Bishop Bans Fisher More College from offering Traditional Latin Mass to students

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/03/Rorate-Exclusive.html ^

[piusv]

BREAKING & EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Bans Fisher More College from offering Traditional Latin Mass to students

Stunning letter gives no reason, simply bans the Mass said daily for last three years at school for sake of "your own soul"

Canon Law Centre: Bishop has "unlawfully restricted the rights of the faithful"

An effect of new Pontificate? First the FI, now the youth in America

[piusv]

It’s my understanding that ultimately the bishop can choose against the TLM. I can’t remember the specific part of SP, but in certain circumstances the bishop must approve it.

[BlatherNaut]

“A Visit to Fisher More College”
Interview with College President, Dr. Michael King

“We operate on the motto that the parents’ 18 years of sacrifice and commitment raising their children Catholic at home should not be undone in 3 months of college.” - Dr. Michael King, President, Fisher More College

“...JV: What are some of the main characteristics that make Fisher More different from other contemporary Catholic colleges?

MK: There are many, and I think one can fairly identify both major and minor differences. Among the major differences is our simple approach.

As is made clear in our mission statement, we understand our duty is to assist families and the Church in guiding souls committed to our care toward the purpose for which they were created: to know, love, and serve God. In other words, we do not consider a college or university as a divinely ordained institution like the family and the Church.

Following from this, our first priority is to provide for the continued formation of our students in the traditional Catholic Faith, centered on the Traditional Mass. We consider it our duty to provide students with an environment and a culture in which they can grow in their faith, one that is safe for them spiritually so they can have a fruitful sacramental and prayer life during this critical period of their lives. We operate on the motto that 18 years of sacrifice and commitment at home should not be undone in 3 months of college.
We are certain that this can only be accomplished by remaining faithful to the timeless, sacred traditions that have been passed down to us through the ages and have always been true source of faith, piety, and culture....”

http://www.cfnews.org/page88/files/6a1d3938e2249056d45e4cc9647770f9-164.html

[markomalley]

I can’t remember the specific part of SP, but in certain circumstances the bishop must approve it.

The situation is if the a group of the faithful that is too small to support such an effort in a parish request it, or if there are no clergy capable of performing it in a parish, they may approach the bishop (Art 7). The bishop is encouraged, in his solicitude, to create a personal parish (Art 10) for the purpose of providing the Sacraments in the old form (Also see UE Art 17 §2 and Art 23).

[piusv]

We are certain that this can only be accomplished by remaining faithful to the timeless, sacred traditions that have been passed down to us through the ages and have always been true source of faith, piety, and culture

Dem fighting words, obviously.

[piusv]

Yes, that’s it. Note it says the bishop is “encouraged”, not expected to do so.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I don’t agree with this. I think the Latin Mass should be offered for those who appreciate and understand it.

It cannot however be the primary tool of evangelization. You have to reach people in a language they can understand.
That being said, I don’t really see what is achieved by banning it.

[ebb tide]

November 19, 2013

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has named Msgr. Michael Olson, 47, a priest of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas and rector of Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, as bishop of Fort Worth.

[markomalley]

Note it says the bishop is “encouraged”, not expected to do so.

Also note that the specific instance is if the faithful approach their priest and the priest says, "nope, can't help you out."

[piusv]

You have to reach people in a language they can understand.

So for hundreds of years, the Church was wrong to have a Latin liturgy? Really, think about what you are saying here.

[piusv]

So, are you saying it doesn’t apply? I’m not following you.

[piusv]

No surprise there.

[Salvation]

In a stunning and breathtaking letter, the Most Rev. Michael Olson, the newly-ordained bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese and the second-youngest bishop in the United States, has fully and totally banned the offering of the Traditional Latin Mass in the chapel of Fisher More College, where it has been offered for the last three years on a daily basis by chaplains all approved by his predecessor bishop according to the college. This blow comes after the students of the college raised $300,000 in about a week to keep the school open for the spring semester (see here). 

 

Rorate has exclusively obtained -- through a source who has requested anonymity -- a copy of the letter sent last week by the bishop after a personal meeting with the college's president, Michael King. Even more striking, the letter from Bishop Olson states that he's doing this "for your own soul," addressing Mr. King, apparently saying in some twisted way the offering of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form is a danger to Mr.King's soul. 

When asked by Rorate for a response to the letter from Bishop Olson, the school declined to comment.

 

Here is the letter from Bishop Olson to Mr. King: 

[markomalley]

What I'm saying is that there is a specific circumstance where the bishop has an impact in the implementation of SP: that is if the a stable group of the Faithful approach the parish pastor and request that the EF Mass be celebrated there regularly and then the parish pastor says that he can't support it (for whatever reason).

In that circumstance, the diocesan bishop is encouraged to help the Faithful out. One of the options is to erect a personal parish dedicated to the EF. If he is encouraged to erect a parish for the purpose, he can also say "no" to the request.

Having said that, no priest who is qualified to do so may be impeded from saying the Mass according to the 1962 Missal (and allowing the Faithful to be there when he does so).

[piusv]

I think you’re wrong. In my diocese, the parish priest had to get permission from the bishop and it is my understanding that he could have decided “no”. In no way did the priest give the impression that he could not say “no”. It took months until he said “yes”. I think ultimately the bishop gets to decide. Can you show me exactly where it states that the bishop can not say “no”? I have got to think it at least requires very compelling reasons.

[irishjuggler]

It cannot however be the primary tool of evangelization. You have to reach people in a language they can understand.

Well, then it must have been some sort of miracle that the Spanish, French and Portuguese-speaking missionaries offering nothing but Latin Mass managed to successfully evangelize entire continents of native populations.

[onedoug]

Smoking gun?

[markomalley]

I think you’re wrong.

Read SP and UE for yourself.

Link to SP

Link to UE

There are a LOT of bishops who have done everything they can to inhibit the proper implementation of SP. Such things as conducting Latin Literacy Tests to assure that priests have a college-level translation capability before they are certified "qualified" -- and that is an explicit violation of Art 20 of UE.

There is one issue, though, that could cause a parish to run into legitimate problems. From UE:

19. The faithful who ask for the celebration of the forma extraordinaria must not in any way support or belong to groups which show themselves to be against the validity or legitimacy of the Holy Mass or the Sacraments celebrated in the forma ordinaria or against the Roman Pontiff as Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church.

[BlatherNaut]

Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 õ 1, has not obtained satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".

--------------

"Strongly requested" - not required "to satisfy their wishes". So who's in charge of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei"? Has Pope Francis made any personnel changes to the commission? Why would a bishop (appointed by Pope Francis) make such a draconian decision if he was not reasonably assured that he could do so with impunity?

[piusv]

Given the school’s comments in a previous post, I wouldn’t be surprised if #19 is asserted by the bishop in question. Whether the bishop was in his rights to ban it based on #19 or not, this will only cause more issues within the Church. These sorts of actions only cause more and more Catholics to question what has happened to the Church post-Vatican II and Vatican II itself.

[piusv]

Like markomalley pointed out, it doesn’t look like that particular article relates to this situation. See the other posts between us.