By Morgan on January 23rd, 2008
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BOOK RECOMMENDATION:  “SACRED THEN AND SACRED NOW”

Una Voce Central Alabama is pleased to recommend the hottest new book on the Catholic market, Thomas E. Woods Jr.’s  Sacred Then And Sacred Now: The Return Of The Old Latin Mass, just published by Roman Catholic Books.

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too.” — Pope Benedict XVI

Following his highly popular and critically acclaimed How The Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, Dr. Woods has produced what may be the definitive book on the genesis of the Holy Father’s Summorum Pontificum, and the impact it will have toward enriching the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.

In his own words, Dr. Woods explains the purpose of the book:

“The book serves several purposes.  First, it explains the mind of Pope Benedict XVI on liturgy, and why he took the bold move of restoring the traditional Latin liturgy throughout the Roman Rite for those Catholics who want it.  The Pope’s initiative is not just for old fogies who refuse to get with the times.  Sacred Then and Sacred Now explains why Benedict is so anxious for the faithful to avail themselves of this great treasure.

Second, it walks beginners through the old Mass: when to sit, stand, and kneel, what the various prayers and gestures mean, and the like.  It then explains why certain practices (including but not limited to Communion kneeling and on the tongue) are preserved in the old liturgy.  Finally, it replies to typical objections: e.g., no one speaks Latin anymore, the priest should face the people, the people should “participate” more, etc.

I wrote the book so that both the beginner to the traditional Mass as well as the more advanced student could profit from it.  It’s also useful to give to people, priests and laity alike, who may not understand your interest in the traditional liturgy.”

The book will also be availabe to order from Amazon on February 1st.

And, for those in the Montgomery area, the book will be available from St. Peter’s Bookshop, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Montgomery, (334) 262-7304.

By Morgan on January 14th, 2008
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HOLY FATHER CELEBRATES MASS IN SISTINE CHAPEL AD ORIENTAM

Pope Benedict celebrated parts of Sunday’s Mass ad orientam, re-introducing a posture that he maintains has always been proper for the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms Mass of the Roman Rite.

The Pope used the Sistine Chapel’s ancient altar set right against the wall under Michelangelo’s dramatic depiction of the Last Judgment, instead of the altar placed on a mobile platform that had been used in recent years for Masses in the historic Chapel.

A statement by the Vatican’s office for liturgical celebrations said it had been decided to use the old altar, where ballots are placed during papal elections, to respect “the beauty and the harmony of this architectonic jewel”.

That meant that for the first time in this kind of celebration since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the pope faced the Cross, celebrating the Mass by leading the people, with all facing the Altar (ad orientam). He also read his homily from an old wooden throne on the left of the altar used by Pius IX in the 19th century.

The conservative German-born pontiff is slowly reintroducing some of the old rituals phased out by liturgical commissions after Vatican II, which allowed the vernacular to be used, while maintaining Latin as the official language of the Mass.

In July, the Pope issued a decree allowing wider use of the old Latin mass (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite). He has also said he would like the centuries-old Gregorian chant, which officially holds “pride of place” in liturgical celebrations, to return to regular usage in all Roman Catholic parishes throughout the world. The Holy Father has also recommended that altar rails be returned to the sanctuary of Catholic churches.

During Sunday’s mass commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ, which was celebrated in Italian, the Pope baptised 13 babies, carefully pouring water on their heads from a golden shell.

He spoke about the significance of baptism, which marks the admission of a person in the community of Christians.

By Morgan on January 14th, 2008
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SCHISMATIC GROUPS RETURNING TO THE CHURCH

ROME, JAN. 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Six months after Benedict XVI issued an apostolic letter on the extended use of the 1962 missal, the Vatican says it is seeing fruits of reconciliation with Catholics who objected to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

“Summorum Pontificum,” allows for more availability of the Latin-language Mass, a rite the document dubs the “extraordinary form.” The letter, issued “motu proprio” (on his own initiative), brought attention to the situation of schismatic groups such as the Society of St. Pius X, that refuse to celebrate the “Novus Ordo” Mass established by Vatican II.

Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos told ZENIT that after the June 7 document, one group has already asked to return to full communion with the Church.

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, as the president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesiae Dei, is the Vatican official in charge of facilitating the return to full ecclesial communion of people linked to the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

“We have already received responses [to the letter],” Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos said. “Here in Rome we have a community that has asked to return and we have already begun mediating their full return.”

Requests, he continued, are coming in from around the world: “Many of the faithful have contacted us, written and called, to say they want full communion.”

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos clarified the current status of members of the Society of St. Pius X due to excommunications issued by the Vatican to group members in 1988, in the wake of the schismatic gesture by Lefebvre of ordaining four bishops illicitly.

He explained: “The excommunications for the consecration done without the Pope’s permission affects only those bishops who carried out the consecration, and those bishops who received episcopal ordination in this illicit form in the Church, but it does not affect the priests or the faithful. Only those bishops are excommunicated.”

According to the Vatican prelate, what is needed now is “to sew back together the ecclesial fabric, because our brothers — I know them, I know some of the bishops even better — are all people of good will, people who want to be disciples of Jesus.”

“In this moment,” he continued, “with a little humility, with a little generosity, we can return to full communion, and the faithful want this because they do not want to participate in the rites when the priest is under suspension because the Church does not permit them to say Mass and absolve sins — so the faithful want this full return.”

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos said he hoped that everyone involved will continue “to work with the Holy Father to sew back together this unity so that these good people can have the fullness of holiness that comes from union with the only Church of Christ, founded upon Peter and his Successors.”

By Morgan on January 4th, 2008
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YOUTH TAKING THE LEAD IN RETURN TO TRADITION AND SOLEMNITY 

A youth movement for Catholics devoted to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman liturgy is planning to attend World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia.

Juventutem derives its name from a Latin word for “youth” and is a multi-national organization dedicated to the daily sanctification of young Catholics through traditional devotions and liturgy.

Pope Benedict recently advocated a wider use of the Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite)  in the Church, following the issuance of his Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, which became effective September 14, 2007.

Devotion to this Extraordinary Form of the Roman liturgy is growing among young Catholics, who have discovered the rich treasures of the Church, many of which have been downplayed, or even largely discarded, for three decades by bishops and priests of the 60’s generation.

Now, a new generation has discovered the great devotions of the Church, its Sacred Catholic Music and its rich liturgical heritage.

One of the most surprising news stories to come out of World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, Germany was the presence there of a large group of young Catholics, numbering in the thousands, who were worshiping God using some of the oldest rites in the Catholic Church — including the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (formerly known as “Tridentine”).

This multi-national group called itself “Juventutem“, a word which appears at the beginning of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, at the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, with the invocation of the Priest, followed by the response of the altar server:

 (Priest): “Introibo ad altare Dei.” (I will go up to the Altar of God)

(Altar Server):  “Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.” (To God, who gives joy to my youth)

Newspapers and magazines covered the story of these dynamic young people who were so devoted to the ancient traditions, music and devotions of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Francis George (USA), Cardinal George Pell (Australia), Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan (Brazil) and Archbishop Raymond Burke (USA) were among those Church dignitaries celebrating liturgies and leading devotions for Juventutem in 2005, which were often attended by WYD pilgrims coming from other groups to participate in the beautiful Masses and experience Gregorian chant.

Although 2005 was the beginning of Juventutem, much has happened in the intervening three years. It is now not unusual to hear of a group of people devoted to the classical form of the Roman liturgy in the Catholic Church.

In July of 2007, Pope Benedict issued his Motu Proprio entitled Summorum Pontificum, in which he clarified that the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Roman Rite takes two forms - the Forma Extraordinaria (Extraordinary Form, formerly called Tridentine), and the Forma Ordinaria (Ordinary Form, formerly called Novus Ordo).

The Holy Father stated that one reason for the issuance of Summorum Pontificum, in fact, was the widespread devotion to these liturgical forms by young Catholics throughout the world.

“Immediately after the Second Vatican Council it was presumed that requests for the use of the 1962 Missal would be limited to the older generation which had grown up with it,” the Holy Father wrote in his letter to bishops accompanying Summorum Pontificum, “But in the meantime it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them.”

Juventutem and other groups devoted to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite are not the curiosity they once might have been in 2005. Indeed, the number of young Catholics seeking more tradition and solemnity in the Mass through its celebration in the Extraordinary Form, has grown dramatically.

Juventutem has now become an international youth movement whose goal is the daily sanctification of Catholic youth through Roman traditions. A contingent of Juventutem members will meet this summer in Australia for WYD 2008, and the organizers plan a 2-week long schedule of religious and cultural events.

Juventutem USA has organized a WYD 2008 group package, led by Rev. Fr. Denis Buchholz of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. This priestly order, founded in 1990, is entirely devoted to the liturgical forms of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Fr. Buchholz was part of Juventutem at WYD 2005 and is currently pro rector of Old St. Patrick Roman Catholic Oratory in Kansas City, MO. The schedule of events includes daily Mass according to the Extraordinary Form; Lauds, Vespers, and Compline on most days; catechesis and rosary; attendance at the Papal Mass; and of course, some days to explore Australia.

All Catholics aged 16-30 are welcome to join the group, and Una Voce Central Alabama strongly encourages young Catholics in the Archdiocese of Mobile to become a part of this growing, exciting organization of youth who are finding more fulfillment in their spiritual life by recapturing the best, most solemn devotions of the Roman Catholic Church.

For more information on joining Juventutem USA in Australia for WYD 2008, please visit www.juventutemusa.org.

By Morgan on January 3rd, 2008
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VATICAN MOVES TO BLOCK OBSTRUCTIONIST BISHOPS 

The Vatican has begun drafting a document to elaborate on Pope Benedict XVI’s recent liberalization of the old Latin Mass (now known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite)  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, Summorum Pontificum into practice, since there had been what he called some “uneven” reactions to it since it went into effect September 14, 2007.

The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, appointed by the Holy Father, has ultimate authority over implementation of “Summorum Pontificum” and lay Catholics can appeal directly to Ecclesia Dei if their bishop restricts or obstructs rights granted under “Summorum Pontificum”.

“Summorum Pontificum” issued by the Holy Father in July removed restrictions on celebrating the formerly-called Tridentine Mass, the rite celebrated exclusively in Latin before the Second Vatican Council “permitted” use of the vernacular, though still maintaining Latin as the official language of the Mass.

In “Summorum Pontificum”, Pope Benedict XVI decreed that the Roman Rite is now divided into two forms of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of Mass - the Forma Extraordinaria (Extraordinary Form), that being what was formerly called the “Tridentine”, and the Forma Ordinaria (Ordinary Form), that was formerly called the “Novus Ordo” as decreed by Pope Paul VI upon development by Catholic and protestant liturgical commissions in the years following the conclusion of the Second Vatican Countil.

Following the 1960s, the Extraordinary Form could only be celebrated with an Indult from local bishops — an obstacle that had greatly reduced its availability. It was not uncommon for bishops, particularly in the United States, to spread the word that it was not wise for a priest’s future to even request the Indult to celebrate the Extraordinary Form.

Benedict removed that requirement in “Summorum Pontificum” by extending the Indult universally to all priests of the Roman Rite, and further granting extensive rights to lay Catholics in obtaining regular daily and Sunday celebration of the Extraordinary Form in every parish, as well for funerals, weddings and baptisms.

Implementation, however, has been uneven, with some obstructionist bishops issuing rules that “practically annul or twist the intention of the pope,” Monsignor Albert Malcolm Ranjith, secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments, said recently, according to the Vatican’s missionary news agency FIDES.

Such reactions amounted to a “crisis of obedience” toward the pontiff, he was quoted as saying, although he stressed that most bishops and other prelates had accepted the Pope’s will “with the required sense of reverence and obedience.”

Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said the upcoming instruction would lay out criteria for the Pope’s document to be correctly applied, according to an interview published Thursday in the Italian religious affairs weekly “Famiglia Cristiana”. He gave no date for release of the Vatican rules for implementation.

He asserted that reactions to “Summorum Pontificum” had included misinterpretations at each end of the spectrum.

“Some have even gone so far as to accuse the Pope of having reneged on Council teaching,” Bertone was quoted as saying. “On the other hand, there are those who have interpreted the (document) as authorization to return exclusively to the pre-Council rite. Both positions are wrong, and are exaggerated episodes that don’t correspond to the pope’s intention. Essentially, the Holy Father wishes only to see both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms of the Roman Rite made available in all parishes.”

Despite such incidents, the Rev. John T. Zuhlsdorf, who runs a blog that has charted implementation of the Pope’s document, said he had seen growth in both interest in and celebrations of the older form of the Mass, among all ages of Catholics.

“In some dioceses in the United States, bishops have been stepping up to the plate and not only learning the older form, but celebrating it themselves,” he said. “Younger priests are attending workshops. Several seminaries are offering training for their priesthood candidates.”

Both Una Voce and the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter have been instrumental in educating Catholics as to the rights of priests and lay Catholics under “Summorum Pontificum”, and the Fraternity has embarked upon massive training programs for priests.

Currently, within the Archdiocese of Mobile, only one valid Extraordinary Form Mass is celebrated each month, at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Whistler.

This state of affairs will change as “Summorum Pontificum” is gradually implemented, both by pastors of parishes as well as future instructions from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, which oversees all matters pertaining to implementation of “Summorum Pontificum”.

Una Voce Central Alabama is presently working toward the ultimate goal of seeing the Extraordinary Form made easily available to all Roman Catholics in the central Alabama portion of the Archdiocese and, in time, to all areas of the Archdiocese proper.

Great progress has been made in the Suffragan Diocese of Birmingham, under the leadership of Bishop Baker (see article below), and through the very hard work of Una Voce Northern Alabama.