tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post6827391736031424914..comments2024-03-28T20:30:10.681-04:00Comments on southern orders: DOWN MEMORY LANE, NOSTALGIA, LA BEFANA AND GRIEFFr. Allan J. McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16986575955114152639noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-37399825983899030852012-07-30T19:02:54.934-04:002012-07-30T19:02:54.934-04:00I should mention also the following: At our very o...I should mention also the following: At our very own Fr. McDonald's seminary, last I heard, seminarians must obtain the permission of their bishop before being able to take the <i>elective</i> course on the Tridentine Mass. <br /><br />If anyone can explain how that squares with Universae Ecclesiae, I'd love to hear it. At any rate, a relatively newly ordained priest told me there were a mere five or six men enrolled in that course the year he took it. I believe many are fearful to ask to take that class because of the message it might send to their bishop. Such is the state of Catholicism in America... <br /><br />And this is something that really bugs me because those who make and enforce these policies, even the bishops, are said to be in "full Communion" with the Apostolic See. Yet, they essentially thumb their nose at our Holy Father. Then, they would turn around and tell Traditional Catholics that we are the ones who are in the wrong and we are the ones in schism. All the while, we love the Pope with all possible affection and look to him for guidance on how to live the Catholic Faith! <br /><br />At any rate, what we know for certain is that these bishops, priests, and seminarians need our prayers. We can also be fairly confident that the number of young men who would prefer a return to the TLM is quite high - every week it seems we hear of another newly ordained priest who says the TLM as his first Mass. Also, the vocation rates are just so much higher for the Traditional priestly fraternities and so low for "normal" diocesan priests - it is really only a matter of time. <br /><br />In that connection, I will mention that the Archdiocese of New York this year had ONE man ordained to the priesthood. He said the TLM as his first Mass. And the homilist was an Opus Dei priest. Talk about a pleasant future for our Holy Mother Church -- it brings a smile to my face!Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13510317669833026685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-50422259397898654682012-07-30T18:44:14.236-04:002012-07-30T18:44:14.236-04:00John, you are certainly preaching to the choir, my...John, you are certainly preaching to the choir, my friend!<br /><br />I'm just reporting what I know firsthand from interacting with a bishop (or at least someone representing a bishop and sending letters with his signature). <br /><br />Unfortunately, many priests are justifiably fearful of saying the TLM when they know (or at least strongly believe) there will be some repercussions from their bishop if they do so. Sure, the bishop cannot justifiably forbid a priest from using the 1962 Missal, but he can make it known that choosing to do so will result in reassignment to the far reaches of the diocesan boundaries. <br /><br />Of course, there are also a very high number of priests who flatly refuse to say the TLM because they are adherents to the "Novus Ordo religion" and not the Catholic Faith. In case my debating partner on this blog reads this post: No, I will not go any further debating that <i>fact</i> or expounding on my meaning about what the "Novus Ordo religion" is.Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13510317669833026685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-7495532487478256722012-07-30T16:36:18.014-04:002012-07-30T16:36:18.014-04:00Marc, that's all very well, but SP is not simp...Marc, that's all very well, but SP is not simply an expression of the HF's wishes, it is a juridical document binding on the whole Church. Bishops cannot interpret it as they see fit. It is up to the priest to decide whether or not he has the means to celebrate the EF, which in the form of a Missa Lecta wuld consist of a 1962 missal, a set of altar cards and a competent server. Fluency in Latin is not a prerequisite; all that is required is the ability to pronounce the words and understand what they mean.<br /><br />Nor is a trained schola a sine qua non for a Missa Cantata. In the 1950s most parishes could manage one every Sunday, even if the propers had to be sung tono directo and settings of the ordinary were limited to a few that the congregation were familiar with.John Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027156691859606002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-9814330842378811502012-07-30T14:27:51.929-04:002012-07-30T14:27:51.929-04:00John, as you know, what the Holy Father wishes and...John, as you know, what the Holy Father wishes and what is actually happening in any given diocese are very different things. <br /><br />While there are some movements afoot to have the TLM offered for the people of Augusta, Georgia, the Bishop of Savannah does not seem to see this as a priority. <br /><br />I actually wrote to him expressing my solidarity with those seeking an FSSP parish (or some other accomodation in that area). He wrote back to me informing me of two things: (1) In order to have the TLM, we would need many things we do not have such as a trained schola; and (2) There is a TLM already at St. Joseph (Fr. McDonald's parish where I am a parishioner, as I infored His Excellency in my letter to him). <br /><br />What his response told me is that (1) His Excellency did not write this response, someone in the Chancery did, and (2) People will think of any excuse possible to avoid the TLM. The response I received was so logically inconsistent as to be non-responsive. I was personally very frustrated. <br /><br />For whatever reason, liturgical matters do not seem to be a priority for the bishops in the United States, which is odd to me considering the importance of the liturgy in Catholicism. Of course, perhaps the bishops do not see anything in the liturgy that needs to be changed, which would explain the utter silence from almost every bishop except for Bishop Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, and a very few others. They clearly need our prayers as many appear to be sidetracked by worldly concerns instead of tending to their particular dioceses. Then again, I really have no conception as to what a diocesan bishop does on a daily basis...<br /><br />Father, your former parishioner will be included in my Rosary intentions today.Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13510317669833026685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-21584667117861369722012-07-30T10:13:06.587-04:002012-07-30T10:13:06.587-04:00My condolences to you, Father, and to her many fri...My condolences to you, Father, and to her many friends.rcghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09131930849106490711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-71676147105525646152012-07-30T08:03:49.866-04:002012-07-30T08:03:49.866-04:00I too will miss Cheti. Her infectious smile, incre...I too will miss Cheti. Her infectious smile, incredible hospitality and amazing cooking reminds me of those great meals in the MHT rectory "back in the day". May God bless her and may she rest joyfully in Christ's light.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13000579258594821903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-74673007989146575322012-07-30T05:30:24.137-04:002012-07-30T05:30:24.137-04:00"Pray that they are allowed it[the EF] more f..."Pray that they are allowed it[the EF] more frequently". According to SP and UE, they cannot be denied it, and if the parish priest is unable or unwilling to celebrate it, either he or the Ordinary is obliged to find someone who can.John Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027156691859606002noreply@blogger.com