MY FORMER PARISH IN AUGUSTA, THE CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, LEADING THE WAY IN THE RENEWAL OF THE MODERN ROMAN MISSAL MASS

On the 32 Sunday of the year, I returned to my former parish and found in the sacristy closet the vestment I am wearing which I acquired for the parish in 1991. Like the vestment, I have held up very well, no? And the restoration of the interior of the church accomplished in 1996 still looks like it did in 1996. Conrad Schmidt did it and used a fiberglass reinforced plastering of the ceiling and walls and he told me it would last a couple of hundred years. Not a crack anywhere and the paint and decorations still look new!

As I have reiterated before and continue to promote today, the way forward with the New Liturgical Movement is the re-enchantment of the stripped down Modern Roman Missal. I continue to decry that the Dicastery for Divine Worship has not enabled Latin Rite Catholics to have what Ordinariate Latin Rite Catholics have with their Missal, Divine Worship. These are the options of PATFOTA, the traditional order of the Mass, the option of the Gradual and/or Tract/Alleluia, Traditional Offertory Prayers, rubrics for the Canon more like the TLM and the Last Gospel. 

But short of these concessions, the Church of the Most Holy Trinity is a shining star of how to reenchant the Modern Missal as it is given to us.

This parish in Augusta has always had what was called a traditional Mass since the 1970’s. I inherited that tradition when I became pastor there in 1991. Their 10/10:30 AM Mass has always been a High Mass, albeit, the Modern Missal. All the parts are chanted, incense is used and bells are rung. 

But in all that time until recently, Holy Communion was standing at multiple stations with the chalice and thus a parade of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Today, due to the pandemic and the common chalice a threat to public health, the chalice is no longer offered. 

The altar railing was never removed, but since the late 60’s not used. Not so today. Kneeling for Holy Communion at MHT is the norm. Those who wish to stand still do. And the laity recieve in the hand, if they so choose, either kneeling or standing. Their unity isn’t in the uniformity of how they receive, but the reverence of Whom they receive, Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, aka, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Godhead. 

The choir chants the propers of the Mass in Latin but also include vernacular metrical hymns at the procession and recessional.

Actual/active participation is palpable. 

The Mass was facing the congregation, but easily could be celebrated ad orientem at the historic altar, now detached from the reredos. In fact, the historic altar has been in continuous use since 1863! In the mid 60’s the table part was detached from the reredos and brought slightly forward in order to celebrate facing the people. No additional altar was ever added!