SOURCE

…from the pastor of St. Mary’s parish, Providence, RI. (FSSP)

– I’ve been asked more than once about whether we should pursue another project, given the hostility of not just the pope but many prelates, clergy, religious and laity to the Vetus Ordo. Could the pope just suppress the FSSP? Yes. And if he did, the bishop of Providence would be left trying to provide for your needs, which would be a daunting task for him. The worst-case scenario would be that we are ordered to leave the diocese and the parish would be closed. Could this happen? Yes. If it did, I’ve already made up my mind what I’m not going to do. I won’t go independent (I’ve seen way too much schism in that department), nor will I join the SSPX (as if they’d have me). I would instead retire, get a small house with my meager savings and hit the road in some area such as this one, going around celebrating Mass at people’s houses, all underground of course, keeping the Mass alive and waiting for better times.

– As a Society of Apostolic Life, we are very much working on each possibility and are planning how to fight like junkyard dogs, if needed. But more than anything, we trust our Lord 100% that He knew what He is doing when He permitted the Motu Proprio of this pope. Our Lord told us that there is only One Whom we should fear. And it isn’t the pope or some cardinal with a chip on his shoulder about tradition.

– By now you’ve heard about the grave restriction of our work in Mexico. It is not 100%, and maybe we can hang on down there for better times, but better times may not be coming. To be honest, I have a feeling that this is the end of our work in Mexico. We will lose many battles, I think.

– Fraternity priests will be meeting in Nebraska from October 25-29 for a recollection and an ordination. Both Fr. Truong and I will be attending. We need to stand solid and united not just for our society, but also for the faithful we serve. Zoom meetings cannot accomplish this. So, we may not have Masses available for you during that week. Please understand that this might be the last meeting we have together as a Society.

Bulletin for the Week of September 26, 2021

Note from Father Scott

September 9, 2021

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Joseph Parish:

In light of recent priest personnel developments, Masses in the Extraordinary Form at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday are suspended until further notice.  We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.  Mass in the Extraordinary Form is offered locally at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Church, Brookfield, at 12:30 p.m. each Sunday.

In Christ,

 Fr. Sam Scott

https://www.stjosephchurchdanbury.org

Compare Fr. Scott’s message from 2013:

“Extraordinary Form will be offered at St. Joseph”

…on the Latin Mass. And quite favorable to it! The article is unusually well informed and feautures a photograph of the congegation of St. Josaphat’s. Queens! Our author also relies on the witness of a number of people who have been involved in the Traditional Mass in our (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) region in various capacities: not just in the congregation but also in the schola. Indeed, these individuals have partcipated in and to a great extent made possible many events sponsored by the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny.

The Power of the Latin Mass

My one critique would be that the article tends to focus on externals, the subjective experiences of individuals and nonessential customs (like the use of veils by women) and not the real reasons all this is happpening in the first place – at the cost of such great efforts by the Traditionalist Catholics over the years. Illustrating this problem, the article concludes with the opinions of a “liturgical expert,” Timothy O’Malley :

Some of the distinctive features of the Latin Mass can be applied to the new Mass, according to Timothy O’Malley, an expert on liturgy who teaches at the University of Notre Dame. He says that elements such as Gregorian chant have become more common since they were encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI. Whatever the fate of the Latin Mass, Mr. O’Malley predicts, celebrants of the new Mass will give renewed attention to “the material or aesthetic dimension of liturgical worship…symbols, images, materiality, processions, all the things that are integral to liturgy.”

This will be easier, he says, with the rise of a generation of priests for whom questions such as the use of Latin are no longer linked to ideological battles. The fight over the Latin Mass “is the last of the liturgy war fights that we’re going to have,” Mr. O’Malley said.

So elements of the Traditonal Mass can be “tacked on” to the Novus Ordo. But this has been happening since the beginnings of the New Mass without any gaining any traction. And hasn’t Pope Francis also expressly condemned the “reform of the reform” of the Novus Ordo? Indeed, the very word (“ROTR”) cannot be used! As Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston decreed on September 1:

“The rubrics of the Roman Missal of 1962 are not to be added to the celebration of Mass according to the current edition of the Roman Missal of 1970.” 1)

Pope Francis has recently launched a super-ideological struggle against the Latin Mass – in such a context, it’s hard to see how “the use of Latin (will) no longer (be) linked to ideological battles.” And, as a matter of principle, how will celebrants of the New Mass give renewed attention to “the material or aesthetic dimension of liturgical worship…symbols, images, materiality, processions, all the things that are integral to liturgy” when the entire sense of the New Mass is a denial of this dimension, its symbols and images? As was so eloquently described in Alfred Lorenzer’s Das Konzil der Buchhalter – already in 1981.

1. Traditional Latin Masses to end in some Houston parishes but continue in others, Cardinal DiNardo says

An interesting reaction to TC from the Orthodox world. I would of course disagree with some of the historical descriptions and theological views asserted below. Nevertheless, the conflict the author indentifies between “the unlimited power and obedience that was given to the bishop of Rome” and “the apostolic rite, apostolic disciplines and apostolic faith” gets to the heart od today’s crisis. Perhaps only the Orthodox can fully grasp the sheer audacity of the Novus Ordo: (T)o write the new Liturgy and suspend the old one, is the most impious and daring act that belongs only the most mad of heretics. As for the impact of TC on ecumenism with the Orthodox: (The) Orthodox Church cannot be in communion with those who use unapostolic rites.

Source: “Orthodox Church,” On the sorrowful Anniversary…

On the sorrowful anniversary of Rome’s separation from the Orthodox Church in 1054, Pope Francis has issued a new directive that restricts the use of the Latin Rite Traditional Liturgy and enables liberal and Marxist Roman-catholic bishops to eradicate the traditional form of worship from their jurisdictions. This coincidence is not an accident. It only proves that the Sacred Tradition cannot survive outside the Orthodox Church, from which Rome and it’s followers have separated almost 1000 years ago. The Liturgical abuse of the protestant new rite “Novus Ordo” is the ultimate rebellion against God and His apostolic rites. The Latin rite was slaughtered by the unlimited power and obedience that was given to the Bishop of Rome. Once the reformers captured the See of Rome: the apostolic rite, apostolic disciplines and apostolic faith never stood a chance against the charlatan and his clique. Orthodox Church cannot be in communion with those who use unapostolic rites. Although we are aware that mild and minor Liturgical changes do happen over time, these changes always must act as an upgrade, as an addition. So in time the Liturgy becomes more beautiful and more decorated. But to write the new Liturgy and suspend the old one, is the most impious and daring act that belongs only the most mad of heretics. In year 600, Saint Gregory the Great, the Pope of Rome, wrote a very small and beautiful addition to the Roman Liturgy, Rome’s Orthodox Population of that time, which did not believe in absolute power and obedience to the Pope of Rome, almost killed St. Gregory for daring to touch the Sacred Liturgy. In time, Rome’s heresies corrupted the faith of the western faithful, and in the 20th century Faithful offered little to no resistance to the most impious and blasphemous Liturgical reform. Even if an angel from heaven would come down and offer us new Liturgy (doctrine), we wouldn’t accept it.

Indeed, confirming the above critique is Michael Sean Winters of the anything-but-orthodox (in any sense of the word) National Catholic Reporter. He castigates Martin Mosebach for his “truly remarkable ignorance of actual Catholic teaching.” For Mosebach had written:

“Tradition stands above the pope. The old Mass, rooted deep in the first Christian millennium, is as a matter of principle beyond the pope’s authority to prohibit. Many provisions of Pope Benedict’s motu proprio can be set aside or modified, but this magisterial decision cannot be so easily done away with.”

Winters, even if his understanding of recent liturgical history is garbled, replies:

Has he (Mosebach) even heard of the liturgical movement, which began in the 19^th century and led to the Constitution of the Divine Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, at Vatican II? The Council – and several popes previously, including the conservative Pope Pius XII and the reactionary Pius X – were constantly renewing our liturgical forms.

Winters thus champions unlimited papal power over the liturgy against Mosebach – who, after all, is relying on Summorum Pontificum (a papal document from 2007!) and, as we see, is stating what would be considered obvious truth in Orthodoxy. For the NCR of all publications to inveigh against “dissent against Pope Francis’ decision” does have a through-the-looking-glass quality about it. But it can’t be denied that, in many cases, the champions of TC, the Novus Ordo and Pope Prancis are indeed “the most mad of heretics.”

Winters, Michael Sean “Traditional Latin Mass advocates prove Pope Francis was right to suppress the old rite”

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350567?eng=y

The use of the Traditional mass prohibited to the Friars of the Immaculate Conception….by Rome.

UPDATE:

We should add a few words as to why this action has such exceptional significance. Here in Connecticut supporters of the Latin Mass first may have encountered the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (“FFI”) as frequent visitors to the services of the Saint Gregory Society as far back as fifteen years ago. With the promulgation of Summorum Pontificum the friars began to adopt the EF in some of their liturgies at their center in Griswold. But it was on a very limited basis – one mass during the week and (apparently) on certain holidays. The friars’ 2013 Holy Week Triduum was, however, in the EF. But a local observer would not necessarily have associated the FFI with the vanguard of Catholic traditionalism.

Things appear to have been very different outside the United States though – especially in Italy. The founders of the FFI were there well known and respected spiritual leaders. After SP the traditional mass enjoyed growing use among the FFI, which became bi-ritual, even predominantly traditionalist.

In Rome, the FFI conducted several very prominent Traditional Mass apostolates. Cardinals have conducted ordinations of friars in the Extraordinary Form. And the order was spreading wildly. In contrast to the more exclusively traditionalist groups, the FFI had a large number of associated women’s communities. I suspect the above facts may be among main reasons for the actions just taken by the Vatican.

It seems that forces in the FFI unhappy with the order’s growing traditionalism, both in liturgy and theology, took their concerns to Rome. Now the Vatican has taken action, deposing the FFI’s respected superior, appointing an administrator from outside the order and, above all, requiring each member of the FFI to say the Novus Ordo mass – the traditional mass may be used by permission of superiors. In other words, SP has been abolished for the FFI and the previous Indult regime of 1988 reinstated.

As is usual in the Catholic Church, all this is made known by leaks to the secular press and blogs. No explanation is given except by comments – after the leaks – from various unofficial and sometimes anonymous “spokesmen.” None of the “facts” I have seen alleged by these “sources” – much of which are contradictory – would justify the draconian abolition of SP. Undoubtedly more facts – and more disinformation – will trickle out over the next days and weeks.

What can we say about this?

It is very telling that the “insiders” of Traditionalism who had such a grand time at the recent Sacra Liturgia conference in Rome seem to have been totally unaware of the conflict within the FFI and the drastic actions being prepared.

The authors of the decree don’t care that traditional churches exist administered by the FFI, that friars have been ordained exclusively to the EF, that there are Traditional communities of women for which the FFI provides chaplains.

We should reflect on the fact these actions have been taken against an order that was flourishing and which enjoyed an admirable reputation for austerity and piety. In contrast, the Vatican has been unable or unwilling to take any action against the American female religious orders and the LCWR, which have an entirely different profile. Indeed, Pope Francis in his recent conversation with the representatives of the Latin American religious was widely viewed as endorsing the LCWR’s stance – an impression the bishop of Rome has done nothing to dispel.

Not that these actions are unexpected. Pope Francis is outspoken and clear in his opposition to Catholic Traditionalism. But as Luc Perrin points out, it is surprising that he would move so quickly to start to disassemble one of the few accomplishments of his predecessor – while the latter is still alive!

For let us have no illusions regarding the alleged limited nature of this action. At a very minimum it sends a signal to every hierarchy and order in the world that SP can – and should – be restrictively interpreted. It insinuates that those supporting the Traditional liturgy are somehow not “thinking with Church.” More broadly it may be the precursor of similar actions. There are some purely Traditionalist groups much more conflicted than the FFI – think of the IBP. Bishops in Italy and Germany have publicly called for action restricting the availability of the Traditional Mass. And dissenters opposing the use of the Traditional liturgy in the orders and parishes where it is celebrated can be readily found.

It is clear that the reign of Francis will be an increasingly trying time for the Traditional Catholic – who knows, perhaps even ending in a return to the ghetto existence under Paul VI. We need prayer – but we also need greater communication, transparency and honesty. In the face of such actions, “one can no longer remain silent.” (http://chiesaepostconcilio.blogspot.com/2013/07/francescani-dellimmacolata-e-la-crisi.html)