Roman Catholic Blog

The Return of Real Rubrics?

Something interesting is going on in the Diocese of Belleville in Illinois.

For the geographically challenged it's just East of St. Louis Missouri.

They've got a bishop in Belleville, Bishop Edward Braxton, who actually acts like Catholic Bishops used to act!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bishop Braxton actually expects his priests to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as it is written in the Roman Missal.

So much so that he just removed a priest (or rather accepted his resignation), Rev. William Rowe (pic below), for constantly changing the words of the Mass.

Here's the full story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Illinois priest loses job after refusing to use new Catholic prayers

BY TIM TOWNSEND [email protected] > 314-340-8221 | Posted: Friday, February 3, 2012 12:05 am

For 18 years, the Rev. William Rowe has done a little improvising while celebrating Mass on Sunday mornings at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill.

Now those deviations have led to his resignation in an incident that may be tied to global changes to the Catholic liturgy.

Last Sunday, instead of saying "Lord our God that we may honor you with all our mind and love everyone in truth of heart," during the opening prayer, he altered the phrasing to better reflect the day's Gospel message, in which Jesus heals a man with a troubled spirit.

"We thank you, God, for giving us Jesus who helped us to be healed in mind and heart and proclaim his love to others," the 72-year-old priest prayed instead.

Three days later, Rowe received a letter from Bishop Edward Braxton accepting his resignation.

"The problem is that when I pray at Mass, I tend to change the words that are written in the book to match what I was talking about, or what a song is about," Rowe said in an interview.

The book in question is the Roman Missal, a book of prayers, chants and responses used during the Mass. Rowe has been saying some of those prayers in his own words for years.

But in December the Vatican-mandated adoption of a new English-language translation of the Missal may have given bishops an opportunity to rein in freewheeling priests who have been praying in their own words for decades.

"Since December when the new translation came out, no one has said what would happen to you if you changed stuff," said the Rev. John Foley, director of the Center for Liturgy at St. Louis University. "But I find it hard to believe a priest in Illinois would be forced to resign because he wasn't using the exact words from the translation. It's not a strong-enough offense for that."

In the wake of sweeping changes in the church as a result of the Second Vatican Council, some priests in the 1970s began using their own words and phrasing in place of the verbatim translations of the original Latin liturgy in the Missal, Foley said. He said there has never been an established penalty for improvising nonalterable prayers, and bishops have traditionally looked past an individual priest's extemporizing.

Monsignor Kevin Irwin, professor of liturgical studies at the Catholic University of America, said there are some prayers said by a priest at Mass in which he is "beholden to the structure not to the words."

But there are also prayers that priests are "duty bound to say," said the Rev. John Baldovin, professor of historical and liturgical theology at Boston College. Most of the prayers in the Missal, in fact, are not optional, he said.

Rowe said Belleville's previous bishop, Wilton Gregory, had discussed his off-the-cuff prayer habit with him, referring to the practice as "pushing the envelope." He said five years ago, Braxton also discussed the matter with him, and asked him to read directly from the Missal.

"I told him I couldn't do that," Rowe said. "That's how I pray."

Last summer, Rowe said, Braxton made it clear to his priests that "no priest may deviate from any wording in the official Missal."

In October, two months ahead of the introduction of the new Missal translation, Braxton said he couldn't permit Rowe to continue improvising, according to Rowe. The priest offered his resignation but didn't receive a response.

Braxton did not respond to a request for an interview with the Post-Dispatch.

On Monday, Braxton wrote Rowe a letter informing him that he'd accepted his resignation.

The action did not sit well with the nearly 500 families at St. Mary's, some of whom are contemplating a letter writing campaign to Braxton. "They're devastated," said Alice Worth, principal at St. Mary's School. "Father Bill is the backbone of our parish."

"The ways Father changed the Mass ritual with his words have only made it more meaningful to us as opposed to distancing us from the church," Worth said. "Everything he does is based on our faith, it's not just a whim. There's a reason for every word he prays."

Promoting Prayerful Posture

Ottawa archbishop lays

down law on kneeling

By Jennifer Green, April 7, 2009

OTTAWA — Ottawa's archbishop has ordered all Catholics to conform in how they kneel during mass, despite widespread grumbling that uniformity doesn't equal sanctity, or even unity.

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast circulated a letter recently asking that everyone kneel for the entire Eucharistic prayer from "Holy, holy, holy" to the conclusion "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith" -- about five minutes in all.

Currently, some congregations stand for most of the prayer, kneeling only as the priest prepares holy communion. Some stand for the whole thing; others kneel throughout.

Archbishop Prendergast said in his letter: "I have noted a wide range of practices ... which present a lack of harmony in a matter where we should be united -- the worship of God.

"I know that it may not be easy for some to accept. However, I am convinced its implementation will bring blessings to our archdiocese and I invite your co-operation with this directive."

In an interview later, he explained: "It's a sign of reverence. People say, 'I don't like that. We are the people set free, we no longer have to kneel to God,' and I said, 'Wait a minute, we do have to kneel to God. Christ knelt in the garden. People knelt before Jesus. Why can't we do that for a few minutes at mass?' "

One woman told him her husband might not come to church because of this. "She said, 'we French Canadians have a bit of an inferiority complex. We don't like people telling us what to do'."

He replied that, if the husband does come, he is free to stand through the prayer, but at the back of the church, where he won't confuse everyone else.

It seems a small thing to ask the faithful to kneel during mass, but opponents say that's just the point, especially since it is the archbishop's first firm order since he arrived in this area last year.

"Is that all they have to think about?" asked former Ottawa councillor Toddy Kehoe, a parishioner at St. Joseph's parish on Laurier Avenue East. "I don't see the Catholic church as doing loving things. I don't see them as the caring community they should be. It isn't whether you stand or kneel."

St. Joseph's Rev. Richard Kelly declined to comment, as did a staff member who said in an e-mail: "It is hard to believe that a kneeler is such a big topic, and I wish I could say something about this piece of furniture that was meaningful, and about the prayer posture we have been requested to assume, but we are in difficult times and the focus for us as a parish is really how can we participate in the truth and reconciliation process with the aboriginal community of Canada."

Even Rev. William Burke, associate director of the national liturgy office at the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, refused to comment for fear of fanning the controversy. Canadian bishops have already agreed to adopt this rule when the new missal, or Catholic mass book, is introduced in the near future.

Archbishop Prendergast acknowledged the underlying strains. "Every time you talk about liturgy, everything else going on in the church is reflected."

Right now, the Catholic church is asking, "Is (the mass) our thing or is it God's thing? There are certain tensions in the church about that.

"After 40 years since the Vatican Council, we have gotten away from certain aspects of reverence; we're trying to have more harmony and co-ordination. Harmony will help bolster a sense of divine worship, something that has slipped away.

"What has happened with the liturgy is that it is being asked to bear too many things."

At one mass, people got so enthusiastic about greeting each other at the exchange of the peace that it took 45 minutes to get back to the pews and resume the service.

"That's not what mass is about. It's about worshipping God," Archbishop Prendergast said.

"At one time, nobody ever applauded. Now, they applaud for everything. It becomes more like a concert."

As to his authoritarian message, he said, "The bishop is the mentor of the liturgy, moderator, the one who calls the shots. I try to do it gently."

Nevertheless, to both clergy and congregants, he says, "I know you disagree, but I would like you to come along."

If someone comes to church and stubbornly stands, they won't be asked to leave. But, the archbishop says, "You sort of wonder, what are they proving when there are two people standing in a church of 500 kneeling? Some people always have to let you know they're right."

SEE: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Ottawa+archbishop+lays+down+kneeling/1474160/story.html

Reform of the Reform, Delayed?

 

LITURGY-REFORM Aug-25-2009 (460 words) xxxi

Vatican official downplays report of planned liturgical reforms

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

"VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican spokesman downplayed a report that major liturgical reforms are being considered by Pope Benedict XVI.

"At the moment, there are no institutional proposals for a modification of the liturgical books currently in use," the spokesman, Father Ciro Benedettini, said Aug. 24.

He was responding to a report that a document with proposed liturgical modifications, including a curb on the practice of receiving Communion in the hand, had been sent to the pope last April by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

The article, published by the newspaper Il Giornale, said the document was a first concrete step toward the "reform of the reform" in liturgy planned by Pope Benedict. It said the congregation proposed to promote a greater sense of the sacred in liturgy, recover the use of the Latin language in celebrations, and reformulate introductive parts of the Roman Missal to end abuses and experimentation.

The article said the worship congregation had voted on and approved the recommendations almost unanimously during its plenary session last March.

The article in Il Giornale said one idea being studied by the worship congregation was a return to celebrating Mass with the priest facing the same direction as the people, known as "ad orientem.""

See the full story at: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0903816.htm

 

Can true worship be anything but vertical?

Creeping Protestantism

 

Finding the “right” mass to go to in the Diocese of Fresno can prove an interesting task. Think Phileas Fogg and you may get some idea of the plethora of mass “types” that can be found in our diocese. Leaving aside the inherent contradiction in the One Holy Roman Catholic Church having a diversity of mass “types,” good solid masses are to be found, both Novus Ordo and Tridentine.

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Added to this basement layer of liturgical innovation is the true cultural and linguistic diversity o f Fresno. The response has been to have mass in whatever languagess are desirable. This policy means that normally, in the Fresno metro area, that if you want to go to a solid Novus Ordo mass, you better get up early!

 

I don’t know if it’s a Fresno-only phenomenon, but many of the 12 noon masses in town are in Spanish.

In the past I have driven over to Our Lady of Victory Church (pic above) whose 12 noon mass is in English. The youth choir makes up with exuberance anything they are lacking in tonality. The old Monsignor, who is the only priest I’ve ever heard say mass there, can at times be quite eloquent in his sermons.

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Nonetheless, I’ve noticed two disturbing trends at OLV that I have termed “Creeping Protestantism.”

1.)    Prior to the mass readings, all of the young children in the Church are escorted out of the Church for Bible study. As they leave, the congregants sing a blessing song, with each raising his or her arm ala a Caesarian salute.

2.)    Young people too young to have made their First Communion come up with the communicants, but crossing their arms over their breast indicate to the priest, or Eucharistic Minister, that they want a blessing.

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Without wanting to sound to “vertical” in my ecclesial language –

 WE AS LAY PEOPLE HAVE NO POWER TO BLESS.

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The one notable exception would be the power a parent has to bless their own child.

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Priests have the power to bless, abbesses have the power to bless their nuns, superiors have the power to bless the members of their order, but a standard lay person has no such authority.

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In 1997, the Vatican came up with an instruction entitled "On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest.” It reads in part:

"Article 6 -- Liturgical Celebrations”

"§ 1. Liturgical actions must always clearly manifest the unity of the People of God as a structured communion. Thus there exists a close link between the ordered exercise of liturgical action and the reflection in the liturgy of the Church's structured nature. This happens when all participants, with faith and devotion, discharge those roles proper to them.”

"§ 2. To promote the proper identity (of various roles) in this area, those abuses which are contrary to the provisions of canon 907 are to be eradicated. In Eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers -- e.g., especially the Eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology -- or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant."

This is in sync with the Code of Canon Law where it reads:

“Can. 907 In the celebration of the Eucharist, deacons and lay persons are not permitted to say the prayers, especially the Eucharistic prayer, nor to perform the actions which are proper to the celebrating priest.”

I have noticed more and more, with the hand holding during the Our Father, and the wanton word-smithing with the Agnus Dei – a spirit of frivolous and extemporaneous innovation.

 

 

How many of us have seen other worshippers beginning to mimic the priest in hand gestures, and the actual words of the mass? I know I have with alarming regularity.

 

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Oh for the good old days of pre-conciliar clericalism – where priests were priests, nuns were nuns, and heretics were scared!

Mumbling in Fresno.

This last Sunday I slept in. Not on purpose, but out of sloth.

I had set my alarm for 6:00 am, allotting myself enough time to get up, have a cup of coffee, bathe, dress, and make it to the 8:00 am mass at the Shrine of St. Therese just down the street from my house. (As a historic note - the shrine, pic below, was dedicated in 1919 and was the first church in the world dedicated to St. Therese)

Arising late, I drove over to my fiance's house where I was fed far too much good food for breakfast, and surprise - WANTED TO THEN TAKE A NAP! I didn't, but I wanted to.

She reminded me that we were supposed to go to a local club that evening to hear an "interpretative" music artist. She's into the "art" scene and I tag along as she humors me too in my esoteric tastes, albeit more classical than hers.

I give this background as I had to calculate when I would go to mass. No problem - St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fresno (pic below) has a 3:30pm Tridentine mass that I have always wanted to attend, but never had.

I have attended Tridentine masses in the past, and have always been struck by the completely different "aura" one feels when entering spaces where the usus antiquior is celebrated. I could write a point by point reflection on the "superior" aspects of this rite, but I want to focus on one of its great deficiencies, UNLESS THE PRIEST IS PROPERLY TRAINED - YOU CANNOT HEAR WHAT IS GOING ON.

 

The priest who said the Latin Mass at St. Anthony's yesterday was both old and foreign. I would guess Spanish by his accent. His Latin pronunciation was superb, when audible - which was regrettably not the case most of the time. Most of the time you could sense that someone was mumbling in front of the altar, but what was said - even from the limited angle of just trying to follow along in the missallette - was not possible.

Is there some rule against microphoning the old rite? I know that some of the prayers are actually titled "secret prayer," so maybe the microphone could be turned off at those times - but otherwise I don't see any harm in HEARING what is going on.

Have any of you had a similar experience?

In the eastern rite, and in Orthodox Churches, the priest is separated from the people by the iconostasis, but a deacon is left on the congregant side of that great divide to lead the faithful in prayers in singing.

I know that there has also been talk about restoration of the NOVUS ORDO being celebrated AD ORIENTEM, but even in those instances I think people will want to HEAR what the priest in praying (on their behalf) to G*d.

What the son rejects....

"What the son rejects the grandson embraces."

-Old Yiddish saying

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It was with joy that I read:

"Vatican Approves New English Translation for Mass."

See the article at:

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=59877

Important points:

"Among the noteworthy changes that Catholics will notice when the new translation goes into effect are:

• At the Consecration, the priest will refer to Christ's blood which is "poured out for you and for many"-- an accurate translation of pro multis-- rather than "for all" in the current translation.

• In the Nicene Creed the opening word, Credo, will be correctly translated as "I believe" rather than "we believe."

• When the priest says, "The Lord be with you," the faithful respond, "And with your spirit," rather than simply, "And also with you."

• In the Eucharistic prayer, references to the Church will use the pronouns "she" and "her" rather than "it."

• In the Agnus Dei, the text cites the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world," rather than using the singular word "sin."

• In the preferred form of the penitential rite, the faithful will acknowledge that they have sinned "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault."

Throughout the translation of the Offertory and Eucharistic Prayer, the traditional phrases of supplication are restored, and the Church is identified as "holy"-- in each case, matching the Latin original of the Roman Missal."

Hurrah!

I know I'm a rabid "verticalist" when it comes to liturgy, but look at the picture below...

Is there any question as to who worship is being directed towards in this liturgy?

We may not have the posture of the old mass any more, at least in universal usage, but by G*D we can get the rock solid language of the old mass back!

Hic Est ...

I know this is the ultimate rehash as:

1.) CWN was reprinting a story from the

2.) "New Liturgical Movement" blog that in turn was translating

3.)An Italian story from Panorama magazine.

Nonetheless, given the chatter on Maximus’ post about Eucharistic prayer IV, I think it interesting that the Pope is considering the words of consecration being said in Latin regardless of which prayer is used.

Barring his restoration of the Roman Canon as the sole Eucharistic prayer

which I know won’t happen, I think this would be GREAT!

Pope weighing changes in Novus Ordo?

Rome – 04JUL08

(CWNews.com)

Pope Benedict XVI is considering changes in the Mass, according to an Italian publication.

The weekly Panorama reports that the Holy Father has asked the Congregation for Divine Worship to study the possibility of changes that would include using Latin in the Eucharistic Prayer and moving the Sign of Peace to the Offertory.

See (http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/2008/07/changes-in-liturgy-of.html)

The New Liturgical Movement web site, which brought the Italian report to the attention of English-speaking readers, cautioned that the Panorama report should be treated with "great caution." The Panorama story itself suggests only that the Pope has asked for a study of the proposals-- not that he is prepared to implement the changes.

According to the Italian weekly, the Pope is weighing the use of Latin for the formula of Consecration at Mass. He may also be leaning toward the use of Latin in other sacraments.

Pope Benedict has often expressed a desire to enrich the post-conciliar liturgy by incorporating some aspects of older liturgical practices. The proposed changes could be seen as part of that process. CWN has not been able to confirm the accuracy of the Panorama report.

Why Not Eucharistic Prayer IV?

For many years, I have wondered why Eucharistic Prayer IV is so rarely used?

It beautifully expresses God's love for us, and His determination throughout history to bring us to salvation. I think it better conveys a sense of salvific history than the other Eucharistic prayers.

Yet, I can't recall ever hearing it used in a Mass (and I'm 44 years old).

I'm interested in our readers' opinion as to why that might be. According to this Zenit FAQ, Eucharistic Prayer IV may be used during Ordinary Time -- but it would be extraordinary if it were, at least in my Diocese. I have wondered if it is considered by too many priests to be overly "patriarchial" due to the frequent appearance of words like "men" and "man."

Thoughts?

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos: Celebrate TLM In Parishes – Even When It Isn’t Requested

Via What Does The Prayer Really Say?: PCED’s Card. Castrillon Hoyos: celebrate TLM in parishes even when it isn’t requested

Quote:

According to Card. Castrillion Hoyos, the Holy Father desires that the TLM be a normal part of parish life. He also says that priests should offer it in their parishes even if there is no specific request for it.

That's a very different message than the one given here: Ex-Papal Liturgist, Archbishop Piero Marini: Liturgical Renewal "Irreversible"

Background quote from Wikipedia:

Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos (born July 4, 1929) is a Colombian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1996 to 2006, and currently serves as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. Elevated to the cardinalate in 1998.

Any thoughts?

Ex-Papal Liturgist, Archbishop Piero Marini: Liturgical Renewal "Irreversible"

Christ Healing The Blind Bartimeus by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Here's the link: Vatican official calls liturgical renewal 'irreversible path'

Here's a section of the article:

Liturgical renewal launched by the Second Vatican Council is an "irreversible path" and has not been affected by Pope Benedict XVI's concession on wider use of the Tridentine rite, a Vatican official said.

"The pope's decision has so far not produced any change in the celebrative practice of our ecclesial communities. His gesture was only one of service to unity," Archbishop Piero Marini, who arranged papal liturgies for more than 20 years, said in an interview April 25 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

"Therefore let's look ahead and let's continue with enthusiasm the path undertaken by the council," he said.

Late last year Archbishop Marini was named to head the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

The archbishop remains involved in international liturgical issues, and he said a revision of the committee's statutes is giving it wider authority over eucharistic congresses at the national and regional level, too.

Asked if Pope Benedict's relaxation of restrictions on the use of the pre-Vatican II liturgy signaled a halt to the liturgical reform movement, Archbishop Marini said that was clearly not the pope's aim.

The pope's decree "does not intend to introduce modifications on the current Roman Missal or express a negative judgment on the liturgical reform desired by the council," he said.

He said the decree, which reached out to disaffected Catholics, should be seen as an effort to maintain unity in the church.

Archbishop Marini said his own experience in organizing papal liturgies in more than 100 countries has convinced him that the liturgical reform movement has brought overwhelmingly positive results.

"Everywhere, the liturgy desired by the council was celebrated with lively participation and enthusiasm. Everyone understood the liturgy as proper to the local church and at the same time as an expression of the universal church," he said.

Those liturgies also demonstrated that liturgical reform has solid theological foundations, he said.

"Therefore this is an irreversible path," he said.

Liturgical celebration cannot be separated from the life of the church, the archbishop said, and this means "the church of today, not the church of yesterday or of tomorrow."

At the same time, Archbishop Marini said celebrating the liturgy according to Vatican II is not an easy thing. It takes patience, perseverance and pastoral charity, he said.

One particular issue that has emerged during papal trips, he said, is the fact that some Masses are now attended by hundreds of thousands of the faithful. That raises practical considerations like the number of concelebrants, the distribution of Communion and the level of personal participation, he said.

Pope Benedict has already asked for reconsideration of the role of concelebrants, and Archbishop Marini said it makes sense to look at the question through a serious study and with eventual pastoral-liturgical guidelines.

My thoughts:

We'll see, Archbishop Marini. I suspect you're wrong, though. I certainly think it's wrong to claim that Summorum Pontificum was only issued in an effort to preserve unity and avoid schism. How does the allowance of a right Archbishop Marini clearly views as old and outdated alongside the Ordo Missae promulgated by Pope Paul VI signify a movement that preserves liturgical unity?

It's clear that the archbishop is not in agreement with Pope Benedict XVI with respect to the liturgy. That is probably why he's known as ex-papal liturgist, Archbishop Piero Marini.

Any thoughts?