January 15, 2012
At the Réunicatho meeting which convened at 2:00 this afternoon, Bishop Schneider proclaimed an important development in the implementation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Indeed Msgr. Germiny, Bishop of Blois, has erected a personal parish for the extraordinary form at Blois on November 1 in the church of Notre-Dame des Grouëts. The parish was placed under the patronage of the Holy Apostles.
The announcement was made this morning by Father M. Gac, superior of the Society of St Thomas Becket who has been appointed pastor of the personal parish. I am able to reveal that Father Michel Viot has played an instrumental role in this event. Up until now the church of Notre-Dame des Grouëts depended on the parish of St-Pierre-des-Cabochons, the pastor of which was Fr. Viot who had already instituted the celebration of the extraordinary form. Due to the parish consolidation that has been carried out in the diocese, it is currently in the territory of the Right Bank parish - that of Blois Cathedral - but has been separated from this parish to become the personal parish church of the Holy Apostles.
So there are now four personal parishes for the extraordinary form in France:
- The parish of St-François de Paule in Toulon where Fr. Fabrice Loiseau, superior of the Missionary Society of Divine Mercy is pastor;
- The parish of St-Eloi in Bordeaux where Fr. Vella, priest of the Institute of the Good Shepherd is pastor;
- The parish of the Croix-Glorieuse in Strasbourg, where Fr. Gouyaud, priest of the Totus Tuus association is pastor;
- And the parish of the Holy Apostles at Blois where Fr. Gac, Institute of St. Thomas Becket, is pastor.
Christophe Saint-Placide, Riposte Catholique
13 comments:
With the exception of Saint-Eloi, with its own specific history as main church of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, the others, including this one, are under the responsibility of societies that are not dedicated exclusively to the traditional Mass.
Excellent news. Each personal parish is a good step for TLM.
The FSSP does great work here, I was surprised they do not have a single French personal parish. The FSSP parish in San Diego has been a blessing for all of Southern California.
We just returned just now from a Missa Cantata offered by Father Grismondi FSSP at St. Victor's Parish in West Hollywood, just a few hundred yards from the Sunset Strip. He simply drove up to Los Angeles from San Diego at the invitation of Una Voce LA and Abp. Gomez, and was able to reach many Faithful that had never been to a Latin Mass.
In France there are daily Diocesan Masses in the EF. For example, at St. Germain d'Auxerrois in Paris - highly recommended. This parish also holds a very interesting NO Gregorian Mass on Sundays that is reverent and has a magnificent Schola Cantorum.
From these points of light the new evangelization will spread. With so many parish closures and consolidations here in the US one would think the bishops and their conferences could show some generosity to the Extraordinary Form, as commanded to them by Summorum Pontificum. Better to invigorate a parish than put it up for sale. There is hope, however, if the Latin Mass can make progress here in Los Angeles, it can make it anywhere.
Ultimately we need each parish to have an extraordinary form mass option. Therefore, mobilizing Diocesan priests and faithful will always be essential. Una Voce grassroots chapters have a very important role to play in the new evangelization.
All Praise and Glory be to Our Lord Jesus Christ!!!
This is good news!!!
Our Lord will never abandoned His faithful, the gates of hell will not prevail against His Holy Church, no matter how difficult the times might be.
Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
I don't know what it's standing is but by chance I discovered the church of Notre Dame de Recouverance in Orleans, which solely celebrates the Traditional Form of the Mass. I don't know if it belongs to an order or society but it is part of the diocese. I wrote about it here: http://offerimustibidomine.blogspot.com/2010/11/traditional-rite-parish-in-france_26.html
This is wonderful news!
So now apart from the religious Institutes that are solely dedicated to the Mass of Ages, there are Parishes which are themselves dedicated to the Old Rite.
Growth of the TLM is always a good thing... but I do find this idea of personal parishes a little troubling. Its a rather unprecedented development in the Latin rite and it seems to encourage the idea of having the NO and the TLM living side by side. 'If you like the NO go to the NO, if you like the TLM go to the TLM parish' and I'm just not comfortable with that.
But I suppose we must play with the cards we're dealt.
I think that sooner or later the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life is going to have to tell bi-ritual societies to choose a horse and get on it. I belong to a parish staffed by such a society and the calendar alone presents huge problems. It’s awkward to see things like the Feast of Christ the King celebrated twice within a month. Our own patron, St. John Cantius (who is also the patron of the priestly society) has two feast days here - October 20 in the traditional rite and December 23 in the Novus ordo calendar. There is a certain amount of discipline involved in these matters and parishioners need to know what they are supposed to be doing and when. There is also a risk of unnecessary Balkanization. The Novus ordo here is offered in Latin, ad orientem with strict adherence to the rubrics. I can’t see too many people rebelling if they were told we were shifting to the traditional rite exclusively. In fact, it may attract others who currently attend extra-diocesan Masses because there is no confusion.
I am shocked there are so few TLM parishes in France, but grateful there is a new one. Is it because of the strong presence of the SSPX that there are not more TLM parishes? As an American, are there any which attract or cater to the English speakers in France?
With so many parish closures and consolidations here in the US one would think the bishops and their conferences could show some generosity to the Extraordinary Form, as commanded to them by Summorum Pontificum.
One would think. But others would not.
Most of the French bishops - and more than a few U.S. bishops - would rather see parishes and even entire dioceses die rather than see one more inch of ecclesiastical territory given over to the liturgy of "the bad old days."
Even selling off church properties to secular developers or even non-Christian groups is preferable. And we've seen it again and again.
Supertradmum, as the TLM is in Latin why would you need one to cater to English speakers? The beauty (one of the many beauties) of the TLM is that it is the same the world over meaning that you can attend any Mass in the world and it doesn't matter if you're in a foreign country.
It is a great shame for the french episcopate how few Personal Parishes have been stablish in the whole country and that no personal parish has been entrusted yet to the FSSP as for the Ecclesia Dei group they are the biggest and oldest group with a strong membership of french priests.
There we are, Edgar Said, this is the price of compromise!
When I am in France I often attend Ecclesia Dei Masses but it astounds me how these priests can assist at the NO, especially when they give a sermon upholding the superior values of The Latin Mass of All Times as some do. This is why The Confraternity Priests are admirable to suffer such discomforts in resisting what is substantialy unacceptable. Thus, The Society has to maintain a position beyond the envious and antipathetic reactions of modernist bishops.
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