Many people who read my blog may not know that I am Catholic. Others still may know that, but not realise that I am a Traditional Catholic, meaning I attend the Traditional Latin Mass…the old Mass that is solely in Latin. I wear a headcovering when I attend, and so do my daughters, and we all receive Holy Communion on the tongue and never on the hand. This is the Mass my children have attended since the oldest ones were very little, and it’s the only Mass they are accustomed to. Since the early 1970’s, the “Extraordinary Form” of the Mass (or Latin Mass) has not been allowed to be said publicly. The Novus Ordo Missae (or New Mass…the one said in the vernacular) was the accept form of Mass, and was the only one that was “allowed”. This is a long, drawn out story, and I won’t bore you with all of the detail here. Suffice to say, it’s been a long time since Traditional Latin Masses have been allowed in most parishes around the world. Until now.
This past summer, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, issued a Motu Proprio, entitled Summorum Pontificum. What does this mean? Here’s a bit of an explanation from the Wiki:
Summorum Pontificum (Literally: Of the Supreme Pontiffs) is the Apostolic Letter motu proprio data of Pope Benedict XVI, which formulates the canonical rules to be respected in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church for the celebration of Mass according to the “Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962”, otherwise known as the Tridentine Mass, and the administering of most of the sacraments in the form prior to the liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council.
The document grants greater freedom to use the Tridentine liturgy. It replaces the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei of 1988, which allowed individual bishops to establish places where Mass could be said using the 1962 Roman Missal. According to the new document, canonical permission for stable groups who adhere to the earlier tradition to celebrate Mass using the 1962 Missal can now be given by the local pastor (or rector of the church), while “ensur(ing) that the welfare of these faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the guidance of the bishop”.
(if you want to learn more, click on the link above…it will lead you right to this Wiki Article)
In a nutshell, this means that any priest, anywhere, has the right to say the Traditional Latin Mass. Those Bishops that blocked it for years, will not be allowed to do so now, according to the MP. Deo Gratias! It’s about time, is all I can say.
Today is the day that the MP is to go into effect worldwide. This has been long anticipated for people like me who have a love and devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass, and needless to say, I’m very excited about it. Many bishops, in compliance with the MP, have already begun taking steps to bring the Latin Mass to their particular diocese. Others have waiting until they are forced to…and that day is today. So to anyone who might be reading that is Catholic, happy Motu Proprio Day!
Want to read more about it? Check out this news clip:
and more information from other fellow bloggers:
Rorate Cæli
What Does the Prayer Really Say?
Flosculi 