This video is produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's Catholic New Service which makes it all the more remarkable. My comments to follow:
MY COMMENTS: I don't believe this to be hyperbole, but from what I detect the Catholics who attend our EF Mass seem to take the Catholic faith and her spirituality very seriously. They seem to truly believe in the Real Presence of Christ and this brings them to a true sense of hushed awe and wonder. Their faith seems more than just skin deep but rooted in the strongest traditions of the Church rather than simply feelings. They know the Faith too and are doctrinally grounded.
The video points out what many of us know, the Extraordinary Form in countries like France is producing far more vocations to the priesthood compared to Ordinary Form Masses. The statistics don't lie.
The statistic that isn't pointed out is that when the Church only celebrated the Extraordinary Form Mass as the Ordinary Form prior to Vatican II, the Church at large enjoyed the same statistical edge in terms of priestly vocations that only the EF communities seem to enjoy today.
As I mentioned in my post, "WELL, THIS PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP" only a recovery of the unique role of the ordain priest being the liturgical and sacramental sign of Jesus Christ the High Priest will we see an increase in vocations coming from Ordinary Form Mass communities:
"And yes, isn't that the sacramental sign of the priest at Mass? He is the sacramental sign of Jesus Christ who represents us before God the Father and who speaks to us on God the Father's behalf. Have we lost that in the last 50 years--the profound sacramental character of Holy Orders and its necessity for the validity of the Mass and signage of Jesus Christ? I would say that the reason we have so few vocations to the priesthood today compared to the pre-Vatican II times lies precisely in the loss of the reason for the priest and his unique calling not fulfilled by anyone else in the congregation. He is the priest, the sign of Christ the High Priest who brings us to God and God to us! If that isn't perfectly clear, why would a young man consider the priesthood?"
I still contend that the Extraordinary Form Mass should be allowed to flourish and that bishops should encourage their priests to learn how to celebrate it and promote it through invitation, encouragement and example for it will produce vocations to the priesthood in the long-run. It will also change the way in which they understand the Ordinary Form of the Mass and even how they celebrate the Ordinary Form and they will make their art of celebrating more in continuity with the Extraordinary Form.
At the same time, bishops need to allow priests who are celebrating the Extraordinary Form to make the Ordinary Form more like the Extraordinary Form in looks and spirituality even if totally in the vernacular.
This is my simple suggestion for the Ordinary Form of the Mass completely celebrated as the GIRM and Rubrics already require but with the following adaptations.
I. The recovery of the official Entrance Chant chanted in chant form, even if a metrical hymn is also used, but all metrical hymns scrupulously chosen for its Catholic character, spirituality and doctrine.
II. After the altar is reverenced and kissed, the priest and ministers go to the foot of the altar ad orientem for the Sign of the Cross, Greeting and Penitential Act. After the absolution the priest approaches the center of the altar for the chanting of the Kyrie if not already incorporated in the Penitential Act and the Gloria.
III. The Collect is chanted from the Epistle side of the altar after the priest turns to the congregation at the altar's center chanting or saying, "Let us pray."
IV. The Liturgy of the Word is as is in the Ordinary Form with the Roman Missal being transferred to the Gospel side of the altar as in the EF Mass while the Gospel Acclamation is chanted.
V. The Credo and Universal Prayer are chanted with the priest at the center of the altar.
VI. The Offertory Procession in the normal way, the Liturgy of the Eucharist Ad Orientem.
VII. Holy Communion is distributed kneeling. During Holy Communion the Roman Missal is transferred in the solemn way of the EF Mass back to the Epistle side of the Altar.
VIII. The Post Communion Prayer is at the Epistle side of the altar, the final blessing from the center of the altar facing the congregation along with the Go in Peace.
IX. The Recessional in the normal way.
X. The choreography of the altar servers is according to the EF Mass.
The only caveat to my suggestions above is the scrupulous guarding of what is sung and what instruments are used. We need a classical approach to sacred music and Catholic chant even in the vernacular and we need to exclude guitar, piano, tambourines and the like.
11 comments:
How insightful on this disappointing morning as we learn who won the Presidential election in the USA, that you post about the EF Mass and the well grounded nature of those who are drawn to it, and it's fertile ground for vocations. Couldn't be a more perfect posting, IMHO!!!
~SqueekerLamb
As a case in point, the Knoxville Latin Mass Community's seminarian at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, "captured" in this CNS video (at left):
http://www.knoxlatinmass.net/Michael.jpg
Michael's first TLM was Knoxville's first at which he served. He credits his vocation to the TLM.
Father McDonald,
About that caveat:
Among the instruments you would exclude from Mass, could that include stereos and record players? I've been going to Mass at a Church that turns on the stereo with touchy-feely "love songs to Jesus" every time Communion starts. I can't pray and am nearly nauseous from the auditory pabulum I am force-fed every week. Silence would be a huge improvement.
If a young man of good character thinks the Mass is a happy communal gathering and the role of a priest is to be a poorly paid social worker, is it any wonder he passes on a vocation?
"from what I detect the Catholics who attend our EF Mass seem to take the Catholic faith and her spirituality very seriously. They seem to truly believe in the Real Presence of Christ and this brings them to a true sense of hushed awe and wonder."
Ahem--
What you're describing is a very narrow, reactionary type of pre-Vatican II spirituality that refuses to take into account all the newer and equally valid spirituality of modern times. You can be just as Catholic and close to God without going to confession or knowing Latinout or believing in superstitious stuff about communion. "Gift of Finest Wheat" and "On Eagles' Wings" really speak to me and I'm not sure I like the fact that you think those reactionaries love God more than I do. Just because I find God in my garden and country strolls on Sunday mornings more easily than I do in a stuffy church doesn't mean I'm any less Catholic than those pre-Vatican II creeps. I go to church, but it's pharisaic for me to have to go EVERY Sunday. I would go more if we could ordain women priests since they would understand where I'm coming from better than celibate men. They would probably talk a lot less about sin--all this sin stuff is such a downer. I mean, the women who go to those Masses are so oppressed by their husbands and all the men who run the church that they still wear mantillas! The fact that I use birth control has NOTHING to do with how much I love God or how Catholic I am. Judge not, lest you be judged! I think it's great that Obama won and he and his administration are going to force the reactionaries in the church to move into the 21st century! If those right-wing evangelical crazies had won they would have enslaved women again!
You know, it's kind of disturbing how easily I was able to slap this together . . .
Yes, taped music was encourage in the 1970's but should be anathema today!!!!
Traditional parishes exude patriarchy, which is attractive to men (and women). The mass is the most important thing on earth but trad parishes have all the other "stuff" too that causes a family to live their life around Catholicism. All the rituals in the Roman Ritual, everyone is invested in scapulars and medals, confraternities, and soldalities are full and active, the trad calendar is followed-Ember day fasts etc. Processions, 40 hours, churching of women, veils on women, men in suits, children carry rosaries and get together on their own to say the rosary-and aren't embarrassed to do so,etc etc etc. Father you are so very right in your observation !!!!!
From a young male's perspective, the whole concept of priest-as-glorified-social worker is absolutely disgusting. It is effeminate and girly. Such a life is viewed is an eminently unattractive waste of time--and family, and wife, and economic stability--for a young man.
It is very plausible to have a priest who is confident in his masculinity, a great celebrant of liturgy, a good counselor and confessor, without him being some wimpy narcissistic girlyman who thrives on attention and gives in to everyone and calls himself "presider of the gathering" or some nonsense.
In no way do I wish to insinuate that most priests are gay, but what kind of vocations, if any, do you think you're gonna get when the priesthood is viewed as some corps of high school guidance counselors with funky clothes? Not that a gay priest is necessarily a bad priest, but clerical homosexuality has been linked to sexual abuse, if I'm not mistaken. An effeminate looking priesthood will, absolutely will, attract more gay men to the priesthood, I am certain of it.
ytc, you are so speaking my mind! "Does this pink stole make me look gay?" At least the gay marriage thing will provide us with a lot of new good jokes...LOL!
ytc
Now wait for the inevitable comments from the PTB crowd. "What about all that lace? And gold brocade? The TLM is a magnet for homosexuals!" They actually ran this thread over a year ago (before I was banned from the site) and when I pointed out that British Army padres in Afghanistan celebrate the EF because the troops find it straightforward and soldierly, the blog's editress insinuated it was because the soldiers were probably at least closet gays. I would suggest for her own safety she doesn't repeat these views in Aldershot or Catterick.
There are many orthodox young men in diocesan seminaries who have managed to bluff their way through a selection process designed to weed them out, and after ordination will be learning and using the classic Roman Rite.
In the "old days" it was a standard observation that the altar boys that the girls most waited for to come out of the sacristy after Mass were--unfortunately, at least for girls looking for likely husbands--the very ones most likely to go instead to the seminary. The standard explanation was that the traditional priest was the most manly and masculine model that most boys were exposed to, and hence were motivated to emulate.
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