MANY TAKE OFFENSE AT THE TERM “NERVOUS DISORDER” TO DESCRIBE THE FABRICATED MASS OF BUGNINI, THE 1969 ROMAN MISSAL, BUT, WHAT WOULD WE SAY OF THE EASTERN RITE IF BUGNINI HAD DONE TO IT WHAT HE DID TO THE 1962 ROMAN MISSAL?

 I copy below what is at Fr. Z’s blog. It makes a great point, because Bishop Bugnini, with St. Pope Paul VI’s promulgation, did to the 1962 Roman Missal what he might have done to the Eastern Rite St. John Chrysostom Divine Liturgy if he had the chance and authority to do so:

Peter Kwasniewski invites a mind experiment.

Let us run with this thought experiment for a moment. Imagine the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom as our starting point. Now, take away most of the litanies; substitute a newly-composed anaphora (with only the words of consecration remaining the same); change the troparia, kontakia, prokeimena, and readings; greatly reduce the priestly prayers, incensations, and signs of reverence; and while we’re at it, hand cup and spoon to the laity, so they can tuck in like grown-ups. [By the way, I recently published at NLM two satirical posts that presented, in detail, such a “reform” of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: see here and here.]

Would anyone in his right mind say that this is still the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in any meaningful sense of the term?

Sure, it might be “valid,” but it would be a different rite, a different liturgy.

Just for good measure, let’s say we also remove the iconostasis, turn the priest around, take away some of his vestments and substitute ugly ones, and replace all the common tones of the ordinary chants with new melodies reminiscent of Broadway show tunes and anti-Vietnam folk songs. Now we’d have not only a different rite but a totally different experience. It is not the same phenomenon; it is not the same idea (in Newman’s sense of the word “idea”); it is not the expres­sion of the same worldview; indeed, it is not the same religion, if we take the word in the strict meaning of the virtue by which we give honor to God through external words, actions, and signs.

We are our rites.

Change the rites and, over time, the content of what people who attend those rites will change.

Once their belief changes, their behavior will change.

This is an AI description of the Order of the St. John Chrysostom Divine Liturgy:

 The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the main Eucharistic service in Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches, divided into the Liturgy of the Word (readings, hymns, sermons) and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (Great Entrance, Anaphora/Eucharistic Prayer, Communion, Dismissal). Key parts include the Great Litany, Antiphons, the Little Entrance with the Gospel, Epistle/Gospel readings, the Trisagion hymn, the Creed, the Eucharistic Prayer over the gifts, the Our Father, Communion, and final prayers and dismissal. 

Structure of the Liturgy

1. Preparation (Off-stage/Prothesis)

• Priest and Deacon prepare the bread and wine (the gifts). 

2. Liturgy of the Word (Liturgy of the Catechumens)

• Opening Blessing: "Blessed is the Kingdom...".
• Great Litany: Series of petitions for the world, Church, and people.
• Antiphons: Psalms sung in response to petitions, often with hymns.
• Little Entrance: Procession with the Gospel Book, often with the hymn "Only-Begotten Son".
• Trisagion Hymn: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal" (sung before readings).
• Epistle Reading: From the New Testament (Acts, Epistles).
• Gospel Reading: From the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
• Homily/Sermon: Explanation of the readings. 

3. Liturgy of the Eucharist (Liturgy of the Faithful)

• Great Entrance: Priest and Deacon process with the prepared gifts (bread and wine) to the altar.
• Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer): The central prayer of consecration, including the Cherubic Hymn, the Sursum Corda, Sanctus, Words of Institution, and Epiclesis.
• Creed (Symbol of Faith): Recitation of the Nicene Creed.
• Our Father: The Lord's Prayer.
• Fraction & Preparation for Communion: Breaking the bread, prayers over the gifts.
• Holy Communion: Distribution of the consecrated bread and wine. 

4. Dismissal

• Post-Communion Prayers: Prayers of thanksgiving.
• Final Blessing & Dismissal: "Let us depart in peace...". 

This liturgy is a central, festive celebration of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, rich in symbolism, prayer, and scripture, emphasizing unity and participation. 

THIS REMINDS ME OF THOSE GOOD PEOPLE, MANY OF WHOM ARE GOOD, PRACTICING CATHOLICS, PROTESTING ICE IN MINNEAPOLIS!

 In Charlotte, the Bishop and his chancery are the neo-ICE which needs to be protested:

Thousands upon thousands of Catholics protest the Charlotte “ICE” Chancery about the Orwellian restrictions placed upon good, practicing Catholics, some of them undocumented traditionalists. Well, maybe hundreds? But hyperbole is always organic development:

Catholics gathered outside of Charlotte Diocese Pastoral Centre yesterday to pray in reparation after a ban on altar rails and kneelers went into effect and enforced by ICE in the Diocese.

A PLEA TO POPE LEO: AS YOU TEACH ABOUT WHAT VATICAN II ACTUALLY TAUGHT, NOT VARIOUS HETERODOX INTERPRETATIONS ON THE LEFT OR RIGHT, MAKE CLEAR THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ORTHODOX INTERPRETATION OF VATICAN II IN CONTINUITY WITH WHAT PRECEDED VATICAN II FOR ALMOST 2,000 YEARS!

There are two kinds of heterodox Catholics today, or at least two main types, the heterodox left and the heterodox right. They are one coin with two sides.

The heterodox left, the majority of Catholics, are all over the place as it concerns the true identity of Catholicism and individual Catholics and parishes. They are like reeds swaying in the wind, embracing every fad and trend in society and culture no matter how opposed these are to Jesus Christ and His splendor of Truth.

But they are all over the place and aren’t as organized as the heterodox right. Although they are catching up with the German synodal way and its organized heterodoxy where an entire nation may repeat its schism during the Protestant Reformation—a horrible wound to Church unity then and now, now!

The heterodox right are more organized with their heterodox rejection of Vatican II, an ecumenical council approved by both the pope and bishops in union with him. 

They truly want what will never happen, the abrogation of Vatican II. The model for this is the SSPX but also other groups. SSPX is in an irregular union with the pope but not quite yet in a true schism. But there are other groups, similar to the SSPX, the sedevacantists, who are in true schism. But nothing on the right compares to what is happening on the left that might consume an entire nation—Germany!

Pope Leo in his Vatican II catechesis, must make clear what is the authoritative interpretation of Vatican II and call out heterodox interpretations on the left and right, and enunciate what these heterodox interpretations are. He must not leave things ambiguous—call out with examples the heterodox left and right as it concerns Vatican II!

At the same time, I hope the Holy Father will make clear that there can be differing opinions on how best to engage the Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, non Christian religions, agnostics and atheist and the world in general.

His Holiness needs to distinguish between holy engagement with the non-Catholic world but not embracing the “world, the flesh and the devil” as the heterodox left love doing. Nor can the Church embrace puritanical views that are a kind of neo-Jansenism, prevalent with the heterodox right. 

As is concerns Sacrosanctum Concilium, Pope Leo must make clear what the problems are in the Bugnini Mass that are not faithful to this document and show a path to rectify it, the reform the reform! That will not be too difficult to do because it is so obvious that not only is the Bugnini Mass not in continuity with what Vatican II taught, but what has happened in the development of its implementation is even further away, in terms of liturgical abuse and also what is called inculturation. 

In the south where I live, if you want a particular form of inculturation, just how would you do it with the “redneck” communities? See the problems? 

But to all the heterodox right, fidelity to Vatican II means that the liturgy will experience a revision from what was celebrated in the 1962 Roman Missal.

1. There must be the preservation of Gregorian Chant for the Propers and Parts of the Mass which then preserves Latin and Greek in every Mass.  The other parts of the Mass, orations, prefaces, Eucharistic Prayers should have the option of the vernacular—Just think how this alone will enable priests to celebrate Mass which includes all language groups in his parish at one Mass! Did Vatican II demand a multiplicity of Eucharistic Prayers and Penitential Acts? NO, NO, NO !!! Did Vatican II even imply that the core order of the Mass should be changed? NO, NO, NO!!!!!

2. Declare that “noble simplicity” referred to the Pontifical Mass rubrics and the Solemn Sung Mass, with deacon, subdeacon and MC—I think that is what SC was most concerned about, not your typical parish low or high Mass. 

3. Revisit how deleterious to the reform of the Mass was “ressourcement” meaning going backwards in time to the early Church Fathers and how the Mass might have been celebrated then and in the catacombs or in “house churches”. This led to the stripping down and tossing of almost every organic development in the Latin Rite by Bugnini. Fortunately, Bugnini didn’t have the authority to do the same thing to the Eastern Rites whose liturgies still have their 2,000 year tradition of organic development of their liturgy!

4. Revisit the revision of the lectionary and why an expansion was not added which kept the ancient lectionary as at least Year A. And while the pope is at it, why Scripture is changed or eliminated when it comes to dropping the propers for individualistic choices to replace them! 

As it concerns the revised lectionary, many today acknowledge that the Sunday Lectionary has too many readings: Old Testament, Responsorial Psalm, New Testament, Gospel Acclamation, Gospel. The older lectionary just had the Epistle, Gradual/Alleluia (tract or sequence on occasion) and Gospel. Having more Scripture on Sunday should have been limited to making the Ancient Lectionary year A and then Year B and C modeled after Year A’s original lectionary. Doing it this way would add more Old Testament Readings and readings not found in the Original Lectionary. But at the same time, not overwhelm participants at Mass with too many Scripture readings. And do not allow the Scriptures that are the propers of the Mass to be changed or eliminated!!!!

5. And shall we speak about the debacle of modern idioms of music, secular tunes, with religious words?

A LOSS OF DIRECTION LEADING TO A CRISIS AND MALAISE OF IDENTITY—WHERE PETER IS, AKA, WHERE POPE FRANCIS WAS, IS IN CRISIS

Mike Lewis of  “Where Peter Is” seems off-balanced since Pope Leo. Read is most recent commentary at his blog:

Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

Dear Readers,

I’ve been meaning to write this since mid-December, and I apologize for the delay. Health issues, family responsibilities, prayer, and discernment all played a role in pushing this note back longer than I intended.

As Christmas approached, I stepped away more than I ever have since Where Peter Is was founded nearly eight years ago. It was not planned, but by the time Christmas eve rolled around, I realized that I needed some time to rest. For the first time, I allowed myself something like a sabbatical. The result, unfortunately, was unanswered emails, unpublished submissions, and delayed responses. If anyone has been frustrated by this bottleneck, I am responsible and I’m sorry. 

The rest Here…

My most astute and humble comments: The heterodox left of the 1960’s and 70’s were very anti-Pope Paul VI especially after he promulgated Humanae Vitae. All their heterodox left hopes were dashed by that document and Pope Paul’s upholding an all male priesthood. By the time I entered the seminary in 1976, the last full year of Paul VI’s papacy, the animosity against him by the so-called “liberal” wing of the Church was at an all time high. 

Their hatred for Paul VI was mild compared to their hatred for St. Pope John Paul II and then Pope Benedict XVI.

Finally the aging liberals of my age and the backward looking younger generation enamored with the heady-post-Vatican II heterodoxy of the 1960’s and 70’s got their pope in Pope Francis. 

Once pope hating heterodox Catholics who decried the ultra-Montanism of the Orthodox right, they became extremely ultra-Montane when they realized that Pope Francis was just what they wanted. . He would crush the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI and crush the pre-Vatican II Mass and all things pre-Vatican II. He would open processes needed for gay marriages by allowing the blessing gay relationships, open the processes needed for a female (or whatever gender is claimed) diaconate, and one day to priests, bishops and the pope. He would begin processes that would lead to the collapse of Humanae Vitae, and natural law and he would turn some sins into virtues, especially in the areas of sexuality and invite todas, todas, todas, into the Church with no strings attached. All of this would be accomplished by the new synodality he promoted that would lead to parliamentary processes changing the doctrines, morals and sacraments of the Church, a parliamentary process undermining the authority of bishops and making the laity equal in voting. The Church would no longer be a hierarchy. We would have not a new Church, but a different church.

But now, the heterodox left are in a state of anxiety about Pope Leo XIV as His Holiness is reversing so much of what Pope Francis did, especially his “humility” in dress, vestments, residence and so much more. All the externals the heterodox left hate, Leo is embracing. 

He is making synodality more orthodox and my bet it will return authority to the College of Cardinals and the College of Bishops, but with lay collaboration and input. 

And then the poor old “Where Peter Is” blog, created to promote their newly found ultra-Montanism in their most humble and Vatican II Pope, Pope Francis, is now dealing with Pope Leo who is courting the disenfranchised of the popes prior to Pope Francis.

WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? OH! WHAT IS “WHERE PETER IS” TO DO? 

I recommend folding up and throwing the towel in or merge with the National catholic Reporter!