Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland

A hat tip to Fr. Z. He reports today on the TLM now being celebrated at Notre Dame du Lac in South Bend, IN . Here is part of the story by John Nagy in the Notre Dame Magazine: "It's very exciting," says senior Mary Elizabeth Walter. "Had you told me three years ago we would be having the Tridentine Mass here on campus I would have said 'Yeah, right, I wish.'" For years, pockets of Catholics have secured permission from local Church authorities to celebrate the Mass using the 1962 Missal of Blessed John XXIII. The reforms issued under Paul VI had turned the priest toward the congregation, allowed translation of the entire Mass into the vernacular, changed other important customs and prompted reactions from the faithful that ran the spectrum from elation to acceptance to devastation. Unlike most Catholics born after Vatican

The incomparable Fr. Z. gives a long summation of three long interviews published on Zenit with His Eminence Francis Card. Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments . Here is just a single long commentary: 5. Did Vatican II discourage Latin? Some people think, or have the perception, that the Second Vatican Council discouraged the use of Latin in the liturgy. This is not the case. Just before he opened the Council, Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962 issued an Apostolic Constitution to insist on the use of Latin in the Church. [Again, Card. Arinze has brought us back to this important and purposely ignored document.] The Second Vatican Council, although it admitted some introduction of the vernacular, insisted on the place of Latin: "Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (SC, n. 36). The Council also required that seminarians "should acquire a command of Lati

A hat tip to Rorate Caeli which posted a link to this story from Zenit regarding the Society of St. Pius X . Cardinal Assesses Impact of "Summorum Pontificum" By Mary Shovlain ROME, JAN. 13, 2008 ( Zenit.org ).- Six months after Benedict XVI issued an apostolic letter on the extended use of the 1962 missal, the Vatican says it is seeing fruits of reconciliation with Catholics who objected to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. "Summorum Pontificum," allows for more availability of the Latin-language Mass, a rite the document dubs the "extraordinary form." The letter, issued "motu proprio" (on his own initiative), brought attention to the situation of schismatic groups such as the Society of St. Pius X, that refuse to celebrate the "Novus Ordo" Mass established by Vatican II. Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos told ZENIT that after the June 7 document, one group has already asked to return to full communion with the Church

Shawn Tribe of the New Liturgical Movement has a beautiful story complete with some astonishing photos . Here is a snippet of his post which is a must see : An important event has occurred in the life of the Roman Church. More significant even than the Pope's re-orientation of the liturgy by means of the arrangement of the versus populum altar -- though going hand in hand with that important development -- the Pope has now given an important public witness and example of the acceptability of the celebration of the sacred liturgy "ad orientem" -- that is, with the priest, in this case the Pope himself, and the faithful directed together in a common sacred direction, turned towards the Lord, towards the symbolic "East" of the liturgy. This is the first such public manifestation (as compared to this practice in the Pope's private chapel) for quite some time and that it has occurred within the Vatican itself is also significant. The liturgy celebrated is tha

A hat tip to JA who just me this link from Rorate Caeli. It is fascinating news! "Tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass (according to the Missal of Paul VI) facing the Altar of the Sistine Chapel, versus Deum*, according to the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, headed by Monsignor Guido Marini (Apcom reports): "This year, the wooden platform on which an altar was placed for the occasion will not be set up, but the actual altar of the Sistine Chapel will be used. "A decision was made to celebrate on the ancient altar to avoid altering he beauty and harmony of this architectural jewel - the Vatican note explains - preserving its structure, in a celebratory viewpoint, and making use of a possibility foreseen by liturgical legislation. This means that, at some moments, the Pope will be with his back turned to the faithful and facing the Cross, thus guiding the demeanor and the disposition of the entire assembly" ______________________

Update, August 8, 2008. The site called "LumenGentleman" must have lost its URL and it has been assumed by another company. The site is no longer a religious site nor has the Summorum Pontificum database. I am therefore deleting this post. D.v.

Shawn Tribe has posted a story on the New Liturgical Movement that first appeared on Zenit . The story concerns the progress of the translation of the Roman Missal. Here is some of the story: As a new English translation of the Roman Missal nears completion, translation experts and Vatican officials expressed their satisfaction with the achievement. In a press release from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, the progress of the Vox Clara Committee was explained. The committee, formed in 2001, is a panel of bishops who provide advice to the Holy See concerning English-language liturgical books. The committee's 15th meeting ended last month, and focused extensively on the Green Book draft translations of several Masses from the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). ICEL sends its proposed translation to bishops and experts for study and comment (Green Book). After the comments are incorporated, the texts are proposed for canonical vote by th

Stephen N. Filippo has a marvelous essay on Pelagianism on Ignatius Insight . This article originally appeared in a slightly different form in the November 1997 issue of Catholic Dossier. Here are just a few paragraphs to give you a peek: Although Pelagianism promoted moral fervor, there was an inherent danger in it: self-reliance, not God-reliance, based upon an inadequate understanding of human nature. Pelagianism stressed complete human autonomy and freedom of the will before God. Pelagius posited three elements to any moral action: 1. that we must be able to do it, 2. that we must be willing to do it, and 3. that the action must be carried out. Or the three elements can be described as possibility, will, and action. Possibility is a natural gift from God alone, but the other two, since they arise from man's choice, are from man. For instance, God has freely given us the gifts of speech, sight, hearing, etc., and the power to speak, see hear, etc., yet whether or not thes

I can't possibly describe the amazing treasure that the Saint John Cantius Society has placed on the internet in short order following the Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum . Here is an online tutorial of the TLM with videos, photos and even MP3s of the Latin text being recited . This is just a brief portion of the treasures found herein. This is not to be missed! Please email a link to this website to all those you know who are interested in the TLM!

Catholic Exchange carries a post today by Marc Shea on the TLM . Here is a snippet: When I reply that I have been exposed to the Tridentine Rite and that my chief impression from the experience was, “Ah! Now I see why they wanted to reform the liturgy!” I elicit frowns of disdain. Mind: I don’t mean that I think the Tridentine rite “inferior” any more than I think the Paul VI rite inferior. I think my proper response to the Mass is gratitude, not a critical spirit. But, speaking only for me, I find the Paul VI Mass more spiritually nourishing (though any liturgy promulgated by the Church is good enough for me and I wish all good to those who attend the Holy Liturgy in any of its approved forms). For this sin of believing and professing that any approved liturgy of the Church is good enough for me and that it’s not my job to find fault but to gratefully receive, I’m told that what I’m really saying is “it is all about me and what the liturgy does or doesn't do for me.” In that mar