Does Christ really want an imbalanced Church?

I mean, even the most liberal of liberal Catholics must see that all is not fair and equal.
On the one hand we have the Holy Father issuing a Motu Proprio (now five years ago) stating quite clearly the grounds for provision of the Latin Mass (TLM) and, indeed, distinguishing the Latin Mass as being an "Extraordinary" form of the Mass and the Novus Ordo version as being an "Ordinary" form.

Two versions of Mass, both to be made available at the request of the laity.

Could you imagine, for one instant, the howls of anger and dismay if the current situation was reversed and their Lordships issued a notice to the effect that the OF Mass would only be available at one parish in one hundred but that the EF Mass would be available at every parish?

I can imagine it. What is more, I pray daily for it to happen as it surely will but, perhaps, not in my lifetime.

There are, of course, solutions to the problem.

I shall ignore the one regarding all of the Bishops having a change of conscience overnight and then welcoming their priest onto training courses to enable them to celebrate the Latin Mass.

There is another solution. One that would instantly obliterate carping traditional Catholics such as me.

Balance - one in twenty is not rocket science!

And that is, to allow one parish in every twenty to become an EF Mass parish.
One where Holy Mass would be offered on a Sunday, not at 4pm or at 7.30pm but at 8am and 10.30am - times that suit families and those of us who just wish to attend at a normal hour.

Is that asking too much? Is it being grossly greedy and invasive?

It would mean, for example, that the Archdiocese of Westminster would have a provision of around ten Latin Masses on a Sunday as opposed to the current three to four.

My own Diocese of Menevia would move from one Sunday EF Mass to two (I cannot verify the number of parish churches as the website is not working, but believe that I am close to the correct number).

So, in an area covering something like 500 square miles, there would be two parishes offering a Latin Mass, EF version each Sunday (hopefully not adjacent parishes).

That seems to me to be very fair and equable, overly modest, even.

But, it would make a great many people wish that they were capable of turning triple somersaults and leaping for joy, in fact, they would become quite unbalanced.

I think that the liberal lobby and even Clifford Longley and Ms Pepinster might vote for that strategy.

A dream of a letter - "Dear Bishop...."

......the enclosed letter has been sent by one of your episcopal colleagues to his priests, admonishing them for not implementing my requests.
It is, I hope you will agree, a good letter; a good example of the love of Christ, of the care shown by a good shepherd for his flock, yet the actions you, as a Bishop, have taken, are precisely the same my friend spells out.

 You have not only disregarded my Motu Proprio, you have poured ridicule and scorn on the laity who have responded to it and you have vilified those young men about to become servants of God and those already in His service, who expressed an interest in my call for the Extraordinary Form of Mass.

Please read my friend's letter in full and see if it touches your heart; if it reminds you of the vow of obedience you once made all those years ago and see if you can now put into practice all that is contained therein".

Signed: B------t - and the end of the "dream" letter - now for the real one!

         THE LETTER - FROM BISHOP MARIO OLIVERI 

 1st January 2012

Dear Priests and Deacons,

It is with much bitterness of spirit that I have found that many of you have not taken up or made a right attitude of mind and heart toward the possibility given to the faithful by the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" of Pope Benedict XVI, of the celebration of Holy Mass "in the extraordinary form" according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, promulgated in 1962.

In the "Three days of the Clergy" of September 2007, I indicated with strength and clarity what is the value and the true meaning of the Motu Proprio, how we should interpret it and how we should accept it, with a mind that is open to the magisterial content of the document and with a ready willingness of a convinced obedience. The position taken by the Bishop was not missing its calm authority, strengthened by his full concordance with a solemn act of the Supreme Pontiff. The position of the Bishop was founded by reason of his theological argument on the nature of the Divine Liturgy, the immutability of the substance in its supernatural contents, and was also based on surveys of the practical, concrete, good sense of the Church.

The adverse reactions to the motu proprio and the theological and practical guidance of the bishop are almost always dictated by emotional and superficial theological reasoning, i.e. a rather poor and shortsighted "theological" vision, that is not part of and which does not reach the true nature of the things which concern the Faith and the work the Church's sacramental life, that is not fed by the perennial Tradition of the Church, which looks at rather marginal aspects or at least incomplete issues. Not without reason, had I, in "Three Days" cited above, prefaced with the operational guidelines and principles to guide action a doctrinal exposition on the "Unchanging Nature of the Liturgy".

I understand that in some areas, on the part of several priests and pastors, there was also the manifestation almost of ridicule toward faithful who have asked to make use of the option, and indeed of the right, for the celebration of Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form; there is also an expression of contempt and almost of hostility toward Brother Priests who are well prepared to understand and respond to the requests of the faithful...

I ask that you put away every attitude not in conformity with ecclesial communion, the discipline of the Church and the convinced obedience due to important acts of the magisterium or government.

I am convinced that my call will be accepted in a spirit of filial respect and obedience.

[...]

The letter carries with it all my desire that it might help to reawaken and a strengthen our ecclesial communion and of our common desire to fulfill our ministry with a renewed fidelity to Christ and his Church.

Finally, I would ask you for much prayer for me and for my apostolic ministry, and I cordially bless you all.
Albenga, 1 January 2012, Solemnity of the Mother of God

Monsignor Mario Oliveri, Bishop

Bishop Oliveri's letter from a translation, reproduced by kind permission of Shawn Tribe - New Liturgical Movement

Woolly Mammoth found in Westminster Diocese!

A current phrase that is bandied around somewhat is "the elephant in the room" referring to a large problem or issue that overshadows all else.

Well, in Westminster Archdiocese they have a Woolly Mammoth in the room, frozen in time, long passed its sell by date ("use by 7th July 2007") and still no sign of the ice melting.

Mammuthus Westminsterii

I refer to the scandalous fact that, out of all the Diocese of England and Wales, only Westminster has not moved forward one step since the Holy Father's Motu Proprio regarding the responsibilities of the clergy in providing the Extraordinary Form of Mass wherever there was a demand.

Where may you attend an EF Mass in London (Westminster) on a Sunday?

The London Oratory 9am 

St James, Spanish Place 9.30am (thank you Fr Colven and the priest who comes to celebrate Mass each week (but please use a microphone)

St Edmund's, Ware (where?)

Holy Trinity and St Augustine, Baldock (one Sunday per month)

And that's it! Hardly a lavish offering, not exactly what Pope Benedict had in mind!

Westminster is small geographically but big in terms of Catholic population, it is a Diocese that includes the capital city of London - is that meagre offering good enough?

Let's just look at the profile and resources of Westminster.....

214 Parishes

417 secular priests

263 priests belonging to a religious order

49 - assorted others

That's a total of 729 priests!

Yet all that Archbishop Nichols can manage to provide is 3.25 EF Masses on a Sunday! Extraordinary! More than extraordinary it is a cause for scandal!

By my rough reckoning that makes the Sunday Mass score something like this:-

OF Masses circa................ 400

Homosexual Mass................. 1

EF Masses......................... 3.75

What are the Traditional Catholics of Westminster doing about it? Holding prayer vigils in the Piazza? Nope. Creating petitions to forward to Rome? Nope. Writing to the Papal Nuncio? Maybe.

As an ex Westminster Diocese Catholic I appeal for all to write to Archbishop Nichols in the first instance and then to Archbishop Mennini - perhaps then we can slice the Woolly Mammoth up and let the ice melt away for good.

Refusal to implement the Motu Proprio - the EF Mass - could be breaking with Rome

Fr Z, that great priest and bird lover (why are so many Catholic bloggers either cat lovers or feeders of wild birds (I am in the latter category, by the way) reports an amazing text from Mgr Bux, who, upon appearing at a conference in France,
spoke of a break with Rome as being a consequence of refusal to allow the celebration of the EF Mass. Here is a report of his speech:-


.....began his intervention by saying that the French bishops, who like to interact with non-Christians, ought also to dialogue with Catholics and that they must not be afraid of the sheep of their own flock! They should confront reality and not the perception that they have of it. He recalled that the Extraordinary Form is for all of the People of God, and not just a minority, and that it ought to serve as a training for the better celebration of the Ordinary Form. He indicated that, in Italy, the implementation of the Motu proprio is done through priests. He therefore admonished priests to be courageous in the implementation of this text. Finally, he added that the refusal of the Extraordinary Form could be considered as a rupture of communion with the Pope.

God bless Mgr Bux!