Posted on 03/05/2004 6:35:43 AM PST by Maximilian
During the filming of the now-famous movie, The Passion of the Christ, Mass was held at 7:30 each morning in a converted office at Cinema City at the east side of Rome (when filming was there), and presiding for much of the time was Father Stephen F. Somerville of Queensville, Ontario, near Toronto, who has detailed the fashion in which Mel Gibson prepared spiritually for the shooting -- confirming Gibson's taste for the pre-Vatican II liturgy.
"I said Mass for seven weeks of the filming," Father Somerville told Spirit Daily. "It was the old Latin Mass, the traditional Latin Mass -- not the new Mass in Latin. It was the old Catholic Mass that was used until the 1960s."
Father Somerville -- who, though traditionalist, technically remains under the jurisdiction of the Toronto archbishop -- said that many of those working on the movie couldn't make Mass because they had to apply make-up. "So we just had a small group of people, five or six on the average, and Jim Caviezel often came, but he particularly had to go for a long siege with the make-up artists, so sometimes I would give him Communion with a Host reserved from Mass," says the priest. "We converted a small room into a chapel. We improvised a decent-looking altar, and Mel sent somebody out to buy everything we needed -- vestments, nice candles. There were a few chairs and a sofa and there it was. Mel knelt on his knees on the floor behind me and answered the prayers in perfect Latin."
At times Caviezel would attend Father Somerville's Mass in full costume before the day's shoot -- though not during the bloody scourging scenes.
About 25 square feet in size, the tiny chapel had a few chairs and a simple wooden table raised against one wall to act as an altar. Above the table, the wall was decorated with various religious ornaments, including a picture of the Virgin Mary. Father Somerville had previously noted that he always began and ended Mass with a hymn, something that Gibson, joining in with his monotone, seemed to enjoy.
Somerville said he was there for the trial scenes. He didn't note any miracles, but emotions flowed. "There were some moments of strong feeling on the set," he recalls. "I was there for the scourging."
Asked about the role of German mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich -- who some have tried to downplay as an influence -- Father Somerville said that Gibson "made practical use of Emmerich in the movie. A lot of the details that you see visually in the movie are in the Emmerich book."
Father Somerville says that Gibson is "more of an extremist traditionalist Catholic than I am. He's not as hard-line as his father, but nevertheless," adding: "Many films about Christ have been made. But this one was made by a master actor and director with profound Christian conviction."
Somerville said that he "has become a traditionalist priest" though he is now retired and doesn't have a church. He met Gibson's father Hutton while filling in for a traditionalist priest at St. Jude's Shrine in Stafford, Texas, near Houston, where Hutton was living. When asked if he was loyal to Rome, Father Somerville said he is "loyal to Rome but I'm loyal to the Rome of all time, not just the Rome of right now. John Paul is the Pope and I respect him, but I disagree with many things that he is teaching."
In October of 2002 a letter by Father Somerville renouncing liturgical reform was posted by the St. Pius X Society. The Society is associated with a schismatic bishop, Marcel Lefebvre, and suppressed by the Vatican. Lefebvre was excommunicated for illicitly consecrating priests, but since then there have been attempts at reconciliation.
Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
Done! I owe Sara a long overdue phonecall and a lunch! ;)
I would like to apply for membership in the Ladies Auxilliary,and then I would like permission to set up a Hospitality Ministry for Unrepentent Sinners. It would be a kind of way station for them as they await a hearing before Torquenada and the Inquisitorial staff.I assure you that they will repent quickly or will have very loose tongues and innards when they meet the Inquisitors.
I have testimonials attesting to my culinary abilities. Thirty some years ago my husband was overheard commenting to another flight instructor:"I always invite all the unmarried student pilots over for one of sara's home cooked meals,ensures that they'll stay single for the training program,at least."
Firteen years later,one of my sons,in the course of our dinnertime conversation said:At least the girls we marry won't have to compete with mom's cooking".The other two laughed uproariously.
I use a lot of candles,vanilla,pumkin and spice to whet the appetite and then I serve it up.
I found the Wanderer article but it only reiterates what other posters have already said. Theologian at the Chicago Theological Union,featured speaker at Mahoney's catechetical conferences and a former Albany priest. Go prepared to hear the amchurchian theology from one of their waterboy's mouths.
Totus Tuus gives good advice on preparing to submit something cogent to our besieged new Bishop later. I am sure he is inundated right now,poor Bishop we must pray for him.
Meanwhile if you get the chance, question Fragomeni and ask him to clarify as many points as you can. The enemy,think of our governor Janet,speaks with a metered pace and cadence which is almost hypnotic. The more often you can interrupt the studied presentation,the more sucessful you will be in throwing them off their agenda. If you sprinkle your questions using their vocabulary i.e.respectfully,authentic,share,community,transformation,experential and worship space blah,blah,they will think you are one of their own which really confounds them and upsets their reasonable presentation.Good luck!!
Anxious to hear from you.
You start that trend, my dear!
I wear hats from time to time, and when there is no hat I am wearing a lace mantilla. The wonderful thing is to see younger women starting to wear them -- without any conversation with me about it Older women just look at me and wonder, "Oh, did I miss the message? Are the veils back? Oh, its just her....and those young girls...well, I'm not that old.....where are my veils anyway...." You can sort of read the conversation running behind some of their eyes. But the reason we do this is because, very simply, we love Jesus, and we wish to greet so great a King by being dressed as respectfully as we can
God bless.
Will do. St. Michael, hold my hand! :)
Thanks so much for your advice.
Nope, I'm not a lady or a Prot.
I went to the Tridentine mass this morning (indult) so that and the fact that I think that Don Thomas Torquemada was misunderstood, should satisfy the orthodoxy requirements.
What kind of ministries are left? I could maintain the "inquiry" devices, or whatever else is needed to help the poor sinners.
Minister of Verification? Better yet "Minister of Substantiation"
Rather, the principal activity of the TTGC is to pursue the Beatification of TomTorq.
A worthy and long over due cause.
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