LITURGICAL DIVERSITY AND DOCTRINAL UNITY

There has always been liturgical diversity in the Latin Rite. In fact prior to Vatican II there were several different rites in the Latin Rite, such as the Domincan Rite. There were not major differences, but there were differences. After Vatican II the Liturgical reform seem to diminish the unique characteristics of the various rites such as the Domincian and Ambrosian.

With the recovery of the form of the Mass and sacraments from the post Trent era, there has also been a recovery of the different rites of the Church of that period too. For this we must thank Pope Benedict XVI and his vision for Summorum Pontificum which unshackled the liturgical life of the Church of the post Trent era for a broader experience of it for the faithful.

So today we have the Ordinary or normative form of the Mass which in itself either by way of law or unlawful liturgical creativity has a variety of styles to it, not only in form but music and cultural accretions. It can look and feel like the pre-Vatican II Mass if sung and spoken in Latin ad orientem or it can look like a Methodist Church liturgy through liturgical creativity and iconoclasm.

We also have the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. It is reigid in terms of rubrics and style and is not open to experimentation or creativity.

Along with the EF Mass we have the various other rites of this genre being recovered as mentioned above.

And now we have the Anglican Use Mass that in and of itself includes a great deal of diversity. What is interesting about it is that it is optional for Anglican Use priests and congregations. They may choose the normative Latin Rite Mass or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass or the Anglican Use Mass.

Of course we already know that the Anglican Use Mass allows for something that one would hope will be extended as a option to the Normative or Ordinary Form Latin Rite Mass, the options of the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar to replace the Penitential Act with a reorientation of the order of the Introductory rite more according to the EF format. Also the EF's Offertory Prayers and the rubrics for the Roman Canon in the EF Form although with the option of the vernacular is allowed and the Last Gospel.

One would think if the Anglican Use Mass can have these optioins with a Roman Calendar that includes some EF sensibilities such as Septuagesima and ember days and the Octave of Pentecost, that these would be extended to the normative Latin Rite in the Ordinary Form. One can only pray that this would be so.

But someone has brought up an interesting thing. If Anglican Use priests, those who are former Episcopalians ordained as Catholic priests for the Anglican Ordinariate have the option of celebrating Mass in all the forms allowed in the Latin Rie, such as the Extraordinary Form, the Ordinary Form and the revised Anglican Use Mass, why can't this be extended to all Latin Rite priests and parishes?

Of course, currently any priest can celebrate the Ordinary Form. They can celebrate the EF if they know how to red and chant the Latin but Ordinary Form Latin Rite Catholic priests have not been authorized to celebrate the revised Anglican Use Mass, although I suspect a local bishop could grant permission based upon need if there were a significant number of former Episcopalians in a particular Catholic parish.

What do you think? Should all Latin Rite priests have permissioin to celebrate not only the OF Mass along with th eEF Mass but now also the Anglican Use Mass?