A Treasure To Be Shared

Estne conflictus sola optio? Died-in-the-linen-or-polyester adherents of the Novus Ordo Missae and the Extraordinary Form, locked in a love-hate embrace—mostly hate (of the other) it seems—plug away at their respective polemics in ways that one wonders whether or not they love the very Church they claim to serve. One side brushes off the rubrical precision that supports an authentic  ars celebrandi , while the other rejects the use of the vernacular and an expanded lectionary. One side seems mired in liturgical abuses, the other preoccupied with conspiracy theories—at least, that’s how it appears if you take either set of opposing commentaries at face value. They remain in the uneasy comfort of their own stances, idly picking at a scab that only slows the healing process. Said actors seem to have missed a third way of being a Latin Rite Catholic. While many have been caught up in the pre/post-Vatican II fracas, there has appeared a missal brought together by a dedicated team assign...

Procession to High Altar, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish The Parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Esquimalt, BC, is host to four communities worshiping according to three forms of the Mass. Though there are clear and zealous preferences among parishioners for one of the three liturgical forms, parishioners navigate the busy times - high holy days - with a shared sense of accommodation and respect. Of course, this past Lent and Holy Week didn't present any management challenges given that there were no public Masses which would have required adaptation to avoid intersecting or overlapping liturgies. In past years, however, liturgical prescriptions have been observed in a way where each liturgical tradition finds expression. Priests and people have found ways to enact liturgies according to a schedule that serves each community and the common good. N.B. - Dear non-Catholics reading this post, you are invited to embrace (or at least acknowledge) the Catholic understanding th...

The Ordinariate experience offers an authentic via media bridging the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form. 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'" ( Sacrosanctum Concilium 4). See also, Dr. Stephen Bullivant's article (CH):  At an Ordinariate Mass, I witnessed the real spirit of Vatican II . The Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo Missæ), which developed in the wake of the Council, is to many informed minds a mutated form of the Mass —some would say mutilated form of the Mass—which goes far beyond the modest adjustments called for by the Council. Sadly, given the pure facts of history since the documents of the Council were promulgated, this blogger must acknowledge certain deviations from the Council's express intent which cannot be justified. For one, the ...