Event: Cardinal blesses first building of Traditional Personal Parish in Houston, Texas

We are pleased to announce the upcoming Blessing in the Extraordinary Form of St. Athanasius Chapel Hall by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. St. Athanasius is the first building on the site of Regina Caeli Parish, which is the Apostolate of Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) in Houston, Texas. The blessing will be followed by a Solemn Mass.

The photo is of the Altar area which was built largely with the labor of the faithful and the crucifix was completely restored by a parishioner (photo courtesy of Regina Caeli Parish).

Time and date information below:

First Traditional Personal Parish in New England: Nashua, New Hampshire

Another abandoned church that would go the way of complete dereliction is to be saved by the Traditional Mass -- the church of St. Stanislaus, built for the Polish community of Nashua, NH, in 1908.

 The press release was made public today by the Diocese of Manchester (the diocese that covers the entire state of New Hampshire):

High Altar - St Stanislaus

New Polyphonic Mass setting in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Littleton, Colorado (the FSSP-run Traditional Catholic personal parish of the Archdiocese of Denver) marked the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with a new Mass setting in which chant and polyphony alternate. Inspired by the work of the 16th-century Spanish priest and composer Tomás Luis de Victoria, sound clips of the new setting can be heard (being sung by the personal parish's choir) on the Denver Catholic website: Sounds a lot like love - Latin parish brings back sacred music for unique feast day Mass.

You report: Cardinal DiNardo and the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Traditional Mass Personal Parish in Houston

From a reader in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston:

The Unstoppable Traditional Mass: Around the world with the TLM - Fully-traditional Ancient Chapel for the FSSP in the Bavarian Capital - Fully-traditional Brand New Chapel for the IBP in the Brazilian capital

1. Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Damenstiftskirche Sankt Anna, Choir

From Germany, a report that had been under embargo for weeks: the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), that already had a small presence in the Bavarian Capital, will have a permanent basis in the city - the second major world diocese to open up a permanent setting for the FSSP in just a few weeks time (the first having been Los Angeles).

Starting on September 1, the glorious Collegiate Church of Saint Anne (Damenstiftskirche Sankt Anna), a historic chapel in Munich, will host the FSSP permanently, with daily Traditional Masses. The apostolate will be headed by Father Christian Jäger, and the Mass times will be: on Sundays and public holidays. 9:30 a.m./ on Mondays, 8:00 a.m.; from Tuesdays to Fridays, 5:30 p.m.; on Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. (The local telephone number for more information is 094 46/99 11 051.)

Further information will be posted on the FSSP Germany website. Our heartfelt congratulations to the FSSP, Fr. Jäger, and the local community! Our gratitude to the local Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Cardinal Reinhard Marx!

_____________________________________

2. Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil

Capela de Nossa Senhora das Dores, still receiving its final touches

On July 13, 2014, a historic event of huge significance for the future of the Traditional Mass in the largest Latin American nation took place in the Brazilian national capital city, Brasilia. A brand new completely traditional Chapel was opened and blessed with the presence of Auxiliary Bishop José Aparecido Gonçalves de Almeida.

The Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Dores (Our Lady of Sorrows / Our Lady of Dolours) is run by the Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP), and the local priest is Fr. Daniel Pinheiro, who already celebrated the Traditional Mass in the city in loaned churches. Now, the IBP has a full chapel and the ability to offer daily Mass - Sundays at 10 a.m.

Holy Innocents in New York City, continued

The sad story of the possible closure of Holy Innocents parish in New York City -- the only church to have a daily traditional Latin Mass in one of the largest and most prominent cities in the world -- continues, with two new pieces in the New York Times.

Rorate previously covered this subject in April.  The New York Times' primary article on Holy Innocents today does a commendable job here, and local religion reporter Sharon Otterman clearly put a lot of time into interviewing all sides and summarizing the issue for a larger audience:

Conservative Catholics, generally, have been concerned about where they fit in the church in the era of Pope Francis, with his less doctrinaire style. And many liturgical traditionalists, some of whom simply prefer the old liturgy and music, and others who want to roll back the changes of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, are closely watching the situation at Holy Innocents. They fear it may signal a return to a broader suppression of the Latin Mass after a period of being encouraged under Pope Benedict XVI.

...

At Holy Innocents, the Latin Mass helped bring a renaissance, parishioners said. The church, which dates back to 1869 and has about 300 registered parishioners, operates at a surplus, driven in part by generous collections and a thriving thrift shop in the basement, according to church documents. Attendance at Sunday Mass has nearly tripled since 2009, and the church recently paid $350,000 to restore a mural behind its high altar that was painted in the 1870s.

...

Some other dioceses dedicate a priest and a parish for the celebration of the Latin Mass. But in New York the laity have to organize traditional Masses themselves, seeking out volunteer priests “hither and thither as though we were seemingly still living in Reformation England or Cromwellian Ireland,” Father (Justin) Wylie said, calling it an “injustice.”

...

Regarding the Latin Mass, Mr. (Joseph) Zwilling (spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York) said that lay groups in the diocese were welcome to organize such Masses but that the diocese did not think a special parish needed to be assigned. He said it was premature to discuss what would happen to the parishioners of Holy Innocents until Cardinal Dolan, who is the archbishop of New York, made the final decisions on church closings in September.

The archdiocesan priest who officiated at the Latin Mass at Holy Innocents on a recent Sunday asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

A second piece on the New York Times website also ran today concerning Father Wylie.  Rorate reported on Father's termination earlier this month, which revealed, according to the director of priest personnel for the Archdiocese of New York, the dismissal came "directly from the cardinal's office."

Rorate has observed that so far there has been no public mention on what would be a win-win situation for Cardinal Dolan and the Archdiocese of New York:  inviting the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter or the Institute of Christ the King to run Holy Innocents as a personal parish.  The archdiocese's arguments on parish closings have been about priest shortages and finances, both of which become non-issues if the Fraternity or Institute are given custody of the parish.

Two new permanent establishments for the Traditional Mass: Personal Parish in Australia, Personal Chaplaincy in Argentina

1. The long-established community of faithful attached to the Traditional Roman Rite in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia, has been raised to the canonical status of a Personal Parish. Fr. Tattersall informs in the Community website:

His Grace, Archbishop Denis Hart has promulgated a Decree, raising the Newman Community to the rank of a Personal Parish, effective 28th March.

On that day, we will become the Parish of Bl. John Henry Newman.

Archbishop Hart’s decree is available here.

We will celebrate the commencement of the new Parish with Solemn Mass at 10.30 am on Laetare Sunday, 30th March, followed by a BBQ picnic, and concluding with Solemn Vespers and Benediction.

Fr Tattersall will be formally installed by Archbishop Hart as Parish Priest of the Parish of Bl. John Henry Newman, on Anzac Day, Friday 25th April, at 11.00 am.

Congratulations to the local faithful and to Fr. Tattersall! (Tip: The Tablet; source.)

_____________________________

2. In the province of Buenos Aires that surrounds, but does not include, the Federal Capital of the same name (contiguous with the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, in which there are no Masses in the Extraordinary Form), the Bishop of Zárate-Campana has just invited the Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP) to establish themselves permanently there, with responsibility for a local Oratory and a personal chaplaincy. Fr. Matthieu Raffray, IBP superior for Latin America, informs:

I am very happy to officially announce to you that on Tuesday, March 11, Bp. Oscar Sarlinga, bishop of Zárate-Campana (Province of Buenos Aires), granted authorization to our superior, Fr. Laguérie, for the canonical establishment of a house of the Institute of the Good Shepherd in his diocese.

As superior for the district, I signed with him an agreement that rules our pastoral activities in the diocese, in conformity with Canon 681. This agreement canonically grants to the Institute the Oratory of San Juan de Luz, at Maschwitz, Escobar Partido, which is next to the house currently lent to us by an association of faithful. He also named the superior of this house (myself at the moment), "chaplain for all faithful of the diocese who request the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite."

Congratulations to the local faithful and to Fr. Raffray! (Tip & source: Le Forum Catholique)

Houston, We Have Some Progress

In June of last year we reported on the cathedral in Houston, Texas, used for a Methodist ordination ceremony after permission was granted by the archbishop, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. After an outctry, even Catholics who are not necessarily traditional, such as canon lawyer and referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, Edward Peters, reacted with a raised eyebrow: "if actions within the law cause consternation among the faithful, it might be a sign the law needs to be tightened."

Today, however, we commend Cardinal DiNardo for administering the sacrament of confirmation using the traditional Latin books -- for the first time -- to 12 parishioners of Regina Caeli, a new personal parish (thanks to Cardinal DiNardo) in Houston established by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

It is a very rare occasion these days to see a cardinal (especially under 80) use 1962 books for any sacrament. Recall that only 12 of the 118 cardinal electors last year had offered at least one traditional Latin Mass following the introduction of the novus ordo. Cardinal DiNardo (age 64) has not gone that far yet, but perhaps this is a start. Following the sacrament of confirmation, the cardinal offered Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The parish, which is soon to be constructed on donated land in Houston, is temporarily housed in a friendly novus ordo parish. The community, visited twice by Rorate on the Road with a noticeably larger congregation as word gets out, is led by Father Charles Van Vliet, FSSP, its founding pastor.

Enjoy the following confirmation photos, posted on the FSSP's website.

New Personal Parish: St. Rose of Lima, Diocese of Springfield, Illinois

Saint Rose of Lima, the apostolate run since 2008 by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP, Fathers Devillers and Fromageot) in Quincy, Illinois, was established as a full-fledged Personal Parish by the Bishop of Springfield, Bp. Thomas John Paprocki, beginning on January 1, 2014

The local diocesan newspaper reports:

On Jan. 1, St. Rose of Lima became an official parish of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. In a decree released Dec. 23, 2013, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki established St. Rose of Lima as a "personal parish."

"Since this is not a territorial parish, there are no parish boundaries," he declared. For the past several years, St. Rose of Lima had been a chaplaincy, with members joining but remaining members of their local Catholic parish.

Earlier in 2013 Bishop Paprocki consulted with the presbyteral council and with the priests of the Quincy deanery, in particular the pastors of the neighboring parishes. On Nov. 25, the Presbyteral Council voted unanimously to recommend the establishment of St. Rose of Lima as a personal parish in Quincy in accord with Canon 518 for the pastoral needs of those persons who have an affinity for the celebration of the sacred liturgy according to the extraordinary form.

St. Rose of Lima, located at 1009 N. Eighth St., is staffed by priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, specifically Father Arnaud Devillers, FSSP, who is now pastor and who has been the chaplain, and Father Robert Fromageot, FSSP, who is now parochial vicar and who has been assistant chaplain.

This is a recognition of the work conducted by the Mississippi by the new Pastor and Vicar, and the local community whose life of faith was recognized by their Ordinary. Congratulations to the youngest Personal Parish in America! 

The number of traditional Personal Parishes in America is now close to 30.

[Tip: reader M.H. Image: Bp. Paprocki visits St. Rose of Lima on June 10, 2012.]

FSSP Personal Parish in Sydney

From the web log of the Transalpine Redemptorists (Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer), images of the day of the canonical establishment of the Personal Parish in Sydney, Australia:

On the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (F.S.S.P.) had their church of the Maternal Heart of Mary, in Sydney Australia, constituted a personal parish by George Cardinal Pell, archbishop of Sydney. Fr Duncan Wong, F.S.S.P. was appointed as the parish priest. Being a personal parish of the F.S.S.P. it is dedicated exclusively to the celebration of the Traditional Mass.

The first Solemn High Mass to be celebrated in the newly erected parish was celebrated by the parish priest, Fr Wong. Fr Damonn Sypher F.S.S.P. was Deacon, and Mr Daniel Mould F.S.S.P. was Subdeacon.

The Personal Parish of the Maternal Heart of Mary was established by the Archbishop of Sydney, who is, of course, His Eminence Cardinal Pell, one of the eight members of the superior advisory cardinalatial council named by Pope Francis.

New Traditional Personal Parish - a first for the Netherlands

The Traditional Catholic community that has worshipped in the church of Saint Agnes (Agneskerk), in Amsterdam, since 2006, under the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), will be granted a full-fledged Personal Parish (as provided by the Code of Canon Law and by Summorum Pontificum, art. 10) by the Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam. 

The new Personal Parish will be dedicated to Blessed Charles of Austria.

[Source: Mysterium Fidei]

You report: new IBP chaplaincy in Białystok, Poland

Reader Piotr Sawicki sends us the following report:

Father Grzegorz Sniadoch, of the Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP), will become an official pastor for those attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in Białystok, northeastern Poland. The Church of the Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Stanislaus the Martyr in Białystok will be the first church in Poland designated by a local bishop (Archbishop Edward Ozorowski) exclusively for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments. The official opening of the chaplaincy will take place on September 28, 2012 (Christ the King), 10:30 AM.

FSSP gets Notre-Dame Basilica in Fribourg

The Swiss Catholic news agency APIC reported yesterday that Bishop Charles Morerod OP of the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg has decided to entrust the pastoral care of the Basilica of Our Lady (Basilique de Notre-Dame) in Fribourg to the FSSP, starting September 2012. 

According to the APIC report, the Traditional Latin Masses now celebrated by the FSSP in the church of the College Saint-Michel and other parts of the city of Fribourg, and their pastoral activities in that city, will all be transferred to the Basilica.

[NC] The central administration of the FSSP is in Fribourg, home of the recently-restored Basilica: congratulations to their wonderful priests, and to their new priests being ordained today in Wigratzbad.

Photo source: Eglise catholique dans le canton de Fribourg

Two new Personal Parishes in Switzerland

The Diocese of Chur, in central-eastern Switzerland, announced today the canonical erection of two Personal Parishes dedicated to the Traditional Roman Rite (the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite), as envisaged by Summorum Pontificum, art. 10.

Bishop Vitus Huonder established the Personal Parish Maria Immaculata in Oberarth (Canton Schwyz) and the Personal Parish of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, in Thalwil (Canton Zurich - staffed by priests of the Fraternity of Saint Peter/FSSP), both for preexisting communities of Traditional Catholic faithful. The decrees were signed on Feb. 22 and were made public today.

(Source: Communiqué of the Diocese of Chur; tip: Kipa-Apic and Kath.net)

A Fourth Personal Parish for France

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