[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Steven J. Lopes on the Eucharist

This is a video of Bishop Steven J. Lopes, bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, discussing the Eucharist.

The Ordinariate is a diocese comprising the entire United States and Canada, for parishes that converted to Catholicism, usually from the Anglican church. It is part of the Latin church, but has its own distinctive liturgy based on the Sarum rite familiar to St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. It is generally said ad orientem, and uses a separate missal known as Divine Worship. It has its own calendar of saints. Mass is said in high English. Most of the elements in the Mass are similar to the Traditional Latin Mass, with a few from the Novus Ordo, and some of its own distinctive parts, such as a different penitential prayer, The Prayer of Humble Access, said before Holy Communion, and The Prayer of Thanksgiving, after. There are other distinctive parts, too.

Any Catholic may attend an Ordinariate Mass (it fulfills their Sunday obligation) and join an Ordinariate parish. Ordinariate parishes have no obligation of obedience to the bishop of the geographical diocese in which they exist. Their only "boss" is the bishop of the Ordinariate.

The Ordinariate was created by Pope Benedict XVI. There are three of them, all headed by different ordinaries. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is for the United States and Canada. The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is for England, Scotland, and Wales. The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross is for Australia and New Zealand.

Some things that may attract devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass are:

The Mass is said ad orientem.
The English used is very sacred.
The Prayers at the Foot of the Altar are prayed.
The Last Gospel is prayed.
The Ordinariate keeps the Ember Days.
The Ordinariate celebrates the Ascension on Ascension Thursday, not Ascension Thursday Sunday.
The Ordinariate continues to ordain men to the minor orders.
The Ordinariate is doctrinally sound.
I have never seen altar girls used at an Ordinariate Mass, but I don't know if they're never used. I seriously doubt it.
The altar servers are highly trained and disciplined.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are not used.
Holy Communion is received kneeling and on the tongue. Most parishes offer Holy Communion under both species by intinction. However, if the Chalice is offered, it remains in the hands of the priest, deacon, or subdeacon.
There is both a "high" Mass and a "low" Mass. They are referred to as a "sung" Mass and a "spoken" Mass, respectively.
In a sung Mass, the Gospel and readings are chanted.
The musical patrimony is extensive and of high quality.
Devotion to the Blessed Mother and the saints is very deeply embedded in the Ordinariate's culture. Especially to the English saints.

Some notable things you should be aware of:

The Ordinariate is generally bound to ordain only unmarried men. The exception is those who were married Anglican or Protestant ministers before their conversion to Catholicism. Thus, it is more common for there to be married priests in the Ordinariate than in your typical diocese.
Any man who wishes to be ordained in the Ordinariate who was not a married Anglican or Protestant minister before becoming Catholic, must be unmarried. This includes the sons of any married priest.
The bishop of the Ordinariate, Bishop Steven J. Lopes, was a regular Latin rite celibate priest before being appointed bishop of the Ordinariate.

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