victory is not so great as it seems.
For many us in the DFW area, the TLM is the only safe haven where we can find reliably orthodox teaching and reverence, instead of flip-flops, tube tops, watered down teaching, and people who seem to treat Mass as that place they have to hit on the way to kids’ soccer games. Not one of the parishes around here has ever been told that they needed to stop offering the Novus Ordo for their spiritual welfare. Taylor Marshall gave his view.
Is Taylor Marshall the final “end all” with everything?
It’s seems many use the “Taylor Marshall said it was legitimate so it must be so” conclusion.
Andrew, nobody should applaud the closing of an orthodox Catholic college, especially with clearly dissident ones remaining untouched.
Remember, Bp. Olson used suppresion of a beloved mass as a weapon… a punishment.
Mark G.
This is the problem with commenting on subjects without all the facts- a constant in the Fisher More TLM affair.
The Sunday and daily Masses cannot be restored because the college no longer exists. The suspension of the TLM was the least of its worries. in the light of its dissolution. Sometimes an unswerving adherence to the “TLM always good” template is neither true, or helpful.
And I speak as a long-time member of the EF community in Dallas.
JABV, does have a point, as I don’t know about the situation first hand, but I read a number of articles both supportive and critical of the bishop, second hand.
What convinced me that the bishop was correct, was the letter Pope Benedict wrote to all the bishops of the world, accompanying the motu proprio, which I include a link to here.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070707_lettera-vescovi_en.html
The Holy Father makes it unequivocally clear that this opening up by the Church to the usus antiqior, is not in any way to be interpreted as a rejection of the Second Vatican Council, or the legitimacy of the liturgical reform.
Also, he indicates that just because “not so much red tape” is needed to have a celebration of the old liturgy now, NOTHING has been taken away from the bishop’s authority. I interpret this to mean, that if he sees that there is a pastoral problem in having the traditonal liturgy somewhere, he does have the right to restrict this, as he had during the indult phase of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, ie from 1984 to 2007. Of course, if there has been an injustice here, redress to the Ecclesia Dei Commission is permitted by a potential complainant, which I believe has happened in this case.
But on the available evidence, I believe the bishop is right. A number of speakers were invited to that school to give lectures who it is well known by their publications and conferences, advocate integralist positions againt the Council, and the promulgation of the new liturgy, (and strong criticisms of a number of popes) the very thing Pope Benedict in his letter to the bishops said, was to be avoided in the granting of this motu proprio. So the celebration of the Latin Mass (with the support of the bishop, who has the power regulate the celebration of liturgy in the diocese) in the school, was an abuse of this privilege.
The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, who themsleves were saying Mass at the college, on their own volition withdrew their ministry from the school, before the bishop had intervened.
If the ED Commission says something differently here, from my perspective it will be a case of “Roma locuta est, causa finita est”, but until this happens, I believe subjectively Bishop Olson was correct here.
However, isn’t this all a moot point, because hasn’t the college closed or is going to shortly?
There are 3 comments everyone, especially Traditionalists, should avoid making.
1. The Pope is a heretic
2. Vatican II is heretical
3. Vatican II is not a valid Council.
I’ll add a 4th , which is a corollary of the 1st.
The Papacy is currently vacant.
Sede vacantist = Mente vacantist
And a 5th
The Novus Ordo is either invalid or heretical.
Belatedly, it occurs to me that more information on the availability of the EF in Fort Worth might be useful. Forgive those of us who are familiar with that for not posting this sooner.
The EF is celebrated at St. Mary’s by one of the FSSP priests from Dallas every Sunday at 5:30. And has been for years, even when the Dallas community had only one priest.
This was probably noted during the Fisher More TLM debacle, but may have been forgotten.
It certianly was.
This controversy took place in an area, very friendly to the traditional Mass.
Bishop Olson invited the students to come every Sunday to St Mary’s in Forth Worth, where there is a celebration of the extraordinary form. (Where he is about to say one hmself, in this story by Fr Z!) This church is located only 5 km away from Fisher More College. They could get there comfortably on a bicycle.
As you have mentioned Skeinster, half an hour away in another diocese, in Dallas, the FSSP operate a parish where there are two Tridentine liturgies every day. Some homsechooling families, who go into remote locations, in orer to comply with laws about educating children at home, are often hundreds and hundreds of miles away from a Latin Mass.
And yet here was Bishop Olson, so attacked for his lack of empathy with traditionalists.
I attend Mass in both liturgical forms, and have a personal prerence for the Tridentine. But I think sometimes the way those attached to tradition vent their frustrations is appalling, and I am starting to get a handle on why some church leaders, become so wary of them.
Andrew,
To be accurate, Bp. Olsen was in attendance, but he did not celebrate yesterday. We were all very touched by his pastoral visit to the Fort Worth community in the wake of the attacks on the FSSP priests in Phoenix.
But I think sometimes the way those attached to tradition vent their frustrations is appalling, and I am starting to get a handle on why some church leaders, become so wary of them.
Happy to say that this is much improved from, say, twenty years ago.
Andrew, thanks for filling in the context on your perspective. I appreciate your thoughts.
One point you mentioned has left me continually in wonder – the withdrawal by the FSSP priests of their services at FMC. Having assisted at Mater Dei in Irving and gained some confidence in those priests as leaders and confessors…well, like I said, it makes me wonder.
Glad the celebration of the extraordinary form went so well.
If anybody wants to continue talking about this, and I am glad to have touched based with some people from this area of Texas, this is my email address. andrew.rabel@gmail.com