Several recent stories have once again highlighted just how much disdain for tradition, and specifically the Latin Mass, still remains in the Church. Sadly, as many faithful simply seek a more reverent manner in which to worship God in the Holy Mass, they repeatedly encounter clergy who dismiss out of hand the Church’s liturgical patrimony. At the parish level, and despite the papacy of Benedict and the occasional tradition friendly bishop, many Catholics are still subjected to the misconceptions and prejudices held by their priests.
In his recent article “As Latin Mass gains popularity, some in North Jersey reluctant to ‘turn back’”, writer Bill Ervolino noted the resurgance of the Latin Mass in areas such as Pequannock, Jersey City and Newark. That many of the faithful of North Jersey “get” the traditional Mass is thankfully obvious from the article:
Patrick O’Boyle, 40, a lawyer from North Arlington, first became acquainted with the Mass in the early 1990s, when he attended a Latin service at Our Lady of Fatima in Pequannock.
“It was a wow experience for me,” O’Boyle said, “a beautiful celebration that more fully represents the sacrifice of Calvary. I love modern music and architecture. Art is always evolving because it has to. But this Mass is not about old or new. This Mass is timeless.”
At the same time, however, we are presented with a significantly different point of view in the article from a pastor in the Diocese of Paterson, NJ:
The Rev. David Pickens, 55, of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Haskell refers to renewed interest in the Latin Mass as “a kind of ‘Happy Days’ syndrome — a younger generation getting nostalgic for this. I do think it’s a beautiful liturgy, but the problem I have is that the priest faces the altar. There is a role for women in the modern Mass and in many ways, it’s just more flexible. I think a lot of people prefer that.
Pickens doubts he will ever celebrate a Latin Mass for at least one very good reason: “I was ordained in 2009,” he said, “and I don’t speak Latin.
Fr. Pickens reference to his ordination in 2009 is puzzling to say the least. As Pope Benedict issued Summorum Pontificum in 2007, it would seem that the recently ordained would be the most likely candidates for offering the Latin Mass (what the Church now calls the Extraordinary Form of the Mass). Indeed, this is exactly what we are seeing amongst an increasing number of younger priests.
In many ways the views expressed by Fr. Pickens echo those of Fr. James Heft, S.M. of Holy Family Catholic Church in South Pasadena. At 1:25 of the below clip, Fr. Heft gives the faithful in the pews his impression of the Mass of his youth. In one fell swoop he denigrates both the use of Latin in the Mass and the offering of the Holy Sacrifice ad orientem.
While I applaud Fr. Heft for preaching about purgatory on All Souls Day (a subject sadly missing from many homilies today), he further demonstrates contempt for tradition from the 6:00-7:00 minute mark of the clip. In just under one minute Father manages to praise Martin Luther while dismissing those saints and blesseds of Holy Mother Church (such as St. Catherine of Genoa) who have shared their visions and knowledge of purgatory with the faithful.
Sadly, the faithful are deprived of the depth and beauty of Catholicism when a priest chooses rupture over continuity. The overt hostility towards all things pre-conciliar amongst the clergy should not be tolerated by brother priests, bishops or the faithful. This manner of self-loathing Catholicism must be relegated to the past, left behind with that generation of clergy and laity who sought to destroy what had been entrusted to them.
Finally, there is yet another troubling story from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where the embattled Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone continues to courageously defend orthodoxy where it was long neglected. As reported by the California Catholic Daily:
During what one participant described as an “explosive” meeting, the San Francisco archdiocese’s Council of Priests in mid-February addressed Star of the Sea pastor Fr. Joseph Illo’s decision to phase out altar girls as well as the designation of the parish as an oratory-in-formation.
A copy of the meeting minutes was obtained by the National Catholic Reporter from an anonymous priest. Of the many troubling comments made during the meeting one stands out: the words attributed to Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy. As noted in the Cal-Catholic piece:
Toward the end of the meeting, then-Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy suggested that San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone issue a directive stating disagreement with Illo’s exclusion of altar girls, the minutes report.
McElroy, whose appointment as bishop of San Diego was announced March 3, “distinguished between personnel issue and the policy issue,” the minutes say, explaining that personnel issues belong to the archbishop.
However, the minutes continue, McElroy said “excluding girls from being altar servers is ‘invidious discrimination’ and to do this in this day and age in our culture has no justification.”
For those who most disdain tradition ultimately see it as a threat. Destroying the past means exactly that to the revolutionaries. Summorum Pontificum spoke the language of mutual enrichment of the two forms of the Roman Rite. It was a truce in the liturgical wars. For those who reject continuity (the ones who rejected Benedict and the raison d’être of his papacy), it is rupture and rupture alone they seek.
In the end it is a comment by Fr. Cyril O’Sullivan during that February meeting which best serves to illustrate what this is truly all about:
Dominican Fr. Michael Hurley, pastor of St. Francisco’s St. Dominic Parish, questioned if any council members had visited with (Fr.) Illo about the recent issues. The minutes indicate no responses. Hurley criticized “casting aspersions and making wide sweeping generalizations and recommendations prior to actually speaking with him.”
Responding to Hurley, pastor of St. Cecilia in Lagunitas, Calif., Fr. Cyril O’Sullivan argued that “the onus should have been on Fr. Illo to first talk to his brother priests, especially being new in this archdiocese,” the minutes state. O’Sullivan said Illo should be taught about “where we are in our Church today; if he wants to be pre-Vatican II he needs to be told, ‘We’re not Vatican I, we are Vatican II.’ ”
The excuse by Pickens “and I don’t speak Latin,” is so dumb for about five different reasons. I’ve asked the priests at my Traditionalist church about this and many say they have only a basic understanding of the language. You don’t need to be fluent by any means. You’re a priest, for goodness sake. If knowing the Old Mass is worth doing for you and your parishioners, surely it’s worth the equivalent of a few course credits of study.
I always say that God understands Latin, and the mass is to worship Him–not coddle ourselves. Moderns forget that key word: worship.
The devil hates Latin.
However, the minutes continue, McElroy said “excluding girls from being altar servers is ‘invidious discrimination’ and to do this in this day and age in our culture has no justification.”
And you better believe that a message has been sent, and received by, the pastors of Bishop McElroy’s new diocese in San Diego.
Whatever the law saws, know that you assert your rights under it to employ only males at the altar at your peril. As a famous priest blogger likes to say: “They can always hurt you more.”
May the Lord have mercy on the Priests who are against Tradition and even make fun of It. They know not what they do.
I found this line especially disturbing:
“O’Sullivan said Illo should be taught about “where we are in our Church today; if he wants to be pre-Vatican II he needs to be told, ‘We’re not Vatican I, we are Vatican II.’ ”
That is straight up some sick bullying and a complete misunderstanding of the Church.
The bishop who laments girls’ absence mocks God, who chose men as apostles. He demonstrates half-brain syndrome, where one doesn’t see the big picture–only unrelated pieces of socio-political stuff that pollute the big plan. I’d call it sophomoric, but that would insult sophomores.
Iowa10,
I agree with you. Awfully strange times we live in. When those who would be condemned a hundred years ago are VIP members while those would have been considered faithful back then are now seen as backwards and intolerant.
Oh Lord, how long do we have to endure this generation?
Love the analogy of a father driving the car. Thank you Vexilla Regis (and sorry that is probably a carefully selected screen name with a Latin reference, gonna google it now!)
Thank you for kind comment.
Vexilla Regis is a beautiful hymn that Holy Mother Church gives us for Passiontide. It is seen in the Divine Office and it was also sung in the Pre-1955 Good Friday Liturgy during the Blessed Sacrament Procession.
You have a wonderful screen name yourself!
You must be studying outside of a Conciliar church-approved curriculum to rightly conclude Holy Mass is a sacrifice to God. I pray that you study further to understand the Conciliar church Novus Ordo Missae is anti-Catholic and invalid, as are the ordinations of its priests and bishops and get out from under the diabolic influence of this counterfeit church.
You’ve dropped a lot of comments on a bunch of different posts in the past 24 hours. We’re happy to have you as a reader, but I want to make something clear: we do minimal moderation of comments here, mostly policing for abusive speech. I will, however, begin pulling comments that seek repeatedly to advance the position of sedevacantism or undermine fidelity to the Church.
I don’t mind some discussion on these topics, because I think any honest conversation about theological possibility is to the good. But we are faithful to the Magisterium here, docile to any legitimate exercise of papal authority, and our editorial position on the New Mass is that it is at the very least valid, if designed to be more ecumenical/anthropocentric and thus less theologically rich, sacrificially pleasing, and spiritually nourishing than what came before it.
Thanks,
The Management
Steve, quietly bending my knees before the Blessed Sacrament. May the Lord have mercy.
“I don’t speak Latin”–the benefit of a Sacral language is that we DO NOT SPEAK IT, we do not mock each other in it, we do not curse, or tell impure jokes in it. A Sacral language reminds us that the words we use to describe God are ultimately foreign to us whether we say one in being with the Father or consubstantialem Patri the fact remains that the Trinity is ultimately a mystery that we enter into with weak human words. God is always greater than human understanding and the words we use to talk about Him!!!
Martin Luther celebrated the Latin Mass.
Ad hominem arguments are silly things.
Wait, how about this? Fr. Maciel celebrated the novus ordo.
As did Matthew Fox!
I have zero regard for Luther and the mess he created. He was to Christianity what Darwin was to human value.
NOTHING in Vatican Two allowed for altar girls or a lack of the Latin mass. In fact the V two documents stated there should be a PARTIAL translation of the mass into the Venacular-English- Italian etc.. I do not know what PARTIAL means to you folks out there but if you read this HALF of the masses should still be in Latin. Not to mention NO altar girls either.
Yes and with altar girls comes the total take over of women (I’m female btw) of the liturgy – lectors, cantors who love being seen and heard, eucharistic ministers who think the Body of Christ is a snack they’re passing out to preschoolers they smile and wink at the faithful coming to receive. It makes me weep.
Purposefully executed by the Modernists in Vatican II who rejected the primary function of the priesthood as the one acting in persona Christi to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because their Novus Ordo Mass is not centered on Christ’s Sacrifice but on “the people of God”, or on man.
One of the diabolic tricks that permeates the documents of Vatican II.
The Church forbid the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be said in the vernacular knowing it would be corrupted, as it certainly was in Vatican II, just as printing the Bible in English led to its corruption by the Protestants.
I also argue that the Novus Ordo Missae is nothing more than a Protestantized service that worships man above God and is a sacrilege and a counterfeit Mass.
Sadly I was witness to a vicious verbal attack on a laywoman in a local parish, by the Pastor, who found her collecting signatures in favor of starting a TLM at the parish under the terms of Summorum Pontificum. Shocked, I wrote the Bishop, he did nothing after 3 months.
Fr. Pickens reference to his ordination in 2009 is puzzling to say the least.
Consider Fr. Pickens’ age: He’s 55, and thus was clearly a late vocation. That can change things. He’s old enough for the 60’s to have been formative on him.
That’s the James Heft I remember from my days at the University of Dayton in the mid-80s when, IIRC, he ran the theology department there. The only exposure to theology most students at the time experienced was from the radicals and liberationists who demonstrated on campus.
The anecdotes shared in this article play-out in most dioceses in the U.S. In the year or so following Summorum Pontificum, one youngish priest in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati writing in the diocesan newspaper dismissed out of hand the prospect of celebrating the EF because “they didn’t teach us much Latin in the seminary.” As though it would be impossible for him to learn the modicum of the Church’s mother tongue required for Mass.
In any event, there are countervailing anecdotes too, like the dozen or so priests here who have quietly approached tradition-friendly seminary faculty members for assistance in celebrating the EF.
Schism coming..by the looks of things, it may already be here. Cor Jesu, ora pro nobis
The Latin Mass approved by the Conciliar church is simply the invalid and blasphemous and sacrilegious Novus Ordo Mass in Latin.
In addition, the priests and bishops ordained under Paul VI’s new rites aren’t valid priests or bishops so all you get is a Protestant community worship service with a cookie and a sip of wine.