Do you think we are ready for the restoration of the Latin Mass?
Please read the article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal concerning the Latin or Tridentine Mass and Bishop Steib’s statement on the Motu Propro.
According to Bishop Steib:
"Here in the Diocese we are already doing what Pope Benedict reminded us of. Nonetheless, our Diocesan Office of Worship and Spiritual Life is reviewing the document and our presbyterate will be reflecting on the document in upcoming meetings. However, should members of our faith communities believe that a Tridentine Mass should be offered in their parishes, please understand that there will need to be a substantial number of people asking for it, and a priest in the parish who is able to celebrate the Mass in Latin.
Our priests are extremely hard working; in fact, they are often overworked. But most have not been trained in Latin, or in the gestures, style and language of the Tridentine Mass. So, if there are to be more Tridentine Masses offered in the Diocese, both large numbers of people requesting it and priests able to celebrate it in a meaningful way . What is required is that the priest be idoneus, which always means having the minimum qualifications, not that he be expert."
What do you think?
2 comments:
I feel a Latin Mass in today's America may be cumbersome to some devout households. Moreover, Bishop Steib's assertion on the availability of finding priests who are fluent in Latin is a significant thing to ponder.
Certainly the "Baby-Boomer" groups can remember Masses in Latin, but many, including myself, can remember times when (part) of the Mass in Latin was hard to follow. Cultural changes in the language of the Mass, and, the proper mode to celebrate that Mass,could indeed bring about disinterest in the Church as a whole. We readily admit, even during homilies, that the Catholic Mass can be difficult to follow by those who do not attend Church regularly and, especially those on the border of contemplating RCIA or the Protestant process for their choice in Faith and/or religion. Yes, I do enjoy the Latin Mass but in all truth, some parts (words) are vague at best to me.
In New Orleans there were Latin Masses in Metarie pre-Katrina, but they were celebrated in their own time slot by those who are proficient in that Mass and in Latin.
If this proposal is to bring the Catholic Church back to the old school, then we should begin by focusing on an item that inundated the media a short time ago: If one wants to find the true Church of Jesus Christ, one must go back to the life and times of Jesus Christ and not begin the search during the 1500's. Then, and only then, can we move on to other values and aspirations sought out by the proposers of the way (today's) Mass should be celebrated.
Finally, it is of my opinion that we take one step at a time where change is suggested. In doing so, we will have eliminated the possibility of spreading ourselves too thin.
Just to point out one historical point, the Mass in Latin dates much farther than the 1500's. The reason why it is sometimes referred to as the Tridentine Mass is because the Council of Trent made it official that the Mass as had been celebrated in Rome for centuries prior, aka the Roman Rite, be made the universal for the entire Church. Many people tend to think that the Mass prior to Vatican II was only 500 years old and made up in the Council of Trent but in all actuality it is very close to two hundred years old, it is just that it was particular to Rome for a long time. Also, the real issue is not so much the language but the actual rite itself and the differences in structure of the new old and forms. I just thought I would throw that out there for thought.
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