Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland

Mr. Palmo does a splendid story on Archbishop Burke and his return to his old home : the Eternal City. There is one paragraph that caught my eye, however: Widely believed to be one of Pope Benedict's top consultors in crafting the canonical aspects of Summorum Pontificum -- the pontiff's 2007 motu proprio granting wider permission for the celebration of the pre-Conciliar missal -- one untouched aspect in the significant buzz over the archbishop's transfer is the significant likelihood that, given his new base at the Vatican, his long ties to the communities attached to the "Old Rite," not to mention (much like the Signatura's docket) the issue's predominant concentration to the English-speaking world, the archbishop could just be named in due course to head the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in succession to Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, who turned 79 in early July. As we shall see...Lord willing .

WDTPRS >> GUEST CONTRIBUTION: Q&A with the Pont. Comm. Ecclesia Dei about SSPX, schism and sacraments WDTPRS >> CNS recap of the SSPX/Vatican dialogue RORATE CAELI >> Indulgences during Pope's visit to Australia (G'day!) The New Liturgical Movement >> Te Deum, Pange Lingua and more (MP3s!!) Traditional Latin Mass Propers in English >> Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Gregor Kollmorgen of The New Liturgical Movement has posted a letter and link from the Spanish blog, Secretum Meum Mihi , which contains a response from the PCED to a letter regarding training in the Extraordinary Form sent by a seminarian. The response is not binding but quite interesting .

Gregor Kollmorgen of the New Liturgical Movement has a very insightful post . It arises from a liberal journal called " Jesus " and features an interview with Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos of the PCED. Here is part of the interview on the motu proprio , Summorum Pontificum : What are the questions that have arrived and would deserve an answer? "The first regards Latin, because - they say - to celebrate in a language which you do not know is not convenient. Unfortunately, the seminarians, but also some priests, have not studied it and therefore it is difficult for them to celebrate in the extraordinary form. To do so one should at least know the canon of the Mass , the part of the consecration. We in "Ecclesia Dei" are equipping ourselves and we are preparing meetings, courses and means of electronic communication for a deep knowledge of the earlier liturgy. Some courses are already being held in France, Germany, Brazil, Central America and the United Stat

Father John in WDTPRS has issued a retraction in light of a letter he received from a friend by email. The letter is a response from the PCED to several questions from the correspondent. The issue pertains to Universities apparently and involves the use of the Latin word " stabiliter " and not " continenter " as Fr. John first thought. In his defense, there is great confusion on this since the Vatican website still lists " continenter " in the specific section of Summorum Pontificum in question ( 5, §1) . We will have to wait until the Holy Father clarifies this definitively.

Father John Zuhlsdorf has posted an important story on WDTPRS regarding the upcoming letter from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei on the TLM and seminarians . Here is one snip: So, here we get a little direction about the concept behind idoneus . The PCED says there will not be a test for Latin. However, that does not mean there can’t be tests. (That would, of course, open up the whole "double standard" issue again.) The PCED speaks of "sufficient mastery" of a) reading, pronouncing, and c) understanding texts. There is no indication of what "sufficient mastery" is, but it is a start. I think "to read" and "pronounce correctly" are pretty much the same thing, unless "to read" and "understand" are the same. Either way, the letter does indicate that whatever the priest reads aloud must be pronounced properly. Read the story here .

The Catholic Herald, Britain's leading Catholic newspaper, carries a wonderful story on Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, author of the blog, "What Does the Prayer Really Say ?" The story helps to explain why this "tiny" blog carries a link to his blog on its Blogroll and his "Feedburner Stream" linking to his articles. Read it and enjoy !

It is clear that for most things dealing with the TLM, the blog by Father John Zuhlsdorf, "What Does the Prayer Really Say?" , is one of the benchmarks for much of the information, updates and commentary on the Traditional Mass. In fact, the name given to this blog, Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland , evolved from a poll on Fr. John's blog asking what the most normative name might be for the "Extraordinary Form," "Tridentine Mass," "Usus Antiquior", and so on. The designation TLM --short for Traditional Latin Mass--won by a landslide. And so, I used this name when this blog was launched in December. It is clear that it is very wise to check Fr. Z's blog first each day for info worldwide since he is in Rome, is a priest and has connections within the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei . Also, a great many priests and seminarians check his blog daily. As such, I initially placed a link to his blog on my Blogroll and Favorite websit

Father John Zuhlsdorf of What Does the Prayer Really Say carries two excellent posts that use material from the Catholic Herald and which deal with the training of seminarians in the TLM in seminaries. One is an article and the other is an editorial. Catholic Herald: All seminaries must teach the old Latin Mass, says Vatican Catholic Herald: editorial on seminaries training for the TLM As usual, these are MUST reads just to get Fr. John's take on the articles/editorial.

Fr. John reveals a full clarification by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) on the participation of permanent deacons in the TLM. Read his full story here .

Patrick Archbold of Summorum Pontificum expands a great deal on Fr. Z's post below on the letter from the PCED to a seminarian. His entry too is a must read . Patrick also provides a link to Damian Thompson of Telegraph.co.UK which is marvelous. The title of his article? What else? Revolution in the seminaries .

This could be BIG ! Fr. John Zuhlsdorf of What Does the Prayer Really Say was sent a jpeg copy of a letter sent to a seminarian who received the letter as a response from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED). In part, it states ( Fr. Z's comments here ): First, the Commission says that seminarians "have the right" to be instructed also in the older form of Mass. Second, those responsible for formation of seminarians "should provide for the instruction in both forms of the Roman Rite." Please go to his blogsite to see the jpeg file of the letter that was sent . Wow!

In response to a column in the Telegraph.co.UK by Damian Thompson on the 28th of November, 2007, Father John Zuhlsdorf decided to respond. Here is a post he wrote on writing to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" (PCED) . He also makes suggestions on tips for writing and what to include and what not to include. This subject was brought up today when Fr. John learned that a TLM Mass was cancelled in California by a religious Order . The emailer wanted to know from Fr. Z. what remedy was available to the TLM group that had attended this Low Mass regularly? Be sure to read his post today before acting on the remedy that he suggested in the post on the PCED. Clearly, this is a case-by-case specific solution to an issue. It is not a blanket invitation to one and all!