Bishop Edward Slattery Homily at Pontfiical Mass

Yesterday at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., a Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite was held and celebrated at the High Altar under the great baldacino; a first in 45 years. Sponsored by the Paulist Institute, the Mass was to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, the Pope of Christian Unity. The original celebrant was replaced by Bishop Edward Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa in Oklahoma. As Diane at Te Deum Laudamus said in Father Z's combox, "Bishop Slattery may not have been originally scheduled to do this Mass, but he was meant to do it."

Here is why:

"We have much to discuss — you and I ... much to speak of on this glorious occasion when we gather together in the glare of the world's scrutiny to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of Peter.

We must come to understand how it is that suffering can reveal the mercy of God and make manifest among us the consoling presence of Jesus Christ, crucified and now risen from the dead.

We must speak of this mystery today, first of all because it is one of the great mysteries of revelation, spoken of in the New Testament and attested to by every saint in the Church's long history, by the martyrs with their blood, by the confessors with their constancy, by the virgins with their purity and by the lay faithful of Christ's body by their resolute courage under fire.

But we must also speak clearly of this mystery because of the enormous suffering which is all around us and which does so much to determine the culture of our modern age.

From the enormous suffering of His Holiness these past months to the suffering of the Church's most recent martyrs in India and Africa, welling up from the suffering of the poor and the dispossessed and the undocumented, and gathering tears from the victims of abuse and neglect, from women who have been deceived into believing that abortion was a simple medical procedure and thus have lost part of their soul to the greed of the abortionist, and now flowing with the heartache of those who suffer from cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or the emotional diseases of our age, it is the sufferings of our people that defines the culture of our modern secular age.

This enormous suffering which can take on so many varied physical, mental, and emotional forms will reduce us to fear and trembling — if we do not remember that Christ, our Pasch, has been raised from the dead. Our pain and anguish could dehumanize us, for it has the power to close us in upon ourselves such that we would live always in chaos and confusion — if we do not remember that Christ, our hope, has been raised for our sakes. Jesus is our Pasch, our hope and our light.

He makes himself most present in the suffering of his people and this is the mystery of which we must speak today, for when we speak of His saving presence and proclaim His infinite love in the midst of our suffering, when we seek His light and refuse to surrender to the darkness, we receive that light which is the life of men; that light which, as Saint John reminds us in the prologue to his Gospel, can never be overcome by the darkness, no matter how thick, no matter how choking.

Our suffering is thus transformed by His presence. It no longer has the power to alienate or isolate us. Neither can it dehumanize us nor destroy us. Suffering, however long and terrible it may be, has only the power to reveal Christ among us, and He is the mercy and the forgiveness of God.

The mystery then, of which we speak, is the light that shines in the darkness, Christ Our Lord, Who reveals Himself most wondrously to those who suffer so that suffering and death can do nothing more than bring us to the mercy of the Father.

But the point which we must clarify is that Christ reveals Himself to those who suffer in Christ, to those who humbly accept their pain as a personal sharing in His Passion and who are thus obedient to Christ's command that we take up our cross and follow Him. Suffering by itself is simply the promise that death will claim these mortal bodies of ours, but suffering in Christ is the promise that we will be raised with Christ, when our mortality will be remade in his immortality and all that in our lives which is broken because it is perishable and finite will be made imperishable and incorrupt.

This is the meaning of Peter's claim that he is a witness to the sufferings of Christ and thus one who has a share in the glory yet to be revealed. Once Peter grasped the overwhelming truth of this mystery, his life was changed. The world held nothing for Peter. For him, there was only Christ.

This is, as you know, quite a dramatic shift for the man who three times denied Our Lord, the man to whom Jesus said, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Christ's declaration to Peter that he would be the rock, the impregnable foundation, the mountain of Zion upon which the new Jerusalem would be constructed, follows in Matthew's Gospel Saint Peter's dramatic profession of faith, when the Lord asks the Twelve, "Who do people say that I am?" and Peter, impulsive as always, responds "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Only later — much later — would Peter come to understand the full implication of this first Profession of Faith. Peter would still have to learn that to follow Christ, to truly be His disciple, one must let go of everything which the world considers valuable and necessary, and become powerless. This is the mystery which confounds independent Peter. It is the mystery which still confounds us: To follow Christ, one must surrender everything and become obedient with the obedience of Christ, for no one gains access to the Kingdom of the Father, unless he enter through the humility and the obedience of Jesus.

Peter had no idea that eventually he would find himself fully accepting this obedience, joyfully accepting his share in the Passion and Death of Christ. But Peter loved Our Lord and love was the way by which Peter learned how to obey. "Lord, you know that I love thee," Peter affirms three times with tears; and three times Christ commands him to tend to the flock that gathers at the foot of Calvary — and that is where we are now.

Peter knew that Jesus was the true Shepherd, the one Master and the only teacher; the rest of us are learners and the lesson we must learn is obedience, obedience unto death. Nothing less than this, for only when we are willing to be obedient with the very obedience of Christ will we come to recognize Christ's presence among us.

Obedience is thus the heart of the life of the disciple and the key to suffering in Christ and with Christ. This obedience, is must be said, is quite different from obedience the way it is spoken of and dismissed in the world.

For those in the world, obedience is a burden and an imposition. It is the way by which the powerful force the powerless to do obeisance. Simply juridical and always external, obedience is the bending that breaks, but a breaking which is still less painful than the punishment meted out for disobedience. Thus for those in the world obedience is a punishment which must be avoided; but for Christians, obedience is always personal, because it is centered on Christ. It is a surrender to Jesus Whom we love.

For those whose lives are centered in Christ, obedience is that movement which the heart makes when it leaps in joy having once discovered the truth. Let us consider, then, that Christ has given us both the image of his obedience and the action by which we are made obedient.

The image of Christ's obedience is His Sacred Heart. That Heart, exposed and wounded must give us pause, for man's heart it generally hidden and secret. In the silence of his own heart, each of us discovers the truth of who we are, the truth of why we are silent when we should speak, or bothersome and quarrelsome when we should be silent. In our hidden recesses of the heart, we come to know the impulses behind our deeds and the reasons why we act so often as cowards and fools.

But while man's heart is generally silent and secret, the Heart of the God-Man is fully visible and accessible. It too reveals the motives behind our Lord's self-surrender. It was obedience to the Father's will that mankind be reconciled and our many sins forgiven us. "Son though he was," the Apostle reminds us, "Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered." Obedient unto death, death on a cross, Jesus asks his Father to forgive us that God might reveal the full depth of his mercy and love. "Father, forgive them," he prayed, "for they know not what they do."

Christ's Sacred Heart is the image of the obedience which Christ showed by his sacrificial love on Calvary. The Sacrifice of Calvary is also for us the means by which we are made obedient and this is a point which you must never forget: At Mass, we offer ourselves to the Father in union with Christ, who offers Himself in perfect obedience to the Father. We make this offering in obedience to Christ who commanded us to "Do this in memory of me" and our obediential offering is perfected in the love with which the Father receives the gift of His Son.

Do not be surprised then that here at Mass, our bloodless offering of the bloody sacrifice of Calvary is a triple act of obedience. First, Christ is obedient to the Father, and offers Himself as a sacrifice of reconciliation. Secondly, we are obedient to Christ and offer ourselves to the Father with Jesus the Son; and thirdly, in sharing Christ's obedience to the Father, we are made obedient to a new order of reality, in which love is supreme and life reigns eternal, in which suffering and death have been defeated by becoming for us the means by which Christ's final victory, his future coming, is made manifest and real today.

Suffering then, yours, mine, the pontiffs, is at the heart of personal holiness, because it is our sharing in the obedience of Jesus which reveals his glory. It is the means by which we are made witnesses of his suffering and sharers in the glory to come.

Do not be dismayed that there are many in the Church who have not yet grasped this point, and fewer yet still in the world will even dare to consider it. But you – you know this to be true – and it is enough. For ten men who whisper the truth speak louder than a hundred million who lie.

If, then, someone asks of what we spoke today, tell them we spoke only of the truth. If someone asks why it is you came here to Mass, say that it was so that you could be obedient with Christ. If someone asks about the homily, tell them it was about a mystery. And if someone asks what I said to the present situation, tell them only that we must – all of us – become saints. Through what we suffer."

+Edward James Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa

St. Michael's Cathedral Blogspot

At the funeral last November of Monsignor Thomas Barrett Armstrong, former Director of St. Michael's Choir School, the homilist mentioned a plaque hanging in the Sacristy. I wondered then if it was the words on that plaque that helped to preserve the liturgy and a sacred Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral in spite of all the liturgical banality and abuse elsewhere.

Here it is:


And here is where I got it from. There is a new blog in Toronto on the Cathedral called St. Michael's Cathedral Blogspot and I encourage you to visit it regularly. It is run by a member of the laity.

The bricks are priceless!

Ad multos annos Papa Benedicte!

Many of us can remember where we were when we heard the joyous news; well joyous for some. I was at Catholic institution and a television was set up in the atrium when the announcement came that white smoke was seen. To the atrium I went and I stood there with colleagues and others. At the moment of the announcement, "Ratzinger," two of us punched our fists in the air and yelled "yes!" The rest of the place was silent, gasping with open mouths as the realization that their work of straw was going to come to an end.

I will never forget it.

Much has been written in the last few weeks about this man who is the Vicar of Christ. Most of it has been repugnant, hateful, spiteful, vile and pure evil. Through this time, he has suffered, we have all suffered along with him and the Church has suffered.

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto.

R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat
eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.
[Ps 40:3]

Pater Noster…, Ave Maria….

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum
Benedictum, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti,
propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo,
quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi
credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum
nostrum. Amen.

V. Let us pray for Benedict, our Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make
him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the
will of his enemies. [Ps 40:3]

Our Father, Hail Mary.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look
mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen
as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we
beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify
those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the
flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pray for Poland

President Lech Kaczynski

First lady Maria Kaczynska

The last President of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski,
Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Krzysztof Putra,
Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, Jerzy Szmajdzinski,
Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Krystyna Bochenek,
Wladyslaw Stasiak Head Office of the President,
Aleksander Szczyglo head of the National Security Bureau,
Pawel Wypych the Prime Minister's Office,
Mariusz Handzlik from the Presidential Office,
Deputy Minister Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer,
Deputy Minister of Defence Stanislaw Komorowski,
Deputy Minister of Culture Tomasz Merta,
Chief of General Staff Franciszek Gągor,
Secretary General of the Council for Protection of Monuments Andrew Carrier,
President of the Association of Community Poland Maciej Plazynski,
Director of Protocol Dyplomattycznego Mariusz Kazan

Members:

Lepszek Deptuła (PSL), Gzegorz Dolniak (PO), Grazyna Gęsicka (PiS), Przemyslaw Gosiewski (PiS), Sebastian Karpiniuk (PO), Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka (Lewica), Zbigniew Wassermann (PiS), Alexander Natallia-World (PiS ), Arkadiusz Rybicki (PO), Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz (Lewica), Wieslaw Water (PSL), Edward Wojtas (PSL)
Senators:

Janina Fetlińska (PiS), Stanislaw Zajac (PiS)

Accompanying Persons:

Ombudsman Janusz Kochanowski, NBP President Slawomir Skrzypek, president of IPN Janusz Kurtyka, Director of the Office of the Civil War Veterans and Repressed Persons Janusz Krupski, the President of the Supreme Bar Council, Joanna Agatka-Indeck, Advisor to President John Christopher Ardanowski, President Roman Indrzejczyk Chaplain, Barbara Mamińska the Office of the President, Sophia-Kruszyńska Taste of the Presidential Office, Izabela Tomaszewska, the Office of the President, Catherine Doraczyńska the Presidential Office, Dariusz whistled from the Office of the President, James Opara from the Office of the President, the Chancellor of the Order of Military Virtutti War, Major General Stanislaw Nalecz-Komornicki, Member of the Jury Military Order of the War Virtutti Colonel Zbigniew Debski, president of the World Association of Home Army Czeslaw Cywinski, Father Richard Chamomile, rector of the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, the Polish Olympic Committee chairman Peter Nurowski, Anna Walentynowicz, Janina Natusiewicz-Miller, Janusz Zakrzenski, Adam Kwiatkowski, Marcin Wierzchowski, Maciej Jakubik, Tadeusz Stachelski, Dariusz Jankowski

Chancellery of the President:

Marzena Pawlak, President
Wojciech Lubiński physician,
translator of Russian Alexander Fedorowicz,

Pastors

Ordinary middle of the Polish Army, General Tadeusz Płoski priest,
The Orthodox Bishop of the Polish Army, Archbishop Chodakowski Miron,
Evangelical pastoral care field - the priest Colonel Adam Pilch,
Ordinariate Polish Army - Lieutenant Colonel John Osinski, a priest,
Secretary general of the Union of Soviet persecutions Edward Duchnowski,
Monsignor Joseph Gostomski, Association president Joseph Joniec Parafiada priest,
Chaplain of the Warsaw Katyn Families Father Zdzislaw Krol,
The Federation of Katyn Families chaplain Father Andrzej Kwaśnik

Veterans:
Tadeusz Lutoborski, President of the Polish Foundation of Katyn Zenon Mamontowicz-Łojek, President Stephen Melaka Katyn Committee, Vice-Chairman of Council for the Protection of Monuments to Struggle and Martyrdom, Stanisław Mikke, Bronislaw Orawiec, Catherine Piskorska, president of the Federation of Katyn Families Andrew Sariusz-Skąpski, Wojciech Seweryn, Leszek Solski, Calvary Foundation East-Przyjałkowska Walewska Teresa, Gabriel Zych, Ewa Bąkowska, Anna Borowska, Bartosz Borowski, Dariusz Malinowski
Representatives of the armed forces:

Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, General Bronislaw Kwiatkowski, Polish Air Force Commander, Lieutenant General Andrew Błasik, Polish Land Forces Commander, General Tadeusz Buk Division, Special Forces Commander General Vladimir Potasiński Division, Naval Commander, General Andrew Karweta, Warsaw Garrison Commander Brigadier General Casimir Gilarski

Officers from BOR:
Jaroslaw Lorczak, Paul Janeczek, Dariusz Michalowski, Peter Nosek, Jacek Pig, Paul Krajewski, Arthur French, Mark Uleryk

Wise words from a Jewish New Yorker

From former New York City Mayor Ed Koch in The Jerusalem Post:

"I believe the continuing attacks by the media on the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI have become manifestations of anti-Catholicism. The procession of articles on the same events are, in my opinion, no longer intended to inform, but simply to castigate."

It takes a Jew from New York writing in a Jerusalem paper to tell so-called Catholic journalists how to write!

I don't think Democrat Ed Koch (as obvious from what he disagrees with in the Church) can be described as one of those "right-wing crazies who believe the Times piece was part of an international conspiracy to destroy the Catholic Church."

But you can put me down as one of those "right wing crazies."

Bishop Fulton Sheen, Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand and Malachi Martin believed it.

If it was good enough for these three great Catholics to believe (it is also in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition) then it is good enough for me.

Ratzinger Prophecy

"From today’s crisis, a Church will emerge tomorrow that will have lost a great deal. She will be small and, to a large extent, will have to start from the beginning. She will no longer be able to fill many of the buildings created in her period of great splendor. Because of the smaller number of her followers, she will lose many of her privileges in society. Contrary to what has happened until now, she will present herself much more as a community of volunteers... As a small community, she will demand much more from the initiative of each of her members and she will certainly also acknowledge new forms of ministry and will raise up to the priesthood proven Christians who have other jobs... There will be an interiorized Church, which neither takes advantage of its political mandate nor flirts with the left or the right. This will be achieved with effort because the process of crystallization and clarification will demand great exertion. It will make her poor and a Church of the little people... All this will require time. The process will be slow and painful."...+Joseph Ratzinger, 1969 lecture on Bavarian radio.

APPEL À LA VÉRITÉ

"The cases of pedophilia in the Church are, for all Catholics, a source of profound grief and great sorrow. From members of the Church hierarchy were, in some cases, serious deficiencies and failures, and we welcome the Pope’s wish to shed light on these cases.
With the bishops, and as members of the Church, lay Catholics bear the brunt of the crimes of certain priests and failures of their superiors; they fall firmly, as Christ taught, on the side of those who suffer most from these crimes, the victims, while praying for the culprits.
As for us, we hope with all our hearts that the whole truth comes out and all in the Catholic Church that could enable these offenses brought to Christ should be discussed calmly and amicably amongst all men and women of good will.
At the same time, we regret the runaway and provocative press that accompany these cases. Beyond the legitimate & democratic right to information, we can only note with sadness, as Christians but also as citizens, that many media in our country (and in the West in general) treat these cases with bias, ignorance, or delight. Shourtcuts in generalizations, the portrait of the Church which is currently done in the press does not match the experiences of Catholic Christians.
While reiterating our horror at the crime of pedophile priests and our solidarity with the victims, we urge the media to an ethic of responsibility that would undertake a more ethical treatment of these cases. The effects of runaway media are, by far, reserved to the Church, but we are tired of and battered by this thrashing. We think of so many priests who courageously, and sometimes in solitude, bear the message of Christ.
We are with them.
We welcome the letter from the bishops of France to Pope Benedict XVI, and wish to see the Catholic Church, with serenity and responsibility, through this painful ordeal."

e

And yet, here in Canada, even a so-called Catholic journalist who rather than confine his column to his expertise in art and architecture, writes instead, this filth below. When the Catholic Register determines by its Editorial right to decline its publication, he still finds a waiting and eager secular press. He can say that he regrets it all he wants, but he still managed to publish this nice little gem. Rather than just write the truth; his intellect has failed him as he fell for the lies of the discredited Hell's Journal of New York as he calls for Pope Benedict XVI to resign and of course his continuous referral to this and other bloggers as "right wing Catholics" in his most derogatory and snobbish manner;

e

He has no excuse for this putrid diatribe and he owes everyone at his parish an apology!

e

"I was hurt, offended, angered – but mostly embarrassed by my gullibility. Because I felt I had been seduced by Benedict's eloquence, his brilliant expositions of Christian belief in sermons and writings, and even by his fascinating quirks and eccentricities, I decided to revenge myself on him in the public forum most readily available to me: the pages of The Catholic Register, the Toronto archdiocesan weekly for which I have been writing regularly on Christianity and culture since 2002. In the column I supplied last Sunday, I denounced the Pope for incompetence and lack of vigour in pursuing sex offenders, and I suggested that he should consider resigning from his office."

d

Yes, John, I disgust "quite easily."

Surrexit Christus hodie!

Sepulchre

Consummatum est

It behooves us to glory in the Cross

Do you see him? There he is, in the back corner, only with half his face showing. The betrayer. The one to whom Our LORD said, "it would be better that he had not been born." What would have happened had the one to whom a few hours later following this Supper, Our LORD called "Friend" had repented; either then in the Garden or the next day on Mount Calvary, at the Cross. The same cross as tonight's Introit or Entrance Antiphon tells us that in it "we should glory". For in that "cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: is our "salvation, our life and our resurrection; through him we are saved and made free." Judas denied Him the opportunity to show His great mercy. Let us not betray Him or His Church or Vicar; let us all remain steadfast at this difficult time. Let us remember at every liturgy this weekend Pope Benedict XVI and offer up prayers for his benefit and health. Let us remember that this purification is necessary and the "gates of Hell shall not prevail."

On this night there is much to recall liturgically. The betrayal, the institution of the Priesthood, the mandatum novum---the giving of a new commandment to love one another exemplified through the Washing of the Feet, the desire that we "all be one" and of course, the "source and summit of Christian life" the Holy Eucharist.

Pray, my brother and sisters; pray hard this weekend. Do not desert your faith because of the attack. This is the time to stand firm, to be Soldier of Christ. Remember, they hated Him and they hate us too.

This is why we were born.

Praise God!

Paschal Monday Extraordinary Form Missa Cantata--St. Joseph's Church, Fergus, Ontario

Once again, wonderful news from Fergus, Ontario!

For those who are off work on Monday, April 5; at 12:00 Noon, Father Ian Duffy, Pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Fergus, Ontario will celebrate the Holy Mass for Paschal Monday in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite--Missa Cantata.

For those looking for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite for the Paschal Triduum in the greater Toronto region, one will need to look at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in St. Catharines, Ontario or in Ottawa as the closest. As for the Archdiocese of Toronto, since the departure of the Fraternity a few weeks ago, the only church is the Mass Centre of the Society of St. Pius X at the Church of the Transfiguration on Aldgate Avenue in Etobicoke where the litugies will all be in the most solemn form as the first assistant to +Fellay is visiting.

The Toronto Oratory's Triduum services will be reverent and beautiful as one has come to expect in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite at both St. Vincent de Paul and Holy Family. Sunday at St. Vincent de Paul there will be a Missa Solemnis at 11:30AM with the Oratory Children's Choir.

Oremus

Friends,

Let us remember over this Sacred Triduum which we enter into tomorrow that the Evil One is at this very moment using his great but limited power to attempt to tear asunder the Church of Christ Catholic and the Vicar of Christ.

Satan and his minions want the Church and the Pope destroyed because they are the only moral force left in the world, notwithstanding the grievous sins of many of its lay and clerical and episcopal members.

May all of us have a prayerful and holy and blessed Triduum with the bright light of Pascal Sunday on a few days away.

Vox Cantoris

Chrism Mass--Archbishop Thomas Collins

Today at St. Michael's Cathedral Archbishop Thomas Collins in a profound homily on the Catholic Priesthood during the Mass of Chrism addressed the issue of priestly fidelity and the heinous crimes committed by certain priests and the neglect by some bishops. He also gave a firm call for all Catholics to give thanks to God for Pope Benedict XVI during this time. He spoke about the necessary "purification" in the Church and no less than three times referred to the evil one and invoked the Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel.

Here are some excerpts and the complete text and Mp3's are linked below to the Archdiocese of Toronto website.

”Each baptized disciple is anointed with Chrism as he or she receives the gift of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation. The Christian is consecrated to be a faithful witness to Christ, to proclaim the Gospel through words and deeds, and most profoundly through a life of Christian integrity lived amid the temptations to infidelity that come from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Every Christian, consecrated with Chrism, must daily engage in the spiritual combat against all three sources of temptation, and is strengthened and filled with joy through the power of the Lord, who is always near. When we Christians look around at the evil in the world, and look within at our own weaknesses, there is no cause for dismay, for fundamentally, the strife is over, the battle won, but until we finally finish the journey of life we must always confront the manifold temptations of fallen humanity.

Recognizing that, it has occurred to met that we should pray more frequently the ancient prayer, rooted in Sacred Scripture that invokes the patron saint of our Archdiocese: "Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in this day of battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humble pray, and do you, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast down into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world, seeking the ruin of souls." A little realism is healthy in a disciple.”…

"Each of us here present can think of the faithful priests who were used by God to inspire us with the call to the priesthood. Their example of lifelong joyful priestly service speaks more than words can do of the significance of being consecrated as a priest. After Mass we will gather to celebrate the priestly service of those ordained 25, 50, and 60 years. This day we give thanks to God for their fidelity. In May, we will celebrate the ordination of five more new priests, whom we welcome into the presbyterate of this Archdiocese."...

We learn about the real meaning of the priesthood at ordinations, when we experience the beginning of the joy of the consecration to the priestly mission, at anniversaries, when we celebrate milestones of priestly service, and finally at the funeral of a priest, when we gather to give thanks to God for a life of faithful service.

People expect that one who is consecrated with the holy oil of Chrism, will act in an exemplary manner, and never betray the trust which people know they should be able to place in a Catholic priest. At his ordination we pray: Bless this chosen man, and set him apart for his sacred duties. And yet to our shame some have used the awesome gift of the holy priesthood for base personal gratification, betraying the innocent and devastating their lives. When that happens, our first concern must be for those innocent young people who have been abused, to help them overcome their suffering, and to resolve to take whatever steps are needed to be as sure as is possible that this does not happen again. We have all had to learn through failures and mistakes and that is especially true of bishops, who have sometimes failed in their responsibility to act effectively.

For this diocese, anyone who looks at our website can see the policies that are in place to help us to act rightly, but we must never be satisfied.

We cannot escape the horror of this by pointing out that almost all priests serve faithfully, though that fact is a grace that gives joy to the Catholic people, whose love and prayerful support sustains us all. But even one priest gone wrong causes immense harm, and throughout the world priests have done unspeakable evil.

We should be grateful for the attention which the media devotes to the sins of Catholic clergy, even if constant repetition may give the false impression that Catholic clergy are particularly sinful. That attention is a profound tribute to the priesthood which we celebrate at this Mass of the Chrism. People instinctively expect holiness in a Catholic priest, and are especially appalled when he does evil.

As we look to the continuing painful purification of the Church, we all need in a particular way to give thanks to God for the leadership of Joseph Ratzinger, as Cardinal and Pope, who has acted decisively, fairly, consistently, and courageously to purify the priesthood and to make the Church a safe place for everyone. Anyone with any knowledge of this terrible reality realizes that Pope Benedict has led the way in confronting this evil."...Very Reverend Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto

A friend recently attended the "Come and See Weekend" at St. Augustine's Seminary in his discernment of the call to the Priesthood (Pray for JS). He told me that the Archbishop attended and the matter of certain behaviours homosexuality and an attraction to children was addressed with firmness and clarity and Christian truth. Toronto is fortunate that beginning with Cardinal Carter's sweep of the Seminary back in the late 1970's things have been run as a pretty tight ship. I know myself that at the very hint of an offense, the policy linked above is implemented and there is no sweeping it under the rug. Cardinals Carter and Ambrozic deserve much thanks in this regard for defending the priesthood. Archbishop Collins is no fool and by his own words today and by witness has proved he will not allow any backsliding.

That being said, the Church as a whole must continue to address the issue; it is not just a matter of someone with homosexual inclinations being admitted to the Priesthood and have them practice celibacy. Celibacy is a given. You cannot put anyone with any homosexual tendencies, into the priesthood period. It is simply unfair to them to put them into an occasion where they will be constantly around those whom they, in a weakened moment may desire. Lust is powerful be it heterosexual or homosexual and in fact, with the latter may even by stronger. It will represent a constant danger to someone in the future. Not all men with homosexual desires act out on them with post-pubescent boys (these are the greatest amount of victims, the predators or pederasts; paedophiles act out on pre-pubescent boys or girls with no pubic hair, however, the fact remains that the overwhelming majority of victims were boys over the age of 11 preyed upon by men with deep-seated homosexual desires for young boys. Fact.

These priests and bishops and cardinals must be found out and they must be put out of the Church.

The irony, is that the vile media will label the Church "homophobic" yet condemns the Church for the actions done by priests who are active homosexuals not seeing the hypocrisy in their distorted reporting. The truth is that the dissenting Catholics, the media and the homosexualist lobby, the globalists, environmentalists, communists and Freemasons don't really care about the children at all; if they did, they would ask why the Church has permitted so many homosexualists to infiltrate to seek out their victims and to destroy the Church and the peoples' faith from within. This was Stalin's plan. This was Satan's plan. This is the truth.

Archbishop Collins is to be commended for his words and his recognition of the "painful purification." Yes, it has begun. Let us rejoice!

You may read all of it here:

Listen here on Mp3 to the complete Homily:

Listen here on Mp3 to his statement on the Priesthood and Pope Benedict XVI.

And this:

Setting the record straight in the case of abusive Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy

Then-presiding judge for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee gives first-person account of church trial

By Fr. THOMAS BRUNDAGE, JCL

For CatholicAnchor.org

To provide context to this article, I was the Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from 1995-2003. During those years, I presided over four canonical criminal cases, one of which involved Father Lawrence Murphy. Two of the four men died during the process. God alone will judge these men.

To put some parameters on the following remarks, I am writing this article with the express knowledge and consent of Archbishop Roger Schwietz, OMI, the Archbishop of Anchorage, where I currently serve. Archbishop Schwietz is also the publisher of the Catholic Anchor newspaper.

I will limit my comments, because of judicial oaths I have taken as a canon lawyer and as an ecclesiastical judge. However, since my name and comments in the matter of the Father Murphy case have been liberally and often inaccurately quoted in the New York Times and in more than 100 other newspapers and on-line periodicals, I feel a freedom to tell part of the story of Father Murphy’s trial from ground zero.

As I have found that the reporting on this issue has been inaccurate and poor in terms of the facts, I am also writing out of a sense of duty to the truth.

The fact that I presided over this trial and have never once been contacted by any news organization for comment speaks for itself.

My intent in the following paragraphs is to accomplish the following:

To tell the back-story of what actually happened in the Father Murphy case on the local level;

To outline the sloppy and inaccurate reporting on the Father Murphy case by the New York Times and other media outlets;

To assert that Pope Benedict XVI has done more than any other pope or bishop in history to rid the Catholic Church of the scourge of child sexual abuse and provide for those who have been injured;

To set the record straight with regards to the efforts made by the church to heal the wounds caused by clergy sexual misconduct. The Catholic Church is probably the safest place for children at this point in history.

Before proceeding, it is important to point out the scourge that child sexual abuse has been — not only for the church but for society as well. Few actions can distort a child’s life more than sexual abuse. It is a form of emotional and spiritual homicide and it starts a trajectory toward a skewed sense of sexuality. When committed by a person in authority, it creates a distrust of almost anyone, anywhere.

As a volunteer prison chaplain in Alaska, I have found a corollary between those who have been incarcerated for child sexual abuse and the priests who have committed such grievous actions. They tend to be very smart and manipulative. They tend to be well liked and charming. They tend to have one aim in life — to satisfy their hunger. Most are highly narcissistic and do not see the harm that they have caused. They view the children they have abused not as people but as objects. They rarely show remorse and moreover, sometimes portray themselves as the victims. They are, in short, dangerous people and should never be trusted again. Most will recommit their crimes if given a chance.

As for the numerous reports about the case of Father Murphy, the back-story has not been reported as of yet.

In 1996, I was introduced to the story of Father Murphy, formerly the principal of St. John’s School for the Deaf in Milwaukee. It had been common knowledge for decades that during Father Murphy’s tenure at the school (1950-1974) there had been a scandal at St. John’s involving him and some deaf children. The details, however, were sketchy at best.

Courageous advocacy on behalf of the victims (and often their wives), led the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to revisit the matter in 1996. In internal discussions of the curia for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, it became obvious that we needed to take strong and swift action with regard to the wrongs of several decades ago. With the consent of then-Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland, we began an investigation into the allegations of child sexual abuse as well as the violation of the crime of solicitation within the confessional by Father Murphy.

We proceeded to start a trial against Father Murphy. I was the presiding judge in this matter and informed Father Murphy that criminal charges were going to be levied against him with regard to child sexual abuse and solicitation in the confessional.

In my interactions with Father Murphy, I got the impression I was dealing with a man who simply did not get it. He was defensive and threatening.

Between 1996 and August, 1998, I interviewed, with the help of a qualified interpreter, about a dozen victims of Father Murphy. These were gut-wrenching interviews. In one instance the victim had become a perpetrator himself and had served time in prison for his crimes. I realized that this disease is virulent and was easily transmitted to others. I heard stories of distorted lives, sexualities diminished or expunged. These were the darkest days of my own priesthood, having been ordained less than 10 years at the time. Grace-filled spiritual direction has been a Godsend.

I also met with a community board of deaf Catholics. They insisted that Father Murphy should be removed from the priesthood and highly important to them was their request that he be buried not as a priest but as a layperson. I indicated that a judge, I could not guarantee the first request and could only make a recommendation to the latter request.

In the summer of 1998, I ordered Father Murphy to be present at a deposition at the chancery in Milwaukee. I received, soon after, a letter from his doctor that he was in frail health and could travel not more than 20 miles (Boulder Junction to Milwaukee would be about 276 miles). A week later, Father Murphy died of natural causes in a location about 100 miles from his home

With regard to the inaccurate reporting on behalf of the New York Times, the Associated Press, and those that utilized these resources, first of all, I was never contacted by any of these news agencies but they felt free to quote me. Almost all of my quotes are from a document that can be found online with the correspondence between the Holy See and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In an October 31, 1997 handwritten document, I am quoted as saying ‘odds are that this situation may very well be the most horrendous, number wise, and especially because these are physically challenged , vulnerable people. “ Also quoted is this: “Children were approached within the confessional where the question of circumcision began the solicitation.”

The problem with these statements attributed to me is that they were handwritten. The documents were not written by me and do not resemble my handwriting. The syntax is similar to what I might have said but I have no idea who wrote these statements, yet I am credited as stating them. As a college freshman at the Marquette University School of Journalism, we were told to check, recheck, and triple check our quotes if necessary. I was never contacted by anyone on this document, written by an unknown source to me. Discerning truth takes time and it is apparent that the New York Times, the Associated Press and others did not take the time to get the facts correct.

Additionally, in the documentation in a letter from Archbishop Weakland to then-secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone on August 19, 1998, Archbishop Weakland stated that he had instructed me to abate the proceedings against Father Murphy. Father Murphy, however, died two days later and the fact is that on the day that Father Murphy died, he was still the defendant in a church criminal trial. No one seems to be aware of this. Had I been asked to abate this trial, I most certainly would have insisted that an appeal be made to the supreme court of the church, or Pope John Paul II if necessary. That process would have taken months if not longer.

Second, with regard to the role of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), in this matter, I have no reason to believe that he was involved at all. Placing this matter at his doorstep is a huge leap of logic and information.

Third, the competency to hear cases of sexual abuse of minors shifted from the Roman Rota to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by Cardinal Ratzinger in 2001. Until that time, most appeal cases went to the Rota and it was our experience that cases could languish for years in this court. When the competency was changed to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in my observation as well as many of my canonical colleagues, sexual abuse cases were handled expeditiously, fairly, and with due regard to the rights of all the parties involved. I have no doubt that this was the work of then Cardinal Ratzinger.

Fourth, Pope Benedict has repeatedly apologized for the shame of the sexual abuse of children in various venues and to a worldwide audience. This has never happened before. He has met with victims. He has reigned in entire conferences of bishops on this matter, the Catholic Bishops of Ireland being the most recent. He has been most reactive and proactive of any international church official in history with regard to the scourge of clergy sexual abuse of minors. Instead of blaming him for inaction on these matters, he has truly been a strong and effective leader on these issues.

Finally, over the last 25 years, vigorous action has taken place within the church to avoid harm to children. Potential seminarians receive extensive sexual-psychological evaluation prior to admission. Virtually all seminaries concentrate their efforts on the safe environment for children. There have been very few cases of recent sexual abuse of children by clergy during the last decade or more.

Catholic dioceses all across the country have taken extraordinary steps to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. As one example, which is by no means unique, is in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, where I currently work. Here, virtually every public bathroom in parishes has a sign asking if a person has been abuse by anyone in the church. A phone number is given to report the abuse and almost all church workers in the archdiocese are required to take yearly formation sessions in safe environment classes. I am not sure what more the church can do.

To conclude, the events during the 1960’s and 1970’s of the sexual abuse of minors and solicitation in the confessional by Father Lawrence Murphy are unmitigated and gruesome crimes. On behalf of the church, I am deeply sorry and ashamed for the wrongs that have been done by my brother priests but realize my sorrow is probably of little importance 40 years after the fact. The only thing that we can do at this time is to learn the truth, beg for forgiveness, and do whatever is humanly possible to heal the wounds. The rest, I am grateful, is in God’s hands.

Father Thomas T. Brundage, JCL

Editor’s note: Father Brundage can be contacted at brundaget@archmil.org or by phone at (907) 745-3229 X 11.

Judas rebuked

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

Ave, gratia plena

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Catholic Apostasy in the United States & Canada

Did you know that there are 136 Catholics in the United States House of Representatives sitting with the majority Democratic Party?

Did you know 125 of these--94% voted to provide federal funds to pay for the murder of children in the wombs of their mothers?

Congratulation to the Catholic Bishops of the United States for your splendid leadership and catechises of the Church for the last 50 years.

And before any of us Canadians become smug, our Canadian Bishops fell hard in 1968 at Winnipeg and we have paid the price ever since. Canada is in a mess and has funded the murder of babies in their mothers' wombs since 1968!

How do you think the LORD will deal with them and us for allowing this putrid travesty?

"All the evil in the world is due to luke-warm Catholics"--Pope Pius V

It is time friends for a Catholic revolution!

THE PERCENTAGES OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL



THE ENEMY WITHIN



IT'S TIME FOR THE LAITY!



And this from Archbishop Charles Chaput, of Denver on the support of this monstrous legislation by the so-called "Catholic" Health Network and similar dissenting religious sisters and nuns:

“The actions of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) in providing a deliberate public counter-message to the bishops were both surprising and profoundly disappointing; and also genuinely damaging. In the crucial final days of debate on health-care legislation, CHA lobbyists worked directly against the efforts of the American bishops in their approach to members of Congress. The bad law we now likely face, we owe in part to the efforts of the Catholic Health Association and similar ‘Catholic’ organizations.”

Justfying my quote--Part III

As Schola Master and Choir Director for the former Toronto Apostolate of the FSSP, I have been quoted in The current edition of The Catholic Register. A friend from Rome has written asking that I justify and clarify me comments:

“The Extraordinary Form is the fullest form of Catholic worship to God,” wrote David Domet, 53. “It is how the Mass was celebrated in Rome for over 1,500 years: it was only codified… at (the 16th-century Council of) Trent to promote uniformity in the rite. The roots of this (liturgy) are (in) the Temple in Jerusalem… The said or sung propers, the psalms of the Mass, connect us with the roots of our faith… When I sing the Gregorian chant and chant the psalms, it is the closest thing we know to the manner in which our Lord Himself would have heard and sung the psalms.”
Part the Third: Gregorian chant and the chanting of the psalms is the closest thing we know to the manner in which Our LORD Himself would have heard and sung the psalms in the Temple.

It is unknown by most people that in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite or Novus Ordo liturgy, Gregorian chant is the prescribed liturgical music for the Mass. The proof is in two places. First, "The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as proper to the Roman liturgy; therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services" (Vatican Council II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No.116); second, the issuance of the 1974 The Graduale Romanum for the Novus Ordo and new calendar; essentially a smaller version of the Liber Usualis, which is ordered for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite and last published in 1961. In this Graduale as in the Liber are the five Gregorian Proper for the Mass even if it is said in English. They are in Gregorian chant melismas and are the Introit, Graduale, Alleluia or Tract, Offertory and Communion and the appropriate Sequences and other Psalms and the Ordinary the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus.

Clearly, the Church intends Gregorian chant to be sung in both forms of the Roman Rite and the Second Vatican Council and all popes since have reaffirmed this.

But why and where did this music come from?

If we read the Psalms, we often see in Holy David's own words..."To the choirmaster... ." Clearly, we know from this and Jewish liturgical history as well that the Psalms were meant to be sung. they were songs of praise or repentance or of prayer and supplication and they were chanted to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When as an infant, Mary of Nazareth was offered to God in the Temple by Anna and Joachim, they would have heard the psalms being sung. When Our Blessed Mother returned to present her own child with Joseph her husband and as she heard the words of Simeon and the Prophetess Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel, they would have heard singing. When at twelve, Jesus was teaching in the Temple, the psalms were sung. And when he was at the Temple in the last week of His life before the Crucifixion and Resurrection, he heard and sang the psalms Himself as He would have done at the synagogue in Capernaum.

But what did this singing sound like?
Those Jews which accepted Jesus as Messiah practiced their Judaic faith with the LORD's Prayer and Supper and this developed before the end of the first century to the Divine Liturgy. These early Christians sang and what they sang were the psalms they knew from the Temple. It is recorded that a vision was held by St. Ignatius of Antioch of Angels singing to the Holy Trinity in alternating hymns or antiphons from the Greek for opposite voices. St. Ambrose of Milan later formalised this method of singing and developed the first four authentic tones. The chants for the Mass was codified or organised by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century, he died in 604. Originally, the texts were chanted by memory, literally passed on orally. By the tenth century a system of writing down the chants and the music was developed and standards and uniformity became more commonplace, though to be sure, different styles were present with the different rites--Ambrosian chant for example.

It was Guido of Arezzo in 930 who developed St. Ambrose's work into a seven-note scale which eventually grew to eight. This scale of Do Re Mi, etc. named from the first letters of of the words to a hymn to St. John the Baptist, Ut Queant Laxis and where the notes fell on the system of lines and neumes developed by Arezzo. This is where our whole western music originates. The only accidental (black key) was the B flat assuming it is sung in its written pitch of a C clef which we would now call, C Major. For a more theoretical understanding, one may visit Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum.

In the east the Byzantine chant is the equivalent. Using more accidentals, sharps and flats; more in-between notes and it has a distinctly different sound and both Gregorian chant and Byzantine chant share similar characteristics in that they are both made up of eight tones which are derived from the first four. Old Roman Chant which pre-dates Gregorian which became more suited to western ears is closer to Byzantine. If one listens today to the sounds of Byzantine or Old Roman Chant from which our Gregorian Chant derives one can hear the same sounds as that sung in the Orthodox Jewish liturgy.

Let me quote here from Father Joseph Fessio, S.J. from The Mass of Vatican II online at Ignatius Insight:
"Now, just a little footnote on the Gregorian Chant. In reflecting on these things about Church music, I began to think about the Psalms a few years back. And a very obvious idea suddenly struck me. Why it didn't come earlier I don't know, but the fact is that the Psalms are songs. Every one of the 150 Psalms is meant to be sung; and was sung by the Jews. When this thought came to me, I immediately called a friend, a rabbi in San Francisco who runs the Hebrew School, and I asked, "Do you sing the Psalms at your synagogue?" "Well, no, we recite them," he said. "Do you know what they sounded like when they were sung in the Old Testament times and the time of Jesus and the Apostles?" I asked. He said, "No, but why don't you call this company in Upstate New York. They publish Hebrew music, and they may know." So, I called the company and they said, "We don't know; call 1-800-JUDAISM." So I did. And I got an information center for Jewish traditions, and they didn't know either. But they said, "You call this music teacher in Manhattan. He will know." So, I called this wonderful rabbi in Manhattan and we had a long conversation. At the end, I said, "I want to bring some focus to this, can you give me any idea what it sounded like when Jesus and his Apostles sang the Psalms?" He said, "Of course, Father. It sounded like Gregorian Chant. You got it from us."

After speaking to Professor William Mahrt, Professor of Music at Stanford University, Father Fessio questioned Professor Mart on the information he received from the Manhattan Rabbi. Professor Mahrt confirmed that "Yes. The Psalm tones have their roots in ancient Jewish hymnody and psalmody." Father Fessio concluded that "if you sing the Psalms at Mass with the Gregorian tones, you are as close as you can get to praying with Jesus and Mary. They sang the Psalms in tones that have come down to us today in Gregorian Chant."

To say that our LORD sang Gregorian Chant would be silly. To say that Gregorian Chant is the closest thing we know to what He heard and sang in the Temple is obvious.

FURTHER READING:

An Analysis of Sacrosanctam Concilium; Joseph Jaskierny, Kendrick School of Theology

Gregorian Chant: Back to Basics in the Roman Rite by John C. Piunno The American Organist Magazine June 2005 (Canticanova.com)

The Real Catholic Songbook by Jeffrey Tucker: Catholicity

Justfying my quote--Part II

As Schola Master and Choir Director for the former Toronto Apostolate of the FSSP, I have been quoted in The current edition of The Catholic Register. A friend from Rome has written asking that I justify and clarify me comments:

“The Extraordinary Form is the fullest form of Catholic worship to God,” wrote David Domet, 53. “It is how the Mass was celebrated in Rome for over 1,500 years: it was only codified… at (the 16th-century Council of) Trent to promote uniformity in the rite. The roots of this (liturgy) are (in) the Temple in Jerusalem… The said or sung propers, the psalms of the Mass, connect us with the roots of our faith… When I sing the Gregorian chant and chant the psalms, it is the closest thing we know to the manner in which our Lord Himself would have heard and sung the psalms.”
Part the Second: The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is how the Mass was celebrated at Rome for over 1,500 years, it was only codified at the Council of Trent

How many scholars have already addressed this question and yet I find myself needing to defend my statement. Father Adrian Fortescue, Monsignor Klaus Gamber, Dom Guéranger, Reverend Dr. Alcuin Reid, Father Jonathan Robinson, layman Michael Davies all experts in the questions of liturgy. Who am I to even think of writing an essay on these matters when such great work exists from these?

But I made a statement and I shall justify it myself and then refer you to writers much more knowledgeable and scholarly than I could ever hope to be.

As discussed in Part the First, the Mass grew out of the Temple worship in Jerusalem. Following the issuance of the motu proprio SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM many opposed to the spread of the usus antiquior and most, if not all in the media, referred to the "Latin Mass" (which is incorrect because the Ordinary Form is always able to be celebrated in Latin) as dating from the Council of Trent in 1570. If this is true, then what existed prior to Trent?

As discussed in Part the First, the Mass as we have it today is from apostolic times; though clearly the liturgy developed. The Roman Canon of the Mass (the First Eucharistic Prayer in the Ordinary Form) dates from the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great d.604 and remains unchanged from the Te igitur to the Amen.

The fact is, it is not true that the so-called Tridentine Mass was written at Trent. It was codified or made the standard at the Council of Trent for the Latin Rite--the western Church except for a few minor exceptions.

It was in 1440, 130 years before Trent that Johannes Gutenburg invented the printing press. Up to that time, the Holy Bible and the liturgical books of the Church were compiled by hand; laboured on for years by monks through the monasteries of Europe. There value in today's terms would be in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. In many cases, a monk may have made additions or deletions to certain liturgical books some by accident, some by intent but not necessarily maliciously. There were different religious orders that had their own specific liturgies. In England the Mass was celebrated as it was at Salisbury Cathedral and was known as the Sarum Rite. In northern Italy, primarily around Milan, their is still to this day the Milanese or Ambrosian Rite and in southern Spain the Mozarabic Rite from the Christian Arabs there at the time of the Moors. Other rites and modifications existed throughout Europe. How long did a papal order take to get from Rome to Scandinavia or Ireland to say nothing of the New World?

One of the decrees arising from the Council of Trent was the imposition of the Mass as it was celebrated at Rome and in fact, the Curia Mass itself; hence the Roman Missal. The Tropes at the Kyrie (to return in the penitential rite in the Ordinary Form) were eliminated as were the multiplicity of Sequence options reduced to five (now three in the OF) and inconsistently used across Europe. Incorporated was the preparatory prayer said by the Priest and his Server on their way to the Altar to the beginning for all, the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. Other small changes occurred and this order was to be said by all priests in the Latin Rite. Mass was celebrate differently almost everywhere. Unless the Rite existed for over 200 years, as in the case of the Ambrosian and Mozarabic, the Carmelite and Domincan Rites and probably the Sarum Rite had England not gone into heresy and schism by Henry VIII all had to conform to this ancient Mass as it was celebrate in Rome since at least the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great. While the Roman Mass as we have it today dates from this time, the Canon of the Mass dates at least from the fourth century and is referred to by St. Ambrose of Milan substantially the same as that of the Roman Canon or First Eucharistic Prayer in the Ordinary Form and the only Canon in the Extraordinary Form. The promulgation of a consistent and unified liturgy in what became the Roman Missal was necessary for missionary work, church unity and to rise to the challenge of the protestants. Discipline, education, consistency and holiness were necessary and the printing press together with the creation of seminaries helped bring this about.

Those who have taken the position that the Mass was composed at Trent usually tend to be Protestant or Evangelical Christians. It is something expected from Jack Chick that the Mass is nothing more than a renaissance Roman creation. Those who embraced the so-called "spirit of Vatican II" took up this same position, that the Mass dated from Trent. Why would these reformers betray the truth and scholarly evidence to unite themselves to a position taken by enemies of the Church for centuries? For Catholics to take such a position is simple ignorance at best and a betrayal at worst.

Read the Documents of the Second Vatican Council. Read the writings of those quoted above or the link on the Canon to the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

You don't need to take my word for it.

Part III:d