Texas Pastor Removed Over Latin Masses

Seattle Catholic ^ | July 4, 2003 | Peter Miller

[Land of the Irish]

For a Catholic priest in a small Texas town, it has been a particularly eventful week.

Over the course of three days, Fr. Stephen Zigrang JCL, pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Channelview, has been called into his bishop's office, threatened with suspension, removed from his parish and even forced to defend his mental health to his own father. These unfortunate events have taken place because Fr. Zigrang did something new during last Sunday's Masses — or, more accurately, did something very, very old.

Before each Mass on the morning of June 29th, Fr. Zigrang announced that he would no longer be offering Mass according to the revised missal of Pope Paul VI, instituted in 1969. He proceeded to offer the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 (also called the "Latin", "Traditional" or "Tridentine" Mass). Parishioners who were used to attending a Mass in English, with the priest facing the congregation, witnessed a priest offer a Mass almost entirely in Latin, while facing the altar. Guitar bands and sing-along hymns were replaced by chants and reverential silence. Rather then standing up to receive Holy Communion in their hands, congregants were instructed to kneel and receive the Blessed Sacrament on their tongues. One of the three masses was a sung mass, also called a Missa Contata.

The Diocese Reacts Fr. Zigrang is a priest of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, under Bishop Joseph Fiorenza. Upon hearing of the weekend's events, the diocese reacted immediately. Unable to reach him for most of the day Monday, the chancery sent word to Fr. Zigrang that the bishop would like to meet with him the following morning, July 1st.

Despite advice from others suggesting he be accompanied by a lawyer, Fr. Zigrang went to see the bishop on his own. He was told that he would be suspended and had until the next day to vacate the St. Andrew's rectory. He was provided a letter signed by Bishop Fiorenza and the diocesan Chancellor, Monsignor Frank Rossi, admonishing him for his actions and informing him that failure to "follow the liturgical directives of the Holy See in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments … is a grave disobedience and threatens the unity of the Church within the parish committed to your pastoral care."

First thing the following morning, the Director of Communications for the diocese, Mrs. Annette Gonzales Taylor, responded to an inquiry from the night before with an email claiming that, "…your inquiry is a bit premature in that Fr. Zigrang has not been suspended. At this time, Bishop Fiorenza and Fr. Zigrang continue to be in conversation."

When reached by phone to clarify the matter, Mrs. Taylor reiterated that Fr. Zigrang was not suspended, is still the pastor of St. Andrew's and no action has been taken against him. She said that she did not know whether he was at the parish today as priests take some days off. When asked why Fr. Zigrang would be (as witnesses claimed) in the process of moving out of the rectory if no action had been taken against him, she did not know.

At some point that same morning, as he was moving out of the parish rectory, Fr. Zigrang was called by Bishop Fiorenza, who recommended that he take a two month leave of duty. It was further suggested that Fr. Zigrang may want to seek psychiatric counseling during this time.

The following day, June 3rd, parishioners found a note on the St. Andrew's church door explaining that there would be no daily Mass or Eucharistic adoration. The note also referenced the name and number of another priest to contact.

Finally, Fr. Zigrang's elderly father was contacted this week by Chancellor Monsignor Frank Rossi, who expressed to him concerns about Fr. Zigrang's psychological well-being.

Past Efforts Fr. Stephen Zigrang has been a priest in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston for over 25 years and pastor at St. Andrew's for the past six. He is a former seminary instructor and has a licentiate in canon law. He was previously a member of the diocesan marriage tribunal where his lack of lenience toward annulment applications brought him into conflict with his peers.

Prompted by years of liturgical research and studies which drew him toward the Traditional Latin Mass, Fr. Zigrang had requested on multiple occasions for the opportunity to offer a public Tridentine Mass in a parish. His most recent request came in January of this year when he sent a letter to Bishop Fiorenza requesting permission to convert St. Andrew's parish in to a traditional parish (dedicated to the practice of the Tridentine Mass and other sacraments) or start such a parish in another location. Six months later, he had still not received a reply.

For the past couple years, Fr. Zigrang has been offering the Latin Mass privately in the rectory at 6:30 each morning. When he attempted to offer a single Latin Mass for his congregation on Sunday mornings, he was ordered by Bishop Fiorenza to stop.

In 1988, responding to Catholics attached to the Traditional Mass and sacraments, Pope John Paul II called for the "wide and generous application" of Latin Masses throughout the Church, but the decision was left up to each bishop on whether or how to implement those directives. Many bishops have refused to allow any such Masses, while some have allowed only limited access.

In the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, home to 1.5 million Catholics and the largest diocese in Texas (eleventh largest in the United States), there is a single Latin Mass offered on Sundays in downtown Houston. Not all believe that these accommodations are adequate to meet their spiritual needs, or in the "wide and generous" spirit alluded to by the Holy Father. Catholics who need to travel great distances with families have requested that the early Mass time be moved or another Mass be added for more reasonable access. Some have requested daily Masses; others Masses on Holy Days of Obligation; and still others a traditional parish, going so far as to locate property and priests available for such an arrangement. These requests to Bishop Fiorenza have reportedly been ignored or denied. The attendants of the Mass also are under certain restrictions, including a prohibition from promoting or advertising the Mass.

Critics point out that this diocese, which prides itself on promoting and celebrating diversity, particularly in liturgical matters, has demonstrated a clear and disturbing exception when it comes to the Tridentine Mass. Although hundreds of Masses are said throughout the diocese in a multitude of languages from Spanish to Chinese, and in a multitude of styles from "Country Music" to "Gospel Spiritual" with little to no concern from the bishop, requests for Traditional Masses are ignored and attempts to offer Masses in Latin quickly and definitively put to a stop.

Parishioners Respond The parishioners' responses to Fr. Zigrang's Latin Masses have been varied. Many were surprised but respectful of their pastor's decision, but there were also some notable negative and positive reactions. Some were openly hostile toward the move, storming out of the church at the beginning of Mass. Members of the musical band which performs at the 10:30 Mass were particularly dismayed (having no role during a Latin Mass), as were lectors and extraordinary ministers. After one of the Masses, a regular guitar player was particularly vocal about the complaint that would be forthcoming to the bishop.

On the other end of the spectrum, other parishioners were greatly appreciative of the opportunity afforded to them. Some old enough to remember when the Mass was in Latin were given a reminder of how much had changed and some of what was lost. Others who had never experienced such a Mass were struck by its simplicity and beauty. At least once attendant commented on the contemplative rather than "entertainment" focus, and another described it as "absolutely beautiful".

Several congregants came up to Fr. Stephen Zigrang after Mass to personally thank him. In what now appears to be his last Sunday at the parish, he gave them the rare opportunity to experience a Latin Mass in their parish, and allowed them to witness firsthand the reason for which their pastor was willing to risk the consequences which would soon follow.

***

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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

[BlackElk]

Yes and the St. Joseph Foundation of San Antonio, Texas exists, with donor support, to pursue these cases in the Church courts for the aggrieved (throughout our country) who need not pay for their services AND they have a successful track record.

[ultima ratio]

Where do you think the Novus Ordo came from? It was concocted by Rome for the appeasement of Protestants. Do you think these bishops have sprung spontaneously from the head of Zeus? Do you imagine Rome didn't know their mindset when they were elevated, that they were not the products of seminaries and theological innovations as remote from Catholic Tradition as their Baptist or Lutheran counterparts?

Rome supports the Fiorenzas, the Adamecs, the Mahonys, the Kaspers, at every turn--to the detriment of the faith. That has been made painfully clear. Only when these men are outed by the media does Rome take belated action. Otherwise it supports their endless chipping-away at the Catholic faith, first by offering only weak-kneed reproof, then buckling-under to the radical changes--all in the direction of aligning the Catholic liturgy with Protestant theology.

Besides, look at what Rome actually does--not what it says--even in an encyclical. It complains about liturgical abuses, then organizes outdoor papal Masses rife with the worst abuses. It gave the red hat to Kasper--but it fired Bisig and his traditional theologians. It puts out a barrage of p.r. praise for the traditional Mass--but will not lift a pinky to make it more accessible. All this should tell you something.

You want to blame the second-tier of management. But the big boss is the real problem. He has spent twenty-five years giving out mixed signals, saying one thing, doing another. Even the encyclical on the Eucharist was a repetition of a declaration he had made twenty years ago. All that while he has taken no action to move the Church around in a more orthodox direction.

[narses]

Well, we can see the real world intruding again. While Deacon Sinkspur insists that the Novus Ordo corrected the mistakes of the Church Liturgy in the Tridentine Mass (that is your position Sink, yes?) the Good Bishop protects his flock from those errors with vigor. If you see the Tridentine Rite as HARMFUL or EVIL, then this Bishop acted correctly and with speed. But then to believe that, you have to believe that for centuries the Indefectable Bride of Christ taught evil. Can it be?

[narses]

"Where are you defending it from?"

Pedophiles, sodomites, heretics and the like. You know, like those who would claim that the SACRED LITURGY of the Church is anti-Semitic or those who would promote NAMBLA or those who would desecrate the Altar of God by allowing heretical services on them. You know.

[narses]

[ninenot]

Fiorenza is a suspect of the first water--a committed liberal with a capital L.

That said, I think Fr. overstepped his bounds by a WIDE margin--I would be sympathetic if he offered only 1 Old Rite Mass, leaving the other two as NO's.

That would have been more defensible, albeit still a bit pushy.

[ninenot]

Not only does Bp. Bruskewitz allow the Old Rite--he also allowed the SSPV to build their new seminary in his Diocese.

But--interestingly--because Lincoln was a 'straight' Diocese beforehand, and there was no gitchee-goommeee Mass, no bozos, no babes, no Coke w/Twinkies--there is little demand for the Old Rite at all.

[ultima ratio]

Note: the Novus Ordo has been consistently affirmed by two popes--though it violates Trent. This is what gives cover to these liturgical Nazis.

[ninenot]

as well as the Msgr Rossi who contacted his father.

THIS little detail may leave the Diocese exposed to a large lawsuit. It is no longer legal to discuss the 'health' of an employee with ANYONE under the Medical Privacy Act/2002.

Hope Fr. Zig has a sharp civil attorney.

[ultima ratio]

Note what raises this bishop's hackles, though. Had Fr. Z raped a six year old, he would still be in good standing. Bishop Ryan of Springfield, IL slept with adolescent boys. He was forced to resign in disgrace. Now he's being rehabilitated by Cardinal George and was asked to co-consecrate a new bishop recently. Had he been a traditionalist who said the old Mass, rather than a pederast on the prowl for minors, he would have been considered beyond the pale. This is NOT just a new rite these men are defending--it is a new religion.

[ultima ratio]

What do you mean he has "allowed the SSPV" to build a new seminary there? SSPV needs no such permission from any Novus Ordo bishop. I believe you are referring to FSSP--the traditionalist indult fraternity recently much abused by Rome. (So much for Rome's sympathy towards Catholic tradition.)

[RobbyS]

One thing you have got very wrong: whatever Cranmer did, it was not done gradually. The reforms were so precipitant that they led to the Pilgrimage of Grace.

[ultima ratio]

"An important innovation was the imposition of Communion under both kinds for the laity at the end of 1547. Catholics in England made the mistake of conceding this change without opposition for the sake of peace. The great Catholic historian Cardinal Francis Gasquet writes:

"It was, after all, only a matter of ecclesiastical discipline, although some innovators in urging the incompleteness of the Sacrament, when administered under one kind, gave a doctrinal turn to the question which issued in heresy. The great advantage secured to the innovators by the adoption of Communion under both kinds in England was the opportunity it afforded them of effecting a break with the ancient missal.16

"Every such break with tradition lessened the impact of those to follow, so that when changes that were not simply matters of discipline were introduced the possibility of effective resistance was considerably lessened. The introduction of the vernacular was the most significant innovation. Where the ordinary Catholic was concerned the celebration of parts or all of the traditional Mass in English was far more startling than the imposition of the newly composed vernacular Communion service in 1549. Douglas Harrison, the Anglican Dean of Bristol, accepts that by introducing English into the liturgy, 'Cranmer clearly was preparing for the day when liturgical revision would become possible.' In his Liturgical Institutions, Dom Prosper Guéranger writes: 'We must admit that it is a master blow of Protestantism to have declared war on the sacred language. If it should ever prevail, it would be well on its way to victory.'

"Exactly the same process was initiated following the Second Vatican Council. There is not the least doubt that the changes imposed upon the traditional Mass before 1969 were far more startling than the introduction of the Novus Ordo in 1969. By the time it came into use the faithful had already reached the stage of either accepting any innovation without question or joining the mass exodus from our churches that has continued to this day and shows no sign of abating. The 1965 Missal can be compared to Cranmer’s 1549 Communion Service or Mass, which was only an interim measure, intended to condition the faithful into accepting its 1552 replacement which could be interpreted only as a Protestant Communion service. Likewise, the 1965 Missal was intended to condition the faithful into accepting without protest the radically reformed Missal of 1969. In comparing the 1965 Missal to the 1549 Communion service in no way do I intend to suggest that the former is ambiguous, unorthodox, or comparable in any way to the 1549 Communion Service. It is totally orthodox and unambiguously sacrificial, retains the sublime offertory prayers, the Roman Canon, and such prayers as the Placeat tibi, all of which were abolished by the Protestant Reformers and would be abolished in the 1969 rite. Thanks be to God, Pope Paul VI ordered Msgr. Bugnini to replace the Roman Canon which he had removed from the 1969 rite of Mass. It is, alas, only an option and is very rarely used. My comparison does no more than suggest that just as the 1549 prayer book conditioned the faithful to accept without protest that of 1552, the 1965 Missal conditioned the vast majority of the faithful into accepting without protest that of 1969." (Michael Davies, Latin Mass Magazine, "In Support of Traditional Roman Catholicism," Spring, 2001.)

You need to read Michael Davies' masterful work, Cranmer's Godly Order. Davies explains the changes produced very little reaction at first by the faithful--just as today only a remnant are shocked and outraged. The above is what he said in an article in Latin Mass Magazine two years ago.

[cpforlife.org]

I read recently that the Novus Ordo was composed by six Protestant clergymen and two Catholic clergymen. Do any of you have info that supports or contradicts this?

[ultima ratio]

There were six Protestant ministers who were appointed as consultants and who had important input on every draft of the text. The finished product closely aligns with the Lutheran Lord's Supper liturgy and severely suppresses Catholic belief. The Committee was led by a well-known humanist--some say freemason--Msgr. Anabile Bugnini. After the innovation of the New Mass there was a precipitous drop in Mass attendance worldwide. It fell within a few years from 80%+ to around 24%. It is now around 17% and falling.

[Cicero]

The pastor behaved foolishly and disobediently, although I sympathize with his desire to use the Tridentine Mass.

What gets my goat, however, is that if a liberal priest breaks 79 rules and sleeps with the altar boys, the bishop looks the other way, but if a conservative priest gets uppity, he lowers the boom on him. There's no one more tyrannical than a powerdrunk liberal.

[B Knotts]

Fiorenza should have allowed a Tridentine Indult Mass, and Fr. Fig should have left the regular Sunday Novus Ordo lineup alone.

I agree. They both did the wrong thing.

[B Knotts]

I think that ultimately, there is really only one way to solve this: a new rite should be recognized: the Tridentine Rite, which could work like the Eastern Rite churches that we have which are in communion with the Pope.

[Desdemona]

BTW, I am one of the few who is going to support what he did. I think it was an act of part desperation, part presenting the truth to the laity.

I'm going to agree with you, if for no other reason than the bishop is making an idiot of himself and causing more questions to be asked of the chancery. The whole idea of having someone committed over this sort of incident is beyond reprehensible.

It might have been a Luther-esque move, but in the Catholic direction. The orginal protestant movement was 200 years old before Luther brought it above ground. It could be we're seeing the same sort of thing with traditional Catholicism - more and more people want it and all it's richness. The priest is one soldier in the war.

What bothered me about the congregation is that they complained because they couldn't have their way, at least the "ministers". Since when is it a Catholic posture to act like a spoiled brat?

[cpforlife.org]

"precipitous drop in Mass attendance worldwide"

The tree is known by it's fruit, yes?