Real Catholic Blog

The Vatican continues to send signals, clearer all the time, that normal Sunday Mass may be celebrated in the “Extraordinary” or Tridentine (Latin) form. In November, it sent priests instructional videos on presiding over such a Mass. According to CathNews Asia, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei made the recent ruling ”that parishes may replace a normal Sunday Mass with one celebrated in the ‘Extraordinary’ or Tridentine form,” in response to questions from the Polish Diocese of Rzeszow.

Here is the summary of the Vatican’s responses promulgated to the Diocese of Rzeszow, and which are applicable universally:

1. If there is no other possibility, because for instance in all churches of a diocese the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum are already being celebrated in the Ordinary Form, the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum may, in the same church in which they are already celebrated in the Ordinary Form, be additionally celebrated in the Extraordinary Form, if the local ordinary allows.

2. A Mass in the usus antiquior may replace a regularly scheduled Mass in the Ordinary Form. The question contextualizes that in many churches Sunday Masses are more or less scheduled continually, leaving free only very inconvenient mid afternoon slots, but this is merely context, the question posed being general. The answer leaves the matter to the prudent judgement of the parish priest, and emphasises the right of a stable group to assist at Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

3. A parish priest may schedule a public Mass in the Extraordinary Form on his own accord (i.e. without the request of a group of faithful) for the benefit of the faithful including those unfamiliar with the usus antiquior. The response of the Commission here is identical to no. 2.

4. The calendar, readings or prefaces of the 1970 Missale Romanum may not be substituted for those of the 1962 Missale Romanum in Masses in the Extraordinary Form.

5. While the liturgical readings (Epistle and Gospel) themselves have to be read by the priest (or deacon/subdeacon) as foreseen by the rubrics, a translation to the vernacular may afterwards be read also by a layman.

That’s one of the age old incongruities of practicing the Faith. Everyone wants to go to Holy Communion, but rarely do people go to Reconciliation.

Suffer me not to be separated from you, Lord

as the prayer states. No one wants to forsake the Bread of Life. That is good. People should not want to go without receiving our Lord in the Sacrifice of the Mass. But are we clear for take-off? Or do we go undeservingly because we don’t want the person next to us to think we’ve done something to not merit the Holy Eucharist?

Another priest from the Fathers of Mercy, Father Bill Casey, C.P.M., offers some thoughts on The Link between the Penitential Rite & the Gloria:

Father Casey with some thoughts on the age old conundrum: Why are there lines for Holy Communion but not the Confessional?

If you are not familiar with Catholics Come Home, take some time to do so. It does great work.

You may have seen its videos on EWTN, or if you live in the Diocese of Phoenix you may know its work first hand. Its mission is to bring back Catholics who have left the Church for whatever reason or reasons, and it is doing so through modern media techniques. It has produced three world class videos/commercials that inspire even the hardest hearts.

While it has received air time on EWTN, through the Internet and some news programs, CCH now is hitting its stride. In the last year it developed a plan to buy commerical air time in each diocese in the country. It started in the Phoenix Diocese during Lent 2008 and was responsible for bringing back to the Church 92,000 Catholics (see CNS article here).

We are called to bring people to the Lord. A good place to start is reaching out to family, friends, associates, even people we don’t know that well, who have stopped attending church. If you think it’s an odd proposition, remember, Jesus sent the Apostles out to visit strangers and preach to them.

When the priest ends Mass with “Let us now go forth to love and serve the Lord,” it is our commission to spread His Word. As Pope Benedict XVI said at his first World Youth Day homily in 2005: Every day we have good news we can’t wait to share with family and friends — good grades at school, a promotion at work — but how often do we share the Good News of the Gospel?

Probably not often. But a good way to start is to share the Catholic Come Home videos. (Forward this link with the first video. We’ll post the others in the near future.) Visit its Web page and find out how you can help it with its goal, and see if you can facilitate its work in your diocese. It can also provide tips as to what you can do within your parish. Or simply speak to that someone you are concerned about and ask them to come to Church with you Sunday.

A priest I know told the story of a woman who told him she wanted to come back to the Church, but had been away for years and didn’t know how. He replied, “Just come back.” It’s not complicated. 

An epic video worth sharing.