As a convert to the Church—my wife and I were baptized in 2004—the Latin Mass was a complete unknown, but as we penetrated deeper into the history and traditions of our faith we came across the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP), which is an order of the Church which performs the Latin Mass exclusively, and there is an FSSP parish in our city.
We visited a couple of times and after attending a Solemn High Mass, with the Gregorian Chant, the incense, the great pageantry and solemnity, we were captivated and spent the next couple of years as a member of the parish.
Though we have now returned to our home parish—a combination of gas prices and time constraints as I now attend mass daily—we will still occasionally return to partake of the deep blessings of the Latin Mass.
Consequently, this update from the Catholic Herald in Britain, on the results of the Moto Proprio of Pope Benedict, which frees any priest who wants to perform it to be able to do so, on how the Catholic world, has received the papal action, is very much appreciated.
An excerpt:
“New personal parishes and the like are also being established. In Canada's largest, most populous diocese, Toronto, it was recently confirmed that the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) had been invited into that archdiocese and work was underway to find a suitable situation for them. This is in addition to the Toronto Oratory which already offers Mass in the usus antiquior on Sundays and weekdays. Likewise, an FSSP apostolate was recently established in Quebec City under Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Primate of Canada, while another parish was offered to the FSSP in Vancouver, British Columbia. Most significant, however, were the advancements that occurred within the Diocese of Rome itself. Whereas the community attached to the usus antiquior in that city formerly had use of a very small chapel that was located at the end of an alley, that same community has now been established as a personal parish for the ancient liturgy and has been given use of a large historical church that sits upon a well-travelled Roman piazza - a church which contains important works of sacred art. This development, perhaps more than any, bespeaks the effects of the Motu Proprio - and we must be clear that what happens within Rome does have an effect and influence upon what happens without; it very much sets a model and template that can help other dioceses feel more confident in doing likewise. With these changes and for these reasons, the Roman personal parish is perhaps now the single most important apostolate for the usus antiquior.”
2) Anyone who reads about world affairs these days finds the same thing the author of this article—America’s Days Aren’t’ Numbered— does when perusing the new books out about America, most of them are pretty pessimistic.
An excerpt:
“The last time I strolled through the local Barnes & Noble, there were so many books announcing the end of American power, wealth, influence, or just America itself, that I began to wonder whether my dollars would be worth anything by the time I hit the checkout counter…
“As a historian, I find this trend fascinating. After all, since humans climbed out of the trees and began surveying the lion-infested Savannah, none have ever lived in a period more prosperous, secure and stable than Americans do today. The U.S. is not only the wealthiest and most powerful country on earth now, but in all of history. There's never been a better time and place to be alive than America in the 21st century.”
Indeed, Have a Wonderful 4th!!!
