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Editors’ note: This is a preview of our August 17 issue, which will contain four responses to Pope Benedict’s Summorum pontificum, which will make the so-called Tridentine Mass more widely available than it has been since Vatican II. The other respondents will be Peter Jeffery, Joseph Komonchak, and Bernard P. Prusak. Pope Benedict XVI’s Summorum pontificum gives broad permission for the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. The motu proprio also permits use of preconciliar liturgical rites for all the sacraments, with the exception of ordination. It lays the groundwork for the creation of two liturgical establishments within the Latin-rite Catholic...

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...

"I love both Masses equally, the English and the Tridentine Latin," Rev. William Gorman said.That's a good thing: In one weekend, the administrator of St. Peter's and St. Paul's parishes in Troy might celebrate three Masses in English before a fourth in Latin at St. Peter's, the church in the Albany Diocese designated years ago by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard to host a Tridentine Mass.The Tridentine Mass is entirely in Latin. Altar servers are only males; communion is received on the tongue as congregants kneel at the altar rail. The priest celebrates the liturgy with his back to the people...

The recent statement of the Holy Father amends the previous process, established by Pope John Paul II, whereby a priest had needed permission from the local bishop to celebrate the Tridentine rite according to the 1962 liturgical text (Missal). In other words, Pope Benedict has expanded the permission that had already been given by Pope John Paul to allow for the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. Cardinal Sean O'Malley, in his weekly posting of June 29 ( www.cardinalseansblog.org) shared observations which follow from the Cardinal's participation at a meeting held in Rome prior to the release of the Motu Proprio....

The timing of the re-introduction of the Latin Mass at this time is very instructive, especially in regard to the U.S. Catholic Church. At a time when the Catholic Church in the U.S. needs to be working on becoming more open and more accountable to its laity to prevent more child sexual abuse, the re-introduction of the Latin Mass signals that the Catholic Church as a whole is moving in a reactionary direction, becoming more closed rather than more open. The Latin Mass was developed during one of the most reactionary periods in the history of the Catholic Church, the...

The Vatican says that Pope Benedict concelebrates his daily morning Mass in Italian using the current edition of the Roman Missal, denying claims that he is using the Tridentine rite. Claims that the pope celebrates his private Mass using the Tridentine rite are incorrect, Vatican spokesman Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi said, according to Catholic News Service. The Tridentine Mass is the Latin-language liturgy that predates the Second Vatican Council; it was last revised in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal. Less than 10 days after Pope Benedict issued his letter on 7 July providing greater opportunity for the celebration...

The Jewishness of the Roman Rite By Nicholas FrankovichTuesday, July 17, 2007, 8:47 AM Summorum Pontificum, the motu proprio whereby the pope grants a universal indult for the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 missal, was promulgated on Saturday in Latin without, at least yet, being accompanied by official translations into modern languages. That fact, like the very vocabulary in which the news is reported in English—motu proprio, indult, promulgate—indicates something of how tenaciously Latin clings to the Catholic Church, which, after four decades of liturgy in the vernacular, still hasn’t been able to lose its Latin accent...

With the gracious permission of the Archbishop of Newark, the Most Reverend John Meyers, the Institute of Christ the King will be assigning a priest to the Latin Mass Community at St. Anthony of Padua Chapel in West Orange, Newark- New Jersey. Father Matthew Talarico, one of our newly ordained priests, has been appointed Rector of the Chapel by the Archbishop Meyers. Father Talarico, who has already gained good experience serving as deacon in other Institute apostolates and in carrying out many responsibilities in the Seminary, will begin his work on July 17th. St. Anthony of Padua Chapel is situated...

Experts and victims are blaming the Tridentine Rite group, a cult, for the scandal that has struck a church near Seattle.  In the past two days, two members have been charged with molesting children, one already pled guilty. On Tuesday, Joe Scarborough, host, ‘Scarborough Country’ spoke to Kevin Raleigh and Rosemarie Offenhaur, whose mother, Kathleen Raleigh, was taken away by the cult.  Offenhaur was also a former nun for the Tridentine Rite before realizing the group’s bad intentions.  Cult expert, Rick Ross sat in on the discussion as well.To read an excerpt of their conversation, continue to the text...

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...

 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...

Vatican, Jul. 16, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI, who recently issued a motu proprio allowing all Catholic priests to celebrate the old Latin Mass, uses the older ritual himself for his private Mass, CWN has learned. Informed sources at the Vatican have confirmed reports that the Holy Father regularly celebrates Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal. In his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum the Pope says that the older form-- the form in universal use before the liturgical changes that followed Vatican II-- was never abrogated. Since becoming Roman Pontiff, Benedict XVI has always used the new ritual-- which he...

'AND then how shall I lie through centuries,/And hear the blessed mutter of the Mass," exulted Browning's bishop ordering his tomb at Saint Praxed's church, in the well-known poem. His repose would have come to a raucous end in 1969, when the New Mass was imposed on the Catholic faithful; but he might have relapsed into contentment from next September 14, when the motu proprio of Benedict XVI restoring the Latin 'Tridentine' Mass comes into effect. Not since 1850, when Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman hurled his pastoral letter 'From Out the Flaminian Gate' like a grenade into the heart of the...

Today was my parents Golden Wedding Anniversary! Such a momentous occasion called for a special commemoration. They decided to renew their marriage vows. My mother is Catholic; my father is not. Back in 1957, they had to receive permission for my father to be married in the Catholic Church. So it seemed only fitting that they repeat their vows in the Catholic Church. They chose my mother's parish which is quite stable as far as the liturgy. It is in a well to do community and is quite active. My daughter attended the attached school. At one time, this was...

Many people want to express their gratitude to someone for the provisions of Summorum Pontificum. It costs almost nothing to write a note of appreciation. I suggest you write a very brief, VERY brief note to His Holiness Benedict XVI Palazzo Apostolico 00120 Vatican City Tips for writing to the Pope to thank him: 1) one side of one sheet of paper 2) unless your penmanship is perfect, type or word processor 3) don’t say anything negative about anyone 4) in two lines, express why you love the older liturgy and how you participate 5) in one line promise prayers...

Diocese begins to explore how to implement document In a long-awaited overture to disaffected and even schismatic Catholic traditionalists, Pope Benedict XVI has relaxed restrictions on the use of the Tridentine Mass, the Latin-language liturgy that predated the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s.The pope said that the Mass -- celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal and commonly known as the Tridentine rite -- should be made available in every parish where groups of the faithful desire it.He said that while the new Roman Missal, introduced in 1970, remains the ordinary way of Catholic worship, the 1962 missal should...

The ubiquitous Father Tom Reese, formerly of America, naturally had some sound-bites prepared about the motu proprio. A few highlights: If the pope issues a Motu proprio allowing the use of the Tridentine mass without the local bishop’s permission, he is basically saying that he does not trust the pastoral judgment of the bishops. Hmmm. You said it, Tom. I didn't. But I'm guessing that you think the Pope should trust their pastoral judgment. This is because: They have been so successful in maintaining the strength of the faith (as evidenced by high Mass attendance, abundant religious vocations, stable marriages,...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- U.S. church leaders cautioned against what one called "early and false conclusions" about Pope Benedict XVI's July 7 document expanding the use of the Tridentine Mass and said it should be seen primarily as an affirmation of the importance of reverential participation in the Mass, whether in its ordinary or extraordinary form. Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit said the apostolic letter "Summorum Pontificum" showed the pope's "pastoral care for those members of the faithful who desire to worship God" with the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly known as the Tridentine rite. But he...

Mumbai (AsiaNews) – The Indian Church has expressed its satisfaction and hope that it “can take care of the pastoral needs of the community” following Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum released last Saturday. In it the Pope announces that the Catholic Church will allow the use of the so-called Tridentine Mass in the form approved by John XXIII in 1962. The Motu Proprio is promulgated with an explicit reference to reconciliation and the ecclesial unity that was broken by the schism caused Mgr Marcel Lefebvre and his traditionalists. According to Mgr Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, the Motu Proprio...

The US bishops' translation of Summorum Pontificum, which is appearing everywhere on the internet, contains what appears to be a cut-and-paste error: Article 1 of the motu proprio, as rendered in that translation, reads: "These two expressions of the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Church in no way lead to a division in the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Church, for they are two uses of the one Roman Rite." It should read: These two expressions of the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Church in no way lead to a division in the law...