Summorum Open Questions (Trautman Alert!)

Creative Minority Report ^ | August 21, 2007 | Patrick Archbold

[maryz]

John Allen reports in his blog post of last week that Bishop Trautman of Erie, PA and Chairman of the USCCB's Committee for the Liturgy will be sending a letter to all U.S. bishops letting them know where things stand with some outstanding questions regarding the implementation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Some open questions according to the Allen piece:

[Members of the Bishops' Committee for the Liturgy in the United States recently met to discuss matters that are still up in the air, and sometime soon Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, Pennsylvania, the committee chair, will send a letter to American bishops summarizing where things stand.]

One outstanding question being raised by some bishops and canon lawyers is whether rulings over the years that apply to post-Vatican II liturgies should apply to the '62 Missal as well. The pope's motu proprio says the '62 Missal was never abrogated, but it doesn't spell out the status of subsequent disciplinary law. For example, can a vigil Mass be celebrated according to the '62 Missal on Saturday evening? Can communion be administered under both species? (In the old rite, only the consecrated Host is distributed, and only on the tongue.) Can altar girls as well as boys serve Mass?

What about scripture readings in the vernacular? Some communities that celebrate the older Mass have adopted the custom of proclaiming the reading first in Latin toward the altar, then turning around and reading it in the vernacular for the congregation prior to the homily -- an option not technically given in the Missal. Will that practice, or something like it, be sanctioned? Allen goes on to say that his sources indicate that these are not questions to be answered locally and will likely be addressed in the form of a dubia, meaning "doubts," sent to the Vatican for clarification.

I think I know the likely answers to many of these questions, but it will be interesting to see the formal answer to these inquiries. Of equal interest, at least to me, is whether Bishop Trautman will play it straight or somehow try to spin anything that is not explicitly ruled out or in.

Either way, September 14th rapidly approaches. It is best to have all these 'open questions' resolved forthwith.

[maryz]

I added in brackets the only part of Allen's snippet on this that Archbold didn't quote.

[maryz]

Looks like the Liturgy Committee already had their meeting on the motu proprio!

Related observations on The Curt Jester:

Here are the top five surprising results to Summorum Pontificum:

• Progressive liturgists and others are now finally concerned that priests properly know and use the rubrics. At least for the extraordinary form of Mass in the Latin Rite.
• A new concern for the number of people attending Mass. Declining numbers at experimental liturgy did not invoke a similar concern.
• That priests [must] more than adequately know Latin. At least if they want to be allowed to celebrate the 1962 missal.
• The word "extraordinary" is finally coming to a proper understanding of what it means. Now if only they can learn to take the same view towards Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
• Some bishops are now much more concerned about how liturgy is celebrated in their diocese and even want to test their priests capability in this regard. Maybe even one day the same concern will be applied to the ordinary form of the Mass.

[maryz]

For anyone whose memory might need refreshing, Statement of Bishop Trautman on Summorum Pontificum from Fr. Zuhlsdorf.

[Cheverus]

Those seem like strange questions.

From what I’ve read (and I am no Liturgist) there is a provision in the Old Missal for reading the Readings in the vernacular prior to the homily. While I don’t think it is allowed during the Cannon after the readings.

And an aside: I had a humorous experience this past Saturday at a vigil Mass. At St. Therese of Liseuix in Pawtucket RI.

When the Deacon came to distribute Communion I was in the first row of the second half of the Church.

He started making his way down the front row so, seeing this I just remained kneeling (the sweetheart did as well), he seemed a bit suprised but handled it without a bump.

It’s kind of a liberal Parish with lots of noise before the Liturgy, lots of Schutte, Haugen, Haas and Joncas, too many Extraordinary Ministers and folks sprinting for the Parking lot at the dismissal (and after Communion).

I kind of felt like I fired a shot across the bow for orthodoxy there.....

[maryz]

I kind of felt like I fired a shot across the bow for orthodoxy there

LOL! I guess you did . . . and, on the bright side, at least he recognized what you were doing, so he's heard of it anyway!

[maryz]

Those seem like strange questions.

We don't know that they're all the questions (probably not would be my guess). I've tried googling a few times -- any combination I can think of -- and this seems to be the only bit of news around on the Liturgy Committee Meeting. Would that our State Dept were so close-mouthed!

[marshmallow]

The pope's motu proprio says the '62 Missal was never abrogated, but it doesn't spell out the status of subsequent disciplinary law. For example, can a vigil Mass be celebrated according to the '62 Missal on Saturday evening? Can communion be administered under both species? (In the old rite, only the consecrated Host is distributed, and only on the tongue.) Can altar girls as well as boys serve Mass?

Oh hey......what about this one. Can it also be celebrated in the vernacular?? Oh......here's another....can it be celebrated versus populum?

Wait a minute......Communion under both species....altar girls....vernacular.....hey we've already got that! It's called the Novus Ordo. We don't need no stinkin' old rite!

Trautman is flipping the middle finger to the followers of the old rite by attempting to dilute it with Novus Ordo innovations. His questions are frivolous and are not made out of concern for TR attendees. Those who attend a Tridentine Mass don't want altar girls, Communion under both species etc. That's the whole point.

[maryz]

You could be right. In fact, you probably are -- that this is the tack he's taking. I know it struck me as odd that there'd be a question on repeating the readings in the vernacular. I'm old enough to remember when the TLM was the ordinary rite, and at Sunday Mass, they always read the Gospel in English at the homily when it had already been read in Latin.

I don't, of course, trust Trautman -- I think with good reason. I do wish, though, there were more info out there on that meeting! I understand the new head of the Committee is supposed to much better, but I don't know when they change.

[Frank Sheed]

I am laying 1,000:1 odds that the notitiae are being composed already even before this opus reaches Rome by some members of the Curia who are laughing uncontrollably and will be returned in record time.

Archbishops Amato and Ranjith will have a field day with this crew not to mention the Ecclesia Dei Commission which may pay them a nice “visit.”

The misunderstanding that the Church CHANGED in 1969 and threw 2000 years of her history overboard is sadly ingrained in some.

[maryz]

Archbishops Amato and Ranjith will have a field day

Have at it, boys -- run amok! :)