Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tridentine rite High Mass at St. Peter's for 1st time in 40 years

The following is redacted from ZENIT. The full article can be found here.
An Extraordinary Tridentine Rite MilestoneArchbishop Burke Presides Over High Mass in St. Peter's

By Robert Moynihan

ROME, OCT. 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- There has been almost no coverage anywhere in the mainstream press about an extraordinary event that occurred yesterday morning in St. Peter's Basilica -- the celebration by Archbishop Raymond Burke, head of the Apostolic Signature, of the first High Mass according to the old Latin rite in St. Peter’s Basilica in 40 years, since 1969.

And because of that lack of press coverage, the old Mass, that "mysterious tapestry of texts and actions," as Cardinal Ratzinger once termed it -- sometimes illogical, sometimes jumbled, but nevertheless always wonderful -- returned to St. Peter’s Basilica after 40 years without any special notice at all, almost, as it were, silently, almost like "a thief in the night."

Oct. 18 was the Feast of St. Luke, author of one of the Gospels, and also of the Book of Acts.

The chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament, which is on the right side of St. Peter’s Basilica, was filled to overflowing by the time the Mass began at just after 9:30 am.

Full house

Outside, it was raining, and a bit of water pooled and glistened in different places on the marble floor where those present repeatedly knelt down on the hard stone during the celebration.

I myself found a place to stand in the back, as all the seats were taken. About 400 people were present.

Many low old rite Masses have been celebrated in different chapels of the basilica over the years, especially in the past two years since the promulgation on July 7, 2007, of "Summorum Pontificum," Benedict XVI's "motu proprio" calling for wider celebration of the old Mass.

But this was the first High Mass in the old rite since 1969.

Monsignor Guido Pozzo, recently appointed by Benedict XVI to head the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- the commission in charge of dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X, which wishes to celebrate the Mass only in the old rite -- was also present.

A unique spiritual experience

The two choirs, of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, one of brothers and one of sisters, were extraordinary.

As one Italian who attended put it, "It seemed we were immersed in choirs of angels. The presence of the celestial dimension of the rite was almost tangible. Believe me, I am not exaggerating."

But the morning was marked by a bit of confusion.

Instead of beginning at 10 a.m., the Mass was moved forward to 9:30 a.m. This meant that some dozens of people, who had planned to arrive at 10 a.m., found the Mass already 30 minutes under way when they arrived, and the chapel full. Many of them were turned away by Vatican ushers, as I witnessed with my own eyes, looking out the window from the back of the chapel where I standing.

But some of those present said they were puzzled why the Vatican seemed to treat this Mass like a "poor sister," assigning it to a small chapel, and changing the celebration time at the last minute.


Papal high Mass?

The question that comes to mind after attending this event is, could the Pope celebrate such a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica?

There are some impediments.

The ceremonial for a pontifical High Mass in the old rite is elaborate, and it has been so many years since one has been celebrated that many feel it would not be celebrated smoothly, if the Pope decided to do it.

And many Vatican officials seem reluctant, at best, to embrace the return of the old Mass.

No high-ranking Vatican officials were present at the Mass except for Monsignor Pozzo.

And Vatian Radio yesterday broadcast a report on a Mass celebrated elsewhere in the Basilica for the 400th anniversary of St. Leonardi, but made no mention at all of Archbishop Burke’s Mass.

And so the Mass was celebrated quietly, almost unobserved.

And after Mass, in the square, the sun broke through the clouds, and bathed the piazza in a warm October light.

* * *

Robert Moynihan is founder and editor of the monthly magazine Inside the Vatican. He is the author of the book "Let God's Light Shine Forth: the Spiritual Vision of Pope Benedict XVI" (2005, Doubleday). Moynihan's blog can be found at www.insidethevatican.com. He can be reached at: editor@insidethevatican.com.

I sense an undercurrent of triumphalism in Archbishop Burke's remarks and in Moynihan's report, but that just might reflect my ambivalence regarding the emphasis some place on the spirituality of extraordinary form of the Mass as if that weren't present in the ordinary form. There is much to be valued in each form of the Mass. I too quickly tire of those who claim a blanket superiority of one form over the other. Not surprisingly readers of the National Catholic Reporter appear to be quick to attack both the Archbishop and the extraordinary form of the Mass.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Where is the outrage?

The Catholic Church has been taken to task, and rightly so, for instances of the sexual abuse of children that had committed by a few priests. The notoriety of those instances have created in the mind of the public a myth that the issue of child sexual abuse is a Catholic thing. Professionals who have studied the issue clearly understand that is not the case, yet the myth exists.
For this reason I was surprised to see the New York Times run a story on the rate of child sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and the failure of religious and civil authorities to pursue those cases.
I suffer from no delusion that these cases will receive much exposure in the mainstream media -- indeed, if reporters were actually to do their homework they would expose the rate of abuse in the public school systems of the nation. I simply wish to point out the societal hypocrisy when it comes to the issue of child sexual abuse and how failure to address the problem in cases where Catholics are not involved merely leaves our children in jeopardy.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A touch of class...

It seems that every time I find myself getting too cynical about the world someone steps up and simply does the right thing and makes me feel better about people. The latest such instance for me was hearing of the young woman who finished the Kentucky High School State Championship Golf Tournament five shots ahead of her nearest competitor and then had herself disqualified.
After the final round of the tourney, Emma Talley noticed that she had signed an incorrect scorecard which understated her round by a single stroke. Her coach recalled “I think it was only her and her family who actually knew about it. If she had kept her mouth shut, she would have won the trophy. But she's not like that.” Instead, Emma reported the error to the officials and was therefore automatically disqualified.
The second place finisher, Lindsay Gahm offered the trophy to Emma who declined it. “Lindsay didn't do anything wrong,” Talley said. “She's my friend, and she felt as bad as anybody else. I'm glad she kept it. She deserved it.”
I'd like to think that I would have done the same thing, but I will never really know. I do know however that Emma Talley has won my respect... but a state championship is still a better prize.
Story here.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Debunking the debunker


Last week it was widely reported in the press that Italian scientist Luigi Garlaschelli claimed to have reproduced the Shroud of Turin with materials and techniques available in the middle ages. Garlaschelli concludes therefore that the shroud to is a fake.
In response Barrie M. Schwortz, documenting photographer of the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) which has spent thousands of hours studying the shroud itself, derides the reports as "science by press release". Noting that the work of scientists is normally submitted for peer review, which was not done in this case, a quick reading of the press release indicates that "...it is apparent immediately that the author knows very little about the actual Shroud of Turin." He further notes that a detailed scientific response to this press release is being drafted by the online Shroud Science Group.
The Catholic Church never has formally asserted that the shroud is the actual burial cloth of Christ but recognizes that it serves as a valuable reminder of the passion of Jesus. However it appears that, in this year when the shroud is again to be publicly displayed, opponents of the shroud feel compelled to try to undermine claims of authenticity and are willing to misrepresent science to accomplish that end.

Friday, October 9, 2009

A bit premature don't you think?


I was gabberflasted this morning to wake to the news that our president has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the same man whose body of work was deemed insufficient for Arizona State University to award him an honorary degree even as they hosted him as a commencement speaker. Furthermore, nominations were due before Obama had finished even two weeks in office.
I have great hopes for Obama's presidency in spite of my opposition to his positions on life issues. By the end of his term of office may President Obama prove himself worthy of the honor he is being awarded this year. If he does, we certainly will have cause to celebrate.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

A motorcycle club with style...



I was intrigued by the Jewish Motorcycle club touring Germany as a means of celebrating the 19th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany. The name of the club? The Hillel's Angels.