"But are all these blog visits changing anything for the better? There is no increase in the number of TLM's in Toronto and beyond."The writer of this comment, "Karl Rahner, Jr." and I welcome his input, has previously opined that my style and the content of this blog detracts from any work that I engage in for the purposes of spreading interest in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Further, there are a few others out there who with ignorance, arrogance and puerile petulant pride use phrases such as "radical traditionalists" and "trads-behaving badly" and other such silliness and opine that those terrible people, whomever they might be, actually hurt he cause of promoting the traditional Mass. Some of these, try to link Vox personally to a problem that does not exist because in my other life, I am President of the Toronto Traditional Mass Society-Una Voce Toronto.
Anyone who believes that this writer, or any blogger for that matter, has that much power ascribes something which does not exist. More importantly, it is an insult to the Holy Spirit who has through the work of many hands beginning in Econe, preserved the Holy Mass in the traditional form, to this day where others have been able to take up the cause. To state that this blog hurts the cause because someone might be offended, is simply poppycock. If anyone hurts the cause, it is those who throw around such language as "radical traditionalists" and "trads behaving badly" and other such puerile silliness. Good grief, to be Catholic is to be traditional!
Now, let us look at Toronto, since that was the matter raised.
On Epiphany upcoming, there will be two Read (Low) Masses and one Sung and one Solemn in the Archdiocese of Toronto celebrated in diocesan churches by diocesan priests. This does not include the Society of St. Pius X which has recently had to add a third Mass to its Toronto Chapel Sunday schedule.
On Immaculate Conception last there were five and two of them were Solemn and one was Sung and in 2014 there were actually six with three being Solemn.
I can also report that there is another parish in the east of the Archdiocese that has implemented a Latin Mass very Friday evening with three out of four Ordinary Form celebrated "ad orientem" and one, Extraordinary showing the "two forms of one Roman Rite" as Pope Benedict XVI so desired in parishes and another in the east on the First Saturday.
Not only that, but one of Toronto's oldest personal ethnic parishes has a traditional Mass every Saturday morning except on the First Saturday when it is in the Ordinary Form.
Now, I can remember as recently as 2007 prior to Summorum Pontificum except for two crumbs under the "generosity" of Cardinal Ambrozic there were two Sunday indult Masses in diocesan churches On Feast days other than the two Holy Days of Obligation, there were none. Zero, Nada, Zilch! In fact, Ambrozic refused anything further lest he give be seen to give support to something which he did not. Yes, that letter is on file with Una Voce Toronto.
 |
| Mass in the Presence of a Greater Prelate (Thomas Card. Collins) |
Under Cardinal Collins, the facts are the total opposite and for that, he is to be thanked and commended as is the current Chancellor, Father Ivan Camillieri. Both have been supportive. In fact, your writer had the distinct opportunity and grace to have been the prime organiser under Una Voce Toronto and the Schola Director for the Music for the Mass pictured at the right and below. In those pictures are the Cardinal, a Latin Mass Chaplain-Associate Pastor, a Pastor or two, a Priest of Opus Dei, other Associate Pastors, a newly ordained diocesan priest and Seminarians of Toronto and thirty priests and monsignors in choir.
The Archdiocese of Toronto has a policy of no changes to a Sunday schedule without episcopal permission. No additions of Masses, particularly in other languages, no reduction, no supplanting of one language or rite over another. There is no problem in this; changing languages and mass times can have a deleterious affect on parishes without proper consultation. As for schedule an Extraordinary Form Mass, to remove an OF for an EF would be upsetting and controversial. We don't need to see what happened to our parents and grandparents repeated. Further, in many parishes where there have been EF Masses, the Sunday schedule is already jammed with five or six Masses. This has not affected the growth of the traditional rite because there is no demand at this time for more, nor the people who could sustain it. Everyone who truly desires the Mass on Sundays in the Archdiocese of Toronto can get to it within 45 minutes and that includes the outer reaches of the Archdiocese. Is this great? No, but so it is better than it has been and as younger priests come along, it will continue to grow.
Further, we have organised a Triduum the last two years and there will be one in 2015 in Toronto in a Diocesan Chapel with the blessing of the Chancellor and Seminary! The fact is, while the loss of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter was regrettable, the diocesan priests have filled the gap, the Cardinal Archbishop and his Chancellor have been supportive and it is my belief that we are in fact, better off notwithstanding the current lack of a "personal parish." The fact is, if we look at where the FSSP exists in Canada, - St. Catharines, Ottawa, Calgary, Quebec City, with the exception of Vancouver, these are the only places where the traditional Latin Mass is offered. It has become a ghetto. The loss of the FSSP in Toronto is proving to be a blessing in disguise as priest and laity have stepped up and pushed ahead.
The situation in Toronto is actually better than most places in Canada, and is not dissimilar to that elsewhere. The growth of the traditional movement is happening and it is sustainable and it is not going to be stopped. To suggest that this blogger or any other hurts this growth is preposterous and I won't stand for it when the growth is there for all to see.
Fundamentally, the growth must be organic for it to take root in people's hearts and minds. We don't need 1950's Catholicism a mile wide and an inch deep.
Sunday Masses in the Extraordinary Form in Toronto
St. Patrick's Schomberg, Sung Mass at 9:00AM
St. Vincent de Paul Toronto, Read Mass at 9:30AM
Holy Family Toronto, Solemn Mass at 11:00AM
St. Lawrence the Martyr Scarborough, Low Mass with organ and hymns at 1:00PM
Other days and Feast Days
Immaculate Conception Port Perry, 7:00 PM Last Friday of the month
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Toronto, 9:00AM Saturday except First Saturday
St. Isaac Jogues Pickering, 11:00AM First Saturday
St. Patrick's Phelpston 7:20 PM on Feast Days
St. Joseph's Mississauga 7;30P M on Feast Days
6 comments:
You are indeed blessed to have such access to TLM in Toronto. Our Bishop in Southern Spain does not allow it although many of our priests would be favourably disposed to celebrating it. The SSPX are not given the faculties for saying it in this region, though in some other regions in Spain they do have. Not only TLM but our sacraments have been almost annihilated - confirmation, last rites, confession (very limited), marriage & baptism not promoted, though family values are, but not necessarily within the sanctity of Holy Matrimony. High cohabitation and break-ups make for dysfunctional family life which carries on to the succeeding generations. The loss of our liturgy to the mindless obsession with ecumenism, which can never work other than by those schismatics returning home, has led to the dilution of our firm faith in Jesus Christ, His Church & His Commandments as outlined in the Apostles Creed said at every Holy Mass - NO or TLM.
One could claim that a person who has given herself or himself over, in all sincerity, to the purposes and power of the Holy Ghost, who desires to be like an empty vessel to be filled with the Holy Ghost, does not need to correctly anticipate the fruit of one's efforts to serve God according to His will.
One could claim that we, believers in Jesus Christ, are called to believe in the Word of God, who tells us not to worry in advance about just what we are going to say, and tells us to believe instead that we will be led by Him, if such is our deepest desire.
I suggest that an estimation of one's efforts by another man should take place amidst the above-mentioned considerations.
I want to add something obvious to a Catholic with a basic knowledge of our faith, for the benefit (hopefully) of those who are Catholic without such knowledge, that our Lord Jesus did in fact warn us to not judge, for we will be judged according to the standards we judge by - of course not in separation from the just judgement of our Lord.
My previous comment was not a version of the often misguided question: "Who are you to judge?" - because we have an obligation to use discernment in everything we do, and to instruct those in error, when we can.
The harsh criticism of the fruit of Vox's work seems to me a case of hasty judgement, one possibly unjust.
It is one thing to judge, for example, the sin of sodomy as wrong, as a grave sin, and to judge an active homosexual as a grave sinner, one defying and disobeying God, therefore being destructive to himself and his community - and to judge him so despite the good works he might also be doing. It is another thing altogether to criticise harshly the best efforts of a man avoiding sin and striving to serve God in obedience to His commandments, and to do so because it does not fit one's own ideas about how the other should serve to be most effective.
I live in central Saskatchewan where, far from having traditional Masses and sacraments, we have instead Polka Masses celebrated at the local dance hall, at which Protestants and others, receive communion. The bishop has been apprised on numerous occasions, so has the Apostolic Delegate, all to no avail. All you Ontarians, please pray for us.
Anony in Saskatchewan; if you write me privately at voxcantoris@rogers.com and are prepared to provide names and locales and a photo, I will write it up and out them.
https://archregina.sk.ca/calendar/our-archdiocese/2015-09-20/polka-mass
http://saskatoonrcdiocese.com/events/2015-06-24/polka-mass-150624
They also advertise 'Holy Yoga'.
Post a Comment