Pope Benedict XVI Grants Greater Freedom
for the Celebration of the Traditional Mass
by Jonathan McLear Holy Cross Director of Music

Perhaps you've read or seen a news article about the document Pope Benedict XVI released on July 7, 2007 which grants greater freedom for the celebration of the 1962 Missal (sometimes referred to as the Tridentine Mass). This is absolutely true and the document can be found at www.usccb.org (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).

Be careful, though, as the media has and will continue to spin the contents of this important document. For example, an article in the July 7, 2007 Chicago Tribune states in its first sentence:

"...allowing wider use of the old Tridentine Mass, which is chanted in Latin by a priest who faces the altar, with his back to the congregation."

The term "old Tridentine," here might better be replaced simply with "traditional" as the Tridentine Mass a) was never done away with, and b) dates back to the 6th century, 1000 years before the Council of Trent (the namesake of "Tridentine"). For most of the Traditional Mass, the Priest offers the Mass "with his back to the congregation." However this is not the case for the entire Mass, though this is not evident while reading this article. And even so, the Priest is not "with his back to the congregation," but leading all present at Mass toward our Lord, present in the Tabernacle. Finally, the Priest does not chant the entire liturgy, only parts of it, and even this depends on the occasion of the Mass (High Mass, Low Mass, etc.).

What the Motu Proprio does do, however, is allow a Priest to celebrate the Mass in what is now being referred to as the Extraordinary form (the Traditional Mass) without obtaining permission from the Bishop. The Mass that was established after Vatican II (commonly known as the Novus Ordo...this is the Mass that is celebrated at Holy Cross and everywhere else), will be known as the Ordinary form. Here in the Rockford Diocese, Bishop Doran has, to the best of my knowledge, always granted permission to celebrate the Extraordinary form. In fact, S.S. Peter and Paul Church in Virgil celebrates a Tridentine Mass every weekend as do other churches throughout our Diocese.

The Novus Ordo Mass is still in effect and is in no way to be completely replaced by the Tridentine Mass. Our Pope makes this clear in both the Motu Proprio and in his accompanying letter to the Bishops. It is possible, however, for established parishes to celebrate a daily Mass and one Mass on Sunday using the Extraordinary form of our Liturgy. This, of course, is up to each individual Pastor of each individual parish. All of this is to go into effect on our parish's Feast Day, the Exultation of the Cross, on September 14, 2007.Please take time to educate yourself on all of this before you believe what you hear in the news. If you have any questions, please e mail me or speak with one of our priests.