COVER STORY
Pope liberalizes Latin Mass
Guidelines make Tridentine Mass more accessible

By Andrew Junker, The Catholic Sun
July 19, 2007

Bart Tesoriero knelt in church on a recent July morning and followed along in his missal as Fr. Federico Masutti, FSSP, celebrated what is commonly known as the Tridentine Mass.

Tesoriero attends the Latin-language Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle about three times a week. He said he is drawn to its beauty and reverence. The 53-year-old learned how to serve at this Mass when he was a child.

Starting Sept. 14, more Catholics may experience the distinct qualities of this form of the Mass. That’s when a document liberalizing its celebration goes into effect.

On that date, any priest will be able to celebrate this older Mass without explicit permission from his bishop, as was formerly the case.

While some fear the easing of the Tridentine Mass restrictions will be divisive, Tesoriero thinks the pope’s intention is to “unite the Church.”

He also views the papal document, Summorum Pontificum, as an invitation for Catholics who attend the newer form of the Mass to experience the older one.

“And to experience the reverence and the greater sense of mystery,” he said.

What it says

Summorum Pontificum is a type of apostolic letter called a motu proprio, which indicates that it comes from the pope’s own initiative.

The document clarified the canonical status of the 1962 Missal — sometimes known as the Tridentine Mass because St. Pius V codified it after the Council of Trent — and also provided new norms for its celebration.

The pope wrote that the old Mass had in fact never been forbidden by the promulgation of the 1970 Roman Missal — also known as the Novus Ordo Mass — which, in its current edition, most Catholics celebrate today.

Instead, the 1962 Missal — which was issued by Blessed John XXIII — is to be viewed as the “extraordinary form” of the Roman Rite with the newer Mass as the “ordinary form.”

In addition to establishing that the two missals are different forms of the same rite, the biggest change that comes with Summorum Pontificum is that priests no longer have to ask permission from the local bishop to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Missal.

Any priest may choose either form of the Roman Rite when celebrating a private Mass and any faithful who asks to attend these private Masses is to be admitted.

If a “stable group” of parishioners — no required number is mentioned — asks that the extraordinary form of the Mass be celebrated regularly at their parish, “let the pastor willingly accede to their requests,” the motu proprio reads.

It stipulates that there should only be one Mass according to the 1962 Missal on Sundays and feast days, but does not limit the number on weekdays.

In addition, a pastor may grant permission to use the older forms of the sacraments of baptism, matrimony, penance and the anointing of the sick, “as the good of souls may suggest.”

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said that this document reflects the Holy Father’s desire to “strengthen the Church’s liturgical life.”

“It reflects his long-standing love of the Sacred Liturgy and his profound understanding of the history and theology of the eucharistic sacrifice,” the bishop said.

“It also shows his deep appreciation of the 2,000 year tradition of the Holy Mass, and especially of the way that this tradition grows organically over the centuries,” he added.

In his letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI recognized that some bishops had expressed concerns over the long-rumored motu proprio, mainly because of fears that it would “detract from the authority of the Second Vatican Council” and that it would lead to “disarray or even divisions within parish communities.”

Those fears seem to be unfounded, said Sr. Ginger Downey, OLVM, interim director of the Office of Worship for the Phoenix Diocese.

“I don’t know why so many people were so worried about it,” she said. “For me, it’s a very balanced document. It very much upholds the Second Vatican Council liturgical documents.”

The motu proprio “gives those people who have a great desire to have Mass celebrated with the John XXIII missal the opportunity to do that,” Sr. Ginger said.

Effects in parishes

The extraordinary form of the Mass is currently celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, St. Catherine of Siena Parish and St. Cecilia’s Mission in Clarksdale.

Whether or not it is celebrated at other parishes largely depends on requests from the faithful, said Fr. Loren Gonzales, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Peoria.

“I really think the pastors will have to wait to see what comes forward from the community. I think that’s the safest way to go,” he said.

Fr. Gonzales has scheduled a Missa Cantata, or sung Mass, in the extraordinary form for Sept. 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the date the motu proprio goes into effect.

Also potentially affecting the implementation of the extraordinary form of the Mass is that few priests know how to celebrate it.

“The main problem is that we were not trained,” said Fr. Alonso Saenz, who celebrates the Mass according to the 1962 Missal at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. “Most priests didn’t even get any Latin at seminary, so it is a challenge.”

He said he learned how to say the older Mass by studying videos of it and reading through the missal. It took him two months of solid practice to feel competent. 

Mass appeal

The extraordinary form of the Mass differs from the ordinary form in a number of ways.

The priest celebrating the extraordinary form faces the same direction as the congregation and prays the Mass in Latin.

While the ordinary form of the Mass does not prohibit either this posture or the use of Latin for all or parts of the Mass, in practice, the great majority is celebrated in the local vernacular with the priest facing the congregation.

Also, much more of the extraordinary form of the Mass is prayed in a low voice, including the entire canon.

The silence, ritual and prayer can lend a more transcendent nature to the Mass and attracts Catholics of all ages, said Fr. Kenneth Fryer, FSSP, pastoral administrator for Mater Misericordiae Mission, which celebrates the extraordinary form of the Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish.

The extraordinary form “expresses itself perhaps in a more sublime way,” he said, explaining why younger people who never grew up with the 1962 Missal are attracted to it.