Great news

What Does the Prayer Really Say ^ | October 25, 2006 | Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

[Frank Sheed]

Great news CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 11:00 am

Folks, I received very good news today. Three sources confirmed something for me of great importance and a matter of consolation. At the moment, it is best not to publish it or talk too much about it, until it is brought to light by the proper authority.

Nevertheless, I would kindly ask readers of WDTPRS in print and in this blog general to say in advance a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Whenever we have petitions, it is good to add a prayer of thanks together with the petition.

So, I ask you kindly to say a prayer of thanks for something in particular, even if you don’t know yet what it is. I am really not trying to be cageywith this. Sometimes people who run blogs or write article rush to publicize soemthing before its times and, in doing so, create unnecessary complications. Just say a prayer of praise to God, for this and other blessings in your lives.

We praise Thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship Thee: the Father everlasting.

To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the heavens and all the powers therein. To Thee Cherubin and Seraphin: continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth; Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty: of Thy glory.

The glorious company of the Apostles: praise Thee. The goodly fellowship of the Prophets: praise Thee. The noble army of Martyrs: praise Thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world: doth acknowledge Thee; The Father: of an infinite majesty; Thine honourable, true: and only Son; Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.

Thou art the King of glory: O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son: of the Father.

When thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man Thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.

When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death: Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God: in the glory of the Father.

We believe that Thou shalt come: to be our Judge.

We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants: whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.

Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints: in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save Thy people: and bless Thine heritage. Govern them: and lift them up for ever.

Day by day: we magnify Thee; And we worship Thy Name: ever world without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord: to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us: have mercy upon us.

O Lord, let Thy mercy lighten upon us: as our trust is in Thee. O Lord, in Thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.

[Theophane]

OK, I stand corrected. It's good, anyway.

[Maeve]

Yours is the most beautiful new Catholic parish church building in the country, in my humble opinion.

[AnAmericanMother]

"The sea is his and he made it; and his hands prepared the dry land."

The Venite, Ps. 95.

O Come Let Us Sing

This is a setting that our Piskey choir sang at Spoleto one year. Antony Piccolo is the composer. Modern, but I like it. It fits the words quite well.

[AnAmericanMother]

So it's sort of a Luther-Coverdale-Cranmer joint effort by the time it gets to the BCP.

Whoever wrote it, they done good.

One of my major objections to the Catholic service is the horrible, clunky NAB translations. They are neither beautiful nor accurate . . . sort of the worst of both worlds.

I continue to quote the KJV mostly, because I know it pretty well (I still have my 12 year Sunday School attendance pin somewhere!) but I'm "diligently comparing" the Douay-Rheims which varies substantially in spots.

[AnAmericanMother]

Our Lady of Walsingham is indeed a gorgeous church.

But may I modestly put forward Holy Spirit, Atlanta, as another good example of appropriate modern church construction?

It's a darker and heavier style (H.H. Richardsonian, actually, Romanesque Revival) but it's very fine, and the rector took especial care to have a church that's traditional in every detail (the roodscreen is cleverly designed in the event the Archbishop ever allows the altar to go back against the east wall!)

Funny story which I heard from Monsignor himself -- he had a total of six architectural firms submit proposals for the building - five Catholic architects and one Presbyterian. He specifically asked for a traditional/orthodox, liturgically appropriate design. He got five loony modern way-out designs, and this one . . . by the Presbyterian.

Who got the contract, adds Monsignor with a little Irish growl, shifting his cigar from one side to the other.

[Frank Sheed]

I am not a priest, BE. The post in #68 was taken from Fr. Zuhlsdorf's website, What Does the Prayer Really Say? Sorry for the confusion.

[Frank Sheed]

Catholic World News, 10/27, subscription only...

There is also a story on CWNews indicating that the SSPX indicate that any motu proprio will likely mean nothing in their relations with the Vatican.

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=47337

_______________________________________________
In France, Cardinal Arinze decries liturgical abuses

Oct. 27 (CWNews.com) - The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship spoke out sharply against liturgical abuses during an October 26 presentation in Paris.

Speaking at the Catholic Institute of Paris, Cardinal Francis Arinze (bio - news) decried the "banalization, desacralization, and secularization of the liturgy." He rebuked priests who take an "overtly egocentric" approach to the liturgy, violating the norms of the Church. And he also criticized priests whose "false humility" leads them to "share their role with the laity."

"The sacred liturgy is not a domain in which free exploration reigns," the Nigerian-born cardinal said. He suggested that many liturgical abuses can be traced to "the undue place given to spontaneity, or creativity, or perhaps a false idea of liberty, or even that error that goes by the name of 'horizontalism,' which consists in placing man at the center of the liturgical celebration instead of directing attention upward, that is toward Christ."

Cardinal Arinze went on to say that priests should deliver homilies that are "rooted in Sacred Scripture," rather than offering thoughts based on sociology, psychology, and politics. He reminded his French audience that priests are ordained to proclaim the Word of God rather than to offer their insights on matters that lay people can study equally well. By interfering in the province of the laity, he added, priests confuse their own role, and "that always causes damage."

In an address that repeated themes frequently set forth in Vatican documents, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship concluded with the observation that "the liturgy is not the property of anyone-- neither the celebrant nor the community in which the mysteries are celebrated." He exhorted priests to approach the Mass with reverence and an appreciation for their own role in the Eucharistic mystery.

In a separate address to the conference, Archbishop André Vingt-Trois of Paris-- who is the chancellor of the Catholic Institute-- observed that in France, debates about liturgical practice have been "exploited in a debate of a different order." He explained that some radical Catholics had moved toward "a new model of the Church," through "a celebration of the assembly itself, substituting for a celebration of the work of God." On the other hand, he charged that conservative Catholics have used their defense of liturgical norms as a cover of "a radical critique of the Second Vatican Council."

The archbishop's remarks were obviously a reference to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). During the past month, French bishops have been outspoken in their criticism of the SSPX, and have expressed severe misgivings that Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) might appeal to traditionalists by allowing broader use of the old Latin Mass.

Although he did not explicitly mention the SSPX, Archbishop Vingt-Trois did note that successive popes have sought to repair damage to Church unity "since the sad year 1988"-- the year when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was excommunicated for ordaining bishops for the SSPX without Vatican approval. The archbishop went on to promise that the French hierarchy would "work calmly and serenely toward the needed reconciliation."

Cardinal Arinze, in his own presentation, did not mention the dispute over the Latin Mass or the reports of a papal document allowing broader use of the traditional liturgy.

[Maeve]

The NAB was translated by the tone deaf for doubting scholars and confused prelates.

[Maeve]

That is a very beautiful church in Atlanta. My mother has been there.

[Maeve]

The high altar at Walsingham in Houston is very beautiful.

[Frank Sheed]

The secret is revealed today....

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2006/10/about-pro-multis/#comments

About “pro multis”
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM, WDTPRS, PRO MULTIS — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 9:00 am

Since another blog has decided (perhaps imprudently) to publish something on it, and since it is already commented on by participants in this blog (for good or ill), here goes.

Three different well-placed sources I trust in Congregations here in Rome confirmed for me that the Holy Father made the determination that the words pro multis in the consecration of the Precious Blood will be properly translated, "for many", in the upcoming English text now in preparation. I had reason to be optimistic about this quite some time ago, but these confirmations go far beyond previous news.

Ever since Pope Paul VI, the Pontiff reserves to himself the approval of all sacramental forms in vernacular versions. Only Pope Benedict can make this decision.

WDTPRS has been hammering this for years, working as a lobby precisely for this, which is the single most important translation issue that had to be resolved. The WDTPRS articles have been used by members of the Vox Clara Committee, bandied about in Congregations, and even read by the Holy Father before his election. In the articles I urged readers to write respectful and brief letters about this issue to members of the Committee and prefects of Congregations. They did and I saw copies of their letters and the nice responses they received in return. The articles kept supplying ammunition during the war over the translation.

I see this as a real benchmark. Pope Benedict acts decisively once he has thought something through. He is interested in a new kind of dialogue, even ecumenical dialogue, based on accurate and forthright expressions of what we believe as a Church. The choice to say "for many" rather than "for all" indicates a serious shift of approach on many levels. It seems to me that the days of overly careful political correctness are done, at least in some spheres of the Church’s activity.

There may be some who do not find this news to be that big a thing. They might suggest that it does nothing for traditionalists who don’t want Mass in the vernacular anyway. To them I would say, first, that what is good for the whole Church is good for them. Holy Church is not to be reduced to the traditionalist minority, as important as it is in some respects. Clearly the traditionalists are not in the majority in the Church today. Thus, vernacular translations impact them more than they might think. The English language clearly dominates the world today. Since liturgical translations in other languages are undergoing revisions, they will be required to follow suit. Also, it is a unmistakable sign both that His Holiness is picking up speed in his work and that he is not content to maintain the status quo. He is making decisions with confidence.

It is necessary to continue with prayers for the Holy Father and with raising thanks to God for this important move on his part. We all know that it ain’t over ‘till it’s over. When I see some instrument of promulgation and the Holy Father’s signature, I will finally relax. Nevertheless I am very happy about this news.

[nanetteclaret]

Maybe this should be in a new thread so that everyone can see it?

Thanks for updating us!

[Salvation]

Continuing to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.

[BlackElk]

Thanks for the clarification.

[ichabod1]

Very nice. I don't have a problem with modern choral music. I think it's the most vibrant, alive part of the classical music world, probably because it's written with PURPOSE. So much modern classical just seems to noodle, and that untelligibly.

[ichabod1]

God Bless Il Papa, and Cardinal Arinze too.

[ichabod1]

I have a decision to make. I've decided to leave the gay Catholic Church I've been going to, and go to a place where I can be built up in the faith, and not have it twisted and questioned constantly.

My choices, as I see them:

1) Go to the wreckovated, post-Vatican II local parish which is 5 minutes away.

2) Go to Annunciation downtown which has great Gregorian Chant and the TLM.

3) Go to Our Lady of Walsingham where they have the familiar Anglican Use, and an excellent Anglican choir.

Numbers 2 and 3 are equidistant from my home, about 13 miles. I feel very lucky that Houston offers such rich worship choices, but it doesn't make it any easier to decide. Thoughts?

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, No. 1 is clearly out.

2 vs. 3 is a lot harder. Each is of course o.k. from a theological standpoint.

What I would do is the same thing we did . . . we attended several different parishes over the course of a month or two. You should get a feeling for which parish is a better fit. I could see wanting the familiar Anglican service . . . of course it won't be all THAT familiar since it was essentially discontinued in the 70s ("Rite I" ain't the same, not by a long shot.) On the other hand, I could also see wanting to make a clean break and go "all the way" to the TLM.

We made our decision not on the liturgy alone, but on our perceptions of the rector, the congregation, parish programs, etc. In fact, we chose our parish even though the music was AWFUL. A few months after we joined, the choir director left for another job, and we got a gung-ho traditionalist musician who is VERY competent and does lots of chant and Renaissance polyphony, as well as GOOD modern music. (We're doing the entire Faure' Requiem for All Souls next Thursday - soloists and the whole nine yards. It rocks.)

[AnAmericanMother]

My daughter's confirmation class could have done a better job.

[AnAmericanMother]

Love the high altar - I wasn't able to Google a good pic - couple of truncated side views and one far too close to see the effect.

I recognize St. Thomas More on the right --just like the Holbein portrait - is that Bishop Fisher on the left?