I started the day with a walk on the beach to Skillits for breakfast. Then drove 35 miles to our Cathedral Basilica in Savannah for the last Traditional Latin Mass there at 1 pm. Next Sunday it moves to Sacred Heart Church about six blocks away. It is such a beautiful form of the Mass.
The outdoor breakfast is crab cake eggs Benedict in honor of Pope Benedict.
This was my last Christmas Midnight Mass at Saint Joseph Church in Macon. It was December 25, 2015 beginning at 12 AM midnight.
It is a hybrid of English and Latin.
He uses a figure of speech often used in the late 60’s and 70’s to denigrate those Catholics who did not want to give up much of what the spirit of Vatican II was destroying.
“And [looking backward] is a sin because it does not go forward with the Church. Instead tradition said someone-I think I said it in one of the speeches-tradition is the living faith of the dead, instead these [who are] looking backward who call themselves traditionalists, it is the dead faith of the living.”
Of course, stereotyping and caricaturing traditional Catholics in this way is abusive. Yes, some may be this way, but is Pope Emeritus Benedict? Is Cardinal Mueller? Are other great theologians, bishops, priests, religious and laity like this? No! No! And No! And thus the Holy Father makes angry and turns off a significant number of Catholics who otherwise would support His Holiness. It’s not their fault, but His Holiness’ fault, let’s be clear on this!
And speaking out both sides of His Holiness’ mouth also alienates many left wing loons, but not all left wingers are loons of course, but even here solid left-wingers scratch their head and wonder, “what the hell is the Holy Father saying?”
For example:
Severina Elisabeth Bartonitschek (CIC)
Yesterday you also spoke of the fraternity of the Church, a community that knows how to listen and enter into dialogue, that promotes a good quality of relationships. But a few days ago, the Holy See released a statement on Germany's Synodal Way, an un-signed text. Do you think this way of communication contributes, or is an obstacle, to dialogue?
First of all, that statement was issued by the Secretariat of State... it was a mistake not to say that... I think it said [it was] a statement of the Secretariat of State but I'm not sure. It was a mistake not to sign it as Secretariat of State, but an administrative error, not of ill will. And regarding the Synodal Way, I wrote a letter. I did it on my own: a month of prayer, reflection, consultation. And I said everything I had to say about the Synodal Way. I will not say more than that, that letter I wrote two years ago is the Papal Magisterium on the Synodal Way. I went over the Curia, since I didn't carry out consultations [in the Curia], nothing. I did it as my own journey, as a pastor [on behalf of] a Church that is seeking the way, as a brother, as a father, and as a believer. And that is my message. I know that it's not easy, but everything is in that letter. Thank you.
Here is the unsigned communication for you to read.
Here is the 2019 letter to German Catholics (a synopsis) for you to read.
What does it all mean? It is a head scratcher. The next pope will make clear what this pope is doing or His Holiness, the new pope, will have to rehabilitate the current living emeritus pope and continue to move forward with that vision for the Church.
But let’s be clear, there are two visions and one of them is leading to a major schism similar to what is happening in the Anglican Communion and its long running synodal way.
Read about that here:
I thought to myself during the papal visit that not too many Canadians turned out for the papal Masses and events. But no one seem to make any comment from the sites I turn to for Catholic news.
But now a Canadian Catholic journalist, albeit conservative, offers his take on why no one turned out for a papal pilgrimage. To be fair, ETWN’s Father Raymond DeSuza does say some things about this as does EWTN, although I did not see these until our watched the video.
The other thing I learned from this video is that the so-called mass graves of indigenous children at state run schools managed by religious groups, 60% of these managed or run by Catholic religious orders, did not in fact exist. It was a lie to magnify an already horrible scandal of abuse of all kinds against indigenous peoples of Canada.
The lie about mass graves resulted in many attacks against Catholic institutions and desecrations. It is all rather sad, scandalous and tragic. I think it was eye opening for the Holy Father that there was so little interest in his trip, especially given his physical limitations and may be a sign to him that indeed he should resign as His Holiness indicates in the high altitude frank interview he gave on his return from this trip:
A new development this week in the “other” liturgy war: An archbishop at the center of a fight over whether priests in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church should continue being allowed to face the people throughout the liturgy has resigned at the Vatican’s request.
Kariyil is the only Syro-Malabar leader to have issued a dispensation exempting priests from adopting a uniform mode of celebrating the Syro-Malabar Church’s Eucharistic liturgy, which requires priests to face east for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The majority of clergy in Archbishop Kariyil’s Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese want to continue facing the people throughout the Eucharistic liturgy, a practice they have followed for the past 50 years.
Let me just bullet point that for you: the Vatican asked an archbishop to resign because he is NOT requiring his priests to celebrate ad orientem. It’s a big Church in a crazy world.
You can read about Kariyil’s resignation here, and catch up on the whole story of what is happening in the Syro-Malabar Church here.
The Traditional Latin Mass is moving from the Cathedral in Savannah, to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Savannah, about six blocks away for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost, the first Sunday in August. I am sadly blessed to be the celebrant for the last Sunday TLM at our Cathedral. It has been there for almost fifteen years.
December 8, 2019, The Solemn Sung TLM for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at Savannah Cathedral's high altar:
The choir was great and the vestments very traditional. At the beginning of the Mass it was said that the vestments would reflect indigenous inculturation, but as far as I could tell, the chasubles and miters were very traditional as was the cope the Holy Father wore along with a very nice miter.
The choir and music was nice but very eclectic. This is typical of the modern Mass to be disjointed this way.
Accommodating the Holy Father’s inability to celebrate the entire Mass himself, he wore a cope and celebrated the Introductory and concluding rites from his chair and seated. He spoke English for these parts of the Mass, but his homily was in Spanish. The Eucharistic Prayer, celebrated by the archbishop of the area was in Latin and spoken quite clearly and eloquently, although the Mystery of Faith was in English. Very odd.
Overall, it was a beautiful Mass for the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, but very eclectic. Unfortunately the propers were not chanted. Even if all the other music remained, the chanted propers, which are Scriptures assigned to particular Masses and a lavish use of them as Vatican II requested, would have improved the Mass. Why this isn’t mandatory is beyond me and so opposed to what Vatican II requested.
When I was a child, prior to Vatican II, I was very inquisitive about what the priest was doing at the altar and that I could not see what he was doing.
I told my father it would be nice to see what the priest is doing. He told me that in some churches in Rome, like St.Peter’s, the altar faces the congregation. But, he didn’t suggest that for our humble little church. He suggested mirrors be hung behind and above the altar for everyone to see the priest.
What a great idea!
This is my home chapel’s pre-Vatican II altar:
And this is my post Vatican II bedroom chapel altar (just imagine all the money and heartache that would have not been spent if they followed my lead!):
Telling a priest he must celebrate the Mass by saying the black and doing the red isn’t micromanagement but telling him that he can’t celebrate the 1962 Roman Missal in his spare bedroom chapel by himself, or a hybrid Ordinariate Missal in his bedroom chapel is.
Following the directions on how to bake a cake isn’t micromanagement but telling me I can’t bake a cake is.
I happen to agree with John Nolan in his commentary:
'Heels together, feet thirty degrees apart; fingers in the palms of the hands but not clenched; thumbs straight and aligned with the seam of the trousers; head erect, eyes level; stomach in, chest out.' The 'rubrics' for standing at attention, which those who have had military experience do without thinking about it. I imagine that priests who celebrated the older rite on a daily basis didn't have to think about the rubrics. When the 'Tridentine' missal was published in 1570 it did not replace or supersede older rites and uses, and the continuation of practices with a provenance of 200 years was not a concession to those attached to older forms; it was a clear statement of principle. Nor did the Rituale Romanum of 1614 replace existing ritual books, but with the expansion of the Church into the mission territories of the New World it made sense to have a 'definitive' Roman exemplar. Those like Pope Francis who maintain that Paul VI's new Mass is the 'only expression' of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite are being 'absurdly unhistorical' to the point of outright mendacity. Likewise his lackey Arthur Roche, who in an interview opined that 'the Church' (whatever he means by that) has always strictly regulated the liturgy in the interests of unity. Does he really believe this, or is he a dissembler in the mould of his master? Either way, he emerges with little credit.
The present St. Mary’s church was built in 1890 and has served downtown Washington D.C. ever since. Currently, it serves three distinct communities. It has about 200 Traditional Latin Mass parishioners, 120 parishioners who attend Mass in the ordinary form in English, and about 100 Chinese parishioners who are ministered to autonomously.
Losing those 200 Traditional Latin Mass parishioners will put parish finances at least $130,000 in the red and “crush” its volunteer base, according to a letter written to Gregory from St. Mary’s pastor, Father Vincent De Rosa, and obtained by Crux. De Rosa declined a Crux request comment on Gregory’s decision.
Patrick Lally, who’s been a Traditional Latin Mass parishioner at St. Mary’s since 1989 and also serves on the parish finance council, told Crux that $130,000 is a “conservative” estimate for how much the parish stands to lose.
MY COMMENTS: Okay, I get it and I don’t think it is right for the pope or the Dicastery for Divine Worship to take away the form of the Mass that has become a source of faith, comfort and worship of a number of young Catholics throughout the world. But it is what it is. And if traditionally minded Catholics simply carry the heavy cross of the loss of their preferred liturgy and do so with dignity and grace, in secular terms, make lemonade out of lemons, maybe a future truly progressive, liberal pope not so ideological or rigid about the older form of the Mass and sacraments will restore what has been taken away. Pope Francis has set the precedent in this regard by taking away what was given by two previous popes. Thus it can happen in reverse.
The story and sound byte I link above about the parish in Washington, DC, troubles me on many levels. Why would the traditionalists there, who have become the backbone of the parish, leave that parish high and dry, though no fault of its own or its pastor?
When I say make lemonade out of lemons, I mean work with the pastor to assure that the Modern Roman Missal is celebrated in such a way as to make it traditional. This means Latin, Gregorian Plainchant, polyphony and other traditional anthems. It means ad orientem; and it means kneeling for Holy Communion.
If traditionalists would stop being seduced by the cult of the ancient Mass and be seduced by who is truly present at every Catholic Mass, no matter the form, along with His One Holy Sacrifice, meaning Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, whole and complete, then traditionalists and all Catholics would have grown in their Catholic Faith and commitment to their parish.
We don’t need more Catholics who jump ship when their favorite pastor is transferred and they don’t like the new one; the same for the Mass!
This was a news story in the Augusta Chronicle in late 1987. I was the MC for the dedication/consecration of Saint Teresa's Church in Augusta. It was a box of a building with no architectural significance and cinder block inside. At this site, the parish never grew larger than about 600 families.
More than 20 years ago, this building and the entire church campus was sold to a Baptist church and moved further west in the Augusta metro area. It's new church is of architectural significance and quite beautiful. It will soon eclipse the largest parish in our diocese, which is in Augusta, and become the largest.
The way I look today and in this photo are indistinguishable, thanks be to God to whom all glory is given!
Please note the bishop's contemporary chasuble with the outside stole:
Nothing says “south” more than a Magnolia! This one is the ancient one in front of The Church of the Most Holy Trinity in downtown Augusta. Don’t know the couple, but know that tree well.
By Vatican News
The Holy See intervenes on the German "Synodal Path" in a statement issued early Thursday afternoon, on 21 July.
"In order to protect the freedom of the People of God and the exercise of the episcopal ministry, it seems necessary to clarify that the 'Synodal Path' in Germany does not have the faculty to oblige bishops and the faithful to assume new forms of governance and new approaches to doctrine and morals. It would not be lawful to initiate in the dioceses, prior to an agreed understanding at the level of the universal Church, new official structures or doctrines, which would represent a wound to ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church."
The statement goes on to cite the words of Pope Francis contained in his Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany, "the universal Church lives in and of the particular Churches, just as the particular Churches live and flourish in and from the universal Church. If they find themselves separated from the entire ecclesial body, they weaken, rot and die. Hence the need always to ensure that communion with the whole body of the Church."
"Therefore," the statement concludes, "it is hoped that the proposals of then path of the Particular Churches in Germany will converge into the synodal path being taken by the universal Church, for mutual enrichment and a witness to that unity by which the body of the Church manifests its fidelity to Christ the Lord.”
