 |
| hardcover on the left, paperback on the right |
I'm delighted to announce to Rorate readers that my new book from Angelico Press, Close the Workshop: Why the Old Mass Isn’t Broken and the New Mass Can’t Be Fixed, has just been released!
Showing posts with label Reform of the Reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reform of the Reform. Show all posts
“Close the Workshop: Why the Old Mass Isn’t Broken and the New Mass Can’t Be Fixed” — New Book by Peter Kwasniewski
The Mass of Paul VI “Well Celebrated”—a Myth! (Guest Article by Cyril Farret d’Astiès)
INTRODUCTION
A few weeks ago, a group of priests, religious and lay people, led by our friend Denis Crouan of the association “Pro Liturgia,” seized the opportunity of the publication by Francis of his motu proprio Traditionis custodes to launch a plea to our pastors to “finally” implement the Novus Ordo according to its liturgical rules and to abandon all the initiatives which, according to them, distort it and constitute one of the motives for which the faithful attached to the traditional liturgy distance themselves from the Novus Ordo.
Guest article — The Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy: Reform or revolution?
Rorate is happy to make available an English translation of a lecture given in Vienna by Wolfram Schrems on April 2, 2017, at the launch of the German edition of Peter Kwasniewski's Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis. Schrems is a theologian, philosopher, catechist and pro-life activist and a signatory of the Filial Correction. The text below is a thoroughly revised version of the original presentation (a video of which may be found here). The author would like to thank Mr. Stuart Chessman of the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny for the translation into English.
The Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy: Reform or Revolution?
Wolfram Schrems
Vienna, April 2, 2017
Reverend Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Dearest Friends,
A common calendar and lectionary for the Novus Ordo and TLM?
A committee already tried, and failed:
Cardinal Sarah's La Nef article marking the 10th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum has awakened the debate over the possibility (and desirability) of a "common rite" derived from the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo. (Dr. Joseph Shaw has responded to the cardinal's proposals on this blog.) One of Cardinal Sarah's main proposals is that of common calendar and lectionary for the TLM and the NOM. The proposal does not come out of the blue; versions of it have been floated by some proponents of the reform of the reform since the 1990's. Furthermore, from 1991 to 2007 the use of the Novus Ordo lectionary was theoretically permitted in celebrations of the 1962 Missal, and was actually imposed on such celebrations in a handful of dioceses.
Right after the article came out, the Claretian liturgist Fr. Matías Augé -- an old liberal but very well-informed -- noted on his blog that a common calendar and lectionary was already attempted in the previous pontificate:
A reply to Cardinal Sarah on 'liturgical reconciliation'
It seems that the most trad-friendly Prelates of the Church actually want the Traditional Mass to disappear. Thus, Cardinal Burke said in 2011:
It seems to me that is what he [Pope Benedict] has in mind is that this mutual enrichment would seem to naturally produce a new form of the Roman rite – the 'reform of the reform,' if we may – all of which I would welcome and look forward to its advent.
Cardinal Sarah has now said the same thing.
It is a priority that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can examine through prayer and study, how to return to a common reformed rite always with this goal of a reconciliation inside the Church.
Cardinal Sarah's concrete suggestions point to an intermediate state, in which the two 'Forms' have converged somewhat. I have addressed these suggestions in a post on the Catholic Herald blog here. Notably, the Novus Ordo Lectionary cannot be simply be inserted into the Vetus Ordo Missal, because it reflects a liturgical vision which is completely different from that of the ancient Mass: which is why all the other changes were made at the same time. A compromise between these two two understandings of what the liturgy is for and how it should work will not produce a perfect synthesis, but a muddle.
For the Record: Mexican Archbishop orders Last Gospel read in all Sunday Novus Ordo Masses
So, while the "Reform of the Reform" is dead for the universal Church, some particular churches (and no only parishes) may be moving ahead with bringing some elements of Roman Tradition to the new, and made-up artificial rite of Paul VI.
So it is with the Archbishop of Monterrey (Nuevo León state), in Mexico, Abp. Rogelio Cabrera López, who sent the following message to all his priests:
Guest Op-Ed: Thoughts on Pope Francis’s recent interview and traditional Catholics
By Veronica A. Arntz
For the Kingdom of
God:
Some Thoughts on Pope
Francis’s Recent Interview and Traditional Catholics
With Pope Francis’s most recent interview with Fr. Antonio
Spadaro, SI, there has been much discontent, especially among traditional Catholics.
In just a few sentences, Pope Francis seemingly denied the validity and
importance of everything they hold dear: traditional liturgy, adhering to the
traditions of the Church, and even the essential role of Summorum Pontificum. He has even alluded to the belief that young
people who are interested in traditional liturgy are too “rigid” (more on that
later).
Displeasure at these remarks is a natural response, yet they
should not really surprise us. Pope Francis has already disregarded
Cardinal Sarah’s remarks on the importance of ad orientem worship (which he reiterates in this interview), and he
has swept
clean the Office of Divine Worship of its more traditional cardinals, who
supported movements such as ad orientem worship.
We should not be surprised that this pope, who has already disregarded liturgical
tradition in many instances, should say these things about those who are
interested in traditional liturgy.
The more difficult part about these statements, however, is
that they could not be further from the truth. Whether he is simply ignorant,
has little regard for traditional Catholics, or truly means these things, it is
difficult to reconcile them with the reality of traditional Catholicism.
Good News, Bad News:
1. Bishop of Oruro formalizes ban on communion in the hand
2. Sanctuary of Fatima gets ugly "modern" altar
1. We reported in August last year about the intention of the Polish Verbite Bishop of the Diocese of Oruro, Bolivia to forbid communion in the hand in his Diocese. Bishop Krzysztof Białasik has now issued a decree (dated January 6, 2016) formalizing the ban. (Source).
H/t to our friends in Adelante la Fe / Rorate Caeli en Espanol.
2. On Candlemas (February 2), 2016, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima was reopened after having been closed for renovations for more than a year. Among the renovations was the installation of a brand-new altar designed by sculptor Bruno Marques, which was consecrated on that day by the Bishop of Fatima, Msgr. António Marto. The following photos are from the official, Portuguese-language Facebook page of the Sanctuary of Fatima:
Ironically, Bishop Marto dedicated part of his Candlemas homily to lamenting the loss of the "transcendent dimension" in Europe. We would have loved to tell him that a good example of that loss was standing right in front of him.
At least, the tabernacle seems to have been refurbished and the carpeting removed.
(Photo source)
Unfortunately, the installation of ultra "modern" altars in traditionally-designed sanctuaries, implanting ugliness and disharmony in the very heart of beautiful and venerable churches, remains a trend in parts of Europe. We have a post from November 2013 recording more than 40 such cases from 2010 to 2013: Basket case: The craze for strange new altars and "youth churches". We are well aware of many more cases from 2014 and 2015.
Dr. Kwasniewski’s Lecture at Steubenville: “The Old Mass and the New Evangelization: Beyond the Long Winter of Rationalism”
***
The Old Mass and the New Evangelization:
Beyond the Long Winter of Rationalism
Peter A. Kwasniewski [*]
Gentile Gallery of the J. C. Williams Center
The Franciscan University of Steubenville
September 7, 2015
It is an honor and a joy for me to be here this evening. I am grateful to Dr. Michael Sirilla for the invitation to speak at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, which, for so many years, has maintained the reputation of a school where Our Lord Jesus Christ is “the king and center of all hearts” and where the Catholic Faith is taught, practiced, and loved. On a more personal note, I have the feeling of “coming full circle,” since I taught for the Austrian Program at the Kartause in Gaming, and at that time mingled with many wonderful people from the university—but never had a chance to visit the home campus.
As I was working on this talk, I came to see that my title, “The Old Mass and the New Evangelization,” really deserves to be a book, not a lecture. I decided to limit myself to an aspect that seemed especially fruitful—“Beyond the Long Winter of Rationalism”—even though one could approach the topic from so many angles.[1]
Rediscovering the Ancient Mass
Novus Ordo Chronicles: Bishop in Bolivia prohibits communion in the hand in his diocese.
Plus: a review of bishops who have restricted communion in the hand
Bishop Białasik is 57 years old and was appointed Bishop of Oruro by Pope Benedict XVI on June 30, 2005; he was consecrated in September of that same year.
To our knowledge, Bishop Białasik is only the third bishop in the last ten years or so to withdraw permission for communion in the hand in his diocese (as opposed to maintaining an existing prohibition, or simply recommending communion in the tongue for the faithful in their diocese, or forbidding communion in the hand only in specific churches). The first was Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani of Lima, Peru in 2008 (reiterated in 2011 at least for large celebrations) followed by Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2011 (reiterated in 2012). A fourth bishop, the recently-deceased Rogelio Livieres (may he rest in peace), strongly condemned communion in the hand in August 2014, in one of his last acts as Bishop of Ciudad de Este. Perhaps he would have prohibited it altogether had he not been ousted from his See soon after. (He already issued a letter on the liturgy in 2013 that recommended to his faithful the reception of communion kneeling and on the tongue, but did not prohibit the opposite practices.) Finally, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria temporarily permitted communion in the hand in July last year (at the height of the Ebola scare) then quickly withdrew the permission (in December) once the scare had passed.
Exclusive Rorate translation: Cardinal Sarah's article for L'Osservatore Romano on the Traditional Missal and the Paul VI Missal
Nonetheless, the mere fact that some (not all...) of the ideas in this article are being published by the current Prefect at the current time is good news, hopeful news.
***
THE SILENT ACTION OF THE HEART
Cardinal Robert SarahL'Osservatore RomanoJune 12, 2015[Exclusive Rorate translation by Contributor Francesca Romana]
Fifty years after its promulgation by Pope Paul VI will the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council be read? “Sacrosanctum concilium “ is not de facto a simple catalogue of reform “recipes” but a real “magna carta” of every liturgical action.With it, the ecumenical council gives us a magisterial lesson in method. Indeed, far from being content with a disciplinary and exterior approach, the council wants to make us reflect on what the liturgy is in its essence. The practice of the Church always comes from what She receives and contemplates in Revelation. Pastoral care cannot be disconnected from doctrine.
Lazarus Redivivus: the Ratzingerian ideas for the new mass brought back by Cardinal Sarah? (Sandro Magister)
Liturgical deformation goes on. But Cardinal Sarah takes the helm.
Sandro Magister
Settimo Cielo
June 13, 2015
“We are running the real risk of leaving no place for God in
our celebrations. We are heading for the
temptation of the Hebrews in the desert.
They tried to create for themselves worship according to their own
measure and their own depth, and let us not forget that they ended up prostrate
before the golden calf. “ So writes
Cardinal Robert Sarah, named last November by Pope Francis as the Prefect of
the Congregation for Divine Worship.
This article appeared in the June 12 issue of L’Osservatore Romano and was buried on page 6 and was quoted only
in small part on the Vatican website.
And yet the article exhibited a profundity and incisiveness that has not
been in evidence in recent memory, and the author of the article is the man who
is in the role of the primary guide of the Catholic liturgy. To say the least, the article was at the
level of a Joseph Ratzinger type of great liturgist.
The whole article, which is a must read, can
be accessed at the following web page:
Pope Francis: "Continue the good work in the liturgy begun by Pope Benedict XVI."
The much-anticipated Sacra Liturgia USA conference in New York City began yesterday. Its proceedings can be followed on the official Facebook page for the event.
That page has also posted Robert Cardinal Sarah's Message to the Conference (link), in which argues strongly for the importance of liturgical sanity to any renewal in the Church:
Cardinal Sarah continues with an important revelation:
2. Because the Sacred Liturgy is truly the font from which all the Church's power flows, as the Second Vatican Council insists (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10), we must do everything we can to put the Sacred Liturgy back at the very heart of the relationship between God and man, recognising the primacy of Almighty God in this privileged and unique forum in which we, individually and ecclesially, encounter God at work in our world. One cannot encounter God, my brothers and sisters, without trembling, without awe, without profound respect and holy fear. This is why we must rank what Cardinal Ratzinger called "the right way of celebrating the Liturgy, inwardly and outwardly" first amongst our concerns (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Ignatius Press, San Francisco 2000, p. 9).
Cardinal Sarah continues with an important revelation:
3. When the Holy Father, Pope Francis, asked me to accept the ministry of Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, I asked: "Your Holiness, how do you want me to exercise this ministry? What do you want me to do as Prefect of this Congregation?" The Holy Father's reply was clear. "I want you to continue to implement the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council," he said, "and I want you to continue the good work in the liturgy begun by Pope Benedict XVI."
My friends, I want you to help me in this task. I ask you to continue to work towards achieving the liturgical aims of the Second Vatican Council (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, I) and to work to continue the liturgical renewal promoted by Pope Benedict XVI, especially through the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis of 22 February 2007 and the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of 7 July 2007. I ask you to be wise, like the householder in St Matthew's Gospel, who knows when to bring out of his treasure things both new and old (cf. Mtt: 13: 52), so that the Sacred Liturgy as it is celebrated and lived today may lose nothing of the estimable riches of the Church's liturgical tradition, whilst always being open to legitimate development (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 23).
At the end of his message, Cardinal Sarah expresses the hope that he will be able to join the next Sacra Liturgia meeting, to be held on July 2016 in London. He also asks for prayers that he may faithfully exercise the service to which he has been called.
A reminder about today's canonization ceremony
The canonization ceremony of October 21, 2012 saw the introduction of a revised rite that was very similar to the one used prior to Pius XII. Rorate noted this reform on that very same day. This rite will be used today, although the Te Deum will be replaced with a shorter hymn (Iubilate Deo, Cantate Domino).
This reform attracted little attention; the ephemeral restoration of the fanon got far more media space. This does not change the fact that the new rite of canonization may well go down as one of Pope Benedict XVI's more far-reaching reforms, not least because it includes the following petition (the third one), addressed to the Pope just before he proclaims the actual formula of canonization:
Most Holy Father, Holy Church, trusting in the Lord's promise to send upon her the Spirit of Truth, who in every age keeps the Supreme Magisterium free from error, most earnestly beseeches Your Holiness to enroll these, her elect, among the saints.
Prior to the third petition, in his response to the second petition, the Pope says:
(Emphases ours).
These two formulae, or any formula more or less explicitly saying the same things, were present neither in the post-1969 rite of canonization, nor (to our knowledge) in the rites of canonization prior to the main liturgical reforms of the 1960's. Anyone can see the significance of these little formulae to the continuing question of the infallibility of canonizations -- the act of canonization is now explicitly included in the immunity of the Supreme Magisterium from error.
Let us, then, invoke the Holy Spirit, the Giver of life, that he may enlighten our minds and that Christ the Lord may not permit his Church to err in a matter of such importance.
(Emphases ours).
These two formulae, or any formula more or less explicitly saying the same things, were present neither in the post-1969 rite of canonization, nor (to our knowledge) in the rites of canonization prior to the main liturgical reforms of the 1960's. Anyone can see the significance of these little formulae to the continuing question of the infallibility of canonizations -- the act of canonization is now explicitly included in the immunity of the Supreme Magisterium from error.
Some will protest that these words do not amount to an Apostolic Constitution, or a dogmatic tome, or an infallible decree spoken by the mouth of the Holy Father himself. Fair enough; but they are part of the liturgy of canonization, these words "put into context", so to speak, the formula of canonization that the Pope is about to pronounce. One can even say that these remind him of the extent of his authority just before he exercises it. These two formulae therefore cannot be lightly dismissed, and any future critique of the canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II will have to take these into account.
The photo we will not post
Today, we learn that, once again, Liturgical Law will be ignored during the pontifical Maundy Thursday liturgy. It is being reported that the feet of "9 Italians, 1 Muslim from Libya, a young man from Cape Verde and an Ethiopian woman" will be washed by Pope Francis.
The word "anomie" is used in legal theory and sociological studies to designate a society where bonds between individuals face breakdown for many reasons, including due to the lack of enforcement of rules. Once rules that exist in the books are not revoked by legitimate authority, but simply ignored, there is a systemic risk of legal-moral collapse. This has certainly been true in liturgical law since the Council, with the 1963-1969 messes sauvages, in particular since the new liturgy of Paul VI, and even more so when the norms that still exist, instead of being explicitly changed (when they can be changed) are ignored by an authority. This is no criticism, merely an assessment of current liturgical reality, that is, "liturgical anomie".
The word "anomie" is used in legal theory and sociological studies to designate a society where bonds between individuals face breakdown for many reasons, including due to the lack of enforcement of rules. Once rules that exist in the books are not revoked by legitimate authority, but simply ignored, there is a systemic risk of legal-moral collapse. This has certainly been true in liturgical law since the Council, with the 1963-1969 messes sauvages, in particular since the new liturgy of Paul VI, and even more so when the norms that still exist, instead of being explicitly changed (when they can be changed) are ignored by an authority. This is no criticism, merely an assessment of current liturgical reality, that is, "liturgical anomie".
The feet washed by the Pope are those of disabled people, including one woman. In itself, the image will be one of great care - but it does put immense pressure upon those, in the Rite of Paul VI, who had tried to follow the rules made up by the Supreme Authority himself in the spirit of the late "reform of the reform". We will not take part in the spreading of this soon-to-be-released photo. It's no longer new news this year and, sadly, does not even seem to surprise anyone. We will not let this distract us for one more second during Holy Week and we suggest the same for our dear readers.
Instead, please read what we said one year ago, when a fuller picture of what was coming from this pontificate began to take shape. We were widely criticized for this, but we do not take a single word back from it.
___________________________
The Official End of the Reform of the Reform - by example
3/28/13
1st: We are not invested in what goes on in a Novus Ordo setting. So, really, we are not disappointed by it -- though we are still surprised when it moves farther and farther away from traditional practices. We are just reporting it, as we did before any other venue in English.
2nd: Of course the optional mandatum is something that, while widely symbolic of the link between Christ and His Apostles, is ruled by pure Ecclesiastical Law, not Divine Law, and, regarding it, the Supreme Legislator can do (almost) as he pleases, even remove its presence from a liturgical environment. As long as there are specific standing rules about it (viri, men), however, even the Supreme Authority is bound to humbly obey them, unless he formally changes them beforehand. It really is not that hard to understand this basic matter of legal logic, is it?
3rd: Dear adversaries of this blog (yes, they do exist, and seem to be some of our most faithful readers!), please do not shoot the messenger.
His counsel was that this deed must be reported to thee, and not hidden. And this seemed best; and the lot doomed my hapless self to win this prize. So here I stand -- as unwelcome as unwilling, well I wot; for no man delights in the bearer of bad news. (Antigone)
The End of the “Reform of the Reform”:
Father Kocik’s "Tract 90"
In 1841 the last of the Tracts for our Times, as they were called, was published. This was the last of a series of 90 tracts dealing with ecclesial issues by a group of Anglicans who wanted the Church of England to return to a more Catholic understanding of the nature of the Church and the Sacraments. The main writers of these Tracts were Edward Bouverie Pusey, John Keble, and John Henry Newman. These Tracts caused a sensation in mid-nineteenth century England and were the written foundation of what became known as the Oxford Movement. The most famous, or infamous, of the Tracts was number 90, written by Newman. In this Tract, Newman insists that the Articles of Religion of the Church of England could be interpreted in a Catholic way, so that, for example, a member of the Church of England could believe in the Real Presence despite the seeming denial of that doctrine in the Articles. Tract 90 was the last straw for many in the Established Church, and the Anglican Bishop of Oxford forbade the publication of more Tracts. As readers of Newman’s Apologia know, the Tracts served as a basis for the understanding of the Anglican Church as the Via Media between the errors of Rome and the errors of Protestantism. The suppression of the Tracts by the bishop and the furious reaction against them began that process of thought and spiritual discernment in Newman that found its fruit in his entering the Catholic Church. It also marked the end of the illusory notion of Anglicanism as the Via Media.
The “New Liturgical Movement” that sprang up in the 1990s concerned itself with “the reform of the reform”. This movement, which was and has always been diffuse, was grounded in dissatisfaction with the Novus Ordo rite of Mass. The sources of this dissatisfaction were many and varied: the liturgical abuses in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the faulty translations of the Latin into the vernacular; the near disappearance of an ars celebrandi; the disappearance of chant and polyphony and the ubiquity of folksy tunes with sentimental texts, first popularized by the St. Louis Jesuits and then institutionalized by the publishers of Missalettes; the lack of reverence at the typical parish Mass: one could list many more such sources of dissatisfaction. The purpose of the “Reform of the Reform" movement was to correct the abuses that were the source of dissatisfaction. But the movement assumed, in the main, that the goal was a reform of the Novus Ordo rite in the direction of Catholic Tradition. It was assumed that the Novus Ordo was the proper fruit of the Second Vatican Council and that it was now “the Roman rite”, pure and simple. The Indult given by Pope John Paul II to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Missal was understood, again by most if not all, as something not having to do with the Reform of the Reform.
Much has changed since the beginning of the “Reform of the Reform” movement. Pope Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum forced the movement to reassess its complete acceptance of the Novus Ordo rite as the “continuation” of the Roman rite, as merely a contemporary revision of the Roman rite. Whatever the logical and theological and liturgical and historical problems within the declaration of Summorum Pontificum that there are now two "forms" of the Roman rite, as contained in the 1962 Missal of Pope John XXIII and the 1970 Missal of Pope Paul VI, the question of the continuity of the two rites, which question had been raised by a number of theologians including Joseph Ratzinger, now came to the fore. The basic supposition of the Reform of the Reform movement, namely the continuity of the two "forms", was severely threatened.
When one looks back to the beginning of the criticism of the 1970 Missal, one sees the evolution of a thought process that is analogous to that of the Oxford Movement as seen in the Tracts for our Times. Aidan Nichols, Klaus Gamber, Lauren Pristas, Joseph Ratzinger, and Alcuin Reid, to name only a few, were in their own way authors of “tracts” that dealt with the flaws, weaknesses and discontinuities with Tradition inherent in the 1970 Missal. These Tracts refused to adopt the “positivist” attitude that whatever happens in the Church is good and is the will of God and cannot be questioned. The penultimate Tract, which we can call analogously Tract 89, was Alcuin Reid’s forceful exposition, in his address to the Church Music Association of America on October 15, 2013, of the question of the role and scope of papal authority with respect to the Liturgy, when it is shorn of both positivism and ultramontanism. These contemporary Tractarians used scholarship, empirical data and the historical proceedings of the post-Conciliar Consilium---and common sense—to expose the shaky foundations of the assertion that the 1970 Missal was continuous with the Traditional Roman Rite.
Just this past Sunday, February 9, Fr. Thomas Kocik published the equivalent of Tract 90 on the New Liturgical Movement website. Fr. Kocik has been one of the leading lights in the Reform of the Reform movement. Those who know Fr. Kocik know him to be above all a parish priest whose love for the Liturgy is at the center of his priesthood. He is a scholar and a man of the Church. His book, The Reform of the Reform? A Liturgical Debate (Ignatius Press, 2003), is a cogent and spirited defense of the Reform of the Reform movement. This book was certainly one of the important “Tracts” in the evolving understanding of the post-Conciliar Liturgy. The “Dean” of the Reform of the Reform movement writes as follows in his article of only a few days ago, Reforming the Irreformable?:
There are significant ruptures in content and form that cannot be remedied simply by restoring Gregorian chant to primacy of place as the music of the Roman rite, expanding the use of Latin and improving vernacular translations of the Latin liturgical texts, using the Roman Canon more frequently (if not exclusively), reorienting the altar, and rescinding certain permissions. As important as it is to celebrate the reformed rites correctly, reverently, and in ways that make the continuity with tradition more obvious, such measures leave untouched the essential content of the rites. Any future attempt at liturgical reconciliation, or renewal in continuity with tradition, would have to take into account the complete overhaul of the propers of the Mass; the replacement of the Offertory prayers with modern compositions; the abandonment of the very ancient annual Roman cycle of Sunday Epistles and Gospels; the radical recasting of the calendar of saints; the abolition of the ancient Octave of Pentecost, the pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost; the dissolution of the centuries-old structure of the Hours; and so much more. To draw the older and newer forms of the liturgy closer to each other would require much more movement on the part of the latter form, so much so that it seems more honest to speak of a gradual reversal of the reform (to the point where it once again connects with the liturgical tradition received by the Council) rather than a reform of it…In the meantime, improvements can be made here and there in the ars celebrandi of the Ordinary Form. But the road to achieving a sustainable future for the traditional Roman rite—and to achieving the liturgical vision of Vatican II, which ordered the moderate adaptation of that rite, not its destruction—is the beautiful and proper celebration, in an increasing number of locations, of the Extraordinary Form, with every effort to promote the core principle (properly understood) of “full, conscious and active participation” of the faithful (SC 14).
This is indeed “Tract 90” for the "reform of the reform" and sounds the death knell of any serious attempt to hold onto the fiction of continuity between the 1970 Missal and the Traditional Roman rite. Just as Tract 90 marked the end of Newman’s attempt to find a Catholic continuity and a Via Media in Anglicanism, so does Fr. Kocik’s public articulation of the abandonment of his attempt to find a liturgical and theological continuity between the Novus Ordo and the Traditional Roman rite mark the end of the Reform of the Reform movement. What must be done now—and this will require much laborandum et orandum—is to make the Extraordinary-----ordinary.
Update on announced events: The Traditional Mass around the World
Mass at MIT, Hong Kong conference of Bp. Athanasius Schneider
For the record of past events announced by us here.
1. The non-denominational chapel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was completely filled with Catholics and curious onlookers in the first Traditional Latin Mass celebrated there since the advent of the Novus Ordo, on Sunday, February 9.
It is heartwarming to see the Mass of St. Gregory the Great in an environment meant to look merely "spiritual" in an almost industrial sense...
____________________________________
2. In early December, we announced the presence of Bp. Athanasius Schneider in Hong Kong. He celebrated a Pontifical High Mass for the Tridentine Community of the Diocese, and delivered a special conference on the doctrine and law on Holy Communion, as well as on why Communion must be received on the tongue and kneeling - as part of the 2013-2014 Liturgical Formation series.
The text of the Conference is available below:
For the record: Francis on the importance of adoration in the liturgy
"Adoration is what is most important: the whole community together look at the altar where the sacrifice is celebrated and adore"
The following is the L'Ossservatore Romano's report on Pope Francis' homily in Santa Marta yesterday, November 22, Feast of St. Cecilia.
Radio Vaticana's English summary is much shorter and leaves out many points.
Radio Vaticana's longer Italian summary, which has some quotes that can't be found in the L'Osservatore Romano summary and in turn omits details that can be found in the latter, can be read at Papa Francesco: nel tempio non si va a celebrare un rito ma ad adorare Dio. At present there is no summary of the homily in the Vatican website.
We at Rorate are certainly not alone in hoping that the Vatican's communication arms will at least, in the future, issue a single summary of the Pope's daily homilies, if they could not provide the actual text. It is difficult enough not to have the full text of the homilies, but having to deal with different summaries is downright crazy!
Radio Vaticana's English summary is much shorter and leaves out many points.
Radio Vaticana's longer Italian summary, which has some quotes that can't be found in the L'Osservatore Romano summary and in turn omits details that can be found in the latter, can be read at Papa Francesco: nel tempio non si va a celebrare un rito ma ad adorare Dio. At present there is no summary of the homily in the Vatican website.
We at Rorate are certainly not alone in hoping that the Vatican's communication arms will at least, in the future, issue a single summary of the Pope's daily homilies, if they could not provide the actual text. It is difficult enough not to have the full text of the homilies, but having to deal with different summaries is downright crazy!
Our emphases.
The temple exists “for the adoration of God” and those who worship there are themselves “spiritual temples in whom the Holy Spirit abides,” Pope Francis stressed at the Holy Mass he celebrated in the Chapel of Santa Marta on Friday morning, 22 November.
In his homily Pope Francis commented on the Readings of the day taken from 1 Maccabees (4:36-37, 52-59), which recounts the rebuilding of the temple by Judas Maccabeus; and from the Gospel of Luke, which recounts Jesus' driving the merchants out of the temple (19: 45-48).
“The temple is a place of reference for the community, for the People of God,” the Pope said. It “began with the ark, then Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, and then it became a living temple: Jesus Christ, the Temple. And it shall end in glory, in the heavenly Jerusalem”.
Referring to the first Reading, the Pope noted that the essential meaning of Judas Maccabeus' act was “to reconsecrate the temple so that there glory might be offered to God”. “The temple is the place where the community goes to pray, to praise the Lord, to give thanks, but above all to adore: the Lord is adored in the temple. And this is the most important point. This is also true for liturgical ceremonies: in this liturgical ceremony, what is most important? The songs, the rites, they are all beautiful... however, adoration is what is most important: the whole community together look at the altar where the sacrifice is celebrated and adore”.
Pope Francis then asked: “Are our temples places of adoration? Do they foster adoration? Do our liturgical celebrations foster adoration?”. Judas Maccabeus and the people “were zealous for God's temple because it was the house of God, God's dwelling place, and they went as a community to find God there, they went to adore”.
Turning to the Gospel of Luke, the Pope noted that “Jesus also cleanses the temple, but he does it with whip in hand”. He drives out “pagan attitudes, in this case of the merchants who bought and sold, and had transformed the temple into a series of little shops where they sold and changed money. Jesus cleanses the temple admonishing: It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'. He said nothing else. The temple was a sacred place. And we should enter there, in the sacredness that leads us to prayer”.
“Saint Paul tells us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “I am a temple. The Spirit of God is in me. And he also tells us: 'Do not sadden the Spirit of the Lord that is within you!’ And also here, perhaps we cannot speak of adoration, but of a type of adoration that is the heart which seeks the Spirit of the Lord within oneself and knows that God is within him, that the Holy Spirit is within him. He listens and follows it”.
“We too need to be continually purified with prayer, penance, and with the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist,” the Holy Father added. Thus, “in these two temples – the physical temple which is a place of adoration, and the spiritual temple within me where the Holy Spirit dwells – our disposition should be one of true piety that adores and listens, that prays and asks pardon, that praises the Lord”. He then added: “when we speak of the joy of the temple, what we are speaking about it this: the whole community in adoration, in prayer and thanksgiving, in praise. In prayer with the Lord who is within me, since I am a temple; and I stand listening, ready and available”.
Pope Francis concluded his homily by inviting those present to pray that the Lord “might grant us true understanding of the meaning of the temple, so that we might grow in lives of adoration and listening to God's Word”.
***
We note that the Radio Vaticana Italian summary quotes an additional passage: "But, I think - I say this humbly - that maybe we Christians have lost a little the sense of adoration, and we think: we go to the Temple, we come together as brothers - that's good, it's great! - but this is where God is. And we worship God."
***
We note that the Radio Vaticana Italian summary quotes an additional passage: "But, I think - I say this humbly - that maybe we Christians have lost a little the sense of adoration, and we think: we go to the Temple, we come together as brothers - that's good, it's great! - but this is where God is. And we worship God."
Upcoming events in Rome
1. On the evening of September 30, Bishop Athanasius Schneider will give a conference at the seat of the Fondazione Lepanto (headed by Roberto de Mattei) at Piazza Santa Balbina 8. The theme will be Corpus Christi. Holy Communion and the Renewal of the Church, which is also the title of his newest book, published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana only last month.
This is the same day as the ordinary public consistory for the canonization of Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.
2. On October 10, Giovani e Tradizione will present the "Acts" of the 3rd Conference on Summorum Pontificum, which took place on May 13 - 15, 2011.
The Acts will be presented at the Angelicum with greetings and an introduction by Fr. Vincenzo Nuara OP of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and with interventions by Sandro Magister, Giovanni Turco, and Raymond Cardinal Burke.
On the afternoon of the next day, October 11, Cardinal Burke will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Basilica di San Clemente in Rome.
_______________________________
2. On October 10, Giovani e Tradizione will present the "Acts" of the 3rd Conference on Summorum Pontificum, which took place on May 13 - 15, 2011.
The 2011 Conference was held in the Angelicum and culminated in a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Altar of the Throne in St. Peter's Basilica, offered by Walter Cardinal Brandmüller. It was probably the most glorious of the liturgical and theological conferences oriented towards Traditional Catholicism that took place in Rome during the reign of Benedict XVI. (The list of speakers, liturgies and talks at this Conference can still be read here, although in the end it was not Cardinal Canizares Llovera who offered the Mass.)
 |
Acts of the Conference
|
On the afternoon of the next day, October 11, Cardinal Burke will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Basilica di San Clemente in Rome.
_______________________________
3. On October 12, at the closing of the second Giornate Sacerdotali Romane organized by the Amicizia Sacerdotale Summorum Pontificum, a Solemn Mass will be offered at the eight in the morning at the Altar of St. Pius X in St. Peter's Basilica.
________________________________
4. The second international pilgrimage of Traditional Catholics to Rome to be organized by the "Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum" will take place this October. The first had taken place in November last year.
Fr. Cipolla's report on the "Sacra Liturgia Conference"
by Fr. Richard G. Cipolla
[Note: high-resolution images of the conference available here]
Dom Alcuin Reid, Bishop Dominique Rey and the other organizers of Sacra Liturgia 2013 are to be congratulated and sincerely thanked for what turned out to be an important and moving moment in the post-Conciliar traditional movement to restore liturgical continuity and traditional praxis in the post-Summorum Pontificum Church. This writer was most impressed by the high quality of the papers that were presented and by the enthusiasm of the more than 300 participants from every continent and isle. An analysis of the papers will be possible when they are published (we were promised that this would happen quickly).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)