Office of the Bishop
Diocese of Savannah
November 4, 2021
Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In his commentary on the Gospel of John, St. Augustine wrote...
O Sacramentum pietatis! O signum unitatis! O vinculum caritatis! O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond of charity! (In Joannis Evangelium, 26, 13)
These words serve as a reminder of the incredible power of the Eucharist to draw us more deeply into a relationship with God, the Church and one another. At every celebration of the Eucharist, simple elements of bread and wine are consecrated to become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Real Presence. The Eucharistic celebration of the Mass brings us together as God’s instruments of love, mercy and peace. Although Mass may be celebrated throughout the world in different languages and according to different rites, we are united in the Real Presence of Christ, who satisfies the hunger of our souls.
On July 16, 2021, Pope Francis issued the motu proprio, Traditionis custodes, with an accompanying ecclesiastical letter to address liturgical celebrations according to the norms of the Roman Missal of 1962. In the Diocese of Savannah, various churches have celebrated the Mass utilizing this Missal (also referred to as Mass in the Extraordinary Form or the Traditional Latin Mass) on a regular basis for over 15 years. After reviewing the motu proprio and seeking a better understanding of the spirit of the Holy Father’s words, it is evident that Pope Francis is allowing the local Ordinary (Bishop), as custodian of the celebration of liturgy and ritual celebrations, to determine the use of the Roman Missal of 1962 in his particular Diocese. Therefore, after prayer and discernment, I share with you the following directives for the celebration of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the Diocese of Savannah as of the First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021:
ƒ The public celebration of the Mass utilizing the Roman Missal of 1962 is to take place only with the designated frequency and in the following locations:
— Weekly on Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Mass on Christmas Day may also be celebrated.
— Monthly on Sunday at Most Holy Trinity Church in Augusta, St. Joseph Church in Macon and St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ray City.
ƒ The faithful attending these Masses must be registered at their local parish (i.e., parish of record).
ƒRev. Allan Joseph McDonald is appointed as Bishop’s Delegate for Mass in the Extraordinary Form to ensure that the pastoral needs of those attending the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Savannah are properly attended to.
ƒ Permission from the Ordinary is necessary for the celebration of Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals in the Extraordinary Form and is to be initially addressed to the Bishop’s Delegate noted above.
ƒ Families with children who attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the above-referenced locations are to participate in Sacramental Preparation and Faith Formation at their parish of record.
ƒ Priests who have received proper training to celebrate the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 must receive written permission from the Ordinary in order to celebrate these liturgies.
ƒ Those ordained after the issuance of Traditionis custodes must first request in writing permission from the Ordinary to pursue the necessary training to celebrate the liturgy using the Roman Missal of 1962. If local permission is granted, the Ordinary will subsequently petition the Apostolic See for approval.
Since my Episcopal Ordination and Installation as the Fifteenth Bishop of Savannah just over one year ago, I have attended the celebration of the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 and appreciate the reverence exhibited at these celebrations. As your Bishop, it is my hope that all liturgies, regardless of the Missal used, are celebrated with the dignity and reverence that draw the faithful deeper into the mysteries of our faith. I am grateful to our Priests for the diligence and care with which they celebrate and pray the liturgical rituals of our Church.
Today our liturgical calendar honors St. Charles Borromeo, who dedicated his life to leadership, catechesis and formation. I pray that through his intercession, our Diocesan family will be united in our desire to know, love and serve God and one another through our full, active and conscious participation at the celebration of the Eucharist. May our efforts to grow together in devotion, unity and charity be a beautiful public witness of the Kingdom here on earth.
Be assured of my prayers for you, your loved ones and your intentions. I appreciate your prayers for me as your Shepherd. May we meet each day in our prayers and Rejoice in the Lord always!
In Christ,
Most Reverend Stephen D. Parkes
Bishop of Savannah
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
† OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
20 comments:
Deo Gratias.
His excellency picked the right man. Deo Gratias
So what does that mean for your Tues evening TLM?
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As it concerns Saint Anne’s Tuesday 6pm EF Low Mass, beginning, Tuesday November 30, will be celebrated as an all Latin Ordinary Form Mass with Extraordinary Form sentiments. I’ve already done this a few times at our First Saturday Mass and our All Souls’ Requiem is a template for what the Tuesday Latin Mass will be. I will use the Roman Canon exclusively and in a lower voice, the Penitential Act will be at the foot of the altar.
Offering this Latin Mass with the post Vatican II Roman Missal, will allow us to chant the parts of the Mass, like the Kyrie, Sanctus, Mystery of Faith and Agnus Dei, which most already know.
Our Tuesday December 7th Immaculate Conception vigil Mass will be completely in Latin, except for the Liturgy of the Word (although the Gradual will be chanted in Latin) and we will also chant the proper Introit, Offertory and Communion Antiphons (from the 1974 Graduale Romanum)
Bishop Parkes has approved of this manner in celebrating the OF Mass in Latin.
If I read this correctly, His Excellency is restricting this significantly such that his Delegate can't even celebrate the TLM in his own parish. If I'm wrong, please correct me. If correct I'm not sure this is all good. It seems very restricted.
I do celebrate the Cathedral's EF Mass regularly and yes, this would be a restriction but in line with not having more than one parish in a deanery having this Mass. And yes the Pope's Motu Proprio is a restriction of the use of this Mass and if you read it closely the eventual elimination of it, but I doubt that will happen, but I am not clairvoyant.
I do hope that those parishes that desire a more traditional form of the Mass would consider what I posted for our All Souls' Day Requiem as a template for such.
That is the future I think. The EF Mass has in fact distracted those who desire a more reverent form of the Mass from implementing it with the Ordinary Form.
Did I read this right? If I'm not a registered member of the parish where the traditional Mass is offered, then I cannot attend Holy Mass there. ''ƒ The faithful attending these Masses must be registered at their local parish (i.e., parish of record).'' If so, there's something very wrong with that.
No William, you need to be registered in a parish, be it the one where you go for the EF Mass or your home parish. This would be for pastoral care/sacramental prep/and Sacraments/funeral rites.
Several of my registered parishioners attend the Cathedral EF Mass. but they are registered in Richmond Hill. They could choose to register at the Cathrfral.
Fr. McDonald,
I do not see the EF as a distraction for those who desire a more reverent OF liturgy. Rather, as mentioned by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his book, “The Spirit of the Liturgy,” it has been (and still is) a kind of liturgical “school” which serves as a continuing reminder of the character of the classical Roman Rite (which it is). One of the biggest problems with the reformed Roman Rite is that, due to the distraction of too much effort at inculturation of liturgy, it loses its Roman ethos and identity—-it becomes unmoored from what it is supposed to be. We need liturgies with historical elements and ethos (like the EF Latin Rite and the Ordinariate Mass) as examples to remind ourselves and others who have never experienced these things what good liturgy looks (and sounds) like.
I would agree that inculturation contributes to the problems in the Latin Rite you describe. Inculturation should be limited to popular devotions and sacramentals. We are not in the mainstream with this though!
Fr. McDonald,
Agreed. I would like to point out that being in the minority (I believe more and more are joining our view) doesn’t make us wrong!
Inasmuch as the Church is not "Roman" in its ontology or essence, but universal in its teleology and purpose, the cultural elements that are attached to a particular place might not warrant continuation.
Fr. K,
LOL - do you get your thesaurus out today? What does not warrant continuation is a Rite that does not instill belief in the Real Presence.
John Nolan, I need to censor your last sentence, but respond to your comment in which you state:
It is one thing for a bishop to impose such stringent conditions on his clergy - they are bound to obedience and can be easily policed. It is quite another thing to attempt to impose restrictions on the lay faithful, such as being registered in a parish and in the case of families with children being required to participate in so-called 'Sacramental Preparation and Faith Formation'. The latter is not only discriminatory but would serve no useful purpose.
The notion of a 'home parish' defined in territorial terms is rapidly becoming outmoded in any case.
The only justification for restricting the attendance of the laity at any public liturgical celebration is because of lack of space. For example, when social distancing was in force last April I needed a ticket for the Solemn Mass on Easter Sunday, issued free of charge on a first-come-first-served basis.
If a layman chooses to attend Mass in whatever form or rite he is perfectly entitled to do so. He is not required to be a Catholic or even a Christian, let alone registered in a parish. Bishop Parkes is clearly overstepping the mark here; he has neither the authority nor the power to restrict people in this way.
My Comments: The Bishop doesn’t care where Catholics attend Mass, including the Cathedral’s EF Mass or in the other locations. He wants people registered somewhere and in the place they expect pastoral care, the sacraments, as well as funerals. If they attend the Cathedral exclusively, certainly they should register there and they can.
He really hasn’t changed much except eliminating my Tuesday evening Mass which will become a Latin Ordinary Form Mass ad orientem.
He has made explicit, that with permission, he will allow baptisms, weddings and funerals. While there have been weddings and baptisms in the diocese, and I’ve done a few, there haven’t been any funerals, so that door is opened to people.
Fr AJM
'The faithful attending these [EF] Masses must be registered at their local parish (i.e. parish of record).'
This can only mean that such registration is a precondition of attendance, although this can't be enforced. If his Lordship merely wants people to register in their local parish, or any parish, for the reasons you state, this is a separate issue.
Last month Michel Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris, caused a storm when he went further than the letter of Traditionis Custodes and restricted the EF to five churches in Paris. Canon 18 enjoins that restrictive legislation must be interpreted strictly (i.e. narrowly). The principle is 'odiosa restringenda, favorabilia amplificanda'. Your bishop seems to have taken a leaf out of Aupetit's book.
TC is concerned with the Missal of 1962. The sacraments of Baptism, Penance and Extreme Unction, and all the rites for the deceased (apart from the Requiem Mass) are in the pre-V2 Rituale Romanum, the use of which does not require episcopal permission. I wouldn't put it past PF to attempt to suppress it, but so far he has not done so. Regarding funerals and weddings, what happens if someone in your parish requests a Requiem or a Nuptial Mass in the older rite? As Bishop's Delegate you can authorize it, and you are competent to celebrate it, but do you have to tell them they can't be married or buried in their own parish?
TJM,
One of the hallmarks of modernists is their love of using esoteric words to dazzle the unwashed. I guess it helps make up for the sheer boredom of the non-Traditional path.
John, I think we are seeing a need for what the bishop meant to be clarified as it is confusing people. If people who attend any of the EF Masses in the diocese and are registered no where, who do they consider their pastor, especially those who might use the parish of the EF Mass as a kind of shrine—they don’t belong; but they attend, which they have a right to do? But when it comes time for their children’s sacramental preparation, for baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals, and they have no parish of registration, who is responsible.
Certainly I have done many funerals for non-registered, non practicing Catholics, usually only a graveside or a funeral home Liturgy of the Word.
Catholics are members of their geographical parish, even if they aren’t registered, but if they wish a non-geographical parish to care for their pastoral needs, they should register there.
I hope I haven’t muddied that. But in no way is the bishop saying you can’t attend an EF Mass unless you are registered in a parish.
Firsf, congratulations Fr. McDonald and I personally appreciate what you have done.
Secondly, John Nolan may experience a different situation in his area. In the USA people are often registered in a parish yet attend Mass and even participate in various activities in an entirely different one. As a result, the dioceses has a wrong perception of donations, participation, etc. There is a thought in many dioceses that you should be registered and attend a geographical parish near your residence. The Latin Mass communities disturb this view because few live near the Latin parish. This is a factor in the closing of parishes in Dayton where 5~7 are being combined into one.
Fr AJM
I take your point, but if bishops are going to issue decrees restricting freedoms which were formerly enjoyed, they need to be framed in a clear and unambiguous manner, and interpreted strictly, in accordance with Canon 18. You are in effect saying that 'in no way' is the bishop saying what he clearly has said. You may be party to his thoughts and intentions, but most people are not.
In the last few years bishops in England have designated historic churches which would otherwise have closed as 'shrine' churches run by FSSP and ICRSS and which use the older rites exclusively. They have extensive sacramental preparation which is arguably more thorough than that provided by your 'normal' parish.
TC claims that the post-Conciliar books constitute the 'only' expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite. This is palpable nonsense and is in fact contradicted by the document itself. It is also emerging that the response to the questionnaire concerning Summorum Pontificum was not as PF suggests in his accompanying letter. If this is indeed the case, then TC is based on a deliberately false premise. There is another contradiction - bishops are given the responsibility to regulate the use of the EF in their own dioceses yet this is undermined by central directives in effect telling them what to do.
In light of all this, bishops should not waste time 'discerning' what PF's true purposes are; they are abundantly clear, as you yourself have pointed out.
Sophia here: Congrats on this appointment Father! Bishop Parkes is obviously aware of your long-established credentials in recognizing, appreciating and implementing the actual
Vatican 11 Documents-Sancrosanctum Concilium and Musicam Sancram- on the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy with it's respect for Latin and Gregorian Chant! Well before Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum in 2007 you were already celebrating the Ordinary Form Mass, Ad Orientem. It was therefore very easy for you to transition immediately to saying the Traditional Latin Mass, joyfully and gratefully, when given the opportunity! And now that Pope Francis' Traditionis Custodes has aimed a cannon ball squarely at the TLM, you can deftly pivot to saying the Latin Ordinary Form Mass Ad Orientem, which of course was likely what was initially intended by Vatican 11.
This is also probably a good time to remind the vast readership of this blog, that Vatican 11 did not abrogate the TLM- the One True Catholic Church was not established anew at that Council! There was supposed to be no "rupture"!
It was such a joy to have "accompanied" you on your glorious liturgical journey from its inception! You were ordained for such a time as this! God Bless you and give you many more healthy years to serve His people.
So now I ask you, Father McDonald, "Is prescience another of your special gifts?" I'm smiling of course!
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