Unlike Pope Leo, though, I was able, by Pope Francis’ special permission after his godawful Traditionis Custodis, to celebrate the TLM at Savannah’s Sacred Heart Church. I was able to hear and internally participate (actual participation) in the 15 minute chanting by Sacred Heart’s fantastic schola, the more that 1000 year tradition of the Tractus.
The first photo is of some John Paul II High School students from Saint Gregory Church in Bluffton, SC, who attended the TLM for the very first time. They were absolutely blown away.
And the second photo is of a young man who had grown up in a large non-denominational church in Savannah, who, by experiencing the TLM, is now preparing to become a Roman Catholic.
Truly the TLM is a powerful tool in the Church’s really new evangelization! Other pictures of Sunday’s TLM with yours truly follow:
My actual participation in the 15 minute chanting of the First Sunday of Lent Tractus, that has more than a 1,000 year tradition in the Mass, but Bugnini Mass goers never have heard!:
25 comments:
Your article includes the trigger word 'Francis' you can expect word salads from certain quarter.
As a Byzantine Ruthenian, this ordering just looks like Western Christian liturgical perfection. Enough with the other lunacy already. Given all the church closures in 7 short weeks of the new year, the "new" way is obviously not working. As well, the young both recognize and embrace tradition as bedrock. Even better aligning the NO with this model would likely demonstrate the goals of divine worship more clearly. The "biological solution" is taking way too long, some souls are being saved (would be unfair to conclude otherwise) but do RC NO'ers truly understand the mass as Calvary, Resurrection, redemption and eternal life???
Cardinal Ruini insisted via his recent interview that liturgy in the vernacular is preferred vs. liturgy in Latin.
Questioned about the restoration of the traditional Latin Mass, the cardinal is even more negative:
“Certainly not.
"It’s very important for people to understand the language in which they celebrate.”
Pax.
Mark Thomas
🤣
Salvation of souls is the hight law. If young people are being drawn in by the Latin Mass, why not, especially since Vatican II, the real council, said that Latin was to be preserved?
The All Highest K is seething with jealousy because Father McDonald is nourishing souls!
So you are as deluded as Ruini - the Novus Bogus has been a flop.
Tens upon tens of millions of people are drawn to Holy Mass of Pope Paul VI. Rather than denounce said Mass, let us allow said folks to obtain spiritual nourishment in peace.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
The respected Cardinal Ruini has confirmed that which countless Catholics believe. That is, liturgy offered in languages that the Faithful comprehend is superior to liturgy in Latin.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
This is what C. Ruini embraced fully in line with Pope Benedict XVI. You misunderstand his recent remarks:
Cardinal Camillo Ruini has shown support for Summorum Pontificum. This motu proprio, issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, allowed for the wider use of the Traditional Latin Mass. Ruini, who was a prominent figure in the Church during Benedict's papacy, recognized the importance of this document in addressing the needs of the faithful who prefer the older liturgy. He emphasized the necessity of maintaining unity within the Church while respecting diverse liturgical expressions.
Blessed struggle to you during the Great Lent, Byz.
Thank you, Marc. You as well on your first week! Dreaming of the day when we'll all just follow the same calendar for the Great Fast and Pascha!
I reported that which Cardinal Ruini had expressed regarding the Latin Mass. He declared in regard to whether he would embrace the Latin Mass:
"Certainly not. It's very important that people understand the language in which it is celebrated."
That has confirmed the views of countless Catholics whose spirituality is grounded in vernacular worship
They love to worship God, as well as obtain unfathomable amounts of spiritual blessings, via the Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI offered in vernaculars.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
MT, nor you are just being dense. He is speaking about returning to the exclusive use of the TLM. I am not in favor of that either as the vernacular is important. But like Ruini, I support Summorum PONTIFICUM and its return for the reasons Ruini expressed.
Only 47 days until Pascha! Considering how sore I am from the Canon last night, it’ll be a long 47 days!
Maybe one day they’ll move the Eastern Catholics to the Orthodox calendar. That would be a start anyway.
That is my hope/preference, at least for Pascha. We were Julian calendar until the late 1960s.
Father McDonald, had Cardinal Ruini been asked about the exclusive return to the TLM? I did not encounter that when I read the complete interview in question.
But that aside...
Cardinal Ruini confirmed a key element that has long pertained to the liturgical reform — an element that had been promoted well prior to the Council. That is, the employment of vernaculars to promote greater liturgical comprehension and active participation among the Faithful.
As Joseph Ratzinger had insisted:
"After the baroque period, it was clear that the efforts of the Congregation of Rites had resulted in the total impoverishment of the liturgy.
"If the Church’s worship was once again to become the worship of the Church in the fullest sense — i.e., of all the faithful — then it had to become something in movement again.
"The wall of Latinity had to be breached if the liturgy were again to function either as proclamation or as invitation to prayer…"
=======
Today, Cardinal Ruini has expressed support in regard to the effort to breach the "wall of Latinity" at Mass. That is, "It's very important that people understand the language in which it is celebrated," according to Cardinal Ruini.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Father McDonald said..."But like Ruini, I support Summorum PONTIFICUM and its return for the reasons Ruini expressed."
Pope Leo XIV offered trads the following path:
"...people always say 'the Latin Mass'. Well, you can say Mass in Latin right now. If it's the Vatican II rite there's no problem.
"...if we celebrate the Vatican II liturgy in a proper way, do you really find that much difference between this experience and that (TLM) experience?"
That is in line with then-Cardinal Ratzinger's declaration that there is little "difference between an old Mass and a new Mass, when both these are celebrated according to the prescribed liturgical books."
"An average Christian without specialist liturgical formation would find it difficult to distinguish between a Mass sung in Latin according to the old Missal and a sung Latin Mass according to the new Missal."
In line with Pope Leo XIV, as well then-Cardinal Ratzinger, is the following from Pope Francis (requiescat in pace):
"Whoever wishes to celebrate with devotion according to earlier forms of the liturgy can find in the reformed Roman Missal according to Vatican Council II all the elements of the Roman Rite, in particular the Roman Canon which constitutes one of its more distinctive elements."
=======
One thing in regard to Popes Benedict XVI, Francis, as well as Leo XIV:
Each Pope in question had/has proclaimed the beautiful continuity of the Roman Liturgy Tradition that exists within the Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
I didn't know that the calendar switch was so recently.
While I find it difficult at times to follow the Julian calendar, I think that it is a good thing in our modern times so that we can focus on the liturgical Church life rather than the secular add-ons to the major holidays.
I believe it was an attempt at "modernizing", fixing something that wasn't honestly broken.
My feeling: Unity, as our Lord desires, will only be achievable if we Eastern Catholics better align with our ancestral churches, not the other way around. At least for Pascha, being aligned with the Orthodox Churches that we came from would lay the framework for that unity and, as you rightly noted, decouple us from secular observances.
I'm comfortable saying that liturgically, my priest / our parish are already aligned. Aside from language, which doesn't concern me, we could reunite tomorrow and the majority of us wouldn't experience any culture shock as a result.
One day, perhaps, Byz!
It makes me curious if Fr. McDonald is aware of the Western Rite Orthodox -- it would be interesting to read his take on that. I've no direct experience with them, but I suspect that, bizarrely enough, you Eastern Catholics are arguably a little more Orthodox than my Western Rite brethren.
Here's a video of a Western Rite Orthodox Liturgy if Fr. McDonald is curious (and is reading these comments): https://youtu.be/Fz3HTISenXo?si=MDu8DICl6j_yNpBr
I find it to be an interesting phenomenon -- not particularly interesting to me, personally.
We are definitely more Orthodox. https://www.facebook.com/StMaryByzantineTrenton/videos/790953776819404
Western Rite Orthodox strikes me as being mostly aligned with a TLM High Mass. One of their parishes is near me. It's a curious mix of West/East. I've not personally had any exposure.
Your church is beautiful! Just stunning.
The Western Rite is sometimes like a TLM and sometimes like a high church Anglican thing. I'm not sure who the target is for it. But we don't have one anywhere near us here.
We've had some Roman Catholics convert in our parish, and none of them seemed to long for the days of the TLM (even some folks who spent decades with the SSPX who are set to be baptized in a couple weeks). I think that most of our converts are coming from evangelical Protestantism. We have a lot of converts: 21 people were just baptized, and we still have 30+ catechumens (in a parish of around 200 people). Our priest has a lot to do with it as we get totally unfiltered Orthodoxy, and I think people like that. An example: https://youtu.be/BL5gmGrBE5w?si=AeolFjfs9QVKrkQ2
Not my church, unfortunately, and its splendor is impressive! It's close to me and they live stream.
Is this your parish and church? Beautiful! The message is identical. I've bookmarked to explore your video library as time allows.
When I look farther eastward, and comparatively speaking, it's comforting to me that all that my priest has tried to do to reinvigorate our liturgical life outside of simply functioning as a parish that only offers Divine Liturgy, his emphasis on homiletics and his adherence to orthodoxy/Orthodoxy has positioned us our shared tradition to be very well equipped to struggle, pray, repent, repent and repent some more, ultimately experiencing Holy Pascha with profound, almost indescribable joy.
You and I are likely completely aligned regarding our own personal struggle during this season where the journey is equally important relative to the destination. To me, it's a joy, not a drudge. I suspect the same for you. With that being said, it's good for us to remember that regarding Resurrection Matins, and after the Paschal Canon, the homily of St. John Chrysostom is read. Within, it is noted that those who might have fasted less, by days, weeks, not really at all etc. are equally welcome to join in the celebration.
Yes, that video is from my church. Our priest does a lot of social media engagement stuff, so if you search around YouTube, you can find a lot of interviews he's given.
We're somewhat unique in that our parish, despite being under the omophorion of the Serbian Orthodox Church, is almost entirely converts, including the priest and deacon. Everything is in English and the focus is on making sure that we are strong Orthodox believers so that all of the children and their children will be even stronger Orthodox people. Primarily, that happens by having a lot of services, much more than any other church in the area. It helps that we have a recently founded and growing women's monastery attached to the Church.
Post a Comment