Because of the restrictions placed against the Friars of the Immaculate concerning their liberal use of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, many people believed that Pope Francis would ultimately do away with the liberal allowance of this Mass in parishes. He really doesn't have to do that, because most priests who are opposed to the EF Mass won't allow it anyway. But I digress.
Father Z at WDTPRS, suggests that the Holy Father is fearful of two things in regards to this particular community:
"Also, a reliable source passed along to me (and I don’t have a way to verify this from a second source, so … take it as it is), that the restrictions on the use of the Usus Antiquior, established by the Congregation’s decree, were desired by Pope Francis to assure that:
1) there is no compulsion to use the Usus Antiquior;
2) this choice of the Usus Antiquior is not motivated by an ideological rejection of the Novus Ordo.
The Pope’s moves were not motivated by any animus against the Usus Antiquior. He is not against Benedict XVI’s legislation. Francis desires, once the above-mentioned conditions are verified, that permissions be granted to the friars who request to use also the Usus Antiquior. These points were made by the Holy Father to “a high-ranking Prelate in a recent personal conversation.”
Already, individual priests are being granted permission to celebrate the EF Mass regularly.
But keep in mind, there are some priests in parishes who are zealously foisting this form of the Mass on the laity because some of them do object to the Novus Ordo. This has caused great division in some parishes.
But it is good to know that the Holy Father isn't opposed to the EF Mass in principle but that he doesn't want it foisted on any one and we can only hope he will support those who do desire it as long as they don't reject the Ordinary Form of the Mass in this desire.
Perhaps Pope Francis is also on the same page of some future new missal that is more EF in ethos while preserving the best of what the OF now offers. Time will tell. The Church works in centuries.
11 comments:
"there are some priests in parishes who are zealously foisting this form of the Mass on the laity because some of them do object to the Novus Ordo."
Really? Parishioners somewhere who wanted the Novus Ordo, but deprived of it given only a TLM? Seriously? Not knowing of any such examples, it's rather hard to believe.
Though I've known of thousands of Catholics who wanted a TLM, but deprived of it, and given only a Novus Ordo Mass. Many still in this shape today. Where's the outrage?
"The Church works in centuries" . . except when it comes to what happened with liturgy between 1965 and the early 1980's!
The Church could've been compliant with the terms of Sacrosanctum Concilium and we still could've had a liturgy that would've changed at a pace which would've been barely perceptible within the lifetimes of individuals living during that period.
As one who has lived in that period, it's hard to accept such statements as "the Church works in centuries" when we must live out the rest of our lives with the results of an aberrant period when the Church changed the liturgy in flagrantly obvious and spiritually intrusive ways in less than two decades (I'm including the later phasing in of Communion in the Hand and EMHC's along with the 1970 New Order of Mass).
The Church must also be pastoral and just to those who find it often painful and very difficult to participate in an undistracted and spiritually focused way in the OF given the style and spirituality within which it is often celebrated in most parishes.
If both forms are valid why, then, does the Pope not look into reverse situations where the stable groups are having so much trouble? Is he going to force Eastern Rite Churches to use the NO? I don't know what to think of this.
RCG, the Latin Rite bishops know better than to foist the Ordinary Form Mass on the eastern rite. They would be stupid to require the eastern rite to celebrate the EF Mass. It would lead them (eastern rite) back to the Orthodox bishops.
So that will never happen.
Henry, part of the point of Fr. Z's article is that a small minority in the Friars of the Immaculate complained that they were being forced into the EF Mass and almost exclusively. The squeaky wheel gets the attention. So, even though the greater problem is that those who legitimately ask for the EF Mass aren't given it doesn't hold much water compared to the very small minority of parishes in this country where a priest might foist the EF Mass on an unwilling OF parish, but catering to the small minority rather than the majority.
But keep in mind, with Spanish Masses, this was done to Anglo Masses, where hybrids English/Spanish Mass become the norm or an all English Mass is turned into a Spanish Mass.
If we had maintained Latin as the primary language of the Mass, this wouldn't be as big of a problem today, but we would have to teach our congregations how to use a vernacular missal to follow the Mass and how to chant and speak the Latin parts of the Mass together. This is where Latin could have been a great uniter of our multi-cultural parishes and where we have failed miserably in this regard. The Diocese of Savannah is a good example of this. At St. Peter Claver Church up the road from my parish, they have a Hispanic Ministry to primarily Mexican immigrants and the 2 PM Spanish Mass is packed. But this group of people do not relate with the once predominant African American community for whom this parish was erected and the Anglo whites who helped to integrate this parish from the 1960's until today. In fact the whites hijacked the blacks of the parish by giving them folk music in the 1960's which they still sing today at the 11:15 AM Mass! Would it not be better for whites, blacks and Hispanics to be united in Latin Chant, a neutral liturgical genre, rather than the various cultural prejudices of liturgical music and style we have today that divide rather than unite?
I might post my thoughts on this as a later actual post.
Father McDonald,
I couldn't agree with you more on the desirability of having a single liturgy for all cultures which uses the language of the Church (Latin) to unite us and not show partiality to any cultural group. This is why we need wider availability of the EF (with both English and Spanish missals) to reintroduce and refamiliarize parishes with Latin so that it can be used more regularly in the OF. Further, Latin is closer to to Spanish than it is at English. Such a transition should be easier for Hispanics than for Anglos.
We have started having monthly English/Spanish Masses in our parish to help bring us all together (which is commendable). The bad part is the exuberant loud musical style of the Spanish Mass which either turns off the Anglos or emboldens the more "progressive" elements of the Anglo group for more "Praise and Worship" styles of music in English. This is the opposite of what is needed. I have noticed that many Hispanics show a very deep and pious reverence in many other ways but the style of their choir does not promote quiet and reverence at Mass--it is anything but sedate and pious in style!
I know that all Hispanic Catholics are not a monolithic group in terms of their spiritualities and liturgical tastes, just like any other cultural group. Surely there are some "traditionalist" Hispanic Catholics!
We need the EF for Anglos and Hispanics! Mass for Spanish-speaking people need not be uniformly a loud tambourine and guitar affair which is difficult to sit through!
"Henry, part of the point of Fr. Z's article is that a small minority in the Friars of the Immaculate complained that they were being forced into the EF Mass and almost exclusively."
More precisely, Fr. McDonald, it was a grand total of 7 of these Friars out of a total of about 700 in the order, who made such a claim.
It is ancient and accepted feature of monastic life that a particular monastery adopts uniform practices--frequently decided by the abbot--that all its monks adhere to. It is therefore entirely legitimate in a monastery for the Novus Ordo to be imposed on monks who prefer the TLM, and vica versa.
But to suggest that this is equivalent to the TLM being imposed on a parish that prefers the Novus Ordo, is disingenuous at best. (Again, where has this ever happened?)
And so far as papal action is concerned, this is what's called a pretext, not a reason.
Joseph:
The Church works in centuries, but iconoclasts work around the clock.
"...There are some priests in parishes who are zealously foisting this form of the Mass on the laity because some of them do object to the Novus Ordo. This has caused great division in some parishes."
I wish to add my voice to Henry's question: where has this happened?
Yes, indeed. Please have one of these Priests come and foist the EF on me.
I've only attended a Spanish Mass once, ten years ago in Seville. The vestments were Spanish baroque, the choir sang a polyphonic Latin Ordinary and everything was very dignified. I've also heard liturgical music by native Mexican composers from the 16th to the 18th centuries which didn't feature guitars and tambourines.
Hahaha, Gene. The truth is there are many priests, including several friends and acquaintances of mine, who would love to have the opportunity to offer the Old Mass every Sunday. But I don't know a single priest in good standing anywhere who thinks it would be appropriate to force the Old Mass onto anyone.
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