As many of you know, I am currently "Out of the Office" on a hiatus. I know I am a little cryptic, but there are reasons for that. That being said, I have been quite spiritually thirsty... even more so then normal. My routine has been chaotic, my spiritual needs have been but quite low on the priority list, and I just haven't had the encounters with the Sacred that I need. The worst part is, I am not even really in the Desert that I have been in for the last year or so.
extraordinary...
Tonight... I am going to attempt to attend to those needs. I am going to be going to an Extraordinary Form Mass tonight, a Tridentine Rite aka Mass in the usus antiquior. It has been quite a while, since about March of this year. In fact... I almost forgot how to spell usus antiquior. I really need this... I am giddy and excited. Unfortunately I am going alone... my wife and I are still apart from one another. (Don't worry my hiatus has nothing to do with "US"; it is job related.
preparing for the encounter
So I am fasting... and praying. I don't have my Missal... so tonight will be about one thing, and one thing only. Opening my heart to the Worship of God. Whatever I intake tonight... will be from the Holy Spirit. What is really nice is that tomorrow I will be at the same church for the Red Mass. There are just times when one thirsts so much... and needs spiritual drink... hopefully mind will come this evening.
Pray for me... as I pray for you and all the Church.
Just a brief reminder to those in vicinity of Michigan that the Latin Liturgy Association is hosting its 2010 convention in Detroit beginning this Friday, July 16th and continuing through until Sunday, July 18th -- of course, people may choose to attend only one or two of the days if they so wish.
Saturday will be the day in which the talks are being presented and, amongst others, I will myself be speaking at this convention on the subject of a new liturgical movement.
It is being held at my favorite church: St. Josaphat's in Detroit. I think it would be awesome to go, especially if you are a Latin buff. If any of our readers attend, please let me know, and I'd love to have you do a write up, guest blog post!
Today is the 3rd anniversary of Summorum Pontificum. That being said, I want to discuss one of the key factors which draws me to Mass in the Extraordinary Form: The Music, specifically Gregorian Chant and Polyphony.
Ironically, I can't carry a tune in a bucket. Yet, I have always been drawn to music. I spent hours making "mix tapes" - kids think iPod play list, but much more time intensive, and all based on the "luck of the draw" depending on what was played on the radio. I love making "Soundtracks" for various events, periods of time, and supplying music for things such as retreats. So, music has always drawn me in.
When I was younger and attended Protestant worship service, I loved the singing. It made more sense to me than some guy standing up front telling me what he thought about the Bible. (Even then I knew I wasn't built to be Protestant.) I went through phases, some were less glamorous than others. (Blaring Michael W. Smith's "Secret Ambition" seems cool when you are 12 and on fire with the faith, but it isn't.)
Eventually I started attending Catholic Mass, and again the music drew me in. Don't get me wrong, I am forever warped and have a special place in my heart for Christian Pop, especially harder Christian Rock, but those that live in glass houses shouldn't judge people with cheesy guilty pleasures. But the music at Catholic Mass took me to a new place. I distinctly remember a Mass during my junior year of high school, that to this day I view as one of my "looking back, I realize now, that I knew then" moments.
It was that day, that I heard the Sanctus and knew that I would be fully initiated into the Catholic Faith one day. (It only took 10 more years.) But it was the Sanctus in high school, and the Ave Maria. I remember more or less demanding that it be played at my Grandfather's funeral. I wasn't a practicing Catholic yet, in fact, I had just journeyed back to attending Mass at the time, but I knew it was a necessary element of his funeral, and boy am I glad that my naivety was correct; I am positive that it was the Holy Spirit, and not my own intelligence that pushed for it.
As I attended Mass more and more, and went through RCIA, I liked the music that I knew. It didn't matter what the words were, as long as it had some personal meaning to me. Songs like... wait for it, On Eagles Wings, were some of my favorite because I knew them, they were familiar, and they symbolized the Mass to me. But like every other "phase" I had gone through in my faith, I soon understood that there was more to the music than familiarity and pop appeal. There was a purpose to the lyrics and the style.
All this being said, as I started to study my faith, and learned that the Mass wasn't about me, but about God, I started to realize that the music I liked, that I often "grew out of" quickly, because it seemed juvenile and silly, was probably twice as trite and foolish to be used as a way to worship and praise God. Anything that sounded like it should be sung by a guy in a polyester-shoulder-padded sport coat, ankle biter jeans, and a mullet, probably wasn't the best type of music to have at Mass.
I didn't really know what the "right" type of music was. I went to a parish for a while that had a very interesting Music Director. We sang more spanish than latin, and more Haas and Haguen than Aquinas. So what was GOOD music for Mass? Well, I finally got my answer when I wound up at a parish with an organ. I also learned it at my law school, where we had something called a Schola. As I learned songs like Immaculate Mary, Panis Angelicus, and the Agnus Dei something began to click. It made sense. Music wasn't a fad, entertainment, or for my liking it served a purpose at Mass just as everything else did. Sure bringing in a rock band might draw teens to a Lifeteen Mass, but did it draw anyone closer to the Sacred? I wasn't sure, which wasn't a good answer to me. I realized that we SHOULD be sure what we are doing, especially with music, draws us to the Sacred.
When I went to my first Mass or two, celebrated in the usus antiquior, they were the Missa Cantata. A form of the Mass that is SUNG. I attended these at St. Josaphat's Church in Detroit. I was in AWE. I felt as if I never wanted to go to a Mass again, where songs sounded like something that appeared on a children's TV show with a giant purple dinosaur. But was this vanity? Was this me desiring something for myself? I struggled with this question for a long time. I feared that I was less concerned with what God wanted at Mass, and more what I wanted. Maybe this was about preference and not reverence.
That all changed at my wedding. As we went over music, with an amazing music director, I made the comment, "I want music that makes sense to the CELEBRATION, I don't want the typical because it is what people expect. I want the music to make sense within the Mass." His response was, "I am glad you are taking this so serious, most people don't." He almost had to force us to leave, because I was being so particular. It was then that I realized that my desire for proper music was in the very least rooted in some proper theo-philosophy.
Since moving to Alaska, the music situation has been much of the same. We use the Heritage Missal, as do almost all parishes in Alaska. It is pretty difficult, week after week to sing many of the songs. This is a VERY contemporary Missal/Hymnal and so it has very modern sounding music. Every week I hear songs, that when run through a theological filter, don't make sense to me. Yes, I know they are approved, but that doesn't mean anything. We have lots of Bishops, Priests, and Nuns that run around saying and doing things contrary to the teachings of the Church and they too are, "approved." That being said, I sing... not loud, as I am pretty tone deaf, but I sing, and I pray. I pray that next week we will have a good song to sing, and until then, the song I am singing will be made good through our prayer and love of God.
As a parting note, several blogs recently have written posts about music that I wish to share with you. They all lend something a little different and are worth checking out.
First, Fr. Longenecker has written and entire SERIES on Music. You can find them here:
The series is a MUST READ! He starts with an over-view on what makes a good Hymn, and dives deeper in the the musical selection, quality, style, lyrics, and purpose of music at Mass. Again, this is a must read. He sets up the series with a bang, and it really is a non-stop ride from that point on. Here is part of his intro:
"What people don't seem to realize is that there are actually some criteria for choosing good hymns. The fact that so many of the hymns in our Catholic hymnals are terrible musically, heterodox theologically, contain execrable poetry, maudlin sentiments and trashy pop psychology doesn't help. People need to learn that just because a hymn is published doesn't make it good. Furthermore, just because it's popular doesn't make it good."
The Anchoress also has written about music lately. One of her latest posts concerns, "The Ten Worst Hymns?" She takes on the task of figuring out what the worst of the worst are. She has her own picks, but her main task is to direct us to Joe Carter, who put the list of 10 down, for all to see. She also links to Deal Hudson who did a similar project last year.
Now for those that think this is uncharitable, The Anchoress argues that "we must continue to complain until they stop [using these songs.]" So it isn't about preference, but a battle for the reverential place of music within the Mass.
I know this post was long, but I hope you learned something along the way, came to realize that we are all on a journey of knowledge and understanding, and that it is okay to re-evaluate our preferences and understanding of the place that music has in the Mass.
Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the Motu Proprio: Summorum Pontificum. After being in an area [Archdiocese of Detroit] where the Extraordinary Form was regularly said and in multiple places I have seen the fruits of the Motu Proprio. Now that I reside in an area where Mass is only occasionally celebrated [in terms of the entire Archdiocese and State] I realize that there is still a lot of room for growth.
There are many that 'fight against' this 'movement' because they see it as a 'step-backwards.' [See: Wondering Wednesdays Vol. II; specifically #1]. While many others understand it correctly as part of the fullness of the faith. This Liturgical Form has never "gone away" and is much a part of the Church as is the Novus Ordo - the "new Mass" or the various number of 'other' Catholic Rites. In most parishes where it has been instituted, the community of faithful has flourished and become rejuvenated; in parishes where division and factions existed, a new "peace" and unity has blossomed as fruits of this 'movement.'
What I really would like to know is:
How has your experience been regarding the Motu Proprio and its fruits? Have you attended Masscelebrated according to the usus antiquior since Summorum Pontificum was published? How is the situation in your diocese or parish? Have you personally organized or requested Mass in the Extraordinary Form? What are your experiences, thoughts, or comments regard this topic? This is an OPEN THREAD.
Please leave comments... and I hope to do more writing on this soon.
As a final note, please keep a matter regarding this topic that is a personal intention of mine in your prayers.
Alaska is not immune to the "priest shortage" plaguing the rest of the Catholic Church. In fact, having no seminary in even a days driving distance makes things extra hard.
But... the flowers are starting to bloom in the "Reform of the Reform" garden. Since September 14, 2007, when the Motu Proprio: Summorum Pontificum went into effect various churches around Alaska, have been re-introducing the Tridentine Rite Mass, or the Extraordinary Form into their Mass Schedule. Some have had an easier time than others, but there is progress being made.
This biggest obstacle, is obviously finding priests that even know the Mass in the usus antiquior. As more priests learn the Extraordinary Form, and as older priests re-acquaint themselves with it, more and more parishes are calling for it to be offered.
In fact another parish has just recently started having Mass in the usus antiquior on a regular basis!!
One of the weakest arguments that I have heard from the anti-extraordinary form Mass camp is: that the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, aka the Tridentine Mass, isn't the most ancient or even that "good" of a Mass and therefore folks that support it or desire it... are simply jumping on a bandwagon. They accuse devotees of the Extraordinary Form of being "Rad Trads" or Radical Traditionalists, meaning that they believe folks who desire this form of the Mass are simply being Catholic Elitists.
This is an unfair, uncharitable, and incorrect assumption on the behalf of these accusers. In fact, most folks that desire the Mass in the Usus Antiquior do so because they feel disconnected from the Sacred, while celebrating the Mass at their parish. Many who attend the EF Mass don't do so out of pride, an eclectic affinity for latin, a particular fondness for the theological meaning of the rubrics of that Mass, or anything complicated like that. Instead, many folks are simply desiring the Sacred.
Although the Mass isn't about us, our attendance and worship at Mass is our chance to encounter the Sacred. It is the source and summit of our Christian life, and is a small slice of "Heaven on Earth." Therefore, many people simply want the experience to be as close to the Sacred as possible. In the modern American Catholic Church, one can find themselves in a church built less than a decade ago, lacking stained glass, statues, icons, tile, confessionals, pillars, incense, traditional music, or any other traditional features that once created the "setting" of the Mass. I would argue that Catholicism is the SINGLE christian "denomination" that can appeal to all of the human senses, and yet rarely do we find a Mass that partakes in the traditions that appeal to all the senses... except in the Usus Antiquior.
When the Motu Proprio in 2007 was published, many Bishops explained that it was not in fact a set of doors thrown open, signaling a resurgence in the celebration of the Extraordinary Form. Instead, they spoke of how "complicated" the rubrics were and how many parishes were not designed for "this type of Mass." They spoke in terms of complexity and a fear that many would seek to justify the means with an end. Ironically, this is in fact how many see the Ordinary Form nowadays in their parish. With liturgical abuse run rampant, theologically incorrect homilies, and protestant music run amok, it is no wonder that folks desire a form of the Mass that strives for the Sacred.
There is something to be said to the fact that whenever a parish offers the EF, families flock to it in droves. They flock to a Mass that isn't in our native language, that doesn't offer a "role" for throngs of the faithful, where the priest "doesn't face the people", and various other attacks that are often placed upon the EF. Its popularity comes from a desire for the Sacred. Bishops and priests would do well to learn from this, rather than fight against it. A perfect opportunity exists with the new missal translation. Things will change with its implementation. Bishops should seize that opportunity and reclaim the Sacred. Not for the people, not for popularity's sake, but for the fact that God is deserved of our attempt at creating the Sacred in our churches and he is deserved of sacred worship.
The following is the full text of Bishop Slattery's Sermon from the Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - Washington, D.C. (Taken from Te Deum! Blog)
I was going to post excerpts, and direct everyone over there, but out of fear that some may not take the effort I want to post it. I challenge you to find me a better Sermon from over the weekend. Granted this was not on the Good Sheppard readings, and yet it was extremely poignant.
Please take the time to read this... I can almost gurantee you haven't heard a sermon or homily like this, in a long while.
Bishop Slattery's Sermon at Solemn High Mass at National Shrine
4/25/2010 - EOC Staff
Bishop Slattery's Sermon at the Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - Washington, D.C. Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Benedict XVI to the throne of Peter - ad multos annos!
We have much to discuss - you and I …
… much to speak of on this glorious occasion when we gather together in the glare of the world’s scrutiny to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of Peter.
We must come to understand how it is that suffering can reveal the mercy of God and make manifest among us the consoling presence of Jesus Christ, crucified and now risen from the dead.
We must speak of this mystery today, first of all because it is one of the great mysteries of revelation, spoken of in the New Testament and attested to by every saint in the Church’s long history, by the martyrs with their blood, by the confessors with their constancy, by the virgins with their purity and by the lay faithful of Christ’s body by their resolute courage under fire.
But we must also speak clearly of this mystery because of the enormous suffering which is all around us and which does so much to determine the culture of our modern age.
From the enormous suffering of His Holiness these past months to the suffering of the Church’s most recent martyrs in India and Africa, welling up from the suffering of the poor and the dispossessed and the undocumented, and gathering tears from the victims of abuse and neglect, from women who have been deceived into believing that abortion was a simple medical procedure and thus have lost part of their soul to the greed of the abortionist, and now flowing with the heartache of those who suffer from cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or the emotional diseases of our age, it is the sufferings of our people that defines the culture of our modern secular age.
This enormous suffering which can take on so many varied physical, mental, and emotional forms will reduce us to fear and trembling - if we do not remember that Christ - our Passover - has been raised from the dead. Our pain and anguish could dehumanize us, for it has the power to close us in upon ourselves such that we would live always in chaos and confusion - if we do not remember that Christ - our hope - has been raised for our sakes. Jesus is our Passover, our hope and our light.
He makes himself most present in the suffering of his people and this is the mystery of which we must speak today, for when we speak of His saving presence and proclaim His infinite love in the midst of our suffering, when we seek His light and refuse to surrender to the darkness, we receive that light which is the life of men; that light which, as Saint John reminds us in the prologue to his Gospel, can never be overcome by the darkness, no matter how thick, no matter how choking.
Our suffering is thus transformed by His presence. It no longer has the power to alienate or isolate us. Neither can it dehumanize us nor destroy us. Suffering, however long and terrible it may be, has only the power to reveal Christ among us, and He is the mercy and the forgiveness of God. The mystery then, of which we speak, is the light that shines in the darkness,Christ Our Lord, Who reveals Himself most wondrously to those who suffer so that suffering and death can do nothing more than bring us to the mercy of the Father.
But the point which we must clarify is that Christ reveals Himself to those who suffer in Christ, to those who humbly accept their pain as a personal sharing in His Passion and who are thus obedient to Christ’s command that we take up our cross and follow Him. Suffering by itself is simply the promise that death will claim these mortal bodies of ours, but suffering in Christ is the promise that we will be raised with Christ, when our mortality will be remade in his immortality and all that in our lives which is broken because it is perishable and finite will be made imperishable and incorrupt.
This is the meaning of Peter’s claim that he is a witness to the sufferings of Christ and thus one who has a share in the glory yet to be revealed. Once Peter grasped the overwhelming truth of this mystery, his life was changed. The world held nothing for Peter. For him, there was only Christ.
This is, as you know, quite a dramatic shift for the man who three times denied Our Lord, the man to whom Jesus said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Christ’s declaration to Peter that he would be the rock, the impregnable foundation, the mountain of Zion upon which the new Jerusalem would be constructed, follows in Matthew’s Gospel Saint Peter’s dramatic profession of faith, when the Lord asks the Twelve, “Who do people say that I am?” and Peter, impulsive as always, responds “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Only later - much later - would Peter come to understand the full implication of this first Profession of Faith. Peter would still have to learn that to follow Christ, to truly be His disciple, one must let go of everything which the world considers valuable and necessary, and become powerless. This is the mystery which confounds independent Peter. It is the mystery which still confounds us: to follow Christ, one must surrender everything and become obedient with the obedience of Christ, for no one gains access to the Kingdom of the Father, unless he enter through the humility and the obedience of Jesus.
Peter had no idea that eventually he would find himself fully accepting this obedience, joyfully accepting his share in the Passion and Death of Christ. But Peter loved Our Lord and love was the way by which Peter learned how to obey. “Lord, you know that I love thee,” Peter affirms three times with tears; and three times Christ commands him to tend to the flock that gathers at the foot of Calvary - and that is where we are now. Peter knew that Jesus was the true Shepherd, the one Master and the only teacher; the rest of us are learners and the lesson we must learn is obedience, obedience unto death. Nothing less than this, for only when we are willing to be obedient with the very obedience of Christ will we come to recognize Christ’s presence among us.
Obedience is thus the heart of the life of the disciple and the key to suffering in Christ and with Christ. This obedience, is must be said, is quite different from obedience the way it is spoken of and dismissed in the world.
For those in the world, obedience is a burden and an imposition. It is the way by which the powerful force the powerless to do obeisance. Simply juridical and always external, obedience is the bending that breaks, but a breaking which is still less painful than the punishment meted out for disobedience. Thus for those in the world obedience is a punishment which must be avoided; but for Christians, obedience is always personal, because it is centered on Christ. It is a surrender to Jesus Whom we love.
For those whose lives are centered in Christ, obedience is that movement which the heart makes when it leaps in joy having once discovered the truth.
Let us consider, then, that Christ has given us both the image of his obedience and the action by which we are made obedient.
The image of Christ’s obedience is His Sacred Heart. That Heart, exposed and wounded must give us pause, for man’s heart it generally hidden and secret. In the silence of his own heart, each of us discovers the truth of who we are, the truth of why we are silent when we should speak, or bothersome and quarrelsome when we should be silent. In our hidden recesses of the heart, we come to know the impulses behind our deeds and the reasons why we act so often as cowards and fools.
But while man’s heart is generally silent and secret, the Heart of the God-Man is fully visible and accessible. It too reveals the motives behind our Lord’s self-surrender. It was obedience to the Father’s will that mankind be reconciled and our many sins forgiven us. “Son though he was,” the Apostle reminds us, “Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.” Obedient unto death, death on a cross, Jesus asks his Father to forgive us that God might reveal the full depth of his mercy and love. “Father, forgive them,” he prayed, “for they know not what they do.”
Christ’s Sacred Heart is the image of the obedience which Christ showed by his sacrificial love on Calvary. The Sacrifice of Calvary is also for us the means by which we are made obedient and this is a point which you must never forget: at Mass, we offer ourselves to the Father in union with Christ, who offers Himself in perfect obedience to the Father. We make this offering in obedience to Christ who commanded us to “Do this in memory of me” and our obediential offering is perfected in the love with which the Father receives the gift of His Son.
Do not be surprised then that here at Mass, our bloodless offering of the bloody sacrifice of Calvary is a triple act of obedience. First, Christ is obedient to the Father, and offers Himself as a sacrifice of reconciliation. Secondly, we are obedient to Christ and offer ourselves to the Father with Jesus the Son; and thirdly, in sharing Christ’s obedience to the Father, we are made obedient to a new order of reality, in which love is supreme and life reigns eternal, in which suffering and death have been defeated by becoming for us the means by which Christ’s final victory, his future coming, is made manifest and real today.
Suffering then, yours, mine, the Pontiffs, is at the heart of personal holiness, because it is our sharing in the obedience of Jesus which reveals his glory. It is the means by which we are made witnesses of his suffering and sharers in the glory to come.
Do not be dismayed that there many in the Church have not yet grasped this point, and fewer still in the world will even consider it. You know this to be true and ten men who whisper the truth speak louder than a hundred million who lie.
If then someone asks of what we spoke today, tell them we spoke of the truth. If someone asks why it is you came to this Mass, say that it was so that you could be obedient with Christ. If someone asks about the homily, tell them it was about a mystery and if someone asks what I said of the present situation, tell them only that we must - all of us - become saints.
3:07 [Eastern Time]: The Mass is over... I hope that this was at least somewhat enjoyable for some folks. I believe the Mass re-airs on EWTN at 12midnight eastern time. Sorry I didn't do more commentary, but I kept getting wrapped up in watching the Mass. It really was beautiful to watch on TV, and I pray that it leads to the conversion of hearts and minds for those that may not fully understand the Mass in the usus antiquior.
2:55 [Eastern Time]: BLOG CELEBRITY SIGHTING!!! Can you spot them??
2:51 [Eastern Time]: "The supreme form of active participation in the Mass... reception of Holy Communion in a State of Grace."
2:45 [Eastern Time]:
2:32 [Eastern Time]:
2:27 [Eastern Time]: The Sacred music at this Mass is beautiful... of course. The Vestments are very beautiful, and fitting to this type of Mass. There is something about this Mass that is special, I have a feeling that it will be the soil upon which many good things come. Goodness do we need a little of that in our midst right now.
2:19 [Eastern Time]:
2:16 [Eastern Time]: Awesome explanation of the history of the Chalice being used. 2:11 [Eastern Time]:
"So suffering and death can do nothing more than bring us to the Mercy of the Father." "Peter, impulsive as always..." - AWESOME! "Peter would still have to learn... to follow Christ, one must let go of everything that the world considers... valuable." "To Christ, one must surrender everything, and become obedient." "The image of Christ's obedience is His Sacred Heart." "At Mass we offer ourselves in Union with Christ to the Father." "Suffering then... is at the heart of personal holiness...Do not be dismayed that there are many in the Church that do not know this point." "If someone asked why you go to Mass, tell them it was about obedience."
1:52 [Eastern Time]: It is Sermon Time:
1:43 [Eastern Time]: "...and upon this rock I will build My Church."
1:43 [Eastern Time]:
1:30 [Eastern Time]: If you dont have EWTN you can watch it live here: http://www.ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.asp
1:15 [Eastern Time]: I decided to Live Blog the Pontifical Mass at the Basilica since just about every east coast blogger is there... and well I am not.
For those that want to witness the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, but cant make it to a church that celebrates it, or if you would like to LEARN about it via a "play by play" - the Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of the National Cathedral is on EWTN right now.
As I am watching, the priests giving commentary said something vital to our understanding of the Mass. They were explaining how viewers not familiar with the Mass in the usus antiquior might be confused about all the extravagant and complex rituals that occur in the older Mass. The striking and important comment that they made about it was:
We have to remember that none of this [the rituals at Mass] is about us, but the Mass is all about God.
The Q Continuum [A blog that I should not be linking to, since we are facing off in the 4th Annual Cannonball Catholic Awards] has posted an EXCELLENT primer or reflection on what to "look for" at Mass in the Extraordinary Form.
For those that don't know, Mass in the usus antiquior will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine this weekend. Since a lot of Bloggers will be there, and a lot of folks who read blogs but that have never been to an EF Mass will be attending, The Q.C. prepared this primer:
As I said, I shouldn't even be linking this :), but it is a really nice and succinct way at looking at the older form of the Mass, especially for those that may not be familiar with the usus antiquior. It is also a good instructional for those of us that find ourselves sometimes distracted at Mass - it gives us something to think about in terms of why we do what we do at Mass.
According to: Summorum Pontificum Alaska; there will by a Mass in the usus antiquior in Anchorage on March 6, 2010 at 7:30pm. The Mass will be said at the Holy Family Cathedral.
The TLM community in Anchorage is trying to make this a regular, or semi-regular occurrence so please support them if you can! This weekend is also the start of the Iditarod so you have two great reasons to venture to Anchorage this weekend!
Parish after parish strives to get kids involved in the Faith. Brian recently posted on the fact that children are the future of our Faith. We also want our children to love and grow in love of God, His Church, and His Faith. But how do we best accomplish that?
I know that many parishes struggle with Mass attendance and so they employ the LIFE TEEN Mass. [I don't think this is the time of place to discuss Life Teen specifically.] Does that make sense? Should we ALTER what we do... in our Faith, so that teens will be "interested"? How do we best make Mass RELEVANT? Do we "modernize" it, do we "spice it up"? What does this then say ABOUT our faith?
The Curt Jester posted on his Twitter page a VERY interesting blog post from another blog about another idea... one that I particularly could work - if done correctly of course. Maybe the key is to go BACK to the traditional and implement the "Triden-TEEN Mass."
Last week I took my teenage daughter to a special Mass which I hoped she would find especially appealing. It included inspiring worship music, elaborate visual stimulation and inspired preaching. And afterward, when I asked her what she thought, she enthusiastically told me that she liked it. Here is a description of this “teen-friendly” Mass from the parish’s website: A Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the Feast of the Purification (Candlemas) with a blessing of the Candles and Procession with polyphonic propers composed by William Byrd, and the Ordinary from his Mass for Four Voices, sung by Chantry. Now I admit that I am not an “Old Mass-only” Catholic. Nor do I think the Mass needs to be in Latin; I prefer the vernacular, truth be told. However, I can’t help but marvel at the fact that we have spent countless hours and enormous amounts of energy over the past 40 years trying to create a Mass that is “relevant” and engaging to our teens, when perhaps it was collecting mothballs in the closet the whole time?
Maybe the MASS is already RELEVANT and we have been making it IRRELEVANT?
...I am somewhat of a Bibliophile. Yet, I am not wealthy enough TO OBTAIN most books I want... so I just continutally check ebay hoping that someone's Catholic estate decides to list their entire library at $1 per book.
I know it is just a Missal. Yet... it is just a wonderful resource, plus it has latin. I am really trying to re-learn latin. (I never really KNEW latin, but I did take it for a few years in middle school). Sad is me though, because it is quite difficult convincing your wife that although you just had your first child, and live in a land where the cost of living makes hawaii look cheap, even a mere $50 is too much to spend on a Missal. [Especially since we don't have the usus antiquior in our area right now.] But Catholic Books are so appealing to my obsession.
My current Missal is a 1952 St. Andrew Daily Missal which "does the job" when we get to a Tridentine Latin Mass, but it just doesn't have the PIZAZZ that this one does.
Today is SEPTUAGESIMA - Therefore some people reading this blog went to Mass today and the priest was wearing Green and some went and the priest was wearing purple. There are some big differences between the Modern Roman Liturgy and the Usus Antiquior.
One of the reasons I am such a fan of the Usus Antiquior is because of how much history, tradition, and MEANING exists within the older Rite. The concept of Pre-lent is that there is a transition from ordinary time into Lent, and the period is preparatory.
I started this blog a little over 3 months ago. It was in response to some conversations I had with my best friend concerning the current state of the Catholic Church in America, the culture of American Catholic families, the dualistic nature of the Church in terms of the Traditionalist movement ["reform of the reform"] versus the more modern Progressives congregations [this is not meant to be read in a pejorative sense], and how socio-political aspects of American life and politics juxtapose against these facets of American Catholicism. In short we were talking essentially about what it means to be an American Catholic in todays day and age. [We also spoke specifically of our vocations as Husbands, Fathers, and Lawyers]
Both my friend and I were in our last year of law school, married, and expecting our first child in our respective families. We realized that the country and culture we were raised in no longer existed, at least not fully. We also saw the changes occurring in our faith because of the culture of the world. Vatican II was meant to be a development within the Church to explain and evolve the way in which our faith existed within the modern world. Unfortunately, here in America it came during the social chaos of the 1960's and 1970's. A once stoic and traditional Catholic Church had become something modern and incongruent with the past. It rested its laurels less on rubrics and tradition and more on comfort and relativism. The Church had been devolving in many regards since then; although not necessarily because of Vatican II but more the state of our world in terms of culture and belief.
As we talked we realized that our families, faith, and country were in battles. ["the kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violenceand the violent are taking it by storm." Matthew 11:12] I know for many this seems highly exaggerated but it isn't. Just turn on the the TV and watch the way prime-time shows portray families and culture. Watch the commercials and see the products they push and the families the use to push them. We realized for sure that there was a culture war. We also saw the same thing in our church. Granted we went to a Catholic law school, so we definitely had more traditionalist beliefs and tendencies but we saw the way the Church was no longer the same across the board. Walking into some churches you felt as if kneeling and latin were prohibited whereas walking into others you were close to excommunication if you weren't constantly kneeling and only speaking latin. It seemed as if the war had engulfed even the Church itself turning brother against brother - a sort of Civil war.
So this blog was born... as a way to get these ideas out there. The first 3 months the posts were a little scattered. Yet as I move forward I hope to be more focused. I plan to concentrate on the wars waging over our families, faith, and country. It should be obvious as to what some of these topics will be and others I am sure will develop spontaneously as such things have a tendency to do.
I hope to cover more family pertinent issues as my first child is about 2 weeks from birth. I think that more so than ever natural Catholic families are under attack. The way we raise our children in their faith, in the American culture, and their educational opportunities are under constant attack from relativism and secularism. I plan to discuss all the ways in which we can fight to preserve our traditions, needs and desires when it comes to our children and families. ["You may not be rich; you may be unable to bequeath any great possessions to your children; but one thing you can give them; the heritage of your blessing. And it is better to be blessed than to be rich." - St. Ambrose]
I also hope to cover the way in which our marriages are constantly under attack. Whether it is the way that the family dynamic is portrayed or the way in which the roles of husbands and wives exist in our culture. As Catholics, our marriages begin with the Sacrament of Matrimony. A tri-union with ourselves, our spouse and our God. ["...a threefold cord is not easily broken." - Eccl. 4:12] We must fight to preserve them as a true union with God and an everlasting fidelity to love.
Our Church, our faith, the liturgy, and tradition are undergoing a revolution. As with all revolutions there is the chance that it could end badly and leave nothing more than a shell of what we had prior to the uprising. Yet, it could also leave in its wake the fertile ground unto which a grand and glorious garden could grow - with a multitude of fruits and graces. It is up to us those - the Body of Christ, to ensure that this "reform of the reform," that this revolution occurs properly and in the right way. That we uphold true traditions with meaning and purpose and not solely for the sake of tradtion. We must also embrace the reforms of Vatican II, those that have been done properly and for the Holy purpose of bringing Greater Glory to God. It our job as members of the Church Militant to instill in our children and families the proper way to balance tradition with modernity to ensure growth and love in the Church and in our world. ["Take heed to thyself and to doctrine: be earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." 1 Timothy 4:16]
There is also a need to expose and discuss the Anti-Christian and Anti-Catholic tone that exists in American Politics. As more and more of our elected officials vote against Catholic teaching and morals we need to exert our voices and our voting power upon them. Especially those that wave the flag of Catholicism only to support legislation contrary to its teaching. Explaining such actions away through some relativistic explanation. There is certainly a separation between Church and State, and it should exist to the proper degree - but not at the cost of the extermination of religion. Our country was not, is not, and should not be a secularist one. ["And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Mark 12:17]
Finally, I hope to show how the intercession and protection of St. Michael, the Archangels, and all the angels and saints can protect us in these battles. We cannot do this alone - we must implore the help and protection of the angels.
So moving forward... there are many battles to come. I hope that this blog can be a place to help prepare all of us for such battles, and the overall war against evil. Don't get me wrong - I do not think of myself as anything great or even capable of doing such a thing. I only feel that God has inspired me to do such in a way that through Him, if it be His Will, then I will be capable of achieving such a feat.
A final note; I am a traditionalist for sure. I have a great place in my heart for the Extraordinary Form (Tridentine & Dominican Rites), latin prayers and hymns, and the practices of Catholicism that are more traditional. This does not mean though, that I abhor all new and modern means of worship. In fact, I live in a place where the "New Order" (Novus Ordo) is the only one in which I can attend. I understand that when done correctly, its beauty is befitting the extent of mans ability to worship God. So my preference for the traditional should not be taken as an indictment of the modern. Instead I hope to show that the age and maturity of the older form show how stability and focus on the Mystery and Eucharist allow the Church to flourish. The older form, latin, and the traditional practices have had almost 500 years to attempt to perfect themselves. Whereas the new Mass has had only 40. [In essence it is like comparing a 50 year old with a 4 year old in terms of knowledge and refinement.] So I hope to show through the comparison of the new to the old the ways in which we must center and focus our attention as Catholics. Not in attempt to simply reclaim tradition, but instead to ensure that the meaning of our woship and faith is Christ centered and not people centered.
In conclusion I hope this blog will touch all of you, and hopefully bring some of you to a greater relationship and understanding of our God. I hope that it brings Greater Glory to God and upholds the Holy Catholic Church in all of Her Glory and Graces.
I received an email yesterday regarding the Tridentine Rite Mass (also known as the Extraordinary Form) which will be held on a regular basis in Anchorage. For the EF mass to be held regularly or even weekly is HUGE NEWS! It means that the "reform of the reform" is actually taking place. Here is the email:
So it's official! Beginning Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 7:30PM at Holy Family Cathedral, we will have the routine "Sunday" celebration of the Extraordinary Form. Thank you Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, Fr. Tom Brundage and Dominicans Fr. Francis Le and Fr. Vincent Kelber.
Spread the word, and see you at Mass!
P.S. We have some servers but we could use more. Please contact Fr. Kelber at Holy Family Cathedral.
I really wish I lived closer to Anchorage and I wish I could learn to serve the EF Mass so that I could be of some assistance. If anyone would like to gift me the Altar Service Resources on SanctaMissa.org I would be more than happy to learn!
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