Priests at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester celebrate
Mass in the extraordinary form every Sunday. Father Bjorn Lundberg, pastor,
said he began celebrating the traditional Latin Mass after parishioners
requested it. Now he, his parishioners and other devotees of this ancient form
of the liturgy around the country are watching with anticipation as their
bishops respond to new direction from the Vatican regarding the extraordinary
form of the Mass.
Acting for the good of the unity of the Catholic Church, Pope
Francis explained in his apostolic letter, “Traditionis
Custodes” (“Guardians of the Tradition”) July 16, that he
restored limits on the celebration of the extraordinary form, or traditional
Latin Mass.
The motu proprio, or papal decree, restores the obligation of
priests to have their bishop’s permission to celebrate the Mass using the
pre-Vatican II Roman Missal and instructs bishops not to establish any new
groups or parishes in their dioceses devoted to the traditional Latin Mass.
Going forward, bishops will consult with the Holy See before granting
authorization to a newly ordained priest to celebrate the Mass in the
extraordinary form.
The document said the pope’s decision came about after the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith surveyed bishops throughout the
world last year about their experiences with those who celebrate and attend
Mass in the extraordinary form. “Traditionis
Custodes” noted that bishops who give permission to continue
celebrating Mass in the extraordinary form must “determine that these groups do
not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by
Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge has said that, while he deliberates on
the pope’s announcement, traditional Latin Masses may continue. “In prayer and
obedience, I am reflecting on the motu proprio issued by Pope Francis and
discerning how best to implement the changes,” he said July 18. “As permitted
by the motu proprio, I intend to allow Masses in the extraordinary form to
continue in the Diocese of Arlington.”
The region’s other bishops made similar announcements. In a July
19 statement, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said that further study by
individual bishops and the USCCB “will help determine how these norms
apply here in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In the meantime, the current practice
will continue and going forward every effort will be made to meet the pastoral
needs of those who frequent Holy Mass in the extraordinary form.”
Father Lundberg understands that the church made major liturgical
changes after Vatican II because many people were unable to connect to the
traditional Latin Mass.
“The Holy Father speaks of the desire for unity and just like the
bishop works for that unity in the diocese with all these different rich
communities and all these different needs, whether it’s serving the poor or
evangelizing or running schools, he wants to provide generously for everybody,”
said Father Lundberg.
“(Bishop Burbidge) is trying to understand how to meet the needs
of the church in harmony with the universal vision of the pope. But he recognizes,
too, that the experience in our diocese (with those who attend Mass in the
extraordinary form) has been pretty positive,” he said. Those who attend
traditional Latin Mass are “not separate communities, they’re part of our
parish life.”
The extraordinary form of the Mass was the primary liturgy in use
for hundreds of years. It is sometimes called the Tridentine Mass because it
was established as the standard Latin rite liturgy after the Council of Trent
in the 1500s.
Throughout the years, minor changes were made to the liturgy,
such as in 1962 when Pope John XXIII inserted the name of St. Joseph in the
Eucharistic prayer. However, after the Second Vatican Council called for the
liturgy to be adapted to the needs of the time, in 1970 Pope Paul VI issued a
new form of the Mass, now referred to as the ordinary form of the Mass or the
novus ordo, meaning new order. Though the novus ordo is usually celebrated in
the vernacular, it also can be celebrated in Latin.
Pope Benedict XVI said that while the novus ordo is the ordinary
expression of the Mass, he allowed any priest to celebrate the traditional Latin
Mass without permission from the pope or his bishop. Groups of parishioners who
prefer attending Mass in the extraordinary form could ask their pastor to
celebrate it.
In a July 16 letter to bishops accompanying his motu proprio,
Pope Francis said that Pope Benedict XVI’s desire to ensure unity has “often
been seriously disregarded,” and the concessions offered with largesse have
instead been “exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and
encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her
to the peril of division.”
Priests in the Diocese of Arlington celebrate the extraordinary
form regularly in about 14 diocesan churches. Some others celebrate the novus
ordo in Latin. A traditional Latin Mass often has Gregorian chant and readings
in Latin. In the extraordinary form the priest-celebrant offers Mass “ad
orientem,” facing the same direction as the congregation.
Father Lundberg conveyed Bishop Burbidge’s request that people
pray that God gives him wisdom during this time and that together, with God’s
grace, the faithful of the Diocese will be strengthened in unity through Jesus
Christ. “Turn to the Blessed Mother and ask her to guide him and take care of
him as he serves everybody.”
Catholic News Service contributed to this
article.
Credit: Source link