Monday, July 09, 2007

No Latin Masses while I'm pastor!

From a local parish bulletin:

THERE AIN’T NO ACCOUNTING FOR HUMAN BEINGS

Sunday’s Post-Dispatch carried an article stating that Pope Benedict had issued a proclamation praising and urging the celebration of more Latin Masses. When I was ordained forty years ago, I was in the last class at Kenrick Seminary that was taught to celebrate Mass in Latin. The Vatican Council II was just concluded and we celebrated the liturgy of the word in English and then after the Prayers of the Faithful, we went into Latin to celebrate the three principal parts of the Mass (as they were called) Offertory, Consecration and Communion. Six months after my ordination, on the first Sunday of Advent, 1967, the church in the United States began the celebration of the entire Mass in English.

Now our Holy Father has taken it upon himself to soften the directives of the largest worldwide gathering of church leaders ever assembled, the Second Vatican Council.

I feel some of the energy and momentum that I had in 1967 starting to dissipate. I also must admit that my Latin Mass eloquence has disappeared with the growing number of senior moments. St. Cronan’s won’t be celebrating any Latin Masses during my tenure.

Let’s keep the Vatican II engine moving forward with full and joyful participation in the liturgy that everyone can understand.

This comes from one who refuses to abide by the lawful directives of the Church in celebrating Mass; whose parish promotes homosexuality and sodomy; whose parish provides space for women-led "liturgies"...and so on. It's probably a parish to be avoided by those who want to stay clear of near occasions of sin.

And news is getting more difficult to come by - it seems that the parish has gone 'underground' - its revised website has been 'under construction' for the last few weeks...Odd since it was being updated quite often.

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