Fr. Z's Blog | Formerly entitled: "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" – Clear, straight commentary on Catholic issues, liturgy and life by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

SSPX forbidden to pray at Shrine of Our Lady of Knock

Posted on 19 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

OL_Knock I saw this, thanks to a reader.

Knock and it Shall NOT be Opened to You! – SSPX Pilgrimage Group Refused Entry to Knock Shrine.

The Society of Saint Pius X annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady at Knock in Co. Mayo was disrupted yesterday, Saturday 16th September, when Shrine officials refused entry to priests and laity. [St. Peter’s Basilica permits them.]

Members of Knock Shrine Security approached the SSPX priests, informing them that they were not permitted to celebrate Mass or carry out any devotions as a group. They confirmed that these were the orders which they had been instructed to convey.

For the first time in over ten years, therefore, the Society was forced to celebrate Mass outside of the Shrine grounds (heretofore, for a number of years, SSPX priests had been granted permission to celebrate Mass in various chapels on the grounds of the Shrine). And, for the first time in the entire history of the SSPX’s presence in Ireland, the pilgrimage group was not even permitted to recite the Rosary or pray the Stations of the Cross within the Shrine precincts!

As a result, Mass was celebrated in the car-park of an obliging local café, and the Rosary was prayed on the Main Street which runs adjacent to the Shrine. Security was posted at the gates during the rosary procession, ensuring that the group did not enter the Shrine grounds at any time.

Just like there was no place in the inn for Christ in Bethlehem, so there was no place for those faithful to the Tradition of the Church at Knock this past Saturday. The Knock Shrine authorities should be ashamed of themselves! Rector, Fr. Richard Gibbons, had no problem allowing an “ecumenical service” last January in the Saint John’s Rest and Care Centre at the Shrine. Neither did he have any problem with the assistance of “Reverend Canon” Derek Swann of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian “Reverend” Molly Deatherage and a Muslim representative, Manar Cherbatji, at a 2014 Peace Mass at Knock. He even had his photograph taken with them on the occasion:
Also in 2014, Father Gibbons was content to conduct a joint ecumenical service in the Knock Shrine Basilica with the Church of Ireland “Bishop” of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, “Dr.” Patrick Cooke in August of that year to celebrate the 190 years of the Royal National Lifeboat Association. On this occasion, as the Irish Catholic reported, Father Gibbons went the extra mile … “Dr.” Cooke led the celebration, while Father Gibbons was his assistant!

Conclusion? Father Gibbons cordially invites Anglicans, Presbyterians and Muslims, who do not accept the Church’s infallible teachings on the Blessed Virgin Mary, to participate in, and even lead services on the site where Our Lady appeared. But, he does not allow the Society of Saint Pius X and those faithful who assist at their Masses to even say the Rosary as a group on the same site, despite their obvious love for the Mother of God. Shame on him!

To contact Father Gibbons to protest against this injustice, call: (094) 93 88100 or email: frgibbons@knock-shrine.ie

I remember a story about a bishop who locked a group who wanted the traditional Sacred Triduum out of their church. The particulars escape me.

Posted in Liberals, SSPX | Tagged Our Lady of Knock, SSPX
31 Comments

23 September 2017: Look! Up in the sky!

Posted on 19 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The old phrase forever to be associated with Superman, “Look! Up in the sky!” denotes wonder and curiosity about something unknown.

On 23 September we will look up in the sky and see something wondrous and curious.

All sorts of planets and stars and constellations will be lining up in way that makes you ponder the significance of heavenly signs. After all, we are in the 100th anniversary year of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima and Our Lord said to watch for signs.

Here is a wiki entry about the 17 Sept event. YES! It has its own entry! HERE

Is this alignment and the patterns of retrograde motion, etc., something to do Revelation 12?

Hard to say.

However, it is going to be beautiful!

By Brad – Revelation 12 Daily, CC0, Link

Posted in Look! Up in the sky! | Tagged 23 September, Revelation 12
12 Comments

Bullying the little guy.

Posted on 19 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For decade after decade a liberal elite dominated the mass media. People hardly knew it, the domination was so pervasive and complete. Then, slowly but surely, a few conservatives clawed their way past the massive machine of opposition. So, it came to pass that some conservative (sane) talk radio hosts and cable news broadcasts managed to get a new voice into the public square. The libs were not happy. They still are not happy. All manner of lib trickery was attempted to silence the unwanted alternative voice in the public square which they had dominated for so long without opposition. It didn’t work. With the growth of the internet, the whole game has changed.

Right now, in Catholic media, the same thing is going on. The libs have had near total domination of large Catholic media outlets. The domination was so complete that barely anyone knew that they were being fed soul-annihilation. Small but faithful outlets such as The Wanderer kept a fingernail’s hold on the edge of the Catholic public square, as did a few others. Then voices such as Mother Angelica managed to claw their way through the opposition. People, who suddenly had an alternative, began to wake up. The libs were and are not happy. With the growth of the internet, they have no chance to maintain their uncontested hegemony.

You can tell how angry and frightened the catholic liberal Left is right now by how they are rushing higgledy-piggeldy to defend the claim that homosexual acts are really not so bad after all. THAT, friends, is the issue. This is about the long-desired goal of divorcing sexual acts from procreation. Once that can be accomplished, then anything goes in any and every sphere of Catholic life. The Church will forever be transformed into a sort of NGO with broad goals of niceness, providing really good salaries for the ones who run it.

The anger and fright of the catholic liberal Left has recently manifested itself through, among other ways, attacks on converts. Not long ago we saw that some radicalized catholic liberals, also defenders (at least) of homosexuality, opined that converts really shouldn’t be allowed to voice opinions. How tired they were of converts saying what they thought! Of course what they were really irritated with is that converts tend to be more conservative. Because they made a choice to become Catholics as adults – and indeed during difficult times for the Church – they often are better informed and more faithful when it comes to the Church’s doctrine. Of course converts have to be silenced!

Now we see the anger and fright of the catholic liberal Left coming out in attacks on “Catholic internet trolls”. That’s what an editorial at Jesuit (what else?) run Amerika Magazine did on 18 September. Here is a taste :

It is likewise a mistake to ignore or dismiss those whose so-called evangelization takes the form of online attacks, and whose goal seems to be a purge of Catholic voices who do not meet their standards of purity. Those who lead such efforts are claiming a kind of parallel magisterium, substituting their own outrage for the judgement of those who occupy the church’s legitimate teaching office.

They must be confronted, and church leaders—especially those whose viewpoints may differ from those of the persons under attack—should speak up strongly and clearly against these attacks and attempts at intimidation. The communion of the church needs to be defended—not from the peril of theological discussion but rather from that of being monitored and policed by the loudest and least loving voices among us.

This would be hilarious if it weren’t such a distortion of reality.

If there has ever been an effort to run a “parallel magisterium” it has been from the liberal Left! Think “Spirit of Vatican II”.

Amerika is worried about those who “occupy the church’s legitimate teaching office”? Oh, yeah? Where were they during the pontificates of John Paul II and of Benedict XVI? Were they out there fighting the good fight to uphold what these Popes taught? How have outlets like Amerika and Fishwrap etc. been in defending Veritatis splendor and Summorum Pontificum?

The hypocrisy of their concern for the magisterium is pathetic.

And, in their eyes, the crisis is so bad that the “communion of the church needs to be defended”. It is to laugh. Think about it. A small media outlet like Lifesite writes a story about a Jesuit and, “OMG! THE COMMUNION OF THE CHURCH IS UNDER ATTACK!” A small outlet like Church Militant writes a couple stories and, “OMG!….” A single little insignificant priest writes a blog post and, “OMG! If we don’t do something about these people IT’S THE END OF EVERYTHING!”

How about that phrase, “the loudest and least loving”. Niiiice. First, they judge the love of others. Then, “loudest”? For crying out loud, THEY are the loudest! Do you want the LOUDEST voices in the Church? They have to be Amerika and Fishwrap and Civiltà and all these established liberal organs.

To put this into perspective, I am like a guy on a street corner with an open guitar case, busking my little tunes, while Amerika and Fishwrap are a Village People tribute band on top of the Empire State Building with full media coverage. THEY are the loudmouths around here.

Some days back the some Jesuit Conference or other issued an official statement of full-throated support for James Martin’s notions in his book.

They have undertaken a war campaign of intimidation and bullying against the little guy.

I had questions… questions… about why and for what purpose Fr. Martin was to speak at a national major seminary… not university, mind you… seminary… when his very name these days brings a single thing to mind: the homosexualist agenda. I asked questions about that. I’d ask them again. Speaking at a university or a community college is one thing. Speaking at a seminary, for their 100th anniversary, is another. And everyone knows I’m right about that.

And yet the Jesuits are getting out their dogs and firehoses. The machine needs to silence the voices of those who have a right to be heard.

The moderation queue is ON.

Posted in Liberals, Si vis pacem para bellum!, Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged America Magazine, Fr. James Martin SJ, Jesuits
54 Comments

Please! Attack some more!

Posted on 18 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The hijinx continues. Today I was alerted to an attack on my sacred person, et alibi, at the site of La Croix International by Massimo “Beans” Faggioli of ultra-lib Villanova. His purple patch and over the top notions suggest that he is pretty upset. That’s too bad. “Beans”, unhinged, likened the Catholic social media influence (which played a role in Fr. Martin being disinvited from a seminary) to “cyber-militias”. You know the drill: The libs are reacting with spittle-flecked nutties to the fact that they can’t simply steamroller everyone anymore with their homosexualist agenda.

The homosexualist agenda is this season’s hottest item.

BTW… another story at La Croix today concerns a couple of bishops who think that same-sex marriage is just fine. I’m sensing a theme.

Speaking of such, I was sent this via my phone. We see here a revelatory homosexualist moment on Twitter:

You’ve gotta love that. And I didn’t hack that site, either!

Folks, to be clear…

I didn’t start a campaign to get Martin ousted from that speaking slot. What I did was ask some questions. I didn’t say anything about universities and academic freedom or different points of view. That’s irrelevant. I am concerned about the major seminary where he was to speak.

So, the libs are on the attack now, doing precisely what it is that they accuse me of doing which, ironically, I didn’t do.

Even more ironically, Fr. Martin seems to have tried to get Matthew Schmitz of First Things fired.

In a way, I rather enjoy it when the libs attack: they increase my traffic and, hence, my readership.

They also give me a chance to make some money!

When, a couple years back you readers were called “Zed Heads” in the combox of the Fishwrap by the usual maliciousy vacuous namecallers, I got busy and made these mugs and stickers.

That was fun… and lucrative!

When another lib called us “lockstep sheep and papist throwbacks”, I made another product. HERE

Maybe I should start a

“Fr Z Defense Fund“?

I am going to have to get some dental work done.

Comments are OFF.

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, Liberals, Lighter fare, Si vis pacem para bellum!, Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged Fr. James Martin SJ, La Croix, Massimo Faggioli
1 Comment

Fr Z responds to something in LATimes

Posted on 17 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the LA Times:

Father John Zuhlsdorf, who runs a blog called Father Z, repeatedly labeled Martin a “homosexualist activist” and called for Catholic institutions not to host him.

Look, I may getting older and I have monsignor moments, but I don’t remember ever doing that. Let me clarify.

First, the LATimes did not contact me and, if they did, I am unaware.

I have attached the “label” to Martin, sure.

Have I, repeatedly or otherwise, “called for Catholic institutions not to host” Fr. Martin?

In my most recent post, all I did was ask questions. HERE Here’s what I wrote.

REMEMBER: I was concerned about a speaker at a seminary. Yes, this is also at Catholic University, but I don’t care as much about the university. The major seminary was my concern. I wrote:

I’ll grant you that a speaker might be capable of addressing more issues than just his primary focus. But there is no way around the fact that, right now at least, when Fr. Martin’s name comes up, the first thing you think is activist for a homosexualist agenda.

I don’t get it.

If I were a bishop or an alumnus of Theological College, I’d have some questions.

What message are they trying to send?

What are they promoting by this move?

What are they teaching those seminarians?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with those questions.

I asked them then. I’d ask them again.

The moderation queue is ON.

Posted in Linking Back | Tagged Fr. James Martin SJ, LATimes
48 Comments

Approval from author’s superiors doesn’t mean a book is good.

Posted on 17 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Recent controversy has brought canonist Ed Peters to shed some light on the meaning of some technical terms which are being bandied about.

Lately some dust has been stirred up by the homosexualist activist Jesuit Fr. James Martin, who published a slithery book about homosexuality. When challenged about the veracity and propriety of some of the things he wrote, Martin repeats that the book was approved by his superiors. That’s holds water about as effectively as a screen door on a submarine.

Let’s have a look at what Peters says about ecclesiastical approval of texts for publication. My emphases and comments.

About Fr. Martin’s Book

Defending his book, Building a Bridge (2017), Jesuit Father James Martin claims that its consistency with Church teaching is attested to by (A) his own good standing as a priest, and (B) the canonical approval the book received from his Jesuit superior.

Martin’s first claim, that he is a priest in good standing, is neither contested nor relevant to the question of whether his book is doctrinally sound or pastorally trustworthy. [There’s also Peters’ emphasis there.]

Martin’s second claim, that his book enjoys canonical approval, requires some context before one can appreciate what that means—and doesn’t mean.

The Roman Catholic Church’s canonical discipline on publishing materials related to faith and morals is found chiefly in Canons 822-832 and focuses on two well-known markers of doctrinal orthodoxy and pastoral suitability, namely, the “nihil obstat” (a theologian’s certification that nothing obstructs faith or morals per 1983 CIC 830 § 2) and the “imprimatur” (a local ordinary’s determination that the writings may be responsibly published per 1983 CIC 830 § 3). [NB] The nihil obstat does not imply that everything in a text is stated correctly, but rather, is concerned with whether anything is stated wrongly; [That’s an important distinction.] the imprimatur does not imply that a book is actually good or helpful, but rather, asks whether it is a bad idea to publish it. [and not whether it ought to be published.] Throughout the process, authors and their works are generally, and understandably, viewed benignly (e.g., 1983 CIC 212). [Any decent censor librorum (the guy appointed by a bishop or an order to read stuff and check for doctrinal errors will tell you that it’s not their job to clean up style or make improvements. They have a narrow job.]

Martin’s book, though falling within the categories for which a nihil obstat and an imprimatur are expressly recommended (1983 CIC 827 § 3), [not “required”] does not, in my opinion, require such certifications and he is within the law to have published it without them. Of course, the lack of these common certifications is hardly evidence of the soundness of his work.

Martin’s book does have what it is required to have, namely, a religious superior’s “permission to publish” (imprimi potest), a clearance all members of institutes of consecrated life must obtain prior to publishing these sorts of materials. Instructions issued in 1992 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith expect religious superiors, prior to issuing their permission for publication, to consult with at least one trustworthy theologian about whether anything in a book such as Martin’s is harmful to the faith or morals. Martin himself might or might not know whether this prior theological review was actually carried out but Fr. John Cercero, sj, the superior who granted permission for Martin to publish his book, would certainly know. [See below. Apparently the SJs released a statement about this.]

But let’s assume that a qualified censor cleared the content of Martin’s book whereupon his superior concluded for its general prudence. Does that mean that Martin’s opinions and views are, as he seems to claim, necessarily acceptable in the Church?

No.

First, there are notorious examples of quite unworthy books boasting ecclesiastical approval until the faithful’s consternation over such aberrations finally gets someone’s attention somewhere and the approvals are withdrawn. The decade-and-a-half argument over Wilhelm’s Christ Among Us (1968), which lost its imprimatur in 1984 after Roman intervention, lingers in Catholic conscientiousness to this day.

Second, and more importantly, and notwithstanding some “hyperbole” (CLSA New Comm. at 984) in the CDF instruction about ecclesiastical approval constituting a “juridical and moral guarantee”, the nihil obstat, the imprimatur, and the imprimi potest are, in the end, judgment calls made by ecclesiastical officers about how authors have presented their views on important (and often complex) Church teachings and practices, and are not themselves infallible exercises of the Church’s teaching office. One would like to think, of course, that all Church officers are qualified for and committed to performing their duties in this area but, even without reaching the extreme cases recalled above, differing analytic approaches can be followed and old-fashioned mistakes can and do happen in the course of such reviews.

So, Martin’s book apparently does not have a standard nihil obstat or imprimatur; it might or might not have a Jesuit theologian’s in-house certification of its avoidance of doctrinal error; it does have a Jesuit superior’s indication that, in his view, the book can be prudently published.

[NB] Thus, in short, to tout a religious superior’s imprimi potest as proof of one’s personal or authorial orthodoxy is to misconstrue what that certification is and what it means.

Update (same day): Martin’s superiors have just released a statement indicating that his book did go through a theological analysis. They do not identify who performed that assessment, but then, the new law does not require disclosure of that name, as was generally required under the old law. The canonical commentary I offered above applies as I indicated.

So, now you know a little more about the technical terms that are in the wind right now.

Bottom line: Just because there is a nihil obstat or an imprimi potest, that doesn’t mean that what’s between the covers is good. As a matter of fact, it could be dreadful.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, The Drill | Tagged Ed Peters, Fr. James Martin SJ, imprimatur, nihil obstat
12 Comments

Rome – Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Posted on 16 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

On Friday evening at Santa Maria sopra Minerva there was a beautiful Mass for which the ministers were of the Institute of Christ the King. There were a great many of the faithful present, including clerics… yes… they belong to the faithful too.

And then there’s this. Mass isn’t all we do.

Moreover, on 14 Sept there was a highly Roman Mass in Madison, celebrated by His Excellency Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino, the Extraordinary Ordinary, with a special participation of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher.

This, friends, is what is up in Madison, in accord with Summorum Pontificum.

Meanwhile, back in Rome, today we had a procession from the Chiesa Nuova to San Pietro where there was a Mass at the faldstool. I am sure lots of photos will be forthcoming, for everyone was clicking away at the beautiful sights and sounds.

After Mass I went to a luncheon. There were a great number of wonderful people from all over the world. He is the head of Una Voce Japan! I look forward to visiting them soon.

I also had a wonderful discussion with a priest who served in Hong Kong. The great Juventutem group in Hungary was well represented and I got know many more people from all over. Meeting people is one of the pleasures of this annual event.

Card. Burke blessing the food before lunch. With him are reps of Una Voce.

Those are a few glimpses of the day. I am sure there will be more forthcoming.

UPDATE:

A shots I received from the procession. Yes, the lenses are range appropriate. In the other, I am simply adjusting the biretta.

♫♫Deh benedici, o Madre, al grido della fe’,
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Padre,
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Re.
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Padre,
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Re.♫♫

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged D. Madison, Rome, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
10 Comments

Rome – Day 4: TRAVEL VESTMENTS STARTED!

Posted on 15 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today I delivered the last of the fabric – Shantung – to Gammarelli for the travel vestments.

The combinations will be:

White (gold trim) & Red (silver)
Black (silver) & Green (silver)
Violet (silver) & Rose (silver)
White (gold) & Blue (silver)

There will be enough fabric for miniature reversible Roman antependiums!

I remind readers that, if there are donors for vestments, I will make sure your name is either embroidered on the vestment somewhere, or at least on the small “envelope” that I will make for each one. You will be remembered in prayer. One of you has already sent a donation, which allowed me to get the fabric and get this started, and another has said that a donation is on the way by snail mail.

A reversible travel vestment, in two colors, with all the parts from Gammarelli will be about €600 (c. $715).

So, the project is now officially underway!

While out and about, I saw that the Italian Military Ordinariate now has a little church near to where I was in seminary, a chapel dedicated to the Holy Shroud that was a national chapel for the Piemontesi in Rome

Just for fun.

An inscription inside S. Maria sopra Minerva, in case one of you would like to test your Latin powers.

More later.

UPDATE:

In the Church of St. Agnes in the Piazza Navona, you find a chapel with the baptismal font in which St. Francis of Rome (a favorite) was baptized.

St. Agnes met her end in a dramatic way. Accounts vary, but you would probably not want to endure it.

I loathe the dopey little Roman palls, just a little bit of starched linen.

I much prefer the sturdier pall.

Today on the feast of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows.

In situ.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged travel vestments
6 Comments

Coverage of Summorum Pontificum conference for 10th anniversary

Posted on 15 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The conference for the 10th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum has received some coverage.

For example, there is a highly tendentious and partial piece from AP, predictably from Nichole Winfield.

This is ludicrous and incomplete.

First, I am pretty sure she’s wrong about Pope Francis being “ignored” by the first speakers. (I was there.) She may have not been entirely cognizant of the theme of the conference.

Second, she also seems not to be aware that there was an afternoon session with other speakers, such as Card. Sarah. Note that the photo caption even misspells Card. Sarah’s name. So much for anything accurate or impartial from AP/Winfield.

The next time you see something from her about anything having to do with the Catholic Church, yawn and turn the page.

Another version comes from John Allen of CRUX, who was there. HERE He even mentions what Card. Sarah said about Pope Francis! His story is not what I would have written, but it is not unfair. Some of Allen’s piece with my usual additions:

Sarah, now 72, spoke for almost an hour, and here’s what seems to be the bottom line on where he stands: If anyone expects Sarah now to go gentle into that good night, muting his strenuous defense of liturgical tradition, they can forget it.

[…]

Yet equally, if anyone expected Sarah to go to war against his boss, subtly or not-so-subtly suggesting Francis is the problem – as some in the crowd gathered on Thursday have publicly argued he is – they can forget that too.

At several points during his address, Sarah explicitly described Summorum Pontificum as something Benedict initiated and that “Pope Francis has continued.” Never referring to the new motu proprio on translation, Sarah certainly didn’t come anywhere close to criticizing it.

In other words, the take-away seemed to be that Sarah plans to remain precisely what he’s been up to this point – a hero in some ways to the more traditionalist wing of the Church, which gave him loud and sustained applause on Thursday, but not the leader of the in-house opposition. [Perhaps the reason why he is so respected by the “traditionalist wing” is because we have read his books!]

[…]

As he often does, Sarah offered a strong plug for celebrating the Mass ad orientem, meaning with both the priest and the people facing East towards the altar, and ultimately, towards God. He called it a gesture that was “almost universally presumed in the antique forms of the Roman rite, rendered freely accessible by Benedict XVI for those who desire to use it.”

However, Sarah said, “this beautiful antique practice, so eloquent about the primacy of the all-powerful God, isn’t restricted just to the antique rite.

“It’s permitted and encouraged, and, I would insist, pastorally advantageous, in the more modern form of the Roman rite.”

On the importance of small things, such as the vessels used during the Catholic Mass, Sarah cited the example of two American seminarians who once brought him the chalice he was to use before Mass and asked him to bless it before they placed it near the altar, calling that a “very moving” touch. [That was a great moment. AND, I must add, something to which the organizers of the conference ought to reflect on. The organizers gave not even a MINUTE of time to American (North or South) speakers in this conference. That was a dreadful slight.]

Taking up the theme of his recent book, Sarah delivered a strong plea for greater silence in worship, calling it “the first act of sacred service.”

Sarah also underlined what he described as the “many young people discovering this liturgical form, who feel attracted by it and find it a form particularly appropriate for them. [That that to Thomas Reese, EthJay.]

“They encounter the mystery of the Holy Eucharist,” Sarah said, “which is more and more a key virtue for them in the modern world.”

Sarah conceded that “many in my generation struggle to understand this,” but insisted that “I can give personal testimony to the sincerity and dedication of this younger generation of priests and laity, and then many good vocations to the priest and consecrated life born in communities using the antique rite.” [Hopefully, superiors and bishops will WAKE UP.]

If anyone doubts that, Sarah urged them to “visit these communities, get to know them, especially the young who are part of them.

“Open your hearts and minds to these young brothers and sisters, and look at the good they do,” he said. “They’re not nostalgic or oppressed by the ecclesiastical battles of recent decades, they’re full of joy to live life with Christ amid the challenges of the modern world.”

Sarah issued a direct appeal to his brother bishops to be open to people attached to the older Mass and more traditional customs and observances. [Everybody wins!]

“These communities need paternal care,” he said, “and we must not allow personal preferences or misunderstandings that keep the faithful away who adhere to the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. We bishops and priests are called to be instruments of reconciliation and communion in the Church for all the Christian faithful, and I humbly ask you, in the one faith we have in common and in accord with the words of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, to generously open your hearts to allow in everything the faith offers, and to create space for it.”

Statistically, he conceded, these people may remain “a small part of the life of the Church,” [“growing”] but that, he said, “doesn’t make them inferior or second-class.”

[…]

Finally, Sarah issued a challenge to his audience, asking that they stop calling themselves “traditionalists,” and stop allowing others to refer to them that way. [NB]

“You’re not enclosed in a box, or in a library or museum of curiosities,” he said. “You’re not ‘traditionalists.’ You’re Catholics of the Roman rite, like me, like the Holy Father, not second-class citizens in the Catholic Church because of your cult and spiritual practices.” [TRUE! However, “traditional” or “traditionalist” (like liberal and conservative) are handy shorthand.]

Those practices, he pointed out, were also those of “innumerable saints.”

He told the group that it should not become “enclosed or withdrawn into a ghetto, which an attitude of defensiveness dominates, and suffocates your witness to the world of today to which you are sent.

“Ten years later,” he said, referring to the Summorum Pontificum anniversary, “If we haven’t broken the chains of the traditionalist ghetto yet, do it today!” [Do I hear an “Amen!”?]

[…]

He goes on to mention some remarks of Card. Müller about translations. That was in interesting moment!

Posted in Biased Media Coverage, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged John Allen, Nichole Winfield, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
17 Comments

A priest on what saying the Traditional Mass meant to him

Posted on 15 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I received this note from a priest:

Just a quick note to say you and the others attending the pilgrimage/conference were in my prayers this morning, joined at the sacred altar (thankfully in the Extraordinary Form on both sides of the ocean!). What an important anniversary this is for the whole Church — for those of us who know and recognize it, for those still to learn, and even for those who presently resist the value of tradition. [Do I hear an “Amen!”?]

This anniversary is also a personal one for me since ten years ago today was my first time to offer the Extraordinary Form, a Solemn High Mass which I was able to pull off thanks to the dedication and the assistance of kind Fraternity priests who helped me prepare, served as deacon and subdeacon, and provided the infrastructure (MC, altar boys, schola). Knowing it was my first time to offer that Mass, some lay faithful asked my reactions and reflections afterwards. I could honestly say then and now that I have never felt more like a priest than at that Mass. The need for the priest, the role of a priest, what a priest does is not more clear than in the Extraordinary Form, and particularly in a Solemn High Mass. It was a grace that has impacted me ever since and has led to my further familiarity with the EF and with its theology and the theology of the priesthood. It has come with some challenge — as I predicted it would — not just from folks who are adversaries but also an internal challenge because I find myself more interested in a tradition I have been denied. [Yes. We’ve all been robbed of our patrimony.] Thus, offering the Novus Ordo most days is not what I would prefer. But brick by brick… [And I suspect that learning to say the traditional form now informs your Novus Ordo ars celebrandi.]

Though I have seen much of the world (in my NAC days), I am not much of a traveler, but perhaps some day I will make it a point to participate in the pilgrimage/conference.

Thanks for all you do to raise awareness of the EF and promote it far and wide!

And thanks to Pope Benedict XVI for his courage and his vision in giving the Church Summorum Pontificum! [Do I hear an “Amen!”?]