Posted on 06/04/2004 12:00:16 PM PDT by AskStPhilomena
In his explanation for the decision, Maida cited the growing influence of schismatic groups within his archdiocese.
"We have much activity by schismatic churches in the Archdiocese. We have children in our Archdiocese attending schismatic schools and being drawn away from the Church. Some of our faithful are crossing the border to go into Windsor or other dioceses for the celebration of this Mass," the cardinal is quoted as stating.
Maida did not mention at the meeting that in addition to laity joining schismatic groups, he is also faced with a major emigration of seminarians from the archdiocese, and the crisis shows no signs of abating. In the year 2007 there is only one man scheduled to be ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit, a native-born Filipino.
During the meeting Auxiliary Bishop Walter Hurley said the Tridentine Mass may be allowed in two parishes before the fall, but neither the parishes nor the frequency of the Masses has been decided.
Hurley is quoted as stating, "We are not looking to catechize new generations into the Tridentine Rite, but we are seeking to respond to those people who have identified this as a pastoral need In moving in this direction, there are certain things that must take place as we proceed. The first is that Vatican II, its authenticity, and its liturgical reforms have to be accepted as a legitimate work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. We do not want to set up something that would be divisive. We are not seeking to undermine or unravel the reforms of the Council."
The celebration of the Tridentine Mass will be coordinated under the auspices of the Archdiocesan Worship Office. "We do not want to see this as a work of a specific group of people, but rather an extension of Cardinal Maida's ministry as chief shepherd of the Archdiocese," Hurley is quoted as saying. "… All of our regional auxiliary bishops have indicated their willingness to celebrate this liturgy. The framework here is pastoral. We will not identify this as a "specific niche" of a parish; rather, this is simply something that would be offered at a parish."
The decision has been met with guarded optimism by those who have worked for the Tridentine Rite in the archdiocese, mainly because the rite – until now -- has been bitterly opposed by Maida and his chancery since Maida arrived as archbishop in Detroit in 1990. Additionally, the auxiliary bishop and chancery staff who are implementing his new decision are long-time chancery veterans who have no track record whatsoever of embracing traditional initiatives.
Many suspect the Tridentine Mass may be sparingly offered at small parishes in inconvenient locations, perhaps even in parishes hostile to traditional aspirations.
For at least the last 15 years there have been hundreds, if not thousands of requests to Maida to grant permission for the Tridentine Mass. A group of Catholics in the early 1990s filed a canonical lawsuit in the Signatura, the Vatican Court, to force Cardinal Maida to abide by Eccleiasia Dei, in which Pope John Paul II pleaded with the world’s bishops to allow a "generous application" of the indult for the Tridentine Mass. The St. Joseph Foundation assisted in that effort.
Maida opposed the lawsuit vigorously, and the legal effort ended when the Vatican ruled that with the death in 1994 of Thomas Marshall, the main signer of the complaint, the rest of signers of the petition to Rome had no standing to pursue the case.
It is noteworthy that the primary opponent of the Tridentine Mass at that time was Fr. Gerald Shirilla, professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and director of the Worship Department. Fr.Shirilla told a reporter for the Michigan Catholic that, regarding those who want the Tridentine Mass, "We have to fight them tooth and nail."
Fr. Shirilla was relieved of his post in 1993 when he was identified as a serial child molester, who favored young altar boys, going back more than 20 years. He never quite lost favor with Cardinal Maida, however, and was secretly re-assigned seven years later as pastor of a parish in the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.
Meanwhile, as the cardinal and his priests argue about the merits of the Tridentine Mass, the Detroit chapter of gay organization Dignity continues to hold its weekly Masses at Marygrove College every Sunday, and openly advertises that priests of the archdiocese celebrate its Masses. Priests of the archdiocese have never been forbidden to celebrate those gay Masses.
Cardinal Maida has always had different standards for different groups throughout his tenure in Detroit.
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnews.com ...
It is the Normative Mass of the Latin Rite, the Memorial of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ.
It is of infinite value, just like the Tridentine Mass.
That is not the fault of the Novus Ordo.
People. Fallible, sinful people.
Oh, and George W. Bush.
The bishops of the world do not want a universal indult.
Thus, there will not be one.
It's a two way street, pal.
"Surely it's not as bad as all that!"
"destroyed" is probably too strong a word, but I do firmly believe that the change in orientation of the celebration of Mass has had as much influence in changing the character of the Mass as all the changes in the prayers put together.
I know most trads would probably disagree with me on this, but the N.O., when celebrated ad orientum, "feels spiritually" much more in continuity with the perennial Tradition than does the average parish Mass.
To use some of JPII's lingo - a correct theology of worship demands a correct anthropology of worship.
I agree with your analysis. I feel connected to the sacred with either the tridentine mass or the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern rites. I miss that with the Novus Ordo (plus, it has really bad music.) I very glad that our bishop allows the tridentine mass. I would be just as happy if the TM was translated into English. In fact, I thought that that was what was going to be done by Vatican II, Novus Ordo was quite a shock.
BTW - I'm happy for anyone who feels connected to God by NO, and I certainly wouldn't want to take that away from them.
The Liturgy of St. James, generally prayed only once a year and then at Jerusalem, is, I believe, the oldest Chalcedonian liturgy still in use. It looks a lot like a regular Orthodox Liturgy. As for the NO, the procession with the unconsecrated bread and wine and, to an extent, the petitions of the people are the only "ancient" usages I can see in it...but then again our usual Sunday Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is only about 1500 years old so what would I know?
Just as Maida was finally nipple-twisted into allowing an indult by the courageous faith of the "independent" Catholics in his area, so the rest of the pickle-smoocher mafia will gradually be brought to heel.
So far, only the butt cowboys have shed blood and taken life. That may change, I don't know. But in the end, the Tridentine will once again be available to all.
I have yet to go to a Maronite Rite Liturgy, but I read, and NYer knows far more about it that I do is that it is the oldest liturgy that has been in continued use. I will admit I do not know anything about the Liturgy of St. James.
As Tantumergo said so well, the orientation makes a big difference. At the parish I usually attend, it is a Novus Ordo, and the priests face the people, but it has retained most of the traditions such as incenseing the altar, use of the rail, plus none of the other more recent "innovations". The retention of the traditional rubrics and the reverence make it clearly identifiable as Catholic. Now if they would only get rid of the table and face the old altar.
It should be available, via indult, but many bishops will simply not allow it, even those who are most orthodox (like Bruskewitz, who allows FSSP parishes, but will not allow indult Masses).
That is a local indult.
Logistically, Tridentine Masses cannot replace regularly scheduled Novus Ordo Masses.
Any parish that can support a Tridentine Mass should have one, just as they have Spanish Masses, or Vietnamese Masses, or, in our parish, Tongan Masses.
You might find this link interesting. It is a brief write up on the Liturgy of St. James and then a text of the Liturgy as recntly translated. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ephrem/lit-james.htm
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