Ordinariate in the Middle: the Ordinary Form Mass, Divine Worship, and the Extraordinary Form

Adapted from a post published in 2018

- edited and expanded JULY2023

[ 15 minute read ]

Many Catholics are confused. Why? How?

1. Catholics are distracted by liturgical infighting and, consequently, are suffering a confusion of identity.
2. The devil knows that the Mass is the source and summit of the Christian life (LG 11 totius vitae christianae fontem et culmen). Attack the Mass - or undermine human beings' understanding of what the Mass is and should be - and you divide and conquer, sow confusion, and rob people of their dignity and identity.

How might we ease the confusion, promote faith, hope and love, and thwart the devil's assaults? We must be allied to Jesus Christ. We meet Jesus in the Eucharistic Liturgy.

Divine Worship, the venerable English Mass of the Personal Ordinariates, offers an authentic via media or middle way past the infighting and confusion, and moves man toward communion with God. Divine Worship affirms all that is good and true and beautiful that is also found in the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Mass.

One could describe Divine Worship, the Mass of the Ordinariate, as a dialect in the Latin Rite family of liturgical dialects. Divine Worship is a liturgical forum, a liturgical oasis, in which Catholics can renew their identity as disciples of Jesus Christ. Communion with God's Church awaits those "swimming the Tiber", and communion is renewed for those having been raised as Catholics who, having wandered along uncertain paths, are returning to the fold and have need of formation in the hope that Jesus offers in the truth, goodness and beauty of Divine Worship.

Is a via media a desirable thing?

Yes, it is! - if one takes seriously the need for continuity (with Tradition), spiritual vitality (renewal for mission, i.e., the salvation of souls) and moral order (versus chaos, corruption and confusion).

Has the horse already left the barn?

The Ordinary Form of the Mass (Novus Ordo Missæ, the Mass of Pope St Paul VI), which developed in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, is to some minds a mutated form of the Mass—to a few a mutilated form of the Mass—that manifests changes far beyond the modest adjustments called for by the sacred Council. Given the pure facts of history, i.e., the various limited indults or unsanctioned deviations since the documents of the Council were promulgated and unduly exploited, it is fair to acknowledge those corruptions of the Council's and Pope Saint Paul VI's teachings and then derive countermeasures to effect renewal.

Father Nick Nelson | Handing on the Faith (7 September 2021) 

A little-known papal document written in 1969 is titled “Memoriale Domini: Instruction on the Manner of Receiving Holy Communion.” In this document, Pope St. Paul VI reaffirms the one and a half millennia practice of receiving Communion directly on the tongue yet opens up the possibility of receiving a dispensation for receiving Holy Communion in the hand.

What brought about the necessity of St. Pope Paul VI writing this document? In the years following the Second Vatican Council, Holy Communion began to be distributed to people in their hands. This was mainly done in the countries of France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany and it was done without the permission of the church. Until then, Holy Communion could only be received directly on the tongue. The Vatican and the Holy Father intervened a number of times, telling the cardinals and bishops and priests to stop it, but they continued to disobey.

In the late ’60s, seeing that it was continuing despite his objections, Pope St. Paul wrote all the bishops of the world, asking them what they thought of Holy Communion being received in the hand and if it should be allowed. Overwhelmingly, the bishops responded that no, it shouldn’t be allowed, and that the faithful would not be in favor of the change.

Based off this survey, Pope St. Paul VI on May 29, 1969 wrote Memoriale Domini. In that instruction, he published the results of the survey of the bishops and decided that the traditional manner of receiving Holy Communion would remain, that of the priest placing the host directly on the tongue of the communicant.

He said, “A change in a matter of such importance, which rests on a very ancient and venerable tradition, besides touching upon discipline can also include dangers. These may be feared from a new manner of administering Holy Communion: they are 1) a lessening of reverence toward the noble Sacrament of the altar, 2) its profanation, or 3) the adulteration of correct doctrine.”

He goes on to say, “From the responses received it is thus clear that by far the greater number of bishops feel that the present discipline should not be changed at all, indeed that if it were changed, this would be offensive to the sensibilities and spiritual appreciation of these bishops and of most of the faithful.”

But then, there was a big “but.” For those places where Holy Communion was already being given to people in their hand, it was possible for those places to apply for an “indult,” a special dispensation, from the Vatican that would allow their people to receive in the hand.

For a country to apply for the indult, the following was necessary: 1) Communion in the hand had to already be presently in that country; 2) the bishops of that country had to have two-thirds majority vote in favor of Communion in the hand; 3) Communion in the hand should not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional manner; 4) the way of introducing this must be done tactfully; 5) Communion in the hand should not cause the person to think it is just ordinary bread; 6) one must be careful to not allow profanation or any fragment to fall.

Abusus non tollit usum

Even though a tyranny of aberrations grew up in the wake of the Council and confusion has since spread like a virus, and the distortions have born much poisonous fruit over five decades, one should not lobby for a wholesale rejection of the Pauline Liturgy. That many do attempt to annihilate the good sought by the Council is as regrettable as the actions taken by those who have disguised their rebellion as renewal.

The Novus Ordo Mass is a valid liturgy - so saith Pope St Paul VI, Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. The Pauline Liturgy can be celebrated with dignity and can be sublimely illuminating because Jesus, the principal actor in the Mass, is there Present and true to His word. One need only think of the superb examples of dignified celebrations of the Ordinary Form set by the oratories of Birmingham, Brompton and Toronto, by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (La Crosse, Wisconsin), and by the canons of Saint John Cantius (Chicago). Too often, however, there is a cavalier approach to the manner in which diocesan Ordinary Form Eucharistic liturgies are prepared and celebrated. Given the availability of and easy access to liturgical supports online, one wonders how is it that priests and people frequently pray so badly the Novus Ordo Mass?

In the course of the Synod (Rome 2005), there was frequent insistence on the need to avoid any antithesis between the ars celebrandi, the art of proper celebration, and the full, active and fruitful participation of all the faithful. The primary way to foster the participation of the People of God in the sacred rite is the proper celebration of the rite itself. The ars celebrandi is the best way to ensure their actuosa participatio. The ars celebrandi is the fruit of faithful adherence to the liturgical norms in all their richness; indeed, for two thousand years this way of celebrating has sustained the faith life of all believers, called to take part in the celebration as the People of God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (cf. 1 Pet 2:4-5, 9). - Pope Benedict XVI,  post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (2007) 

The USSCB identifies the ars celebrandi as:

• fidelity to the texts and rubrics of the Church
• a prayerful understanding of the liturgical texts, feasts and seasons
• a reverent sense of the ministers and assembly engaging in an exchange, which is the dialogue of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit
• a proper preparation for celebrating the liturgy

The Pauline Missal is rather terse regarding choreography and nonverbal gestures that communicate theological principles and that form minds and hearts. Mind you, the Missal is not normally the place to load in the management of detailed movement, gestures and the handling of vessels and other objects along with the basic rubrics and liturgical norms. Guidance must come from "outside", as it were, as has always been the case prior to the turbid 1970s. Clergy and servers have for centuries relied on the experience and works of masters to guide them in the artful and reverent celebration of the Mass.

"Gathered into the offering of the Son to the Father"

Many successful revivals in the history of the Church have been achieved by reference to the collective knowledge recorded and/or embodied by clergy in seminaries, monasteries and parishes as the sacred Liturgy took shape in house churches, catacombs, in modest and grand buildings dedicated to the Liturgy. One can be confident that renewal demonstrating continuity with the orthodox past is guided by the Holy Ghost.

Legitimate regional variations in movement and gesture are unified and verified by an abiding orientation to Jesus Christ Present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit. CCC1325

We must therefore consider the Eucharist as: thanksgiving and praise to the Father; the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body; the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit. CCC1358

Liturgy is “medial”—that is, neither pure activity on our part, nor pure passivity, but both and neither, like the “middle voice” of some ancient languages. One way to say this, however awkward it might strike the modern English-speaker’s ear, would be to say, “I was gathered into the offering of the Son to the Father.” Shorthand would be modestly simpler: “I participated in the self-offering of God today.” – Daniel Kwasniewski, NLM 

Many if not most of the instructions that foster the nuanced realization of the ars celebrandi and the participatio actuosa were formerly laid out in an explicit and thorough manner in companion texts. One here thinks of the work of O'Connell and Fortescue, and the Fifteenth Edition of The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described (Fortescue, O'Connell, Reid). One would be wise, therefore, to access the works of Bishop Peter Elliott in order to appreciate the care necessary for a beautiful realization of the Pauline Mass.

• Ceremonies Explained for Servers: A Manual for Altar Servers, Acolytes, Sacristans, and Masters of Ceremonies
• Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite, 2nd Edition

If the behaviour of priests is any indication, seminary preparation is severely lacking. The need for dignity, precision, beauty and deep reverence when celebrating the Holy Eucharist escapes an appreciation among most priests. Is it any wonder, then, that a person in the pew does not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus when the example they witness week after week does nothing to preserve the august nature of the Mass?

In the Personal Ordinariates, we consult the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) and the Rubrical Directory. An important Patrimonial text that celebrants and servers routinely consult is Ritual Notes (11th Edition/Lamburn). The Fortescue, O'Connell and Reid 15th Edition also frequently informs the Ordinariate experience.

How to dance the liturgy

It seems strange that so many clergy and assistants (altar servers, musicians and liturgy committee members) ignore or choke at the idea that the celebration of the Liturgy requires a concentrated qualitative effort. The Church's "dance" has prearranged footwork. The liturgical recipe is just that - a recipe that we must follow or something other than the Church's liturgy is cooked up. The Liturgy is a banquet with several courses requiring attention to detail. The Liturgy is an algorithm that, if ignored, something else emerges, something that obscures the work of God. Are we hands through which God works, or do we appropriate the Liturgy in order to serve some cheap and unattractive motive?

Reasons among Catholics exist in abundance to justify the need for a way that restores Catholic identity and mission direction. A few are:

1. the ubiquitous loss of reverence for the Holy Eucharist - i.e., the loss of belief in the Real Presence;
2. the subjection of the rites to parochial variation to the point of distortion and abuse;
3. a loss of beauty and a loss of theologically rich spirituality that dispose worshippers to the grace of God;
4. shabby homilies and catechetical programs that offer little in the way of authentic formation.

A middle way exists that avoids the commonly assumed unnecessary dichotomies - between old versus new, vernacular versus Latin, progressive versus conservative, etc. In other words, a way exists that avoids the distracting dead weight of liturgical politics and polemics that drain vital life away from the mission to save souls.

The Ordinariate middle way is a liturgical, spiritual and cultural treasure chest offering riches that meet the profound need among men to encounter Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. The Ordinariate middle way does not merely avoid extremes. If anything, Divine Worship restores emphasis on the extremism of the prophetic, the charismatic and the apostolic to the Church in a way that enables Catholics to locate their dignity in Christ and their identity among the saints - the martyrs, the theologians, the contemplatives and those serving in the world who cooperate(d) with the Holy Ghost to allow their lives to be configured to the will of God in a most excellent manner, for love of God and love of neighbour.

• prophetic: ad orientem prayer that models right orientation to God; evangelization, the salvation of souls, is at mission core; boldly preaching the word of God; modelling hospitality and serving Christ in every person.
• charismatic: trusting in the gifts of the Holy Ghost; whole-person prayer; communicating in the Spirit through the arch-virtues of humility and docility; modelling truth to power.
• apostolic: identity in Christ; diversity in the unity of truth; unity with and in the Church Jesus founded upon the Apostle Peter that continues with the successors of the Apostles; conserving that which has been handed on (tradition).

Divine Worship: the Missal, the Ordinariate Form of the Mass, captures the Second Vatican Council's 

"stated ideal of the Tridentine Mass reformed – not replaced – 'with new vigour to meet the circumstances and needs of modern times'" (Introduction:4 Sacrosanctum Concilium). 

See also, Dr. Stephen Bullivant's article (CH): At an Ordinariate Mass, I witnessed the real spirit of Vatican II.

When one looks at and experiences Divine Worship, one can see exactly that for which the Council called while retaining liturgical art inspired by the Holy Ghost preserved in the Anglican patrimony.

• an expanded library of scripture within the Mass
• the allowance of scripture readings in the vernacular; the Mass text of Divine Worship is rendered in a sacred vernacular.
• the retention and primacy of chant. Divine Worship often resonates with both Latin and English chant. The Patrimony also contributes Anglican chant as well as a sublime collection of sacred English and Latin polyphonic works, and great hymns.

Divine Worship is a unique missal in the history of the Church. The Ordinary Form is translated from the Roman Missal (Latin Third Typical Edition) into various vernacular languages. Divine Worship: the Missal is an English missal for which there is no Latin typical edition. It is a unique expression of the Latin Rite Liturgy.

For its text, Divine Worship: the Missal draws on centuries of excellent hieratic English translations of Latin liturgical texts. The Cranmerian reforms, at least those reforms which respected the Apostolic Tradition, anticipated many of the reforms called for by the Second Vatican Council. Of course, the compiling of Divine Worship, the Ordinariate Missal, required careful work to ensure the content is wholly orthodox and a true expression of the Roman Rite. We can thank the Anglicanae Traditiones Interdicasterial Commission for the exceptional work done to bring about Divine Worship: the Missal.

See also: The Sources and Structure of Divine Worship: a ratio for the order of Mass

https://files.ecatholic.com/3059/documents/2016/3/2015_Lopes_Antiphon.pdf?t=1457531503000

Divine Worship: the Missal represents an authentic development that honours Tradition and traditional customs that dispose worshippers to the action of Christ, and introduces Catholics to an elevated vernacular version of the Mass which captures elements of the Catholic Faith preserved in Anglicanism. That treasure chest which Ordinariate Catholics refer to as the Patrimony is one that can unite Ordinary Form Catholics (many of whom have lost an immediate connection to Tradition) and Extraordinary Form Catholics (many of whom may be clinging too tightly to elements in the Old Mass in a way that ignores the legitimate renewal acknowledged by an ecumenical council of the Church).

Divine Worship: the Missal, then, is not a fossilized museum piece nor is it a playground for weekly liturgical innovation. Divine Worship captures authentic liturgical variation while maintaining a clear connection to Tradition. Words such as stability, continuity and reverence come to mind to describe the architecture, content and celebration of the Ordinariate Mass.

So... why not just return to the Extraordinary Form?

Catholics would be well-advised to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form (EF), at least once or once in awhile. Most communities that offer the older Mass supply worship-aids that contain the prayers and readings in the vernacular so that worshippers are able to better access the spiritual riches of that Form. Of course, it can be distracting to be glued to a page during the celebration of the liturgical rites. Many EF Masses now include the scripture readings (lections/lessons) in the vernacular spoken by the priest. That practice reflects the teaching of the Second Vatican Council concerning the inclusion of the vernacular as part of the renewal the Council sought to bring about. Those celebrations of the diocesan "Latin Mass" come very close to the Ordinariate Mass which routinely includes the Latin proper and ordinary chants, and Latin polyphonic anthems and devotional prayers. Most often, too, those same Latin Mass celebrations provide the "four hymn sandwich" - i.e., the Entrance, Offertory, Communion and Recessional hymns, in the vernacular.

With the above in mind, perhaps the question could be - 'So, why not worship God with an Ordinariate community using Divine Worship: the Missal?'

Living Tradition

Those who have been forged in the crucible of the Anglican Patrimony now received into the Catholic Church have living traditional custom welded to their skin, so-to-speak. The Patrimony is that Apostolic liturgical spirituality and practice that has been faithfully preserved in the Anglican experience.

Among those in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place.— Unitatis Redintegratio

The Council of Trent acknowledged that there were living liturgical traditions, legitimate variations of the Roman Rite, that were worthy of preservation. The Sarum Rite, for one, which inhabited British lands for centuries prior to Trent and for a time continued among recusants during the Tudor persecutions, preserved elements of ancient Christian liturgical custom, east and west, and formed the core of Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer. That legacy, tested and purified, has been returned to the Church in and through the Ordinariate Liturgy.

The means by which the legacy is shared blends the vernacular of ancient English spirituality, brewed in Benedictine monasticism, with the Sarum liturgy that loaned shape and content to the Book of Common Prayer synthesized by Thomas Cranmer,  and realizes the insights of the Second Vatican Council.

The Catholic flame found burning brightly in the Personal Ordinariates is the flame of the Holy Ghost, the flame of renewal. We see that renewal catching on. That is to say, the same flame burns everywhere the Name of Jesus is truly honoured, where the Body and Blood of Christ is adored, and where the truth, goodness and beauty of God is celebrated in ways that leave no doubt as to necessity of the saving hope that is found in Christ alone. There are many signs of renewal inviting us to engage in the mission to save souls, to provide hope and confidence in the mercy of God.

The Ordinariate mustard seed is growing for the good of the Church. Consider nesting among its branches.

Worthy Read

https://catholicherald.co.uk/the-anglican-catholic-patrimony-which-the-ordinariate-will-bring-has-been-enriching-us-for-years/