EMBRACING TRADITION: SMALL BUT GROWING NUMBER OF CATHOLICS RETURN TO RIGID RULES, LATIN MASSES

San Jose Mercury News ^ | Fri, Jul. 04, 2003 | Lisa Fernandez

[ultima ratio]

You are right to proceed with reasonable caution. Make sure you get a good spiritual director first--someone truly judicious and wise and with whom you feel comfortable. You might write for assistance to either the FSSP or SSPX, using the addresses posted on their websites. They will surely be interested in your situation. They might arrange for you to make a retreat for spiritual direction before your actually making any sort of commitment--and this might be arranged by public transportation. You might ask about this--someone might be able to pick you up by car if no other means is available. No telling where this will all lead. God bless. I'll be praying for you. Let me know how you make out.

[As you well know...]

The Right Reverend Benedict J. Fenwick, S.J. succeded Bishop Cheverus as the Bishop of Boston and in 1827 he visited the indians in Maine. (They previously voluntarily converted).

"Sunday, July 15, I said Mass in the Indian church, at eight o'clock: all the Passamaquoddies were present. At elven o'clock, a solemn procession was formed to the church, which was composed of the whole tribe...proceeded by a cross bearer, the Indians....intoned a hymn in their own language....In the afternoon, at four o'clock Vespers were sung in which the indians acquited themselves fully as welll as in the forenoon, thanks to the good misssionary, their former pastor..."

Passamaquoddy singing the Mass and Vespers in Latin according to the notes of Dumont in his "Missaregia."

But, that was then when Indians were indians....

BTW< many public libraries carry "The Jesuit Relations." Read some history.