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| Girl Guides at the Chartres Pilgrimage in France. |
Today, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, I am publishing the latest Position Paper from the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce, on Children and the Extraordinary Form.
This is a topic of great importance, and while Catholics attached to the Traditional Mass know very well, from personal experience, that it is well adapted to children, this seems strange to those who do not know the movement and we need to explain why this so. This paper is an attempt to articulate the reasons, and make them comprehensible to a wider audience.
What ought to be painfully clear to all Catholics is that the approach recommended by the1973 Directory for Children, quoted in the paper, has been a complete failure. It is time Catholics not familiar with the ancient liturgy allowed themselves to be more open-minded about what works and does not work.
Download the pdf here; see the whole series of papers here; send a comment or correction, if you wish, to:
positio AT fiuv.org
There is more discussion on the topic on my own blog here.
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FIUV
Position Paper 30: The Participation of Children in the Extraordinary Form
Introduction
Since
the liturgy is both the ‘source’ and the ‘summit’ of the Christian life,[1] it is an indispensable
means, as well as destination, in drawing the young into a full realisation of
their Christian vocation. This paper will argue that the Extraordinary Form has
special value in this task, as witnessed by the experience not only of past
generations, but that of Catholics today attached to this Form, whose families,
as Darió, Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos remarked, ‘frequently are enriched by many children’.[2]
In the upbringing of
children in the Church a special difficulty arises from the fact that
liturgical celebrations, especially the Eucharist, cannot fully exercise their
inherent pedagogical force upon children. Although the vernacular may now be
used at Mass, still the words and signs have not been sufficiently adapted to
the capacity of children.
In fact, even in daily life children do not always understand all their experiences with adults but rather may find them boring. It cannot therefore be expected of the liturgy that everything must always be intelligible to them. Nonetheless there is a fear of spiritual harm if over the years children repeatedly experience in the Church things that are barely comprehensible; for recent psychological study has established how profoundly children are formed by the religious experience of infancy and early childhood, because of the special religious receptivity proper to those years.[3]
In fact, even in daily life children do not always understand all their experiences with adults but rather may find them boring. It cannot therefore be expected of the liturgy that everything must always be intelligible to them. Nonetheless there is a fear of spiritual harm if over the years children repeatedly experience in the Church things that are barely comprehensible; for recent psychological study has established how profoundly children are formed by the religious experience of infancy and early childhood, because of the special religious receptivity proper to those years.[3]
The
Directory proposes, notably, the
adaptation of liturgical texts for children, and the stressing of ‘human
values’[4] rather than supernatural
realities, as being easier for children to grasp. Such adaptations are not
possible in the Extraordinary Form, and it will be proposed here that it can
overcome the problem in other ways.
Children and verbal communication
The
Extraordinary Form is not a rite designed to be verbally comprehensible which
fails, in the case of children, to be so. Rather, it is a Rite which does not
have verbal comprehension as a primary aim.
Thus
the silent Canon communicates to the congregation non-verbally, in an extremely
powerful way.[5]
Although it is true, as the Directory
notes, that children lack experience in interpreting the ‘signs’ used in the
liturgy, the atmosphere created by the silent Canon, together with the gestures
of the priest, the use of incense and bell, and the response of the other
worshippers to all of this, is, as a collection of signs, uniquely suited to
convey even to very young children the solemnity, holiness, and importance of
what is taking place.
Taken
as a whole, particularly when celebrated in its more solemn forms, and ideally
in the context of a traditionally furnished church, and accompanied by
well-executed sacred music, the Extraordinary Form offers an immensely rich,
attractive, atmospheric, and symbolically charged experience for all the
senses.
The
Extraordinary Form’s giving precedence to non-verbal forms of communication
makes it more accessible to children, as to the less educated in general. They
still, of course, have much to learn about the liturgy, by formal or informal
liturgical catechesis, but in the context of the Extraordinary Form the power
of the ceremonies to communicate would be lessened, not enhanced, if they were
simplified, or made the subject of ex
tempore commentary. As the Catholic educational theorist Maria Montessori advised,
‘teaching the Mass must not be mixed up with participation in it’.[6]
Conveying supernatural realities
Turning
to the question of human and Christian values, the Directory seeks to avoid the boredom of incomprehension[7] by directing children’s
attention to themes they can more easily understand. Experience has indicated
another danger, however: of boredom arising from banality. What is most engaging for children, in fact, is the intriguing: like a traditional children’s story, something should have depths
beyond what is immediately understood, promising greater comprehension from
close attention. Further to the last section, ‘understanding’ here must be separated
from the idea of ‘being able to articulate’, since many of our most important
experiences are those which cannot be fully, or at all, articulated. As Louis
Bouyer noted:
the main business of the
liturgy is not to teach us this or that lesson easily converted into pat
formulas; it is to place the faithful, without them quite knowing how, into a
certain state of mind which it would be perfectly fruitless to try to recreate
by explaining it.[8]
These
observations help us to imagine what children might have made of the liturgical
or paraliturgical experiences in which they were included in Scripture: of
attending the solemn reading of the Law,[9] of being blessed by our
Lord,[10] and of proclaiming His
kingship at His entry into Jerusalem.[11]
These
children would not have been able to expound the theological meaning of these
experiences; they would, nonetheless, have understood them at a level
appropriate to their age, thanks to the ‘special religious receptivity’ the Directory notes. They would have absorbed
the tremendous solemnity attached to the Law, Christ’s great holiness and love
for them when He ‘embraced them and …blessed them’, and the eschatological joy
and hope of His entry into Jerusalem.
Absorbing
these ideas would have had great transformative potential for them, and not
only does our Lord defend children’s participation in both New Testament
examples, but holds them up as models of those who receive the Kingdom, and as
instruments of God in their proclamation of the Saviour.[12]
These
experiences offer a parallel to the liturgical experiences of children
attending the Extraordinary Form today. One is reminded of Pope St John Paul II’s
remark about the use of Latin, which ‘through its dignified character elicited
a profound sense of the Eucharistic Mystery.’[13] This ‘sense’ is certainly
not limited to adult members of the congregation.
They
also serve to answer the question of whether it would be better not to take
small children to church at all,[14] as has been the practice
at certain historical periods.[15] Children receive graces from
witnessing the liturgy, and also from prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, the
making of a spiritual communion, the use of holy water, the occasional
veneration of relics after Mass, the many blessings which form part of the
liturgy,[16]
and the experience of a consecrated building and its blessed devotional images.
Formality and informality in the liturgy
One
important contrast between the Ordinary and the Extraordinary Forms is in the role
of formality in each. In the Extraordinary Form there is great formality in
what is going on in the sanctuary, but the behaviour of the congregation is not
governed by binding rules about bodily posture; there are few, if any,
responses; and, as Pope Pius XII reiterated,[17] the Faithful are free to
say their own prayers.
The
Ordinary Form, particularly when presented to children, allows for many options
and a degree of spontaneity in its words and action, but efforts are often made
to impose a more complex structure of behaviour on the congregation, with
detailed instructions as to posture, a great many responses, and even gestures.
The structured and predictable nature of the Extraordinary Form’s texts and ceremonies facilitates the gaining of familiarity with ceremonies which are themselves deeply expressive and dramatic. The relative informality of the nave, in turn, is less demanding on the behaviour, particularly, of small children, who need neither be forced to perform a great many actions which they do not understand, nor be interrupted in a more meaningful contemplative engagement with the liturgy.
The structured and predictable nature of the Extraordinary Form’s texts and ceremonies facilitates the gaining of familiarity with ceremonies which are themselves deeply expressive and dramatic. The relative informality of the nave, in turn, is less demanding on the behaviour, particularly, of small children, who need neither be forced to perform a great many actions which they do not understand, nor be interrupted in a more meaningful contemplative engagement with the liturgy.
Conclusion
The
Faithful attached to the Extraordinary Form are in general very conscious of
their obligation to ensure their children receive adequate catechesis,[18] including timely
explanations of the liturgy, and to maintain the practice of family prayers,
which serves as both a spiritual and practical preparation for the liturgy, in
inculcating habits of concentration and quiet.
Nevertheless,
explanations of the liturgy have little value without repeated exposure to it,
and it is the liturgy itself which has the power to transform our children, as
the supreme ‘school of prayer’,[19] a special time of grace,
and a reflection of the eternal liturgy of heaven.
It
has often been noted that children seem more inclined to quiet—whether it be
very young children playing quietly while Mass is proceeding, or older children
attending quietly to it—at celebrations of the Extraordinary Form. This can
even be seen in the case of young children attending this Form for the first
time. This is not surprising, since young children will not so easily understand
the need to be quiet in an environment which is not itself quiet.
For
these reasons the removal of children from part of Mass for a paraliturgical
‘children’s liturgy’ is alien to the Extraordinary Form.[20] The ideal is, rather,
that children absorb the liturgy and see adults they know and respect (ideally
their own parents) assisting at it, as models to imitate. This also serves to
underline the point, essential in holding the interest of children as they grow
up, that the liturgy is not something to be left behind on approaching
adulthood: it is an adult activity.
The
success of the Extraordinary Form in relation to children is, inevitably, not
easy to quantify; what is evident is the large number of vocations from
communities attached to it. If nothing else, these demonstrate clearly the
truth of Pope Benedict’s assertion: that
young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and
found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist,
particularly suited to them.[21]
Appendix A: How to facilitate children’s engagement with the
Extraordinary Form
This paper has noted that the Extraordinary Form cannot be
adapted for children in the way the Ordinary Form can be, with
specially-composed or selected texts, and further that it is alien to the
practice of the Extraordinary Form to remove children from part of Mass to
participate in a ‘children’s liturgy’. Rather, preparation above all outside the liturgy will assist children
both to attend quietly to it, and to understand its structure and symbols. It
may well be asked what can be done inside
the liturgy, where children are present, to assist them, not only by parents
and teachers, but by parishes and celebrants.
It should first be noted that there are many books available,
some first published before the Second Vatican Council, some of more recent
composition, which are designed, with beautiful pictures, simple prayers, and
brief explanations, to assist children in following the ancient Mass both
outside it (as catechetical tools), and inside it.
From a pastor’s point of view the most important
consideration may simply be the timing
of Mass. Small children’s capacity to concentrate, and their good behaviour, is
critically affected by their need for food and sleep, and Masses scheduled over
mealtimes or times when small children would otherwise be asleep (whether in
the early morning, afternoon, or late in the evening) will unavoidably be more
difficult for them. This bears emphasis since many celebrations of the
Extraordinary Form are fitted around a parish’s schedule of Ordinary Form celebrations,
and for this reason occur at the least convenient times of day. Since the
Extraordinary Form has become well-known for attracting families with young
children, this is a consideration of no small importance.
Further to the paper’s point about the informality of the
nave in the Extraordinary Form, pastors must be sensitive to the need for small
children to move around, for example in an area at the back of church, and on
occasion for infants to be taken outside by a parent. Abundant devotional art
in churches can be of great value in allowing a small child not old enough to
engage fully or for prolonged periods in the ceremonies to remain,
nevertheless, within the general religious atmosphere of the liturgy, in a
manner which would have been as familiar to our Latin predecessors as it
remains today for our Eastern brethren. That is to say, it is better for a
child to contemplate a devotional statue or icon while Mass is proceeding, than
for his or her attention to turn to entirely secular things.
Also noted in the paper is the value of sacred music. There
is no need for this music to be specially adapted to the sensitivities of
children: small children have no musical prejudices, and will quickly associate
traditional sacred styles with the liturgy, so that hearing them will
immediately reinforce a reverent atmosphere and aid concentration and devotion.
Older children are well able to sing Gregorian Chant Mass Ordinaries, although
preparation for this outside Mass is ideal. Children attending weekly Masses
with Gregorian Chant, and perhaps classical Sacred Polyphony, will have the
chance to develop an ear for sacred music available to few adult Catholics. The
provision of well-executed and truly liturgical music at Mass is something
which will richly repay the time and effort required, not least in its lasting
effect on children.
Finally, the value of the service of the Altar to young boys
cannot be underestimated. It is often observed that boys find it particularly
difficult to sit still for long periods, but at the same time they appreciate
discipline and ritual. Serving Mass, even if only occasional, gives them an
opportunity to learn about the ceremonies and to develop their natural piety,
as well as being an important seed-bed for vocations.[22]
Appendix B: Fr Bryan Houghton on Children at Mass
From his novel Mitre
and Crook.[23] The main character, a
bishop, is speaking of his own childhood, before the liturgical reform.
‘I
learnt to say my prayers at my mother’s knee—and I still say the same ones each
night. But I learned to pray when I was dragged off to Mass on Sundays. Something
was altered with Mummy and Daddy. They did not talk to each other or even look
at each other. Mummy usually fiddled with a Rosary. Daddy thumbed
intermittently a Garden of the Soul
which one of my nephews still uses. My eldest sister, Gertrude, who became a
Benedictine nun, knelt bolt upright with her eyes usually shut. As I looked
around it was the same with all our other relatives and neighbours. What was
most unusual was that nobody paid the slightest attention to me. Even if I
pulled Mummy’s skirt, she just gently pushed me away. I once tried to climb on
Daddy’s back; he lifted me off and put me under the seat. That, too, was
strange: although I was in my Sunday best, I was allowed to crawl about the
floor provided I did not make a noise. Funny little boy that I was, I realized
perfectly well that something was up.
‘Over there at the altar was Father Gray, a stern old man. I used to hide in the lavatory when he came to visit us. He was dressed in brightly coloured clothes and looked like a fat butterfly. Most of the time he said nothing. He was looking the other way and paid as little attention to Mummy and Daddy as they paid to me.
‘I do not think I was a particularly precocious child but I was certainly very young when I tumbled to the fact that all these people were praying without saying prayers, as I did. Children are imitative: I too wanted to pray without saying prayers. I opened up to my sister Gertrude. “Just sit quite still, like a good boy,” she said. “You are too small to kneel. Keep your hands still as well, on your thighs. Try not to look round and keep your eyes shut if you can. Then just say ‘Jesus’ under your breath, slowly but constantly. I'll prod you when you say ‘Thou art my Lord and my God’ and you can say it with me.”
‘That, mutatis mutandis, is I suppose how we all learned to pray. The point I am getting at is that the Mass itself was our school of prayer. It was there that we learned to be self-effacing, detached, recollected and to adhere to the Divine Presence. It was also at Mass that the simple faithful practise prayer throughout their lives. They may have known little theology but they prayed as theologians often do not. Moreover, the simplest of them attained to heights of prayer and sanctity far beyond me.’
‘Over there at the altar was Father Gray, a stern old man. I used to hide in the lavatory when he came to visit us. He was dressed in brightly coloured clothes and looked like a fat butterfly. Most of the time he said nothing. He was looking the other way and paid as little attention to Mummy and Daddy as they paid to me.
‘I do not think I was a particularly precocious child but I was certainly very young when I tumbled to the fact that all these people were praying without saying prayers, as I did. Children are imitative: I too wanted to pray without saying prayers. I opened up to my sister Gertrude. “Just sit quite still, like a good boy,” she said. “You are too small to kneel. Keep your hands still as well, on your thighs. Try not to look round and keep your eyes shut if you can. Then just say ‘Jesus’ under your breath, slowly but constantly. I'll prod you when you say ‘Thou art my Lord and my God’ and you can say it with me.”
‘That, mutatis mutandis, is I suppose how we all learned to pray. The point I am getting at is that the Mass itself was our school of prayer. It was there that we learned to be self-effacing, detached, recollected and to adhere to the Divine Presence. It was also at Mass that the simple faithful practise prayer throughout their lives. They may have known little theology but they prayed as theologians often do not. Moreover, the simplest of them attained to heights of prayer and sanctity far beyond me.’
[1] Second Vatican Council:
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosantum
Concilium: 10, 14
[2] Latin Mass Magazine May 2004, Interview with Darió, Cardinal Castrillón
Hoyos.
[3] Congregation for Divine Worship
(1973) Directory for Masses with Children
2: ‘Quoad pueros in Ecclesia educandos peculiaris difficultas ex eo oritur,
quod celebrationes liturgicae, praesertim eucharisticae, vim innatam
paedagogicam in pueros plene exercere non possunt. Quamvis nunc in Missa
sermonem patrium adhibere liceat, tamen verba et signa captui puerorum non
satis aptata sunt.
‘Re quidem vera pueri etiam in vita
sua cotidiana non semper omnia intellegunt, quae cum adultis experiuntur, quin
iis ex hoc taedium oriatur. Inde nec pro liturgia postulari potest ut semper
omnia et singular iis intellegibilia esse debeant. Tamen damnum spiritale
timendum est, si pueri per annos in Ecclesia iterum iterumque vix
comprehensibilia experiantur; recens enim psychologia probavit, quam profunde
pueri experientia religiosa infantiae et primae pueritiae formentur vi
capacitatis religiosae singularis, qua gaudent.’
[4] Directory for Masses with Children 9. The
phrase is ‘valores humani’, contrasted with ‘valores christiani’.
[5] See Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph,
Cardinal Ratzinger) The Spirit of the
Liturgy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000) p215-6: ‘Anyone who has
experienced a church united in the silent praying of the Canon will know what a
really filled silence is. It is at once a loud and penetrating cry to God and a
Spirit-filled act of prayer. Here everyone does pray the Canon together, albeit
in a bond with the special task of the priestly ministry. Here everyone is
united, laid hold of by Christ, and led by the Holy Spirit into that common
prayer to the Father which is the true sacrifice—the love that reconciles and
unites God and the world.’ See FIUV Positio 9: Silence and Inaudibility in the Extraordinary Form.
[6] Maria Montessori The Mass Explained to Children (Kettering OH: Angelico Press, 2015) p4 (first
published in 1933). Cf. ‘They [sc. adults] still think it necessary to
interfere with them, continually and directly, to keep them from doing harm;
and teachers imagine that the child is incapable of doing good without their
exhortation and example.’ These remarks are related to an attitude fundamental
to Montessori’s educational philosophy: ‘The fundamental help in development,
especially with little children of three years of age, is not to interfere.
Interference stops activity and stops concentration.’ (Maria Montessori: The Child, Society and the World:
Unpublished Speeches and Writings (Clio Press, 1989) p16.
[7] The problem of boredom (‘taedium’)
is a recurring concern in the Directory. As well as the boredom of
incomprehension (2), it notes the danger of boredom in hearing the same person
read many texts (24), and even the ‘danger of boredom’ (‘periculum taedii’) in daily
attendance at Mass. For the reasons set out in the paper, the Extraordinary
Form does not, in the experience of the families attending it regularly, face
the same difficulty.
[8] The Memoirs of Louis Bouyer: from youth and conversion to Vatican II,
the Liturgical Reform, and after, trans. John Pepino (Kettering OH: Angelico Press, 2015) p67
[9] Deuteronomy 31:12 (at the command
of Moses): ‘And the people being all assembled together, both men and women,
children and strangers, that are within thy gates: that hearing they may learn,
and fear the Lord your God, and keep, and fulfill all the words of this law.’
(‘Et in unum omni populo congregato, tam viris quam mulieribus, parvulis, et
advenis, qui sunt intra portas tuas: ut audientes discant, et timeant Dominum
Deum vestrum, et custodiant, impleantque omnes sermones legis huius.’) Cf. Joshua 8:35 (at the command of
Joshua), and 2 Kings 23:1-2 (at the command of King Josiah).
[10] Mark 10:13-16: ‘And they brought
to him young children, that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked them
that brought them. Whom when Jesus saw, he was much displeased and saith to
them: Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not: for of
such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the
kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter into it. And embracing them
and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them.’ (Et offerebant illi parvulos
ut tangeret illos discipuli autem comminabantur offerentibus. Quos cum videret
Iesus indigne tulit et ait illis sinite parvulos venire ad me et ne
prohibueritis eos talium est enim regnum Dei. Amen dico vobis quisque non receperit regnum Dei velut parvulus non
intrabit in illud. Et conplexans eos et inponens manus super illos benedicebat
eos.’) Cf. Matthew 19:13-15,
and Luke 18:15-16 (referring to ‘infantes’). Our Lord’s own experience of the
liturgy as a child should also be noted, as we are told that, at the age of
twelve (if not also at an earlier age), he made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem
with his parents for the Passover, and became familiar with the Temple and its
scholars (Luke 2:41-7). Children have an important role in the Jewish
celebration of the Passover, since it is the youngest of the family who must
ask the ‘Four Questions’ about the significance of the celebration. It does not
seem too extravagant to connect this liturgical role of the youngest with the
questioning of the Doctors of the Law by the child Jesus in the Temple.
[11] Matthew
21:15-16: ‘And the chief priests and scribes, seeing the wonderful things that
he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying: Hosanna to the son
of David; were moved with indignation. And said to him: Hearest thou what these
say? And Jesus said to them: Yea, have you never read: Out of the mouth of
infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise?’ (‘Videntes autem
principes sacerdotum et scribae mirabilia quae fecit, et pueros clamantes in
templo, et dicentes: Hosanna filio David: indignati sunt, et dixerunt ei: Audis
quid isti dicunt? Jesus autem dixit eis: Utique. Numquam legistis: Quia ex ore
infantium et lactentium perfecisti laudem?’)
[12] See the
texts quoted in Note 9 and 10 above.
[13] Pope St John Paul II Encyclical Dominicae Cenae (1980) 10: ‘indole sua
dignitatis plena altum sensum Mysterii eucharistici excitavit.’ Cf. Pope St John Paul II Encylical Orientale Lumen (1995), 11, on the
liturgy of the Eastern Churches: ‘The lengthy duration of the celebrations, the
repeated invocations, everything expresses gradual identification with the
mystery celebrated with one’s whole person.’ (‘Extractum longius celebrationum
tempus, iteratae invocationes, omnia denique comprobant aliquem paulatim in
celebratum mysterium ingredi tota sua cum persona.’)
[14] See for example Geoffrey Hull The Banished Heart p321, n.2, where he
notes ‘responsible parents … charitably refrain from bringing babies to church
services’, and deprecates parents who do bring them. Surprisingly, Hull is also
a supporter of the practice of giving Holy Communion to infants in the Eastern
Churches (p300).
[15] The possibility of leaving infants
and small children at home depends on the availability of multiple options for
Mass a short distance from the home, since both parents (and any domestic
servants) need to fulfil their Sunday obligation. The sociologist Callum Brown
notes that mothers in Britain were effectively excluded from the mid-morning
Anglican service in the 19th and early 20th centuries,
above all by the need to prepare Sunday lunch, whereas Catholic mothers could
attend an early morning Mass. Callum G. Brown The Death of Christian Britain: Understanding Secularisation 1800-2000,
2nd Ed. (London: Routledge, 2009) p161. Such possibilities do
not exist for many Catholics today, particularly those attached to the
Extraordinary Form.
[16] In addition to the blessing of the
congregation in the concluding Rites, the congregation at Mass celebrated in
the Extraordinary Form may be said to receive a blessing at the Asperges or
Vidi Aquam, at the Pax, and on the other occasions when the celebrant, having
kissed the Altar, passes the peace of Christ to the congregation with the words
‘Dominus vobiscum’. See Positio 19: The
Kiss of Peace 1, 9.
[17] Pope Pius XII Encyclical Mediator Dei (1947) 108: ‘So varied and diverse are men’s talents
and characters that it is impossible for all to be moved and attracted to the
same extent by community prayers, hymns and liturgical services. Moreover, the
needs and inclinations of all are not the same, nor are they always constant in
the same individual. Who, then, would say, on account of such a prejudice, that
all these Christians cannot participate in the Mass nor share its fruits? On
the contrary, they can adopt some other method which proves easier for certain
people; for instance, they can lovingly meditate on the mysteries of Jesus
Christ or perform other exercises of piety or recite prayers which, though they
differ from the sacred rites, are still essentially in harmony with them.’
(‘Ingenium, indoles ac mens hominum tam varia sunt atque ab-similia, ut non
omnes queant precibus, canticis sacrisque actionibus, communiter habitis, eodem
modo moveri ac duci Ac praeterea animorum necessitates et propensa eorum studia
non eadem in omnibus sunt, neque in singulis semper eaderr permanent. Quis
igitur dixerit, praeiudicata eiusmodi opinionf compulsus, tot christianos non
posse Eucharisticum participare Sacri icium, eiusque perfrui beneficiis? At ii
alia ratione utique possunt, quae facilior nonnullis evadit; ut, verbi gratia,
Iesu Christi mysteria pie meditando, vel alia peragendo pietatis exercitia
aliasque fundendo preces, quae, etsi forma a sacris ritibus differunt, natura
tamen sua cum iisdem congruunt.’)
[18] Cf. Deuteronomy 6:6-7: ‘And these words which I command thee this
day, shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou
shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey,
sleeping and rising.’ (‘Eruntque verba haec quae ego praecipio tibi hodie in
corde tuo. Et narrabis ea filiis tuis et meditaberis sedens in domo tua et
ambulans in itinere dormiens atque consurgens.’)
[19] Pope Benedict XVI, General
Audience, Wednesday, 4th May 2011.
[20] Similarly alien is the use of
sound-proofed rooms for small children, which separate them from other
worshippers and, above all, from the atmosphere created by the liturgy.
[21] Pope Benedict XVI Letter to Bishops accompanying the Motu
Proprio Summorum Pontificum, 2007.
[22] Pope Pius XII Encyclical Mediator
Dei (1947) 200: ‘If these youths [sc. altar servers], under the watchful
guidance of the priests, are properly trained and encouraged to fulfill the
task committed to them punctually, reverently and constantly, then from their
number will readily come fresh candidates for the priesthood.’ (‘Quodsi
opportune hi iuvenes excolantur, ac vigilanti sacerdotum cura ad creditum sibi
ministerium statutis horis reverenter constanterque obeundum excitentur, tum
facile eveniet ut novi ex iisdem sacerdotii candidate oriantur;’) This point
has been reiterated by the Congregation for Divine Worship when ruling on the
question of females serving at Mass in the Ordinary Form (see Notitiae 30 (1994) 333-335, and Notitiae 37 (2001) 397-399). On this
topic see Positio 1: The Service of the
Altar by Men and Boys at the Extraordinary Form, 3 and Appendix.
[23] Fr Bryan Houghton Mitre and Crook (Harrison NY: Roman
Catholic Books, 1979), pp168-9
