The craven faculty of the North American College (US seminary in Rome), perhaps under the pressure of their board, has snuffed out the Traditional Latin Mass, which was a regularly scheduled Mass on Saturdays.
There was also training for the seminarians in how to celebrate the TLM.
I heard about this through several channels, but Rorate published a photo of the publicly posted memo, saying, “Our only options are to resist or to die and disappear.”
Thus will it be harder for these men to be fully trained in the LATIN RITE, the ROMAN RITE, to which they belong.
Nota bene: This applies to the seminary college not to the priests college. The NAC has two places, one for seminarians in formation and another for priests studying in Rome.
My thought is that this will simply drive learning the TLM underground, as before in the times before Summorum. The huge difference between now and then is that there are lots of resources online and lots more priests who know how to say the TLM. These seminarians have a huge advantage now, compared to the past.
HOWEVER… I counsel the guys there to be careful as they proceed anyway to learn the TLM and even perhaps to celebrate it out of sight. I would if I could tell them to be careful as they look for resources online. Recent trends suggest that, since their internet activities are surely being monitored, it is likely that they would be more severely treated for looking videos about how to celebrate the TLM than they would for looking at “gay” porn.
If I were able to, I would encourage the men there to get local, Italian mobile phones if they don’t have their US phones with them and then to tether their laptops and use the mobile, cellular data rather than the NACs network.
Moreover, were I able to send them all a message, I would say that there are a great many priests out here who are pulling for you. When we have the chance, we will support you all we can. But for now, be careful. Study hard. Lock your doors. Get ordained.
Remember that, in the Church, laws that are not received are no laws at all. HERE
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Cardinal Burke has said that the Pope lacks the authority to restrict the Mass of All Ages: https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/traditionis-custodes, paragraphs 15 and 16. Other prelates have said the same thing since the release of the Motu. I don’t have much time right now but perhaps someone could compile a list.
The faithful laity will support, all the way, priests and sems who want to learn/say the TLM. Our homes, hearts and wallets are open.
It’s been years since good news has come out of Rome.
I’m no canonist, but the claim that bishops can’t grant the «faculties for the TLM» outside their diocese seems bunk to me, even if one accepts the premise that one now needs to ask for special faculties? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the MP itself doesn’t seem to mention that.
Anyway, I would advise any young priest studying in Rome to do what I did in my day, since TLM tuition wasn’t offered at my college (until I started offering it): go to the FSSP parish in Rome and ask to be taught.
Gosh, no one is chaining those in authority to stay in the Catholic Church if they don’t love and want to further their own heritage and rite. We all have a free will. God doesn’t force us to love Him or His church. He gave us the church to help us get to Heaven, it makes no sense to try to destroy the church, and it won’t work anyway.
aam “It’s been years since good news has come out of Rome.”
Yes, kinda like, “That’s as strange as news from Bree”.
I pray for those at the NAC and other seminaries. As they say in physics–water finds a way. Those seminarians who want formation in the EF will find a way. It’s surely painful, however, to witness a good segment of the Church forced underground to the catacombs. What an unholy mess!
Another option might be to find a friendly college from another country, or even a friendly parish, who just happens to share the WiFi password ?
Father, one option for seminarians and priests looking online for video, pdf…etc. TLM resources would be to use their Web browser’s ‘incognito mode,’ where it’s much more difficult to track activity, then use a free download like CC Cleaner from Piriform to ensure digital snoops find nothing incriminating. There are also browser extensions in Google Chrome, Firefox…etc. that allow you to download something like a TLM instructional training video to a fingernail-size 64 or 128Gb SD or even MicroSD memory card.
If it is their own personal PC, they can also use a very affordable VPN like SurfShark that does global server-hopping to ensure privacy. That’s how Chinese activists get around the CCP Internet restrictions.
Before long, there will be dioceses that lose seminarians over these restrictions, and bishops will not be happy about that.
Meanwhile, it only makes the institution and its personnel seem ridiculous in the eyes of sensible people when something wholesome and legitimate is treated as wicked contraband; and discussions of the same, and related topics, must be hushed up for fear of being overheard. Such was the case in many seminaries some years ago, including my own — over these very issues of tradition and traditional liturgical forms.
Finally, all these institutions rely on generous donors. Donors, are you asking questions about the sort of programs and training are provided for seminarians, with your dollars?
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I would if I could tell them …
If I were able to, I would …
Moreover, were I able to send them all a message, I would say
So sad that Fr. Z is unable to do all that. Isn’t it a shame. If only he had a platform that reached thousands every day… One frequented by the intelligentsia and the faithful. Boy, that would be great!
:-)
If I were someone anyone listened to, I would add to what Fr. Z said by suggesting: what the Bishop and Fr. Rector don’t know, won’t hurt them. They DON’T WANT to hear their little seminarian is learning the TLM, so don’t let them hear it.
Before long, there will be dioceses that lose seminarians over these restrictions, and bishops will not be happy about that.
Perhaps a few bishops will, Fr. Fox, but a great many of the bishops have (knowingly) been losing men for decades from their wretched seminaries, their nazi religious vocations directors, etc: The old canard about “this young man has psychological problems” because he, gosh believes the Bible is inerrant, or something basic like that. The men kicked out because they tried to rat out on the pink mafia. The priests being cancelled because they (horror of horrors) said the Novus Ordo canon in Latin, its own official language.
It’s only a slight overstatement- No TLM=no seminarians.
Is this how they’ll usher in priestesses?
To add to what Astronomer recommended, I would add use of the Brave browser and DuckDuckGo search engine, which do not track your searches or record personal data as Big Brother Google/Chrome does.
After a year or so (of struggle) almost every church will succumb to Traditionis. Unless, of course, there is a recusant revival, liturgical Latin will be no more. I wonder what will happen then to study of the Latin language? To what extent is the study of Latin (Classical included) more or less dependent on the living example of the Catholic Church? It looks pretty dark to me.
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“ After a year or so (of struggle) almost every church will succumb to Traditionis.” Happy to say, @Unwilling, that I respectfully disagree.
There are enough sensible bishops – not a majority, I don’t think – but a critical mass, who will not be so easily bamboozled. Cardinals Burke and Sarah, to name two Cardinals, are marginalized but a red hat still counts for something. And one simply cannot legislate -or bully – the (former) Ecclesia Dei institutes out of existence – or into neutered irrelevancy – without arousing a further hue and cry. And believe me, this whole diktat has been noticed far outside of “traddie” and even ecclesiastical circles. The optics are not good, and I am convinced that there is very little stomach for further action against tradition, except perhaps amongst the Grillos and their ilk, who are true zealots.
“This is not your father’s Oldsmobile”… we know better than our parents generation did*, and our kids have grown up with the TLM and are raising their kids in it. We’re used to driving 45min or more to Mass and we have resources and organizations (even informally) that their generation didn’t. We’ve seen this act before, and we know where it leads… Uh-uh, not going back to the ‘70’s… be of good cheer!
* I am not claiming we are smarter or more virtuous than they were, simply that we actually do “know better” thanks to experience (sometimes bitter) and most of all out means of instantaneous communication…
“ After a year or so (of struggle) almost every church will succumb to Traditionis.” Happy to say, @Unwilling, that I respectfully disagree.
There are enough sensible bishops – not a majority, I don’t think – but a critical mass, who will not be so easily bamboozled. Cardinals Burke and Sarah, to name two Cardinals, are marginalized but a red hat still counts for something. And one simply cannot legislate -or bully – the (former) Ecclesia Dei institutes out of existence – or into neutered irrelevancy – without arousing a further hue and cry. And believe me, this whole diktat has been noticed far outside of “traddie” and even ecclesiastical circles. The optics are not good, and I am convinced that there is very little stomach for further action against tradition, except perhaps amongst the Grillos and their ilk, who are true zealots.
“This is not your father’s Oldsmobile”… we know better than our parents generation did*, and our kids have grown up with the TLM and are raising their kids in it. We’re used to driving 45min or more to Mass and we have resources and organizations (even informally) that their generation didn’t. We’ve seen this act before, and we know where it leads… Uh-uh, not going back to the ‘70’s… be of good cheer!
* I am not claiming we are smarter or more virtuous than they were, simply that we actually do “know better” thanks to experience (sometimes bitter) and most of all out means of instantaneous communication…
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Helpful post and tips from Fr. Z, “Remember that, in the Church, laws that are not received are no laws at all.” Helpful comments.
Fr. Charles A.F. wrote: “I would advise any young priest studying in Rome… go to the FSSP parish in Rome and ask to be taught.”
Karol Wotjyla, St. John Paul II, studied at a clandestine seminary in occupied Krakow. From the Vatican website (I couldn’t resist using a Vatican resource here) in 2003:
ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE STUDENTS OF THE ROMAN MAJOR SEMINARY
ON THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF CONFIDENCE
“Before ending this address, I would like once again to return to my own seminary. It was a “clandestine” seminary. During the war, with the Nazi occupation of Poland and of Krakow, all the seminaries were closed. Cardinal Sapieha, my Bishop of Krakow, organized a “clandestine” seminary and I belonged to that “clandestine” seminary, one could say, “catacombal”. Above all, my experience is connected with that seminary. Especially since today we remembered Sr Faustina. Sr Faustina lived and is now buried close to Krakow, in a place called Lagiewniki. Beside ?agiewniki was the chemical factory of Solvay where I was a worker during the four years of the war and Nazi occupation. At that time, I would never have imagined that one day, as Bishop of Rome, I would be speaking of that experience to the Roman seminarians.
“That experience as a worker and a “clandestine” seminarian has stayed with me all my life. I used to take books with me to the factory during my eight-hour shift, during the day or at night. My workmates were rather surprised, but not scandalized. Indeed, they said, “We will help you, you can rest and in your place we will keep an eye [on the boilers] instead of you”. So I was also able to do the exams with my professors.”
Fr. Fox wrote:
“Finally, all these institutions rely on generous donors. Donors, are you asking questions about the sort of programs and training are provided for seminarians, with your dollars?”
Good point. And as the saying goes, clandestine seminaries, or TLM training, is infrastructure- which means funding.