Pontifical Mass at St. Peter's Basilica

On Saturday, November 3rd at 3pm, a Traditional Solemn Pontifical Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, to honor the fifth anniversary of Summorum Pontificum and the start of the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict.

(More here).

TLM returns to largest Catholic university

From the blog of Societas Ecclesia Dei Sancti Joseph - Una Voce Philippinensis:

"As previously announced, the evening of August 24, 2012 saw the Traditional Latin Mass being celebrated in public in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for the first time since the liturgical reforms [sic] of Paul VI took effect." [more here]

The Mass had good attendance and friendly coverage by the school newspaper.

Another small milestone

Rorate Cæli reports that this past Sunday Monsignor Marco Agostini, Assistant Papal Master of Ceremonies, publicly celebrated a Traditional Latin Mass. It was the first time in decades that someone in his position had done so.

Pontifical High Mass at St. Peter's Basilica

This morning, for the first time in almost 50 years, a Pontifical High Mass was celebrated at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EvzSPDS83c

God bless the Pope, Cardinal Brandmüller, Cardinal Bartolucci and the good souls who worked to make this Mass possible.

(Cdl Brandmüller sang the Mass, Cdl Bartolucci conducted the choir).

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Denise1957 at CAF pointed out this longer (15 minute) version of the Mass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7LNu6jCmes

wsxyz says the video was posted by John Sonnen, who worships at an FSSP parish in Rome. Here is Mr. Sonnen's youtube page.

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Another video; this one lets you see the choir:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0iSWmXS1qE

Bishop celebrates the Mass of Ages

Yesterday saw the first celebration of a Pontifical High Mass by a diocesan bishop in his own cathedral in quite a while.

Deo gratias. Long live Bishop Tobias.

Behold, now is the acceptable time

The Traditional Mass returns to Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville this afternoon after an absence of nearly 40 years. Deo gratias!

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A lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians:

Brethren, we exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For He saith: In an accepted time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation. Giving no offense to any man, that our ministry be not blamed: but in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God, by the armor of justice on the right hand and on the left: by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet known: as dying, and behold we live: as chastised and not killed: as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as needy, yet enriching many: as having nothing and possessing all things.

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A prayer from Saint Thomas Aquinas. Thanksgiving After Holy Communion:

I thank You, O holy Lord,
almighty Father, eternal God,
who have deigned, not through any merits of mine,
but out of the condescension of Your goodness,
to satisfy me a sinner, Your unworthy servant,
with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that this Holy Communion
be not a condemnation to punishment for me,
but a saving plea to forgiveness.

May it be to me the armor of faith
and the shield of a good will.
May it be the emptying out of my vices
and the extinction of all lustful desires;
and increase of charity and patience,
of humility and obedience, and all virtues;
a strong defense against the snares
of all my enemies, visible and invisible;
the perfect quieting of all my evil impulses
of flesh and spirit,
binding me firmly to You, the one true God;
and a happy ending of my life.

I pray too that You will deign to bring me, a sinner,
to that ineffable banquet where You
with Your Son and the Holy Spirit,
are to your Saints true light, fulfillment of desires, eternal joy,
unalloyed gladness, and perfect bliss.

Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Trouble following the Mass

Someone new to the old Mass is concerned about losing track of where the priest is in his prayers during Mass, and about keeping up with people who pray the rosary quickly before Mass, and about not having the strength to kneel like other people.

Re: My first Latin mass Quote: Originally Posted by Hipster Doofus But if anyone has any suggestions as to how I can do better at my next Latin masses, I'd appreciate them. I would try saying the rosary very softly until you can keep up. Half-kneeling, using the seat for support, seems like a reasonable compromise and I would follow this practice with a peaceful heart for a long time. The transitions from sitting to kneeling to standing will probably gradually get easier with practice, but if not, then just do the best you can, and pray confidently, comforted by the knowledge that our Lord will certainly not ask more of you than you can do. You could also offer up whatever discomfort and embarrassment you cannot avoid to our Lord, and in union with Him, who suffered pain and humiliation for us. That might be the starting point for a heartfelt inner dialog with God about the sacrifice being presented to you, and what your response should be. In my opinion, it is ok to have such silent dialogs during Mass, and to weave in your prayers with those of the priest as an offering to God, who desires the conforming of your soul to Him more than a mere outward conformity to the activity around you. Don't fret if you lose your place. I'm still fairly new to the Traditional Mass myself, and rather than attempting to follow the priest's every word and gesture, I'm trying to learn landmarks within the Mass, so that I have the option of following along again word-by-word starting at those points. But following word-by-word isn't the only way to worship at Mass. This post from Athanasius Contra Mundum is worth reading. The most important part of the Mass cannot be seen with the eye or heard with the ear at Mass: our Lord's sacrifice, the sanctification of our souls, the strengthening of the bond of Charity, the worship of our Lord across the ages and in heaven. All invisible. All essential. The little defects in worship that the good Lord must put up with from you and me will be fixed in God's good time. __________________ When the time comes for perfecting the sacrament, the priest uses no longer his own words, but the words of Christ ... it is Christ's words that perfect this sacrament. - St. Ambrose

La métamorphose d'un autel

Here's a video recommended by Fr. Zuhlsdorf. It shows the transformation of an inoffensive but plain modern table-style altar into a more beautiful altar, more traditional in appearance, for an indult Mass in France.

La métamorphose d'un autel
Uploaded by CHRIST-REDEMPTEUR

Why I prefer the Traditional Mass

From a Catholic Answers Forums thread:

I understand that some older cradle Catholics feel homesick from time to time, but as an adult convert of more than 25 years, I do not see the benefit of attending a mass that I cannot understand at all since I do not speak or read Latin? Honestly, smells and bells and nostalgia aside, what is the point? Don't shoot, I'm trying to "get it".

I understand your puzzlement. All things being equal, I would prefer a Mass in English to a Mass in Latin, for the sake of understanding.

Nevertheless, as things are today, I prefer the Traditional Mass for several reasons:

(1) Validly translated words of consecration. It is the heart of the Mass!
(2) Kneeling to receive Communion, on the tongue, from a priest. Jesus' holy body is too sacred a thing to be handled by unconsecrated hands.
(3) Unity with the saints of the past, who worshipped our Lord using different versions of the Traditional Mass.
(4) Sacred Language. Compare the language of a traditional Low Mass with the New Mass. There are points of similarity, but the expressions of devotion are more abundant in the old Mass.
(5) The "smells and bells", the quiet before Mass, the candles, the unabashedly devout surroundings all make it easier to approach God in prayer.
(6) I have not yet heard a heretical song sung at a Latin Mass.
(7) A Mass that has been deeply meditated upon, and revised only with the utmost care and caution over the centuries. Our encounter with the Living God is a tremendous event, too important to be handled with a ceremony thrown together over a few months or years.

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Some people insist that a nod of the head before receiving is "is every bit as reverent as kneeling at the altar railing". This seems nonsensical to me; it must be an either you see it or you don't situation.

Re: point #6, above. At my parish we frequently threaten to "sing a new Church into being" (I'd rather stay in Jesus' Church though). We also often claim that we ourselves are the bread of life. The words do not seem to register with most people, or they do not take them seriously. I think the songs are outrageous. There are many hymns that ought never to be sung in a Catholic church again.

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Re: my preliminary comment. Some suggest that having the Mass all in easily understood language is a bad thing, and that the Latin language serves as a verbal iconostasis, concealing some of the action of the Mass from profane-minded individuals. On the other hand, the iconostasis was formerly a low rail or stand, and was not raised until the 14th-15th century, so it would not have concealed much for most of the history of the Church.

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If only we had received a translation of the Traditional Mass into English, a translation that was reverent, beautiful, and accurate, instead of what we did receive circa 1970.

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But what is done is done, and many are now attached to the new Mass, even if poorly translated and irreverently celebrated. It may take many years to recover. May God speed a restoration of the Traditional Mass and a revitalization of His Church on Earth!

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A reply to a reply:

Validly translated? I hope you're not taking the extremely dangerous position of suggesting the words of consecration used in the NO are invalid?

I'm saying the words currently in use are incorrectly translated.

As for communion - you have every right to receive kneeling and on the tongue at NO, and I see more than a few people doing one or both of these at the NO masses I attend. As for your hands not being fit to handle the Body of Christ - what makes them less fit than your unconsecrated tongue and mouth or your unconsecrated throat???

While I am inspired by those very few people I see at Novus Ordo Masses that receive Holy Communion kneeling, I prefer to remain unobtrusive.

My unconsecrated mouth and unconsecrated throat simply swallow and problems with receiving by mouth are virtually unheard of. My unconsecrated hands can drop crumbs and putting the Body of Christ in those unconsecrated hands puts me in a position of unwarranted control over my Lord and Savior. A couple months ago, I found a host stuck between the pages of a hymnal in our Church. This type of abuse would happen less if the laity were not permitted to handle the Eucharist.

Ans unity with the saints - what about our current day saints? Blessed Mother Teresa? John Paul 2 of blessed memory (may he be sainted soon)? So you seriously think they one iota the less saintly for attending and celebrating NO Masses?

I do not wish to debate the relative merits of those two good people as compared to the great saints of the past. In the Traditional Mass I hear echoes of centuries of prayer and praise, and see the Sacred as clearly as my clouded vision permits. Less so in the new Mass. But if the new Mass helps you draw closer to heaven, then stick with it, and praise God.