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Old is New: Cedar church offers weekly Latin Mass BY GRETCHEN MURRAY Local Columnist Everything old is new again. That's particularly true for Roman Catholics who, once again, can attend weekly Mass in its original Latin form. Last year's decision by Pope Benedict XVI to restore the 16th Century Tridentine Mass has evolved into one of the worship opportunities the Diocese of Gaylord has offered since May 11. A weekly Latin Mass is celebrated at 12:45 p.m. Sundays at Holy Rosary Church in Cedar. The Latin Mass, which the Catholic Church refers to as the extraordinary form of the Mass,...

...Like it or not, discourse among a great many Traditionalists is filled with anger and contempt for Catholics who do not share their... interest in traditional forms of piety. So while I've never seen a Clown Mass, I have encountered lots of angry Trads who have compared the Paul VI rite to a Black Mass, made clear that "Novus Ordo types" are second class Catholics... and generally made their claims to be the Guardians of True Catholicism so repellent that I wouldn't touch the Faith with a barge pole if they were the True Apostles of it they claim to...

There are now images up of the priestly and other ordinations of the Institute of Christ the King (ICRSS) that took place inside the beautiful Santi Michele e Gaetano church in Florence, Italy. The ordaining bishops were Bishop Basil Meeking, Emeritus of Christchurch, and Archbishop Raymond L. Burke.

LONDON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI would like every Catholic parish in the world to celebrate a regular Tridentine-rite Mass, a Vatican cardinal has said. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos also told a June 14 press conference in London that the Vatican was writing to all seminaries to ask that candidates to the priesthood are trained to celebrate Mass according to the extraordinary form of the Latin rite, also known as the Tridentine Mass, restricted from the 1970s until July 2007 when Pope Benedict lifted some of those limits. The cardinal, who was visiting London at the invitation of the Latin...

June 16th, 2008 Latin Mass “power of silence� raises UK Catholic decibels Post a comment (2) Posted by: Sebastian Tong Tags: FaithWorld, catholic church, latin, pope benedict, traditionalists, united kingdom, vatican Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos was at Westminster Cathedral in London over the weekend to lead one of the highest profile celebrations of the Roman Catholic Church’s old Latin Mass here since the 1960s. The Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales has been lukewarm about the prospect of the old rite being celebrated alongside Mass in English, so the cardinal’s presence was a clear reminder of what the Vatican...

For 40 years, English Catholic worship has been controlled by a bossy alliance of bishops and politically correct activists known as the "Sandalistas". Now, a Colombian-born cardinal close to the Pope effectively announced that their time has come to an end. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos – speaking as an emissary of Pope Benedict – revealed that every parish in England and Wales will be required to offer worshippers the ancient Latin Mass detested by the Sandalistas. This is great news not just for the Latin Mass Society, but also for growing number of young Catholics who hate going to church...

Ecclesia Dei president offers clarification on motu proprio Vatican, Mar. 28, 2008 (CWNews.com) - In an interview with the Vatican newspaper, the head of the Ecclesia Dei commission has indicated that priests do not require permission from their bishops in order to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Latin liturgy. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos (bio - news) told L'Osservatore Romano that "all can celebrate" the traditional Latin Mass. While the "ordinary form"-- the Novus Ordo-- remains "the Mass that normally all priests say," the cardinal said that Pope Benedict, in his motu proprio broadening access to the traditional liturgy, authorized...

The traditional Latin Mass – effectively banned by Rome for 40 years – is to be reintroduced into every Roman Catholic parish in England and Wales, the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy said at a press conference in London today. In addition, all seminaries will be required to teach trainee priests how to say the old Mass so that they can celebrate it in all parishes. Catholic congregations throughout the world will receive special instruction on how to appreciate the old services, formerly known as the Tridentine Rite.

Latin Mass to return to England and Wales By Damian Thompson Last updated: 1:47 PM BST 14/06/2008The traditional Latin Mass – effectively banned by Rome for 40 years – is to be reintroduced into every Roman Catholic parish in England and Wales, the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy said at a press conference in London today. In addition, all English seminaries must teach trainee priests how to say the old Mass so that they can celebrate it in all parishes. Catholic congregations throughout the world will receive special instruction on how to appreciate the old services, formerly...

Next post will contain the Bishop's rules for this Mass (hint: $how me the money!) Diocese to offer Extraordinary Form of Mass beginning May 11 April 30, 2008 Bishop Patrick R. Cooney has announced that the extraordinary form of the Mass will be offered publicly beginning on Pentecost, May 11, 2008. Fr. Donald Libby will be the presider for a weekly celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, often referred to as “the Latin Mass.” The Mass will be offered at Holy Rosary Church in Cedar on Sundays at 12:45 p.m. unless Fr. Libby is away or...

A new generation of young altar servers captivated by the solemn rituals of Latin Mass is mastering the traditional rite in growing numbers in the Boston archdiocese as the liturgy makes a comeback after a four-decade hiatus. “It’s really reverent. That’s why I like it,” said altar server Brendan MacKenzie, 12, of Marshfield, as he readied for the Tenebrae, or “Spy Wednesday,” service at Mary Immaculate of Lourdes in Newton during Holy Week. “It brings you closer to God.” Since April, the number of young boys trained to perform Latin Mass in the Boston area has more than doubled, from...

Under the vaulted ceilings of St. Margaret Mary's Church in Oakland, a revered tradition once forsaken has gained new life. About 300 Roman Catholics go there every Sunday to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass, a rite rich in symbolism that has been on the margins of Catholic life for more than four decades. But over the past year, decrees by Pope Benedict XVI have given the traditional Latin Mass greater official standing in the Catholic Church, opening the door for some churches to go back to it. Now, at St. Margaret Mary's, grandparents practice the rituals of their childhood. Young...

"Catholics who remain faithful to Tradition, even if they are reduced to but a handful, they are THE TRUE CHURCH. They've got the churches, but we've got the faith" -- Saint Athanasius, "Apostle of Tradition", 373 Anno DominiThe Holy Tridentine Roman Rite Mass The Tridentine Mass takes its name from the Council of Trent ( 1545-63 ), under the watchful eye of Pope Saint Pius V. The "Tridentine Rite" is, therefore, more properly called the Ancient or Traditional Roman Rite. The last edition of its missal was published in 1962.The traditional Roman Rite differs from the new rite --...

AS THE priest began his sermon, he had trouble with the sound system, and muttered, "There's something wrong with this microphone." To which the congregation automatically replied, "And also with you." That joke, told to me by a priest, takes off from the ritual exchange between priest and Mass-goers: "The Lord be with you," answered by "And also with you." It assumes a certain level of communication between clergy and congregation - the use of a common language. The second most important change to take place in the Catholic Church in my lifetime was the substitution of vernacular tongues for...

The Vatican has begun drafting a document to elaborate on Pope Benedict XVI's recent liberalization of the old Latin Mass because some bishops are either ignoring his move or misinterpreting it, Vatican officials said.The Vatican's No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said in comments published Thursday that the Vatican would be issuing an "instruction" on how to put the pope's document into practice, since there had been what he called some "uneven" reactions to it since it went into effect last year.The document Benedict issued in July removed restrictions on celebrating the so-called Tridentine Mass, the rite celebrated in Latin before...

This morning Fr. Connolly announced (to the throngs in attendance at the 10 o'clock Mass) that after his consultations with His Eminence, he (Fr. Connolly) has decided that the Tridentine Latin Mass will again be celebrated weekly at Holy Trinity. He mentioned that it remains for us to work out a schedule of clergy to enable us to have the priests necessary to ensure proper coverage. There also will be careful consideration as to the time the Mass will be celebrated. The possibility of having the Latin Mass take place before the [current 10:00AM] Novus Ordo one is under active...

Guess what? The *new* Extraordinary rite at our parish was featured on a local news broadcast! And very positively, I might add. Here's the link: Local Pastor Adds Latin Mass to ScheduleHere's a transcript [errors mine]: Reporter: Well today at noon St. Peter Celestine Catholic Church [sic--it's actually St. Peter's, not Celestine. That's another parish nearby.] in Merchantville, New Jersey takes a bold step. The pastor is putting a traditional Latin Mass on the church's Sunday schedule. As CBS 3's Pat Ciarrocchi reports, this comes at the encouragement of the Pope, who hopes that tradition will ignite the fires of...

Today Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the Catholic archbishop in Moscow for the past 16 years, celebrated his last public Mass before his departure to Minsk, capital of Belarus. Report from Russia- by Dr. Robert MoynihanMOSCOW, Russia, October 28, 2007 -- His voice shaking with deep emotion, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz celebrated his last public Mass and delivered his last, dramatic homily this morning in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow before leaving the Russian capital to take up his new and difficult assignment in Minsk, the capital of neighboring Belorussia.  "I think he is one of the heroes of the...

The Rev. Alfred J. Harris, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church in Northwest, has embraced the return of the traditional Tridentine Mass, in which the priest faces the altar rather than the congregation and celebrates in Latin. Roman Catholic churches nationwide are rushing to accommodate a surge in demand for the traditional Latin Mass, which is drawing a surprising new crowd: young people. Since July, when a decree from Pope Benedict XVI lifted decades-old restrictions on celebrating the Tridentine Mass, seven churches in the Washington metropolitan area have added the liturgy to their weekly Sunday schedules....

Monsignor Andrea Giusto is the Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Savona Noli (a suffragan of Genova, in the region of Liguria), while the see is vacant. He has settled the "problem" created by the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum in his diocese: all Masses are henceforth forbidden, as this communiqué in the official website of the Diocese makes clear (link/PDF) Don Giusto: "Stop to the Masses of Saint Pius V"Published Monday, November 26, 2007Stop, until further rules, to Masses celebrated according to the rite of Saint Pius V. After recent episodes which took place in the oratory of Saint Michael,...

ON SEPT. 23 I walked down the center aisle of our parish church, genuflected and made the sign of the cross while saying, In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Thus began my first Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 more than 22 years after my first experience of celebrating the Eucharist. When Pope Benedict XVI issued his letter of July 7 eliminating most restrictions on the use of the so-called Tridentine Mass, my reaction oscillated between mild irritation (Will this ignite conflict? How will we ever provide such Masses?) and vague interest (Is there perhaps some...

I got this by e-mail: A well-substantiated rumor has it that a petition for the implementation of Summorum Pontificum bearing 155 names of students and faculty has been denied by the plenary council of T.O.R friars on the grounds that the motu proprio does not apply to Catholic universities. You can certainly see what the implications are. Keep this one on your radar; it’s going to be huge. UPDATE: 1308 GMT 23 Oct 07I received another bit of information about what is going on. Slightly edited: and personally know the people organizing this petition drive. They truly were told "no"...

Everybody has been asking for the liturgical update from Rome and so here's the scoop: all is upbound! The F.S.S.P. continue with their Rome chapel of San Gregorio dei Muratori. This chapel is the only location in all of Rome where one can attend a Solemn High Mass sung in the Tridentine rite every Sunday (http://www.fssp-roma.org/). Meanwhile, there is now a daily Tridentine rite Mass celebrated each morning at eight o'clock at the Patriarchal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. The Mass is celebrated by a canon of the Basilica. At the same time, in recent months, flashy new Tridentine...

From the Italian Papal news website Petrus "It is true, we are writing a document-instruction on the correct interpretation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which has liberalized the Mass according to the liturgical books of Saint Pius V, as modified by Blessed John XXIII." Thus says Monsignor Camille Perl, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in an exclusive interview to Petrus, who adds: "Though not a Congregation, we have been granted the faculty to prepare this note for the definition of some aspects of the Papal Motu Proprio as, for example, that of the stable group. We will...

Missale Romanum 1962 By CMAA on October 4, 2007 at 3:37 pm The full Missale Romanum is online, hosted by the CMAA and thanks to a generous gift from Fr. Robert Skeris.

The Most Rev. Emil A. Wcela, recently retired auxiliary Bishop of my home Diocese of Rockville Centre, has an article in this weeks America Magazine. The somewhat ironic piece is entitled "A Dinosaur Ponders The Latin Mass". In this piece, Bishop Wcela chronicles his personal journey from the Traditional Latin Mass to the new Mass along with some very telling observations. Take a look at this paragraph and tell me how many tired and used up cliches you can spot. During the first years of my priesthood (I was ordained in 1956), I knew and celebrated only the Latin...

Via Le Forum Catholique and the website of the French diocese of Frejus-Toulon come some photos of the ordination of Jean-Raphaël Dubrule (to the priesthood) and Eloi Gillet (to the subdiaconate) in the cathedral of Toulon by Msgr. Domenica Rey on Sept. 22nd. Both men belong to a newly recognized community,the Missionary Society of Divine Mercy, which is entrusted with a personal parish in Toulon, the parish of Saint-François de Paule. There are many images on the diocesan page linked to above, but as always, a sampling:

From The New Liturgical MovementInstitute of Christ the King on EWTN Live (TV & Radio) about Historic Landmark building: The Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign PriestOn Wednesday, September 26th, at 8:00 pm ET (1:00 am GMT, September 27th) Msgr. R. Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute of Christ the King, and classical architect William Heyer will be on EWTN Live discussing the restoration of the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a historic landmark entrusted by the Archdiocese of Chicago to the care of the Institute of Christ the King. EWTN , the Global Catholic Network, can...

12:20 PM 9/15/2007 - In case you missed it (and Eastern Catholics probably would, since it has nothing to do with them), yesterday was “D-day” for the Romans - the day on which the provisions of a motu proprio entitled Summorum Pontificum, made public on July 7, went into effect. Your friendly neighborhood Priestly Pugilist told you all about it in the 12:05 PM 7/10/2007 post. For those too lazy to go back and read it, it lifts pretty much all the restrictions, real or imaginary, that used to be in place regarding the celebration of the Mass of the...

Several Roman Catholic priests in Southwest Virginia are thankful demand for the old-style Latin Mass hasn't emerged here because they are already stretched thin trying to serve rural parishes.This summer Pope Benedict XVI allowed freer use of the traditional Latin liturgy. Some regard his July 7 apostolic letter as a way of healing a rift with Catholic traditionalists. Although Latin is woven occasionally into regular services, the pope's action means that priests no longer need special permission from bishops to perform the old-style Latin Mass. The 16th century Tridentine Mass had been commonly celebrated for 1,500 years but was modernized...

DENTON, Nebraska - AUGUST 17, 2007 - For the first time in its 26 year history, Mother Angelica's Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) will be broadcasting a live Solemn High Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on September 14, 2007 at 8:00AM EST. EWTN has asked for the assistance of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an international Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, to help celebrate this "extraordinary" form. This past July 7th, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the beauty and importance of the Tridentine Mass by issuing Summorum Pontificum, a papal document...

 Women wore traditional lace head coverings during the Latin Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Chapel in Pequannock. The strict Catholic couple travel 30 miles each Sunday to attend church.  Paul and Margaret Papendick tried worshiping at several parishes closer to their home in Waldwick, but didn't like the changes made in the Roman Catholic Mass during the 1960s and 1970s.  "They took the Latin Mass away from us," Margaret said. "And spirituality was the first thing that left."  So the couple, now in their 70s, attend a West Orange chapel that provides a Mass in Latin and disdains...

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Solemn High Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception August 15, 2007 In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. In November of 1922, a very important archeological discovery was made. Howard Carter, an English archeologist, had made great efforts to get benefactors and raise money for a dig in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Finally, after the resources were there and a team was assembled, Carter spent seven years searching. The conditions were hot. Sandy. Uncomfortable. Primitive. And the end result: uncertain. But one day the Egyptian laborers excavated...

With the Latin Mass Society in the UK reporting new interest in the celebration of the Tridentine rite, many priests are wondering where to turn for help...

SSPX in schism? You can believe Fr. Newman... or you can believe the Church South Carolina pastor warns flock SSPX attendance "morally illicit" and "gravely sinful" Brian Mershon Brian Mershon August 7, 2007 Greenville, South Carolina — Noted author and commentator George Weigel's book Letters to a Young Catholic highlights St. Mary's parish, under the direction of Fr. Jay Scott Newman, JCL, as a particularly bright beacon in the continuing wasteland of the post-Vatican II devastation. St. Mary's is a steadily growing parish with lots of young families, and many who are open to life and attempting to lead holy,...

Welcome to Sancta Missa! Your resource for the Latin Mass according to the Missale Romanum of 1962. It is our hope that this tutorial will assist Priests to learn how to say the Tridentine Mass and for the Faithful, to learn how to pray the Mass with greater devotion and fervor. This web site was launched on the August 5, 2007, Feast of the Dedication of St. Mary of the Snow. More sections of this web site will be developed and many more resources will be added in the coming weeks and months. Please check back to see new developments!

Welcome and thank you for visiting my blog! After my return from vacation, I was very pleased to see so many messages on the blog regarding the motu proprio. We couldn’t post all of them but it was interesting to see people’s reactions, and the interest in the motu proprio. I think it only underscores the wisdom of the Holy Father’s approach to people’s liturgical preferences. I continue to echo the Holy Father’s desire that the liturgy not be the battleground but be a source of unity for all of us. We must love the Mass in all of its...

One priest wore an orange wig with a red clown nose and performed magic tricks during the homily. In another video, people brought their pets to church for a K-9 Mass, where dogs surrounded the altar while the priest consecrated the Sacred Host. Don't throw pearls before swine, the Bible tells us. But it doesn't say anything about Labrador retrievers. Thank God, I've never seen this kind of silliness in my own church, but only on YouTube, where traditionalist Catholics have put together a "Hall of Shame" for liturgical abuse. Another video shows several parishioners leaving in disgust as a...

...In the first place, the more widespread use of the Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII should in no way cause further disunity within our diocesan Church or the Church in the United States. As I have said repeatedly, everything that we do at the liturgy and everything that we don't do at the liturgy teaches something. The liturgy is meant to embody and teach the authentic faith of the Catholic Church.... We still need to be healed in our Church of the unfortunate effects of the discontinuity hermeneutic which sees the life of the Church prior to Vatican II...

Update: We thank the reader who sent us this confusing Reuters dispatch (Vatican: We may drop revived prayer offensive to Jews), but details of what Cardinal Bertone would have exactly said in the press conference regarding this question do not seem absolutely clear. Italian news agency Apcom reports that the Cardinal said: "It is true, one prays for the conversion of the Jews in the Missal of 1962... but the problem could be studied and it could be established that all say the formula approved by Paul VI". Bertone added that, "The observance of the motu proprio would solve all...

This has been posted before - but it needs to be seen. Many of us live in Dioceses where our priests and bishops won't even mention the Motu Proprio. We're asking interested Catholics to sign up on the Latin Mass Database. So far, there are priests who are willing to say the TLM, priests who wish TO BE trained in the TLM, laymen who want to sing in a schola or be a server, and those of us who just want to be there. This database will help Traditional Catholics get organized and find others who want the Latin Mass...

At 11 a.m. today, Latin chant will fill St. Boniface Church, as veiled young women kneel with their husbands and children to hear the Rev. Matthew Talarico offer his first High Mass for Pittsburgh Latin Mass Community. The 26-year-old from Cecil was ordained last month by Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis for a community whose call is to offer the traditional Latin, or Tridentine, Mass. Demand is expected to rise now that Pope Benedict XVI has said that the 1962 Mass -- the last approved Latin Mass before the changes of Vatican II -- no longer requires special permission...

Check out the pdf file at the link above!

A documentary on the pilgrimage to Rome by traditional Catholics (FSSP included) for the 10th anniversary of the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei in 1998 is on EWTN right now.

Catholics around the world should now have no illusions. Pope Benedict XVI's recent decision to encourage wider use of the traditional Tridentine Mass in Latin is the latest move in his long campaign to undo liberal reforms in church practices popular with Catholics since the 1960s. The move may well trigger liturgical schisms in dioceses throughout the world. The form of the Mass was promulgated by Pope Paul V in the Roman Missal in 1570. In this rite the priest stands on an elevated altar, facing away from the people and mumbling the most sacred parts of the liturgy in...

Go find a tranquil place, close your eyes and think back.... Your mind's eye conjures up what seemed like a vast and majestic palace with the rising wisps of sweet-smelling incense leading your gaze upward toward what you thought must surely be Heaven. The altar boys... have been transformed into cherubic servants of God.... ...When the "spirit" of Vatican II changes were adopted, many thousands of the faithful lost faith. The thinking being, that in the crazed cauldron of the 1960s, if the unmovable Church could change with the times, all was lost. Old women bewailed the "desanctification" of saints...

With their love of tradition and their formal dress code (no shorts even for children, and covered heads for women), the members of Mater Ecclesiae Church in Berlin Township can seem a tight-laced congregation of Roman Catholics. But on Sunday they were ringing bells, popping corks and slicing cake, and - mirabile visu! - some were even smoking cigars. Mirabile visu? Isn't that Latin? Graceful, dignified, formal and obscure, Latin is the language of choice at Mater Ecclesiae, one of the only Catholic churches in the nation where all the liturgies are conducted according to the centuries-old Tridentine rite. Its...

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by children on his arrival for his annual holidays in Lorenzago di Cadore, northern Italy yesterdayI STUMBLED upon a Latin Mass last winter. It was grim, joyless, interminable and disquieting. There was no music. Nobody shook hands or brought gifts to the altar. It was as exuberant a celebration of creation as an expired fly left to rot on a window sill. The only fanfare that threatened was the persistent, pedantic locking and unlocking of the little gate in the altar railing. A priest passed through this gateway at one stage, came to the side...

Paris, Jul. 9, 2007 (CWNews.com) - A survey by the French magazine Pelerin found that 23% of respondents, including 29% of self-declared practicing Catholics, support the papal motu proprio allowing wider use of the 1962 Roman Missal. Those most likely to support the return of the Mass of Blessed John XXIII are Catholics over the age of 65 and those who support center-right political parties. Against the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass are 45% of respondents and 65% of self-declared practicing Catholics.

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Pope Benedict has just shaken up the Catholic world as no pope has since John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962. In his Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum, the pontiff announced that any priest in the world may offer the traditional rite of Mass, the liturgy of the Catholic Church before the new Mass was introduced after Vatican II. What difference does that make? To outsiders, the Catholic Church today is as it was 50 years ago. The unbroken line of teaching on major moral issues of the day like abortion seems to confirm that...