Holy Trinity News: Boston Latin Mass Indult

For the second time in less than a month, the Latin Mass community at the embattled Holy Trinity (German) Catholic Church came to the noon Mass to hear it celebrated in Latin, only to hear English. Parishioners say they were told by church administrator the Rev. Thomas Naughton that the English masses took place due to scheduling errors. But they also say they don't believe it was a simple mistake.

"I don't know whether it's a drive to drive people out of the church, I don't know exactly what the situation is," said Kathy Stone, Latin Mass parishioner, who attended Mass on both days.

Stone said that on Aug. 13, six parishioners walked out of the service when they heard that the Mass would have to be given in English rather than Latin, due to a scheduling error. This Sunday, attendance at the Latin Mass, which was again said in English, was down by more than 100 regular attendees, according to Stone. Stone said that most parishioners she talked with seemed to believe that the scheduling errors were deliberate. "Three of them left because they said, 'Oh, this is just the beginning,'" she noted about the first time.

"They're not walking out on the church, they're walking out because of the way they feel that this is being done intentionally," said Stone.

In a press release sent on Sept. 10, just a few hours after the noon Mass, conducted in English, let out, parishioners decried the error, calling it symptomatic of the Archdiocese of Boston's treatment of the church and its parishioners. "While most parishioners know that the normal schedule will resume next week, they view the scheduling snafus are a symptom of the Archdiocese's minimal commitment to the parish, especially to the Traditional Latin Mass," the press release read.

The Traditional Latin Mass, or Tridentine Mass, has been celebrated at Holy Trinity since 1990 by special order of Cardinal Bernard Law, former Archbishop of the Boston Archdiocese. It is the only church in the Archdiocese where Catholics can hear the Mass in Latin, something that a small but growing number of them feel is integral to their spiritual life. Few priests in the Archdiocese are trained to celebrate it; Naughton cannot.

Since the Archdiocese announced in May 2004 that the church would be one of approximately 65 to close during the controversial Parish Reconfiguration, the parishioners of Holy Trinity Church have been embroiled in a fierce battle to keep the church open. While the Archdiocese has cited the small number of parishioners attending either the 10 a.m. or noon Masses, parishioners say their numbers, especially in the Latin Mass community, which generally has around 250 to 350 people attending, are growing. Additionally citing respect for the aging German National parish, for which the church was originally built, and the historic nature of the building which was built in 1877, as well as the presence of two social service agencies housed at the church, parishioners have repeatedly appealed to the Archdiocese to save their church.

The closure date for the church has been continually pushed back. Currently, the Archdiocese has released no official date.

Most recently, the church had been scheduled to close on Dec. 15, 2005, however, the two social service agencies housed there - a daytime homeless shelter and a temporary home for at-risk youth - had not yet found new homes and the Archdiocese gave the church an indefinite reprieve. The reprieve's announcement coincided with the release of the findings of an audit conducted on the church's finances by Chancellor David Smith of the Archdiocese. The audit had revealed that the former administrator of Holy Trinity, Father Hugh O'Regan, had transferred more than $176,000 from Holy Trinity accounts to the accounts of the other church under his purview, St. James the Greater. Subsequent investigation from members of Holy Trinity's parish council revealed that the funds had been transferred in several lump sums into St. James's account and bills for both churches were paid from the one account. St. James subsequently took a loan from the Archdiocese to pay Holy Trinity back.

Parishioners at Holy Trinity have long suspected that each of these problematic developments indicate that there is a deliberate attempt being made to suppress the church and this latest issue simply adds to the feeling of desperation that pervades the parish. "I know that we're fighting for our lives here," Stone said.

"I don't know whether people just don't care, or if they're trying to sabotage any effort made to save the church," she continued, adding that some Latin Mass parishioners drive several hours from other states simply to hear the Mass in Latin at Holy Trinity. Stone also noted that the collection on Sunday was less than a third of the regular collection, owing to the loss of people, and now she's concerned about next Sunday. Driving down the number of Latin Mass parishioners would give the Archdiocese more reason to close the church, she says. "They really just don't care," she said of the Archdiocese.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese said Tuesday that he would look into the situation; he did not call back by deadline.

A few comments (having been there after all):

1) Fr. Naughton was ordained in 1961 which means he can say the Latin Mass, he just hasn't in a long time and perhaps is not confident.

2) Not being a regular, I found it more disturbing that he mentioned the Paulists in his sermon. But I do understand that multiple "scheduling problems" will drive some folks away.

I have my opinion about the motivations of the Archdiocese that you can probably guess. That said I am of the opinion that since you have the St. Benedict Center to the North and Holy Name of Jesus in East Providence to the South (as well as one in Chatham right?) that people can drive to instead of driving to the South End, that's where the majority of them will end up....not to mention the Sedevacantists in West Roxbury and the SSPX chaplaincy in Norwood.

Also given the time of day (noon) some folks might figure that if it's not going to be any different from their local parish why not just go to the 9 am and catch the pre-game....it is football season after all.

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