Asking Your Bishop for the
Old Mass in Latin
Do you want the old Mass in Latin? Do you want it readily available for yourself and your family?
The only problem is that
your bishop has not yet implemented Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter of July
2, 1988, Ecclesia Dei. So, do you want the old Latin Mass enough to work for it?
Here is what you can do.
Now wait a minute. Why
should YOU have to do anything? Isn’t the public worship of the Church, that is,
the liturgy, the province of the bishop of each diocese? Of course it is. But
most bishops have no idea of the extent of the attachment of the Catholic
Faithful to “some previous liturgical and disciplinary form of the Latin
tradition” (to quote Ecclesia Dei). Some still act as if Ecclesia Dei had never
been written or as if one token Tridentine Mass in their Diocese each week, or
even each month, fulfills their obligation.
Your bishop, like most
others, is a busy man, a good executive and administrator. For information, he
relies upon reports from his staff. And where does he get reports on laity
acceptance of current liturgical practice within the diocese? Why, from bright
young Father Sprightly, well trained in the seminary by the avant-garde of the
liturgical innovators.
Father Sprightly sees his
ecclesiastical career as depending upon his whole hearted efforts to implement
the latest directives from the liturgical bureaucracy, and in presenting to his
bishop the best possible view of the actual state of worship in the parishes of
the diocese.
“Why, your Excellency, if
the latest tabulation shows that only 28% of our baptized Catholics attend
Sunday Mass, I suggest that we initiate new programs to help every pastor use
more Eucharistic ministers, lectors, usherettes, altar girls, and so on, to
further involve the laity, increasing audience… (oops!, I mean congregational)
participation. We must provide more options for the creative presiders at
liturgical functions, so that the people of God will feel more fully involved.
In this way we will draw more people back to Church.”
What Father Sprightly
fails to see is that these are the very sort of attitudes and activities that
have driven many Catholics away from church, or are sending them parish-shopping
in desperation, or are causing them to think wistfully of the old Mass in
Latin.
Some Catholics prefer to
worship in silence, with a sense of internal reverence and awe, the opportunity
to worship God with that interior fervor which gets lost in the hubbub of
exterior activity, hand shakes, songs, and responses that seem to characterize
new Mass celebrations in most parishes in the United States and Canada.
Interior participation and silent prayer can be just as real and just as
genuine as that which is external and vocal.
In an infrequently quoted
paragraph from Ecclesia Dei, our Holy Father stressed: However, it is necessary
that all Pastors and the other faithful have a new awareness, not only of the
lawfulness but also of the richness for the Church of a diversity of charisms,
and traditions of spirituality and apostolate, which also constitutes the beauty
of unity in variety: of that blended ‘harmony’ which the earthly Church raises
up to heaven under the impulse of the Holy Spirit. (5a)
This statement provides
ample room for the old Mass to co-exist alongside the new Mass, as is now the
case in many parishes across the United States and Canada.
But back to your reluctant
bishop. Given his faulty lines of communication, how is the bishop going to know
that there are Catholics in his diocese who prefer the old Mass in Latin unless
some of them tell him that they do so prefer?
Any individual or group
which politely and respectfully informs their bishop of interest among the
faithful in his diocese in the Tridentine Mass is performing a service and doing
the bishop and themselves a favor. They should certainly not be considered as
trying to tell the bishop how to run his diocese.
It is not going to help
Catholics get more approved Tridentine Masses if some of those who could be the
most articulate and effective petitioners hold back because they don’t think it
is appropriate, or it isn’t their job, or that the bishop doesn’t need to be
told, and that the laity shouldn’t meddle in matters concerning the
liturgy.
Unfortunately, if no one
asks them for the Tridentine Mass, the bishops aren’t going to know that there
are any Catholics in their diocese who want it.
In the Fall of 1990, the
prestigious Gallup organization was commissioned to survey Catholics in the
United States regarding their attitudes toward the pre-Vatican II traditional
Mass in Latin. The results revealed that three out of four Catholics would
attend this Mass at least occasional, in preference to the new Mass in the
venacular, if the traditional Latin Mass were offered every Sunday at convenient
times and locations.
The poll showed that eight
percent of Catholics would attend the traditional Mass all the time, and 17%
said they would attend frequently. Another 51% would attend occasionally and
only 22% said that they would never attend.
Eight percent of Catholics
in the United States is a large group, over four million people, more than the
2.7 million members of the Episcopal Church in this country. There is much more
involved here than the nostalgic reminiscences of a few die-hard pre-Vatican II
Catholics.
The Gallup poll also
revealed that only 30% of Catholics were aware that the Tridentine Mass is now
approved by the Holy Father and many bishops, and that they could ask their
bishop for it if he has not made it available to them.
Clearly there is a large,
untapped “market” for the Tridentine Mass. As to just who are some of the
Catholics comprising this group, an apt description was give by a young Italian
priest now serving in Ireland.
Father Joseph Vallauri,
who offers the Tridentine Mass on the New Video from Ireland, “The Most
Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven”, is too young to have learned the old rite
of the Mass in the Seminary. He has studied it and taught himself the rubrics,
words, and their meanings. In an interview with Kieron Wood, producer of the
video, Father Vallauri made an interesting observation. Father Vallauri said: “I
have come across many, many people not that old who had known the Tridentine
Mass in their youth and who manifested to me, to my great surprise, that they
had been deeply upset at the time the changes had occurred for all sorts of
reasons and had a secret longing for the Tridentine rite but never actually
manifested it, maybe because they thought it would be disobedient or going
against the trend or whatever. But once the occasion arose, they expressed their
feelings.
Another sizable group
would consist of the young Catholics, brought up entirely with the New Mass in
the Venacular, who, when exposed to the Tridentine Mass for the first time,
immediately prefer it to the form of worship they have grown up
with.
More Masses in the
U.S.
There are more traditional
Latin Masses in the United States approved under Ecclesia Dei than in any other
country in the world.
As of this printing
(November 1997), these include over 130 Masses every Sunday in 82 U.S. dioceses
and an additional 80 Sunday Masses every month in 50 diocese (19 of these 50
dioceses also have a Sunday Mass every week at another place). In other dioceses
Sunday Masses are scheduled a few times a year; in others, masses are on
weekdays once a month. Daily Tridentine Masses are offered in 20 different
dioceses.
The first Masses were
authorized under a Papal Indult of October, 1984, which allowed bishops to
permit the old Mass in Latin under certain very restrictive conditions. Bishop
Gracida in Corpus Christi and Bishop Maher in San Diego gave permission in 1985
for the weekly Sunday Tridentine Masses in their diocese. These Masses continue
and flourish, despite difficulties and opposition mainly from a few priests in
each diocese.
The first
Masses were authorized under a Papal Indult of October, 1984, which
allowed bishops to permit the old Mass in Latin under certain very restrictive
conditions. Bishop Gracida in Corpus Christi and Bishop Maher in San Diego gave
permission in 1985 for weekly Sunday Tridentine Masses in their dioceses. These
Masses continue and flourish, despite difficulties and opposition mainly from a
few priests in each diocese.
In the
months after Ecclesia Dei was issued by the Holy Father, in July of 1988,
the bishops of Omaha, St. Louis, New York City, and Washington, DC, each
authorized a Sunday Tridentine Mass every week in their dioceses. The
list has grown steadily ever since, and now in over a dozen dioceses
there are two or more Masses every Sunday. In Syracuse, New York, one
church in each of 4 different towns has a Sunday Tridentine Mass each week. In
New York City there are also 4 locations, and in Chicago and Scranton,
three.
How did
these Masses get started? What approach has worked in these dioceses that might
be use-fill to Catholics in other places?
So far as
we know, every per-mission for the Tridentine Mass under Ecclesia Dei
has been given because someone asked their bishop. This is not a
requirement stated in Ecclesia Del; it is, again, just a matter of the
bishop needing to know that there are Catholics in his diocese who want the
Tridentine Mass.
There is no one formula or
pattern that will work in every diocese. Each diocese is a special case,
each bishop has his own way of running his diocese. A few examples will
illustrate.
Some Success
Stories
In
a mid-western
diocese, one enterprising woman spearheaded the effort. On making a mid-week
visit to a church unfamiliar to her, she realized how perfect it would be as a
site for a Tridentine Mass, with the altar rail intact, and the tabernacle
still in the center of the beautiful high altar.
As she left
the church she told the pastor her thoughts, and he said that the old Mass
wasn't allowed any more. He had never even heard of Ecclesia Dei. (This
was in 1989!) Helen just happened to have a copy of the Apostolic Letter in her
purse and offered it to Father, who either through politeness or genuine
interest said that yes, he would be happy to read it.
On checking
back a few weeks later, Helen was told that Father would be interested in having
the Tridentine Mass in his church, and would be willing to ask the bishop, but
that first he would need to consult the parish council. Helen provided
him with a copy of Ecclesia Dei for each member of the parish council,
and began to pray fervently!
The parish
council members decided to defer to the pastor's wishes, the bishop agreed to a
Sunday Mass every week, and in 1992 the parish celebrated the third
anniversary of the weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass.
· In a parish in a western
diocese it was the pastor himself who presented the bishop with 300
petition signatures for the old Mass in Latin. The bishop said that didn't
show enough interest in the traditional Latin Mass. Several months later
the pastor returned with another batch of petitions, 300 additional
signatures. The Mass started soon thereafter, and has continued every Sunday
since. The bishop himself came to offer the Mass last year, to celebrate an
anniversary of the dedication of the church.
· Another bishop was
adamant in his refusal to allow any Tridentine Mass under the 1984 Indult.
Undaunted, a determined group of Catholics decided to "go over his head".
They began a monthly prayer
vigil outside the Cathedral. Every first Saturday evening, a group
ranging from 12 people to over 50 made their outdoor holy hour, with
Rosary, Marian hymns and other traditional prayers.
After 45
months the bishop relented, gave permission for a weekly Tridentine Mass, and
the group rounded out their 4 years with the last three vigils filled with
prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving.
These are
examples of how the Tridentine Mass was re-instated under Ecclesia Dei
in three dioceses.
Writing to Your
Bishop
Just where
should you begin in your diocese? The best place could be with a simple letter
to your bishop asking him to authorize a weekly Sunday Mass in Latin
according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal (Missale Romanum)
in a convenient location. You can quote from the Apostolic Letter
Ecclesia Dei itself so that the bishop will realize that you know what
you are asking for.
Keep your
letter courteous, short and to the point. It can be as matter-of-fact as that
above.
Note: The
correct salutation for a bishop or archbishop is "Your Excellency"; for a
cardinal, "Your Eminence”.
Your
Excellency:
My family and I are
Catholics from St. Patrick Parish, Anytown.
We would like to be able
to attend a Sunday Tridentine
Mass every week in our
parish church or other central location.
We understand that the
Holy Father has authorized you to give this
permission in his
Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei.
We know other Catholics in
Anytown who would welcome the chance
to hear the Mass in Latin
offered according to
the 1962 Roman
Missal.
Thank you for your
consideration of our request. We pray for your
intentions
and favorable
response.
Respectfully yours in
Christ,
Mr. John Q.
Catholic
Remember:
the longer your letter, the less likely it is to be read and acted upon.
Stick to one subject; your desire for the Tridentine Mass. Save all other
matters for an-other letter
The Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei has other sample
letters and many informative articles to help you in enlisting others to
write the bishop.
If you receive no reply in a month or so, a phone call to the chancery
office might be in order. Unless yours is a very small diocese and you
happen to know the bishop personally, it is unlikely that you will be put
through to the bishop himself.
This being the case, prepare yourself with a question for the chancery
official who takes your call: "Do you know when the diocese will start a
Tridentine Mass every Sunday as is being done in Chicago, New York, Washington,
Boston, St.
Louis...?" Depending upon the response, you might inq~e as to the best way
to proceed with your request. Some bishops prefer personal letters, for others
petition signatures are acceptable, m other cases it is preferable that the
approach come from a pastor who would be willing to host a Tridentine Mass
in his parish. Remember to be polite and courteous even if your question is
treated with frigid incredulity!
There is always the
possibility that you received no reply because the bishop himself didn't
actually get your letter It is sometimes suggested that a letter be sent to
a bishop with "Return Receipt Requested". But a returned signature card
means that someone in the bishop's office signed for your letter, not
necessarily the bishop.
Your bishop undoubtedly has many scheduled public appearances, for
confirmation, church dedications, and the like. The dates are often published in
the diocesan paper. When the bishop comes to your community or on nearby, have
your letter ready, be in the receiving line to hand him the letter with a smile
and a “Please read this later, your Excellency.” If there is time to talk, by
all means tell your bishop about how well the Tridentine Mass is being received
in other dioceses. But don’t be disappointed if there is no time for
conversation. Your letter has been hand delivered and that’s what
matters.
Persistence,
Persistence
If the answer is “no”, you will of course be disappointed, but don’t give
up! Analyze the reasons your bishop give for his refusal and try again. Get more
people to write, or collect more petition signatures. Remember that prayer,
patience, persistence, perseverance, and more prayer are the keys to
success!
Organize! Get everyone you can contact to pray for the specific intention
of the Tridentine Mass in your diocese. If you don't know anyone else who wants
the old Mass ask them to pray anyway, for a special intention that is very
important to you. If you need help in explaining why you prefer the
Tridentine Mass, show your friends and family the video "The Most Beautiful
Thing This Side of Heaven". It may not make "converts" but it will
certainly help to explain your position.
After a few
months, repeat your request. Conditions change, many bishops have changed their
minds on this issue. This time you can include a few details in your letter
regarding the success of the Tridentine Mass in other diocese. You can tell your
bishop how the old Mass in Latin is bringing converts into the Church, and
drawing back many Catholics who had stopped coming to
Mass.
If your
bishop persists in refusing permission for a Tridentine Mass every Sunday
perhaps someone can ask him for a special occasion Mass, for instance for a
50th wedding anniversary… or a Tridentine Mass for the First Fridays
or First
Saturdays, every month or just a few times a year.
Of course,
this is not what you hoped for. But in several dioceses such permissions have
led to more Masses, and in time to Sunday Masses. Remember; your bishop has been
told that this whole idea is crazy and will never work. If you can show him that
it does work, so much the better.
A few
bishops have given permission for a Latin Novus Ordo Mass instead of the
traditional Latin Mass according to the 1962 Missal. This is not what
Catholics want when they request the Tridentine Mass.
The new
Mass in Latin can be offered very reverently. It may even be said with the
priest facing the Altar and the tabernacle. But it seldom
is.
The new
Mass omits the prayers at the foot of the Altar, uses the abbreviated new
offertory prayers, has the option of four different Canons, uses the
"Memorial Acclamation" after the Consecration (which is ambiguous as to
just what is "the Mystery of Faith"), calls for the "Handshake of Peace" before
Communion, omits the Last Gospel-these are a few of the
differences.
Politely tell your bishop
that it is not Latin that you want, but the old Mass in
Latin.
When the Answer Again---Is
No
In
the face of
repeated refusals, send copies of all pertinent correspondence to Rome. His
Eminence Antonio Cardinal Innocenti, President of Commission Ecclesia
Dei, is currently in charge of implementing the Holy Father's wishes
regarding the traditional Latin Mass. He works quietly behind the scenes
and this approach has been effective in some cases.
If no results are forthcoming from the Commission, there are still other
avenues that you may pursue. Contact other officials in the Vatican Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or Angelo Cardinal Sodana,
Vatican Secretary of State.
When you
think you have exhausted all other possibilities, you may want to consider
a Canonical lawsuit against your bishop. The Saint Joseph Foundation has
thoroughly researched this process, and has helped Catholics in San
Francisco, Detroit, and Rochester to initiate such action against
their bishops. See the article in the September/October, 1992, issue
of the Latin Mass magazine for details, and contact Mr. Charles Wilson if you
are interested. (14ote: many names and addresses of sources for information,
Missals, Ordos, music, etc., are included at the end of this
article.)
Possible
objections that your bishop may offer to the idea of a Tridentine Mass in his
diocese might include: (1) It is divisive. (2) There is no place, no priest, no
people who really want this. (3) Catholics don't know the difference between the
new Mass in Latin and the old Mass. (4) This nostalgia for the old Mass is just
a passing whim, the older Catholics are dying off, the young people have no
interest in this liturgy. (5) No one will under-stand the old Mass or be able to
participate in it.
We've heard
all of these before, several times! And none of these objections are valid. For
more details, please contact the Coalition.
In general,
the old Mass is not divisive, and most people do know the difference. There are
parishes across the United States and Canada where the new Mass in Latin and the
old co-exist successfully, every Sunday of the year.
With the
Booklet Missal published by the Coalition (available in both Latin-English
and Latin-Spanish versions) the Tridentine Mass congregation can easily
follow the actions and prayers of the priest at the altar, and many sing the
Missa De Angelis at a high Mass, or give the responses with the servers
at a dialogue Mass.
As for the
idea that the old Mass is just for the old folks, this is disproved every
Sunday. In letters and articles we receive from all over the country, and from
personal observation, we can report that there are many young Catholics coming
to the Tridentine Mass, perhaps once out of curiosity, but after that
returning every time they can. These include high school and college
students, young adults, young families bringing their children (starting with
babes in arms).
We hasten
to mention the great enthusiasm on the part of many young priests (and the quiet
interest of many seminarians) in the old Mass in Latin.
Yes, there
is great hope for the future of the Church and for the future of the
Tridentine Mass with this renewed and growing interest in tradition that cuts
across all age groups.
When
the Answer Is Yes
When your
bishop says “yes” to your request, offer to do anything he would like in the way
of making arrangements. This usually does not include finding a priest and a
location. Most bishops rightly feel that this is their prerogative. If the
priests designated to say the Mass are interested, you can tell them about or
order for them the English translation of the rubrics of the 1962 Missale
Romanum (from the Latin Liturgy Association) and the videotape of the Tridentine
Mass and its rubrics, "The Most Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven" (from
the Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei).
The laity
can often help to recruit singers for a choir, to arrange for ushers for
the Masses, and to find and train young men and boys to serve the Tridentine
Mass. Some pastors like the idea of a coffee hour after the Tridentine Mass,
since typically many Catholics will drive some distance to attend this Mass.
This is a place where a committee can really help to do all the
work.
Be sure to
ask the pastor if a supply of Booklet Missals can be ordered in plenty of time
for the first Mass. If the bishop has not specifically forbidden publicity,
alert the local newspaper; radio and TV station about the first Mass. Many times
good coverage will result in more Catholics finding out about the
Tridentine Mass, and such reports are the least expensive form of advertising
you can find!
Prayers of
thanksgiving are certainly in order for the new Tridentine Mass. Be
sure to thank the bishop for his generosity, publicly and often. Try to ensure
that all who wrote to request the Mass or signed petitions, and all others who
attend the Mass, write a short thank-you note to the bishop and assure him of
their prayers.
And please
ask everyone to include in their prayers the intentions of all the Catholics in
other dioceses who are still trying to get permission for the old Mass
in Latin.
SOME
RESOURCES
Pontifical Commission
Ecclesia Dei
His Eminence Angelo
Cardinal
Fetid, President, Piazza
del Sant'
Uffizio 11, 00120 Vatican
City,
Italy,
Europe.
Coalition in Support of
Ecclesia Dei
P0 Box
2071
Glenview, IL 60025-6071
- Information,
suggestions, sample letters, petition forms; schedule of approved Tridentine
Masses; video, manual on the rubrics and ceremonies of the Tridentine Mass;
Booklet Missals in Latin-English, Latin-Spanish; & Wedding,
Funeral
Latin Liturgy
Association,
Dr. Robert
Edgeworth
740 Carriage
Way
Baton Rouge, LA
70808
-Directory of Latin Masses; English
translation
of the Rubrics of the 1962
Roman Missal.
The Latin Mass
Magazine,
1331 Red Cedar Circle -
No.4
Fort Collins, CO 80524
-6 issues,
$26/year.
Institute of Christ the
King, (U.S.)
Fn Timothy
Svea
P0 Box
5417
McLean, VA
22103
Priestly Fraternity of St.
Peter, (U.S.)
Fr. Arnaud
Devillers
P0 Box
196
Elmhurst, PA
18416
Augsburg Fortress
Publishers
3224 Beverly Blvd., Box
57974
Los Angeles, CA
90057.
800-421-0239
- Large selection of
books, sheet music and recordings.
Paraclete
Press
P0 Box
1568
Orleans, MA 02653.
800-451-5006
- Distributors for the Gregorian Chant
books published by Les Editions de Solesmes, France. Many records, audiotapes,
and CD's of chant.
Daniel J.
Pross
143 Duncan Ave.
#4
Jersey City Nj
07306-6028
-Send $5 for list of sheet
music.
Saint Gregory
Society
P0 Box
891
New Haven, CT
06504
-Advice on sacred music and liturgical
ceremonials.
The Robert Gaspard
Co.
200 North Janacek
Rd
Waukesha, WI
53186.414-784-6800
-Traditional style
vestments.
The House of
Hansen
4223 W. Irving Park
Road
Chicago, IL
60641.773-736-5858
-Traditional style vestments.
Loome Theological
Booksellers
320 N. Fourth
Street
Stillwater, MN
55082.612-4301092
-Altar Missals (1962 &
before) and hand missals.
Mother of Our Savior
Company
P0 Box
100
Pekin, IN
47165.
800-451-3993
- Religious goods, books,
candles, altar boy supplies.
Mueller Kaiser Plating
Company
5815 Hampton
Ave.
St. Louis, MO
63109
314-832-3553
-All types of Catholic
sacred metal ware at reasonable prices; quality
refinishing.
Veritas
Press
P0 Box 1
704
Santa Monica, CA
90406
-Daily missals; booklet of
instructions for altar servers.
CANON LAW
ASSISTANCE
The Saint Joseph
Foundation
11107 Wurzbach - No.
601B,
San Antonio, TX
78230-2553.
210-697-0717
- Newsletter.
Charles M. Wilson, Exec.
Dir.