Pope Benedict to celebrate Mass using ad orientem posture

Many of you will read this too late, but at 4:00am EST, you can watch Pope Benedict celebrate a Novus Ordo Mass using the ad orientem posture. Rocco Palmo posts as follows. Note that I did not say a Tridentine.

In another significant liturgical turn at the very top, B16 will celebrate tomorrow's annual Sistine Chapel Mass for the Baptism of the Lord in the ad orientem stance -- that is, facing away from the congregation and toward the cross that stands at the chapel's back wall.

In an explanatory note from the Office for Papal Liturgical Celebrations picked up by the Italian wires, the papal MC Msgr Guido Marini announced that the Mass, to be conducted according to the post-Conciliar "Ordinary Use" approved by Paul VI, would employ the main altar of the Sistina. As a result, the note said, "at certain moments the Pope will have his shoulders [back] to the faithful and his gaze toward the Cross."

As the chapel's original altar is not freestanding, versus popolorum celebrations there have required the construction of a temporary altar and platform. While John Paul II celebrated his first Mass after his 1978 election using the permanent altar and no freestanding altar exists in the Pope's private chapel, a public papal liturgy has not been celebrated using the "common orientation" in recent memory.

"The celebration at the old altar is being restored so as not to alter the beauty and harmony of this architectural jewel," the note said, "preserving its structure from the celebratory point of view and using an option contemplated by the liturgical norms." The change of orientation, Marini's statement said, would seek to enhance "the attitude and disposition of the whole assembly."

The annual liturgy features the baptism of several infants by the pontiff. The contemporary baptismal font designed by Lello Scorzelli -- also the designer of the pastorali, the cross-topped liturgical staffs used by Paul VI and his successors -- will likewise be maintained.

Deo Gratias!


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Advent Rorate Mass at Assumption Grotto in Photos

If there is one thing more difficult than shooting pictures with no flash in most older parishes, it is shooting pictures with the lights out in any parish.

The Advent Rorate Masses have been taking place during the 7:00pm Tuesday Novus Ordo for the last few years. Now that the 7:00pm Mass is a Latin Novus Ordo, the Rorate Mass followed suit. We hope next year to have early morning Rorate Masses in the extraordinary form.

This is the first time I've ever attempted to capture parts of it in pictures. I wish I had changed the exposure, but it always looks much lighter on my camera screen than on the computer screen. If I can make it next Tuesday for the last Rorate Mass of this season, I plan on playing with the exposure. It was dark enough, I could barely see the head of the priest at times, his chasuble mainly cutting through the darkness.

I am praying that more people will come next week. There was a lower turn out tonight, but the weather newscasters have been hyping up a snow fall and mixed mess, but it remained 37F before and after the Mass, so there had been only rain. With all the freezing rain and sleet earlier, I'm sure people were intimidated. The photos would look so much nicer if the Church were full of candles.

Here are more photos. The shot of the Elevation of the Chalice is the same photo cropped different ways.

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Part 4: US Bishops on GIRM 160; Vatican Reiterates "no denial of Communion"

It has been some time since I wrote the last post in this series - Part 3 (link at bottom). With the release of Summorum Pontificum, along with far less time to write of late, I had an unintended suspension of this series.

In part 3 we examined a letter from the CDW's prefect at the time, Cardinal Medina Estevez, in which he accepted a provision submitted by the diocese of the United States which made standing for Holy Communion the norm. It was accepted on condition that Communion not be denied and that a clause be added, "to protect those faithful who will inevitably be led by their own sensibilities to kneel from imprudent action by priests, deacons or lay ministers in particular, or from being refused Holy Communion for such a reason as happens on occasion."

The USCCB in it's July 2002 newsletter published the following:

POSTURE

It should be noted that the General Instruction o the Roman Missal assigns to Conferences of Bishops the decision as to whether the faithful should stand or kneel at the time of reception of Holy Communion. (no. 43 §2) The Bishops of the United States have decided that the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion should be standing.

Kneeling is not a licit posture for receiving Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States of America unless the bishop of a particular diocese has derogated from this norm in an individual and extraordinary circumstance.

The provision which follows this section is provided for those extraordinary circumstances when a communicant acts in contradiction to the decision of the bishops. Under no circumstances may a person be denied Holy Communion merely because he or she has refused to stand to receive Holy Communion. Rather, in such instances, the priest is obliged to provide additional catechesis so that the communicant might better understand the reason for the Bishops' decision to choose standing as the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States of America.

What is interesting here is that a clause is added as Cardinal Estevez wanted, but left priests in a rather precarious position: What to do after that "additional catechesis" if the communicant persists in kneeling. We will get to that in the second of two protocols issued by the Holy See (below).

Furthermore, prudence would suggest that a priest not try to catechize someone in such a way as to make a scene. Rather, whenever "instruction" takes place, prudence dictates that it be done in private so that the dignity of the individual may be retained.

In this link at Our Lady's Warriors, is a string of four letters out of the Holy See - essentially the heart of communications on this whole issue.

First comes Prot. n. 1322/02/L on July 1, 2002

You can get the whole thing by clicking that link above - I'll summarize and extract below:

In the first paragraph:

• Cardinal Estevez expresses alarm over receipt of many letters within a particular diocese indicating people are being refused Holy Communion because they kneel.
• The Cardinal asks the bishop to investigate.

The second through fourth paragraphs are worth posting in full (my emphases in bold, and comments in red):

The Congregation in fact is concerned at the number of similar complaints that it has received in recent months from various places, and considers any refusal of Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful, namely that of being assisted by their Pastors by means of the Sacraments (Codex Iuris Canonici, canon 213). In view of the law that "sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (canon 843 ß 1), there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared [While politicians who openly advocate or support abortion freely receive Communion in most cases, some who kneel were being denied on that basis - go figure!]. Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institution Generalis Missalis Romani n. 160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.

In fact, as His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [now, Pope Benedict XVI] has recently emphasized, the practice of kneeling for Holy Communion has in its favor a centuries-old tradition, and it is a particularly expressive sign of adoration, completely appropriate in light of the true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the consecrated species.

Given the importance of this matter, the Congregation would request that Your Excellency inquire specifically whether this priest in fact has a regular practice of refusing Holy Communion to any member of the faithful in the circumstances described above and - if the complaint is verified - that you also firmly instruct him and any other priests who may have had such a practice to refrain from acting thus in the future. Priests should understand that the Congregation will regard future complaints of this nature with great seriousness, and if they are verified, it intends to seek disciplinary action consonant with the gravity of the pastoral abuse.

It doesn't get much stronger than that. Not only should priests not deny Holy Communion to someone who kneels, but if they do, they will be disciplined.

At the same time, and with the same protocol number, a letter was sent to the individual whose letter served as the straw which broke the camel's back (recall the Vatican was receiving many such letters). Here, and this is important, Msgr Mario Marini explains that it is not only a right, but in some cases a duty, to take things up the chain.

It is troubling that you seem to express some reservations about both the propriety and the usefulness of addressing the Holy See regarding this matter. Canon 212 ß 2 of the Code of Canon Law states that "Christ's faithful are totally free to make known their needs, especially their spiritual ones, and their desire: to the Pastor of the Church". The canon then continues in ß 3: "According to their own knowledge competence and position, they have the right, and indeed sometimes the duty, to present to the sacred Pastor; their opinions regarding those things that pertain to the good of the Church".... Accordingly, in consideration of the nature of the problem and the relative likelihood that it might or might not be resolved on the local level, every member of the faithful has the right of recourse to the Roman Pontiff either personally or by means of the Dicasteries or Tribunals of the Roman Curia.

Then, Msgr Marini reiterates the heart of what was said to the bishop who received the letter from Cardinal Medina Estevez.

Are Kneeling Communicants in the US Disobedient?
Now comes the most confusing and hotly debated point I've encountered. Knowing full well how the more traditional and orthodox Catholics look upon obedience, some try to paint those who kneel as "disobedient" when they persist in kneeling following Catechesis. This is addressed in Prot. n. 47/03/L dated February 26, 2003 in the same link:

As the authority by virtue of whose recognitio the norm in question has attained the force of law, this Dicastery is competent to specify the manner in which the norm is to be understood for the sake of a proper application. Having received more than a few letters regarding this matter from different locations in the United States of America, the Congregation wishes to ensure that its position on the matter is clear.

To this end, it is perhaps useful to respond to your inquiry by repeating the content of a letter that the Congregation recently addressed to a Bishop in the United States of America from whose Diocese a number of pertinent letters had been received. The letter states: "... while this Congregation gave the recognitio to the norm desired by the Bishops' Conference of your country that people stand for Holy Communion, this was done on the condition that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds. Indeed, the faithful should not be imposed upon nor accused of disobedience and of acting illicitly when they kneel to receive Holy Communion".

Hence, even after providing the so-called "catechesis" on kneeling, those who persist in kneeling cannot be considered disobedient. If there is any disobedience going on it is on the part of those who persist in making an issue of kneeling communicants.

It is also interesting to note that in the BCL Newsletter of 2002 first provided in this post, it calls kneeling an "illicit" posture. Yet, the Holy See, who at the end of the day has jurisdiction to interpret it's own documents for the Church when conflict arises, says communicants are not "acting illicitly" when they kneel.

It has been my experience in debating this extensively in Catholic forums that there are some who simply do not understand that the USCCB does not have the final word. Rather, it is the other way around. The USCCB must submit to the authority of the Church on such matters, including cases like this where at least in the minds of some bishops and priests, wording was unclear. The Vatican clarified it many, many times and it appeared that word was not getting out, or some were choosing to stand by their own interpretation - always wrong and dangerous.

This series is nearing it's end, but it is not done. We will explore some writings by some resources on kneeling, and we will explore whether there are times that even the most steadfast of kneeling people should consider standing for Communion.



Part 1: GIRM 160 (Introductory Post)
Part 2: Holy See clarifies GIRM 160 in November of 2000
Part 2.5: US Adapations to GIRM Approved for Submission
Part 3: Holy See Responds to US Adapations with Suggestions


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Kneeling for Holy Communion: Part 2.5 - GIRM 160 - US Adaptations Approved by USCCB - June 15, 2001

I knew the chronology was a maze on this issue and neglected to share with you what the US Bishops approved and submitted to the Holy See in the form of the "American Adaptations". This will put the letter I provided yesterday from Cardinal Medina Estevez in context. So, we will backtrack one step now before continuing on.

As explained by Adoremus Bulletin¹

Norms of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani [liturgical instructions in the new Roman Missal] concerning the postures of the congregation during the celebration of Mass, and proposed amendments approved by the US bishops June 15, 2001, for submission to the Holy See for necessary recognitio (approval).

In this document, we first see a review of the universal norm first, followed by what was submitted after the USCCB approval. I have emphasized in bold what pertains to our discussion.

Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani

160. The priest then takes the paten or a vessel and goes to the communicants, who, as a rule, approach in a procession.

The faithful are not permitted to take up the consecrated Bread or the sacred Chalice themselves, and still less hand them on to one another. The faithful may communicate either standing or kneeling, as established by the Conference of Bishops. However, when they communicate standing, it is recommended that they make an appropriate gesture of reverence, to be laid down in the same norms, before receiving the Sacrament.

-----------

Proposed American Adaptation of IGMR §160

160. Distribution of Holy Communion

The faithful come forward in procession to receive Holy Communion. The posture for the reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Each communicant bows his or her head before the sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives Holy Communion from the minister. The consecrated Host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is made before receiving both the Body and the Blood of Christ.

Note that the universal norm says that Conference of Bishops determines whether the American norm will be for people to kneel or to stand. This was a fiercely debated point, and still is, in some Catholic forums. But, only the Church can interpret the "mind of the Church", which was done in the October 2001 letter we reviewed yesterday by Cardinal Medina Estevez in what is labeled "Part 3". In short, the Conference of Bishops can say that the norm is standing in the US, but as we see in later communications, they may not prohibit kneeling.

Just as a further comparison, and going back to our introductory post, compare the current US adaptation of GIRM 160 to the one directly above that was submitted.

160. The priest then takes the paten or ciborium and goes to the communicants, who, as a rule, approach in a procession.

The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another. The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm.

[1] Online Edition - Vol. VII, No. 5-6: July-August 2001

In my next post, we'll look at more communications from the Vatican on GIRM 160.

Part 1: GIRM 160 (Introductory Post)
Part 2: Holy See clarifies GIRM 160 in November of 2000
Part 2.5: US Adapations to GIRM Approved for Submission (this post)
Part 3: Holy See Responds to US Adapations with Suggestions



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The Tridentine: A Contemplative's Mass

With the article from the UK Telegraph on the motu proprio posted below, I wanted to make some additional thoughts about active participation in the Mass. Much of this applies to a reform of the reform, but includes my thoughts on the Tridentine Mass I recently went to at St. Josaphat's in Detroit.

I will say that it was an interesting experience. This, I believe, is a contemplative's Mass. At least, it is conducive to this. Contemplative prayer is largely misunderstood in an era where the New Age has made inroads even to Catholic worship. People confuse what feels good for feeling God - a trick the Angel of Darkness knows all too well.

I had a pretty good idea of what things not to do in the Tridentine, but had some help. I wondered how I would feel not audibly saying certain prayers, and had to remind myself almost continuously not to say, "Amen" following reception of Holy Communion.

From my standpoint, I was fine with these things. I sung the parts of the Mass - the Kyrie and Sanctus, for example. But, I drifted into a meditative mode in all other parts. The wording of the text throughout the Mass was absolutely artistic and beautiful - and a much fuller expression of worship, in my humble opinion, than what I experience in the Latin Novus Ordo. It was surreal, especially at offertory as chant was beautifully executed, heightening my interior adoration of God. I knew precisely what Pope John Paul II was talking about when he said that worship needs to first be interior and that is where active participation resides.

There is something about chant and the liturgy that lifts the soul to it's Creator, when the soul permits itself to let go of the world, and even of "feelings". We know from the teachings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa, for example, that we can only "feel God" when he so wills it. But sometimes, feeling God can translate into difficult and challenging feelings. Therefore, we must be careful of following what makes us "feel good". Sometimes in following this "feel good" thing, we deprive ourselves of the dry experience into which Our Lord may be calling us in order to strengthen us. This is the biggest mistake many of us in this generation make is that we think worship is suppose to feel good. Worship is not for us, it is for God and we worship him in the Mass regardless of how it makes us feel. Can you imagine going to work or feeding your family only when it feels good? This "follow the feel good" leads to people not even going to holy Mass because they don't feel like getting up because it "feels good" to sleep in on Sundays. Or, they don't bother because the local liturgy just isn't their cup of tea. An illicit Mass is still a valid Mass (one with abuses, but a valid Consecration), and we must suffer with it if it is the only Mass we have available to us. The martyrs put up with much worse.

One can be swinging their arms in the air during the Mass and feel all euphoric, but it does not necessarily mean that they are in active participation. I recall from some of my own past experiences from years past that I wasn't tuned in to what was going on bewteen heaven and earth during the Mass. I can't say I didn't understand the true meaning of worship until I got into Assumption Grotto's reserved environment, where stimuli - everything from the priest looking directly me to folksy music - were removed. Once removed, I was able to discover God in the Mass. After 6 months of tasting nothing but the Mass as Grotto as Vatican II likely intended, I found myself like a fish out of water at a typical contemporary Catholic parish. Just the priest looking around at the congregation - especially during any part of the Eucharistic Prayer - in particular the Consecration - was sooooo distracting to me.

I pitied the poor priest who didn't realize he was taking my focus off our Lord and onto himself. The problem is so much bigger than one priest though. Many have been trained by seminaries to celebrate Mass as if it were a business meeting. You can see it on televised liturgies - with the EWTN Masses being the exception. Public speaking skills - with hand, head and eye motion, are best suited to public speaking, not leading people into public worship. These are subtle distractions. It will take a very long time for priests to unlearn these things, and some never will. Our response should be one of charity and understanding that in many cases, priests are doing what they were taught and truly believe they are doing the right thing. Patience needs to rule the day as we pray and hope they will slowly discover, along with the rest of us of younger and middle-age status, silent-active participation at it's very best.

This patience will also have to be applied to priests who take the plunge to learn the Old Mass. Some period of imperfection in what they do will need to be dealt with patiently as it is much more complex. Some priests have even had their interest turn to disinterest when people trying to "help" become overly critical of Father, as he does his first few Tridentine Masses. There is nothing like a bunch of arm-chair Popes to scare younger priests away from exploring the old Mass. Thanks be to God they have any interest at all.

The other half of the problem is that even if the priest "gets it", if he is too quick to change his style, he will lose the people who just think he isn't dynamic enough. Being dynamic applies to public speaking, but it does not apply to leading folks into public worship. As I've already made the case above, it hinders public worship. It all comes back to catechizing people on the Mass and on the very subject of worship.





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Full text of talk by Msgr Smitz on Motu Proprio

The other day I noted an article in Envoy Magazine online in which Msgr Smitz of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, was quoted on the subject of the expected motu proprio on the Tridentine. Shawn Tribe at The New Liturgical Movement has brought us the full text of this speech via the Institute's website. You can read the full text by clicking the link below, or by following this link to the NLM post by Shawn which extracts a few interesting quotes. It is too lenghty to post in full. It does get into talk about issues pertaining to the Novus Ordo, as well, so whether you enjoy the Tridentine, or a more traditionally celebrated Novus Ordo, you will probably like reading this talk.

"The Classical Roman Rite and the Renewal of the Liturgy"

Conference by Monsignor R. Michael Schmitz

February 19, 2007