Canonical Commentary on the New Pontifical Decrees On Saints' Days and New Prefaces in the Traditional Missal (by Fr. Albert Marcello)

Cum Sanctissima and Quo Magis: A Canonical Commentary

by the Rev. Fr. Albert P. Marcello, III, J.C.D. (Cand.)

On 22 February 2020, two decrees, each issued along with a nota praevia, were issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith touching upon the celebration of the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite. The first decree, entitled Cum Sanctissima, deals with the question of the liturgical celebration of saints canonized subsequent to the issuance of the original 1962 liturgical books. The second decree, entitled Quo Magis, makes provision for seven (7) ad libitum prefaces to be permitted for usage in the Extraordinary Form. It should be noted that since the motu proprio of Pope Francis issued 17 January 2019[1], the same Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith enjoys competency for such matters which formerly were under the jurisdiction of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”.

Both of these decrees should be seen to respond to the desires of Pope Benedict XVI as noted in Con grande fiducia, the nota explicativa accompanying the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum: “the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal.”[2] Universae Ecclesiae, the 30 April 2011 instruction which itself offered considerable guidance on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum, decreed: “New saints and certain of the new prefaces can and furthermore ought to be inserted into the older Missal, according to provisions which will be laid down imminently.”[3] Nearly nine years later, legislation has appeared from the Holy See on this matter.

One over-arching principle should be made very clear in discussing both of these decrees: the changes which have been implemented by these two (2) decrees are optional. No forma extraordinaria celebrant is being compelled to make any changes to the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 liturgical books. In a certain sense, the liturgical books of 1962 are being left as they are. This having been said, it is worth recalling, as the nota praevia for Cum Sanctissima likewise notes, up to and including the promulgation of the 1960 Codex Rubricarum, a number of Proprium Sanctorum Pro Aliquibus Locis (PSPAL) were included in the Missale Romanum. These Masses will be referred to in the nota praevia as well as in Cum Sanctissima itself.

1. Cum Sanctissima

Watch and See: Beautiful Video and Images from the 2018 "Ars Celebrandi" Latin Mass Workshop - Poland

The largest workshop for the Traditional Latin Mass in the world, Ars Celebrandi, concluded last July 18 in Licheń, Poland, with a visit by Archbishop Guido Pozzo.

Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (the Holy See office for Catholics attached to the traditional Roman liturgy) had this message to the workshops’ participants and organizers: "I would like to thank God for this active presence of the Ars Celebrandi community, committed to the promotion of the ancient Roman liturgy and thus giving glory to God for the sake of the Church and all mankind... I encourage you to continue and go forth, in trust in the grace of God."

Archbishop Guido Pozzo celebrated the Pontifical Mass in the Licheń Basilica and presided over Pontifical vespers. The faithful taking part in these celebrations and receiving the Papal blessing could receive a plenary indulgence under ordinary conditions by the decision of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

(Video of the Pontifical Mass below)

Pontifical High Mass video exceeds 26K views

Coverage of the massive pontifical High Mass offered last month in Washington, D.C., highlighted the number of young people in attendance at the Mass offered by Archbishop Alexander Sample at the basilica shrine.  The latest piece ran in Corrispondenza Romana, published in Italian here.

One of our readers graciously translated the article to English, shared below:

Archbishop Sample to offer TLM at basilica shrine in D.C.

A few months ago we shared the news on a pontifical High Mass to be celebrated on 28 April 2018 in the upper church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.  We are pleased to now be able to make public the celebrant, His Excellency Alexander Sample, the archbishop of Portland, Oregon.

Ad Apostolorum Principis Sepulchrum - Summorum Pilgrimage 2017 & Vatican Basilica Pontifical Mass

The churches and basilicas of Rome, including the Vatican Basilica, were filled with pilgrims from all over the world for the 2017 Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage.

Congratulations to the organizers and to all involved!

Our friends at Messa in Latino have a long list of images, which can be viewed:

- 1) Here, for the preparatory events, in Santa Maria sopra Minerva and including Adoration at Chiesa Nuova of St. Philip Neri: 1, 2, 3

- 2) Pontifical Mass in the Vatican Basilica: 1, 2,  3, 4, 5.

Benedict XVI, the new Nehemiah, who rekindled the hidden fire

On the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, we praise the heritage of Pope Benedict XVI, who recognized the grievous injustice of the attempted and impossible abolition of the Apostolic Mass of the Latin Church and freed it from the shackles of lies and of deception.

Ad multos annos, Papa Ratzinger!

From the Second Book of the Maccabees, chapter 1:

Blessed be God in all things, who hath delivered up the wicked.

Therefore whereas we purpose to keep the purification of the temple on the five and twentieth day of the month of Casleu, we thought it necessary to signify it to you: that you also may keep the day of Scenopegia, and the day of the fire, that was given when Nehemiah offered sacrifice, after the temple and the altar was built. For when our fathers were led into [Babylon], the priests that then were worshippers of God took privately the fire from the altar, and hid it in a valley where there was a deep pit without water, and there they kept it safe, so that the place was unknown to all men. But when many years had passed, and it pleased God that Nehemiah should be sent by the king of Persia, he sent some of the posterity of those priests that had hid it, to seek for the fire: and as they told us, they found no fire, but thick water.

Then he bade them draw it up, and bring it to him: and the priest Nehemiah commanded the sacrifices that were laid on, to be sprinkled with the same water, both the wood, and the things that were laid upon it. And when this was done, and the time came that the sun shone out, which before was in a cloud, there was a great fire kindled, so that all wondered. And all the priests made prayer, while the sacrifice was consuming, Jonathan beginning, and the rest answering.

And the prayer of Nehemiah was after this manner:

O Lord God,

Creator of all things,

dreadful and strong,

just and merciful, who alone art the good king,

Who alone art gracious, who alone art just, and almighty, and eternal,

Who deliverest Israel from all evil, who didst choose the fathers and didst sanctify them:

Receive the sacrifice for all thy people Israel,

and preserve thy own portion, and sanctify it.

Gather together our scattered people,

deliver them that are slaves to the Gentiles,

and look upon them that are despised and abhorred:

that the Gentiles may know that thou art our God.

Punish them that oppress us, and that treat us injuriously with pride.

Establish thy people in thy holy place, as Moses hath spoken.

And the priests sung hymns till the sacrifice was consumed.

Reminder: Pontifical Mass in Philadelphia today, live on EWTN

A reminder that EWTN will broadcast live the Pontifical Latin Mass which His Excellency Bishop Joseph Perry will celebrate at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the 10th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum. 

You can also watch on EWTN’s website: http://ewtn.com/multimedia/live.asp; the Mass begins at 7pm EDT. 

Sacred music for the Mass will include Mozart’s Missa Brevis in C-major, (the “Sparrow” Mass), Elgar’s Ecce Sacerdos Magnus, Monteverdi’s Adoramus te, and John Blow’s Salvator Mundi, in addition to the Gregorian chants.

Los Angeles Traditional Mass community celebrates 10 years of Summorum

To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in Los Angeles has created a video. In spite of not yet having their own church, the video shows the impact that the Mass and the FSSP community has made in the lives of the people of Los Angeles.

Watch the beautiful video below:

Pontifical Mass in Philadelphia for the Tenth Anniversary of the Effectuation of Summorum Pontificum

On Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 7pm, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a Solemn Pontifical Mass will be celebrated by His Excellency the Most Reverend Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, PA. The Mass will mark the 10th anniversary of the going-into-effect of Summorum Pontificum, the Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, which clarified that the Traditional Latin Mass was never abrogated and eliminated the need for priests to obtain permission to offer this Mass.

Event: Bishop Rifan Pontifical High Mass and conference in São Paulo celebrating Summorum Pontificum 10th anniversary

From a reader in Brazil:

Special Guest Op-ed: "The Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum at 10" - by Dr. Tom Woods

Benedict XVI vs. the Barbarians: Summorum Pontificum Ten Years Later"

Dr. Thomas Woods

The day the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum was released was an exceptionally unusual one for me: at last one of the seemingly lost causes I had championed for years had actually triumphed.

Knowing of the document's imminent release, I awoke early that morning and eagerly devoured the text itself along with its accompanying letter to the bishops.

What a delight to discover that basic Catholic truth so many of us had been called schismatics for defending: "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."

It called to mind one of my favorite quotations from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger:

I am of the opinion, to be sure, that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It's impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent.

Contrary to what Roger Cardinal Mahony and other leftists had told their flocks, moreover, allowance for the traditional liturgy -- henceforth to be referred to as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite -- was not simply for older folks who couldn't adapt. According to Benedict XVI, it "has clearly been demonstrated 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."

The old liturgy, Benedict further added, was "never juridically abrogated." Ah, the knots that so-called conservative Catholics tied themselves into to insist that the old Mass had indeed been abrogated. Well, they were wrong, which means they were likewise wrong to have demonized us for telling the truth.

I wound up writing a small book, Sacred Then and Sacred Now: The Return of the Old Latin Mass, for the purposes of (1) explaining and defending Pope Benedict's decision; (2) walking newcomers through the Extraordinary Form; (3) replying to common objections; and (4) explaining why features common to the Ordinary Form -- "Eucharistic ministers" and Communion in the hand, to name two -- were not to be introduced into the Extraordinary.

Despite my profound gratitude to Benedict, who expended enormous political capital on behalf of a small, despised group of the faithful, I still feel compelled to note a most unfortunate omission. We needed Benedict XVI to offer the Extraordinary Form publicly. My sources kept telling me such an act was imminent. It never occurred.

On the 10th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum: We thank in particular...

IN PRIMIS... Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Bishop Castro Mayer: long may their memories live!

The beautiful words of that great French hero of the Traditional Mass, Jean Madiran (1920-2013: Rest in peace!), who lived to see the miracle, remembering the names of some who died in the battlefield:

Summorum at 10: "The Mass will rise again" - Remembering Tito Casini

(First posted on the blog in the period leading up to the Motu Proprio.) 10 years later, we see the first rays of sun. In the very first minutes of the sun, it seems darkness will not give in. That certainly seems to be the case now: the light of Summorum Pontificum was a delightful moonbeam in a still frightful night.

But the sun will indeed rise again, the bats will leave their hiding places. Alleluia.

***

So many great names of the past deserve to be remembered! So many great men and women who shaped the debate in their nations and throughout the world.

We now honor the memory of a great Italian, poet and essayist Tito Casini (1897-1987). After a lifetime dedicated to literature, his last years were filled with his concern for the crisis of the Church, particularly the liturgical crisis. In the Italian-speaking world, Casini and another layman, Romano Amerio, were the most prominent voices against the wholesale demolition of the Roman liturgy.

Already in 1967, before the full replacement of the traditional rites had taken place, his book of protest "La Tunica Stracciata", prefaced by Cardinal Bacci, stirred the Church in Italy. Nearly 10 years later, in 1976, Casini published "Nel fumo di Satana: Verso l'ultimo scontro", with scathing criticism of the post-Conciliar reformers (he was also the first to publicly denounce Bugnini for strange connections, starting the process which would cause the latter's downfall).

His criticism was, nevertheless, filled with hope, as in one of his most beautiful texts, an article published in the aforementioned 1976 volume, an ode to the resurgence of the Traditional Mass, as seen from his abode in Tuscany:

Card. Burke Interview: Amoris Laetitia dubia, 10 years of Summorum, Fatima, and more

The Chartres Pilgrimage, Fatima, the 10th Anniversary of the Motu proprio, the Dubia: an interview with Cardinal Burke

TV Libertés (Terres de Mission/Jean-Pierre Maugendre)
via  Infocatho (Marie Ordioni)
June 20, 2017

During his recent stay in France, Cardinal Burke gave an exclusive interview to TV Libertés. We have transcribed the main points:

***

The Cardinal was in France for the Chartres pilgrimage. He celebrated Mass at the close of the pilgrimage on Monday in Chartres Cathedral.

He stated that he was very impressed by his visit to the camp and his meeting with all those who put themselves at the service of the pilgrims. He recalled that pilgrimages, which existed even in the Old Testament, were undertaken in the early Church and practised by Christ Himself. He also underlined the importance of making pilgrimages even today, of leaving behind the circumstances of our everyday existence to go in prayer and penance to a holy place in order to rediscover the supernatural in our lives. The Chartres pilgrimage, which is centred on the Sacred Liturgy, the fullest and highest expression of our life in Christ, is becoming increasingly attractive and the number of participants is set to increase in the years to come.

Institute of Christ the King -- Priestly Ordinarions 2017

Cardinal Burke will confer the Holy Order of Priesthood on six deacons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest at their church of Saints Michael and Cajetan in Florence, Tuscany, Italy on July 6, 2017:

Rev. Deacon Scott SMITH

Rev. Deacon Bertrand SIGROS

Rev. Deacon Jean-Guillaume de la CROCHAIS

Rev. Deacon Jonathan FEHRENBACHER

Rev. Deacon Benoît BELIGNÉ

Rev. Deacon Christian MAHLBERG

There will also be eight deacons and five sub-deacons ordained on July 5th by the Most Reverend Guido Pozzo, Titular Archbishop of Bagnoregio and secretary of the Ecclesia Dei commission.

Please keep these young men in your prayers.

[Note - image: 2016 ordinations]

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Summorum: FULL PROGRAM OF SUMMORUM ROME PILGRIMAGE 2017

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM 2017: GENERAL PROGRAMME

September 14-17, 2017

Thursday, 14 September 2017

9:00 - 18:00 Fifth Annual Colloquium on Summorum Pontificum: “A Renewed Youthfulness for the Whole Church” (see detailed programme below), Angelicum University

18:30 Vespers for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrated by His Excellency, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Basilica di San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio (Piazza Venezia)

Friday, 15 September 2017

Free morning for personal devotions and private visits

16:00 Way of the Cross (Colosseum area) led by the Institute of the Good Shepherd

19:00 Solemn Mass celebrated by Rev. Mons. Gilles Wach, Superior General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Saturday, 16 September 2017

9:00 Eucharistic Adoration, Chiesa di Santa Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova)

9:45 Solemn Procession through the streets of Rome led by His Excellency, Archbishop Guido Pozzo

11:00 Pontifical Mass celebrated by His Eminence, Carlo Cardinal Caffara, St. Peter’s Basilica, with choir directed by maestro Aurelio Porfiri

13:30 Buffet lunch for clergy, sponsored by Paix Liturgique and the FIUV (registration required)

Free afternoon for personal devotions and private visits

Sunday, 17 September 2017

11:00 Solemn Mass according to the Dominican Rite, celebrated by Fr. Dominique Marie de Saint-Laumer, Prior of the Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer, Chiesa di Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini

Please do note that detailed information (registration, accommodation, etc.) can be found form the programme page on our official website: 

https://www.summorumpontificum2017.org/en/programma/